There was a time when the people that make movies would talk about how their film was going to fill theaters, break records, and teach the world how to love again. Nowadays the trend seems to be to rush to make excuses as to why the film flopped even before its released.
Case in point: The movie Brothers, starring Toby Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman. It's directed by Jim Sheridan who had a breakout critical success with My Left Foot, and right now Sheridan is rushing to explain why the film is going to fail at the box office.
Basically, he blames the audience, and I quote:
"I think the American people just don't think there is a war on, so why should they have to go to a movie about something that doesn't exist? Their state of denial is hard to overcome," Sheridan said.
Really?
Well, Jake Gyllenhall is in denial that it's even a war movie. Though he might be following a cunning plan that poor Senor Sheridan failed to realize.
You see, the average American isn't in denial that their country is at war, and has been since 2001, they are denial of Hollywood's version of it.
Movies like Rendition, Syriana, Redacted, In the Valley of Elah, Stop Loss, and Xenu knows how many others hammered on the same themes too many times. Those themes being, America is evil, and the members of its military / counter-terror organizations are either emotionally crippled basket cases because of the horrors their country made them commit, bible-thumping psychopaths hungering for the blood of the innocent, or dimwitted cogs in the sinister machinations of big businesses like Halliburton because they're, well, dimwitted, and blinded by patriotic jingoism and the adrenaline rush of combat. Sometimes they're all three.
Now remember, a lot of Average Americans have either served in the military, are related to people in the military, or know someone who is or was in the military. They're not going to by tickets that tells them that they/their brother/ sister/ cousin/ neighbor/ friend/ dentist are all wrong in the head because they served their country and put themselves in harm's way.
Even films that promise not to do that are still avoided, because the audience knows that no matter what the press says, the odds of such a film shifting gears into some sort of cinematic slap in the face are pretty damn good.
Why not try honest, and admit that these films are only being made to please Hollywood insiders because it fits their own political stances/prejudices, and they don't have to worry about profits, because it's not their money being wasted on making the film.
That would be a refreshing change of pace.
Another case in point...
The marketing folks for Jason Reitman's upcoming film Up In The Air, are concerned that a film about the emotional ennui of a man who fires people for a living will be a tough sell in today's tough economy.
Yeah, it would, but let's not forget some other factors that weigh against it.
1. It stars George Clooney. Unless George Clooney is backed up by Brad Pitt and at least ten other actors, the movie is likely to fizzle at the box office. Their best bet is to make the film as cheap as possible, and then hope they don't spend too much on marketing.
2. Juno backlash. Folks are just sick of the constant Juno hype, and have turned against everyone associate with the film. Diablo Cody didn't help with her constant prattling, yes, you were a stripper, we know, please shut the hell up about it.
3. It stars George Clooney. Face it, he's the male Nicole Kidman, his appeal doesn't stretch much farther beyond the borders of the Axis of Ego. Just thought I'd remind you of that little tidbit.
But I get a kick out of how some people have reacted to this bit of news. Like this quote from the blog Hollywood Elsewhere.
But he does capture an attitude that's very prevalent in Hollywood these days. It doesn't matter if the film isn't very good, or very appealing, or has a lot of baggage going against it, the audience must be idiots for not falling on their knees and begging their betters to take their money.
The moment I read that little tidbit, I had a vision of the author resplendent in the robes of a 18th century French monarch complaining that the peasants are revolting because they refuse to agree that it's raining when he pisses in their ear.
Now I'd like to mention a little film called The Blind Side. The film is the true story of a family of white Southern Christians who take in a homeless kid, and raise him to become a behemoth NFL player. Now it star Sandra Bullock, but aside from The Proposal, her box-office record is hit and miss, but this is definitely a hit.
Why?
Because Mr. & Mrs. Average American relate to the story and to the characters, and the film. They see their beliefs and attitudes in the film, and enjoy that they're not being portrayed as villains, which is the default position for Hollywood's portrayal of white Southern Christians. They're not being insulted, told they're crazy, or racist, or evil, because of who they are. As soon as word of mouth got out, the film even enjoyed a little boost, to put it over $100 million in 2 weeks.
Of course that's probably going to go completely over the heads of Hollywood executives who will look at the box office stats and say: "A-ha! People love Sandra Bullock as a blond! We need 100 gallons of blond Nice & Easy, stat!"
Because the real reason the film succeeds lies completely on their blind side.
Well, Jake Gyllenhall is in denial that it's even a war movie. Though he might be following a cunning plan that poor Senor Sheridan failed to realize.
You see, the average American isn't in denial that their country is at war, and has been since 2001, they are denial of Hollywood's version of it.
Movies like Rendition, Syriana, Redacted, In the Valley of Elah, Stop Loss, and Xenu knows how many others hammered on the same themes too many times. Those themes being, America is evil, and the members of its military / counter-terror organizations are either emotionally crippled basket cases because of the horrors their country made them commit, bible-thumping psychopaths hungering for the blood of the innocent, or dimwitted cogs in the sinister machinations of big businesses like Halliburton because they're, well, dimwitted, and blinded by patriotic jingoism and the adrenaline rush of combat. Sometimes they're all three.
Now remember, a lot of Average Americans have either served in the military, are related to people in the military, or know someone who is or was in the military. They're not going to by tickets that tells them that they/their brother/ sister/ cousin/ neighbor/ friend/ dentist are all wrong in the head because they served their country and put themselves in harm's way.
Even films that promise not to do that are still avoided, because the audience knows that no matter what the press says, the odds of such a film shifting gears into some sort of cinematic slap in the face are pretty damn good.
Why not try honest, and admit that these films are only being made to please Hollywood insiders because it fits their own political stances/prejudices, and they don't have to worry about profits, because it's not their money being wasted on making the film.
That would be a refreshing change of pace.
Another case in point...
The marketing folks for Jason Reitman's upcoming film Up In The Air, are concerned that a film about the emotional ennui of a man who fires people for a living will be a tough sell in today's tough economy.
Yeah, it would, but let's not forget some other factors that weigh against it.
1. It stars George Clooney. Unless George Clooney is backed up by Brad Pitt and at least ten other actors, the movie is likely to fizzle at the box office. Their best bet is to make the film as cheap as possible, and then hope they don't spend too much on marketing.
2. Juno backlash. Folks are just sick of the constant Juno hype, and have turned against everyone associate with the film. Diablo Cody didn't help with her constant prattling, yes, you were a stripper, we know, please shut the hell up about it.
3. It stars George Clooney. Face it, he's the male Nicole Kidman, his appeal doesn't stretch much farther beyond the borders of the Axis of Ego. Just thought I'd remind you of that little tidbit.
But I get a kick out of how some people have reacted to this bit of news. Like this quote from the blog Hollywood Elsewhere.
This 11.30 Claudia Eller/L.A. Times piece about the marketing of Up In The Air reminds us that selling motion pictures to the American public today is about the fine art of communicating with the dumbest, most under-educated and most culturally insulated people in the history of western civilization. Not to mention the most heavily narcotized (i.e., via food, alcohol, prescription drugs, constant TV watching, frequent visits to malls). [emphasis in the original]Gee, not a bit of an elitist there, aren't you?
But he does capture an attitude that's very prevalent in Hollywood these days. It doesn't matter if the film isn't very good, or very appealing, or has a lot of baggage going against it, the audience must be idiots for not falling on their knees and begging their betters to take their money.
The moment I read that little tidbit, I had a vision of the author resplendent in the robes of a 18th century French monarch complaining that the peasants are revolting because they refuse to agree that it's raining when he pisses in their ear.
Now I'd like to mention a little film called The Blind Side. The film is the true story of a family of white Southern Christians who take in a homeless kid, and raise him to become a behemoth NFL player. Now it star Sandra Bullock, but aside from The Proposal, her box-office record is hit and miss, but this is definitely a hit.
Why?
Because Mr. & Mrs. Average American relate to the story and to the characters, and the film. They see their beliefs and attitudes in the film, and enjoy that they're not being portrayed as villains, which is the default position for Hollywood's portrayal of white Southern Christians. They're not being insulted, told they're crazy, or racist, or evil, because of who they are. As soon as word of mouth got out, the film even enjoyed a little boost, to put it over $100 million in 2 weeks.
Of course that's probably going to go completely over the heads of Hollywood executives who will look at the box office stats and say: "A-ha! People love Sandra Bullock as a blond! We need 100 gallons of blond Nice & Easy, stat!"
Because the real reason the film succeeds lies completely on their blind side.
Every single of those anti-iraq slam the Us military war films BOMB bigger than MOAB at the box office yet Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 breaks sales records on its release.
ReplyDeleteHopefully with the rough economy and threats from digital piracy studios will finally be forced to make films the audience is going to pay to see not some film to feed some celebs self-indulgance
or to win awards.
"The dumbest, most under-educated and most culturally insulated people in the history of western civilization." This actually sounds like an accurate description of the Hollywood Elite than the general audience. Espeically this part "Not to mention the most heavily narcotized (i.e., via food, alcohol, prescription drugs, constant TV watching, frequent visits to malls)."