Hollywood is Ripe for the Next Big Thing

The cinema has always served as a reflection of the public’s interests and attitudes. In its early days, the light hearted humor of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers revealed the country’s delight for physical comedy and the desire for relief from the hardships of life. Patriotic films with epic battles and American heroes defined the cinema of the war years and glorified the struggles for which the country sacrificed so much. In recent years, as the nation struggles to define itself, motion pictures have rarely risen to the level of greatness that they have in the past.



In contemporary America quality and integrity are attributes that have been deemed far less important than corporate profitability. While Hollywood has operated with a factory-like model for most of its history, today the unoriginal and insincere products produced by the industry are little more than eye candy aimed at the addle-brained masses who continue to happily consume whatever regurgitated dribble that happens to be playing. As audiences continue to pay cold hard cash to see the same explosions, car chases and celebrities that would be better suited as models than actors, they only serve to reinforce P.T. Barnum’s famous observation that, "there’s a sucker born every minute."



For those with taste and a memory of America’s exquisite cinematic history, these are difficult days. As the arts have come to reflect our hollow corporate culture rather than challenge its absurdity, there is rarely a Hollywood film worth watching. However, such dreadful offerings may well bring about a strong reaction, and for that there is reason for hope. Once enough people have begun to tire of the same mindless plots and hackneyed gimmicks, the next great movement in American cinema may arise to take its place.



Fortunately, in the mean time there are a few pleasant options for those with taste. The abundance of great films available with satellite tv, for example, allows the savvy viewer to indulge in the classics they’ve always loved and catch up on the gems they may have missed. Now that high definition television is widespread, watching films at home has become even more enjoyable and goes far to recreate the cinematic quality of the theater.



The movies found on satellite tv are also helpful in avoiding more wasted dollars at the box office. Since the marketing of films has become so refined and effective, it is quite common to arrive at the theater with high expectations for a film only to be disappointed by the realization that the best moments were those chosen for the commercial. The modest contribution of a monthly rate for satellite tv service is a much better investment than a game of box office roulette.



Even with the best home theater systems in our living rooms, we are subject to the fantastic flops and shameless pandering of modern Hollywood films, and sometimes we simply can’t look away. Perhaps the brilliant clarity of HD pictures or the sheer desire to understand why people enjoy watching garbage is what keeps us from changing the channel. Perhaps it’s the same phenomena that causes traffic jams on the freeway as drivers slow down to get a better glimpse of a gruesome collision.



Until the public demands a higher standard for our collective culture and remembers the rewards of originality, we’re doomed to a desert of cinematic waste with few oases. With the films available on satellite tv, there is sweet relief and the hope that the shining examples of our past may spawn a richer cinematic future.



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