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Dec. 16, 2005 This article is a follow-up to what Jack Lepiarz wrote December 15 (“What Makes A Decent Movie“). While I haven’t seen any of the Mission Impossible movies, Jack pretty much gave me an idea as to the tenor of those films. I too, lament Hollywood’s moving from “storytelling” to “action sequencing”. The reason the Bond films continue to be a viable franchise is not because the quality of films is so great, but because of the way the film is hyped. The announcement of a new Bond film raises several questions. (1) Will (insert name) come back for another go-round? )In this case, Pierce Brosnan); (2) If not, who will be the new Bond; and (3) Who will be the next “Bond girl/sex kitten?” The only people who watch these films are middle aged men who still have Bond like fantasies. These are the same people who went to see “Wild Wild West” hoping Will Smith could capture the essence of Robert Conrad’s over-the-top stud, Jim West. (The movie flopped). Today’s movies stink for a variety of reasons: (1) THE PIGGYBACK PRINCIPLE: Better known as “monkey-see-monkey-do.” This is seen in the plethora of films with a similar theme (for example, the teen romance genre), or in the form of lame-brained sequels. (2) Actors are more concerned with “getting paid” and providing the members of their entourage with all sorts of perks, rather than mastering their craft. What actor today can you compare to Humphrey Bogart? Sidney Poitier? Katherine Hepburn? Brando? Joan Crawford? With more novies being made (especially among independents) you would think there would be more stars, but the ones I hold in esteem number ten: Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, Nicholson, Hillary Swank, Denzel Washington, Hoffman, Pacino and Meryl Streep. If Hollywood wants to copycat, why not reanimate the film noir genre? These films spun tales of moral dilemma with the lighting and background as essential to the storytelling as the actors or dialogue. Furthermore, the writing in Hollywood is not only formulaic, but generic and lifeless. Screenwriters today are more concerned with penning a single memorable line (to center an ad campaign around) when the aim should be to push the story along and reveal something about the central character(s). Claxton Graham has suggested more sci-fi movies, especially those that might have more afrocentric plot lines. Jack calls for less bombs and bullets and more PLOT. Why is this type of thinking bandied about everywhere except Hollywood? Soon the action film will join its musical and the western cousins in Boot Hill. These same ol plots are growing tiresome. Nowadays if a film doesn’t offer destruction and vulgarity, or offer a precocious child character with a charming smile and a salty mouth—Hollywood doesn’t believe they can sell it. The major studios no longer challenge us to think, to believe, to debate. It used to be you went to a movie and talked about it. Not any more. Moviegoers are paying hard earned money to see more of the same, with little variance. So what does make a decent movie? Why not start with originality—not in subject per se, but approach. Why not let the camera actually tell the story, rather than some producer who thinks he’s a better writer than the writer? Why rely so heavily on special F/X and gratuitous nudity? Tim Burton’s film “The Nightmare before Christmas” is an excellent example of originality, with its unique take on the Christmas theme. Writers should learn how to construct dialogue, rather than string together a series of smart ass remarks, excessive profanity and double entendres passed off as witticisms. And there should be less editorializing in historical pieces. JFK was a fine film but a lousy chronicle of history. Filmmakers should also employ fewer rappers and go back to using REAL actors. While I unde4rstand the appeal of 50 Cent, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, et al. Agents and producers need to get back to developing stars, much like they did in the 30s and 40s. How? Give them good material and wise directors—not these MTV generation filmmakers who are doing little more than making 90 minute music videos. And that’s another thing, films place too much emphasis on the soundtrack rather than the lyrical flow of the films DIALOGUE. As ticjket buyers, we need to send a message. That message is a simple, two-word shout out: ENOUGH ALREADY! Hollywiood must stop foisting on us mindless, unfunny comedies, unrealistic shoot 'em ups and films with big stars who are victimized by mediocre scripts. How do we do this? Like James Brown said, "sock 'em in the pocket." Stop attending bad movies (simply becvause you want to "ghet out" or get rid of the kids). WEE are demanding comp0elling storytelling, not two hours of mind-rottingschlock. ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is a 46-year old California native with a wide variety of interests-from fishing to politics, which have a lot in common: Both require you to deal with worms and most of your time is spent idling. He is a former Democrat, believing that Party represents outdated ideas. He is officially registered as an Independent, choosing to keep his options open. Timothy is also the author of more than 80 screenplays and novels, two of which have been "published": "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice Of Cain", both available through PublishAmerica. He defines his writing style as "Hip-hop fiction; a cross between Richard Pryor and Richard Wright." His UK columns is written in a hard-edged style, but he is not yet a curmudgeon or a conservative. (Is that redundant?) After all, one of his favorite movies is "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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