Is there any one out there??!!

Just went over to Box Office Mojo to have a look at the figures for the weekend (a big “Oh Dear” for “The Heartbreak Kid”) and noticed to my complete surprise that not one single film in the top 16 has broken $50 mil.

What is going on? I expected “The Brave One”, “3:10 to Yuma” and even “Resident Evil: Extinction” to have passed by.
Is no one going to the movies anymore?
Has the summer block buster dash worn everyone else, and we are all home with our Net Flix and Love Film?
And what of the cinema space. Obviously it is not getting used? Can we shelter homeless kids for a few weeks? Feed then on slushies and popcorn for a few days before sending them back out in time for the awards movies to bring back the punters.

This is not the first time, and this will not be the last time I will say this: “Hollywood….CAN YOU HEAR ME????? MAKE BETTER MOVIES!!!!”

Now I will continue with my mindless rant.

You kind of have to wonder what on earth possessed the studio to make a third “Resident Evil” film. Considering the trilogy has only managed an average score on rotten tomatoes of 27% good reviews.
Why throw money? Ok so they have made money, but you still have to wonder at the desperation of these executives. I can see the conversations now.
Executive 1: “Ok…we have nothing new and original to make and we need it to make money.”
Executive 2: “How about taught political thriller criticizing the President?”
Executive 1: “We need to make money”
Executive 2: “Care Bears the movie, but make it, like, live action and train and dip dye some polar bears? We could get ‘em to talk like in “Babe”!!”
Executive 1: “Better, but it could be costly, and we would have to pay off environmental and animal rights groups. We need to MAKE money”
Executive 2: “Resident Evil 3? Won’t cost much to make and idiots will flock to see it, plus Milla has been waiting in reception since 2 came out.”
Executive 1: “Brilliant”

I am not knocking “Resident Evil” really as I have never ever seen one, but you have to wonder just how soulless these studios are.
You either get crap movies, aimed for summer time or after Oscars, or you get the good movies which are only being made so that they can win an Oscar.
Even some documentary film makers must think “This could win me an Oscar….that I can make that Care Bears movie and make millions!!!”.
Then there are films that are made, that are great, but have no hope in hell in making it to the big awards race.

Two such films that I have in mind are done by the same director. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Shortbus”.
John Cameron Mitchell must have known Awards glory for these films would be limited, but they were still made and both have a rapturous following.
“Hedwig” didn’t even make back it’s $6 million production budget in world wide ticket sales. (however “Shortbus” did make it back 2.5 times. YAY!!)
These two films were obviously made out of love, and look at the results.
Glorious.

You can always tell when a movie is made that has no hope for awards glory or box office success, but is made out of the film makers love for the story and the art of film making.
Once you stop worrying about box office receipts you can free yourself to make great movies. You can always spot the movies which are carefully crafted and nurtured. These are the movies that do not have predestined box office glory, or a high awards caliber. These are personal movies that come from the film makers need for creativity. When you are allowed to express this creativity, on a small budget, you can create wonders.

Can anyone say that “Transformers” was more visually stunning because of the 150 million throw at it’s production than these movies?
“Donnie Darko”, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, “The Fountain”, “Pan’s Labyrinth”?

Thought not.

The production budget for all four of these films only added up to two thirds of “Transformers”. See what happens when you do not have a lot of resources to work with…Art.