The Big Picture: The Numbers

[Silinrun]

I'm open to a lot of movies of many different types. Sometimes, I think you do just need a "The Expendables" type of movie. It's action to its simplest. I loved it and I don't and will never regret enjoying it. But I also enjoyed Scott Pilgrim, I tried to get my Mom to take a look into it but when it came from Netflix she looked at it and completely passed over it even though I think she would have liked it too. It is always sad when good movies get completely skipped over. I also had heard from multiple sources that the new Pirates movie was terrible. I didn't see anything really horribly wrong with it, enjoyed it just fine. But I do completely get a lot of the things Movie Bob says on movies like The Expendables and Pirates 4. After watching his reviews for the Transformer movies, and then looking back on them (at the time I really enjoyed them) I did a 180 on my thoughts for them. I still found them "amusing" but, rather dull and unimaginative etc. Pretty much what Bob says about them in his reviews comes to mind and he says it better then I ever could. Anyway that's my 2 cents.

 

[krellen]

First The Jimquisition extols the virtues of Call of Duty, the same sort of popular, low-risk, "safe" investment represented in film by the Expendables, and then Bob puts this out. Are you fellows trying to have an Extra Consideration without having to write?

 

[Justanothergamer300]

Now that I think about other than geeks what audience would you advertise for Scott Pilgrim?

 

[Redd the Sock]

It is a sad day for one when he figures out the extent of the overall damage done by an overemphasis on the bottom line, and boy is it everywhere. My namesake Ed the Sock used to have long rants about how the state of the music industry was pimping Britney clones and just add water boy bands instead of taking a chance on new artists, and how the current attitude would have denied us things like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, or Nirvana as they represented big risks at the time. (Ed's off that music network now, as is most music in favor of Gossip Girl)

From there, let's try comics: Runaways on "hiatus" (though likely canceled) and indy sellers struggling while Batman and Wolverine are in every other book.

TV: Reality TV dominates, sci-fi dramas can't even get on the sci-fi network as they draw fewer viewers than a conspiracy theorist with a chalkboard.

Video games: Final Fantasy fill in the blank and endless halo and call of duty clones (not to mention ports and remakes). The World Ends with You goes unsold.

And yeah, in movies you can't get much more represenative of pandering than the Espendables: a low rent action flick that did nothing creative but people feel obligated to defend because of all the "star power" in it. People foget Bob liked the A-Team, which was essentially the same movie with more money spent on chorographing action scenes and less in big name actors.

Sadly, with cries against "elitism" in this country, somehow we're the ones that have to change and accept merit in derivative crap, rather than the masses at least having to accept they like derivative crap and take the attached stigmas.

 

[chuckman1]

This is sad. The world we live in is cruel.

 

[rickthetrick]

Great video, only flaw in your logic is assuming that Scott Pilgrim was a good movie.

My opinion aside, Scott Pilgrim didn't fail because people are too ignorant or stupid to get it.
It failed because it was catering to a smaller demographic. The nerds/gamers, and lets be perfectly honest, we nerds/gamers are a fickle damn bunch who will nitpick the shit out of something until nobody enjoys it. Sure there are people who love this film, but there are a lot more who dislike/hate it. It failed on it's own merits, and the expendables had nothing to do with it. Stop blaming the general movie going public for not watching a movie they had no interest in, to begin with.

 

[atomicmrpelly]

We need a bugle player playing Taps at the end

 

[AvroArrow]

The worst part about this is not the failure for good movies to more frequently succeed[footnote]Though that is really tragic.[/footnote]. No, the worst part about this is that it signifies how disappointing the vast majority of Americans/humans are. The fact that a movie like The Expendables[footnote]Which provides no new material or any intellectual depth[/footnote] was more successful than a movie like Scott Pilgrim is completely discouraging.

Though, I am speaking on The Escapist's forums, so I'm sure that, like I, many of you have already known this for quite a while. In that case, allow me to quickly label myself as Captain Obvious.

 

[Silinrun]

To Redd the Sock, pretty much everything you said I have to agree with. Biggest thing driving me crazy lately is all the damn reality TV shows and much of the crap Sy-Fy's putting out lately. But I have to disagree with the Expendables comment, at least for myself I don't defend it because of its Star Power. I'm sure I'd enjoy the A-Team about the same as I enjoyed the Expendables, I knew what I was getting when going to see it. Pure action movie, nothing special, nothing new. That was fine and it rocked (imo). The problem is over doing it and using those kind of movies as an excuse to not make anything that is actually new and good and creative. A few pure action movies a year should be fine as long as that's not all that's being made.

 

[roostuf]

i feel bad for watching the expendables instead of scott pilgrim, my god forgive me.

 

[stonemaskstoryteller]

I remember the days when I actually got excited about to going to the cinema. It seems now I just go to meet friends and kill time...

 

[emeraldrafael]

It made me sad when Scott was fifth in its opening week. beaten out by Eat Pray Love and the Expendables.

and it also helped proved that yes, studios need to make money, and that this is why you cant do anything "original"

 

[Megacherv]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Call of Duty

Need I really say any more?

True to a degree.

You see, Call of Duty actually does what it does well, or at least better than others.

Yes, it's now the cookie cutter format for the modern FPS, but you can't deny that CoD titles are actually quite addicting. While I love to rage at those camping, heartbeat-sensing mofos which the game's shortcomings in design allows, it succeeded at holding my interest despite that.

Call of Duty is not analogous to "The Expendables"- poorly made games based on CoD are.
(^ I know you didn't say otherwise (since your post was short), but I thought it was a valid point.)

Thanks for doing what I hoped and not raging at me

 

[jovack22]

well said.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

A big budget Lovecraft movie, made by the guy who directed Hellboy, was scrapped because the best movie of the summer didn't appeal to the mainstream audience.

Spoiler: ...............

[image/]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a219/dkgojackets/fffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Connor Lonske]

Spoiler: Spoilers cause of offensive post, ignore this unless otherwise you might get offended. This is my actual opinion, and if I get banned for having my own opinion, than so be it.

I wonder how many people in this thread saw The Expendables instead of Scott Pilgrim back in September. If you did, you are now officially on my shit list, because I know you posted about how great this video is. Hell, this is probably the best journalist on the Escapist, and you are mocking him for saying he is right, yet you probably will continue to spend money on projects that will suck. Thank you very much.

Oh yeah, and if you saw The Expendables and Scott Pilgrim, than I'm indifferent.

 

[maninahat]

Whilst everything Bob says is sadly true, I can't help feeling that if tons of people went to the cookie cutter "shitty" movies and barely anyone went to the niche, indy, "cerebral" stuff, then why is it a bad thing that we get more of the big blockbuster action movies? That is clearly what the majority want! Why should we be prioritizing the tastes of the snooty few over the blood lust of the millions?

For the record. I went to see The Expendables twice and had a great time, like millions of others. I had to practically force myself to watch Scott Pilgrim (or rather, my girlfriend did), and I ultimately found it only okay. So I'm not too bothered by this current arrangement of dumb action being favoured by Hollywood over goofy niche stuff.

 

[Connor Lonske]

I'm open to a lot of movies of many different types. Sometimes, I think you do just need a "The Expendables" type of movie. It's action to its simplest. I loved it and I don't and will never regret enjoying it. But I also enjoyed Scott Pilgrim, I tried to get my Mom to take a look into it but when it came from Netflix she looked at it and completely passed over it even though I think she would have liked it too. It is always sad when good movies get completely skipped over. I also had heard from multiple sources that the new Pirates movie was terrible. I didn't see anything really horribly wrong with it, enjoyed it just fine. But I do completely get a lot of the things Movie Bob says on movies like The Expendables and Pirates 4. After watching his reviews for the Transformer movies, and then looking back on them (at the time I really enjoyed them) I did a 180 on my thoughts for them. I still found them "amusing" but, rather dull and unimaginative etc. Pretty much what Bob says about them in his reviews comes to mind and he says it better then I ever could. Anyway that's my 2 cents.

And now I feel like a asshole for my previous post. Damn it.

 

[DrMetal]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Call of Duty

Need I really say any more?

True to a degree.

You see, Call of Duty actually does what it does well, or at least better than others.

Yes, it's now the cookie cutter format for the modern FPS, but you can't deny that CoD titles are actually quite addicting. While I love to rage at those camping, heartbeat-sensing mofos which the game's shortcomings in design allows, it succeeded at holding my interest despite that.

Call of Duty is not analogous to "The Expendables"- poorly made games based on CoD are.
(^ I know you didn't say otherwise (since your post was short), but I thought it was a valid point.)

Thanks for doing what I hoped and not raging at me

That much is true, but consider this:

Those poor CoD clones wouldnt exist, much less sell, if CoD didnt rack in so much dough...
Same analogy goes for Korea and their MMO market...

and this is whole point, so sure CoD might be a good game, but because it sells to well, money others invest in is doing uncreative mindless clones, ratehr than experiment and advance the industry.

Same goes for everything, music, gaming, tv, movies and so on....

You know whats a great example of a good TV dying because of such system? Firefly.