Ok, let's talk film. Franchise evny everywhere you look in Hollywood today. Execs on the phone all day saying "my franchise is bigger than your franchise". Those execs with small franchises like Saw or Fantastic Four are running out and buying SUVs, raising their trucks to compensate for their small sequels. Execs at Paramount, mediators of the Indy and Star Trek franchise, running around in circles with joy, buying smaller foreign cars to show off their largeness. Why is this? Well it seems that everyone is looking solely at bringing back the old in full force.


Reboot me! I am older and hip like Ford and Stallone!

I know, many of you are saying that Hollywood is like one giant YARD SALE anyway. And, you're right. One decade's garbage is another's treasure. With the FOURS being released and doing well, there is now a looking back to see what other FOURS we can bring back. Die Hard FOUR, INDY FOUR, RAMBO FOUR, all have proved themselves to the critics and to fans. So now, here we go, we are entering the world of life beyond Trilogies. Remember when sequels would stop at THREE? Well in Hollywood, FOUR is the new three. Do we as an audience, need more of dead trilogies? Depends on the trilogy. But for the most part, no. We as an audience would like NEW ORIGINAL movies.

Mask. Reboot and Franchise. Now!

NEW and ORIGINAL ideas do not exist in Hollywood. Its too risky. Yes they do fun original ideas depending on the director. Paul Thomas Anderson, Coen Brothers, Jason Reitman and others all got to do great original work last year because of their name. But if you think that if Francis Ford Coppola were unknown and wanted to do a film called the Godfather, his ideas would get shot down instantly. Why do you think the studios invented Paramount Vantage, Warner Independent...Original ideas get released under the subsidiary name of VANTAGE or INDEPENDENT so that studios don't have to take full responsibility for original ideas. Why? That's really easy t answer.

Original ideas are risky in Hollywood. So we have alternative releasing to just to justify making original film. Yes, original film needs to be JUSTIFIED in Hollywood. The justification is attached to a big name director or actor and released under a different part of the studio.

The films that get released under the MAIN name of the studio are all films with built in audiences. In order to even greenlight a project, you must have a strong built in audience. Hollywood knows this. They go through projections and focus groups months before a project is greenlighted. The film that you see, has been already run through focus groups many times. Are these focus groups like the creative meetings at PIXAR? No, these focus groups are targeted demographic audiences who simple give a thumbs up or down to the material they are presented with whether it be a finished work on screen or someone reading an idea to them. And these focus groups are not creative people, they are people pulled in from the mall or gas station. People like you and me who have no practical application in Hollywood.

So you ask yourself, how do non film people have a say in what films we watch? Justification. Execs need to Justify. Creative people as focus groups would have other ideas to the ideas presented to them. Hollywood doesn't want to do that. If they present material to other filmmakers like PIXAR does, they may have to work harder to change ideas and people could lose jobs for you would easily weed out the non creative people. They would be the ones in a creative meeting silent.

So non creative people passing ideas in Hollywood use focus groups, they put the results on paper and show them to higher execs and say, "you may not think this is funny or good, but 100 people in the targeted demographic think this is great". And it gets greenlighted. All that time and effort to greenlight a fart joke. And this happens everyday my Filmfans. Everyday. Wonder why PIXAR has strings of good film? They use very creative people to bounce around ideas. They do not use focus groups.
So where are we going from here?
Well talks are in play for Harrison Ford to star in more Jack Ryan movies. According to Beyond Hollywood, SINCE Ford has proven himself with INDY, they want him to "REBOOT" the Jack Ryan series. ONCE AGAIN, Hollywood misses the point. Spielberg is the real star of INDY 4. Ford is great, but he was along for Spielberg's ride in that film.

Moreover, MGM is considering more Rocky sequels. DEAD COW. Let it die!
Well if you are an original screenwriter reading this, close your laptop and forget it! Original ideas are so dead in Hollywood. And if you do get Greenlit, which I am sure you deserve and are talented enough to do so. I have faith in you! I really do! But you may be writing independent film even when you get released by a major studio. New ideas are independent. Crazy huh?


"I hope Michael Bay knows I am going to shove that Bullhorn up his Optimus."

Rainn Wilson, the creepy guy from The Office and the very funny cashier from Juno is appearing in . .Transformers 2. I am a big fan of this actor and I look forward to seeing him in more films. Yet remains to be seen if he can carry a film on his own, but as a character actor, he's great.

Trailers are up for Step Brothers here. How upset do you think Will Farrell is to know that Steve Carrell is so much funnier than he is. Steve has the better presence and comic stamina that Farrell. Farrell has proven himself a one note wonder with his ability to only throw tantrums in his films. Carrell is the far better actor with his versatility and range. He was in Little Miss Sunshine doing good dramatic acting.



Farrell's Stranger than Fiction was good also, but Steve seems to have better chops. And what is going on with John C. Riley? Talk about a great dramatic actor doing all comedy now. I think that is cool, but I'd like to see John Riley do a drama. I guess he must be having a lot of fun with Farrell. Who wouldn't?



And news for all the WANNABEES that are hitting the streets this weekend to pretend like they are the Sex and the City girls, the new trailer for He's Just Not That Into You is up and running also. Talk about an all star cast! Drew Barrymore, Ben Affeck, Jennifer Aniston. Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johannasen. If it's good, it will be a new generation of crown pleasing romantic comedy, if it sucks it will be a disaster movie with an all star cast. hehe
Until Tomorrow, let's talk film!