Where Have All The Good Times Gone?

Not cynical or jaded — just TOTALLY not getting it.

Blockbuster cinema requires getting the most profit out of the shortest window because of the level of competition. In order to get the most profit, you need the most ticket sales. And to get the most ticket sales, you offer people something that they want vs something that they don't know — because most times out of 10, people will choose what's safest.

Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, A-Team, Scott Pilgrim, Toy Story 3, etc. are all “safe” choices. We know the characters, we know the basic concept, and if we don't then we've heard about it.

Even Salt, Inception and The Expendables are safe choices: Salt is the latest Angelina Jolie action flick a la Wanted and Tomb Raider using the basic plot of deception we've already seen; Inception promoted itself totally on being by the guy who did Memento — a trick flick — and the dark Dark Knight, starring the guy from that other shocker Shutter Island; and The Expendables are all action stars doing what action stars do.

So your basic conception that there SHOULD be originality falls totally on its ass. That's what Oscar season is for, in December.

As for the quality of movies that made it out this summer, that's a different thing. THAT has to do with Hollywood hype and bought off critics (of which most of them are) who laud over films that just aren't worth more than a simple video rental. Or, they do the Dark Knight thing and read sooooo much into it that you have to wonder if you're actually seeing the right film. And since it's become all about performance at the box office rather than performance with audiences, every time one doesn't reach the imaginary goal then it's considered a “bomb.”

Dark Knight made huge numbers, Avatar made huge numbers, and now they're looking to make the next big numbers film without realizing that a middle-level film will last longer.

Case in point one: last year, Transformers 2 was declared best film of the year based on ticket sales, but by Christmas the best film had become Star Trek because critics were realizing that the comments on Transformers 2 were generally becoming negative in retrospect.

Case in point two: any Oscar winner over the last 20 years, which has most of the time been forgotten compared to other films released that same year.

Moving a movie date to an off-season period — like Green Hornet into January — may carry negative connotations, but it also suggests that the summer numbers expected aren't even remotely possible for this movie, which will do better compared to lower expectations. Machete is coming out in September, but I expect it will be just as enjoyable as any other time in the year and so will any of the other movies I choose to give my hard-earned cash for.

As for TV, don't forget as well that advertisers prefer the safe over the original most of the time because it has a better expectation of numbers, and you're investing big dollars you can't get back. Would you spend $100,000 on an ad campaign during #1 show NCIS or #250 reality show? Who's going to get more people seeing the ad and knowing your product??

Where the key is lies in HOW you take the concept and go with it. Capes is already open about not wanting to repeat the same mistakes Heroes made. Castle is a remake of a British series and going off in its own direction. Even Stargate: Universe, third series in the franchise, has its own distinct presence on television compared to the other series on SyFy and the other Stargates.

Movies are made to be enjoyed. If you enjoyed it, it's not disappointing. If you didn't, ask yourself what you were expecting out of it and you may find your answer as to why you think it sucked.

This article seems to yearn for the 'glory days' of summer blockbusters, but really, when the f**k where those days? Please tell me because I can't remember 'em…

Yeah, every now and then you get a behemoth movie like Terminator 2, Jurrasic Park, the first Matrix, blah blah – but one 'actually decent' blockbuster per year is more than I've ever expected from Hollywood since I was a teenager

I just realized this is the first year I've been enjoying television more than Hollywood. Breaking Bad, Dexter, Fringe, Survivors (on BBC), Justified, True Blood and Spartacus (admittedly, the last two are campy, but great fun and audacious) all have better acting and plots than any of the summer movies. And Walking Dead on AMC in October!