How does he do it?

Flashdance. Top Gun. The Rock. Con Air. Coyote Ugly. National Treasure. Pirates of the Caribbean.

None of these are good films. All of them were wildly successful. So what is it about this guy that he can do what no one else can do? Namely, pick a winner.

I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to say that his films have had no effect on me. At first, I was appalled. Then I was amazed. As a writer, I tend to shun anything that eschews realism. I have high-minded ideas that I respect my audience, that they would see through anything that was transparently pandering

Not Jerry's writers. Jerry's writers think of ways to put a kitten in the shot so the danger will be that much more visceral to the audience. Can you wring a tear out of them? Then do it. Can you make them jump up in surprise? Have at it. Can you make them look at the screen and cheer when a villain, unkilled by a collision with a Las Vegas skyway, is pulverized by a damn ROCK CRUSHER? Genius.

In order to figure out how he does it, I am going to watch EVERY SINGLE JERRY BRUCKHEIMER-PRODUCED FILM, in the order it was released. I'll even watch some of his television shows. This will take years. But I will do it, and when I come out the other side, drop forged and hardened, I will be a better screenwriter.

Back in two weeks.