The Unoriginality of the Hollywood Left‏

[Dr.Rob]

VIDEO: The Unoriginality of the Hollywood Left
By Debbie Schlussel

In my “Avatar” review, yesterday, I noted that the movie is a repeat of a gazillion movies you’ve already seen. I also noted, citing my dad, that as a society’s level of capitalism and freedom declines, so does it’s level of creativity.

This clever video, sent to me by fellow Detroit movie critic, Jeff Meyers of the Metro Times, shows that in spades. Liberal Hollywood has zero ideas. This goes beyond the endless stream of annoyingly bad remakes and moronic sequels.


http://www.debbieschlussel.com/13947/video-the-unoriginality-of-the-hollywood-left/

[yeniseri]

I am not sure what to make of the above pronouncement but Hollywood has been always been doing what it is presently doing so in reality nothing has changed. Let me guess when this change occurred: ah January 2009!

[Steve James]

I watched the video. Before that, I was kind of amused at the writer's citation of her dad who had said that as "capitalism" in a society declines so do its creativity. I dunno. People were pretty creative before capitalism, and the PRC notwithstanding, I'm not sure how either capitalism or creativity can be objectively measured. Anyway, then I watched the video, and waited for the clincher about "Avatar." But, the video just showed clips of people looking into monitors and saying "enhance." Duh, I don't know how that has anything to do with "the left" specifically. And, overall, I don't think showing these particular clips is any more relevant than showing Desi saying "I'm home honey" or Beaver asking "Is dinner ready Mom?" "Avatar", I suppose, is an adventure-romance with a guy and girl in a dangerous situation. It's been done a gazillion times, I agree, whether the boy and girl get together at the end or they die.

[Michael]

Sorry, haven't watched the video, don't think there's any value in categorizing Hollywood as left or right. They are an information control institution. Lack of creativity is directly related to control freaks at the top of any institution, government, etc., who are inherently against creativity and individual expression. Hollywood moguls have said often in the past 70-80 years that the movie's content doesn't really matter as long as people watch it.

Just finished viewing a biography on Stanley Kubrick - A Life in Pictures. In one of the few cases of a major studio truly supporting creativity, albeit with a skillfully aligned agenda, Warner Bros. gave him complete creative control from 1968 - 1999 except for his final film, of which they cut 25 minutes following his untimely death. After the moguls predicted disaster for "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971, Kubrick proved he could successfully market the film and it was a huge success. However, they refused to give Kubrick credit for having the skill and knowledge of how to make and sell the film.

Hollywood is a cartel and their success depends largely on controlling the market and government funding. Whenever I hear about 3rd world countries complaining of US farm subsidies, I wonder why they never scream at the UN over the export of US culture via govt subsidies of media? I think that crap would have failed in the 50's without the subsidies and the world would be a much better place, Leave it to Beaver notwithstanding.

[GrahamB]

VIDEO: The Unoriginality of the Hollywood Left
By Debbie Schlussel

In my “Avatar” review, yesterday, I noted that the movie is a repeat of a gazillion movies you’ve already seen.

Well, no offense, but that's film studies 101 - 99% of movies are a repeat of a gazillion movies you've already seen. There are only so many possibilities if you want a good story:

http://www.suite101.com/reference/archetype

http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/plotFARQ.html

[Darth Rock&Roll]

There's only 2 stories that serve up all the plot devices hollywood needs

1. Danté's 'Inferno'

2. Machiavelli's 'The Prince'

There are of course bits and pieces of others, but these are the central plot device mines taht are used over and over again.

ah the classics!

[Steve James]

Actually, it's the ancient Greeks who created the matrix for most of our plots. Apart from them, what has changed through the centuries has been the motivations for the characters (search for love, honor, revenge, drugs, the Grail, etc.); the particulars of their conflicts (the Persians or the Colombians or fill in the blank), and the specifics of their methods (the Argo, the Enterprise, the Net). The biggest new plot device for media has been the introduction of apparent reality shows with "no" plot, which usually turn out to be like Greek tragedies anyway (eg. "balloon boy").

[Chanchu]

Hollywood can't come up with any new stories thats why they rip off Asian films, so many tales that could be told= great stories- I could give them 100 just from the moldy ancient history books here in the FZVA library.

Have to have some life experiance and know history to come up with a good tale. True,only so many basic plots but history is full of astonishing variations on themes.

Maybe they need to go to a local military base or VFW and buy a few beers- they would get enuff material for 10 movies, drama, horror, action, but mostly..... comedy

[Kato]

they copied it all from somewhere else.

I also noted, citing my dad,

Okay.


I'm trying to find any sort of a legitimate claim in this blogpost that doesn’t scream; I received a public school education, and I watch way too much Fox News. As a society moves away from capitalism art declines? It's a weak argument at best, with really no need of repeating. The post in question shows a complete lack of depth in knowledge for both art and film, and a strong political slant in its place. People who are possessed by all encompassing political leaning should be ignored when it comes to all matters involving taste. Or maybe they should be just ignored all together.

[Steve James]

should be ignored when it comes to all matters involving taste.

That's just it. What is the alternative being presented? It's easy to criticize "hollywood", as if many of the best films don't come from independent companies. Not to mention that many of these films are international productions. The complaint, if any, should be leveled at the audience that buys them. Oops, they do complain. Well, with all those great scripts there, you'd think some independent producer with a handheld digital would make it.

[DeusTrismegistus]

They use proven formula. Just like pop music does. Its the same things over and over again. However they supply a product and people buy it. The few who want other stuff are ignored by the big productions and get their stuff from indy sources and when a "alternative" genre gets popular enough it gets adopted by the big guys and formulas are made for it too which artists are attempted to be made to conform to. Country music is actually one of the worst for this.

[bailewen]

The dude's a moron. I agree with Kato.

The collage of clips of people from different videos is a decent demonstration of what, if he had any sort of art or film education, is called a troupe. Next thing you know he's going to put together a clip of people swearing to avenge the death of their father. ...my name is Inigo Montoya....prepare....to die!

Secondly, Avatar rocks. It borrows from Chinese cinema? Y'athink? That's was the whole concept ya moron. The original concept was created by a martial arts instructor in Los Angeles. The guy posts on KFO. Then a couple of studio guys ran with the idea and stole most of the credit but that's how the game works. In any case, that sort of thing is not "stealing" or "copying" ideas from the past. When it's done out of a love for the genre, like Avatar was, it's called an homage.

Can't wait to see his next blog post where he explains how creatively dead people like Quenten Tarantino are. I mean, that movie of his, "Kill Bill", totally ripped of the ideas from a bunch of old Shaw Brothers movies. . .

I'm also at a total loss for how this is somehow political

[zenshiite]

^Omar, wrong Avatar. James Cameron's Avatar has nothing to do with Avatar: The Last Airbender... the life action film of which is just going by The Last Airbender. Other than that, yeah... dead on.

[bailewen]

Whoops.

Never head of it then. Shows you were my viewing tastes are. lol

[yusuf]

no surprise that the op is quoting debbie schussel, a certified nut job