[oqvist]

Ideas running dry yes. Most stories have already been told. Its like with music you can always find "But this is a copy of that!"
Thus I don´t really understand why people get so upset that Avatar didn´t have some kind of ground breaking story. Did any of James Camerons previous movie have one lol

As more and more stories get told it get harder to do anything new. But it´s still very much a copout to just hunt for finished movies and remake them. I have never seen so much semi successful swedish movies getting licensed to german or hollywood versions before.

However there is also a lot of movies based on games that have non existant story to begin with... If that is a good thing I don´t know lol

 

[J W]

Hollywood lacks creativity? This is a recent revelation?

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pepsi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Even James Cameron couldn't think of a creative storyline. Seems like movies just try to make up for their minimal simplistic story telling with Special FX, babes, and well known actors/actresses.

Big budget Hollywood is really too expensive to do anything risky, especially with the importance of catering to the lucrative international audience. Complicated, dialog heavy, US-centric plots don't translate very well to overseas audiences with multitudes of different languages, cultures, and traditions. Fancy CGI, big breasts, and famous actors do.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ideas running dry yes. Most stories have already been told. Its like with music you can always find "But this is a copy of that!" Thus I don´t really understand why people get so upset that Avatar didn´t have some kind of ground breaking story. Did any of James Camerons previous movie have one lol As more and more stories get told it get harder to do anything new. But it´s still very much a copout to just hunt for finished movies and remake them. I have never seen so much semi successful swedish movies getting licensed to german or hollywood versions before. However there is also a lot of movies based on games that have non existant story to begin with... If that is a good thing I don´t know lol

Maybe the Terminator. It was original with a nice story. The Matrix also comes to mind. Hollywood is just too afraid to try anything new, & would rather play it safe.. You must also blame the audience, since a lot of the times these movies sell.. Bad films that made over one hundred million. Ghost Rider. Wolverine. Transformer 2. Batman & Robin. The list just goes on..

 

[virometal]

You know, if one is tired of the cineplex, head over to your local art house for something different. Read a review site like Slant Magazine that reviews a lot of indie.. One can throw a stone and hit some film festival.

 

[Head Injury]

Every time a blockbuster succeeds at the box office, the lead actor gets signed not only for a sequel, but a sequel to the sequel.

And often with blockbusters, the second loses much of the fresh appeal of the original, and the third loses what little coherence the second maintained.

Not to say I don't enjoy me a blockbuster now and then. I thoroughly enjoyed Sherlock Holmes, but I would probably enjoy a turd if RD Jr. breathed near it. And I look forward to Iron Man 2, but for the same reason and not so much because I expect it to be good.

 

[mbriant]

I've been nodding in agreement with most of this thread for two days now, but tonight I just finished watching two newly-released DVDs ... "Crazy Heart" with Jeff Bridges and "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, and they've renewed my faith in the film industry and the belief that creativity is still very much alive and well. In reality, they've been making remakes and putting out a pile of pedestrian stuff every year for many, many, years ... so has the music industry for that matter. But there's still a steady flow of fresh, creative efforts coming out as well. Perhaps remakes are simply more evident these days because of the massive appetite modern society has for movies?

It wasn't all that long ago that even a die-hard movie fan could only take in 1 or possibly 2 new flicks a week. Through Cineplexes, DVDs, downloading, and hundreds of cable/satellite channels, today's videophile is consuming a much higher quantity of product. With such huge demand for video entertainment, it's no wonder Hollywood has to resort to endless remakes and that we tend to notice them more. Not to mention the fact that films cost much more to make these days and since the film industry is a business, and this is a capitalist society, film investors are going to go for the "sure thing" whenever possible. If there wasn't a demand for remakes and if they didn't make money, they wouldn't be so prevalent. IMO, of course.

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...film investors are going to go for the "sure thing" whenever possible.

Explains a lot of careers. Michael "Sure Thing" Bay, or Jerry "Give Them What They Want" Bruckheimer.

 

[oqvist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head Injury /img/forum/go_quote.gif Every time a blockbuster succeeds at the box office, the lead actor gets signed not only for a sequel, but a sequel to the sequel.

But this is quite new that they get TWO sequels signed directly.

I laughed my ass out when after the Spiderman 3 debacle they reported that Spiderman 4 AND 5 was already planned.

 

[virometal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant /img/forum/go_quote.gif It wasn't all that long ago that even a die-hard movie fan could only take in 1 or possibly 2 new flicks a week. Through Cineplexes, DVDs, downloading, and hundreds of cable/satellite channels, today's videophile is consuming a much higher quantity of product. With such huge demand for video entertainment, it's no wonder Hollywood has to resort to endless remakes and that we tend to notice them more.

This is a good point, that the consumer experience has advanced more. Still, I would like a more quantitative measure of this. For example, there are many more options today as well, like cable, televised sports, interent etc. Also, I've always gathered that many more studio films were produced during the soundstage era for example and that Americans, at least watched movies more voraciously as little as twenty years ago.

 

[MrGreen]

Asian cinema is much better, in my opinion

Both Hollywood and Asian Cinema have their duds though.

 

[Pepsi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Asian cinema is much better, in my opinion Both Hollywood and Asian Cinema have their duds though.

I love asian films. I always find the storyline to be more compelling.

 

[EyeAmEye]

The blame falls completely on the consumer. If movie goers are willing to spend their money on sequels, prequels, remakes and typical Hollywood garbage, then that is exactly what Hollywood will produce.

The consumer breeds the lack of creativity.

 

[Landis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pepsi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love asian films. I always find the storyline to be more compelling.

I don't watch a lot of Asian films, but I'd have to agree. American horror is a lot of "BOO, I'M A GHOST!" type crap and while the Asian countries, Japan in particular, have mastered the suspenseful psychological aspect-- and to me, that's what horror is all about.

They've taken a lot of influence from literature, but still seem to keep things quite unique.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EyeAmEye /img/forum/go_quote.gif The blame falls completely on the consumer. If movie goers are willing to spend their money on sequels, prequels, remakes and typical Hollywood garbage, then that is exactly what Hollywood will produce. The consumer breeds the lack of creativity.

Yeah.. Sometimes sequals equal or better the original. I thought T2 bettered T1. Aliens bettered Alien. Dark Knight bettered Batman Begins. & Ironman 2 looks really good.. I just don't get the Karate kid remake. They use wu shu.. Has nothing to do with karate at all, & use Jackie Chan cause he is more of a box office draw, instead of a better, but unknown Asian actor.. & Will Smiths' son? Ugh..