When Osama Bin Laden was killed and the White House decided not to release photos of his body, many people in the world (and some in the United States) claimed they weren’t releasing the pictures due to a cover-up. How many of those same people would claim that the photos were fraudulent if they were released to the public? After all, the same thing happened with Barack Obama’s birth certificate; people will believe what they want, and in this age of digital manipulation, how can we know that any photographic evidence is accurate? More to the point, do we really want to see images of a dead person, no matter how evil a person he may be? Let’s assume Bin Laden’s corpse photos were made public, how would the news handle them? Would they show restraint? Or would they give in to blood lust and a ratings grab and exploit them for all they’re worth? Of course, these questions are rhetorical, because we see the answer in how the news networks are handling the death of Libya’s leader. Continue Reading »
Write About Real Life Instead of Movie Cliches
Nobody likes to see clichéd plots in movies. After all, everybody and his brother has pointed out the tried and tired plot that Avatar used, which was similar to a slew of movies like Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, and Fern Gully. In fact, people hated it so much that Avatar made $2.75 billion worldwide. Okay, so maybe that’s not a good example. In fact, maybe overused plot devices don’t bother audiences as much as critics (professional and amateur) would have us believe. Sometimes cheesy, trite films exactly like ones we’ve already seen are very popular. When a plot cliché is used so much, it becomes its own sub-genre (buddy cop action flick, teenage sex comedy, slasher film) and there are specific elements audiences expect from those types of films. What is less obvious, though often amusing, are smaller plot points that are just as clichéd, which filmmakers often use offhandedly for no other reason than these things have been seen so often in other movies that they’re just expected. Continue Reading »
Notes from the Future War – The Terminator Series
Terminator 2: Judgement Day is arguably one of the best sequels ever made. It took the concept of the low-budget science fiction action film The Terminator and advanced the story in many ways while providing a similar story beefed up so that all the familiar elements were done bigger and better. Director James Cameron worked with a then-record-breaking $102 million (which is less than half of the budget for the upcoming The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp as Tonto–let that sink in for a moment) and created ground-breaking effects with the T-1000’s morphing liquid metal. But more than anything, this film developed strong themes (fate is what you make) and made you think as well as feel. So what happened with the next two installations? Continue Reading »
Plots Are Conflict Resolutions
People thrive on conflict. There’s a reason why shows such as Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of (Name Your City) are so popular–they’re all about conflict. Feature films are no different. They need a strong central conflict that drives the story with a lot of little conflicts along with way. In its basic form, a story is simple–set up a conflict and then resolve it. The entire reason for a plot’s existence is to find a way to fix the problem. Continue Reading »
10 Movies from the ’80’s That Should Be Remade
It’s been said by apparently everyone that Hollywood has run out of new ideas. That alone is not a new idea, as that has been common wisdom for possibly the lifespan of the motion picture industry itself. Now we’re in an era where movies from the ’80’s are being remade. In 2011 alone, we’ve seen remakes of Arthur, Footloose, and Conan the Barbarian–not to mention a prequel of The Thing that looks suspiciously like the John Carpenter version from 1982. In recent years, other ’80’s movies like The Karate Kid, Friday the 13th, The Fog, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Punisher have had new versions hit the theater. A lot of people are yelling, “Enough already!” And yet there seems to be a demand for modernizations of films from decades past for nothing more than nostalgia. Continue Reading »
Should Star Trek Return to TV?
About a decade ago, it felt like we were inundated with Star Trek. The Next Generation movies were still in full swing in the theaters, two TV series were on the air, no less that 15 computer games were released from 2000-2002 alone, and countless books were published. There was a point of saturation, where even Trekkers were feeling like they were drowning in all things Trek. Critical mass was finally reached when the cinematic Nemesis bombed and TV’s Enterprise was cancelled after four seasons, making it the first of the live action sequels to not run seven years. There was a four-year gulf before J.J. Abrams’s theatrical resurrection was a critical and financial success. It seems that a breather, as well as a new creative force, was what this series needed. Fans are anxiously awaiting the sequel with hopes that it’ll be this generation’s Wrath of Khan. Its success is guaranteed, but the question remains if it’s time for Star Trek to return to where it began–television. Continue Reading »
Suburgatory Is Sitcom Hell
This season’s crop of new TV shows seems to have an overabundance of sitcoms. Just a few years ago, critics were bemoaning the fact that the TV comedy seemed to be a dead genre, but from the ones that the networks decided to give air time it seems like it should be dead. Just like everything in Hollywood, if there’s one success, then everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon to cash in on that success; the problem is that these derivative duplicates tend to be pale compared to the program that spawned them. The show to blame for the flood of sitcoms is ABC’s Modern Family, which swept the Emmy’s this year. That show is often laugh-out-loud funny, featuring distinctive characters who are work as a part of a well-oiled machine. The writing is intelligent with the jokes fast paced and rooted in situations with which most people can identify. The accolades and high ratings are honestly earned and well deserved. If only the other shows wanting in on Modern Family‘s audience could copy this formula. Continue Reading »
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