C’mon Hollywood #119

…enough with the copycat flicks!
by Sturdy

I would never be so presumptuous as to ask Hollywood to stop making the same ole films with the same ole storylines and to start supporting originality. I realize that the general movie-going public is almost impossible to figure out and usually the safest bet is the smartest. Besides, any argument for Hollywood to put more effort into their scripts and to support originality would be completely discredited with the jaw-dropping success of WILD HOGS.

Seriously America?…Seriously?

However, over the past ten years or so, there’s been a disturbing trend of making movies in the same 12 month span that are actually about the same thing. It’s bad enough to have two movies that are generally about the same thing. I would have no problem with two movies coming out within a couple of months of each other where both concerned unlikely heroes that have to save the planet from a natural disaster, but I have a big problem with two movies coming out within two months of each other where meteors are about to destroy the earth, as in the case in 1998 with ARMAGEDDON and DEEP IMPACT.

Sure, the movies were told differently, but they were so similar in idea that it was an embarrassment to the entire film industry. Although that’s one of the most blatant examples, the list doesn’t stop there. Take for instance; VOLCANO/DANTE’S PEAK, ANTZ/A BUG’S LIFE, MISSION TO MARS/RED PLANET, TOMBSTONE/WYATT EARP, CAPOTE/INFAMOUS and others. Oh and by the way, why the hell was Sandra Bullock in INFAMOUS?

Ok, is there anyone else out there that enjoyed ARMAGEDDON?

Even this weekend we saw the most recent example of Hollywood milking the same idea in a 12 month span with the release of ZODIAC, not even a full year after the first movie called ZODIAC came out. And unless some startling new evidence came out about the killer, I’m guessing both films end on the same note. Another thing that bugs me about that is that David Fincher is better than that. I haven’t seen his version, and I’m sure it’s great, but I’m disappointed he made a movie based on a story that has already been told. He’s one of the best, most original directors of our time and now I’m not even excited about seeing his current film because I feel like I’ve already seen it.

I will give major kudos to Baz Luhrman for not making his Alexander the Great film. I remember reading that he and Oliver Stone were fighting to get their films into production first and obviously, Baz lost. The good news is that we didn’t get two films in one year about Alexander, the bad news is that we got Oliver Stone’s version and not Baz’s. Oh well, in Hollywood you gotta take the victories when you can get them.

Oh, what could have been…

The moral of the story is that Hollywood has set the expectations for originality so low that most of us don’t even complain about it anymore. However, I draw the line at watching two movies about the same subject within a year of each other. If the other guys get there first, you have to let it go. I’m sure there are plenty of buddy-cop scripts out there that have yet to be made into summer action movies.