My wife is currently excited because my 3.75 year old daughter has just discovered She-Ra: Princess of Power (otherwise known in our house as He-Man's incestuously-inclined sister). We happened to play an episode on Netflix Instant and said daughter was relatively entertained. It's never been a major sticking point, but pretty much from the time Allison was old enough to periodically watch television, it's been a constant debate of 'when will she be ready for (insert show or movie that my wife and/or I enjoyed as a kid)?' Should we show her Star Wars when the Blu Rays come out in September, or should we wait and take her to see The Phantom Menace in 3D next February? Or should we just wait a couple years until we know she can 'handle' them and merely allow her to like them or dislike them on their own merits? We've mellowed out considerably in that regard, basically realizing that she can watch Star Wars or Harry Potter or The Muppets when she damn-well wants to. I know we're not the only parents who do this. For those who were raised in the 1980s and came of age in the 1990s, there seems to be an unwillingness to let go of our childhood entertainments. Combined with a need to expose our children to the same things that we loved as soon as possible, this begs a question. In an era when the biggest movie of the summer is a live-action variation on a 1980s cartoon and most of the major films are based on comic books that stretch back to the 1940s, in a time when studio executives are trying to 'bring back the Looney Tunes' and 'revive The Muppets', in a place where everything from the 1980s and 1990s seems to be being groomed for a remake or reboot (Teen Wolf? Another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie? One more Thundercats cartoon?), will our children actually have entertainment icons of their very own?
Of course, I could tell you what I was into at the various stages of my childhood. I was a hardcore He-Man/She-Ra fan at the age of six, eventually grew into worshiping Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, before becoming a pure Batman fan (the Burton/Schumacher movies, Batman: the Animated Series, the 1960s Batman show, comics, etc). Other than the comic book superheroes that I adored, most of the entertainment I consumed was made for me, originated in my lifetime, and technically original in the sense that it wasn't a rehash of something that was successful a decade or three prior. He-Man was created in 1986 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was created as a comic book in 1984 and then adapted into a cartoon in 1987. Indiana Jones was created whole in 1981, and Back to the Future was an original screenplay written from scratch in 1985. Yes, some of these properties had homages to the genre fare of old, but by-and-large, the stuff I consumed was created at the time I first consumed it. I took ownership of it knowing that it was created originally for my generation. But then I wasn't growing up in a generation of adults unwilling to let go of their childhood playthings.
Other than a few offhand references to the 1950s Adventures of Superman show, I couldn't tell you what movies, television shows, and books my dad was into as a kid. Yes, I know he grew up loving baseball, but I couldn't tell you his favorite movie or his favorite book as a kid. I know only about his music tastes from paying attention to the various mixed tapes he listened to as I was growing up (lots of Elton John), but I don't know what he liked when he was a kid or even a college student. Same with my mother. I know she likes the band 3 Dog Night, but other than that, I have no idea what entertained my mother in her initial 1/3 of life. Aside from exposing me to Star Wars and Indiana Jones right as the films were being released, my parents made no effort to steer me towards the entertainment they grew up with. I got to discover my own entertainment options. I listened to Michael Jackson because he was popular when I was growing up, not because he was popular in the 1970s. I listened to Bon Jovi because they released "Slippery When Wet" in 1986. I watched He-Man: Masters of the Universe because it premiered right as I was old enough to really get into action cartoons. To my parents' credit, I was allowed to discover MacGyver, The Simpsons, and Family Feud more-or-less on my own.
My dad did not spend his evenings debating with my mother when I would be 'ready' to watch The Adventures of Superman. Of course, my dad didn't have DVD and Netflix Instant. Our generation is arguably the first generation of parents who have access to nearly any show, book, CD, or movie ever released either instantly or within 48 hours. As a result, we CAN expose our kids to the 1980s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon or The Joshua Tree pretty much on a dime. But to what extent should we be doing that? By force-feeding our children the stories and myths that were ours, are we denying them the opportunity to discover their own icons? And with an entertainment industry (especially in television and movies) obsessed with recycling the past, will our children even have their own entertainment franchises? If we bring our children up in an entertainment culture where the biggest movies are live-action versions of OUR favorite cartoons and all of the cartoons and youth-targeted genre fare are reimaginings of yesterday's cartoons and properties, will today's kids be forced to merely appropriate our culture as their own?
Who will be the heroes and villains that my daughter and son grow up with? Will they get icons of their own, or will they be stuck merely watching/reading reboots and re-imaginings of the same stuff you and I loved? Dora the Explorer is eleven years old. Harry Potter, arguably the last original generational literary icon, debuted in 1997. The kids of today, at least in the realm of heroic fiction, are not being given their own heroes and villains on screens large and small. They are instead being served a mishmash of 1980s nostalgia (Transformers, Tron, Thundercats, etc) and continual rehashes of the same various comic book superheroes (Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, etc) that I grew up and my parents grew up with. When was the last original American action cartoon that struck a chord? Gargoyles was fifteen years ago, and has there been anything else of its caliber to spring from an original mind since then (UPDATE - Avatar: The Last Airbender certainly applies)? Once my daughter and my son outgrow the Nick Jr. entertainment empire, will there be anything left for them to embrace other the remakes and rehashes of the characters I once loved? And considering how important it is for a child to be able to claim stories for themselves, is that really an entertainment strategy that we should be encouraging?
Scott Mendelson
Essays, Reviews, Commentary, and Original Scholarship. A Film Blog that strives to be Art.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Labels
- - (1)
- /Film (1)
- 007 (15)
- 007 retrospective (28)
- 10th anniversary (1)
- 127 Hours (7)
- 13 Assassins (1)
- 16 Blocks (1)
- 1980s (1)
- 2 (1)
- 2001 Look Back (5)
- 2002 (1)
- 2005 (1)
- 2011 (2)
- 2011 box office trends (3)
- 2011 year-end wrap (7)
- 2012 (3)
- 2012 film retrospective (12)
- 2016: Obama's America (2)
- 20th Century Fox (62)
- 21 and Over (1)
- 21 Jump Street (1)
- 21 Jump Street 2 (1)
- 24 (4)
- 24 Hour News Cycle of Movie-News (3)
- 2D (3)
- 3-d (1)
- 30 Rock (1)
- 300 (1)
- 3D (233)
- 42 (2)
- 48fps (4)
- 50/50 (2)
- 70mm (1)
- 9/11 (1)
- 90210 (1)
- A Good Day to Die Hard (15)
- A Haunted House (1)
- A Shark Tale (1)
- A Thousand Words (1)
- A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (5)
- A View To A Kill (2)
- Aaron Eckhart (2)
- Aaron Johnson (2)
- Aaron Neuwurth (3)
- Aaron Sorkin (4)
- ABC (1)
- abduction (3)
- Abigail Breslin (1)
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (3)
- Act of Valor (2)
- action films (1)
- Adam Sandler (8)
- Adam Scott (2)
- Adam Shankman (2)
- Adam Simon (1)
- Adam Wingard (1)
- Adele (3)
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (1)
- Adjustment Bureau (6)
- Admission (1)
- Adrianne Palicki (1)
- Adrien Brody (1)
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1)
- Adventures of Tintin (5)
- Advertisement (1)
- Affordable Care Act (1)
- African Cats (1)
- After Earth (4)
- Agent Phil Coulson (1)
- Agora (1)
- Aidan Gillen (1)
- Aidan Quinn (1)
- Air Force One (1)
- Al Pacino (2)
- Aladdin (1)
- Alan Arkin (2)
- Alan Burnett (1)
- Alan Moore (1)
- Alan Rickman (8)
- Alan Weisman (1)
- Albert Brooks (2)
- Albert Pyun (1)
- Alcatraz (1)
- Alden Ehrenreich (4)
- Alec Baldwin (3)
- Alex Cross (10)
- Alex Proyas (1)
- Alfonso Cuaron (2)
- Alfred Hitchcock (3)
- Ali (1)
- Alias (2)
- Alice Englert (3)
- Alice Eve (1)
- Alice in Wonderland (5)
- Alien (5)
- Alison Brie (1)
- Alison Lohman (1)
- All-Star Superman (1)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks (3)
- Amanda Seyfried (19)
- Amazing Spider-Man (34)
- Amazing Spider-Man 2 (1)
- Amazing Spider-Man; spoiler (1)
- Amazon (1)
- Amber Alert (2)
- Amber Heard (1)
- American Idol (1)
- American Reunion (3)
- Amour (2)
- Amy Acker (1)
- Amy Adams (11)
- Amy Berg (1)
- Analeigh Tipton (1)
- Anchor Bay (2)
- Anchorman 2 (1)
- Andrea Romano (1)
- Andrés Muschietti (1)
- Andrew Dominik (3)
- Andrew Garfield (16)
- Andrew Knauer (1)
- Andrew Niccol (2)
- Andrew Stanton (3)
- Andy Robinson (1)
- Andy Serkis (1)
- Andy Wachowski (1)
- Ang Lee (1)
- Angel (2)
- Angela Bassett (2)
- angelina jolie (15)
- animation (6)
- Anna Faris (1)
- Anna Karenina (2)
- anna kendrick (6)
- Anne Hathaway (28)
- Annie (1)
- Annie Mumalo (1)
- Anothony Russo (1)
- Ant Man (1)
- Anthony Hopkins (7)
- Anthony Mackie (3)
- Antoine Fuqua (2)
- Antonio Banderas (5)
- Antonio Bayona (1)
- Antz (2)
- Apollo 18 (1)
- Arbitrage (2)
- Argo (17)
- Ariel (1)
- Armie Hammer (1)
- Army of Darkness (2)
- Arnie Hammer (6)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (15)
- Arrested Development (1)
- Arrow (1)
- Arthur Christmas (1)
- Artist (2)
- Ashley Benson (3)
- Ashley Greene (2)
- Ashley Judd (2)
- Ashley Tisdale (1)
- Ashton Kutcher (4)
- Assassination of Jesse James by the Corward Robert Ford (1)
- Asthon (1)
- Asylum (1)
- At the Mountains of Madness (1)
- Atlas Shrugged (2)
- ATM (1)
- Attack the Block (1)
- audio commentary (2)
- Aurora (2)
- Avatar (13)
- avengers (17)
- Awards (1)
- Aziz Ansari (1)
- Babymakers (1)
- Bachlerorette (3)
- Bad Teacher (3)
- Bait (1)
- Bane (9)
- Barack Obama (13)
- Barbara Bach (1)
- Barry Sonnenfeld (1)
- baseball (1)
- Batgirl (1)
- Batman (19)
- Batman 3 (2)
- Batman and Robin (4)
- Batman Arkham City (1)
- batman begins (15)
- Batman Forever (4)
- Batman In The Movies (29)
- Batman Live (1)
- Batman Live on Stage (1)
- Batman Returns (2)
- Batman TV show (1)
- Batman: Arkham Asylum (3)
- Batman: Arkham City (2)
- Batman: Live (1)
- Batman: the Animated Series (8)
- Batman: The Animated Series retrospective (5)
- Batman: the Brave and the Bold (3)
- Batman: Year One (1)
- Battle: Los Angeles (6)
- Battleship (14)
- Baz Luhrmann (1)
- BBC (1)
- beasts of the southern wild (7)
- Beautiful Creatures (5)
- Beauty and the Beast (3)
- Beetlejuice (1)
- Before Watchmen (1)
- Beginners (1)
- Bel Ami (1)
- Bella Swan (8)
- Belle (1)
- Ben Affleck (12)
- Ben Kingsley (7)
- Ben Stiller (6)
- Ben Whishaw (2)
- Benedict Cumberbatch (10)
- Benh Zeitlin (1)
- Benicio Del Toro (2)
- Benjamin Walker (1)
- Bernie (2)
- Bert and Ernie (1)
- Best Exotic Motel in Marigold (1)
- Best of the year (1)
- Beware the Batman; Cartoon Network (1)
- Bill Clinton (1)
- bill condon (6)
- Bill Hader (3)
- Bill Murray (2)
- Bill O'Reilly (1)
- Bill Watterson (1)
- Billy Bob Thornton (3)
- Billy Burke (2)
- Billy Crystal (2)
- Billy Zane (1)
- Black Death (1)
- Black Swan (12)
- Black Widow (1)
- Blade (1)
- Blair Witch Project (1)
- Blake Lively (12)
- Blofeld (6)
- Blu Ray (19)
- Blu-Ray (1)
- blue (1)
- Blue Sky (3)
- Blue Valentine (1)
- Boaz Yakin (1)
- Bob Hastings (1)
- Bond 23 (1)
- Bond Girls (1)
- Bonnie and Clyde (1)
- Bonnie Bedelia (2)
- Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (1)
- books (1)
- Born Again (1)
- Bosnia (2)
- Bourne Legacy (5)
- Bourne Supremacy (1)
- box office (1)
- Box Office (Friday Numbers) (57)
- Box Office (Midnight) (26)
- Box Office (Thursday numbers) (4)
- box office (Tuesday numbers) (2)
- Box Office (Wednesday numbers) (5)
- Box Office (Weekend Box Office Bingo) (17)
- Box Office (Weekend Box Office Rundown) (65)
- Box Office (Weekend Box Office Rundown) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (1)
- Box Office (Weekend Rundown) (161)
- Box Office Misc (91)
- box office misc; madagascar 3 (1)
- box office preview (2)
- Brad Bird (7)
- Brad Pitt (17)
- Bradley Cooper (13)
- Bradley Whitford (1)
- Brandon Lee (1)
- Brandon Peters (51)
- Brandon Routh (1)
- Brave (26)
- breaking bad (1)
- Brenda Chapman (3)
- Brett Easton Ellison (1)
- Brett Ratner (7)
- Brian Cox (1)
- brian depalma (1)
- Brian Helgeland (1)
- Brian Michael Bendis (1)
- Bridesmaids (17)
- Brookyln Decker (1)
- Bruce Campbell (1)
- Bruce Campell (6)
- Bruce Timm (4)
- Bruce Willis (38)
- Bryan Cranston (6)
- Bryan Singer (4)
- budget (1)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2)
- Bullet To the Head (4)
- Bully (6)
- Bunraku (1)
- Burlesque (1)
- business (7)
- c (1)
- Cabin in the Woods (3)
- California (1)
- Calvin and Hobbes (2)
- Cameron Crowe (1)
- Cameron Diaz (5)
- Canada; Merrill Barr (1)
- Cannes (1)
- Cannon (1)
- captain america (26)
- Captain America 2 (1)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2)
- Captain Planet (1)
- Carey Mulligan (4)
- Carin (1)
- Carnage (1)
- Caroline (1)
- Carrie (1)
- Carrie Lowell (1)
- Cars (2)
- cars 2 (13)
- Cartoon Network (2)
- cartoons (1)
- Casino Royale (4)
- Catching Fire (1)
- Cate Blanchett (1)
- Catherine Hardwicke (5)
- Catherine Keener (3)
- Catherine Zeta-Jones (4)
- Catwoman (8)
- CBS (3)
- CBS Films (3)
- censorship (3)
- CGI (1)
- Chadwick Boseman (1)
- Chan-wook Park (1)
- Change-Up (2)
- Channing Tatum (11)
- character posters (6)
- Charlie Sheen (1)
- Charlize Theron (10)
- Chasing Mavericks (2)
- Chelsea Handler (1)
- Cher (1)
- China (1)
- Chloe (1)
- Chloe Moretz (9)
- Chris Columbus (2)
- Chris Cooper (1)
- Chris Cornell (2)
- chris evans (14)
- Chris Hemsorth (2)
- Chris Hemsworth (17)
- Chris Hill (1)
- Chris Meloni (4)
- Chris Nolan (55)
- Chris Noth (1)
- Chris O'Dowd (1)
- Chris Pine (11)
- Chris Rock (2)
- Chris Wedge (1)
- Christ O'Dowd (1)
- Christian Bale (20)
- Christian Slater (1)
- Christina Aguilera (1)
- Christmas (1)
- Christoph Waltz (5)
- Christopher Columbus (1)
- Christopher Kenneally (1)
- Christopher Lee (2)
- Christopher McQuarrie (2)
- Christopher Miller (1)
- Christopher Mintz-Plasse (1)
- Christopher Walken (5)
- Chronicle (4)
- Chronicle 2 (1)
- Chronicles of Narnia; Voyage of the Dawn Treader (7)
- Chuck Norris (7)
- Cinderella (2)
- Cinepolis (1)
- circus (1)
- Clancy Brown (1)
- Clark Gregg (1)
- Clarke Peters (1)
- Clash of the Titans (4)
- Clash of the Titans 2 (1)
- Claudio Miranda (1)
- Clint Eastwood (11)
- clips (1)
- Clive Owen (4)
- Cloud Atlas (6)
- Clown (1)
- Cobie Smulders (1)
- Cobra (1)
- Cold Light of Day (1)
- Colin Farrell (7)
- Colombiana (1)
- Colorado (1)
- comedy (1)
- comic book (12)
- comic book movies (2)
- Comic Con (1)
- comic-con (1)
- Commentary (4)
- Community (3)
- Conan O'Brien (1)
- Conan the Barbarian (3)
- Conan the Destroyer (1)
- conspirator (1)
- Constantine (1)
- Contact (1)
- Contagion (4)
- Contraband (2)
- controversy (11)
- Coraline (1)
- Cosmopolis (2)
- Country Strong (1)
- Courageous (1)
- cowboys and aliens (7)
- Crazy Stupid Love (2)
- Creature (1)
- Criminal Minds (2)
- criticism (1)
- cult (1)
- Curveball (1)
- CW (2)
- Dakota Fanning (4)
- Damon Lindelof (1)
- Damsels in Distress (1)
- Dan Harmon (1)
- Dana Shaffer (1)
- Dances With Wolves (1)
- Daniel Craig (60)
- Daniel Day-Lewis (7)
- Daniel Kash (1)
- Daniel Nettheim (1)
- Daniel Radcliffe (10)
- Danny Elfman (1)
- Danny McBride (1)
- Danny Trejo (2)
- Daredevil (2)
- Dark City (1)
- dark crystal (1)
- Dark Knight (14)
- Dark Knight Rises (47)
- Dark Shadows (8)
- Dark Skies (1)
- Dark Tower (1)
- Darkest Hour (1)
- Darren Aronofsky (1)
- Date Night (1)
- Dave Franco (1)
- David Bruckner (1)
- David Denby (1)
- David E. Kelly (3)
- David Fincher (8)
- David Gordon Green (2)
- David Guggenheim (1)
- David Koepp (1)
- David Letterman (1)
- David Lynch (1)
- David Morse (1)
- David Niven (1)
- David O. Russell (1)
- David Oyelowo (2)
- David Paymer (1)
- David Schwimmer (4)
- David Simon (1)
- David Strathairn (1)
- David Thewliss (1)
- David Yates (3)
- Dax Shepard (1)
- Daybreakers (1)
- Daylight (1)
- DC Comics (45)
- DC Nation (2)
- DCAU (4)
- Dead Man Down (1)
- dead parents (1)
- Deadline Hollywood (6)
- Dean Parisot (1)
- Death at a Funeral (1)
- Decade End - 2000 (7)
- deconstructionism (1)
- Deep Rising (1)
- DeForest Kelley (1)
- Deliver Us From Evil (1)
- Demi Moore (1)
- Demian Bichir (1)
- Democrat (2)
- Democrats (1)
- Denise Richards (1)
- Dennis Kucinich (1)
- Dennis Leary (3)
- Denzel Washington (14)
- Descendants (5)
- Despicable Me (1)
- Despicable Me 2 (1)
- Detachment (3)
- Detention (1)
- Devil (2)
- Devil Inside (1)
- Diablo Cody (5)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1)
- Diana Rigg (1)
- Diane Lane (1)
- Dianna Agron (2)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2)
- Dick Cheney (3)
- dick tracy (2)
- Die Another Day (2)
- Die Hard (7)
- Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1)
- Die Hard retrospective (6)
- Die Hard: With a Vengeance (2)
- Dileep Rao (1)
- Dilemma (1)
- Dimension (2)
- Director's Cut (1)
- Dirty Dancing (1)
- Dirty Harry (1)
- Dirty Harry retrospective (7)
- discussion thread (2)
- disney (170)
- Disney Channel (1)
- Disneynature (1)
- Disturbia (1)
- Django Unchained (10)
- documentaries (8)
- Dolby Theatre (1)
- Dolph Lundgren (2)
- Dolphin Tale (2)
- Dominic West (1)
- Domonic Cooper (1)
- Don Cheadle (6)
- Don Johnson (1)
- Don Siegel (1)
- Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1)
- Donald Faison (1)
- Donald Glover (1)
- Donald Pleasance (1)
- Donnie Yen (2)
- Doona Bae (1)
- Dora the Explorer (2)
- Doug Liman (1)
- Dr. martin luther king jr (1)
- Dr. No (1)
- Drag Me To Hell (2)
- Dreamworks (43)
- Dredd (6)
- Drew Barrymore (1)
- Drew Goddard (1)
- Drive (3)
- Drive Angry (2)
- Drop Zone (1)
- drug war (1)
- Due Date (2)
- Due South (1)
- Duran Duran (1)
- DVD (5)
- DVD Reviews (67)
- DVD Reviews; Spy Kids 4D: All the Time in the World; Jessica Alba (1)
- Dwayne Johnson (21)
- Dwayne McDuffie (1)
- Dwight Henry (1)
- Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2)
- Dylan McDermott (1)
- Easter (1)
- Eclipse (1)
- Ed Brubaker (2)
- Ed Gein (1)
- Ed Helms (4)
- Eddie Murphy (8)
- Eddie Redmayne (1)
- Edge of Darkness (1)
- EdTV (1)
- education (2)
- Edward Burns (1)
- Edward Cullen (6)
- Edward Norton (1)
- Eleanor Tomlinson (1)
- Election 2012 (3)
- Elementary (3)
- Eli Roth (1)
- Elias Koteas (3)
- Elizabeth Banks (3)
- Elizabeth Winstead (1)
- Ella Enchanted (1)
- Elle Fanning (2)
- Ellen DeGeneres (1)
- Elliot Goldenthal (1)
- Elysium (2)
- embargo (1)
- Emile Hirsch (1)
- Emilia Clarke (1)
- Emily Blunt (10)
- Emily Browning (2)
- Emily Watson (1)
- Emma Roberts (1)
- Emma Stone (23)
- Emma Thompson (5)
- Emma Watson (11)
- Emmanuelle Riva (1)
- Emmy Rossum (3)
- Empire (1)
- End of Watch (4)
- Enders Game (1)
- Enemy Mine (1)
- Enemy of the State (2)
- Entertainment Tonight (2)
- entertainment weekly (4)
- Eon (1)
- Epic (1)
- epidemic (1)
- Eric Bana (1)
- Eric Radomski (4)
- Eric Toledano (1)
- Erin Cressida Wilson (1)
- Escape from Planet Earth (1)
- essay (11)
- Essays (282)
- Essays. Forbes (1)
- essays. gender roles (1)
- essays. news commentary (30)
- essays. politics (6)
- ET (1)
- Ethan Hawke (1)
- Eugene Jarecki (1)
- Eva Green (5)
- Eva Mendes (1)
- Evan Goldberg (1)
- Evanna Lynch (1)
- event horizon (1)
- Every Secret Thing (1)
- Evil Dead (7)
- Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn (1)
- Evil Dead franchise retrospective (6)
- Ewan McGregor (2)
- Expendables (7)
- Expendables 2 (13)
- Extended Collection (1)
- Extended Cut (1)
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2)
- Eyes Wide Shut (1)
- F.Gary Gray (1)
- Fair Game (1)
- Fallen (1)
- Family Guy (1)
- Famke Janssen (4)
- famous bombs (1)
- Farrelly Bros (1)
- Fast and Furious 6 (3)
- fast and the furious; Vin Diesel (1)
- Fast Five (16)
- Faster (2)
- Fede Albarez (1)
- Felicity Jones (1)
- feminism (26)
- Fifth Element (1)
- Fight Club (1)
- Film District (6)
- Final Destination 5 (4)
- finale (2)
- finale; TV (2)
- Finding Dory (1)
- Finding Nemo (5)
- Finding Nemo 2 (1)
- Firefly (1)
- Flash (1)
- Flashpoint (1)
- Flight (7)
- Flintstones (1)
- Footloose (2)
- For Colored Girls (4)
- For Your Eyes Only (1)
- found footage (1)
- Four Lions (2)
- Fox (3)
- Fox Kids (3)
- Fox News (1)
- Fox Searchlight (7)
- Frailty (1)
- Frances McDormand (1)
- Francis Lawrence (1)
- François Cluzet (1)
- Frank Langella (1)
- Frank Miller (2)
- Frankenweenie (7)
- freddy kruger (1)
- Friday the 13th (1)
- Friends With Benefits (2)
- Friends With Kids (2)
- Fright Night (3)
- Fringe (1)
- From Rome With Love (1)
- From Russia With Love (3)
- Frozen (2)
- Fugitive (1)
- Fun Size (3)
- Funny Or Die (1)
- Futurama (1)
- G (1)
- G.I. Joe: Retaliation (4)
- G.I. Joe: Retaliation; Paramount (1)
- G4 (1)
- Gabourey Sidibe (2)
- Gabrielle Union (2)
- Galaxy Quest (1)
- Game Change (1)
- Game of Thrones (2)
- Gareth Evans (1)
- Gargoyles (1)
- Gary Oldman (21)
- Gary Ross (4)
- gay marriage (1)
- gay rights (2)
- Gemma Arterton (2)
- gender issues (8)
- gender roles (54)
- genocide (1)
- George Clooney (11)
- George H.W. Bush (1)
- George Lazenby (4)
- George Lucas (19)
- George Nolfi (1)
- George Takei (1)
- George V. Higgins (1)
- George W. Bush (5)
- Gerald Butler (4)
- Ghost Rider 2 (2)
- Ghost Writer (1)
- GI Joe (1)
- GI Joe: Retaliation (4)
- GI Joe: Retribution (1)
- Gillian Anderson (1)
- Gilmore Girls (1)
- Gina Carano (1)
- Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (16)
- Glee (7)
- Gnomeo and Juliet (1)
- Going the Distance (1)
- Golden Globes (2)
- goldeneye (4)
- Goldfinger (1)
- Goldfinger; 007 (1)
- Gone (5)
- Gone Baby Gone (1)
- Good Deeds (1)
- Good Fellas (1)
- good films you missed (3)
- good movie news in 2012 (3)
- Goon (2)
- GOP (1)
- Gore Verbinski (13)
- gossip (2)
- Gossip Girl (1)
- GQ (1)
- Green Hornet (4)
- Green Lantern (26)
- Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (1)
- Greg Weisman (1)
- Gremlins 2 (1)
- grindhouse (1)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (1)
- Guest Essay (6)
- Guillermo del Toro (7)
- Guy Pearce (7)
- Guy Ritchie (3)
- Gwen Stacy (1)
- Gwyneth Paltrow (8)
- H.P. Lovecraft (1)
- Hairspray (1)
- Hak Holbrook (1)
- Haley Joel Osment (2)
- Hall Pass (1)
- Halle Berry (6)
- Halle Berry Kate Winslet (1)
- halloween (5)
- Halloween III (1)
- hancock (6)
- hand-drawn animation (1)
- hangover (3)
- hangover 2 (17)
- Hanna (4)
- Hans Zimmer (1)
- Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (4)
- Happy Feet Two (1)
- Harley Quinn (1)
- Harmony Korine (1)
- Harold and Kumar (1)
- Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (3)
- Harrison Ford (12)
- Harry Guardino (1)
- Harry Potter (25)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (46)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (1)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (1)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1)
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2)
- Harry Potter retrospective (8)
- Harvey Weinstein (8)
- Haywire (2)
- HBO (1)
- He-Man (2)
- health insurance (1)
- Heath Ledger (3)
- Helen Hunt (3)
- Helen Keller (1)
- Helen Mirren (5)
- Hemingway and Gelhorn (1)
- Henry Cavill (8)
- Here Comes the Boom (2)
- Hereafter (2)
- Hermione Granger (1)
- Hero's Journey (1)
- history (1)
- Hit and Run (2)
- Hitchcock (4)
- hobo with a shotgun (1)
- Hold On (1)
- Hollywood Reporter (2)
- Homicide: Life on the Street (1)
- homophobia (1)
- homosexuality (2)
- Honda Center (1)
- Hoodwinked Too (1)
- Hop (4)
- Hope Springs (2)
- Horrible Bosses (1)
- horror (2)
- horror sequels (1)
- hostel 2 (1)
- Hotel Transylvania (3)
- House at the End of the Street (2)
- How to Train Your Dragon (7)
- Howard (1)
- Huffington Post (1)
- Hugh Grant (1)
- Hugh Jackman (14)
- Hugh Jackson (1)
- Hugo (5)
- Hugo Strange (1)
- hugo weaving (3)
- Hulk (3)
- Hulu (1)
- Human Centipede II (1)
- humor (28)
- humor; DC Comics (1)
- Hunger Games (22)
- Hunger Games: Chasing Fire (1)
- Hyde Park on the Hudson (1)
- i (1)
- I Am Legend (2)
- I Am Number Four (4)
- Ian McKellen (2)
- Ice Age (1)
- Ice Age: Continental Drift (7)
- Identity Thief (5)
- ideology (1)
- Ides of March (1)
- Idris Elba (7)
- ie (1)
- IFC (5)
- Illumination (2)
- Image Entertainment (1)
- IMAX (181)
- immigration (3)
- Immortals (2)
- Imogen Poots (1)
- In Defense Of (2)
- In the Land of Blood and Honey (1)
- In Time (1)
- Inception (11)
- independence day (2)
- Indiana Jones (8)
- infection (1)
- Insidious (3)
- Interviews (9)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1)
- Iraq (2)
- Iron Lady (1)
- Iron Man (8)
- Iron Man 2 (8)
- iron man 3 (15)
- Isaac Marion (1)
- Isla Fisher (4)
- Ivan Reitman (1)
- Izabella Scorupco (1)
- J Edgar (1)
- J. Edgar (1)
- J.J. Abrams (10)
- Jabob (1)
- Jack and Jill (1)
- Jack Bauer (1)
- Jack Black (2)
- Jack Ketchum (1)
- Jack McBrayer (1)
- Jack Reacher (5)
- Jack Sparrow (2)
- Jack the Giant Slayer (5)
- jackass (4)
- Jacki Weaver (1)
- Jackie Chan (2)
- Jackie Robinson (2)
- Jacob (2)
- Jaden Smith (3)
- Jafar (1)
- Jai Courtney (2)
- Jake Gyllenhaal (5)
- James Bond (38)
- James Cam (1)
- James Cameron (10)
- James Doohan (1)
- James Ergo (1)
- James Franco (17)
- James Gandolfini (2)
- James Hong (1)
- James Horner (2)
- James Mangold (3)
- James Marsden (2)
- James Newton (1)
- James Patterson (4)
- James Reburn (1)
- Jamie Fox (1)
- Jamie Foxx (4)
- Jan De Bont (1)
- Jane Campion (1)
- Jane Eyre (1)
- Jane Goldman (1)
- Jane Levy (1)
- Jane Lynch (1)
- jared harris (7)
- Jasen Wade (1)
- Jasmine (1)
- Jason Bateman (2)
- Jason Clarke (1)
- Jason Reitman (4)
- Jason S (1)
- Jason Segal (4)
- Jason Segel (7)
- Jason Statham (17)
- Jason Sudeikis (1)
- Jaume Collet-Serra (1)
- Javier Bardem (6)
- Jaws (2)
- Jay Baruchel (1)
- Jay Roach (1)
- Jean Claude Van-Damme (1)
- Jean-Claude Van Damme (5)
- Jean-Louis Trintignant (1)
- Jeff Bridges (3)
- Jeff Daniels (2)
- jeff goldblum (5)
- Jeffrey Katzenberg (3)
- Jeffrey Wright (2)
- jennifer aniston (8)
- Jennifer Ehle (1)
- Jennifer Garner (3)
- Jennifer Grey (1)
- Jennifer Laurence (1)
- Jennifer Lawrence (23)
- Jennifer Lee (1)
- Jennifer Lopez (2)
- Jennifer Westfeldt (2)
- Jennifer Yuh Nelson (2)
- Jeremy Irons (5)
- Jeremy Piven (1)
- Jeremy Renner (16)
- Jerry Bruckheimer (4)
- Jerry Orbach (1)
- Jesse and Celeste Forever (1)
- Jesse Eisenberg (1)
- Jessica Alba (1)
- Jessica Biel (9)
- Jessica Brown-Findlay Teresa Palmer (1)
- Jessica Chaistan (4)
- Jessica Chastain (14)
- Jessie Eisenberg (1)
- Jet Li (6)
- Jigsaw (1)
- Jim Henson (1)
- Jim Carrey (9)
- Jim Dietz (1)
- Jim Henson (1)
- Jimmy Kimmel (1)
- JJ Abrams (11)
- JK Rowling (2)
- Joaquin Phoenix (2)
- Jodie Foster (8)
- Joe Berlinger (1)
- Joe Cornish (1)
- Joe Johnston (3)
- Joe Swanberg (1)
- Joe Wright (1)
- Joel McHale (1)
- Joel Schumacher; Batman (1)
- John C. McGinley (1)
- John C. Reilly (4)
- John Carpenter (1)
- John Carter (19)
- John Carter; Total Recall (1)
- John Cho (5)
- john cusack (3)
- John Goodman (4)
- John Gosling (19)
- John Hawkes (2)
- John Hillcoat (2)
- John Hurt (1)
- John Leguizamo (1)
- John Malkovich (2)
- John McCain (1)
- John McTiernan (4)
- John Moore (3)
- john singleton (2)
- John Travolta (2)
- John Vernon (1)
- Johnny Depp (36)
- Johnny English Reborn (1)
- Johnny Knoxville (1)
- Johnny Lee Miller (3)
- Joker (2)
- Jon Bernthal (1)
- Jon Chu (5)
- Jon Favreau (9)
- Jon Hamm (5)
- Jon Seda (1)
- Jon Stewart (1)
- Jon Wells (1)
- Jonah Hex (3)
- Jonah Hill (2)
- Jonathan Levine (1)
- Jonathan Liebesman (7)
- Jonathan Pryce (2)
- Jordana Brewster (2)
- Jordanna Brewster (4)
- Joseph Campbell (1)
- Joseph Gorden-Levitt (5)
- Joseph Gordon Levitt (4)
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt (8)
- Joseph Kosinski (3)
- Joseph Lieberman (1)
- Joseph Russo (1)
- Josh Brolin (8)
- Josh Hartnett (1)
- Josh Hutcherson (2)
- Josh Pence (1)
- Joshua Oram (1)
- Joss Whedon (10)
- Journalism (1)
- Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (3)
- Joyful Noise (1)
- Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (1)
- Judd Apatow (3)
- Jude Law (8)
- Judge Dredd (2)
- Judi Dench (16)
- Judy Greer (3)
- Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (1)
- Julia Leigh (1)
- Julia Roberts (8)
- Julia Snigir (1)
- Julianne Hough (2)
- Julianne Moore (2)
- jumping the broom (1)
- Jurassic Park (7)
- Just Go With It (1)
- Justice League (4)
- Justice League Unlimited (1)
- Justice League: Doom; Warner Bros (1)
- Justin Bieber (4)
- Justin Haythe (1)
- Justin Lin (3)
- Justin Ling (1)
- Justin Long (2)
- Justin Timberlake (7)
- Kal Penn (4)
- Karate Kid (2)
- Karl Rove (1)
- Karl Urban (1)
- Kasi Lemmons (1)
- Kate Beckinsale (4)
- Kate Bosworth (2)
- kate hudson (4)
- Kate Winslet (6)
- Katherine Heigl (4)
- Kathryn Bigelow (8)
- Kathy Bates (1)
- Katie Holmes (3)
- Katniss Everdeen (1)
- Katy Perry; Sesame Street (1)
- Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D (2)
- Keanu Reeves (4)
- Keira Knightley (1)
- Keira Knightly (2)
- Keith David (2)
- Kelly MacDonald (1)
- Kenneth Branagh (5)
- Kermit the Frog (2)
- Kerry Bellessa (1)
- Kerry Washington (1)
- Kevin Bacon (1)
- Kevin Conroy (4)
- Kevin Costner (2)
- Kevin Hart (1)
- Kevin James (2)
- Kevin McClory (1)
- Kevin Smith (3)
- Kevin Spacey (1)
- kevin williamson (4)
- Kick Ass (1)
- Kick Ass 2 (1)
- Kick-Ass (2)
- Kickstarter (1)
- kids (1)
- Kids WB (3)
- Kids WB. DC Animated Universe (1)
- Kiefer Sutherland (2)
- Kill List (1)
- Killer Elite (2)
- Killer Joe (4)
- Killers (1)
- Killing Them Softly (7)
- Kim Basinger (1)
- Kim Jee-Woon (1)
- kim kardashian (1)
- Kimberly Peirce (1)
- Kindergarten Cop (1)
- King Kong (3)
- King's Speech (8)
- Kirsten Dunst (5)
- Knight and Day (1)
- Kristen Bell (3)
- Kristen Connolly (1)
- Kristen Dunst (1)
- Kristen Stewart (27)
- kristen wiig (8)
- Kung Fu Panda (2)
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (17)
- Kurt Russell (1)
- Kurtwood Smith (1)
- Kyle Gallner (1)
- Kyle Leaman (1)
- LA Times (1)
- Labor Day (1)
- Lady in the Water (1)
- Lady In White (1)
- Lana Wachowski (1)
- Lara Croft (1)
- Larry Crowne (1)
- Lars von Trier (1)
- Last Airbender (1)
- Last Exorcism II (1)
- Last Ounce of Courage (1)
- Laura Dern (4)
- Laurence Fishburne (1)
- Law and Order (1)
- Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (1)
- Lawless (4)
- lawsuit (2)
- Lee Daniels (1)
- Legend of the Fist (1)
- Legend of the Guardians (1)
- Legend of Zorro (1)
- Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (1)
- Lego: The Piece of Resistance (1)
- Legos (1)
- Len Wiseman (5)
- Leonard Nimoy (1)
- Leonardo DiCaprio (9)
- Les Miserables (13)
- Leslie Mann (1)
- Leslie Nielsen (1)
- Leslye Headland (1)
- Let Me In (1)
- Lethal Weapon 2 (1)
- Letters to Juliet (1)
- Lex Luthor (1)
- LexG (1)
- Lexi Alexander (1)
- Liam Hemsworth (1)
- Liam Neeson (16)
- Liberty Ross (1)
- License to Kill (1)
- Liev Schreiber (1)
- Life of Pi (5)
- Lilly Collins (1)
- Lilo and Stitch (2)
- lily (1)
- Lily Collins (6)
- Lim Marlohe (1)
- limitless (2)
- Lincoln (17)
- Lincoln Lawyer (5)
- Lindsay Lohan (2)
- Lindsey Lohan (1)
- Lion King (6)
- Lionsgate (61)
- Lionsgate; Madea (1)
- Lisbeth Salander (1)
- Little Fockers (6)
- Little Mermaid (3)
- Live and Let Die (1)
- Live Free Or Die Hard (4)
- Livewire (1)
- Lizzy Caplan (2)
- Lockout (4)
- logos (1)
- Loki (1)
- Lone Ranger (4)
- Looney Tunes (2)
- Looper (7)
- lorax (2)
- lord of the rings (14)
- Lords of Salem (1)
- Lorna Raver (1)
- Los Angeles Times (1)
- Lost (6)
- Lou Taylor Pucci (1)
- Louis Leterrier (1)
- Luc Besson (2)
- Lucas Black (1)
- Lucasfilm (6)
- Lucky McGee (1)
- Lucy Liu (3)
- Luke Evans (1)
- Luna Lovegood (1)
- Lynn Collins (2)
- Lynne Ramsay (1)
- M. Night Shyamalan (7)
- MacGruber (3)
- Machete (2)
- Mad Magazine (1)
- Mad Men (1)
- Madagascar (2)
- Madagascar 3 (8)
- Madea (1)
- Madea's Witness Proection (2)
- Madonna (2)
- Mads Mikkelson (1)
- Maggie Grace (2)
- Maggie Q (1)
- Magic Mike (3)
- Magic Mike 2 (1)
- magnet (1)
- Magnola (1)
- Magnolia (6)
- Magnum Force (2)
- Malcolm D. Lee (1)
- Malcolm McDowell (1)
- Maleficent (1)
- Mama (4)
- Man of Steel (11)
- Man with the Iron Fist (1)
- Man with the Iron Fists (1)
- Marc Forster (2)
- Marc Webb (13)
- Marcus Nispel (1)
- Margin Call (1)
- Mario Van Pebbles (1)
- Marion Cotillard (3)
- Marisa Tomei (2)
- Mark Andrews (2)
- Mark Boal (1)
- Mark Canton (1)
- Mark Hamill (4)
- Mark Ruffalo (4)
- Mark Twain (1)
- Mark Wahlberg (6)
- marketing (4)
- Marlon Wayans (1)
- Mars Attacks (1)
- Mars Needs Moms (2)
- martial arts (1)
- Martin Campbell (18)
- Martin Freeman (3)
- Martin McDonagh (1)
- Martin Scorsese (5)
- Martin Short (1)
- Martyrs (1)
- marvel (73)
- Mary J. Blige (1)
- Mask of Zorro (1)
- Masters of the Universe (1)
- Mathieu Amalric (1)
- Matrix (3)
- Matrix Reloaded (1)
- Matt Damon (13)
- Matt Salinger (1)
- Matthew Fox (2)
- Matthew Goode (1)
- Matthew McConaughey (6)
- Matthew Morrison (1)
- Matthew Vaughn (3)
- Max Irons (1)
- Max Payne (1)
- Maya Rudolph (1)
- McG (1)
- Me and My Shadow (1)
- media (1)
- medical care (1)
- Meet the Robinsons (2)
- mega piranha (1)
- Megamind (5)
- megan fox (11)
- mel gibson (7)
- Melancholia (1)
- Melanie Laurent (1)
- Melissa Leo (5)
- Melissa McCarthy (5)
- Memorial Day weekend (3)
- Memories of Jurassic Park (4)
- Men In Black 3 (11)
- Men In Black 3D (2)
- merchandise (1)
- Merida (2)
- Merrill Barr (2)
- Meryl Streep (2)
- Mexico (1)
- MGM (47)
- Mia Wasikowska (4)
- michael bay (23)
- Michael Caine (8)
- Michael Dowse (1)
- Michael Emerson (1)
- Michael Fassbender (5)
- Michael Haneke (1)
- Michael Jackson (1)
- Michael Keaton (1)
- Michael Moore (4)
- Michael Pena (1)
- Michael Rosenbaum (1)
- Michael Shannon (2)
- Michael Sheen (3)
- Michael Wincott (4)
- Michelle pfeiffer (3)
- Michelle Rodriguez (2)
- Michelle Williams (9)
- Michelle Yeoh (1)
- Mickey Rourke (3)
- Midnight in Paris (4)
- Mila Jovovich (1)
- Mila Kunis (13)
- Miles Morales (1)
- Milla Jovovich (1)
- Mimi Leder (1)
- Miramax (1)
- Miramax. Weinstein (1)
- Mirror Mirror (5)
- Miss Bala (1)
- Mission: Impossible (5)
- Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (18)
- Mission: Impossible II (1)
- Moneyball (3)
- Monk (1)
- Monster Butler (1)
- Monster University (1)
- Monsters Inc (1)
- Monsters University (2)
- Monsters Vs. Aliens (1)
- Moonraker (2)
- Moonrise Kingdom (4)
- Morgan Freeman (16)
- Morgan Spurlock (1)
- moriarty (1)
- Morning Glory (2)
- Morris Chestnut (2)
- Mortal Kombat (1)
- Mos Def (1)
- Mother (1)
- motion-capture (1)
- Movie 43 (1)
- Movies (3)
- Movies I love more than anyone else (2)
- MPAA (24)
- Mulan (3)
- Mummy Returns (1)
- Munich (1)
- Muppets (18)
- music (5)
- musical (3)
- My Bloody Valentine (1)
- Naomi Watts (2)
- Naomie Harris (2)
- Natalie Portman (22)
- national security (1)
- National Treasure (1)
- NBC (5)
- NC-17 (3)
- Neil Patrick Harris (4)
- Neill Blomkamp (1)
- Netflix (1)
- Never Say Never Again (1)
- Never Sleep Again (1)
- New Line Cinema (8)
- new nightmare (2)
- New Year's Eve (1)
- New Yorker (1)
- News (17)
- News Commentary (203)
- next three days (1)
- niche (1)
- Nichelle Nichols (1)
- Nicholas Hoult (2)
- Nicholas Sparks (1)
- Nick Jr (1)
- Nick Nolte (3)
- Nickelodeon (3)
- Nicolas Cage (9)
- Nicole Beharie (1)
- Nicole Kidman (6)
- Night of the Lepus (1)
- Nighthawks (1)
- Nikita (1)
- Nikki Finke (6)
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (1)
- No Contest (1)
- No Strings Attached (3)
- Noah Taylor (1)
- Noomi Rapace (8)
- nostalgia (2)
- Now You See Me (1)
- Nutcracker 3D (1)
- Obamacare (1)
- Obituaries (14)
- Oblivion (4)
- Octopussy (1)
- Olga Kurylenko (1)
- Olive Wilde (1)
- Oliver Stone (1)
- Olivia Wilde (7)
- Olivier Megaton (1)
- Olivier Nakache (1)
- Olympus Has Fallen (5)
- Omar Sy (1)
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1)
- One For The Money (3)
- Oogieloves In the Big Balloon Adventure (1)
- Ooogieloves: The Big Balloon Adventure (1)
- Open Road (3)
- Orphan (1)
- Osama Bin Laden (4)
- Oscar (4)
- Oscar 2009 (1)
- Oscar 2010 (6)
- Oscar 2011 (41)
- Oscar 2012 (5)
- Oscar 2013 (33)
- Oscars (1)
- Oscars 2012 (1)
- Oscars 2013 (3)
- Our Idiot Brother (1)
- Out Now With Aaron and Abe (2)
- overrated (3)
- Owen Wilson (1)
- Oz: The Great and Powerful (14)
- P.S. Anderson (1)
- Pacific Rim (3)
- pandemic (1)
- Paramount (110)
- Paranormal Activity (1)
- Paranormal Activity 2 (4)
- paranormal activity 3 (4)
- Paranormal Activity 4 (2)
- ParaNorman (7)
- Parental Guidance (2)
- parenting (1)
- paris hilton (1)
- Parker (1)
- Part-Time Critic (1)
- Pascal Laugier (1)
- Passion Play (1)
- Pat Hingle (1)
- Patricia Clarkson (1)
- Patrick Melton (1)
- Patrick Swayze (2)
- patrick wilson (2)
- patton oswalt (2)
- Patty Jenkins (2)
- Paul Dini (3)
- Paul Dino (1)
- Paul Feig (1)
- Paul Giamatti (2)
- Paul Greengrass (2)
- Paul Newman (1)
- Paul Rudd (4)
- Paul Thomas Anderson (4)
- Paul Verhoeven (1)
- Paul Walker (6)
- Paul WS Anderson (2)
- Paula Patton (2)
- Pay It Forward (1)
- Pearl Harbor (1)
- Penelope Cruz (2)
- People Like Us (2)
- Percy Jackson (1)
- Perks of Being a Wallflower (4)
- Pete Campbell (1)
- Peter Berg (3)
- Peter Cornwell (1)
- peter jackson (13)
- Peter Sarsgaard (4)
- Peter Stormare (1)
- Peter Weller (2)
- PG (2)
- PG-13 (8)
- Phantom (1)
- Phantom Menace (5)
- Phil Lord (1)
- Philip Seymour Hoffman (4)
- philosophy (1)
- Phineas and Ferb (1)
- photos (10)
- pictures (2)
- Pierce Brosnan (11)
- pink (1)
- Piper Perabo (1)
- Piranha 3D (2)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (9)
- Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (1)
- Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (13)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (1)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (11)
- pirates: band of misfits (2)
- Pitch Perfect (4)
- Pixar (45)
- Planet of the Apes (2)
- Platinum Dunes (3)
- play reviews (1)
- Playing For Keeps (2)
- Pocahontas (1)
- podcast (2)
- Poison Ivy (1)
- politcs (3)
- Politics (102)
- politics... (1)
- pop culture (1)
- poster (1)
- Posters (114)
- precious (1)
- Premium Rush (4)
- prequel (3)
- Presidents' Day (2)
- Press Release (18)
- priest (2)
- Primary Colors (1)
- Prince of Egypt (2)
- Prince of Persia (3)
- Princess (3)
- princess and the frog (2)
- Project X (1)
- Prom (1)
- Prometheus (19)
- Promised Land (1)
- Psycho (2)
- Puncture (1)
- Punisher (1)
- Punisher: War Zone (3)
- Puss In Boots (8)
- Quantum of Solace (2)
- Quentin Tarantino (3)
- Quvenzhane Wallis (3)
- R (2)
- R-rated (2)
- R-rating (4)
- race (3)
- Rachel McAdams (4)
- Rachel Weisz (15)
- Rade Serbedzija (1)
- Radio Silence (1)
- Radius-TWC (1)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1)
- Ralph Fiennes (7)
- Ralph Macchio (1)
- Rambo (3)
- Rango (7)
- Rapunzel (1)
- Ray Liotta (3)
- Real Steel (6)
- Real-D (1)
- Rebecca Black (1)
- Rebecca Hall (3)
- Rebel Wilson (2)
- reboots (3)
- Red (7)
- Red 2 (1)
- Red Dawn (2)
- Red Hook Summer (2)
- Red Riding Hood (6)
- Red State (3)
- Red Tails (4)
- Reese Witherspoon (2)
- Relativity (3)
- religion (1)
- remake (2)
- remakes (6)
- Renny Harlin (1)
- repeat viewing (1)
- Republican (2)
- Republicans (1)
- reshoots (1)
- Resident Evil (1)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (3)
- Resse Witherspoon (1)
- retrospective (1)
- Reviews (358)
- Revolution (1)
- Rex Reed (1)
- Rhianna (1)
- Rhys Ifans (3)
- Rian Johnson (1)
- Ric Roman Waugh (1)
- Richard Donner (1)
- Richard Harris (1)
- Richard Jenkins (4)
- Richard LaGravenese (2)
- Richard Wenk (1)
- Rick Yune (2)
- Ricky Gervais (1)
- Riddler (1)
- Ridley Scott (9)
- Rihanna (2)
- Rio (3)
- Rise of the Guardians (9)
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (5)
- Roadside Attractions (1)
- Rob Cohen (1)
- Rob Corddry (1)
- Rob Marshall (3)
- Rob Portman (1)
- Rob Thomas (1)
- Rob Zombie (1)
- Robbie Coltrane (2)
- Robert Carlyle (1)
- Robert Davi (1)
- Robert De Niro (3)
- Robert Downey Jr (23)
- Robert Duvall (1)
- Robert Ludlam (1)
- Robert Pattinson (20)
- Robert Redford (3)
- Robert Rodriquez (1)
- Robert Zemeckis (6)
- Robin Hood (2)
- Robot and Frank (2)
- Rock of Ages (4)
- Rocky (1)
- Rod Lurie (1)
- Roger Ebert (2)
- Roger Moore (11)
- Roger Rees (1)
- Roger Spottiswoode (1)
- Roland Emmerich (1)
- Roman Polanski (1)
- Ron Perlman (2)
- Roommate (1)
- Rooney Mara (12)
- Rooting Against Action (1)
- Rosamund Pike (3)
- rosie huntington-whiteley (6)
- Rowan Atkinson (1)
- Rubber (1)
- Ruben Fleischer (3)
- Rum Diary (1)
- Rumor Commentary (8)
- Rupert Sanders (1)
- Rupert Wyatt (1)
- rush limbaugh (1)
- Russ Feingold (1)
- russell brand (1)
- Russell Crowe (9)
- rutger hauer (1)
- Ryan Gosling (14)
- Ryan Reynolds (22)
- RZA (1)
- Sacha Gervasi (1)
- Safe (4)
- Safe Haven (1)
- Safe House (5)
- Safe House 2 (1)
- Safety Not Guaranteed (1)
- Sahara (1)
- Sally Field (2)
- Salma Hayek (1)
- Salt (2)
- Sam Mendes (13)
- Sam Neil (1)
- Sam Neill (4)
- Sam Peckinpah (1)
- Sam Raimi (20)
- Sam Rockwell (1)
- sam worthington (5)
- Samantha Barks (1)
- Samuel L. Jackson (7)
- san diego (1)
- Sanctum (1)
- Sandra Bullock (3)
- sandra fluke (1)
- Santa's Slay; Christmas (1)
- Saoirse Ronan (2)
- Saorise Ronan (3)
- Sarah Jessica Parker (1)
- Sarah McLachlan (1)
- sarah palin (3)
- Sarah Shahi (1)
- Sarah Silverman (3)
- Saturday Night Live (2)
- Savages (5)
- Saw (2)
- Saw 3D (7)
- Saw VII (4)
- Scarlett Johansson (12)
- Scary Movie (1)
- Scary Movie 5 (1)
- Schindler's List (1)
- science fiction (1)
- scientology (2)
- Scott Mendelson (1)
- Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2)
- scream (3)
- Scream 2 (3)
- scream 3 (3)
- scream 4 (11)
- Screen Gems (2)
- Sean Bean (4)
- Sean Connery (12)
- Sean Connvery (1)
- Sean Penn (6)
- Seann William Scott (1)
- Season of the Witch (4)
- Second Chance Cinema; Brandon Peters (1)
- Secret Origin The Story of DC Comics (1)
- security guards (1)
- Seeking Justice (1)
- Selena Gomez (3)
- sequel (1)
- sequels (3)
- Sesame Street (1)
- Seth Macfarlane (3)
- Seth Rogen (3)
- seven pounds (1)
- Seven Psychopaths (6)
- Sex and the City (4)
- Sex and the City 2 (7)
- sexism (36)
- Shadow of the Bat (1)
- Shailene Woodley (3)
- Shame (2)
- Shane Black (7)
- Shanghai Knights (1)
- Shanghai Noon (1)
- Shark Night (1)
- Sharon Carter (1)
- She-Ra (1)
- Sherlock (2)
- Sherlock Holmes (1)
- sherlock holmes 2 (2)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (11)
- Shia LaBeouf (2)
- shia lebeouf (8)
- Shirley Walker (2)
- showtime (1)
- shrek (4)
- shrek 2 (5)
- Shrek 4 (2)
- Shrek Forever After (2)
- Shrek the Final Chapter (2)
- Shutter Island (2)
- Side By Side (1)
- Side Effects (1)
- Signs (1)
- Sigourney Weaver (1)
- Silence of the Lambs (2)
- Silent Hill: Revelation (3)
- Silver Linings Playbook (8)
- Simon Pegg (1)
- Simon West (3)
- Sinister (2)
- Sixth Sense (1)
- Skip Woods (1)
- Skyfall (67)
- Skyline (1)
- Slashfilm (1)
- Sleeping Beauty (1)
- slump (1)
- Smallville (3)
- Smurfs (3)
- Snape (1)
- Snitch (4)
- Snow White (5)
- Snow White and the Huntsman (8)
- Snowmen (1)
- Social Network (6)
- something borrowed (2)
- Sondra Locke (1)
- Sony (94)
- Sophia the First: Once Upon A Princess (1)
- Sophie Marceau (1)
- Sopranos (1)
- Sorcerer's Apprentice (1)
- Soul Surfer (1)
- soundtrack (1)
- Source Code (3)
- Sparkle (1)
- Spectacular Spider-Man (2)
- Speed (2)
- Spider-Man (18)
- Spider-Man 2 (4)
- Spider-Man 3 (2)
- Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (1)
- Spike Lee (2)
- Splice (1)
- spoiler (1)
- spoilers (14)
- Sports (2)
- Sports Night (1)
- Spring Breakers (4)
- Spy Game (1)
- Spy Kids 3D: Game Over; Spy Kids 4: Island of Lost Dreams (1)
- Spy Kids 4D (1)
- Stand Up Guys (1)
- Stanley Kubrick (1)
- Stanley Tucci (3)
- Star Trek (13)
- Star Trek Into Darkness (15)
- Star Wars (28)
- Star Wars Episode VII (4)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (1)
- Step Up: Revolution (1)
- Stephanie Meyer (1)
- Stephen J. Anderson (1)
- Stephen McHattie (1)
- Stephen Sommers (1)
- Stephenie Meyer (2)
- Steve Buscemi (1)
- Steve Carell (6)
- Steve Harvey (1)
- Steven Seagal (1)
- Steven Soderbergh (6)
- Steven Spielberg (30)
- Stoker (2)
- Straw Dogs (1)
- Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (1)
- Sucker Punch (14)
- Sudden Impact (2)
- summer 2009 (2)
- summer 2010 (3)
- Summer 2011 (80)
- Summer 2011 Wrap (3)
- summer 2012 (101)
- summer 2013 (47)
- summer 2014 (3)
- summer 2015 (3)
- Summer Bellessa (1)
- Summit (5)
- Summit Entertainment (27)
- Sundance (2)
- Sung Kang (2)
- Super 8 (10)
- Super Bowl (1)
- Super Bowl 2009 (1)
- Super Bowl 2011 (10)
- Super Bowl 2012 movie previews (2)
- Super Bowl 2013 movie previews (5)
- Supergirl (1)
- superheroes (2)
- Superman (18)
- Superman Returns (2)
- Superman vs. the Elite (1)
- Superman: Man of Steel (1)
- Superman/Batman Apocolypse (1)
- Superman/Shazam (1)
- Supernatural (1)
- Supreme Court (1)
- Susan Sarandon (2)
- Sylvester Stallone (17)
- Syndey Lumet (1)
- tabloids (1)
- Take Shelter (1)
- Take This Waltz (1)
- Taken (3)
- Taken 2 (7)
- tangled (10)
- Tanya Roberts (1)
- Target (1)
- Tarsem Singh (1)
- Tarsum (2)
- Tashaki Miike (1)
- Tate Donovan (1)
- Taylor Kitsch (8)
- Taylor Lautner (18)
- taylor swift (1)
- Tea Party (1)
- Team of Rivals (1)
- teasers (1)
- ted (11)
- Ted 2 (1)
- Ted Post (1)
- Ted. Moonrise Kingdom (1)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (5)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (1)
- television (10)
- Telly Savalas (1)
- Temptation (1)
- tent poles (1)
- Terence Malick (2)
- Teresa Palmer (1)
- Teri Hatcher (1)
- terminator salvation (1)
- Terrance Mallik (1)
- Terrence Howard (1)
- Terrence Malick (1)
- terrorism (1)
- Terry Crews (1)
- Texas Chainsaw 3D (3)
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (3)
- Thanksgiving (2)
- That's My Boy (1)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (2)
- The Apparation (1)
- The Apparition (1)
- the artist (4)
- The Avengers (42)
- The Batman (1)
- The Bay (2)
- The Beast (1)
- The Beaver (3)
- The Big Bang Theory (1)
- The Bourne Legacy (3)
- The Call (2)
- The Campaign (3)
- The Cold Light of Day (1)
- The Collection (1)
- The Croods (2)
- The Crow (1)
- The Dark Knight (14)
- The Dark Knight Returns (1)
- The Dark Knight Returns part 2 (1)
- The Dark Knight Rises (30)
- The Dead Pool (2)
- The Debt (2)
- The Deep Blue Sea (1)
- The Descendants (1)
- The Dictator (2)
- The Enforcer (2)
- The Expendables (1)
- The Expendables 2 (2)
- The Fighter (6)
- The Final Destination (1)
- the five-year engagement (2)
- The Flash (1)
- The Flintstones (1)
- The Gangster Squad (6)
- The Girl Who Played With Fire (1)
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (1)
- The Great Gatsby (2)
- The Grey (1)
- The Grinch (1)
- The Hangover part III (1)
- The Haunting In Connecticut (2)
- The Help (7)
- the hobbit (4)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12)
- The Host (4)
- The House I Live In (2)
- the hunger games (8)
- The Hunter (1)
- The Hurt Locker (1)
- The Impossible (1)
- The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2)
- The Incredible Hulk (1)
- The Incredibles (1)
- The Intouchables (2)
- The Island (1)
- The Last Stand (3)
- The Lion King (1)
- The Living Daylights (1)
- The Lone Gunman (1)
- The Lone Ranger (5)
- The Lorax (1)
- The Lord of the Rings (3)
- The Lovely Bones (1)
- The Lucky One (1)
- The Man With the Golden Gun (1)
- The Master (7)
- The Matrix (1)
- The Mechanic (3)
- The Moonrise Kingdom (3)
- The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2)
- The Mummy Returns (1)
- The Muppets (2)
- The Newsroom (1)
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green (1)
- The Onion (1)
- The Oogieloves (1)
- The Paperboy (3)
- The Phantom (1)
- The Possession (3)
- The Proposition (1)
- The Punisher (1)
- The Raid: Redemption (4)
- the raven (3)
- The Rite (3)
- The Road (1)
- The Road We've Traveled (1)
- The Rock (7)
- The Sessions (2)
- The Shadow (1)
- The Siege (1)
- The Silver Linings Playbook (2)
- The Simpsons (1)
- The Smurfs (1)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1)
- The Tall Man (1)
- The Thing (2)
- The Tourist (3)
- The Town (4)
- The Transporter (2)
- The Village (1)
- The Vow (2)
- The Walking Dead (1)
- The Ward (1)
- The Warrior's Way (1)
- The Watch (1)
- The Wettest Country (1)
- The Wizard of Oz (1)
- The Wolfman (1)
- The Wolverine (3)
- the woman (1)
- The Words (3)
- The World Is Not Enough (1)
- The X-Files (4)
- theaters (1)
- theme parks (1)
- theocracy (1)
- Think Like A Man (2)
- Think Like A Man 2 (1)
- This Is Forty (1)
- This Is It (1)
- This Means War (1)
- Thomas Hardy (8)
- Thomas Mann (1)
- thor (31)
- Thor 2 (4)
- Thor: The Dark World (1)
- Thor: The Dark World; Captain America: The Winter Soldier (1)
- Three Stooges (1)
- Three Musketeers (2)
- Thunderball (1)
- Ti West (1)
- Tiana (1)
- tie-in (1)
- Tilda Swinton (2)
- Tillman (1)
- Tim Burton (22)
- Tim Metcalfe (1)
- Time Machine (1)
- time travel (1)
- Timothy Dalton (5)
- Timothy Olymphant (1)
- Timur Bekmambetov (1)
- Tina Fey (5)
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (4)
- Tintin (1)
- Titanic (10)
- Tobey Maguire (1)
- Tobin Bell (1)
- Toby Maguire (2)
- Toby Stephens (1)
- todd phillips (5)
- Tom Cruise (29)
- Tom Felton (1)
- Tom Hanks (8)
- Tom Hardy (18)
- Tom Hiddleston (4)
- Tom Holland (1)
- Tom Hooper (5)
- Tom Tykwer (2)
- Tom Wilkinson (1)
- Tomb Raider (2)
- Tommy Lee Jones (8)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1)
- Toni Collette (3)
- Tony Gilroy (1)
- Tony Gilroy; The Bourne Legacy (1)
- Tony Kaye (1)
- Tony Kushner (1)
- Tony Scott (2)
- Tony Shalhoub (1)
- Top Gun (3)
- Torchwood (1)
- Total Recall (10)
- Tourist (1)
- tower heist (6)
- Toy Story 3 (10)
- toys (1)
- traditional animation (1)
- trailer (2)
- Trailers (453)
- transformers (16)
- Transformers 3 (1)
- Transformers Dark of the Moon (10)
- transformers dark side of the moon (5)
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon (9)
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (4)
- Tree of Life (4)
- Tri-Star (3)
- Tron Legacy (20)
- Tron: Legacy (1)
- Trouble With the Curve (4)
- True Grit (10)
- Trust (3)
- Turbo (1)
- Tuskegee (1)
- TV (20)
- TV Reviews (10)
- Twilight (18)
- Twilight Saga (25)
- Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (27)
- Twilight Saga: Eclipse (6)
- Twilight Saga: New Moon (2)
- Twilight Zone (1)
- Twister (1)
- Tyler Perry (19)
- Tyne Daly (1)
- Tyrese Gibson (1)
- U571 (1)
- Ultimate Spider-Man (2)
- Uma Thurman (3)
- Unbreakable (2)
- underrated (3)
- Underworld: Awakening (5)
- Univers (1)
- Universal (69)
- Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (1)
- Unknown (4)
- Unrated Cut (1)
- Unstoppable (7)
- Up (1)
- V/H/S (1)
- Vampires Suck (1)
- Vanellope (1)
- Vanessa Hudgens (4)
- Vera Farmiga (1)
- Veronica Mars (1)
- VHS (1)
- Victor Garber (2)
- Victoria Justice (1)
- Video (2)
- Video Games (13)
- Video on Demand (7)
- Vin Diesel (5)
- Vince Vaughn (1)
- Viola Davis (9)
- violence (1)
- Virginia Madsen (1)
- VOD (2)
- Wachowski (1)
- Wachowskis (2)
- Waking Sleeping Beauty (3)
- Wallace and Gromit (1)
- Wally West (1)
- Walter Hill (1)
- Walter Koenig (1)
- Wanderlust (1)
- War Horse (6)
- War of the Worlds (2)
- War on Drugs (3)
- Warm Bodies (2)
- Warner (1)
- Warner Bros (165)
- Warner Bros. (1)
- Warren Beatty (1)
- Warrior (4)
- warrior's way (1)
- Watchmen (2)
- Water For Elephants (1)
- Wayans Bros (1)
- WB (1)
- We Need to Talk About Kevin (1)
- We the Party (1)
- weeds (1)
- weekend box office (1)
- weekend movie preview (12)
- weekend preview (2)
- Weinstein (3)
- Weinstein Company (14)
- weinsteins (2)
- Wentworth Miller (1)
- wes craven (9)
- West Wing (2)
- western (2)
- WGA Strike (1)
- What to Expect When You're Expecting (3)
- Whip It (1)
- Whit Stilman (1)
- white chicks (1)
- White House Down (1)
- Whitney Houston (2)
- Wicca (1)
- Will Ferrell (8)
- will smith (17)
- Willem Dafoe (2)
- William B. Davis (1)
- William Fichtner (1)
- William Joyce (1)
- William Mohanan (1)
- William Sadler (1)
- William Shatner (1)
- Wilson Philips (1)
- Winnie the Pooh (2)
- Winona Ryder (1)
- Winter's Bone (2)
- Within the Woods (1)
- Wolfgang Peterson (1)
- Woman in Black (3)
- Woman In Black 2 (1)
- Women Victims of War (1)
- Won't Back Down (1)
- Wonder Woman (7)
- Woody Allen (8)
- Woody Harrelson (4)
- World War II (1)
- World War Z (1)
- Wrap (1)
- Wrath of the (1)
- Wrath of the Titans (4)
- Wreck It Ralph (6)
- Writers Guild Of America (1)
- X-Files (5)
- X-Men (8)
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Summer 2011 (1)
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2)
- X-Men: First Class (10)
- X2: X-Men United (1)
- Year End - 2006 (1)
- Year End - 2008 (4)
- Year End - 2009 (4)
- Year End - 2010 (6)
- Yogi Bear (3)
- Yom Kippur (1)
- You Only Live Twice (1)
- Young Adult (7)
- Young Justice (2)
- young-adult literature (1)
- Your Highness (3)
- Yuliya Snigir (1)
- Zac Efron (1)
- Zach Braff (1)
- Zach Efron (2)
- Zach Galifianakis (7)
- Zach Snyder (7)
- Zachary Quinto (6)
- Zack Efron (2)
- Zack Hemsey (1)
- Zack Snyder (11)
- Zero Dark Thirty (14)
- Ziyi Zhang (1)
- Zoe Saldana (6)
- Zombieland (1)
- zombies (1)
- Zooey Deschanel (2)
- Zookeeper (1)
- Zorro (1)
16 comments:
This was a fascinating article and it's something I think about all the time.
That said, I disagree with the idea that the cause of this shift to "recycled" material is that the entertainment industry is obsessed with it. If you look at the time period of the properties you grew up with, I would point out that they benefited from being released in a time when their very environment was new.
The Star Wars toy line invented from scratch the pattern of a self-contained pre-existing mythology being represented in an extensive array of toys. Before Star Wars, toy lines featured larger dolls of just a few characters. Notice that Star Wars' toy line was created as an outgrowth of the original film. All of the major toy properties of the 1980s that followed its 3 3/4 inch formula reversed this. They had a toy line and then built a mythology around it. There is nothing before Star Wars, Transformers, He-Man, G.I. Joe, and Ninja Turtles that enjoyed success in quite this same way.
Personally, I think Barbie was the first girl's toy to successfully adapt this formula. In the late 80s and early 90s, she fused with Disney to gain an internal mythology the same as boys toys had enjoyed.
My point is that I don't think there has been a revolution since then that would be followed with the creation of lots of new properties. There is a canon of properties now. Long-existing canons are always added to slowly.
For further illustration, look at the children’s cartoons, films and toy lines of the early-mid-1970s and compare them with their counterparts from only ten years later. There is a radical difference in content, complexity, and presentation. Now compare those 1980s toys, films, and cartoons with those of today. Action figures look the same as they did 25 years ago. Between the 1970s and 80s they changed from being a few fragile, plush Mego dolls into the solid, prolific plastic 3 3/4 inch figures we've known ever since. There has been no reinvention of children's pop culture which would prompt new icons. We're simply continuing to develop the original ones.
Cartoons, though they have evolved to incorporate more mature and literary writing, have not changed that drastically since the 1980s as they did before that.
It's 2011 and we still think of Jaws as the original modern Blockbuster. If the inception of our modern era is now nearly four decades old, rather than still new, why would we see a wave of new titles? Why must we throw out everything that came before? Couldn't these old toy properties be developed into something artistically respectable?
Take Transformers (ignoring the Bay Films). Since the original cartoon (which is fine for its time, but now just a little silly), we've had Beast Wars, Transformers Animated, and now Transformer: Prime, all of which feature mature, good cartoon writing.
Even My Little Pony is enjoying this trend. I never thought I would give the time of day to anything related to that pink, puffy, empty horse parade, but the newest cartoon is quite well written, for what it is. (You should suggest it to your daughter, btw).
Anyway, my point is that we have not failed to see the expected stream of new properties. There just hasn't been a reinvention of the very structure of children's pop culture since the mid-late 1970s, and as such, there's no stream of revolutionaries and innovators to define what the new era is. Without a major shake-up, I think people are quite content to see already-existing properties grow and mature.
I know I'm getting to the age where I hope to have kids in a few years and I can't wait to share my old favorites with them.
As an aside, I should mention that I didn’t even go into the shift in social views. Baby Boomers are not nearly as accepting of people who worship their childhood icons as X-ers and Millenials have proven to be. This could be a whole different discussion of why that is.
Scott,
I'd posit that Avatar: The Last Airbender could qualify as an "original American action cartoon that struck a chord" -- do you agree?
Btw, very interesting post as usual, Scott.
Sorry for the double comment -- I forgot to click that I'd like to receive notifications of followup comments.
That's actually a refreshingly current example. Thanks, Malik.
Assuming we are talking about pop cultural icons in general and not just primarily cartoon based I think you are leaving out a large source of icons for today's children... video games.
Does Twilight count?
Does Twilight count?
An interesting note on this subject a friend of mine pointed out:
"Interestingly I got bored and looked at the top 10 films of 2010.
1. Toy Story 3
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Iron Man 2
4. Twillight: Eclipse
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
6. Inception
7. Despicable Me
8. Shrek Forever After
9. How to Train Your Dragon
10. Tangled
If we swap the original media for the 2010 film our list looks like this...
1. Toy Story (film) 1995
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (book) 1865
3. Tales of Suspense #39 (comicbook) 1963
4. Twillight (book) 2005
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (book) 1997
6. Inception (film) 2010
7. Despicable Me (film) 2010
8. Shrek (film) 2001
9. How to Train Your Dragon (book) 2003
10. Rapunzel (Grimms Tales lol) 1812 ^^
Two from the 19th century, two from the 60s, two from the 90s and everything else 2001-2010.
I'm just saying..."
The constant recycling is indeed a valid concern but there's one pop cultural development you're wrong to ignore ... the young adult genre fiction boom. My nieces and nephews bookshelves are literally drowning in icons of their own. So there's definitely a kind of remake fever now that we never had to absorb. You could argue that that's because we had easier access to our parents icons. (read: re-runs) Our culture was just as much a mix of ours and theirs, it's just that theirs was the original theirs not pale imitations.
Good point, Peter. Both The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson and the New Olympians have or are spawning iterations in other forms of media, and I'm sure that The Maze Runner and Incarceron will do the same eventually.
Even beyond Young Adult fiction, I'd say that there is no shortage of written material available, as shown by the True Blood series (although the promise of The Dresden Files was squandered in it's TV version), not to mention how Game of Thrones performed.
Good point, Peter. Both The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson and the New Olympians have or are spawning iterations in other forms of media, and I'm sure that The Maze Runner and Incarceron will do the same eventually.
Even beyond Young Adult fiction, I'd say that there is no shortage of written material available, as shown by the True Blood series (although the promise of The Dresden Files was squandered in it's TV version), not to mention how Game of Thrones performed.
Does Twilight count?
Btw, very interesting post as usual, Scott.
Sorry for the double comment -- I forgot to click that I'd like to receive notifications of followup comments.
The constant recycling is indeed a valid concern but there's one pop cultural development you're wrong to ignore ... the young adult genre fiction boom. My nieces and nephews bookshelves are literally drowning in icons of their own. So there's definitely a kind of remake fever now that we never had to absorb. You could argue that that's because we had easier access to our parents icons. (read: re-runs) Our culture was just as much a mix of ours and theirs, it's just that theirs was the original theirs not pale imitations.
Well, let's be fair here, while the 80's had their share of original icons for kids, icons like Superman and Batman were from another era that survived into our generation through various re-imaginings and re-boots as well.
Great post. If it makes money, companies will keep trotting it out. And it will never be as good as it was in our head. Or children need to have something to call their own, but since the number of companies available to create new material has dwindled to almost none, there will be no innovation to be seen for a long time.
Also, He-Man debuted around 1980 or 81, not 1986.
Post a Comment