Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




Best screenwriting book, November 18, 2008
By Rollerp (Florida)
Over the years I feared that I'd become a professional reader of "How to write a screenplay" books. This book when read and studied in conjunction with Mr. Snyder's first Save the Cat book cured me. These two truly are the only books you'll need to learn the ropes AND maintain screenwriting skills.

While Save the Cat is a no punches pulled, tight read on structure, story and plot, etc., "Goes to the Movies" takes these arts a giant step further. GTM breaks down genres and tells the writer what to look for, how to plot, and how to structure each type of SP. And Mr. Snyder uses popular movie examples to illustrate his points. Another plus because I'm sick of reading a How-tos that serve as advertisements for the author's unproduced SPs.

Unlike the vast majority of other How-to's, Mr. Snyder trims the pork and the "There I was" filler anecdotes and delivers in 280 pages what it would take others to convey in 450 pages. Just the facts, ma'am. Highly recommended!



A powerful examination of film and it's form!, October 9, 2008
By John G. Bradt (Santa Ana, Ca United States)
This is the best book about screenwriting I have ever read!
I own and have read dozens of books about screenwriting!
Nothing I say can do justice to this book in a short review.

While other books cover the essential basic information needed to become a screenwriter,
This one book cover areas no other book even come close to mastering.

It doesn't tell you how to write, so much as it explains how to "think" like a writer and see the true shape of every film ever written! I have struggled for years to see the landscape in front of me and Blake provides a much needed map of how to get from here to there.

Some people have reviewed this book and missed the fact that while his books may seem casual and simple - they are far from it. His style masks the depth of the subject matter he is presenting. Like watching the Sixth Sense and missing the things set right in front of you!

Don't get lost in debating terminology and definitions and miss the big picture.
There are some extremely important treasures in this wonderful book.
Just because the book is not overly complicated does not mean it is not complex.

The great accessibility of this book can be deceptive. Don't let that keep you from taking it very seriously and getting everything you can from it. There's some really original and useful material in this book.

Whether you call it genre or categories or plot, he presents the contexts of every known form you could possibly find useful, to help see what kind of film you really are trying to write.

This might not be the first book you get about screenwriting,
but it should be the one you use most often! I only wish I had this book years ago.

I have five books about screenwriting on my desk that I use everyday!
I have every other book available about screenwriting on my bookcase, and while I do use them all at various times, the five books I use almost every day are:

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat - goes to the movies by Blake Snyder
The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
Screenplay by Sid Field
The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier

Thanks for writing this book Blake.

John Bradt



Snyder Gives Up the Keys to the Kingdom, September 22, 2008
By Sam Richmond (Orange County, CA)
You demanded a book on screenwriting by a working, successful screenwriter; better yet, someone who has sold not one, not two, but dozens of scripts to Hollywood. You got it with Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" where he reveals the "secrets" he used to write and sell those screenplays, including two that sold for $1 mil a piece.

Then you wanted more proof that his guidelines worked in other films as well. In "Save the Cat Goes to the Movies" he shows you that your favorite movies from the past and present used these very same storytelling elements, which have been around since ancient times when people told tales around the fire.

In his first book, he spilled the beans on how he became a successful screenwriter; in this sequel, he shows how other successful screenwriters have been using the same bag of beans in your favorite movies, you just didn't know it.

Moviegoers know if they liked a movie or not; but they couldn't tell you all the reasons why. Snyder does, in a very readable format where all you have to do is add your great idea and some elbow grease and you will have a script that has a fighting chance for success.

Good writing!




Helpful & better than I originally thought. Give it 3 stars., September 20, 2008
By Jerome Beck (Santa Rosa, CA , USA)
Adds little to the ideas in the original book but what there is is helpful. I originally gave this two stars but having read more, I would give it three. The book is most helpful in elucidating sub-genre but you still need the original STC.

Many of the movies analyzed I admittedly find distasteful, would never watch, and am greatful I didn't write; that's just my personal opinion and does not effect the book's value.

Remember that the author's approach is not cut-and-paste. Snyder's suggestions are just suggestions. Even with the original I had to rewrite both this book and the original to make them fit my writing style. Again, you still need the original and IMO you still need to edit both books heavily to make them your own. Even so, these books are not the whole. They are about conceptualizing before you write and neither will help much with the actual writing or marketing.



A new way to explain movies, September 18, 2008
By I. Mayer (Earth)
I love going to the movies and people know it. So there is always someone asking me about them. After reading this book now I can go beyond this is an action movie or a suspense movie. Who knew that Lethal Weapon and the Black Stallion were the same kind of stories.