NationStates Jolt Archive

Last night I watched the original Chinese movie 'The Eye' and like it. I haven't seen the re-make of it with Jessica Alba but it got me wondering. With all the recent re-makes of Chinese horror movies and all the movies lately that are based on TV series, is it that Hollywood is so creatively bankrupt that plagiarism and, essentially, show liching is all we've got?

It's a good thing. It's a step in eliminating bad entertainment. When they can no longer recycle bad idea they will be forced to realise they can't compete and the world will be a slightly better place.

I would argue that the old way is indeed in decline and the new independent film making way is taking over

Remakes are made for the same reason sequels are, there's more assured money in it so there's less risk. Because there's less risky everybody's less happy to shell out money for it. of course this line of thinking isn't going to work forever.

It's the thinking process that what worked once will work again that is in decline. I mean they are remaking Adventures in Babysitting and Tron. There is no reason to be remaking them. And I highly doubt they will be able to have the same charm as the originals.

I don't think indie films are taking over either, but they are being recognized. I think Old Hollywood is still going well, they just need creative and original thinking. The cliched romantic comedies and slasher flicks aren't working anymore. It's forcing everyone to rethink how to approach a story.

In decline. . .wha? Have you looked at the Oscar lists this year? This was one of the most substantive movie years in recent history, with four or five movies that didn't make any list that will still achieve new-classic status, and you're saying that Hollywood is declining because of one January release? Reports of Hollywood's death have been much exagerrated in this case, I believe.

Moreover, I would say that remaking alone is not the sign of intellectual bankruptcy. Leone's A Fistful of Dollars is a remake of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, and both are outstanding technical and artistic achievements. In that, you should be pointing out the failing of quality in remakes, not that remakes are made.

Last night I watched the original Chinese movie 'The Eye' and like it. I haven't seen the re-make of it with Jessica Alba but it got me wondering. With all the recent re-makes of Chinese horror movies and all the movies lately that are based on TV series, is it that Hollywood is so creatively bankrupt that plagiarism and, essentially, show liching is all we've got?

You just now notice this? Hollywood been creatively bankrupted for awhile.

It isn't hard to follow Hollywoods thought process:
movies are expensive. A movie that, while full of artistic merit, will fail at the box office cannot be all that a studio makes. So they hedge their libraries with the safe bets.

Look at Spielberg. He was required to make Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Indiana Jones before Universal would allow him to make Schindler's List, a movie that was predicted to flop. It was green-lighted to add prestige to the library, while the other three were there to make up the potential for lost money.

In decline. . .wha? Have you looked at the Oscar lists this year? This was one of the most substantive movie years in recent history, with four or five movies that didn't make any list that will still achieve new-classic status, and you're saying that Hollywood is declining because of one January release? Reports of Hollywood's death have been much exagerrated in this case, I believe.

Moreover, I would say that remaking alone is not the sign of intellectual bankruptcy. Leone's A Fistful of Dollars is a remake of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, and both are outstanding technical and artistic achievements. In that, you should be pointing out the failing of quality in remakes, not that remakes are made.
This.
It isn't hard to follow Hollywoods thought process:
movies are expensive. A movie that, while full of artistic merit, will fail at the box office cannot be all that a studio makes. So they hedge their libraries with the safe bets.

Look at Spielberg. He was required to make Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Indiana Jones before Universal would allow him to make Schindler's List, a movie that was predicted to flop. It was green-lighted to add prestige to the library, while the other three were there to make up the potential for lost money.

It's called 'tentpolling' (actually they call them 'tentpole films', I've never heard anyone conjugate it as a verb, that was just me). Your Spidermans and Will Smith movies exist to cover the potential loses of your No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Bloods while you hope for a Juno.

There are better movies out there for you to watch and if you don't live in a podunk suburb with one theater if you want more of them, go see them. And buy some popcorn-the first weekend of release exhibitors generally only get 10% of the box, so they make their money back on expensive ass popcorn. This makes them favor popcorn flicks, kiddie cartoons, date movies, and movies that young people with moms money will go to and spend coin at the snack bar. In addition, studios will make deals, you want the latest Harry Potter? Then you have to give me some screens for this years Howards End. It's part of how indies are edged out. Oddly enough the mega-screen thing has mitigated that a little bit because if even if you reserve a bunch of screens, there's still some left that have to be filled.

Hollywood in decline?

What was your first clue?

Bollywood takes over the world!?

It's sad but true. The industry is in decline.

Back in the days when I started, Hollywood gave lots of people lots of jobs. Now most of the work is done on fancy computers by not so fancy people.

Sometimes really puts you in a bad mood, you know?

The only thing that still keeps me afloat is the odd on and off job I get with independant movie makers. But even that barely covers my car insurance.

It's sad but true. The industry is in decline.

Back in the days when I started, Hollywood gave lots of people lots of jobs. Now most of the work is done on fancy computers by not so fancy people.

Sometimes really puts you in a bad mood, you know?

The only thing that still keeps me afloat is the odd on and off job I get with independant movie makers. But even that barely covers my car insurance.

I don't suppose if we asked you to show us a picture of yourself it would end up being John Holmes? Or that you'd end up being the worlds only quadriplegic stunt man? I just checkin'...

I don't suppose if we asked you to show us a picture of yourself it would end up being John Holmes? Or that you'd end up being the worlds only quadriplegic stunt man? I just checkin'...
Here's a fairly recent picture of me taken outside some bar:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/graphics/2007/05/22/bfdeath.jpg

And while I can appreciate John Holmes' work, it ain't me.

As for the quadriplegic part - I've gotten close a couple of times but always managed to get things done. But I have a big scar running down my face. Happened during some movie stunt that went other than planned.

Why do you ask?

I would argue that the old way is indeed in decline and the new independent film making way is taking over

True dat. For the first time since forever, the Germans are starting to come out with really good movies.

Last night I watched the original Chinese movie 'The Eye' and like it. I haven't seen the re-make of it with Jessica Alba but it got me wondering. With all the recent re-makes of Chinese horror movies and all the movies lately that are based on TV series, is it that Hollywood is so creatively bankrupt that plagiarism and, essentially, show liching is all we've got?

It's not so much in decline as transition. Like any popular medium, movies are subject to fashion trends. Like the highly corpratized media, the people in charge are a bit too out of touch to keep up with those fashion trends.

Once upon a time American comic books were essentially reaaaally long comic strips. Then Manga hit the scene. Even people who couldn't read Japanese were buying Manga. Japan started selling it in English, and then American Comic artists mimicked their style. But, Japan had gotten there by mimicking American cartoons.

It's not a one way thing. You don't seriously think Chinese cinema got where it is without learning a thing or two from American cinema do you? Now Hollywood has figured out that it can learn a thing or two in return. And right now we're learning it from China and Japan, but who knows... In 5 years we may see American Bollywood style movies. I know I'd sit through one for Ashwaria Rai.

True dat. For the first time since forever, the Germans are starting to come out with really good movies.

Not since forever-early German film was visionary and Oberhausen filmmakers like Wim Wender, Fassbinder, and Herzog are some of the best filmmakers around. Just because Uwe Boll abuses their accord doesn't mean that German cinema is crap. dammit.

It's not so much in decline as transition. Like any popular medium, movies are subject to fashion trends. Like the highly corpratized media, the people in charge are a bit too out of touch to keep up with those fashion trends.

Once upon a time American comic books were essentially reaaaally long comic strips. Then Manga hit the scene. Even people who couldn't read Japanese were buying Manga. Japan started selling it in English, and then American Comic artists mimicked their style. But, Japan had gotten there by mimicking American cartoons.

A little Disney, but also a lot of British and French cartoons.


I don't even like Manga, I don't know why I just got myself into that...

Hollywood has not been in decline. On the contrary, I've been very impressed by alot of the work coming out of hollywood recently. There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men were good, artistic films. Movies like Napoleon Dynamite and Juno have come out of nowhere to box office success, showing that independent films are getting a chance at exposure. Of course there will always be Transformers and Spidermans(one trend that has pissed me off recently is comic book movies), but it seems to me that Hollywood has finally gotten around to making some good art.

I should have "Hollywood isn't creatively bankrupt, audiences have shown little appetite for creativity and consequently aren't given much" permenantly on my clipboard.

It's the thinking process that what worked once will work again that is in decline. I mean they are remaking Adventures in Babysitting and Tron. There is no reason to be remaking them. And I highly doubt they will be able to have the same charm as the originals.
there are plenty of reasons to make them. Mostly to do with money, unfortunately. It costs over $100 mill to make a hollywood movie these days (though with their convoluted tax breaks, it does come out to be a lot less), so the studios want to know that they're going to make a profit on next year's summer blockbuster. Easiest way to do this is to rehash a well-worn but more importantly, well-proven, formula.
Also, look at the family movies being redone - they're all from the eighties. Coincidence? nope. Reason why is that they've got all the oldies in their 30's who grew up with Transformers, Tron, GI Joe, Knightrider etc and so nostalgically look back on them with fond memories. Those ppl have kids who would be ~ the same age as they were when those shows first came out.
Thus, you a market not only of kids but of their parents. Parents would be more likely to tag along with their kid (rather than just send them along alone) to see Tron etc if nothing else but for the nostalgia value (and the chance to tsk and tut and go on at length about how it's "Not as good as the original").
And of course you have the teen/college brigade who would go along because it's old-skool and thus 'cool'.
A movie like Transformers appeals (if that's the right word to use) to pretty much everyone under the age of 40. That's a huge market.