ch. 1.

Abyss: the narrative spine needs a chiropractor --

ch. 2.

Cutthroat island: shiver me structure --

ch. 3.

Inherit the wind: Play's the first thing, the screenplay's the second --

ch. 4.

Singin' in the rain: the perfect film that shouldn't work --

ch. 5.

Pulp fiction: reinventing structure --

ch. 6.

Usual suspects: the great script that could have been greater --

ch. 7.

High noon: Aristotle goes out west --

ch. 8.

Citizen Kane : flashback as narrative --

ch. 9.

Bonfire of the vanities: third act suicide --

ch. 10.

Last action hero: deconstruction self-destructs --

ch. 11.

Fargo: satire isn't always what closes on Saturday night --

ch. 12.

Jewel of the Nile: your subtext is showing, the problem of the false second act --

ch. 13.

Groundhog day: the unexpected, expected structure --

ch. 14.

Searchers: the third act hiccup --

ch. 15.

Verdict: dialogue as litany --

ch. 16.

Tender mercies: less is more, lots more --

ch. 17.

Some like it hot: fewer scenes, bigger laughs --

ch. 18.

Prizzi's honor: the passive second act protagonist --

ch. 19.

Day of the jackal: the antagonist as protagonist --

ch. 20.

Network: the catalytic monster --

ch. 21.

Chinatown: the elusive antagonist --

ch. 22.

Casablanca: the antihero as protagonist --

ch. 23.

Havana: Casablanca lite --

ch. 24.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre: the greatest adventure --

ch. 25.

Falling in love: the good guys ought to be the bad guys