I am not a hollywood executive, I am a FAN of both comics and movies and here is my plead for MEDIA MOGULS to please … keep them separated.
One is 2d. The other is 3D with sound.
It’s a trend that can’t be stopped – especially after Spiderman’s success and now Batman’s resurgence as the no.2 best selling movie of all times. Any Hollywood executive who says comics don’t make good movies will be fired on the spot.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gosh – have filmmakers become stupid or what?
I cannot find a decent movie that does not insult the intellect of anyone older than 25 years old out there today.
The whole bunch of summer blockbusters assume that you either are a big fan of medium-cooked fantasy, are easily impressed by imperfect CGI or mainly, are a juvenile in the 10-25 years old in search of heroes to worship and merchandise to buy.
I guess it makes sense if you look at the demographics of who goes to movies anymore and who invests in them.
But are the people who make these films – in Hollywood – also 10-25 years old?
That’s the part I find funny when I try to imagine it. The film industry as a story-telling medium held such promise from its inception in the 1920s… and if anything it’s all ruined now.
All it took was a futile attempt to merge comics with movies.
A director like Chris Nolan (Batman), Sam Raimi (Spiderman) , Ang Lee (Hulk), Bryan Singer (X-Men) – they are not juveniles and have proven that they are capable of great ideas and deep thoughts. Certainly in interviews, they have come across as more than “airheads.”
In contrast, when creators of Superman, Batman and Spiderman – Stan Lee or Bob Kane – came up with these comic book characters, they were meant to be two dimensional characters. There was a COMIC CODE that they had to abide by and U.S. comics have been toned down for children for decades. Editorially, they were made to sell serial magazines – not tell great stories.
C’mon … a teenager bitten by a radioactive spider feels he has to fight crime for decades because he failed to stop his uncle’s killer once?
… A Billionaire who dresses like a BAT to fight crime because his father and mother was killed on the streets, where they should not have gone in the first place …
… and superman is an alien who loves humanity because he was raised by adopted parents and can you believe he is Clark Kent?
Omigod …. can anyone imagine any one of these characters in real life? Can you imagine that any of your friends, family or uncle may be Batman, Spiderman or Superman?
Such “high moral” characters were created to entertain kids and teach moral values (as required by COMICS CODE) – they may have metamorphosized in the 90s but they were not created for that…
Such psychologically two-dimensional characters honestly belong in the comicbooks, where they came from. And I love comics, so I am not criticising these characters – I just say they BELONG there.
Comics is a far superior medium for galvanizing fantasy universes and characters than movies can ever be. In fact, I prefer comics to movies nowadays.
So what I truly find offensive and now funny is Hollywood’s desperate attempt (isn’t it obvious?) to merge the two.
Of course, batman, spiderman and superman have had DECADES to mature – like fine wine – and the more stories written about them, the more multi-dimensional they have become. So many writers have tackled them from so many perspectives that they give the illusion that they have somehow transformed from comics 2d into “real characters.”
But that’s not really the case is it?
For comics, a semi-literate medium, we would be happy to read a 15-word description to give us the background to a character. On average there are 125 panels in a normal 25-page comic. Even a graphic novel has 600-1000 panels maximum.
We like Batman and Spiderman because the story happens – as Scott McCloud calls it : “between the panels.”
A MOVIE has 25 frames per second and a 90-minute movie has 135,000 frames minimum. and don’t forget sound.
So – how do you translate a comic story into the screen and make it a success while staying TRUE to character and story?
————————————-
Well let’s see…
So – you have these 30-60 (?) year old Hollywood executives sitting in a room in Los angeles wondering where their next $100 million movie is going to come from.
The shareholders of the media conglomerates are breathing down their necks, saying that market is losing confidence – they need a hit or the studio will be on the chopping blocks. Especially since their last flop film starring Jack nicholson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Have they also received the memo from the “other divisions” ? Can they do something that can tie in with a book launch, a new toy, a new soft drink, sells magazines and also television and radio. In short, “franchise.” MTV would be good.
And don’t forget last year’s data – nearly 50 percent of cinema-goers are aged 15-25 years old. They must “get it.” – so no “Bridges of Madison County’ please …”
and I can imagine the Hollywood studio committee meeting day in and day out – what else have they got to do – and thinking of which character they own and that they can rip off. They are going through the “interdepartmental memos” one-by-one.
And this is the part I find funniest.
so you have filmmakers with one hit film or two with a cult following ready to earn “hollywood money,” standing just outside, knocking at the door.
These are directors who have only “1-2 good ideas” by the way and have since lost them – Guy Ritchie, John Woo, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Sam Raimi and ZAck Snyder.
They are not Soderbergh, Coen Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kim Ki Duk and Tsukamoto – who are never short of creative ideas and don’t re-do themselves.
So the agents of these has-beens turn up and ask for work from the studios and this is the reply they will get.
“Okay, “THE COMMITTEE” has met and after consulting with our marketing department, we have decided that we need another film on Batman,” the executive said. “Can mr. upcoming hotshot director do it?”
And so we have Batman – a two dimensional character ending up with Christopher Nolan – who showed such promise in Following, Insomnia and Momento.
It makes commercial sense – a clever strategy – every 15-25 year old will pay to see Batman on the big screen and every other 25-40 year old would wonder why Christopher Nolan would do Batman. And it can’t be bad because he has got artistic “credentials.”
And so what we have been getting all summer (in the U.S. anyway) is a slate of two dimensional characters translated into 3-dimensional movies. A merger of comics and movies that should not need to happen.
I am NOT saying “THE DARK KNIGHT’ is not a good film - that would invite a stoning from 15-25 year olds – also the majority of NETIZENS but I am saying is this:
Why try so hard to inject good story and meaning and get top-notch actors like Bale, Ledger and Freeman into a movie about a character which can be described in less than 15 words and is usually written as so. To use a musical analogy, why write an entire song using just one note, even if its a damn good note.
I can’t believe that Hollywood is bankrupt of ideas but I think the truth is closer to the fact that executives hate RISK. When industries stop innovating and taking risks, they are usually at an end…..
Anyone can see a half-talent like Nolan tripping over himself trying to put ” too much philosophy’ into The Dark knight – when there was NONE.
Bruce Wayne is a silly, vengeful, rich guy in a rubber suit who has no sense of humor – what can you say?
And so no surprise that the Joker stole the show. He is the ONLY human not stereotype in the entire movie.
Now…. I can’t wait for the Calvin and Hobbes show.
At last count, there are > at least 75 comics being made into film. <
No Comments Yet
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
