Category: Films by Steven Spielberg
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Little Scene That Became a North Star
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Movies, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021), West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957), West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)The Little Scene That Became a North Star Every long‑form project has its origin myths — the moments that, in hindsight, shaped everything that came after. Sometimes these moments are deliberate. Sometimes they’re the result of careful planning, thematic intention, or structural foresight. And sometimes they arrive quietly, almost innocently, in a first draft written…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why “Somewhere” was the Only Song Jim and Marty Could Sing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Books, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021), West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957), West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)Why “Somewhere” was the Only Song Jim and Marty Could Sing Every writer knows the moment when a story makes a choice for you. You think you’re the one selecting the detail — the street name, the shade of blue, the song on the radio — but in truth, the story has already decided. Your…
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The Duet That Never Was: Revisiting Jim and Marty’s Unfinished Song
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Orlando, Florida When I wrote Reunion: A Story in the fall of 1998, I wanted to give my protagonist, Jim Garraty, a connection with Martina Elizabeth “Marty” Reynaud that reached beyond the unspoken love he feels for her in the novella. It could not, of course, be openly romantic; otherwise, Jim’s…
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Ending the Merry Month of May with a Sunday Musicale
Hi, everyone. Well, it’s the last day of May and, if you go by the meteorological calendar, it’s also the last day of spring. It’s also Sunday, and as much as I love writing – it’s what I do, after all – I do need to take an occasional day of rest. So, I’m waving…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Movies That Built Jim Garraty (and, Let’s Be Honest, Me Too)
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in A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Casablanca (1942), Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 40th Anniversary Edition, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Films by Steven Spielberg, Garratyverse, Indiana Jones Movies, Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (2012 Blu-ray Set), Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Movies, Movies & Television, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Star Wars, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Summer of ’42 (1971), Superman: The Movie, The Longest Day (1962), West Side Story (1961 Film)🎬 The Movies That Built Jim Garraty (and, Let’s Be Honest, Me Too) Somewhere in the middle of revisiting old scenes from Reunion, I stumbled onto a realization that made me laugh out loud: Jim Garraty’s 1983 movie shelf is basically a psychological X‑ray of who he was at seventeen — and who I was,…
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Movie Review: ‘Minority Report’ (2002)
Minority Report Written by: Scott Frank and Jon Cohen, based on a Philip K. Dick story Directed by: Steven Spielberg Starring: Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Lois Smith, Kathryn Morris, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report (2002) is a gripping fusion of science fiction, mystery, and action, set in a future that feels…
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The Echo of a Smile: Memory, Maria, and the Garratyverse
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Miami-Dade Community College, Movies, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961 Film), West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021)Long before Jim Garraty stood on the curb in Somerville, watching a Corolla disappear into the quiet, there was a boy sitting in a sunlit classroom, speechless at the sound of someone saying “Hi.” I wrote about Maria in Catalyst back in 1987. She was radiant, kind, and achingly real. We shared benches between buildings…
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Musings & Thoughts for Monday, January 1, 2024, or: Goodbye to 2023, Hello to 2024
Mid-Morning, Monday, January 1, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire Hi, there, folks. Welcome to my first post of the new year – and 1,381st overall – in A Certain Point of View, Too. Well, unsurprisingly, my first New Year’s Day in New Hampshire is a chilly one. As I write this at 8:14 AM EST, the…
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Musings & Thoughts for Monday, December 4, 2023, or: Weekend Update, Part the Third (Wrapping-Up Edition)
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in 4K UHD Blu-rays, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blu-ray Collection, Creative Writing, From Lithia (FL) to Madison (NH), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Indiana Jones Movies, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Movies, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaLate Morning/Midday, Monday, December 4, 2023, Lithia, Florida Hi, everyone. As you can see, today I’m writing (and publishing) a post at the usual time rather than well into the evening hours. I hope that you’ll understand that as Moving Out Day gets closer to getting here, it will be harder for me to avoid…
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Musings & Thoughts for Saturday, December 2, 2023, or: Weekend Update, Part the First
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Mid- to Late Afternoon, Saturday, December 2, 2023, Lithia, Florida Hi, everyone, and welcome to another installment of A Certain Point of View, Too. I usually post way earlier in the day, not in the middle of the afternoon, but I find that as M-Day draws closer, the harder it is for me to concentrate…
A Certain Point of View, Too 