Dreamcatcher

One of the enduring ironies of the Hollywood Machine is that films and movies originally considered underdogs tend to become blockbusters both commercially and artistically while films and movies championed from the start tend to self-destruct before the first week of their theatrical release.

For years intelligentsia have postured and pontificated over why this is, why this irony persists, with much written about it. All of which, interestingly enough, can be reduced to a remark made by award-winning screenwriter William Goldman: No one in Hollywood knows anything.

Ironies abound: Goldman is credited as co-writer on "Dreamcatcher", the latest example of how things tend to work within the Hollywood Machine.

Of course, the real reason for why films and movies are so unpredictable, so contradictory by way of conventional wisdom, especially those made within the Hollywood Machine is simple and thus: The Hollywood Machine does not know (or, perhaps, more bluntly, does not want to know) how to tell a good story. I suggest the reason for this is even simpler: Those within the Hollywood Machine increasingly tend toward the lazy and instead of working to tell a good story choose to hide behind big budgets, A-list directors, writers, stars, and special effects which include computer gee-whiz and overwhelming audio tracks.

How else to explain what happen to "Dreamcatcher", the latest (but unlikely the last) adaptation of a Stephen King literary work? There is the A-list director, Lawrence Kasdan, the A-list screenwriter, William Goldman, and the A-list actor, Morgan Freeman, and there is material that could have been, should have been a white-knuckle cinematic ride.

Now it is easy enough--perhaps too easy--to point fingers and lay blame for this disaster. But if honesty is to be considered then the truth of the matter must be faced: The Hollywood Machine does not know how to tell a good story because it no longer wants to.

I suggest a reason--The Reason--The Hollywood Machine does not want to tell a story is because there is no checks and balances within the Hollywood Machine, there is no accountability, no responsibility.

Consider as example the aforementioned "Dreamcatcher".

Here is a movie loosely adapted from a sufficient story by the acknowledged master of pop dread, Stephen King, which had the undeniable potential to literally scare the crap out of a moviegoer (pun intended, with reference to the crap weasels in said flick), but didn't.

The reason for this is already stated: Because the Hollywood Machine does not want to tell a story for it is far too busy posturing and pontificating on the cause du jour, be it AIDS or the war with Iraq.

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