Hollywood holding on...

"As the home stretch of the movie year arrives, Hollywood has rarely been more in need of a holiday pick-me-up," said Wall Street Journal columnists, Peter Sanders and Sam Schechner. In their article titled Hollywood's Quality Glut
Fall's films fizzled. Can 'prestige' movies save the holidays? , they comment on the fight for gold and glitter as the last films of 2007 make their way to the theatres. With all eyes on opening night box offices sales, this is no small wonder for America's largest industry that makes its bread from supplying pleasure to the masses.

Some of the front-runners in the race include Seinfeld's animated Bee Movie, which reccounts the tale of a young Bee that sues humanity for stealing honey from bees. Then there is American Gangster (see previous post) and Will Smith's sci-fi epic, I Am Legend -- Smith's heroic journey in a post-apocalyptic New York. In addition New Line Cinema's The Golden Compass is aimed at the amateur audience with the basic theme of two adolescent in a quest to kill God. Finally, there is the last of the Bourne Triology (refer to previous posts) as well as another triology of anti-war propaganda, with movies like In the Valley of Elah, Rendition, Redacted. Lastly, old English revivals make there way to the screen: Beowulf and Grendel -- soon to be the supplement to high school English course -- and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

What's my analysis? I agree with Mr. Sanders and Mr. Schechner in so far as most of the movies that people will shuffle themselves into see between now and the oscars seem to be made of limited creative material, yet packed full of star self-inflation and millions of dollars of computer graphics. While bees sue humans, Denzel, Russell and Mr. Smith shoot-up the streets of New York (what's new?) and two children try to eliminate the existence of God -- very nietzschesc. Meanwhile the Anti-war, Bush and military crowd press their agenda, while Angelina Jolie portrays Beowulf's "sexy mother". As for Queen Elizabeth, I don't think that the average American, Japanese, or Russian movie-goer cares much for her golden years, but at least Cate Blanchett is still employed...