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Caught on Film: A Growing Unease in Hollywood (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)
New York Times ^ | August 19, 2006 | LAURA M. HOLSON

Posted on 08/19/2006 8:48:44 AM PDT by Milhous

. . .

Films like the Peter Jackson “King Kong” were considered disappointments, despite bringing in $547 million at the worldwide box office. And like many of her industry peers facing similar oversight, [Ms. Snider] regarded the scrutiny of the studio’s quarterly returns as, at times, oppressive.

. . .

Hers is a common refrain in Hollywood these days. Despite a domestic box-office surge after years of declining attendance, 2006 is shaping up to be a time of Hollywood discontent. Studio executives have waged war on actor salaries, as high-profile projects with stars like Jim Carrey have been put off. Movie production deals, like the one Tom Cruise has at Paramount, are being renegotiated. Studios are also making fewer big-budget movies.

But while Hollywood has undergone periodic shifts like this before, many people here agree that there is something different this time, a permanence to Hollywood’s new austerity plan. Executives are facing too many unknowns, among them, changing moviegoer habits, rising costs and the threat of piracy.

. . .

The concern so far seems largely psychological, although many here predict dark days ahead. Movie-making is no longer a growth business, and has lost its luster among investors. Even the most well-run large movie studios often return only 5 percent to 7 percent annually. And other forms of entertainment — the Internet, sports and video games — are fiercely competing for consumers’ attention.

“When you hear what people are afraid of, it’s that movies are not special anymore,” said Terry Press, who runs worldwide marketing at DreamWorks Animation. “It’s the single issue no wants to think about or say out loud.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hollyweird; hollywood; movies
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many people here agree that there is something different this time

A dinosaur first notices an odor of tar permeating the air...

1 posted on 08/19/2006 8:48:45 AM PDT by Milhous
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To: Milhous
Not that they are the last to figure it out or anything...trendsetters my....
2 posted on 08/19/2006 8:50:33 AM PDT by pollyannaish
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To: Milhous

What do you think, people getting tired of having left-wing politics and homosexuality shoved down their throats while paying ever-increasing prices at the theater?


3 posted on 08/19/2006 8:51:51 AM PDT by thoughtomator (Islam delenda est)
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To: abb; Grampa Dave; george76; martin_fierro; Liz; onyx; PajamaTruthMafia

A sense of fear pervades Hollyweird dinosaurs.


4 posted on 08/19/2006 8:53:07 AM PDT by Milhous (Twixt truth and madness lies but a sliver of a stream.)
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To: Milhous

Great! Maybe they will start making something worthwhile to go see. Who am I kidding?


5 posted on 08/19/2006 8:54:53 AM PDT by MamaB (mom to an Angel)
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To: thoughtomator

It's that and the complete lack of any kind of positive message about life in most of today's movies. Most movies are made by lazy punks in Hollywood who rely on the negative shock treatment of sex, violence, and moral depravity to make some easy money in movies. Movies with a positive message are now "corny" and "uncool" in Hollywood and they take too much work to write and produce. If that's the way Hollywoood wants it, then OK, we'll watch the old movies on DVD on our own 42" LCD home theatre systems.


6 posted on 08/19/2006 8:59:44 AM PDT by defenderSD ("Rise early, work hard, strike oil." - J. Paul Getty)
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To: Milhous
Snakes on a Plane is this year's Brokeback Mountain.
7 posted on 08/19/2006 9:00:05 AM PDT by LdSentinal
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To: Milhous
The last movie I paid to see was 'Dances with Wolves'... and I walked out after 20 minutes.
8 posted on 08/19/2006 9:07:48 AM PDT by johnny7 (“And what's Fonzie like? Come on Yolanda... what's Fonzie like?!”)
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To: Milhous

"Movies are not special anymore"

That is correct! They need to be worried. I have seen better more innovative stuff on youtube than at least have the movies out there.


9 posted on 08/19/2006 9:08:23 AM PDT by rod1
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To: Milhous

Pretty much the only movies I invest a few hours watching anymore are the old classics.


10 posted on 08/19/2006 9:09:29 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: thoughtomator

We saw Little Miss Sunshine last night and it was GREAT! It was about the most dysfunctional family you could ever imagine but in the end they pulled together and gave hope to dysfunctional families everywhere. Sad, tragic and funny all at the same time.

The best part was that I didn't pick up any politics one way or the other.


11 posted on 08/19/2006 9:09:33 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: dfwgator

I am with you. The classics had much better acting, dialogue and plots - you have to actually WATCH the movie to understand it, not just count the car crashes.

Hollywood had best understand that it's pervasive anti-Americanism and left wing kookiness is driving away their customers.


12 posted on 08/19/2006 9:12:12 AM PDT by The Right Stuff
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To: Milhous

I can go to sites like moviespoiler and have the entire PC plot emotionlessly laid out.

Why would I pay for something I don't want to see?

The suits are stupid. The public has never ever changed. They still want to see movies that reach their hearts. (passion, narnia, lord of the rings.)

We don't want to see PC drek that only the dixie chix would applaud.


13 posted on 08/19/2006 9:15:30 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Milhous
Most movies today are either remakes or off the wall crap about homos. Very few movies are original or family oriented or just tell a story without blowing the hell out of half the world.

Until hollywood realizes that people want to be entertained and not have political ideas shoved down their throats when they go to movies, or have violence as the only "entertainment" source of the movie then they will continue to lose money on most of their films.

What many of them have failed go grasp is that older people now outnumber the young, therefore, shoot, crash, blowup and burn needs to be replaced with actual story lines the way movies used to do.

14 posted on 08/19/2006 9:15:42 AM PDT by calex59 (Hillary Clinton is dumber than a one eyed monkey with a brain tumor(credit to Harley69))
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To: Milhous

“When you hear what people are afraid of, it’s that movies are not special anymore,”

-

Gee, ya think?

Movies are NOT special anymore. They're increasingly propaganda reels.

Viewers should be paid to sit through stoopid leftist baloney.


15 posted on 08/19/2006 9:16:21 AM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
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To: calex59

Movies today are all about gay cowboys eating pudding.


16 posted on 08/19/2006 9:16:37 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: johnny7
The last movie I paid to see was 'Dances with Wolves'... and I walked out after 20 minutes.

One of the most political movies ever made.

17 posted on 08/19/2006 9:17:42 AM PDT by calex59 (Hillary Clinton is dumber than a one eyed monkey with a brain tumor(credit to Harley69))
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To: dfwgator

Well, isn't THAT special!


18 posted on 08/19/2006 9:18:34 AM PDT by Paladin2 (If the political indictment's from Fitz, the jury always acquits.)
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To: calex59; johnny7
My sister became a vegetarian after that movie.
19 posted on 08/19/2006 9:20:05 AM PDT by Vision (God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline 2Timothy1)
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To: LdSentinal

Just what the heck is Samuel L. Jackson doing with those snakes?


20 posted on 08/19/2006 9:20:55 AM PDT by kenth
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