Tuesday, June 17, 2008

As a SAVVY Hollywood player, when I see this, I see Iron Man

...And it's sequel

Well my filmfans, tentpoles are really THIS...

Ok, let's talk film. Tent Poles and Actor's strikes today. Here is a phrase that is out of control. Tentpole. If you are a Hollywood player, you probably have a whole SLEW of lingo under yourbelt. Let's talk about that. Movie lingo is held to sacrament level in Hollywood. You use savvy talk to remain in the twisted vocation of being a Hollywood player. Who the hell would want to be a Hollywood player anyway? Screw that. Be a talented filmmaker. There are only a handful of those people there.

Well you savvy and talented film maker you. YOU need to know a bit of lingo, but I beg of you not to rely on all this empty, mouth dribble to run your profeesional life. The execs use it to hide their The most important part of you is what money and lingo can't buy, you're talent. Now here is the thing, here is my point, here is the ENTIRE reason for this humble blog that you, the one person who reads this, reads. -to rise above the talentless. Here is the main punch. Hollywood is over flooded with talentless people. Always have and always will.

Well if you are an exec, it's tentpole this, tentpole that. Looking for the next tentpole. Gotta find that tentpole. This and that is a tentpole. Well the tentpole is probably up your ass. Let's babble for a while. It's babble day!

The execs that run Hollywood run it with degrees in Accounting and Marketing. No real talent. The real talent in Hollywood are the ones in film schools that approach film with pure talent, you. I know you have talent because you're reading this. If you didn't have talent, you would be reading something else. This is what thei whole blog thing I write is all about. I expose the talentless in Hollywood. I talk about what really sells and what what really smells. I am wrong a lot, but when it comes to film talk I usually am right. That's why I started writing this blog. For years I have been on the mark everytime I talk about this subject, some close friends say, "Do you're right about this"

Ok enough rubbing my own ego. Actually in real life I am really quiet until you get to know me. SOOOOO let'e move on to the daily articles. Here's how my blog works, I look up and read current articles on Rotten tomatoes.com and other sites and I comment on them. There is a lot of movie news out there, but I don't want to be one of those movie sites that reports the news. I am a site that sniffs out the BS in the sites. I don't get star struck. I have met many celebrities and I don't think they are larger than life. My Grandfather who worked all his life and loved me with all his heart strikes me as a "superstar". More than Lucas or Spielberg, who I have met for a second.

So having said all that, let's look at Tomatoes and see what there is to talk about. Sienna Miller is guoted saying that next years GI Joe, written and directed by The Mummy's Steven Sommers is a huge TENTPOLE for Paramount. Well here's the thing about the lingo of tentpole. It's lame. Tentpole means a HUGE action film that is gonna make a lot of money and hold up the studio for that year. Well the major studios use tentpoles to save their year. Well its a silly phrase because every movie in Hollywood is a tent pole. Hollywood does not make ANYTHING unless the box office numbers have been tallied a year before and every focus group in the world has taken a look at the story boards. So what does tentpole really mean? Its not the BEST film that is made all year.

A tentpole film is the film that has the most Explosions and usually involves a old idea. An original idea is not a tentpole. Original ideas will never be tentpoles. The new generation of film began with a tentpole. 1976-Steven Spielberg's Jaws. That was the very first film that had a slam band opening weekend due to marketing. It had no focus groups it has a super talented director and the most horrifying idea for a film EVER. The very next was Star Wars in 1977.

Hollywood has been trying to duplicate those two opening weekends ever since and have failed for 31 years. Failed. Why you ask? Why have they failed for 31 years? Because those two films Especially Star Wars are in high demand by audiences. The Toys and memorabilia are in demand. The Memories of watching that film are in high demand. AND no other film like Jaws has scared audiences since Jaws. That idea of being eaten alive in the ocean sticks with you like bone marrow. The directors of the 70's who gave us that wonderful classic film were the Tentpole pioneers. AND in my humble opinion, the only ones who deserve such a title as tentpole film. The tenpoles of Star Wars, The Godfather, Raiders, held up an entire generation. NOW that's what the phrase tentpole should really mean. It holds up a generation, not just an over glamorized studio.

Let's all it what it is... A CASH COW. What is this summer's cash cow? GI JOE is a cash cow. Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were CASH COWS. Just tell us what it is.
Another strike is on the horizon
To be Continued...Until tomorrow, let's talk film!