tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post4666454508068184034..comments2023-07-12T09:16:45.437-04:00Comments on The Cinema: Mainstream independent filmmaking: the end of American cinema?Ted Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-73230622227096357822007-10-30T13:31:00.000-04:002007-10-30T13:31:00.000-04:00I think we're in agreement that the much-hyped inf...I think we're in agreement that the much-hyped infusion of "indie" aesthetics into Hollywood is not necessarily all it's cracked up to be. Ultimately, I'm guessing all Hollywood could manage these days is some more <I>Little Miss Sunshine</I>s, which was a fine comedy and a pretty good movie, but totally unable to sustain the tremendous weight of expectations placed on it. It's kind of sad that a film like that -- a smart, lightweight, quirky comedy of the kind Hollywood was once so good at -- is so rare nowadays that it's hyped like it's the Second Coming of cinema. <BR/><BR/>As I see it, the real problem with the movies these days, if there is one, is not the lack of strong indies -- independent artist making intelligent films are thankfully not in short supply -- but the decline in intelligence and depth in Hollywood itself. Where are the Hitchcocks or Anthony Manns or Fords or Hawks of today? The strong artists making well-constructed and smart entertainments seem to be in short supply (all exceptions duly noted), and the result is that the film market is divided between total crass commercialism on one end and niche art films on the other. The reason something like <I>Little Miss Sunshine</I> made such a splash is because it sat in the much neglected middle ground. <BR/><BR/>My own personal theory, developed with admittedly no real evidence, is that audiences en masse don't really want EITHER the crass commercialism or the arty films. I'd like to think that a modern Hitch, making great thrillers with some depth and intelligence behind them, would draw some audiences away from the total pablum like <I>Saw</I>. After all, audiences flocked to this stuff (mostly) back in the day; have we really become so much less sophisticated that we deserve the entertainment we get today?Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-53110677078869898202007-10-30T12:34:00.000-04:002007-10-30T12:34:00.000-04:00I see your point, Ed. Perhaps I am making a mound ...I see your point, Ed. Perhaps I am making a mound out of a mole hill. But that realization for me is especially difficult given that many have championed the new directions in American cinema. What I see are the same trends repeating themselves, but in a far more intricate manner.<BR/><BR/>My main concern stems from what seems to be an increasingly advocated notion that things are "getting better" for American cinema. I have real trouble accepting this.<BR/><BR/>I guess what I was trying to articulate was an inquiry into the implications of currents filmmaking (and viewing) trends that seem to think that this supposed shift, i.e., Hollywood and Indiewood coming together, is going to be a good thing.<BR/><BR/>Were I to pursue this further, I think I would want to explore the contemporary aesthetics of American cinema. David Bordwell is our premiere scholar on this subject, but I think there is definitely room for analysys when it comes to filmmakers' and audiences' <I>ideas</I> of what constitutes good cinema and how such broad terms like "Hollywood cinema" and "independent cinema" influence and (to a large extent) shape our knowledge of contemporary aesthetics.Ted Pigeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-48177840440980297532007-10-30T11:33:00.000-04:002007-10-30T11:33:00.000-04:00I don't know, it's not really news to me that the ...I don't know, it's not really news to me that the great mass of people simply DO NOT CARE about art, in any form. It's not especially surprising that the true quality films out there don't make the massive amounts of money that the <I>Saw</I> franchise pulls in in a weekend. It's sad, but totally unsurprising, and despite slight fluctuations and periods of slightly greater prominence for "art films," it has pretty much always been this way. To the extent that the film industry as a whole cares at all about more artistic works, it's only in terms of dollars. There's been a brief flurry of speculation lately due to the belief that an independent film can make big money on small budgets (hello, <I>Blair Witch Project</I>), but it's not like the big studios are releasing smaller stuff alongside the blockbusters because they think it's good.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.com