The Paleness of Avatar

I enjoy following what the box office does. It's a bit of a hobby for me, and I will get angry when a film I want to do well bombs or a film I despise succeeds. It's a little ridiculous, but it keeps me amused, even if I annoy some of the people around me.

Too many people are falsely calling Avatar the greatest success in Hollywood history, especially since yesterday it surpassed the Titanic Worldwide Box Office; I suspect the domestic Box Office is not far behind.

But why don't we...knock Avatar down to size a bit, shall we? I'm not saying this as a criticism of the film—I have not seen it, and hold no opinion of it—but of people who are wrongfully giving it more credit that it, and James Cameron, deserve.

We turn to Box Office Mojo for some stats. I give you the All-Time Box Office Adjusted for Inflation. Please note this is only the domestic totals.

1	Gone with the Wind	MGM	$1,485,028,000	$198,676,459	1939^
2	Star Wars	Fox	$1,309,179,000	$460,998,007	1977^
3	The Sound of Music	Fox	$1,046,753,000	$158,671,368	1965
4	E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial	Uni.	$1,042,629,400	$435,110,554	1982^
5	The Ten Commandments	Par.	$962,850,000	$65,500,000	1956
6	Titanic	Par.	$943,342,300	$600,788,188	1997
7	Jaws	Uni.	$941,379,300	$260,000,000	1975
8	Doctor Zhivago	MGM	$912,395,600	$111,721,910	1965
9	The Exorcist	WB	$812,679,700	$232,671,011	1973^
10	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	Dis.	$801,150,000	$184,925,486	1937^

So...I want you to look at where Titanic sits on that list. It's 6th. Yes, it's only 6th. All the crazed teenagers who went multiple times to swoon over Leo only made it the 6th most successful film of all time. For those of you who grew up in my generation, you know how full those theaters were.

But, for those of you who have never looked at the Box Office Mojo list, you'll see the little ^ symbol in there. That means those films were released more than once and it's their accumulative Box Office. So Gone With the Wind was released and rereleased numerous times to give it that high of a total. Star Wars was of course rereleased in the 80s when "Episode IV: A New Hope" was added to the title, as well as the Special Edition releases at the 20th anniversary. But look at Sound of Music...it's never been rereleased. It had one theater run, then became a TV watching favorite, be it hacked up to be shorter or hacked up with commericals to make it a 5-hour epic.

Ladies and gentlemen, as your true winner at the Box Office, I give you: THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC.

As for James Cameron, who we have to honor as one of the greats, of course...I wouldn't say he's the true Box Office gold mine.

I'm going to go with the Top 20 now for these stats.

Who has 4 films in the Top 20: Steven Spielberg. 1) ET; 2) Jaws; 3) Raiders of the Lost Ark; 4) Jurassic Park.
Who has 2 filmes he directed plus 3 he executive produced: George Lucas. 1) Star— Actually, do I really need to do this? The ones that aren't there are II and III. Okay? Okay. And Raiders.

Even if Avatar breaks in the Top 20, which it could very well do, it still won't push either of these men out. It should also be pointed out how much of Avatar's gross is IMAX 3D or standard 3D...those tickets run a whole lot higher than a standard movie ticket, and those 8 movies from George and Steven didn't get that kind of special treatment. Imagine how much lower Avatar's total would be if the extra cost for IMAX and 3D were taken out.

The moral of the story: before you jump to the conclusion that Avatar is the most successful movie ever made, and James Cameron is the true Box Office genius, just remember a girl who wanted to be a nun, a boy who wanted to do something other than farm, and little guy who just wanted to go home.

A Gaggle of Movies

Mamma Mia!
This film surprised me a little bit. I expected to like it because the very premise of the plot amuses me and I like ABBA songs enough to be interested. No one lied, Pierce Brosnan absolutely canNOT sing, but you know what? I didn't care. Every musical is allowed the one who can't sing, and I'm certainly not going to let that ruin a fun, silly little chick flick that includes some absolutely gorgeous cinematography of Greece. It, like Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, I think I liked just a little bit more than I would otherwise just because of the scenery. And it made me want to start saving for my fantasy Mediterranean Cruise. *sigh*

House Bunny
I was expecting a dumb comedy, but it's the kind of dumb comedy that appeals to me. So...I don't know that I'd recommend it to anyone, as far as midnight shows go, it's got its value. I don't believe that any human being could truly be that dumb, but I like the color array of personalities among the sorority girls and you end up really wanting them to keep their house. Also, the nasty girls from evil!sorority are named Ashley and Courtney, which gives me great amusement.

Hancock
Not gonna lie, I almost didn't finish it. The first 45 minutes bored me and I decided if the movie didn't pick up that I was going to call it quits. Fortunately, the movie delivered FINALLY. I absolutely love the second half as the back story between Will Smith and Charlize Theron unfolds and starts to make sense. It was a different route that most movies don't go to that I've read a lot in books, but hadn't really seen on film. However, as a rule, I hate all films and Smallville episodes with superhero sex, so...well, I don't hate Hancock, but the superhero sex is enough to make me not ever want to watch it again. It doesn't humor me in the least. Blowing holes in the roof, breaking the bed through walls, breaking the bed itself, and most importantly EARTHQUAKES *wrings the neck of the writer responsible for that Smallville moment* are an automatic turn off.

He's Just Not That Into You
This movie is so true to life. I came out of it feeling a little giddy, a little vindictive, and really in love with Justin Long. Although that last one happens every time I watch an Apple ad, so I guess that doesn't really count. You could see where every one of the relationships were going, but you're okay with it because it stays so true to how things happen in real life that it's okay. I would recommend it for chick viewing, for sure, but I don't think guys should rule it out, either. I think guys could see their frustrations in the film just as readily as a girl could. But the movie takes it all with good humor and makes you smile readily. So, if you're looking for a escape, or a movie that can sympathize/empathize with you, go see it.

Man of Steel (the inner screenwriter speaks)

I certainly wouldn't expect you non-superman fans to notice, but this last week, we got a lot of new announcements about Man of Steel moving forward. Since I didn't agree with all the choices made on Superman Returns, I'm just felt like I needed to give my full two cents this time around. Not like anybody in Hollywood is going to listen to me, but not going to get anywhere without the ideas planted first, right?

• Two announcements within the space of two days is no coincidence. They are seriously cracking down on production to get it finished by next summer. It's smart; more than three years between the films is going to mean a good chance of losing interest with that small group that took the movie and fully grabbed onto it. Everyone else, it's not going to matter, but summer is certainly going to be the best choice.
• IESB: "Word is Transformers/Star Trek scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are considering being behind the project. This gives Superman fans hope after Returns' mild disappointment amongst fan boys." What about the fan girls come on! My problems with the film were different from everyone else's it seems, but new writers always stir up the pot...but let's talk about those writers for a moment, shall we? Am I excited for Star Trek? Absolutely...but unless I remember incorrectly, J. J. Abrams did the final draft, or had a huge hand in it. Now let's look at Orci and Kurtzman's track record: Transformers, Legend of Zorro, and The Island, to name a few. The second two I like, Transformers however I could barely get through. Why? DIALOG! The dialog in all three of those films SUCKED! Oh, it was absolutely horrendous. And I don't want anybody to tell me that it was supposed to be bad in Transformers because it's bad in all three, just it happens to be the worst. These guys are amazing action screenwriters (I mean, their action is holy freakin' crap awesome), but they suck at dialog. What's my main beef against SR? The dialog, and the lack of Clark dialog altogether. There was absolutely zero characterization through Clark's dialog. Superman had a little, but only during the "How Could You Leave Us?" sequence. What makes the original two movies so fun is the natural wit to the dialog, its cadence, and the irony of the cheesy statements. Granted, the cheesy statements won't fly anymore, but the wit and cadence would. It's already a superhero movie. Let's not make it worse by giving it the worst possible dialog.
• Singer: "I’m starting to develop a sequel...with the intention of directing it." Good, that's happy news (I do like Bryan Singer, if for no other reason than he's a nut, and I like nuts. Just like JJ Abrams. Brilliant minds but they're nuts).
• Singer: "The first one was a romantic film and a nostalgic film. I’ll be the first person to own up to that without making any apologies for it. I knew it was going to be that from the outset." Nostalgic, yes. Romantic? More like anti-romantic, but yeah, I suppose so...
• Singer: "And now that the characters are established, there’s really an opportunity to up the threat levels." Okay, Bryan, here's where I disagree. The characters are established? Tell me, what kind of personality does Clark have? Does he feel anything other than nostalgia, hope, and sadness? Does he have a personality, or is he all Superman? Every character was set up except Clark. Anyone else think that's a problem? Oh, and upping the threat level is easy, you don't make it about real estate. The end.
• Singer: "All those teenage girls who found the movie and mooned over James Marsden or Brandon? Well, I’m going to wake them up!" I loled.

So...I'm pretty strong in my opinions about what I think they need to do with the new film, and I wish I could get on one of the creative writing teams. I would really like it, actually. But alas, I live in Utah.

• So...I want to contact WB and Bad Hat Harry Productions and be on the writing staff. They think they need more action, I think they need better character development. We can compromise. I think the compromise would be very beneficial for both of us.
• So far it's still just Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey attached. It's funny because most people criticize Kate Bosworth. Is she Teri Hatcher? No, she isn't (and sorry Erica Durance fans, Teri Hatcher and will always be my Lois Lane), but I think she's close to what I would expect a mother Lois to be. My problem is Brandon. I felt nothing from him. Yeah, he looks the part perfectly, he even sounds like Chris Reeve, but I didn't get connected to him. I feel connected to Chris Reeve's and Dean Cain's Supermans, Tom Welling's Clark for the most part, but I feel absolutely no attachment to Brandon. Still, when I'm naming Supermans I forget him. Maybe he just needs more dialog, I dunno. I have a feeling we're getting a different Lois, though. We'll see who they find. Lois is harder to fill than people might think, particularly when your lines don't sound 100% like Lois (will everyone please remember that when they're criticizing Kate? She had lines to read, she didn't make up her dialog and actions on her own).
• One thing I hope they remember is they can't write these movies like they used to. I think the biggest problem with SR is they tried to be too faithful to the Donner movies. And I'm not talking story-wise. I'm talking pacing, character development, action vs. dialog...it feels like an old movie. Do I like that? Of course I do, but it doesn't draw a modern audience. A modern audience wants Marvel heroes and villains, everything in shades of gray. No, Supes can't get very gray, but Clark can to some degree, and they need to remember that these characters have to be multifaceted. Brandon's Clark wasn't. He existed. He needs to more than exist. If they want a Spidey or Batman X-Men crowd coming to the theater with us Superman freaks, they've got to put more depth into those characters. That's why Lois and Clark did so well, that's why Smallville was renewed for an 8th season. It's the shades of gray.