Land of the Dead

If you care to believe the so-called authorities and critics, the prognosticators and pundits, the self-style authorities and Sunday afternoon armchair experts, then what they continue to say is certainly true: The Hollywood Machine is in financial freefall; what the MBAs from Harvard call 'an unending cycle of diminishing returns', owing much to logics and reasons no one in charge can begin to qualify or explain away.

I will agree superficially that the Hollywood Machine finds itself in a concerning position and predictament at just this moment in its history. I will also agree that based on revenues and earnings from previous years this year is not shaping up to be a good one.

But at the same time I will disagree on at least one point herein: The logics and reasons as to why this is happening, and so drastically, relatively-speaking.

I believe there is a basic reason for this certain, albeit slow, death: The audience has become smarter, has become more sophisticated in its wants and needs, with regards to entertainment and related fare, and has understandably tired and wearied of the formulaic, tried-and-true, cookie-cutter, twice-chewed, rehashed, reheated, redone, redo, heavy on the A-list talent and special effects, light on the story, narrative, and plot effort regularly put forth. I believe the audience has reached a point in its existence, individually and collectively, where it wants, perhaps needs, story, narrative, and plot, and is more than ready and willing to sacrifice A-list talent that hasn't done anything interesting since at least the late 1980s and is prepared to give up the special effects that stand in for story, narrative, and plot. I believe the audience has reached a point where it increasingly does not want or need the aforementioned hack work, and is, in fact, beginning a revolt by way of other technologies that include but are not limited to DVDs, VHS machines, Internet sites that allow downloads of movies and films, and podcasting.

I believe this turning away by the audience is a natural series of events, a required and expected evolution, and owes much to a certain truth that the Hollywood Machine does not understand or comprehend:

The living dead are no more. By 'living dead' I mean the Great Unwashed Masses who previously accepted whatever was put before them in the form of entertainment or related fare. The 'living dead' are no longer complacent and passive. They have been subjected far too long to mediocrity and poorly executed films and movies, and taken to reacting by ignoring what passes for popular culture presently. They have come to a self-awareness and have realized what the majority of entertainment nowadays really is. (Description of which I will not attempt herein, given this is something of a family-oriented effort.)

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