Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,
 

Hollywood is dying

Ok, maybe it is not dying but it sure is killing me! This spot is usually reserved for reviews but frankly the choices of films worthy of my critique are all but extinct. The truth is - Hollywood has gone dormant; the well of ideas and creativity has gone dry, leaving at least this movie goer thirsty for something fresh. Or have we become movie complacent?

Why can’t the likes of Disney, Sony and Warner Brothers conjure up something out of the box? Sure, the theaters have almost always been full for blockbusters but those are dominated by special effects and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), replacing the true art of film making. Romance stories and/or feel good movies have become a silver screen minority; slowly but surely being replaced by everything else. And to top it off, it’s one remake or sequel after another.

Stop for a moment and reflect on what has been seen on the marquee of your favorite movie house. Remakes and especially sequels have dominated the box office and will continue to do so.

For instance in 2015 Slashfilms.com reported that Transformer sequels are planned over the next ten years; seriously?  Personally, I am rooting for Megatron to end it all. I get it that it’s about the film maker’s bottom line. That’s what troubles me. 

In between all this - either television shows are being made into movies or an older movie is being reborn. In the past seven years there have been 73 remakes. As for sequels, I have found there to be at least 86, but I know that number is not accurate because as of July 26 this year there are 162 sequels currently in the works, 44 of those are scheduled throughout 2017 alone. With 52 weeks in a year you do the math.

I also get it that times change and technology changes. What hasn’t changed is our thirst for pyrotechnics, various forms of violence and nudity. I am in no way, shape or form a prude. I just wish they would make more educational films like Dunkirk; think outside the proverbial box and produce something that stimulates the brain more and testosterone less. 

I’m sure this will be met with great criticism, with the argument that the film makers are giving us what we want because they know what we want. I rest my case.

Stephen Signor

Windham, ME