Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
The Squeeze comes back in from trimming leaves off the tomato plants.
Squeeze: What’s that on the TV?
Me: Man on Fire.
Squeeze: That doesn’t look like Man on Fire.
Me: Yeah, actually it is. The dirty rotten creepy jerk of a doofus dad is up to some skullduggery at work and it’s gotten his adorable moppet kid in trouble, so it’s up to the angst-ridden hero with the shadowy mysterious past to put the hurt on the bad guys and set things right again.
Squeeze: Oh.
Me: Meanwhile, the agitated mom gets to get her licks in at the doofus dad…again…and again…and again…and again…and again. Her character has no other purpose at all, for two solid hours.
Squeeze: Mmm, hmmm. (Hauls the laundry basket into the bedroom and starts folding it.)
Me: It’s been done before. But, they keep crankin’ em out…Hollywood’s got daddy issues.
Your obvious question, “Why?”, has an obvious answer. It’s the best thing on on a Sunday night. The women are hot and the explosions are pretty cool.
I just don’t understand — it’s been shown the possibility exists, to lend some character depth to these types of situations. So what’s going on with this cookie-cutter approach, huh?
Daddy issues.
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Because an assembly line is cheaper than an artist. Which makes them popular among people who can’t see the value of the artist in the right situation.
- mythusmage | 08/04/2008 @ 09:46That makes good sense; after all, the assembly line is much cheaper. In fact, if we factor in just that and stop there, we are left wondering why we ever see anything besides assembly line work.
But the profits from making a work of art are certainly there. Dark Knight, as of now, up to $600 million worldwide. Original thinking therefore carries nominal excessive risk, bundled together with sky-high opportunity.
Based on that, I read the general mood of American commerce, from the ratio of true-art movies over assembly-line movies. And since about ’97 that fraction has been diminishing. Even when I count “copycat of something else, but original thinking nonetheless” movies as original thinking, the line continues to dip downward toward zero.
Ah…I’m obviously taking it too seriously. But I get a little ticked when I watch one movie, and the story line, the suspense devices, the tropes, etc. are all lifted out of some other movie. And watching Amber Valletta yell at Matthew Modine becomes exceptionally tiresome after the…eighth or ninth time…or something.
- mkfreeberg | 08/04/2008 @ 10:05The great advantage assembly line work has over artistic is, consistency. Once you’ve learned how to do a good job, with competent workers you’ll continue to get good work.
Artists vary. They vary in skill and aptitude. In addition the quality of their work depends on their ability. The first guy may be the best artist who ever worked on a project like this, the second guy the worst.
And that, really, is the problem behind movies and tv productions. The major studios believe that they can get consistent results by using assembly line techniques with artists. By ignoring the need for a capable creative type they cheat their audience and their bottom line.
There’s also the matter of the bar being set lower than a pot bellied snake’s navel, but that’s another rant.
- mythusmage | 08/04/2008 @ 12:03