Uncomfortable Short Reviews

An interesting posit: Take a story, then break it down into the shortest possible summary that tells the most plot, and what comes out tells a subtly-different story, nominally quite unpleasant when stripped of most/all niceties.

My favourites include:

• ALIENS: An unplanned pregnancy leads to complications
• AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON: Tourist causes riot
• BATMAN: Wealthy man assaults the mentally ill
• DEBBIE DOES DALLAS: Cheerleaders develop valuable entrepreneurial skills
• DEEP THROAT: Medical anomaly earns woman new friends
• DELIVERANCE: Tourists experience local hospitality
• DIE HARD: Dysfunctional cop saves marriage by murdering foreign national
• DOCTOR FAUSTUS: Scholar learns nuances of contract law
• DRACULA: Immigrant clashes with locals
• E T : Out-of-control pet causes mayhem, sadness
• FRANKENSTEIN: Scientific advancement proves unpopular with general public
• GHOSTBUSTERS: Unemployed college professors destroy hotel with nuclear weapons
• KARATE KID: Boy gains acceptance through violence
• KING KONG: Endangered animal stolen, shot
• LOLITA: Man encourages step-daughter to take chances
• LORD OF THE RINGS: Midget destroys stolen property
• ROSEMARY’S BABY: An unplanned pregnancy leads to complications
• STAR TREK, the Original Series: Over-sexed officer routinely places crew in danger
• STEPFORD WIVES, the: Woman has difficulty adjusting to suburban life
  
• SWEENEY TODD: Businesses flourish when freed from stringent regulation
• TAXI DRIVER: Modern dating proves challenging for working class man
• TERMINATOR: An unplanned pregnancy leads to complications
• TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: Tourists have difficulty with regional cuisine

Between unplanned pregnancies, problem dating, tourists, and immigrants, it seems a fair number of popular movies have very little originality. Hmmm...