Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Cowboys and Aliens...Really?!


Okay, I haven’t seen Cowboys and Aliens, so I’m not reviewing it, but I’d like to say something: in terms of coming up with plotlines, I think Hollywood has hit an all time low. 

Don’t misunderstand me. I love cowboys. Aliens, not so much, but there have been some good alien films. But together? I think that just shows that Hollywood isn’t creative enough to come up with simpler, more intriguing stories. Stories that rely on real talent and a good script, instead of special effects and subtle marketing.

It’s as if everyone sat down in a boardroom to come up with an idea that would sell buckets of tickets - by putting everything that’s ever been successful in a movie and rolled into one. Cowboys? Check. Aliens? Check. Pretty women? Duh. Harrison Ford? He’s cool, let’s throw him in. New James Bond guy? That’ll reel in the dudes. Cool gadgets? That usually sells. 

They make me sad. On the other hand, it makes me feel better, because if they can come up with ideas that a five year old could just as easily imagine, then I’m not worried about finding a job in the business.

Still, this kind of low class film making basically profanes its roots. Back in the Golden Age, films weren’t made to rack up dollars. They were seen as an art (for the most part), and stories were inventive and original. Take for example, The Philadelphia Story.
 
C.K. Dexter Haven marries Tracy Lord. They divorce. He tries to get revenge on Tracy by hiring Macaulay Connor to write a story on her new marriage, which doesn’t work out because she has a fling with Connor. But she has a conversion so to speak, and declines his marriage proposal, only to remarry Haven. It’s a hilarious jumble of characters, all vying for the same woman. 

Nowadays, the only films with interesting storylines are the ones that are remakes of older ones or books turned into movies. Except Eragon. That was terrible.

Get ready, guys. I can see it now - Cowboys vs...POKEMON!

1 comment:

BG45 said...

I know people who absolutely loved it, but they're the type of audience you describe in this post. If you want another example of how creatively bankrupt Hollywood is...they're making Battleship. Yes, a film about the board game; but for some reason it involves aliens, a leggy blonde in a bikini, and peg-like projectiles that stick in the side of your ship. No, I'm not kidding...watch the trailer. :(