Hello, My Name is ...And I am a recovering Hollywood Executive..

Hollywood Execs Anonymous...

Ok, let's talk film. Two things are happening in Hollywood now. Well they have been happening, I am just going to lay it out here for you, my savvy Hollywood player who is already aware of this. The first thing that is happening is that the Golden stars of today are rebooting sequels that happened in the 80's. With Rambo, Indiana Jones, Terminator Salvation, and Star Wars, the one that started this trend, we know that to be old news. But this new trend is the one that irks me. If in a trilogy, Like Spider Man or The Mummy specifically, the third installment sucks or is not up to critical par, do a forth one. I am not sure what is propelling this thinking thought. With the Mummy a 4th one is already greenlit and the numbers are not even in. Maybe they are going off the 42 mil opening weekend? Possible, but 43 mil opening does not make a sequel.

Well here is my thought on this. I will try to stay on topic here cause I am going to talk about the Fast and the Furious 4, also. For Hollywood, the first successful tent pole in a franchise is like a drug. Its like the first time a person tries cocaine. I have never tried illegal drugs and I know you haven't either, but I wanna use this scenario because I think it best fits Hollywood exec thinking. The first film in a tent pole is like a dose of cocaine. It's the best it's gonna get. Duplicating that rush is impossible. I think you know you know this analogy pretty well. And that's the thing. Success is addicting with execs. A true statement for anyone, but for execs that is the only addicting thing. They have no real talent besides crunching numbers, so they can't be addicted to performance or writing or directing, they can only be addicted to big opening weekends. I mean imagine that. You have all this money and all this power like Michael Eisner, and you have no talent. None. Its gotta be frustrating.

Wonder Drug

So you have to live through other people. You're an exec and you hear that critics don't like the third installment? You do it again. You make it one more time. Even if the directors or actors who have talent, want to move on, you don't care. You do a forth one. And I have to say this goes for some actors too, even though they may be in it to really honestly play a character again because they loved it, like Harrison Ford or Stallone. Everyone is out to prove something. Everyone now in Hollywood wants to top what they one did half assed. I think it is a noble thing. But its a pissing contest now.

I mean Kevin Costner wants to do Bodyguard 2? Eddie is doing Beverly Hills Cop 4. There is a Spider Man 4 and Fast and Furious 4. There is something to prove here. There is a relapse factor if you will. A need to repeat the first rush. Can it ever really be repeated? No. Can we ever truly get another Raiders of the Lost Ark or Beverly Hills Cop? No. We need a recovery group for greedy talentless Hollywood execs. Until tomorrow, let's talk film!