Poll: Is Hollywood running out of ideas

[Dogeman5]

When Hollywood stopped caring about good Stories and started caring about profits and the lowest common Denominators is when they failed...
However, do not give up hope classic Black and white films are to be released on DVD's (in small, small, margins)

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

I don't know, they have come out with some good ones. 300 was awesome. Don't Mess With the Zohan was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time! The dark knight was probably the best super hero movie I have ever seen, and because of its villain! I thought Iron Man was pretty good. It seems that now pretty much every Marvel character or team is going to get his/her/their own movie. However one place hollywood is really going down faster than an elephant thrown off the tip of Everest is the horror movie spoof and just the spoof genre in general. Yeah they really need to go. Everything past scary movie 2 has been just epicly sad! I can see where one could get the idea hollywood is out of ideas. I just recently saw a movie about potheads! yes, Pineapple Express. Hollywood actually made a movie about the misadventures of two bonified potheads. Sadly I doubt we will ever see the likes of a Dragonheart ever again. In my opinion, best movie ever made, I use that picture from the movie poster that I have in my avatar as my avatar for everything, other message boards, msn, etc. Even with Dragonheart though, it happened. Now I actually liked the second movie alot, even though alot of people despise the second movie like no other, although I agree it never had a chance of matching the first film.

 

[Brett Alex]

I can see where one could get the idea hollywood is out of ideas. I just recently saw a movie about potheads! yes, Pineapple Express. Hollywood actually made a movie about the misadventures of two bonified potheads.

I'd certainly say thats a more unexplored area than "Action Hero kills all the evil terrorists" or "Sentient AI becomes Evil and kills all humans". As a matter of fact I found Pineapple express quite funny, I wouldn't really call it a spoof although it wasn't played as straight as some of the other Apatow movies. (the jokes and realism just went right out the window sometimes) Put shortly, it was no Knocked Up or Superbad, but it was still funny.

THe problem is, originality is always a gamble, whereas formulaic sequels and remakes are usually money in the bank, despite mediocre quality and similarities to other movies.

 

[Good morning blues]

There is no shortage of ideas in Hollywood. There is a shortage of funding to turn them into movies, however, so only the well-tested ideas tend to get financial support. Thus it has been since Hollywood became the center of English-language film, and thus it shall be until something forces the entire film industry to restructure.

If you want original ideas, look to the talented artists in Hollywood who have some name recognition (like the Coen Brothers, for instance), or look to the independent scene.

 

[TOGSolid]

The Departed - Nuff Said.

I'll see your awesome movie raise you Hollywood churning out remakes of The Karate Kid, Top Gun, and Red Dawn.

90% of Hollywood is shit, but there will always be a few guys making great movies, which is basically something that holds true in every aspect of the entertainment industry.

 

[Frybird]

You talk like anything changed during the years.

Hollywood was ALWAYS low on ideas, with a few diamonds in the rough. Seriously, look at movies from the 70ies or 80ies...for every great movie there are hundreds of shitty movies. Especially the 80ies were plagued with horrible, horrible Rip-Offs of Movies like Weird Science and "Fantasy Comedies".

Hollywood was always 90% shit, and will stay this way.

In 20 years, everyone will say "I look at movies like ASS and wonder what were they thinking. i look back most good movies are old (The Dark Knight is a good example) there are good movies but say what you think"

 

[DannyDamage]

To be fair, most of Hollywood's ideas have come from outside sources (even Star Wars). So to answer your question; yes, kind of. They're doing what they've always done but they're churning out more films now-a-days.

 

[rossatdi]

No, not really. Hollywood produces many more films than it used to, and a greater deal of these are of lower quality than previously but the problem is not to be blamed on ideas. The profitability of continuing franchises is certainly an issue but it's not like new ideas are always a great thing; case in point putting aliens in an Indiana Jones film or the hilarious tragedy of a film that is Mutant Chronicles.

Hollywood has always taken it's inspiration from other sources (books, TV, comics, foreign films) and several academics have made the point that there is no such thing as a truly original story in terms of general plot (The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker).

Several films in the last few years are truly stand out and will stand the test of time (No Country For Old Men (book), There Will Be Blood (book), The Dark Knight (70 year old characters), Munich (book), Sunshine [debatable but I thought it was one of the best cinema experiences I've had in a while] (original).

Compare this to some 'imaginative' recent films: Tropic Thunder (actually a great concept but no one will remember this film in 15 years), Kung Fu Panda (great fun but again, it's not going to last), etc etc.

Good films are good because they strike emotional cords, provide a thrilling plot or have interesting well-drawn characters. The sheer idea behind a project is not enough to sell it.

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

I can see where one could get the idea hollywood is out of ideas. I just recently saw a movie about potheads! yes, Pineapple Express. Hollywood actually made a movie about the misadventures of two bonified potheads.

I'd certainly say thats a more unexplored area than "Action Hero kills all the evil terrorists" or "Sentient AI becomes Evil and kills all humans". As a matter of fact I found Pineapple express quite funny, I wouldn't really call it a spoof although it wasn't played as straight as some of the other Apatow movies. (the jokes and realism just went right out the window sometimes) Put shortly, it was no Knocked Up or Superbad, but it was still funny.

THe problem is, originality is always a gamble, whereas formulaic sequels and remakes are usually money in the bank, despite mediocre quality and similarities to other movies.

Don't get me wrong, I thought the movie was funny, just the concept seemed like a bit of a stretch, but you are right, it was something new and unexplored territory.

 

[SpiritCorsair]

On books and new ideas for movies: has anyone here ever thought of writing your own stories and posting it on the web somewhere?

 

[gremily]

Yeah, but you gotta admit, George Lucas, has milked the Star Wars franchise way to much.

 

[WhitemageofDOOM]

There hasn't been an original story ever. Ergo hollywood can't run out of new ideas since new ideas never existed in the first place.