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FacebookIt was a very interesting day. Long, but interesting.
Why did I say that? I hate the word ‘interesting.’ To me, 90 per cent of the time when people use the word ‘interesting’ it’s because their vocabulary isn’t diverse enough to describe what they want. Look at the word. Interesting can mean so many different things. It’s a word without a set definition. For example, if you described someone’s haircut as interesting you didn’t describe it at all. Is it a good haircut or a bad haircut? Is it something odd or unusual? ‘Interesting’ says nothing about the haircut because the word is so indescript.
I’ll get off my high horse now.
I just read that Hollywood is planning on remaking “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” This is on a day, when I discovered a remake of “Fahrenheit 451” is also in the works. I find this to be so appalling. This is just the state of the movie business nowadays–because it is a business and quality films aren’t the slightest concern of Hollywood executives. It just irks me–there isn’t a single fresh idea out there. Why would they? Why would Hollywood gamble $50 million on unique idea that has no guarantee of success? But by taking a previously successful product, Hollywood has a built-in audience. Find something people already like and turn it into a movie, nay–moneymaker.
I know I’m part of the problem. I’ll admit, I went to see the “Dukes of Hazzard” film a few years back even though I knew the movie would probably suck. I saw it because I loved the Dukes. But now that I’ve caught wind to what Hollywood is up to, I’ve been better about it. I avoided “Die Hard” and only went to see “Transformers” because I thought it looked like it would be good. I caved on “The Simpsons”–but it’s “The Simpsons” for cripes’ sake.
The big test will be next year when the “Sex and the City” movie comes out. I rather like “Sex and the City,” so I suppose it’s natural for me to want to see the movie. But the thing is, I don’t think I need to see a “Sex and the City” movie. This isn’t a movie because someone showed up with a good script. Executives decided that a “Sex and the City” movie would be a big hit and greenlit the movie because it’s bound to make them a lot of money. It’s the sort of game I strive to avoid.
The movie business just ain’t what it used to be. Multiplexes, $70 million opening weekends, little substance, flashy ad campaigns. I guess this just is how it is nowadays. I know I’m fighting a losing battle (as long as there’s teenagers with money, we’ll always have a new “Saw” every October). I just wish the executives would think outside the box more often. Focus less on the dollars and more on the quality. I used to believe as long as there was quality films out there, people would pay to see them. But I guess that’s just not the case–people will pay to see pretty much anything.