Cookie Cutter Films, You Don't Say?

Well, as the article said, there's a lack of wit today.
There's also not only a lack of intellectual depth in film today, but a dearth of emotional depth.

Everything has to be ironic (or a poor imitation thereof) or emotionally stunted- we are in the age of perpetual adolescence, afterall.

"As for Lubitsch, there will never, ever, ever be another. Ever. A guy like that comes around once in a universe. Proof is that even Billy Wilder, whose motto was ‘What would Lubitsch do?,’ tried but never came close.”

Though Hawks did a pretty good job in Bringing Up Baby.
 
“Even the studios that are run by women aren’t run by women. They’re run by corporations, which are run by franchises. Unfortunately for us, Jennifer Aniston is a franchise. So is Katherine Heigl and Gerard Whatever-His-Name-Is, and even when their movies bomb, their franchise potential isn’t compromised because overseas markets, DVD sales and cable earn all the studio’s money back. I’m told that ‘Knight and Day,’ that awful Cruise/Diaz movie, has already been good for Fox for exactly this reason. The worst part of it is, from Hollywood’s point of view, it ain’t broke. I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for TV. O.K., now I am drinking.”
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this.

i blame corporatism. i don't think there's a lack of creative writers out there. but a corporation, in any business, has to maximize revenue. maximizing revenue in the film industry leads to films that have no moral, cultural, or political relevance. why? because they wouldn't want to exclude a potential customer from purchasing the product. they want to maximize a film's appeal. that translates into movies that are stale, soulless, and ultimately forgettable. i don't personally think TV is any better, either.

someone mentioned in another thread how during the production of the latest Robin Hood movie, the moral and soul of the story was 'surgically' removed during its production.
 
Batutta said:
Then you need to watch more TV. The best writing these days is in cable shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, BSG...etc.
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i have seen Mad Men, and you're right, it is a good show. but honestly, the best show on TV right now (in my opinion) is Futurama. i was so happy they brought it back :>
 
Fahad said:
i have seen Mad Men, and you're right, it is a good show. but honestly, the best show on TV right now (in my opinion) is Futurama. i was so happy they brought it back :>
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Futurama's hilarious, but we we're talking about writing with emotional, dramatic depth. The best TV writing these days can reach a level of character depth most movies can never touch, just because they have far more time to tell a story.
 
Batutta said:
The best TV writing these days can reach a level of character depth most movies can never touch, just because they have far more time to tell a story.
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true, but i'd say most current movies. but i'd say most movies nowadays won't go there, rather than can't. most current movies focus on spectacle, rather than emotional depth (i've ranted about this in another thread :D ).

i used to watch TV shows a lot, but anymore i find them less interesting than i once did. not to say they used to be better, but rather, i used to be more patient about 'what's going to happen next time'.

two contemporary shows i really got into (partly because my friend had a few seasons on DVD), are Weeds and 30 Rock.
 
Let's be realistic here, Hollywood has never been about putting intellectual depth into it's product. Hollywood has always been about escapism and pandering to the lowest common denominator. It's not about art or cerebral stimulation. It's about that guy who had a long week, wants to loosen his tie and leave the thinking at the office. That's the guy who will buy the ticket for his wife and kids. And if there is an exploding car, even better.

We're talking about an industry who invented the "genre system" so it didn't just have to sell Joe Blow a very particular movie idea. Now they could sell him a wide range of themes, familiar storytelling elements and/or visual conventions. Have gun toting cowboy in a generic Western, Joe Blow will travel. Hollywood has made it's living off of feeding us movies which are the culinary equivalent of popcorn because its a formula that works.

So, the notion that there is a lack of wit in today’s cinema doesn’t only comment on modern filmmaking. It’s been the way Hollywood has been doing it for decades. Lucky for us, they get it right a few times a year and we are left with some real gems.
 
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Absolutely, nobody's saying Hollywood ever was wall to wall wit, or non stop cerebral stimulation.

Just that it seems a bit bleaker now than at other times, that the exceptions seem even rarer.

As for TV, some say the Golden Age was in the 50's- dramas (often live) such as Philco Television Playhouse, Twilight Zone, ALfred Hitchcock Presents.
But there's at least one second Golden Age- from The Wire to Mad Men, et al.

Cable TV, of course, can survive, even thrive, with smaller numbers than broadcast.

So if network TV is the equivalent to Hollywood studio lowest common denominator, why can't we get more indie film equivalents to cable TV? That's what I wonder.
 
Hollywood used to be run by people who got their start working on actual motion pictures.

These days it seem like the path to becoming a filmmaker and the path to becoming a studio executive are completely distinct from one another.
 
groveChuck said:
Absolutely, nobody's saying Hollywood ever was wall to wall wit, or non stop cerebral stimulation.

Just that it seems a bit bleaker now than at other times, that the exceptions seem even rarer.
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But that's my point. It's always been bleak. But when we look back, we only remember the masterpieces. Audience tastes may have changed but the caviar-to-crap ratio still remains.
 
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