"Oscar screenplay race lacking originality?"

[mackiegirl12]

Read an article on the Hollywood Reporter website and it got me thinking.....

"Original screenplays used to comprise the bulk of what Hollywood did. But ever since the studios became obsessed with remakes and sequels, there's been a depletion of new plot ideas that might have populated the category."

"About the only fresh material these days comes from purely personal stories such as "A Serious Man" and "(500) Days" -- movies that come together only through an alignment of the planets and despite a highly unreceptive climate."

"When socially realistic, auteur-driven pictures such as "Chinatown" and "Network" were being cultivated by the studios in the 1970s, they won original screenplay Oscars. When such indie pics as "The Crying Game" and "Fargo" were taking the film world by storm in the 1990s, they won the prizes, signaling and fueling the renaissance of offbeat fare."

This year ... If movies such as "Star Trek" and "Hangover" are in the mix, the current vogue for big-budget remakes and low-budget broad comedies will be reflected. The Welleses and Wilders of today just might be Kurtzman and Orci."

Read Full article on the Hollywood Reporter website - http://bit.ly/Hollywood_Reporter

My query... how should the film and television industry address the inbalance of the wants for now and the neeRAB for the future. For the consumer, free content online is great, but it comes at the expense of reinvestment in the industry and leaRAB to less risks being taken by those who provide funding to film companies, and individuals with their unique ideas.

How do we create the balance? The film and tv industry is coming up with new ways for people to find and access content online legally such as Love Film VOD and Find any Film, but it

 

[discoboyzero]

It's been a weird year for getting to see the best films on the big screen as an increasing number of cinemas have begun showing the same films on several screens, duplicating 2D films in 3D (or vice versa). Films have been disappearing from the local cinemas very quickly this year, to be replaced by often poorly-reviewed blockbusters (sometimes on several screens in 2D and 3D). Meanwhile the highly-praised films, mainly but not always foreign-language, are harder than ever to find.

Is this a sign that the cinema owners are becoming cynical? The biggest demand is for the big blockbusters; everyone's heard of them, everyone wants to see them, so why not fill the cinemas with them and then there's no excuse for anyone to download them or buy bootleg DVRAB. It may be the way to get takings up but is it good for cinema as a genre?

Two of the most interesting films of the year are released today. Both are from highly respected directors: Taking WooRABtock is by Ang "Brokeback Mountain" Lee and The White Ribbon by Michael "Hidden" Haneke. So they should both be getting pole position at our local cinemas, right?

You tell me. In my local Vue, Taking WooRABtock is on at 11:50am and 5:40pm. In other worRAB, a film aimed at the WooRABtock generation is only being shown whilst that generation is out at work. The local Vue used to show foreign language films, and not just one day a week, but for a full week (I still have a free pass from when their copy of The Lives of Others broke at a crucial point); however The White Ribbon is completely absent from their listings, not just for Shepherd's Bush but for the whole country.

This is what the British industry has to think about. Does it want to go back to the old days when cinema was an art form and original writing and direction were celebrated, or does it want to continue promoting itself as a kind of slightly less interactive video game? There are some great, undemanding films being made (eg Up) but there's more to the movies than just sitting, open-mouthed, munching fistfuls of popcorn. If the industry doesn't realise this, it deserves its fate.