ScreenFish

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE – The Cinematic Experience in The 21st Century

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Over the last few weeks there has been tons of discussion about the future of the cinematic experience, that is, the practice of watching movies in actual movie theatres (as opposed to the 55 inch/7.1 surround sound setup in your living room.  The epicenter of said discussion was CINEMACON – the annual convention where studios tout their upcoming cinematic product for the next year to the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO).  In a nutshell, it’s paradise for movie nerds… particularly those who nerd out on the business of movies and movie theatres.  If IMAX, Dolby Cinema, XD, RPX, 11.1 surround sound, gargantuan wide screens and plushed out recliner seating is your thing, then CinemaCon is where you wanna be (Going to the Con myself is my top 5 Bucket List items…pray that I get to cross THAT off next year!)

Between all the studio presentations, surprise screenings and innovative ideas on how to perfectly butter your popcorn & make your recliner movie theatre seats more comfy, the big ticket debate was on the ever-creeping VOD market, an issue that studios and theatre chains are forced to deal with.  Right now, a movie released by a major studio has an agreed upon 90 day window between exclusive movie theatre time and home availability.   Thanks to movie theatre hater #1  Netflix’s ongoing popularity and folks not wanting to be bothered with going to the movies anymore, studios are seeking to decrease that window to 30-45 days with home access being granted to studio films at $30-50 bucks a pop.

Of course, there are pros and cons to this plan. One of the BIG cons is the fact that studio profit margins stand to be severely undercut if this Premium VOD (their name…not mine) plan takes hold.  Instead of each family dropping matinee money to see Shrek 5 (with each parent and each kiddo paying a set admission price), now a bunch of families can meet up at either the community clubhouse or the supercool neighborhood house with the 85 inch 4K flatscreen to watch it on a Saturday night for ONE $30-$50 flat rate.  In addition, movie theaters make money the old fashioned way: butts in seats buying tickets, popcorn, Coke/Pepsi/Icee, hot dogs and candy.  Take that away from them and their profits will NOSEDIVE!

All of this blame is (unfairly) being put on the theatrical experience.  Yeah, the popcorn is overpriced and the teens glued to their phones is a pain.  Your 70 inch with accompanying 7.1 surround sound may even sound as good – maybe even BETTER – than the theatre across from the mall (ESPECIALLY if they haven’t updated the place since 1999!!!).  But, trust me, there’s a BIG difference between seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi on your TV and seeing it on a screen like THIS!

(That’s the world famous Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.  Everyone knows about the Walk of Fame and the footprints in cement, but they actually show movies inside.  On THAT enormous screen!)

Yeah, I know.  Big screens don’t matter to everyone.  Neither do big sound systems.  I tend to agree.  Your sound may be booming and you may have 360 degree wraparound capability but it don’t mean a thing if your movie has no quality.

I hate to say it but QUALITY is the very thing that’s drawing audiences to Netflix.   The studio system is not the smoothest gateway to creative freedom for artists.  I’ve complained in several forums that movies that are not so much written from the mind of an eagle eyed writer/director but, instead, are “designed” in boardrooms where studio bosses piece projects together like jigsaw puzzles.  Concept must match star power must match domestic box office potential must match global box office potential must match toy/t-shirt/video game revenue potential and on and on and on.   All of this potential rests on the films ability to reach their “four quadrant target” – the ability for the film to appeal to

  1. Males under 25 years old
  2. Females under 25 years old
  3. Males OVER 25 years old
  4. Females over 25 years old

If a film can hit those 4 targets, or “quadrants,” then the studio will sink tons of money into film by film rolling them off the assembly line year by year.

THE PROBLEM: Most studio fare will at best hit either quadrants 1&2 or 3&4.  It’s rare to hit all four…unless you’re Disney.  Disney has figured this thing out.  While other studios are content to make 1&2 or 3&4 quadrant product and line it up and down their calendar, Disney has transitioned into the bulk of their films being 4 quadrant EVENTS.   Look at their last few (and upcoming) titles.  Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Zootopia.  Jungle Book.  Captain America: Civil War.  Finding Dory. Doctor Strange. Moana. Rogue One.  Beauty And The Beast.  Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2.  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Cars 3.  Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

All big ticket movie events designed to get all four targets off the couch and into the multiplex.   By the way, Disney is the only studio NOT IN NEGOTIATIONS to shorten the release window.   (With titles like those, would you shorten it?)

Every other studio will have an event title or 3 throughout the year.  But not like The House of Mouse.  To me, that’s both the problem AND the answer.  The Cinema must be the exclusive domain of event-based titles.  The smaller, prestige Oscar bait stuff doesn’t need to be fiddled with come December.  But as the success of Logan (despite my SF colleague Arnaldo Reyes’s misgivings), Get Out & Kong: Skull Island has proven – all 3 films grossing over $160 million BEFORE summer kicks off – Event based titles will keep the cinematic experience alive and kicking.   They can’t just make them for the sake of making them (cough-BvS-cough).  They’ve got to make them GOOD.  If the quality ain’t on point, the people will stay home. Simple as that.

Here’s hoping the suits in Hollywood will take note.

 

 

 

 

 

3.8 Dreaming in LA LA LAND

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For our 1st ep of 2017, Steve welcomes Kevin McLenithan (co-host, Seeing and Believing) to sing the praises of Damien Chazelle’s LA LA LAND! In a great conversation, they talk about the tension between nostalgia and reality as well as finding a balance between love and purpose. In addition, the guys also reveal their Top 3 Movie Moments of 2016!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.8 La La Land

A special thanks to Kevin McLenithan for coming on the show!  You can hear more from Kevin on the Seeing and Believing podcast with Wade Bearden and read his work at Christ and Pop Culture!

A Christmas Message

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Home AloneDecember is one of the few times of the year where people make it a point to gather around a television set and watch holiday movies.  This is just as much a tradition as putting up a tree inside the house, drinking egg nog, and moving a stuffed elf around the house for kids to find.  With Christmas movies, people have their favorite lines ready to shout out at a moment’s notice and often have a specific playlist that is pulled from in the days and weeks preceding December 25th.

Admit it: the Christmas season brings up memories of Clark Griswold decorating his home with 25,000 light bulbs, Flick sticking his tongue to a frozen flagpole, a pair of robbers constantly being foiled by an eight year-old, and a bunch of gremlins singing in a movie theater as they watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Buddy the elf has unique escapades in New York City, John McClane has his own adventures at the Nakatomi building in Los Angeles, Scrooge learns an important lesson in London, and George Bailey discovers that his life is truly a wonderful one in Bedford Falls. They sure do for me.

GremlinsBut at the same time, most Christmas films tend to focus on the themes of family and the acquisition of specific gifts from others (right, Ralphie?). Not to say that these are bad things in and of themselves, but they can become the main focus of the holiday—when there’s something way more significant to consider.

What Christmas is about is right in its name—Christ—and specifically His birth. Family was definitely around (thanks for sticking by Mary, Joseph) and gifts were eventually received from a bunch of wise guys.  But without Christ, Christmas simply becomes a time of gathering around the arrival of Santa Claus.

Its A Wonderful LifeOne of the things we hope to accomplish at ScreenFish is a different perspective on films—one that eventually comes back to Christmas. We may not like every film we see (okay; we don’t—and we’re honest about that), but there’s always something inside that points the way to Jesus and the truth of the Bible.  That includes films that not everyone will enjoy for one reason or another. Our hope and prayer is that something we share becomes a talking point in a mom’s gathering, in normal conversation, or around the water cooler. After all, the only thing on many people’s minds for the last ten days or so has been Star Wars—and people have found it quite difficult to keep that to themselves.  We hope the same thing happens as a result of a review we share and that discussion leading to a life rooted in faith would be the end result.

But for now, we’re thankful to each of you for supporting us as we continue down this road.  Keep the discussions coming!  And, as a reminder of the message of Christmas, here’s why we can even celebrate:

Foxcatcher: Wrestling with God

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Foxcatcher is as difficult to write about as it was to watch. I have seen it three or four times now, and it does not lessen the difficulty of watching such a tense and dramatic film. Despite that, it is a great film, deserving every nomination for every film award it got! There is no other film like it. Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo all gave outstanding performances.

The difficulty of watching this film is that it is true.

Foxcatcher is the story of John du Pont (Steve Carell) whose desire to achieve something on his own draws him to sponsoring the US Olympic wrestling team in the 1980s. Du Pont knows nothing about wrestling, but it does not stop him. From the moment we meet du Pont, though we barely recognize Carell, we know that there is something not right.

The same could be said about Channing Tatum’s Mark Schultz. The trophies and metals in his apartment seem to stand as a memorial to what was in Mark’s life. Mark goes from making a speech to elementary school students about the Olympics to making a speech (prepared by du Pont’s people) about the father-figure that John du Pont has become in his life. These speeches stand in contrast to where Mark’s life has taken him.

John du Pont seeks out Mark to achieve his vision of being a part of a winning team. There are hints that he goes to Mark to get to his brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), an experienced coach. In this attempt, John befriends Mark, making promises and sharing intimate stories. John sets himself up to be the father-figure that is missing in Mark’s life. Mark does not seek him out as a mentor; John positions himself to be such. On the way to the event where Mark is give a speech that John’s staffers wrote, John shares cocaine with Mark and teaches him how to use it. From there we see a decline in Mark.

There is something not right here.

Between the two of them, John and Mark fill the screen with emotional damage. This damage is so settled within their very core, that is difficult to see, yet it explains everything. After participating in drug use with John, Mark begins to change, which is depicted by his appearance. He dyes his hair and he dresses differently. He spirals into self-destruction.

Foxcatcher 2

After he loses a match that he should have won, Mark returns to his hotel room to grieve. What follows is one of the most intense scenes in the whole film. Without any words, the real wrestling in Mark’s soul is revealed.

Filled with anguish, Mark sends his head into a mirror, glass breaking. He orders carts full of food and stuffs his face. His nameless internal wrestling bursts forth. The fighting ends with Mark collapsing to the floor. This is how David finds him. Bloodied. Defeated. Full of carbs. The wounds can be bandaged. The carbs can be handled. David puts his attention on Mark’s battered soul.

In the shadows of the hotel room, Mark is curled up on the bed, with David bent over him. As they do when they wrestle, they become one lump. David says to his younger brother, “You’re not in this alone.”

When you are in your darkest moment, dwelling in the shadows of life, there is nothing more meaningful than someone whispering, “You’re not in this alone.”

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In the Hebrew Bible, Jacob wrestled with an angel (Genesis 32) all through the night. Some have suggested that the angel represented God and the wrestling was over whom God was calling Jacob to be: Israel – the father of a nation. In Romans 7, Paul describes a fight with himself – “I do the things I know I shouldn’t do and I don’t do the things I know I should do.” In Ephesians 6, Paul says that the struggle we go through is not one of flesh and blood, but one with the spiritual forces of wickedness.

We wrestle with God, with ourselves, and with forces of injustice. 

The beauty of the film is that it does not state the obvious. We do not know for certain why Mark is emotionally damaged. Nor do we know why John is, though the film leaves clues as to why they may be. So often that is the case. We see others wrestling with their inner selves, not knowing why. We can, however, say to them, “You’re not in this alone.”