Mysteries of Moviemaker Motivations

Yearend announcements of box office champions and film award nominees combine to illuminate dark, persistent mysteries about the motivations of moviemakers. In the process, these contrasting lists expose the stubborn stupidity of a line of argument jointly cherished by the entertainment industry’s angriest critics and its most faithful apologists: that Hollywood is utterly corrupted (or totally excused) by the ruthless, single-minded pursuit of profit. If it’s all about making money, how can anyone explain the fact that the heavy favorite to win Tinseltown’s most coveted and relentlessly publicized award for 2011 is a low-budget silent film (no kidding!) in glorious black-and-white by an unknown French director with an utterly unpronounceable name? THE ARTIST (written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, sometimes fondly Americanized as “Mike Hava Nagila”) is touching, inventive, funny, hugely enjoyable, and given a better than 45 percent chance to win the Oscar for best picture of the year by the online betting gurus at InTrade.com. But not even the film’s most dedicated advocates expect this audacious import (starring the director’s lovely girlfriend, one Berenice Bejo) to clean up at box office—and no, there won’t be a money-grabbing 3-D edition.

Two years ago, in a similarly tough-to-explain development for the money-rules-all crowd, the motion picture Academy shunned the film that broke all records for box office grosses, AVATAR, in favor of the gritty, gripping Iraq War drama, THE HURT LOCKER –which happened to be the most modest commercial performer (adjusted for inflation) ever to win the top Oscar.

Amazingly, even after grabbing the Best Picture trophy, Operation Enduring Freedom proved as difficult to sell to movie goers as it did to the public at large and the film only slightly expanded its audience.

This year, of the ten movies selected for Best Picture by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (of which I’m proud to be a voting member) only one – THE HELP – passed the magic milestone of $100,000,000 in domestic theatrical grosses. Two of the anointed titles (EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE and WAR HORSE) hadn’t even been released to the general public before Christmas Day. Two more, DRIVE and THE TREE OF LIFE counted as box office disappointments if not outright flops. Meanwhile, the Golden Globe nominations (often seen as predictive of Oscar nods) showed a similar preference for non-populist fare, with the ten nominees for its two best picture categories largely following the BFCA’s lead but adding the little-seen cancer comedy 50/50 and the nostalgic art-house-only offering MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, as well as a surprise nomination for the raunchy smash hit, BRIDESMAIDS.

On the other side of the ledger, weighing success in purely commercial rather than arguably artistic terms, which films did the American public choose to support with their hard-earned dollars at the local multiplex? Only one of these favored films on the box office Top Ten– HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2 - actually drew strongly positive reviews and stands a chance of winning a few technical Oscar nominations. Other titles on the list of popular favorites (TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON; THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING WIND PART I; THE HANGOVER PART II, and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES) counted among the most critically reviled releases of the entire year and stand a much better chance of winning Golden Raspberry nominations for the year’s worst achievements than they do of getting Oscar recognition for the year’s best.

Yes, it’s an old story that the film-going public cheerfully ignores the artistic evaluations of critics and movie insiders in making their decisions about what to see, but it’s less much less accepted (though no less true) that movie insiders largely ignore the preferences of the great unwashed when making their decisions about what to make.

This is not to say that any actor, director or producer can afford to altogether disregard issues of commercial success; a film needs to achieve at least “art house success” (winning decent audiences in limited release) in order to advance a career, and no one wants to be associated with a notorious flop.

But the definition of “flop” is very different for the Hollywood creative community than it is for corporate bean-counters or the entertainment reporters who track “box office mojo.” For instance, Terence Malick’s wildly indulgent, largely unwatchable THE TREE OF LIFE would count as a commercial dud with its modest $13,000,000 return in domestic box office but it’s won major awards consideration and enhanced the industry standing of young Jessica Chastain and even Brad Pitt, both praised for their intensely committed performances.

Or take the luminous example of Natalie Portman, whose deer-in-the-headlights performance as Padme Amidala in THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999) and the other forgettable films of the most recent STAR WARS trilogy gave her prominent billing in three of the most popular movies ever made. Her impressive Oscar-winning role in last year’s BLACK SWAN reached only a tiny fraction of the movie-goers who savored her Amidala adventures, and earned far less in its entire run than the STAR WARS films earned in their opening weekend. But which of these roles meant more to Ms. Portman or her standing in the entertainment industry? And wouldn’t she more likely agree to participate in THE BLACK SWAN RETURNS (if they somehow contrived to concoct such an abomination) than she would to return to duty in THE PHANTOM MENACE returns?

Yes, Hollywood cares about gold but the gold that they care about most is the gilt on the Oscar statuette rather than the coin of the realm. In the entertainment community, in fact, Oscar gold is the coin of the realm.

Nearly everyone who works in movies (or follows movies) knows the name Alexander Payne, who directed this year’s critical darling THE DESCENDANTS and other well-received, Oscar-nominated but only modestly profitable titles like ABOUT SCHMIDT and SIDEWAYS. But how many movie fans could identify David Yates—the unassuming but hugely talented British filmmaker who happened to direct this year’s number one box office hit, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART II, as well as three other monstrously successful moneymakers in the HP series?

Of course, the ambitious artists of the film community welcome the adoration of the general public, but more than that they crave the respect of their peers. All creative people feel insecure about their efforts and long for reassurance that their work deserves to be taken seriously. Even the most enthusiastic mass audience embrace can’t provide that reassurance (not when the indelibly awful TRANSFOMERS: DARK OF THE MOON emerges as the second most popular movie of 2011). But awards and critical acclaim can soothe even the most uncertain egos, as memorably expressed by former “Flying Nun” Sally Field when she received her second Oscar (for PLACES IN THE HEART, 1984) with the tearful declaration, “You like me! You really, really like me!” It shouldn’t be surprising that every graduate of a top film school yearns to be the next Woody Allen or Martin Scorsese (despite the fact that these legendary directors have crafted more flops than hits over the years) rather than the next…David Yates.

There is also, of course, the powerful motivator of sex—always impossible to ignore in considering the tribal mores of the entertainment industry. Imagine an impossibly swanky soiree somewhere in the Hollywood Hills with a dazzling assemblage of unaccompanied supermodels and starlets to enhance the décor. Who will win more adoring attention from the well-groomed beauties: a young director who’s just helmed the latest smash-hit sequel in the kid-friendly INSPECTOR GADGET series or the brooding filmmaker who’s recently earned an award from the New York Film Critics Circle for his searing drama LIFE IS PAIN?

Understanding that pursuit of prestige trumps pursuit of profit for most creative personnel in the motion picture business undermines the arguments of anti-Hollywood activists who blame all of the industry’s depravities and fatuities and biases on the unchallenged rule of the “almighty dollar.” And this counter-intuitive comprehension simultaneously explodes the common excuse for every lamentable Tinseltown trend that claims “we only give the public what they want.”

Actually, the evidence that the public demands abundant harsh language in mainstream movie releases is utterly non-existent—especially when R-rated films (many of them achieving that designation due to deployment of F-words) consistently generate fewer box office dollars than their PG or PG-13 counterparts. No one ever left a theatre complaining that he felt cheated because he didn’t get to hear George Clooney pronounce the F-word enough.

If Hollywood decision-makers took the public’s pulse more assiduously and placed box office returns above movie colony esteem, they’d no doubt release more crowd-pleasing family films (along with even more brain-dead, special-effects driven sequels) than they unleash today. We might also see a few religious-themed pictures (quick, name even one such release since the stunning success of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST) and perhaps even an occasional title with outspokenly conservative political themes.

No one can deny that the members of the entertainment elite display an abundance of foibles and vices along with undeniable talents, but the truth is that a single-minded, narrowly-focused determination to make money at all costs hardly counts as one of them.

A perceptive article....It hadn’t really occurred to me that the Hollywood crowd wants even more than $$, the approval of each other.

I like Medved, also. That said, I think Tree of Life is absolutely amazing.

I saw War Horse last night. It is completely free of profanity or anything suggestive. It is sort of old school Disney....we remarked in fact that some of the shots looked like it was out of The Quiet Man. In one of the more harrowing scenes, a soldier quotes the 23rd Psalm. Bottom line, it is very clean, very poignant, and all around a great epic.

My favorite film this year played only a week at the local cinema and then disappeared. The Mighty Macs! I hope it shows back up on DVD so more people can enjoy it.

I saw War Horse on Monday this week. The cinematography was lovely, but the story was improbable and the violence (especially to the horse) was horrid. I would not recommend it to the soft hearted.

I thought Captain America was pretty much at the top of my list.

I keep seeing ads for “War Horse” but all I see is something like Secretariat meets Saving Private Ryan.

I want to see more films about America being chopped up and sold off to foreign countries. The NW being sold to the Chinese, the SW being sold to Mexico, the Rust belt to Moslems, the NE to Russians and the SE to the middle east.

Troops from these countries are brought in to “pacify” America and to disarm it in exchange for land grants.

“We might also see a few religious-themed pictures (quick, name even one such release since the stunning success of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST)”

THE BLIND SIDE
and
COURAGEOUS

Those points are well taken, of course. The scope of the film is rather vast, some might say unwieldy or at least episodic. I might also add that the score (Williams) is for my taste a bit intrusive from time to time.

But all of that underscores what I think is the key point: War Horse is very much “like” Old School Disney (or maybe we could say, Old School Disney meets Saving Private Ryan) which, if you like that sort of thing, you will love War Horse.

WW1 itself is not a topic that can be dealt with in any way that is less than horrific. So yes the depicting of violence (mostly in aftermath) is harrowing. It could be noted, however, that the “most” violent episodes actually happen off camera as it were (don’t want to give any spoilers here...). There are no exploding heads or anything of that sort. So by today’s standards, if War Horse is violent, I guess other stuff is what would we say...pornographic? Perhaps so.

In any event. Your point is well taken. I will likely take my tender hearted children to see it, however.

Happy New Year!

I keep seeing ads for “War Horse” but all I see is something like Secretariat meets Saving Private Ryan.”

That is spot on, actually!

Both of those films have positive messages, as well.

Well, there are simply two sides of Hollywood: the “sell the smut, hey it’s what they want, and look, it pays” side, and the anti-American “one way to get prestige, respect, and sex around here it to create something ‘subversive’” side.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING WIND PART I;

I just about died laughing. Did the author really mean to type that?

FWIW, the title is actually BREAKING DAWN.

LMAO!

>>HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2 - actually drew strongly positive reviews and stands a chance of winning a few technical Oscar nominations. <<

Alan Rickman, Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Hands down.
If they don’t hand this one out, the whole lot of Hollywood can shove it where the sun don’t shine.

It used to mightily puzzle me why hw stayed away from the obvious money-making blockbusters based on family values.

I still believe that most of America craves good stuff, and is sick of the garbage that hw “sells”...

Then it hit me...when you already HAVE more money than King Croesus, what is left?
Why, attending all the benefits and balls and parties, where you are adored by peer and sycophant alike...
where you bloviate and get back-slapped for your next (usually degenerate) “project”.

hw Leftists and degenerates usually live in insulated worlds, travel the world, oh sure, but in small circles, limiting their exposure to reality.
They require shelter for their shallow, morally-shrunken souls doncha know.

Then it hit me...when you already HAVE more money than King Croesus, what is left?

That's a good point. There's only so much money can buy that these folks can appreciate (i.e., luxurious accomodations, sex, and cocaine.)

I can’t believe that such a great movie was gone in three days from the local movie theater, and I haven’t seen it listed anywhere else. I don’t think there were 25 jpeople in the movie when I saw it on opening night. But, everyone there loved it.

There was a couple seated in our row — husband happened to be the coach of the football team of a local Lutheran College. His wife turned to him and said, “You get your team down here to see this RIGHT NOW!”

I recommended the Mighty Macs to lots of people, but only a handful were able to see it before it was gone. It hasn’t opened in Richmond yet, as far as I know; but my SIL knew all about the college. He grew up just a few miles from Immaculata College in PA.

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