A Mission Statement to Creative Film Artists
by John T. SimpsonMany of you know the story of Jerry Maguire, the agent with a conscience. Ya, I know. It’s only a movie. But sometimes movies can be great moral guideposts. Ironic that I should use one of Hollywood’s finest morality plays to illustrate how Tinseltown should operate at its most basic level.
In Jerry Maguire, the key conflict was Jerry’s realization that he was putting a pretty facade on the moral deterioration within his profession, and was in fact complicit in it. It took an injured hockey player’s young son telling him to fuck off and a bad dream for Maguire to realize the true ugliness of who and what he had become, especially when measured against the high standards of his idol and mentor, agent Dicky Fox. Those troubling events created in Maguire a perfect storm of revulsion, introspection and a commitment to reaffirm the basic principles of his profession, which he laid out in his memo “The Things We Think and Do Not Say.” In truth, he had me at hello. Tom’s a hottie!
Like Jerry Maguire, I too started out in my chosen profession with the highest of ideals, which were sparked by a boundless love of the great stories, writers and filmmakers that inspired me. Like the best of them, I am totally dedicated to the pure craft of storytelling in film. It is all about The Story, which is bigger than all of us. That treasured craft has been handed down to us throughout human history, from Homer to Shakespeare to General Lew Wallace, Jules Verne and L. Frank Baum.
It is no surprise that epic stories like Wallace’s Ben Hur and Baum’s Wizard of Oz were made into films, or that so many of us treasure those movies like they were our own. Over time the greatest film stories become a part of us, interwoven into the very fabric of our culture and society, even our very personalities. Today in Hollywood that pure craft, though thriving on many fronts, is in deep trouble on many others. Like Jerry Maguire, I am witnessing the progressive corruption of the highest ideal of what my profession should be all about: the pure craft of storytelling in commercial film and TV.
More and more that pure craft is being poisoned by ideology, propaganda and malicious intent to insult or denigrate audience members whom certain creative film artists vehemently dislike. Tells, ideological plot points that are dead giveaways as to exactly where the story is going, ruin the viewing experience by instantly killing all tension and suspension of disbelief. How about taking viewers and audiences where they’ve never been before? It’s called high concept. Look into it.
Be it left or right, politics is artistic and box office poison. The low ratings and receipts bear me out. Bathrooms and kitchens are separate for a reason. It’s not very smart to shit where you eat. In the long and glorious history of storytelling on film in Hollywood, these developments are both modern anomalies and creative pestilences which offend me to my very core as a pure apolitical storyteller dedicated heart and soul to my craft. Who would dare tell Picasso he has to put Green in Guernica?
And the only health care I want to see pushed on film is Nurse Ratched, Dr. Giggles and Batman giving Dr. Crane a dose of his own medicine! Writers are artists, too. So, as a screenwriter, I’ve drafted my own memo. I may not always succeed, but I will do my damndest to uphold the oaths I now put forward to the American people, my fellow creative film artists, and to film fanatics everywhere on 3 Rock. Consider this my Jerry Maguire Mission Statement for Hollywood:
1. I promise to adhere to the finest principles of pure storytelling which have riveted men, women and children around campfires since the dawn of time. Those principles have endured across the years, decades, centuries and millennia for very good reasons. They will endure long after we and Hollywood as we know it are gone. That is our great responsibility to our past, present and future.
2. I promise to proffer the greatest respect to my audiences and fellow film artists regardless of ethnicity, religion, creed, gender, sexuality or belief system. We all want the same thing: great film.
3. I promise to respect the intelligence, dignity and sensibilities of my audiences and fellow creative film artists in my work, regardless of how stupid, misguided or insensitive they may be in real life.
4. I promise to bring the best of my talents and abilities to bear in telling the greatest and most compelling four-quadrant stories with the widest possible appeal for all. Box office tells the tale.
5. I promise I will not write any script or work on any project with the intent to advance any race, creed, religion, ethnicity, belief system or non-violent ideology over any others. Basic moral themes and conflicts are universal. We are all ultimately human on the most basic and visceral of levels.
6. I promise I will not allow my personal ideological or political beliefs to infect my work. The story is bigger than I am. Where the story leads I must follow, irrespective of all other personal political or ideological considerations. It should always be about telling the best possible stories on film.
7. I will not allow others to infect my work or corrupt my pure storytelling with politics, ideology or propaganda, or to maliciously target for insult or denigration certain segments of my audiences.
8. I promise that I will do my utmost to work in harmony with those creative film artists who may not share my most righteous and ultimately correct core personal, political or ideological beliefs, but share in the dream of creating great stories for the screen. The story is bigger than all of us.
9. I will never blackball, or attempt to have blackballed, a fellow creative film artist based on his or her own personal beliefs. Film artists’ creative talents and merits, not their belief systems, should determine their place in film and TV. This is America. Besides, didn’t we go through all this already?
10. I promise I will never blame any audiences if a story I write is produced and bombs at the box office. We creative film artists alone are responsible for our celluloid failures. I will take full personal responsibility and blame only the writers, actors, directors, producers or studios that screwed it up.
These guidelines are not the be-all end-all, but I do believe they are a good start. There are, of course, notable exceptions to some of these rules in the arena of satirical and political comedy, nonfiction and documentaries. I’m talking straight-up creative TV and feature film production here.
To be clear, I am not trying to impose restrictions here. Just the opposite. I am trying to unbridle creativity to whole new levels. Ideology is a straitjacket which suffocates artistic creativity. It’s killing the craft of storytelling and turning off a whole lot of audiences needlessly. Worst of all, it’s costing millions of viewers and truckloads of money. How self-destructive can you be?
Whether this mission statement is taken to heart in Tinseltown in the spirit in which I have presented it is not up to me. I can only take the Hollywood horses to water. I can’t make ‘em drink it. But sometimes you just gotta hang your balls out there, because doing nothing is not an option. Just as it wasn’t for Jerry Maguire. Many thanks to Cameron, Tom, Renee and Cuba for showing the way. Hell of a story, Jerry Maguire. Made a ton of dough too! And no politics. Get the Big Picture now?
And who knows? If studios and creative film artists remove politics from the celluloid equation, renew emphasis on the pure craft of compelling human storytelling, and open the doors to all with the brains and talent to be there, it may just spur a new Golden Age of Hollywood. Can’t be bad. Hope Springs Eternal on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. I love Hollywood! Show me the money! End memo. Oh, and please don’t politicize SpongeBob and ruin it for me. I’d have to shoot you.
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47 Comments
Good article but just a few issues:
#4 – Four-quadrant movies are great and obviously make the most money but, inevitably, not every movie that gets made (or rather not every story that people would like to tell) will appeal to everybody. I don't believe there's anything wrong with this as long as studios temper their expectations accordingly.
#6 – Where does personal opinion end and propaganda begin? I'm pro-gay marriage but if I include a gay character in a story, it doesn't necessarily constitute pro-gay propaganda. Thankfully, I think most people are smart enough to know the difference.
#10 – While it's simply bad manners to blame the audience, I think we all have our favorite movies that bombed at the box-office, making us wonder, "What happened?" even when the movie is good. Some of these are discovered later on home video, others simply vanish into the ether. Personally, it's hard not to blame audiences for not liking certain things (I'm a huge fan of the sitcom Newsradio but it isn't talked about the same way Seinfeld and Friends are today.) But hey, what are we gonna do?
And kudos on #8 and 9. I'll die before I let politics get in the way of a good relationship, professional or otherwise.
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Sometimes, politics is integral to my stories and sometimes they aren't. But it's hard to really tell on the margins if it's working until after some of the public has consumed it. I wrote a novel (unpublished) where politics was in the peripheral and my liberal editor loved it. My second novel is ingrained with politics down to the base of the story and I'm not sure she'll like it but I really like it and I think it's a strong story. Wrote a short story for a contest and politics were my main goal but they are rarely mentioned, my editor liked that one. Wrote another short story for the same contest and politics wasn't mentioned but it was fairly obvious by the final line what I intended. She thought it was okay, but could have been more fleshed out.
So it seems to me that politics do hinder story telling, but sometimes politics is the story and you have no choice but to try to overcome that problem and make it work. Before I finished the second novel that was all politics, I started two other novels that were also all about politics. I eventually abandoned them because the story was just not working and without the politics, there was no story. Now, I'm on to my third novel and I'm struggling with it, but so far, it doesn't have any politics. So maybe the story doesn't work, independent the lack of politics.
So, I think that if you have a strong story that involves politics or even has a large political bend, it can still work, but the key is to realizing if the story works without them or not. Just my two cents from the 3 years I've been writing, take it for what its worth from someone who has yet to be published, which is markedly less than two cents, let me tell you.
Amen to that! The extreme left flank of the Hollywood movie machine has been producing films that no one wants to see, but it hasn't deterred them in the least. I am hoping that people continue to vote with their entertainment dollars. Eventually, someone may get it.
Good luck with number 7. Once you sell the story rights don't the producers and directors have free reign to change the bad guys from baby-eating satanists to Republican Businessmen? Which in the mind of most in Hollywood are one and the same.
Good luck with number 7. Once you sell the story rights don't the producers and directors have free reign to change the bad guys from baby-eating satanists to Republican Businessmen? Which in the mind of most in Hollywood are one and the same.
Sorry about the double post.
But don't you want to see movies about all the good our troops do in wars? Or about how the capitalist American dream allowed for an inner city kid to become a millionaire? Or about the strong leader who stands up for what's right in the face of adversity even at the possible expense of his life? I think Black Hawk Down, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Rio Bravo are some fine movies, but they all lean right.
Perhaps the correct approach is to espouse conservative beliefs without denigrating the alternative. Basically, all left wing movies are started with the premise that America and conservatives are evil, thus the bad guy. Perhaps being apolitical isn't the answer, but being truthful and fair is? Lucky for us conservatives then, because truth happens to reside on our side of the political aisle.
John, you're wicked pissah. I fully expect when you get the green light on your script that you'll have Jimmy Boy in for a reading.
Keep up the good work. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Short and to the point to See new movie with good action & moral is like see stock market going up .
J hope something or somebody get better ideas then killing and make movie U want remember next day.
I can only take the Hollywood horses to water. I can’t make ‘em drink
Reminds me of one of the funniest lines I've read on the internet.
You can lead a dork to concepts, but you can't make them think.
All nice thoughts, but I'd offer you're approach would only work in a world where a solid majority of people are A.) Intelligent and B.) Honest – especially with themselves. That ain't the world
The fact is, for A LOT of people on all sides of all issues, EVERYTHING that doesn't agree 100% with their collection of pet issues is "propaganda." As Scott alluded above, if there's a gay character in a movie even if he doesn't say word-one "in favor" of himself you're gonna get scads of angry folks right here on this site who're SURE that just having him there is part of a sinister plot to "normalize" his lifestyle (heaven forbid!!)
Also… just because "artists" are arrogant and self-regarding doesn't mean that they don't happen to be right about the mass-audience being, well… stupid, on the whole
(Anyone who'd like to refute me on that: Be warned that you will be asked to explain the following phenomena: Transformers 2, Twilight and Blind Side in a manner that DOESN'T end up making my point for me 
I appreciate your sentiments on not letting politics get in the way of good friendship. I agree, and do my best to do the same. Unfortunately, other friends and family don't feel the same way.
A few months ago I had to cut it off with a good friend I've had for years. Not only was he uber liberal, he was pretty dumb on top of it. I know that sounds redundant, but it's not. At least not in his case.
Either cut him off, or else get inundated daily with snippets from the most brain dead liberal web sites, spouting the most insanely stupid remarks.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is one does not always have a choice when it comes to friends. But I agree, I try my best.
This is an excellent basis for an entertainment production business guideline. Not only writing. If all studio excutives and support staff, and all the actors, and all the above the line production crew would take this to heart, then we would be on a good track. But as has it's been commented on above, there are areas that need to be allowed to slide a bit. It's the gray area of life. Where is YOUR line? Mine's here. Hers is there. That's what distinguishes good story telling from great story telling. Being able to navigate in that gray area so people are a bit surprised by the impact the story has on them.
My advice, as part of your potential customer base, and a long time customer of movies and TV, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
To me, the goal is a riveting story. If there happens to be politics involved, then there are politics involved. If not, then they're not.
At the risk of revealing my geeky side, I was a dungeon master, and a damn good one. (Note: The way we played D&D is more akin to today's shoot 'em up video games, not the kind played in high school.)
I was in such demand I was running 3 different games for 3 different groups a week. And the people wanted more. I think what set me apart and above most was character creation and story telling. I didn't do "Oh here's a monster, it's dead, here's another one, you killed it, here's the next…" I created epic story lines. My players became personally invested in the stories. I remember being woken up once in the middle of the night because one of my players was literally pacing the floor trying to figure out how to address the story line I threw at him. (It was a good one too!)
Create believable characters, and that means flaws. Put them in realistic situations, with both the good and the bad, and have them react in a way that's true to their character, and then just let it go, and begin writing.
Don't worry about people voting with their entertainment dollars. They always have and always will.
Economics 101. People who have to work to earn a dollar will be very discerning on what they do with that dollar.
And you can take that to the bank.
I often disagree with you Bob. But I can't on this.
We all recognize it whrn the "other side" does it. But if I am going to be honest, "my side"does it all to often as well. And unfortunately it is on display here on BH at times..
Blind Side is a very good story. I have no explanation for the other 2 pieces of cinematic excrement…..
I've been trying to explain that one to my wife and daughter for years.
"Why did they make that sequel? It was nothing like the first one."
Because some one has the money to by the name, and thinks they can make a buck off it.
Ha! Finance humor.
Look, I won't say that Transformers 2 or Twilight are epic movies that will always stand the test of time. I'm not saying they are Oscar worthy. But can we PLEASE OH GOD PLEASE stop assuming that people who do like the films (or books) are somehow stupid. Can't we understand that not all people have the same tastes and what you like I may not like. For instance. Steinbeck is considered a great author, is he not? Taught in Lit classes for decades? Well, except for Of Mice and Men, I HATE the way he writes. I hate it. I hate Hemingway, too. And again, they are supposed to be literary greats.
Sometimes someone just enjoys something for pure entertainment and what they are entertained by may not be the same as you. It does not make anyone else STUPID per se. I just find that to be insulting. And I like plenty of other literary greats.
I was hoping that would make cents to some one.
As long as Hollyweird uses movies to further their leftist propaganda, I don't want them touching the subject of the war and our brave soldiers- especially during a war. We need more conservative movie-makers. I am all for truth and fairness, but I have no reason to trust the left with either concept.
Now you're just showing-off!
That is true, there's a local sports writer who tries to stay apolitical but lets loose his leftwing comments now and then, but I put up with it because he's a fantastic writer and tells compelling stories, even about a football game I just watched and know all the details about. I think if it's not out and out propaganda that clearly is just a mechanism to spread your world view, compelling story can overcome.
Yeah, believability is an equally important component as well, which is why propaganda rarely works, specifically left wing propaganda, it's just too unbelievable.
You can create characters that are completely apolitical, or are completely political, in my opinion, it doesn't matter. As long as you keep the story line firmly anchored in the reality of the world you create for the story.
You have the character in your mind, you have the situation in your mind, what's the logical consequences of the character's actions, based upon the realities of the world they live in? And then just go for it.
For me it's like a stream of consciousnesses kind of method. I still occasionally write fiction for some free story web sites. I have no interest in getting published, I do it because I enjoy telling stories, creating worlds, and such. I've pretty much gotten out of that, but occasionally still dabble. Especially around Halloween. D&D I guess.
I agree about propaganda. The main problem is they aren't telling a story, they're selling a political idea. Occasionally it works, for example, Atlas Shrugged. But I can't do it, and wouldn't even want to try. I enjoy creating the situation, the characters, then sitting back and watch the story unfold in the theater in my mind. And I type it out as I'm seeing it.
Then I go back and do a couple of rewrites, mostly cleaning up where I let things get out of control, check spelling, grammar, punctuation, and then I let it go, and the readers can make what ever they want to out of it.
Funny thing is, we'd all be screaming blue murder about the cheapshot against Clarence Thomas!
If I were writing something about war, I wouldn't start with the premise of our soldiers do good, I'd start with the premise that war truly, honestly, sucks, and it forces good people and bad, into situations and making choices with dire outcomes, no matter what individual soldiers believe.
Band of Brothers is a good example. I've only seen a handful of the episodes, but the ones I saw were very powerful. One stands out, the company ended up in a Church (in France I think) on Christmas Eve, and the entire cast was present. Then the ones that had died, slowly faded out, until only the living soldiers were left.
No matter what the cause, no matter volunteer or draftee, war takes a toll on those who are caught up in it, that only then can truly appreciate.
"It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country … in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives — the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their country, for us. All we can do is remember." –Ronald Reagan
There's your story on war.
Last word. It makes me very happy that so many of you are now having this conversation and hashing it all out. That is what I'd hoped would happen to start. To be clear, I believe politically-themed films like Z, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, THIRTEEN DAYS and MILK just fine. They are all very compelling stories, some based on true life. The story of Arsham Parsi, a gay Iranian activist who fled Iran for his life, and who is now the Osckar Schindler for other Iranian LGBTs, would make a hell of a film.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/279819
But the compelling human stories of Mr. Parsi's life experiences would drive it, not left- or right-wing politics. To not be political in storytelling doesn't mean political stories and themes should be shut out. I mentioned that. Just tell the goddamn stories, and don't let personal politics interfere with the storytelling. Starting out with a political agenda in filmmaking is putting the story cart before the horse, and the studios are paying major prices for that. Story and box office talk, and bullshite will walk. 'nuff said. Break a leg, all!
I agree with you here- I hated Transformers 2 and haven't seen the other two movies listed- but everyone has secret "trash" movies or shows that they absolutely love.
Maybe we're emphasizing the difference between a movie that is largely ABOUT politics and the people involved in it – like the examples you provided – as opposed to a movie that in itself is a partisan political tool. Maybe it's all down to the writers' and directors' intellects and personalities. Some have a lot of questions, they'll make an exploratory, nuanced movie. Other's have all the answers, they'll make a propaganda piece.
Another problem, one that we see in the news all the time, is that most "stories" have protagonists and antagonists who are in conflict. This structure automatically sets up one side in any political issue depicted in a movie to be "bad" while the other side of the issue gets to be "good." This is cute when you're writing Star Wars; it's not so good when you're writing about your fellow citizens or a sitting President. Real people (well, the interesting ones) are complicated. Good characters should also be complicated. Can you write "strong" characters who aren't fanatical political partisans? I imagine so.
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Yeah, sometimes you just want to escape and a "trash" movie, show, or book is great for that. It doesn't make people automatically stupid. I hate that attitude, whether it comes from a conservative or a liberal because it is an "elitist" idea – I'm better than you because I read this, or watch this (or those people that don't watch TV at all and make you feel like a troglodyte because you do), whatever. It flies in the face of the American way, which is a live and let live, and a "No one is really better than anyone else" because we can all succeed if we try. We are all equal in the eyes of God. And we're all worm food.
Thanks for the support!
Christopher, don't think that didn't cross my mind. But it was the CONTEXT in which that remark was made, as analogous to Jerry copping a feel from his assistant. Everybody got it. That's something we can all understand. Larger point being, it was a punchline based on a contemporary situation that all audiences could identify with. It didn't really proselytize a position in the Clarence Thomas case one way or the other. If it had, it would killed that film for me right there.
I'm not saying remove all political or social issues from film. I'm saying set aside the political agenda, focus on the story and let the chips fall where they may. Get the Big Picture now? I knew you would
Like I said, Bugs, I can only take 'em to water. If studios like NBC and certain creative film artists wish to continue to make political stinkbombs that tank in the ratings and at the box office, I can't stop 'em. I can only point out how they're screwing it all up. Like an alcoholic in the family, it's up to them to put the bottle down and stop destroying themselves. I can only play consigliere. 'nuff said.
That's not Baretta humor?
I think the biggest problem with the author's suggestion is that the people who make implicitly political movies think they're doing a very good thing. They want their movies to "matter," not just entertain the audience. I don't think they're going to give up their preaching in the interest of fairness or of sparing the audience their usually half-baked opinions.
Don't worry about it.
"I do take issue with directors or writers that declare everyone that doesn't like their product as stupid."
I take the same issue, mostly because it's a mean thing to say not to mention bad for business… I just don't happen to think that they're always (or even usually) WRONG about it
Now… Lars von Trier I regard (based strictly on his words, as I've not met the man) as a bit of a jerk, pretentious and humongously overrated as a filmmaker… but he ain't stupid. And if he thinks he's smarter than "most" people, well… that does seem to be true. Certainly, he's more interesting and artistically-gifted than "most" people; though that doesn't always make his movies better
Just because the truth sucks doesn't mean it ain't the truth.
"Can't we understand that not all people have the same tastes and what you like I may not like."
Sure. However, relativism can only extend so far, even on matters as intangible as "taste." I can easily accept, for example, that two people can disagree on the relative merits of Steinbeck and Hemingway and both can still easily qualify as intelligent. HOWEVER… look, I'm sorry, but "the line" is drawn at people who unironically love the "Transformers" movies. Think of it as the difference between a "local eccentric" who paints his roof flourescent orange and Michael Jackon.
I always get suspicious when people give me a list of principles. My mind goes back to the scene in Citizen Kane where the Joseph Cotten character asks if he can keep the piece of paper his friend Charles has just written his lessons to live by on. You see, Kane was just starting out and hadn't been suked in by "the power" I always wonder what would happen to these idealistic writers if someone would offer them amazing amounts of money and more than one trip up the red carpet in a custom-made Armani suit with their date all decked out in Harry Winston jewels?
Shel, I'm just trying to lay out a roadmap here to get segments of the film industry back to the roots of what filmmaking should be all about. It's less a rulebook than an open-minded attitude. Free your minds and your asses will follow. As for me, I've walked a couple Hollywood red carpets in my day, and even collaborated with a director/producer on getting my first script made into a movie, right up to the day the project was shelved.
I'm an old dog set in my ways. I will not sell out. In fact, my speaking out here at BH on occasion may have jeopardized whatever shots I may have had in Show Biz. The trick here now, I reckon, is to write stories so compelling they can't turn 'em down. But that's the big challenge anyway. And I have great connections who only care about great stories for film and don't give two craps about politics, which I believe constitutes Hollywood's silent majority. But when I make promises, I keep them. Like the Joker, I'm a man of my word
I just find the entire Hollywood ssten to be corrupt. too corrupt to een change a little. The way to get your story out or to practice your art is on a smaller stage. Community theater. almost every community in America has one. That way you get to the local audience and change things from the real inside out. To try and change it from out there is impossible. They own it and they own you if you try and work your way in. Your soul is for sale and you know it. If you refuse to sell your soul then they send you back to the used car lot. Knoxville has a wonderful communty theater. Great writers who reach a full house. Towns like Pittsburgh and Houston and Jacksonville and a all over the south poeple are doing what they need to do to satisfy the need to entertain, educate and and change things through artistic expression. You have to keep your day job but hey man, it ain't suppose to be about fame and money…is it?
I know exactly where you're coming from, shel, but I'm not that pessimistic. I know too many good people in the Biz who are doing their thing by their rules, some as indies. I'm talking name producers, writers and actors who have worked on such great films and shows as AGENT CODY BANKS I & II, THE RINGER and Saturday Night Live.
And let's face it, Hollywood still makes GREAT movies that might even be considered conservative-themed (but are in fact universal) that have done boffo box office. Look at THE BLIND SIDE. Rank Liberals hate it, but it's raking in a truckload. And it ain't about fame and money. Money is the result of great storytelling, and I don't want fame. It's a bullseye. If worse comes to worse, I can always write novels and nonfiction.
In the end, I am a writer. I write. That is both what I do and who I am. I will make my own path in that field one way or another, but on my terms. But I won't press the point with you. We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable. And that is perhaps THE core message I am trying to send here. You get more bees with honey than vinegar. Too much vinegar in film and TV today, and the bees are voting with their wings. 'nuff said. EOM.
ISITC, Thank you for your most insightful and erudite commentary. You should be working in film, LOL!
I could not agree with you more. The grey area is where we all operate as civilized human beings under the law and in life. It is on the dark border territories where the real compelling stories are told. Examples. A child is kidnapped. What would you do to get that child back? A girl you know and fancy is under the control of a ruthless pimp. The police won't do anything. What do you do? You're a cop, a sick criminal has a young girl stashed away and refuses to talk. The clock is ticking. Time is running out. What do you do to save the girl's life?
Those are all thematic for MAN ON FIRE, TAXI DRIVER and The SHIELD or DIRTY HARRY, take your pick. People hate danger, moral ambiguity and conflict in real life, but thrive on it in film. But that also extends to comedy and even politically-themed films like MR. SMITH. Start with a great story and you can really win big with audiences. Start with a transparent political agenda and you will always lose. Audiences are too smart and sophisticated these days to pull that crap off.
So, in short, smarten up, Hollywood. Don't treat us like dumb sheep that need to be herded into a political pen, or insult us for not following sheepishly. Viewers and audiences don't like being preached to, lectured or talked down to. Who does, really? Make me think. Show me something I haven't seen before, instead of all the same shite we're trying to escape and get brief mental respites from. Impress me with storylines and plot twists that I never see coming. Too much to ask? I certainly hope not. 'nuff said.
Sure, relativism can go too far. I mean, if someone ONLY watches Jerry Springer and nothing else, I would have to question their sanity and intelligence. But these are all EXTREMES and GENERALIZATIONS. Most people don't do that.
The main point being – don't make generalizations and assumptions about people. Don't make preconceived assumptions about their intelligence. Even really intelligent people like to read or watch fluff or trash.
It's called escapism.
Not to say that you can't say what you want – but people who make such assumptions appear to be "elitists" that know better than everyone else what is good and bad and indirectly try to impose that on others by running people down who don't agree with them. The polite thing to do is to just agree to disagree. Of course, that doesn't work on a forum where the merits are being discussed and that is fine. But again, one can keep it civil and non-elitist.
Just saying.
Good luck, sir!
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