Posted on 07/04/2005 4:12:15 PM PDT by timsbella
War of the Worlds" conquered the box office as easily as the movie's aliens overpowered Earth, but it did not have enough firepower to overcome Hollywood's prolongued box office slump.
Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise's sci-fi tale took in $77.6 million over the long Fourth of July weekend, lifting its total since debuting Wednesday to $113.3 million, according to studio estimates Monday.
That fell well short of the all-time high held by "Spider-Man 2," whose $180.1 million haul in its first six days led Hollywood to a record Fourth of July weekend last year.
The top 12 movies took in $160.1 million, off 25 percent from that 2004 record weekend.
It was the 19th straight weekend that domestic revenues were down compared with last year's, extending the longest slump since analysts began tracking detailed box-office figures. The worst downturn previously recorded was 17 weekends in 1985.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
"Read the essay by Edmund Wilson, The Wound and the Bow,which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about creative people."
1. No single essay is likely to tell you all you need to know about anything.
2. Edmund Wilson was a leftist, and therefore functionally (though probably not clinically) insane.
"As a general rule, happy well-adjusted people aren't creative or risk takers. Happy well adjusted people go into insurance sales or open small businesses."
Insurance salesmen can be extremely creative, and opening a small business is almost by definition creative (as well as *extremely* risky). Formulating a new legal argument is creative; inventing a new kind of digital memory is creative; devising a process for using e-coli to produce insulin is creative...
I don't think that the only manifestations of creativity that matter are those enshrined by what I earlier called "the crippled personalities that gravitate toward 'creative' bohemias."
"Paul Shrader, who is a hugely talented writer/director"
Writer - filmography
(In Production) (1990s) (1980s) (1970s)
Torch (2006) (announced)
Bringing Out the Dead (1999) (screenplay)
Forever Mine (1999) (written by)
Affliction (1997) (screenplay)
Touch (1997/I) (screenplay)
City Hall (1996) (written by)
Light Sleeper (1992) (written by)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) (screenplay)
Light of Day (1987)
The Mosquito Coast (1986) (screenplay)
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
... aka Mishima (USA: short title)
Cat People (1982) (uncredited)
Raging Bull (1980)
American Gigolo (1980)
Old Boyfriends (1979)
Hardcore (1979)
... aka The Hardcore Life (UK)
Blue Collar (1978)
Rolling Thunder (1977) (screenplay) (story)
Obsession (1976) (screenplay) (story)
Taxi Driver (1976) (written by)
The Yakuza (1975)
I'm looking hard in that list for something that would justify the label, "hugely talented."
Just don't see anything, sorry.
I do see a couple of things that might justify the use of the term, "crippled personality."
Perhaps heartland people comprehend American culture best. Many southerners go back 10-20 generations, whereas a lot of New York City people go back 1-2 generations (i.e. fresh off the boat).
Maybe the Lefties would get a clue and stop doing remakes of tv / movies from years gone by (Bewitched, War of the Worlds, Dukes of Hazzard, Herbie, etc.).
I can't watch the tv sit-coms these days. They all have similar plots to what was out there many years ago. Only difference is the actors wear less/skimper clothing, language is seedier.
Trajan88 (I must be getting old)
We went to see the latest Batman offering. I liked the movie.
What I didn't like were the ten minutes of commercials before the coming attractions. Seriously, that was just too much.
I hardly ever go to the movies anymore, and they find a new way to insult me in between the times when I do.
They used to advertise the Los Angeles Times before every movie. I can imagine you understand how that grated me.
I'm sick of the Hollywierd crowd. I do my best to give them as little money as possibly. I purchase DVDs previously viewed. That cuts our movie ticket down to $4 for the two of us. That's certainly better than contributing $10 a piece.
Why do I get the feeling you don't like the arts or artists much?
How to address your questions -- Wilson's essay is as good as anything that has been written about creativity. And while I don't buy into his politics, his observations on the arts are astute.
Insurance, small businesses are not generally "creative" as defined by the arts. The end products are different, the goals are different, and the thought processes that go into them are different. That is not to say they are of less value, and it could be argued that they are of more value, but they are typically not terribly creative. To explain the differences would take an entire book.
Despite whatever opinion you hold regarding Shrader, he was remains hugely talented.
I have no idea what you mean by "crippled personality," though I suspect that if you applied the criteria to most inventors, innovators and artists you'd find an abundance of "crippled personalities" among them.
Amen on creativity. You can minimize risk by embellishing that which you already know. Kroc started selling wax paper cups before moving on to milkshake machines that used wax paper cups. One day he noticed that a San Bernardino diner owned not 1 but 8 milkshake machines. So a curious Kroc spent all day sitting in the parking lot spying on the McDonald brother's diner and the rest is history.
###
Later all, thanks for the interesting thread.
Kroc was also obsessed with french fries.
"Why do I get the feeling you don't like the arts or artists much?"
I despise most of the self-appointed artistic "elite" today. If not for them, we might actually have some new art to enjoy. For more on that, see the Art Renewal Center's Web site.
"How to address your questions -- Wilson's essay is as good as anything that has been written about creativity. And while I don't buy into his politics, his observations on the arts are astute."
Anything and everything a leftist conceives is tainted and therefore suspect, at best, however glib and plausible it may appear.
"Insurance, small businesses are not generally "creative" as defined by the arts."
Yes, "the arts" are too narrow-minded and self-important to recognize the creativity in any other area. They need to be reminded that in earlier eras they were required to use the servants' entrance.
No, actually, we need to go back to that.
"and the thought processes that go into them are different."
Yes, the businessman is thinking, "How can I create something of value?" and the 21st century artist is thinking, "What can I do that will so outrage society's sensibilities that I can become rich and famous from it?"
"but they are typically not terribly creative. To explain the differences would take an entire book."
You could go on for entire libraries full of books, and you would still be mistaken on that point.
"Despite whatever opinion you hold regarding Shrader, he was remains hugely talented."
A schlockmeister, judging from his record.
"I suspect that if you applied the criteria to most inventors, innovators and artists you'd find an abundance of "crippled personalities" among them."
You'd be mistaken there, too.
Some, certainly, but not the concentration found in "the arts."
"No one is putting out any original ideas anymore."
There it is.
My guess is that they just don't have any.
I imagine that Tom Cruise has a percentage, which will go straight into the coffers of the Church of Scientology. I wonder if those buying tickets consider that in the least?
You need to get out more...
Throwing in the factor of our energy futures and its effect on transportation costs, I suspect you are correct.
Paul Schrader wrote one of the top five screenplays of all time (Taxi Driver), but never came close afterwards (although I enjoyed Blue Collar and Cat People).
You know, I've always hated taxi driver. Don't know why, just leaves me cold. I thought light sleeper was terrific, also thought affliction was great. Mosquito Coast wasn't bad.
Although I am not a DeNiro fan, "Taxi Driver" remains my favorite movie of all time. NOTHING I have seen before or since captures the feelings of alienation that a young man has, particularly in an urban environment. Like much of 50s Noir, the city is as much a character as the, well, human characters. Besides, its still cool to see the old Belnore Automat (where my grandfather used to take my mother), as well as the East Village and Times Square in the Beame years.
The coffee shop on 14th street and Katz' deli on Houston!
The movie just never clicked with me, although I do like all of the actors in it.
For the alienation of a young man feeling, you should check out the book A Fan's Notes by exley.
I will check it out. Keep in mind that Schrader was influenced by 1. his own experiences of despair living alone in New York and Los Angeles 2. the memoir of Arthur Bremer, the man who shot George Wallace and 3. Doestoyevsky's Notes from the Underground . The "God's Only Man" quote in the script is from Thomas Wolfe.
Thomas Wolfe is another "young man in the city" writer.
I'm an old fart now and those days are long behind me, but I catch glimpses of those kids who come to NYC knowing they'll conquer it in three years, maybe five. Young guys always brought these big dreams to the city. And I get a kick out of it...
"Paul Schrader wrote one of the top five screenplays of all time (Taxi Driver)"
Winston Churchill and Douglas MacArthur both thought Charles Dickens was a hack.
Seems to me public esteem is no guarantor of artistic merit.
I never saw anything special in Taxi Driver. Or any of the others on the list.
"You need to get out more..."
Yeah, Tokyo is so...well, provincial.
Listen to the crickets chirp.
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