Reporter
A good brainstorming session might do Hollywood well.
“Dirty Dancing.” “Pretty Woman.” “Ghost.” All of these films are considered classics.
They may not be your old black-and-white films, but they are still favorites of many people today.
Hollywood’s creativity has been plummeting in regards to good movies. It is producing funny movies, action movies and animated movies, but what it is not seeming to grasp anymore is what makes a classic movie. It has moments when it releases movies such as “The Wolf of Wall Street” or the more recently released “Interstellar.” These movies hold everything a moviegoer is looking for. However, none of these movies will stand the test of time like the classics.
Some people say that they have not run out of ideas, they just are not as creative as they used to be.
The number of sequels that are being released is proof of the lack of originality. “Dumb and Dumber To” is one of the sequels coming out. The original “Dumb and Dumber” was released in 1994 and the prequel “Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd” was released in 2003. It is crazy to me to make an addition to a movie every 10 years when the generation that is going to see it probably has not seen the original movies. I know I have not.
Hollywood should take a step back and analyze what content it has put out lately. What comes to my mind is “Magic Mike,” “The Hangover” 1, 2 and 3. I am not saying there are not any good movies coming out, there are. They just are not producing stories like they did in the ’80s.
Hollywood needs to come up with some creative ideas to keep from having to make sequels.
There are not going to be any movies that, in 20 years, will still be played on television channels or be featured in a classic movie series at Cinemark Theaters. There is even a television channel on Time Warner called Turner Classic Movies. These movies, however, feature more of the black-and-white movies that were released in the ’20s.
It is not all Hollywood’s fault, though.
Society has changed and forced the film industry to adapt to the consumers’ wants and needs. People have become complacent in terms of what a good movie is.
I can only imagine the target audience for “Magic Mike.” I was victim of it too. I cannot say that I did not want to see Channing Tatum dancing half-naked on the big screen. The concept of the movie is poor. They created the movie essentially to show off Channing Tatum’s dancing ability but with one of the worst plot lines I have ever seen.
If people continue to see these poorly made films, Hollywood has no reason to change what it is making. I am not telling people to quit seeing cheesy movies; I have a love for all of Tyler Perry’s Madea movies. I am asking people to reexamine what their definition of a blockbuster hit is.
The other form of film being made frequently are book-to-movie adaptations. You have the “Twilight” series, “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” and not to mention all of the sappy Nicholas Sparks novels. “The Notebook” is the most recent movie that I can picture becoming a classic. “The Titanic” is a close second and both of those films were made over 10 years ago.
There are movies that do get a lot of publicity and good reviews, but those are mainly war or science fiction films. Most of these films are great, but there are not many action or science fiction classics besides the “Star Wars” series.
Hollywood needs to re-evaluate how it makes movies and make an effort to create something that can and will be enjoyed by generations to come.
Madi Miller is a senior double major in journalism and film and digital media from Prosper. She is a reporter and regular columnist for the Lariat.
