Rating High on Hollywood's List: Immature Audiences

Washington Post ^ | August 23, 2009 | Ann Hornaday

[Bean74]

If 2009 is remembered for anything in American cinema, it might be as the year grown-ups and Hollywood finally agreed to call it quits.

This is the year when such slick, star-driven, adult-oriented movies as "State of Play," "Duplicity," "The International" and "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" underperformed at the box office. And when talking-toy movies like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "G.I. Joe" raked in millions.

Suddenly, movies for grown-ups are in the cross hairs. "I'm caught up all in it," Spike Lee said recently with a rueful laugh, noting that the sequel to his 2006 thriller "Inside Man" is hanging in the balance. "I'm waiting on Universal," he said.

As it happens, Universal is the studio that has come to symbolize the current plight of movies for adults, having released both "Duplicity" and "State of Play," as well as "The Soloist" and "Funny People," considered box-office disappointments. Last week, Universal Co-chairman Marc Shmuger told the Los Angeles Times that 2009 "has certainly been a humbling year. First, there's a real need to be making movies for less money. Second, there's a real premium on sharper, more marketable concepts. Audiences are clearly seeking escape from their lives."

Translation: Hello, "Paul Blart." Sayonara, "Frost/Nixon."

[Eaker]

Mary Steenbergen, playing local law enforcement, picks up a rifle; Sarah Jessica Parker gasps “It’s Sarah Palin!!”

Where upon the actor playing Parker's husband pushes her face first into the mud shouting, "Where?, Where!?!?"

No spoiler alert required as this is what we all know would happen!

[parsifal]

It is a capitalist pig conspiracy. It is the cable company’s plan to put the most desirable channels on a higher tier so you have to pay more to see them. Even though you have to suffer thru more darn repetitive commercials than you should.

I think gov’t needs to mandate:

1) No repeat commercials within the same show.

2) No pop up ads on a show. (Causes ADD in adults and children)

3) Force providers to regulate volume so they are not twice as high during commercials

4) make all emergency broadcast tests occur during commercials, not shows

5) Send that stupid lip-syncing french dude on free credit report dot com back to Canada

parsy, who would initiate the use of force to obtain these goals