Everything Entertainment

So this is my first entry. I'd like to take on a topic about something that I love. Movies. First I must say that I LOVE movies and as of late I've been noticing a trend. A trend that is in all honesty is a huge sort of down fall in the art of cinema. Although there are still tons of fantastic movies out there, there hasn't been anything really original in years.

As I sit here and listen to The Trickster by the always inventive and grammy worthy Radiohead, I wonder where has originality gone? Music nowadays is nothing but poppy crap with no feel that doesn't make me feel anything. I still like tons of modern bands but almost all of the stuff that's out there is pure crap. It's not musical and it's not worthy of any sort of praise. Movies have gone into a state of if it's not based on something, a sequel/prequel, or a remake it doesn't get made. As a horror fan I've seen NOTHING but remakes out there with the exception of some fantastic foreign films (everyone who wants to see pure greatness you NEED to see [Rec], Martyrs, Inside, Let The Right One In, and Ichi The Killer). Books have come down to almost all of them having the same basic plots. I can look around and see all kinds of stuff that's all alike or based on something else. Nothing is original anymore.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I like a good remake but serious Hollywood is that all you can churn out? Friday The 13th was pretty bad ass and I'll admit that I really enjoyed My Bloody Valentine and Rob Zombie's Halloween but why the hell are they remaking classics like Poltergeist, Alien, and A Nightmare On Elm Street? Why The hell was Hollywood already pushing out a remake of [REC] (Quarantine,the remake, was actually very good but that's besides the point) before the Spain-ish original was even done with production? Why can't an original piece of true awesome-ness like Drag Me To Hell succeed? And why have we let them?

As a functioning body, we could put an end to it. The reason these things succeed is because we allow it to. Ever wonder why Pixar is the only animated movies out there that are any good (with the exception of this year's Coraline [which I'd love to see upset Up at the oscars this year but won't happen]) It's because each and everyone of them are original. With the exception of those (and those gross so much because parents take their children to see them) nothing original is successful anymore.

MONEY. Hollywood be much more willing to put out some more original works if we didn't shell out the dough for worthless crap that is full of explosions and stupid ass plotlines that only make sense to the people writing them (Saw, I'm talking to you here). I just know that I'd like to see some more pieces of originality out there. Anyone who'd like to see this also should speak up and help me out. Help me raise some monies and we'll make an original movie and we'll take Hollywood back.

I'm tired of sitting and seeing pointless sequels and remakes when you could go out and do something original. I'm not saying that some of the things are bad I just think that more original stuff is better than stuff that is derived from other things. For the past four years nothing has won best picture at the oscars that wasn't based on something, albeit they were all good, It just disappoints me to see Little Miss Sunshine and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind lose to other movies that weren't necesarilly better. Also why hasn't Wes Anderson been nominated since The Royal Tenenbaums. That aside I suppose everyone has their own tastes and everything can be good to some people. I just want some more originality out there.

Another thing I always bring up when we're talking abour remakes is the fact that remakes also are done so that a new generation of kids have a chance to enjoy a classic. I never got a chance to see Michael Myers, Freddy, or Jason on the big screen; before my time. Now I have that opportunity. This is the reason movies like Superman, Batman, etc are remade every 10 years; to give kids a chance of seeing their favorite character on a big screen again.

HOWEVER, can't you just go rent the original? I mean in all honesty why would I want to go waste nine bucks to see a bad remake of a classic when I can go rent the original CLASSIC for 5? Nightmare On Elm Street is a perfect example of that (even though it hasn't come out yet I'm really REALLY not anticipating it, why screw with an almost perfect horror film?) I understand bringing them up to date but by that same logic why hasn't Citizen Cane been redone or Casablanca or 8 1/2 or even The Maltese Falcon (all fantastic movies that EVERYONE should see by the way) They're no less sacred than some of the other films that have and are being remade.

I've come to the conclusion that original concepts are no more BUT the way those concepts are carried out CAN BE original. A great example would be Drag Me To Hell. The concept of a person getting cursed has been done to death but Sam Raimi brought some freshness to it and I loved it. Hatchet has the same basic story as every other slasher movie and then spun it. I loved it. It had great kills and lovable characters (Jenna was funny as hell, "You do know the vibrator goes in your cooch and not your ear right?" lolz).

Also there is originality within genres. Like my favorite genre for instance, you can have a killer, but what if the killer is never seen and for all intents and purposes isn't real, not a great example BUT it's more original than most concepts. Originality can not be defined as anything really cuz if you want to get right down to it EVERY SINGLE story comes down to good versus evil. It's the most primitive of story telling but EVERY story has that element, and as such nothing can be deemed original. BUT I have come to the conclusion that you can't have an original concept BUT you can do things originally. That's basically it.

So although there are no more original concepts you can still be original with the execution. So this is an almost moot point. However with all that said I want people to come out with more original works. Be that Sam Raimi and Christopher Nolan. Take those stories and execute them originally. Please because I want to see it.