"Children of Men" (Possible spoilers)
Meg and I went to the movie Children of Men. I'd heard good things about it, and the movie is entertaining enough. So I didn't mind shelling out for the price of the movie and the popcorn.
The most interesting thing about the movie was the story platform -- that humanity had gone sterile (apparently as a result of a flu epidemic). I would have liked a story that focused more on the platform. But the action in this film was a chase movie grafted onto this platform. The chase story could have worked with any number of platforms (stole a million bucks from some gangsters, mistaken I.D., being stalked, etc.). So I thought it was a pretty pedestrian story, overall. Well executed, to be sure, but a pedestrian story after all.
I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm too hard on the screenplays. The thing is, though, that I read a lot of fiction, both old and new, that suggests to me that novel and interesting stories are out there. So I get irritated that Hollywood doesn't seem to produce many of those stories (let alone a story that I don't know). Or maybe it's just a function of the price. I spend $20 for a book, spend ten hours reading it, and usually feel that I've gotten my money's worth almost no matter what. (Although I'll soon blog about a non-fiction book that I felt was a waste of time and money.) I shell out half as much money for a quarter of the time, and I feel as though I deserve a story equal to what I'd get in a book.
I'll probably try to see some of the Academy-award nominated films over the next few weeks (since they're in the theaters here now). Maybe that will change my mind.
The most interesting thing about the movie was the story platform -- that humanity had gone sterile (apparently as a result of a flu epidemic). I would have liked a story that focused more on the platform. But the action in this film was a chase movie grafted onto this platform. The chase story could have worked with any number of platforms (stole a million bucks from some gangsters, mistaken I.D., being stalked, etc.). So I thought it was a pretty pedestrian story, overall. Well executed, to be sure, but a pedestrian story after all.
I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm too hard on the screenplays. The thing is, though, that I read a lot of fiction, both old and new, that suggests to me that novel and interesting stories are out there. So I get irritated that Hollywood doesn't seem to produce many of those stories (let alone a story that I don't know). Or maybe it's just a function of the price. I spend $20 for a book, spend ten hours reading it, and usually feel that I've gotten my money's worth almost no matter what. (Although I'll soon blog about a non-fiction book that I felt was a waste of time and money.) I shell out half as much money for a quarter of the time, and I feel as though I deserve a story equal to what I'd get in a book.
I'll probably try to see some of the Academy-award nominated films over the next few weeks (since they're in the theaters here now). Maybe that will change my mind.
posted by Jim at 10:48 AM
3 Comments:
I see that A&E has started to show The Soprano's sans the nudity and "F-bombs." We've been recording them and so far I've found the makings of a pretty fascinating story arc. As popular as it was a few years ago, my bet is that they tell a pretty good story.
I've heard the same. I don't know when A&E begain broadcasting the stories, and I hate to pick up in the middle of a series. Plus, it's a bit daunting to think that there are several years of a show to catch up on. I "think" I'd like the shows -- I know I enjoyed the "Godfather" trilogy.
You've only missed two maybe three episodes if you tune in this week, but I know what you mean by not wanting to get dragged into yet another series for who knows how long.
There's just so little time to watch anything as it is. Fur us it's usually a question of going to bed when we should or loose an hour of needed sleep for an episode of this or that.
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