Fantastic article of a theory on how films are being made to be successful through familiarity.
Here is an excerpt:
“The dominance of sequels this year is worse than it ever has been – proving that Americans have either been born to only want what’s familiar to them or they’ve been conditioned to feel that way because of our “branding” culture. This is something you don’t see as much (yet) in other countries but here it’s how children are raised. Our mini malls across America all look the same. The independent sandwich and coffee shops have been replaced by Subways and Starbucks. Our choices are limited so drastically that we fear losing something significant if we take a chance on something new. That dynamic is what drives our box office: give the people what they want and what they want is what they know.
This isn’t the best way to start the New Year, I realize. I also once again must pay respect to the Academy – because after looking back at how things have changed in the past 30 years The King’s Speech is not looking so bad at all as a Best Picture winner. Moreover, last year’s slate of Best Pictures has to be among the best list of nominees the Academy has had, I’m gonna say, in 30 years. Things WERE moving in a direction that, I think, satisfied both the excellence in the Age of the Fanboy and Sequel, as well as challenging, riveting adult entertainment. I worry what might happen now they’ve taken away the one advantage they had to right the wrongs of their past. There were so many films that ought to have been named Best Picture but because of whatever Oscar game got played they ended up with a bland set of five. Would that those years had honored ten. Then we might see some kind of true evolution that would feed the box office and maintain the high standard of art American film, and global film, seeks to attain.”
