Monday 2 February 2009

#13 Hollywood’s Answer To Creativity

First of all I would like to apologize for not posting a blog for a while but I have just been busy sorting out a little film project I have going at the moment but I will try keep up, just bare with me. I would also like to that the die hard people who keep reading my blog and would love some ideas from the readers about what to write about.

Where to start? Every year Hollywood keeps churning out terrible films that makes everyone wonder why it’s still the film capital of the world. A recent example is the awful looking (I say looking because there’s no way I would pay to see it) ‘Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans’. A prequel to the 2003 flop ‘Underworld’ and ‘Underworld: Evolution’ (2006). After two rubbish blockbusters you would have thought they would have got the message. However, apparently not because it doesn’t matter if the film is good or not, because if it has Will Smith in it, hundreds of sheep with flock in to the cinemas.

In fairness Hollywood does occasionally releases the odd good film, when there are in the mood. Films like Eastwood’s ‘Changling’ (2008) and Fincher’s ‘The Curious Case OF Benjamin Button’ (2009), which has hit the awards circuit, try to do something for modern cinema the just playing it safe with a sequel. Sequels on they other hand aren’t the worst thing. I’m not condemning them, after last years ‘Dark Knight’ it can only show a progression in great sequels (and the Harry Potter films I guess). What I am getting at is that Hollywood believes that it can stop thinking of new ideas and use ideas from a book or an action figure like ‘G.I.Joe’ (ok it looks) and it should come to a halt because with all there resources (or money) they should make new classics.

Hollywood’s plan is to just keep releasing sequels, adaptations and remakes with movie ‘stars’ (if you can call them that) year after year. What’s the point making new fresh films when the can just remake a popular 80’s television show? Why take a risk and try to push cinema like Gus Van Sant (Milk, Last Days, Elephant) does when they can make a great animation and build a franchise; mark my words there will be a ‘Wall-e 2’ or ‘Up 2’, ok maybe not the last one but 'Monsters Vs Aliens 2'. I would prefer to go see a documentary about a 1960’s journalist at my local Arthouse cinema then see the latest high concept movie.

Oliver Hunt

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