The Hollwood Yard Sale

Look for toasters, kitchen aids, and rights to Art Films!

Ok, let's talk film. Hollywood has hit an all time low. Warner Bros is starting to auction off the films that are ART house and will probably not make a lot of money to lesser known studios like Lionsgate and such. Patrick Goldstein of the LA times once again packs a wallop with his blog. Well I am not here to blog his blog. He already did that. But I am here to discuss it with you. So here we go. Hollywood basically wants to rid itself of all artsy films. They don't want any part of them anymore. I don't really know what started this social trend in Hollywood of Studios having to have a huge hit or bust. But it has become the fad. Now numbers have always been a must for Studio Execs. But, execs went on to make good art film anyway depending on the director and actors. I mean you can look at all the studios and find artsy hits like American Beauty, Juno, Napoleon Dynamite, and such as well as the Powerhouse films as Batman Begins and Star Wars Prequels.

Well there are a lot of things that are different now. Artsy films don't make any money. They don't. Even if you're Juno and you break the 100 mil mark domestically, its still chump change. You still didn't even break the surface. There are too many hands in Hollywood. A hit of any kind in Hollywood means that EVERYONE had a hand in it. From the waiter that waited the power development lunch to the niece of the art director who said use blue instead of red. EVERYONE wants a cut and EVERYONE is involved. Why? Because good work leads to other development deals in Hollywood. In Hollywood it's all about who can stay in the game the longest. The other side of this coin is the critical and box office flop. The film that NO ONE was responsible for. They even once had a name for it, An Alan Smithee film. It wasn't used that often but the idea is there. In a bad film, one that turns bad, no one is responsible.

But responsibility its gotten even dingier these days. Now even a good art film that made 100 mil is Taboo. For some reason, if you're not involved with the new GI JOE or the Next Dark Knight, you're nobody. It's that bad now. So, Warner is selling off all it's art films to lesser companies so that they only churn out MEGA HITS! Why not, they can make their money back right away without an audience, and still close the quarter numbers! Its ingenious. Not really, but if you look closer it is like watching mad scientists at work. Warner can make a film with all their resources and funds, then sell it off because it's not a gazillion dollar maker (and gasp, it's an art film). Perfect plan. They may even strike a deal like this ahead of time. Well then what happens when lightning in a bottle strikes and then EVERYONE wants credit, then it's a nightmare. But if it's a Oscar winner that makes 100 Mil, everyone can wash their hand of it.

Now it is the era of the mega mega blockbuster, the film that is critically and box office successful. The Dark Knight has totally set the standard for this. It is a really great movie and it is making gazillions. The problem is this is all Hollywood wants to do now. They want to point and hit a home run for the bleachers. There are of course two problems with this. One, they don't have the experience of doing the right thing. There has not been one film since ET or the Godfather that has been perfect like the Dark Knight. I mean perfect as in HUGE numbers and critical acclaim. No, not Titanic, it was a dialogue disaster. Sorry James, but the spitting scene? Seriously?

So Hollywood has no idea how to turn out a Gone With the Wind, they don't have the experience to do that. These HUGE films that are ICONS were made by singular visionaries that at the time, Hollywood left alone to do their art. Now is the age of focus groups and years of development where the original idea is ripped apart. So Hollywood wants to do this, but can't. They are not set up for it. The Dark Knight is the singular vision of Christopher Nolan. Warner let him bring it. And he brought it. Things are gonna change, but Hollywood is no where near ready to deliver such a passion. Until Tomorrow, let's talk film.