MENTAL DINING

Lather, Rinse, Repeat,Repeat,Repeat

Wow, I've had a couple of busy days so I was thinking that I'll take it easy with today's Blog and just talk about my favorite pastime, going to the movies and with it, one of my favorite parts, the previews. Let's take a look at the paper (you remember the Paper right?) and see what is coming up.

OK, we have: Fame; The Thing; Halloween II; Clash of the Titans; Logan's Run....oh wait a sec, this must be one of those cool retro papers that show you what was going on in the decade you were born in (or within 20 years or so).

I know, let's check the Internet. No more silly gag papers, now we'll see what is really coming up. Let's see, we have: Fame; The Thing; Halloween II; Clash of the Titans; Logan's Run...

OK, forget it, lets just watch some TV. Must be something good on there, right? Let's see, we can watch: "V"; Melrose Place; 90210 (sans Beverly Hills from the title-there's a breath of originality); America's Funniest Home Video's;...

OK, I give up. But I think you get the idea. Apparently, there is a huge sucking void when it comes to creativity and originality in TV and Movies today. Let's talk about why that is. Perhaps it's because these stellar, groundbreaking programs and films cannot be seen anywhere and we need to expose a new generation to them...oh wait, TV Land, DVD's, nope...must be something else.

What it really is comes down to two words: MONEY and LAZY (You can read Lazy as frightened, meek, whipped, take your pick).

Today's producers, Networks and Studio's do not want to look for talent and groom stars. What they want is a known quantity, no risk, no build an audience time. What they want is money and money NOW!

Remakes, Re-Remakes, Re-imaginings (one of my favorite new words that seem new and mean Shit) abound because they believe that if they produce a piece of crap with little to no talent or even reasonable talent AND put a name on it that we all remember, then the program, film or special has a built in audience. Even if it's awful, enough people will see it before it is generally conceded as awful that they will make their money back and who cares whether we, the money spending public, gets anything for their money. After all, if we hate it, we'll just wait till the next lame remake or re-imagined P.O.S. comes out and we'll go see it again.

AND WE DO. By the truckloads, the van-fuls. We order the pay per views, we buy the DVD's, we watch the movies.

We had 8 years of arguably one of the single worse governments we have ever had. We elected him again, even after arguing for the previous four years as to whether he was really elected. We hated him but we brought him back. He actually runs our country, decides our position on nuclear war, your taxes,our health care...and we brought him back...Eight years after his father was voted out after only 4 years,as one of the least popular presidents.

What does that have to do with TV and Movie remakes? Come on people, if we are willing to sit in our chairs and ignore the world around us, griping and pissing and moaning...and keeping the same people in charge of our lives and our country year after year, decade after decade, then why should Hollywood even concern itself with trying something new? It knows we will feed on whatever swill it pours into our trough and they do not have to worry about quality, intelligence, innovation, etc...

We accept what we are fed without thought , argument or action. Yes, there are those who protest, write letters, cry out for public change...and those people are getting elected, or electing the next generation, who then, content with their win, sit back and fight against any change.

Now I have to admit, I am a Democrat. I am a Sci-Fi fan. I loved the new Star Trek film and eagerly await another. I'm looking forward to seeing "V". But honestly, I'd give up ever seeing Kirk or Spock or Picard again if I could see one fresh vision, like Neil Blomkamp's "District 9" every couple of years. Not a never before told story or a amazing new idea. But he didn't remake "Alien Nation" or some other past success. He took idea's that we dealt with yesterday, deal with today and will feel the effects of tomorrow and made an original movie. And we saw it in droves. No big name American stars (or any American stars for that matter), no huge Hollywood press. Just a damn fine film, quality acting and a good story.

Next time the latest SAW movie is made, or Aliens is again on the screen, or FAME premieres at your local theatre, do all of us, yourselves included. Tell the Movie Theatre you'll come back and spend money when a NEW (ie; NOT A REMAKE) movie airs. Or, write a letter to the TV network of your choice and tell them you'll be reading a good book till a new show is put on the air.

And finally, when Obama runs again, or Jeb Bush...or Hillary....or Newt, please, look at their record, judge their past success's and failures, listen to what they say...and what they don't. Then, get off your ass and VOTE, CAMPAIGN, VOLUNTEER...don't wait till the next rudely made and vastly inferior sequel is foist upon us because we didn't want to be bothered.

I am ending this, realizing I didn't start out to make a political statement tonight...but it just seemed the right thing to do, regardless of whether you have seen it before or not.

posted by Chris Cook-Sussan @ 11:55 PM