OK.
That means that it’s actually the people who frequent these places that are the ‘cause’ of your dislike with the multiplex experience.
Their behaviour.
And I’m willing to bet they’re of a certain demographic.
I think this situation is primarily a result of the ‘cachet’ of films having been removed, the ‘going out to see a movie’ having had its specialness diminished over the years. Whereas our parents went to the cinema and it was like going to the theater is now, today’s ‘kids’ don’t see anything special about being in an auditorium…except for a chance to be kids.
(Have to say that again, this is where the cinema owner/operators have fallen down on the job. I’m willing to bet their indifference to what many complain about has driven away as many ticket-buyers as bad film choice has.)
And cry as some might about the little boxes they call multiplex auditoriums now, I doubt that the problem would disappear if films were all being seen in single-screen palaces. Bad behaviour is NOT the arena it’s taking place in. (I’d be curious to hear about general behaviour at the Ziegfeld in NYC.)
I’m sure those reading can get where I’m going with this, whose responsibility it is that bad behaviour has become commonplace. (Hint: Just as it’s not the cops' fault there’s crime, it’s not the cinema owner/operators' that there’s bad behaviour.)
So.
I have to ask: If the boorish behaviour wasn’t commonplace, would you be frequenting multiplexes more often?
(I have to say, your answer wasn’t what I was expecting. Not the standard response I’m used to getting.)
Well, hang on…seeing as we’re not really talking about what this thread’s supposed to be about… Tell me again -aside from the films offered- why you find multiplexes so unappealing…what you’d do to remedy the situation…and how you’d PREFER movies to be shown.
If you can pull yourself away from that burger…
: )
“I merely associate the analogy of the multiplex as the "barn” to Hollywood’s treatment of the public as “cattle”.
Sorry. I’m prickly today, due to a 77 year old father who can’t seem to accept responsibility for his own health. (Life-time smoker.) So if this offends…
Nobody is FORCING anyone to go see a movie. So nobody is being CATTLE-DRIVEN. This mindset is, in itself, an abrogation of YOUR responsibility for YOUR entertainment. You make it sound like Hollywood has these electric prods, that movie-goers are corralled… Come on! Is this how you think of yourself? That you have no freedom of choice, that you’re no better than a cud-chewing bovine, easily forced into a confined space at the whim of the ‘rancher’?!?
‘Cattle’ in the medical system, OK.
‘Cattle’ in the education system, fine.
‘Cattle’ in the political system, yup.
But regarding movies?!?
In the end, you’re not beef. You have a mind. You have a voice. (Not just to complain with.)
But let’s just take a look at this ‘mulitplex-as-barn’ reference: would you feel the same way if instead of dismissing most of the film fare offered, you LOVED most of it? If you didn’t have the complaints you do about what’s being shown in theatres?
“…amusement park multiplex, complete with overpriced food, endless commercials and your annoying cell phone user!”
1) This is a function of economics on the part of the cinema owner/operators, NOT Hollywood. Increasing land costs meant that movie palaces with single screens weren’t viable. And the more films you can show in one location, the more bang you get for your real estate. A simple matter of economic survival.
2) Food is a major source of income for the cinema owner/operators, NOT Hollywood. longislandmovies can best fill you in on the ratios of revenues from each.
3) Cinema owner/operators have been neglectful in providing a proper environment for movie-goers, and have, like many in society in other areas, abrogated their responsibilities. The cell-phone issue is just the tip of the iceberg.
I bring these points up because in most conversations people conflate the product (Hollywood) with the ‘dealer’ (cinemas) and for what, sixty years, they’ve been separate entities. So if we’re going to discuss various issues, please; let’s make the distinctions…?
Chris: I read your post. My response clearly indicates that. And I apologize if you perceived it as a ‘flame’. In that spirit, thanks for the Kansas reference. : )
“Those dudes do what they do with ZERO studio interference. ”
Nope.
Maybe Spielberg and Lucas. And less than a handful of others. If you think it’s THAT easy for everyone who’s had success…then I’ve got some great screenplay investment opportunities for you. The trades…and their two-tin-cans-and-a-string equivalents…are rife with stories detailing how the path to production is anything but smooth sailing for just about anyone.
My usual comeback to someone complaining about the lack of originality in films is to offer up the fact that all of Shakespeare’s plays were ‘adaptations’.
Funny how no one minded then, or now.
It’s all in the execution. The most conventional meal can be memorable…if the execution is right.
caesar: You DO see the monster. About five minutes' worth all told. Enough for it to leave an impression. (And wish for more…even though it’s not a ‘monster film’, it’s a love story with a monster as the motivating factor to the story.)
“THAT is the problem. In this day and age, EVERYTHING that generates from the big studio machine has to be pitched…unless your last name is Spielberg, Lucas, Howard, Zemeckis or Coppola. I sure would LOVE to know how J.J. Abrams snuck the new phenomenon that is "Cloverfield” under the noses of Paramount execs!"
EVERYONE has to get ‘approval’. Even those names you mention. Unless they’re going to self-finance.
As for ‘Cloverfield’… How? How did Abrams do it? His reputation…his track-record…and now, as we’re seeing how profitable the film is turning out to be, his golden touch. Pure and simple.
It sounds like you’re confusing what YOU consider to be quality entertainment (and I’m assuming you don’t feel ‘Cloverfield’ fits into this category) and box-office success. All that matters to a businessperson…within reason…is viability. Not whether the product is admirable.
“The seller won’t be hurting at all…instead, the seller has a long term plan to cut the middleman – or, as we call it, GOING TO THE MOVIES – and deliver his product straight to the buyer’s living rooms where he will make more money.”
To a large extent, yes. (I know this should bring longislandmovies into the discussion…)
The paradigm is shifting. Has been since tv came on the scene, was accelerated when home video was introduced, moreso with DVDs, and now, with advents such as Apple’s online renting pushing the envelope all the more…
In time, the 12% or so of their overall revenues that the studios currently rake in from theatrical distribution will shrink to probably around 5%. (But a warning: you can’t even extrapolate here that this would automatically mean that theatrical revenues would shrink…more that the overall revenue pie would have gotten larger…as it will…but the cinema ticket sales part will be a smaller and smaller slice of this pie.)
Cinema viewing of movies will always be here. We’ll ALWAYS have movie theatres. (Just fewer of them.) But eventually, as new generations are born, their default for seeing films will NOT be ‘going to the movies’. That, as much as the luddites will scoff at it, is the truth. Just as those born around 1910 had cinemas as they source of entertainment (along with radio), and their grandchildren had begun the switch to tv and 45s for theirs, so will their great-grandchildren be doing things differently AS THEIR PRIME CHOICE: watching currently-released films and listening to new music on personal devices, directly downloaded from source. (A different ‘middleman’.)
The Studios don’t care about cinemas. They care about selling product. How it’s consumed is not a priority for them…as long as the revenue stream continues. And grows…which it is. Constantly.
“When you get enough buyers doing this, it inevitably hurts the seller…unless the seller figures out how to improve their product.”
This is the point you’re missing. Or can’t hear.
The ‘seller’ is NOT hurting.
And really, there is no ‘other seller’. Not if we’re talking about the film industry, The Studios, Hollywood. (Unless we’re going to discuss foreign films…and your category of commenter has essentially pressed ‘Pass’ on just about everything…so that discussion’s moot.)
This isn’t like the car industry. There are no other ‘viable’ sellers. The analogy here is that you’re dissatisfied with modern cars…you drive an old DeSoto…and quite frankly, the car industry isn’t bothered about selling to you. Because it’s got a kajillion other customers.
So. You stay home with your library and you’re happy…and the film industry finds new buyers and provides new things to sell. You both get what you want. Right…?
I sometimes think that part of our education system should be a sizable chunk dedicated to understanding what it means to have a society predicated on free-market, capitalistic, democracy. Because reading peoples' comments, hearing what they bemoan leads me to believe they really don’t have much comprehension of what the ramifications are of this environment they’re constantly casting their votes within, votes of course, cast with their almighty dollar. It’s sort of like people having sex…and being aghast when there’s a pregnancy. And as critical as I can be…very, for those not paying attention…I can appreciate how shocking it must be to take a look at the ‘dark’ side of our world…a world of free-market capitalism…when there are plant closings, when there are lay-offs…or in the case of this thread’s discussion, the diminution of quality in films today as a result of conglomerates taking over, of studios making movies with the ‘business concerns’ holding more sway than the ‘artistic concerns’.
With the ‘proprietary’ viewpoint so many people have about films…and I’m reminded of a rabid sports fan who feels it’s his right to hold forth about his team’s back-office practices…the disappointment is accentuated. People bemoan the closing of movie palaces. They bemoan the introduction of multiplexes. They bemoan how there’s nothing worth seeing at the cinema, how there’s nothing worth seeing on tv, how it’s all come down to money, money, money…
But hey; this is the world you live in, this is the world you’re actively involved in creating by casting your votes with each and every greenback, each and every day.
It’s said that the two truly taboo subjects in Life, in terms of what we’re NOT taught by our parents, in our schools, are Sex…and Money. And it’s ironic that while the former gets all the attention, it’s the latter that actually has the biggest impact on us. That is, our silence, our lack of understanding of how this world of ours works, how just about everything is about money…or is predominently influenced by money.
Ignorance, denial…people are free to live with those aspects reigning over their lives. That’s freedom of choice for you. But what I find sad is that so many people have opinions that are almost entirely predicated on emotions and bias-through-slim-experience. And maybe this is where this proprietary tendency on film-goers gets really interesting. Because unlike the rabid sports fan, who can cite the team’s history, can rattle off player stats, can even tell you about salaries…the average person holding forth about the WGA strike or The State of Cinema Today or Things Were So Much Better In The Old Days can’t. They can tell you what movies they love. They can tell you what stars they wish were still around. But by-and-large, they have no understanding of how a movie gets to their cinema, from the moment of inspiration for the writer, to the importance to the theatre of the concession stand’s revenues.
A love of an activity doesn’t mean you’re automatically imbued with knowledge of how it works. I encourage anyone who rails at movies today to take some time and actually learn about the industry. Perhaps this knowledge won’t make the current fare any more palatable. But you might actually find yourself better equipped to deal with it…and who knows; it might prove to be a primer for other aspects of Life, for this free-market capitalistic system we all love…and hate.
Well, in the end, ‘the public’ has little to do with it. We’re not talking about a public utility here. And Hollywood, if nothing else, is a union town. Period. So although it’s causing hardship, that’s the arena created by EVERYONE. (i.e. you don’t cross picket lines.)
As for hearkening back to ‘the old days’…well I’ve always said I’d trade almost all of my nostalgia (95+%) for ‘new’. But then having a fresh mind comes in handy in my trade.
Regarding the impact of a prolonged WGA strike…not that the commenters on this thread care one way or the other…
Every studio has a backlog of production. So we won’t see the real effects until ‘down the road’.
Producers who are non-signatories of the WGA are not subject to the strike; they can hire non-WGA writers. Which is why it’s great to be a non-WGA member about now.
But if this strike goes on long enough, never mind the ‘collateral damage’ done, there may very well come a point where production…for all intents and purposes…grinds to a halt.
Again, not that anyone commenting on this thread seems to care. Which is fascinating, given that this is a site about cinema treasures…and without the cinematic fare being shown… Hmm.
“If a movie palace has no product to show…is it still a palace…?”
“’ll be the first to proudly admit; I’m only 40 and I’m glued to the past. It was better.”
Well, I’d laugh about here, but honestly, that makes me sad. Not just hearing it coming from you, but in general. I’m reminded of a friend of mine who was once asked ‘Don’t you want to listen to the music kids listen to today?’ and he replied ‘No, I only want to listen to the music I listened to when I was a kid.’
stares at screen
I can’t buy enough new music. I can’t keep up.
Not just ‘new’ stuff…but AMAZING stuff.
I’d trade just about all ‘old’ movies for new ones. (I’m not saying either is better or worse.)
Same with novels.
And within limits, music, too.
I was regularly seeing 200 movies at cinemas each year.
And purchasing 10 CDs a month.
Reading a new novel a week (my passion is debut novels by female writers)
Magazines, newspapers, everything.
I can’t imagine clinging to the past.
Can’t imagine the ‘comfort’ this brings.
Sounds like ‘Groundhog Day’ to me, in extremis.
But…
Whatever floats yer boat. Whatever makes you happy.
I do have to say this much: Over the years, taking part in numerous discussions on seemingly endless boards, when I encounter someone who either says there’s no good new music or movies out there, it’s usually attributable to one or more of the following:
1) They don’t try. They’re comfortable where they are, they can’t be bothered…so really, the issue isn’t the availability of great product…it’s their indifference.
2) Their geographical location re: movies at a cinema. Granted, if you’re not in a major center, or a college, then you’re probably not going to be able to see ‘everything’ out there that’s of quality. Still, there’s DVD. However, I’m going to add onto this possibility #1.
3) Their age. Past a certain age…for some it’s 30, for some 40…people become apathetic regarding new input. Life is hard. To make the effort to actively SEARCH OUT great entertainment isn’t a priority. It’s part of what I refer to as ‘the hardening’. You lose your physical flexibility about the age of 30…and being comfortable becomes a priority…comfort with what’s familiar. This is why I can usually peg people on this board as to their age. Not so much because of clues, them giving away indicators by way of mentioning what they’ve seen over the years, but this…well, this intransigence. Obdurateness. Intractability. (This isn’t to say that ‘the young’ aren’t guilty of this. They are. But for them, you can at least chalk it up to ignorance. As opposed to bloody-minded, informed inflexibility.)
Here’s my belief in a nutshell: If you can’t find at least two movies a month to see, at least two CDs a month to purchase, at least two novels a month to read…all NEW…then you’re simply not sufficiently interested in finding them. You’ve placed more of an emphasis on the familiar, and the comfort that it brings, that exposing yourself to invigourating entertainment. You’d prefer to cocoon…and to carp.
Blaming the studios, blaming the record companies, blaming the publishing houses for what anyone lazily terms a dearth of good material is fatuous at worst, and sad at the very least.
“I have a large enough movie and classic TV collection on DVD and video to keep me entertained and happy for the rest of my life.”
OK. So it’s my turn to ask a direct, personal question: Do you view music and reading the same way? You’d be happy listening to everything from the past, content reading novels already published?
And just what kind of money do you suppose the average WGA writer makes?
Why do people begrudge anyone trying to make the most of their collective bargaining agreement? It’s not like they’re holding paupers hostage, so I really don’t get this animosity. This ‘Well, if they want to see hard times, have them come here and live MY life!’ mentality. It’s chincy, it’s small-minded, and most of all, it’s woefully ill-informed.
As for your comments about the Oscars… a) you clearly don’t understand what the complications are regarding the show and the strike, and b) people don’t want a ‘shortened, to the point telecast’. That’s called a news conference. And it’s not what the Oscars have ever been about. (And the advertisers…the ones who essentially pay for the broadcast…wouldn’t be interested.)
“I can’t believe they are complaining while people in Asia are basically enslaved in factories.”
Indeed. I can’t believe people actually live their lives at all, considering what injustices are foisted upon millions and millions of people world-wide. Until we’re all living in peace and harmony, we should be endeavouring to make better the lives of all of our globe-mates…and saying ‘No mas!’ to consumerism, to recreation, to entertainment.
However…I have to dance around it a bit, provide some perspective, try to do justice to it, as it ties into why this site exists…although the diminution of movie palaces is not directly related to a reduction in the quality of movie-going as some here might be inclined to believe. (Again, another topic for another time.)
Thanks for the question.
However…I have to dance around it a bit, provide some perspective, try to do justice to it, as it ties into why this site exists…although the diminution of movie palaces is not directly related to a reduction in the quality of movie-going as some here might be inclined to believe. (Again, another topic for another time.)
Firstly, something I’ve noted recently is the almost proprietary regard that EVERYONE has for the movies. Visit comment sections, discussion boards and you’ll see what I mean: you’d think that everyone had a stake in the game. In films. When they don’t. They’re simply passing investors. They get no vote…save for spending their monies. And Lord knows that the ignorance about the industry is simply staggering. I’ve come to see that because of the abundance of ‘entertainment’ reportage on tv, in magazines, in newspapers, as well as the overwhelming amount of material available online, people have made the leap to this proprietary place. As if movies are ‘theirs’. Everyone has an opinion about a very complicated, very political industry…and yet most are unqualified opinions. There’s a clothier in northwestern NY state that says it best: ‘An educated consumer is our best customer.’ Except that the film biz doesn’t want you to be THAT educated. They’d prefer to keep you ignorant.
Secondly, as much as the film industry is built on art being created…whether or not we’re talking the cinematic equivalent of a midway corn-dog or one of Chef Bobby Flay’s exquisite feasts…it’s a business. And every business has its model. Its paradigms. And as I’ve said, it’s become SO expensive to bring just about anything to market, that Hollywood is hedging its bets. Which is why you see sequels. Franchises. Adaptations from all mediums. Because the more they can cater to a built-in market, the better the chance is that they can return a bigger dividend to their stockholders. That’s reality.
Now. Addressing your question. In regards to “When did our level of entertainment sink to such a low level?”, I’m reminded of something my mother told me years ago. (She grew up in the film industry; her brother ran, then owned a cinema when she was growing up.) She told me ‘People talk of the 'golden age’ of film. Poppycock! If you really took a look at how many bad films were made back then…‘ This would be the 30s and 40s. But the same can be said of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s… What’s different? One, media is so much more pervasive now. We’re bombarded from every direction, with an endless assortment of topics, of choices. There’s so much more of a market to cater to. And in truth, people generally tend to want to go with something they’re familiar with. Not everyone. But most. This is why there’s a built-in insurance factor with the remakes, the retreads, the adaptations, etc. As well, society has become less genteel. Not necessarily less refined…but we don’t have the same barriers we did fifty years ago. (Yes, there’s a discussion in there, whether or not we 'should return’ to those values, those times, but I’ll nip it in the bud by making this observation: Generally, things don’t go backwards. Except in a time of crisis.) And with the recent advent of things like YouTube, there’s been an even greater ‘enabling’ of the masses, so that everyone has access, everyone can be heard. Therefore, much of the ‘bloom is off the rose’. Movies, filmmaking, Hollywood…it’s not seen as being the magic-machine it once was. I think that these factors can at least shed some light on why many people believe the level of entertainment has sunk so low…understanding of course that what YOU find sophomoric, someone else might hold dear to their heart.
“Have we nothing of originality to offer the world anymore?” Hmm… Well, first off, there are only so many basic stories to be told. Some say 7, some say 20+, some say 36. And all we can really do is fashion a variation on these core tales. But more to the point, we read, we view SO MANY MORE pieces of entertainment than our parents, than their parents did. So at a much earlier age than ever before, these days people can say “I know this story!” This is simply a result of the bombardment of material available. So it’s not that easy to come up with TRULY ‘original’ stories. In fact, what tends to get us glued to the tv or want to see a movie isn’t so much that something is ‘original’ than it is ‘originally told’. (I have to say here that one of the many reconciliations that North America will have in this century is its reception of what the world has to offer in terms of originality. More then two billion people -India and China- will be exerting themselves culturally…something our children and their children will have as a factor in their lives…a complete about-face from our experiences.) But remember, Hollywood is looking for not only a great story, but a property that has the best chance for success. This often turns out to be a mutually-exclusive situation. There are hundreds, thousands of scripts written each year that will never see the light of day because they never find their champion. In fact, there are myriad scripts that languish for DECADES. Because it makes more sense to the studio bean-counters to do a sequel or a remake than it does to invest $100 million in a property that might prove too esoteric.
“Oh, man, what the hell has happened to the movies?” What happened to the movies? Well, times changed. Society changed. People changed. I’m going to assume you’re 45+. Well, the world you lived in growing up, the 70s, is entirely different from the one someone today is growing up in. Ditto for the person growing up in the 50s. Nothing remains the same. And yes, movies have changed. But so has everything else. And there’s MORE of everything, too. So you notice the amount of dreck a lot more. And there’s a case to be made for the general quality of things having been diluted. (Not sure I agree with this, but there ya go.) But let me ask you this: you’re keying on movies, but are you inclined to ask the same question about tv? About music? About sports? About literature? Again, maybe this is an example of that ‘proprietary’ aspect I led off with. People are very protective about something that, in the end, is a commercial commodity. What HASN’T changed over the past quarter-century? Are YOU the same? LOL
I’d like to end this mini-missive by referencing the topic that got me up on this soapbox in the first place: the writers' strike. Beyond the revenue-sharing imbroglio, to me this is about respect. About studios finally placing the writer right up there where he or she should be, at the center of the filmmaking universe. Because yes, nothing gets built without this craftsperson, nothing gets scored without that composer, nothing gets edited without this editor, nothing gets portrayed without that actor…
…but until there’s a story, until the writer CREATES…there’s nothing.
Years ago, writers worked for the studios. They churned out material piece-meal like. Drones. The studios owned every part of the filmic process, including the actual distribution and exhibition arms. And writers ever since have been trying to get their due. Their due monies…and their due respect.
Believe me, writers hate crap as much as you do. But they’re not in control of what gets made. (Not that they ever will be.) It’s not like they’re only handing in crap, therefore that’s all that the studios can produce and release. They write what they’re contracted to write…and then all manner of Hell breaks loose. (Here’s where I’d launch into a further diatribe about ‘storytelling by committee’ and ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’…but I don’t bend your ear to that extent today.) As I said before, the best thing you can do, if you’re sincere about wanting more ‘quality films on the screens’ is to make sure that when you discover a gem, you pay your money at the cinema…and spread the word to friends and co-workers. It’s fine to say ‘We’re not taking this crap anymore!’ but really, it’s not like there’s any other game in town. Studio revenues are up, what they’re doing SEEMS to be working…so why would they change things. Remember, it’s not like the car makers, regarding quality. (Or is it? I’ll let someone more informed in this area hold forth.)
Finally, as I alluded to somewhere in there, while YOU may not like something, and regard it as ‘crap’, someone with an equal vote might think it’s the bee’s knees. That’s the very essence of art. And commerce.
Funny, that. Maybe there’s a film in there somewhere.
“What I find entertaining is all these bullsh*t facts, figures, charts, graphs, estimates, statistics, ratios…and yes, excuses that those in Hollywood continue to throw out at the general public – as if that’s supposed to make one bit of difference to us.”
Right. But the bottom line is…the bottom line. If a movie makes money…Hollywood is going to try to replicate that success…and even the product itself. Because it currently costs about $100 million to bring the average movie to wide release. So they’re in the business of reducing the odds as much as they can. So even if YOU don’t want to see ‘Knocked Up’, if enough movie-goers go see it…another one of its ilk will be made. Conversely, if the ‘gems’ don’t attract the ticket-buyers, no matter how good the film is…unless it garners trophies, prizes that allow it more attention…it’ll die a quiet death.
What to do? Well, you can’t dictate others' tastes. Especially the 12-30 set. All you can do is ‘boycott’ those films you suspect are of low quality (and here’s the kicker: you don’t get to ‘test drive’; once your monetary vote has been cast, that’s it, you’ve voted for the film whether you like it or not), and support the ones that are of the sort you want to see more of. (Of course, then you get films like ‘Bucket List’ that was a horrible effort, an insult to intelligent screenwriting everywhere…yet is making lots of cash for the studio. Go figure.)
And yes, it might be true that if you don’t buy a ticket, you don’t rent it, you don’t watch it…but revenue is still being generated off that release. Remember that less than half a studio’s theatrical release revenues comes from North America now. So even if YOU don’t support a film…millions of others the world over might…and they’re the ones casting the votes to make more just like it. That’s capitalism…that’s the American way.
“That’s the whole point! Until "what is being created” and “what we’re seeing up on the screen” improves drastically, the average moviegoer who pays for their ticket and ultimately decides a movie’s grosses is not going to give one damn who in Hollywood is to blame! As far as I’m concerned, the WHOLE SYSTEM is to blame, and that includes the ones who are getting paid (or underpaid) writing the junk"
Wah, wah, wah!
And yet movie industry revenue continues to go up and up and up…
“To all those who work in Hollywood – if you want the support of the general public through all of your difficulties, you’re going to have to start producing more original and better quality results with your work. Because in the end, it’s the everyday person who decides to turn the TV on or off and whether or not to hand over their hard-earned money for a movie ticket.”
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again:
Currently, studio revenues from theatrical distribution only account for about 11% of their total monies.
Think about that.
So even if you don’t go to the cinema, they’re still making money when you rent, buy, download movies, or when you watch them on a tv station… You casting your vote against ‘bad product’ by not paying $$$ at the cinema actually, really, honestly doesn’t mean that much in the long run.
But then neither does stamping your feet and holding your breath…but I have to admit, it’s entertaining.
BTW; you’d be gobsmacked to find out just how much great material there is available for development…that never gets made. But that’s a post in and of itself.
Wow. Can’t say I’ve done the classic comedy ‘laugh spray’ gag without liquid in my mouth before…but you guys helped me accomplish the feat.
Do you actually believe that writers are responsible for the dreck on our screens? You make it sound as if producers and studios have guns to their heads, that they have no other properties to develop other than ‘Bewitched’, etc, that the writers wield all the power in Hollywood, mwahahahaha…
Pulease.
Give me a break.
Seriously; if you have such a poor understanding of how things work in the film world, how decisions get made…why it really is that we have a paucity of stellar cinematic entertainment…do yourselves a favour and do some research. It’s not that difficult; you’ve managed to get to this site, you’re part the way there…
P.S. Do any of you have even a moiety of understanding of the issues of this strike…or more importantly, the issues going back decades having to do with the writer’s place in the overall scheme of things? I’d bet not. But I’ll let you in on this little secret: if there was more respect afforded writers, and what they create regarded as less a commodity to be purchased and then the creator dismissed, I’m willing to bet that what you’d see up on the screen would be of much greater integrity than you’re used to paying to withstand.
Love movies – hate going!:
OK.
That means that it’s actually the people who frequent these places that are the ‘cause’ of your dislike with the multiplex experience.
Their behaviour.
And I’m willing to bet they’re of a certain demographic.
I think this situation is primarily a result of the ‘cachet’ of films having been removed, the ‘going out to see a movie’ having had its specialness diminished over the years. Whereas our parents went to the cinema and it was like going to the theater is now, today’s ‘kids’ don’t see anything special about being in an auditorium…except for a chance to be kids.
(Have to say that again, this is where the cinema owner/operators have fallen down on the job. I’m willing to bet their indifference to what many complain about has driven away as many ticket-buyers as bad film choice has.)
And cry as some might about the little boxes they call multiplex auditoriums now, I doubt that the problem would disappear if films were all being seen in single-screen palaces. Bad behaviour is NOT the arena it’s taking place in. (I’d be curious to hear about general behaviour at the Ziegfeld in NYC.)
I’m sure those reading can get where I’m going with this, whose responsibility it is that bad behaviour has become commonplace. (Hint: Just as it’s not the cops' fault there’s crime, it’s not the cinema owner/operators' that there’s bad behaviour.)
So.
I have to ask: If the boorish behaviour wasn’t commonplace, would you be frequenting multiplexes more often?
(I have to say, your answer wasn’t what I was expecting. Not the standard response I’m used to getting.)
Well, hang on…seeing as we’re not really talking about what this thread’s supposed to be about… Tell me again -aside from the films offered- why you find multiplexes so unappealing…what you’d do to remedy the situation…and how you’d PREFER movies to be shown.
If you can pull yourself away from that burger…
: )
“I merely associate the analogy of the multiplex as the "barn” to Hollywood’s treatment of the public as “cattle”.
Sorry. I’m prickly today, due to a 77 year old father who can’t seem to accept responsibility for his own health. (Life-time smoker.) So if this offends…
Nobody is FORCING anyone to go see a movie. So nobody is being CATTLE-DRIVEN. This mindset is, in itself, an abrogation of YOUR responsibility for YOUR entertainment. You make it sound like Hollywood has these electric prods, that movie-goers are corralled… Come on! Is this how you think of yourself? That you have no freedom of choice, that you’re no better than a cud-chewing bovine, easily forced into a confined space at the whim of the ‘rancher’?!?
‘Cattle’ in the medical system, OK.
‘Cattle’ in the education system, fine.
‘Cattle’ in the political system, yup.
But regarding movies?!?
In the end, you’re not beef. You have a mind. You have a voice. (Not just to complain with.)
But let’s just take a look at this ‘mulitplex-as-barn’ reference: would you feel the same way if instead of dismissing most of the film fare offered, you LOVED most of it? If you didn’t have the complaints you do about what’s being shown in theatres?
“…amusement park multiplex, complete with overpriced food, endless commercials and your annoying cell phone user!”
1) This is a function of economics on the part of the cinema owner/operators, NOT Hollywood. Increasing land costs meant that movie palaces with single screens weren’t viable. And the more films you can show in one location, the more bang you get for your real estate. A simple matter of economic survival.
2) Food is a major source of income for the cinema owner/operators, NOT Hollywood. longislandmovies can best fill you in on the ratios of revenues from each.
3) Cinema owner/operators have been neglectful in providing a proper environment for movie-goers, and have, like many in society in other areas, abrogated their responsibilities. The cell-phone issue is just the tip of the iceberg.
I bring these points up because in most conversations people conflate the product (Hollywood) with the ‘dealer’ (cinemas) and for what, sixty years, they’ve been separate entities. So if we’re going to discuss various issues, please; let’s make the distinctions…?
Shall we collaborate?!? LOL
‘Cinema Treasures Films announces the production of a film based on exchanges on their site…’
Chris: I read your post. My response clearly indicates that. And I apologize if you perceived it as a ‘flame’. In that spirit, thanks for the Kansas reference. : )
“Those dudes do what they do with ZERO studio interference. ”
Nope.
Maybe Spielberg and Lucas. And less than a handful of others. If you think it’s THAT easy for everyone who’s had success…then I’ve got some great screenplay investment opportunities for you. The trades…and their two-tin-cans-and-a-string equivalents…are rife with stories detailing how the path to production is anything but smooth sailing for just about anyone.
LOL
My usual comeback to someone complaining about the lack of originality in films is to offer up the fact that all of Shakespeare’s plays were ‘adaptations’.
Funny how no one minded then, or now.
It’s all in the execution. The most conventional meal can be memorable…if the execution is right.
caesar: You DO see the monster. About five minutes' worth all told. Enough for it to leave an impression. (And wish for more…even though it’s not a ‘monster film’, it’s a love story with a monster as the motivating factor to the story.)
“THAT is the problem. In this day and age, EVERYTHING that generates from the big studio machine has to be pitched…unless your last name is Spielberg, Lucas, Howard, Zemeckis or Coppola. I sure would LOVE to know how J.J. Abrams snuck the new phenomenon that is "Cloverfield” under the noses of Paramount execs!"
EVERYONE has to get ‘approval’. Even those names you mention. Unless they’re going to self-finance.
As for ‘Cloverfield’… How? How did Abrams do it? His reputation…his track-record…and now, as we’re seeing how profitable the film is turning out to be, his golden touch. Pure and simple.
It sounds like you’re confusing what YOU consider to be quality entertainment (and I’m assuming you don’t feel ‘Cloverfield’ fits into this category) and box-office success. All that matters to a businessperson…within reason…is viability. Not whether the product is admirable.
“The seller won’t be hurting at all…instead, the seller has a long term plan to cut the middleman – or, as we call it, GOING TO THE MOVIES – and deliver his product straight to the buyer’s living rooms where he will make more money.”
To a large extent, yes. (I know this should bring longislandmovies into the discussion…)
The paradigm is shifting. Has been since tv came on the scene, was accelerated when home video was introduced, moreso with DVDs, and now, with advents such as Apple’s online renting pushing the envelope all the more…
In time, the 12% or so of their overall revenues that the studios currently rake in from theatrical distribution will shrink to probably around 5%. (But a warning: you can’t even extrapolate here that this would automatically mean that theatrical revenues would shrink…more that the overall revenue pie would have gotten larger…as it will…but the cinema ticket sales part will be a smaller and smaller slice of this pie.)
Cinema viewing of movies will always be here. We’ll ALWAYS have movie theatres. (Just fewer of them.) But eventually, as new generations are born, their default for seeing films will NOT be ‘going to the movies’. That, as much as the luddites will scoff at it, is the truth. Just as those born around 1910 had cinemas as they source of entertainment (along with radio), and their grandchildren had begun the switch to tv and 45s for theirs, so will their great-grandchildren be doing things differently AS THEIR PRIME CHOICE: watching currently-released films and listening to new music on personal devices, directly downloaded from source. (A different ‘middleman’.)
The Studios don’t care about cinemas. They care about selling product. How it’s consumed is not a priority for them…as long as the revenue stream continues. And grows…which it is. Constantly.
“When you get enough buyers doing this, it inevitably hurts the seller…unless the seller figures out how to improve their product.”
This is the point you’re missing. Or can’t hear.
The ‘seller’ is NOT hurting.
And really, there is no ‘other seller’. Not if we’re talking about the film industry, The Studios, Hollywood. (Unless we’re going to discuss foreign films…and your category of commenter has essentially pressed ‘Pass’ on just about everything…so that discussion’s moot.)
This isn’t like the car industry. There are no other ‘viable’ sellers. The analogy here is that you’re dissatisfied with modern cars…you drive an old DeSoto…and quite frankly, the car industry isn’t bothered about selling to you. Because it’s got a kajillion other customers.
So. You stay home with your library and you’re happy…and the film industry finds new buyers and provides new things to sell. You both get what you want. Right…?
I sometimes think that part of our education system should be a sizable chunk dedicated to understanding what it means to have a society predicated on free-market, capitalistic, democracy. Because reading peoples' comments, hearing what they bemoan leads me to believe they really don’t have much comprehension of what the ramifications are of this environment they’re constantly casting their votes within, votes of course, cast with their almighty dollar. It’s sort of like people having sex…and being aghast when there’s a pregnancy. And as critical as I can be…very, for those not paying attention…I can appreciate how shocking it must be to take a look at the ‘dark’ side of our world…a world of free-market capitalism…when there are plant closings, when there are lay-offs…or in the case of this thread’s discussion, the diminution of quality in films today as a result of conglomerates taking over, of studios making movies with the ‘business concerns’ holding more sway than the ‘artistic concerns’.
With the ‘proprietary’ viewpoint so many people have about films…and I’m reminded of a rabid sports fan who feels it’s his right to hold forth about his team’s back-office practices…the disappointment is accentuated. People bemoan the closing of movie palaces. They bemoan the introduction of multiplexes. They bemoan how there’s nothing worth seeing at the cinema, how there’s nothing worth seeing on tv, how it’s all come down to money, money, money…
But hey; this is the world you live in, this is the world you’re actively involved in creating by casting your votes with each and every greenback, each and every day.
It’s said that the two truly taboo subjects in Life, in terms of what we’re NOT taught by our parents, in our schools, are Sex…and Money. And it’s ironic that while the former gets all the attention, it’s the latter that actually has the biggest impact on us. That is, our silence, our lack of understanding of how this world of ours works, how just about everything is about money…or is predominently influenced by money.
Ignorance, denial…people are free to live with those aspects reigning over their lives. That’s freedom of choice for you. But what I find sad is that so many people have opinions that are almost entirely predicated on emotions and bias-through-slim-experience. And maybe this is where this proprietary tendency on film-goers gets really interesting. Because unlike the rabid sports fan, who can cite the team’s history, can rattle off player stats, can even tell you about salaries…the average person holding forth about the WGA strike or The State of Cinema Today or Things Were So Much Better In The Old Days can’t. They can tell you what movies they love. They can tell you what stars they wish were still around. But by-and-large, they have no understanding of how a movie gets to their cinema, from the moment of inspiration for the writer, to the importance to the theatre of the concession stand’s revenues.
A love of an activity doesn’t mean you’re automatically imbued with knowledge of how it works. I encourage anyone who rails at movies today to take some time and actually learn about the industry. Perhaps this knowledge won’t make the current fare any more palatable. But you might actually find yourself better equipped to deal with it…and who knows; it might prove to be a primer for other aspects of Life, for this free-market capitalistic system we all love…and hate.
“…but when it’s done at the expense of the product sooner or later you’re going to lose business.”
Aye, there’s the rub: they’re not. Revenues continue to rise.
“I’m sure there are talented writers out there with great stories.”
There are. Always have been, always will be.
“I dont care about the strike other than it is great for buisness.”
LOL
OK. I’ll bite. How is it ‘good for business’?
Well, in the end, ‘the public’ has little to do with it. We’re not talking about a public utility here. And Hollywood, if nothing else, is a union town. Period. So although it’s causing hardship, that’s the arena created by EVERYONE. (i.e. you don’t cross picket lines.)
As for hearkening back to ‘the old days’…well I’ve always said I’d trade almost all of my nostalgia (95+%) for ‘new’. But then having a fresh mind comes in handy in my trade.
Regarding the impact of a prolonged WGA strike…not that the commenters on this thread care one way or the other…
Every studio has a backlog of production. So we won’t see the real effects until ‘down the road’.
Producers who are non-signatories of the WGA are not subject to the strike; they can hire non-WGA writers. Which is why it’s great to be a non-WGA member about now.
But if this strike goes on long enough, never mind the ‘collateral damage’ done, there may very well come a point where production…for all intents and purposes…grinds to a halt.
Again, not that anyone commenting on this thread seems to care. Which is fascinating, given that this is a site about cinema treasures…and without the cinematic fare being shown… Hmm.
“If a movie palace has no product to show…is it still a palace…?”
“’ll be the first to proudly admit; I’m only 40 and I’m glued to the past. It was better.”
Well, I’d laugh about here, but honestly, that makes me sad. Not just hearing it coming from you, but in general. I’m reminded of a friend of mine who was once asked ‘Don’t you want to listen to the music kids listen to today?’ and he replied ‘No, I only want to listen to the music I listened to when I was a kid.’
stares at screen
I can’t buy enough new music. I can’t keep up.
Not just ‘new’ stuff…but AMAZING stuff.
I’d trade just about all ‘old’ movies for new ones. (I’m not saying either is better or worse.)
Same with novels.
And within limits, music, too.
I was regularly seeing 200 movies at cinemas each year.
And purchasing 10 CDs a month.
Reading a new novel a week (my passion is debut novels by female writers)
Magazines, newspapers, everything.
I can’t imagine clinging to the past.
Can’t imagine the ‘comfort’ this brings.
Sounds like ‘Groundhog Day’ to me, in extremis.
But…
Whatever floats yer boat. Whatever makes you happy.
I do have to say this much: Over the years, taking part in numerous discussions on seemingly endless boards, when I encounter someone who either says there’s no good new music or movies out there, it’s usually attributable to one or more of the following:
1) They don’t try. They’re comfortable where they are, they can’t be bothered…so really, the issue isn’t the availability of great product…it’s their indifference.
2) Their geographical location re: movies at a cinema. Granted, if you’re not in a major center, or a college, then you’re probably not going to be able to see ‘everything’ out there that’s of quality. Still, there’s DVD. However, I’m going to add onto this possibility #1.
3) Their age. Past a certain age…for some it’s 30, for some 40…people become apathetic regarding new input. Life is hard. To make the effort to actively SEARCH OUT great entertainment isn’t a priority. It’s part of what I refer to as ‘the hardening’. You lose your physical flexibility about the age of 30…and being comfortable becomes a priority…comfort with what’s familiar. This is why I can usually peg people on this board as to their age. Not so much because of clues, them giving away indicators by way of mentioning what they’ve seen over the years, but this…well, this intransigence. Obdurateness. Intractability. (This isn’t to say that ‘the young’ aren’t guilty of this. They are. But for them, you can at least chalk it up to ignorance. As opposed to bloody-minded, informed inflexibility.)
Here’s my belief in a nutshell: If you can’t find at least two movies a month to see, at least two CDs a month to purchase, at least two novels a month to read…all NEW…then you’re simply not sufficiently interested in finding them. You’ve placed more of an emphasis on the familiar, and the comfort that it brings, that exposing yourself to invigourating entertainment. You’d prefer to cocoon…and to carp.
Blaming the studios, blaming the record companies, blaming the publishing houses for what anyone lazily terms a dearth of good material is fatuous at worst, and sad at the very least.
Oh, and for the record, I’m older than you are.
“I have a large enough movie and classic TV collection on DVD and video to keep me entertained and happy for the rest of my life.”
OK. So it’s my turn to ask a direct, personal question: Do you view music and reading the same way? You’d be happy listening to everything from the past, content reading novels already published?
“ I’d love to make the money they make- ”
And just what kind of money do you suppose the average WGA writer makes?
Why do people begrudge anyone trying to make the most of their collective bargaining agreement? It’s not like they’re holding paupers hostage, so I really don’t get this animosity. This ‘Well, if they want to see hard times, have them come here and live MY life!’ mentality. It’s chincy, it’s small-minded, and most of all, it’s woefully ill-informed.
As for your comments about the Oscars… a) you clearly don’t understand what the complications are regarding the show and the strike, and b) people don’t want a ‘shortened, to the point telecast’. That’s called a news conference. And it’s not what the Oscars have ever been about. (And the advertisers…the ones who essentially pay for the broadcast…wouldn’t be interested.)
“I can’t believe they are complaining while people in Asia are basically enslaved in factories.”
Indeed. I can’t believe people actually live their lives at all, considering what injustices are foisted upon millions and millions of people world-wide. Until we’re all living in peace and harmony, we should be endeavouring to make better the lives of all of our globe-mates…and saying ‘No mas!’ to consumerism, to recreation, to entertainment.
Shame on us all.
(Now THERE’S a movie idea…)
Thanks for the question.
However…I have to dance around it a bit, provide some perspective, try to do justice to it, as it ties into why this site exists…although the diminution of movie palaces is not directly related to a reduction in the quality of movie-going as some here might be inclined to believe. (Again, another topic for another time.)
Thanks for the question.
However…I have to dance around it a bit, provide some perspective, try to do justice to it, as it ties into why this site exists…although the diminution of movie palaces is not directly related to a reduction in the quality of movie-going as some here might be inclined to believe. (Again, another topic for another time.)
Firstly, something I’ve noted recently is the almost proprietary regard that EVERYONE has for the movies. Visit comment sections, discussion boards and you’ll see what I mean: you’d think that everyone had a stake in the game. In films. When they don’t. They’re simply passing investors. They get no vote…save for spending their monies. And Lord knows that the ignorance about the industry is simply staggering. I’ve come to see that because of the abundance of ‘entertainment’ reportage on tv, in magazines, in newspapers, as well as the overwhelming amount of material available online, people have made the leap to this proprietary place. As if movies are ‘theirs’. Everyone has an opinion about a very complicated, very political industry…and yet most are unqualified opinions. There’s a clothier in northwestern NY state that says it best: ‘An educated consumer is our best customer.’ Except that the film biz doesn’t want you to be THAT educated. They’d prefer to keep you ignorant.
Secondly, as much as the film industry is built on art being created…whether or not we’re talking the cinematic equivalent of a midway corn-dog or one of Chef Bobby Flay’s exquisite feasts…it’s a business. And every business has its model. Its paradigms. And as I’ve said, it’s become SO expensive to bring just about anything to market, that Hollywood is hedging its bets. Which is why you see sequels. Franchises. Adaptations from all mediums. Because the more they can cater to a built-in market, the better the chance is that they can return a bigger dividend to their stockholders. That’s reality.
Now. Addressing your question. In regards to “When did our level of entertainment sink to such a low level?”, I’m reminded of something my mother told me years ago. (She grew up in the film industry; her brother ran, then owned a cinema when she was growing up.) She told me ‘People talk of the 'golden age’ of film. Poppycock! If you really took a look at how many bad films were made back then…‘ This would be the 30s and 40s. But the same can be said of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s… What’s different? One, media is so much more pervasive now. We’re bombarded from every direction, with an endless assortment of topics, of choices. There’s so much more of a market to cater to. And in truth, people generally tend to want to go with something they’re familiar with. Not everyone. But most. This is why there’s a built-in insurance factor with the remakes, the retreads, the adaptations, etc. As well, society has become less genteel. Not necessarily less refined…but we don’t have the same barriers we did fifty years ago. (Yes, there’s a discussion in there, whether or not we 'should return’ to those values, those times, but I’ll nip it in the bud by making this observation: Generally, things don’t go backwards. Except in a time of crisis.) And with the recent advent of things like YouTube, there’s been an even greater ‘enabling’ of the masses, so that everyone has access, everyone can be heard. Therefore, much of the ‘bloom is off the rose’. Movies, filmmaking, Hollywood…it’s not seen as being the magic-machine it once was. I think that these factors can at least shed some light on why many people believe the level of entertainment has sunk so low…understanding of course that what YOU find sophomoric, someone else might hold dear to their heart.
“Have we nothing of originality to offer the world anymore?” Hmm… Well, first off, there are only so many basic stories to be told. Some say 7, some say 20+, some say 36. And all we can really do is fashion a variation on these core tales. But more to the point, we read, we view SO MANY MORE pieces of entertainment than our parents, than their parents did. So at a much earlier age than ever before, these days people can say “I know this story!” This is simply a result of the bombardment of material available. So it’s not that easy to come up with TRULY ‘original’ stories. In fact, what tends to get us glued to the tv or want to see a movie isn’t so much that something is ‘original’ than it is ‘originally told’. (I have to say here that one of the many reconciliations that North America will have in this century is its reception of what the world has to offer in terms of originality. More then two billion people -India and China- will be exerting themselves culturally…something our children and their children will have as a factor in their lives…a complete about-face from our experiences.) But remember, Hollywood is looking for not only a great story, but a property that has the best chance for success. This often turns out to be a mutually-exclusive situation. There are hundreds, thousands of scripts written each year that will never see the light of day because they never find their champion. In fact, there are myriad scripts that languish for DECADES. Because it makes more sense to the studio bean-counters to do a sequel or a remake than it does to invest $100 million in a property that might prove too esoteric.
“Oh, man, what the hell has happened to the movies?” What happened to the movies? Well, times changed. Society changed. People changed. I’m going to assume you’re 45+. Well, the world you lived in growing up, the 70s, is entirely different from the one someone today is growing up in. Ditto for the person growing up in the 50s. Nothing remains the same. And yes, movies have changed. But so has everything else. And there’s MORE of everything, too. So you notice the amount of dreck a lot more. And there’s a case to be made for the general quality of things having been diluted. (Not sure I agree with this, but there ya go.) But let me ask you this: you’re keying on movies, but are you inclined to ask the same question about tv? About music? About sports? About literature? Again, maybe this is an example of that ‘proprietary’ aspect I led off with. People are very protective about something that, in the end, is a commercial commodity. What HASN’T changed over the past quarter-century? Are YOU the same? LOL
I’d like to end this mini-missive by referencing the topic that got me up on this soapbox in the first place: the writers' strike. Beyond the revenue-sharing imbroglio, to me this is about respect. About studios finally placing the writer right up there where he or she should be, at the center of the filmmaking universe. Because yes, nothing gets built without this craftsperson, nothing gets scored without that composer, nothing gets edited without this editor, nothing gets portrayed without that actor…
…but until there’s a story, until the writer CREATES…there’s nothing.
Years ago, writers worked for the studios. They churned out material piece-meal like. Drones. The studios owned every part of the filmic process, including the actual distribution and exhibition arms. And writers ever since have been trying to get their due. Their due monies…and their due respect.
Believe me, writers hate crap as much as you do. But they’re not in control of what gets made. (Not that they ever will be.) It’s not like they’re only handing in crap, therefore that’s all that the studios can produce and release. They write what they’re contracted to write…and then all manner of Hell breaks loose. (Here’s where I’d launch into a further diatribe about ‘storytelling by committee’ and ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’…but I don’t bend your ear to that extent today.) As I said before, the best thing you can do, if you’re sincere about wanting more ‘quality films on the screens’ is to make sure that when you discover a gem, you pay your money at the cinema…and spread the word to friends and co-workers. It’s fine to say ‘We’re not taking this crap anymore!’ but really, it’s not like there’s any other game in town. Studio revenues are up, what they’re doing SEEMS to be working…so why would they change things. Remember, it’s not like the car makers, regarding quality. (Or is it? I’ll let someone more informed in this area hold forth.)
Finally, as I alluded to somewhere in there, while YOU may not like something, and regard it as ‘crap’, someone with an equal vote might think it’s the bee’s knees. That’s the very essence of art. And commerce.
Funny, that. Maybe there’s a film in there somewhere.
“What I find entertaining is all these bullsh*t facts, figures, charts, graphs, estimates, statistics, ratios…and yes, excuses that those in Hollywood continue to throw out at the general public – as if that’s supposed to make one bit of difference to us.”
Right. But the bottom line is…the bottom line. If a movie makes money…Hollywood is going to try to replicate that success…and even the product itself. Because it currently costs about $100 million to bring the average movie to wide release. So they’re in the business of reducing the odds as much as they can. So even if YOU don’t want to see ‘Knocked Up’, if enough movie-goers go see it…another one of its ilk will be made. Conversely, if the ‘gems’ don’t attract the ticket-buyers, no matter how good the film is…unless it garners trophies, prizes that allow it more attention…it’ll die a quiet death.
What to do? Well, you can’t dictate others' tastes. Especially the 12-30 set. All you can do is ‘boycott’ those films you suspect are of low quality (and here’s the kicker: you don’t get to ‘test drive’; once your monetary vote has been cast, that’s it, you’ve voted for the film whether you like it or not), and support the ones that are of the sort you want to see more of. (Of course, then you get films like ‘Bucket List’ that was a horrible effort, an insult to intelligent screenwriting everywhere…yet is making lots of cash for the studio. Go figure.)
And yes, it might be true that if you don’t buy a ticket, you don’t rent it, you don’t watch it…but revenue is still being generated off that release. Remember that less than half a studio’s theatrical release revenues comes from North America now. So even if YOU don’t support a film…millions of others the world over might…and they’re the ones casting the votes to make more just like it. That’s capitalism…that’s the American way.
“That’s the whole point! Until "what is being created” and “what we’re seeing up on the screen” improves drastically, the average moviegoer who pays for their ticket and ultimately decides a movie’s grosses is not going to give one damn who in Hollywood is to blame! As far as I’m concerned, the WHOLE SYSTEM is to blame, and that includes the ones who are getting paid (or underpaid) writing the junk"
Wah, wah, wah!
And yet movie industry revenue continues to go up and up and up…
“To all those who work in Hollywood – if you want the support of the general public through all of your difficulties, you’re going to have to start producing more original and better quality results with your work. Because in the end, it’s the everyday person who decides to turn the TV on or off and whether or not to hand over their hard-earned money for a movie ticket.”
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again:
Currently, studio revenues from theatrical distribution only account for about 11% of their total monies.
Think about that.
So even if you don’t go to the cinema, they’re still making money when you rent, buy, download movies, or when you watch them on a tv station… You casting your vote against ‘bad product’ by not paying $$$ at the cinema actually, really, honestly doesn’t mean that much in the long run.
But then neither does stamping your feet and holding your breath…but I have to admit, it’s entertaining.
BTW; you’d be gobsmacked to find out just how much great material there is available for development…that never gets made. But that’s a post in and of itself.
LMFAO!
Wow. Can’t say I’ve done the classic comedy ‘laugh spray’ gag without liquid in my mouth before…but you guys helped me accomplish the feat.
Do you actually believe that writers are responsible for the dreck on our screens? You make it sound as if producers and studios have guns to their heads, that they have no other properties to develop other than ‘Bewitched’, etc, that the writers wield all the power in Hollywood, mwahahahaha…
Pulease.
Give me a break.
Seriously; if you have such a poor understanding of how things work in the film world, how decisions get made…why it really is that we have a paucity of stellar cinematic entertainment…do yourselves a favour and do some research. It’s not that difficult; you’ve managed to get to this site, you’re part the way there…
P.S. Do any of you have even a moiety of understanding of the issues of this strike…or more importantly, the issues going back decades having to do with the writer’s place in the overall scheme of things? I’d bet not. But I’ll let you in on this little secret: if there was more respect afforded writers, and what they create regarded as less a commodity to be purchased and then the creator dismissed, I’m willing to bet that what you’d see up on the screen would be of much greater integrity than you’re used to paying to withstand.