Friday, February 8, 2013

Shooting Low



Cody, the world's greatest cat, was bored to death with the Total Recall remake.
Okay, I report it when I have good news, so I have to come clean when bad news rears its ugly head. My script, Hastings, has been passed over by management powerhouse Kaplan/Perrone. It's depressing news, of course, but I'm handling it okay. Sometimes you have to ask yourself if it's your writing, and not "the industry" that's the problem.

I don't have any answers yet, but something strange has been going on lately: I'm finding myself interested in films that many would consider middling fare. For instance, the Tyler Perry thriller Alex Cross is one I'm eager to rent if and when it's on In Demand. Jack Reacher, the under-performing Tom Cruise flick, is another. Truth be told, the last movie I rented that wasn't a documentary was the remake of Total Recall with Colin Farrell that was both a critical and commercial disaster last summer.

Of course, there's nothing strange with wanting to indulge in mid-level genre stuff like the above mentioned titles. I've always loved thrillers, after all. Yet I also used to love high-end stuff, too. Back in the day, I'd engross myself in the works of Scorcese, Antonioni, Welles, and Malick. What's more, Fellini, Altman, Kubrick, and Lean were directors whose styles and themes I could discuss at length.

A sea change is clearly occurring. While Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead remains on my all time favorite list, I'm being drawn a few rungs down the ladder now - at least in general. And I can't tell whether or not that's a bad thing. I guess the big question is whether this is just a phase I'm going through or whether this will all effect my own creativity.

I guess time will tell.

 

1 comment:

  1. Sometimes going back and doing a "reset" as I call it is healthy (except if its our economy). Its like playing Steely Dan for a long time then listening to Kiss. Kiss is great surface rock and roll that's a foot tapper and has pretty colors. Dan on the other hand.. you need to peel down many layers of the onion before you really feel what they have constructed. They are both at opposite ends of the scale but isn't that what keeps a scale in balance?

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