|
(Columbia Pictures) |
|
Some Hope for the Movies |
|
|
By Roger Simon |
|
How many times have you heard “The movies ain’t what they used to be”? A lot, huh? That’s because they're not. People don’t talk about movies much anymore, not the way they did 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago, or actually further back than that, when they were the center of the culture. I don’t even talk about them much myself and I used to write them. I’m still a member of the Writers Branch of the Academy and barely go. I will have some catching up to do if I intend to vote in the Oscars this year. Fortunately, they put all the films online for us. I did see “Oppenheimer,” which I liked to some extent, but it didn't pass the greatness test that its subject merited. For me, that greatness test is—at a minimum—that I would like to see the film again, maybe several times. “Casablanca,” “Godfathers I and II,” and virtually everything by Kurosawa and Fellini easily pass that test. I would add much of old-time Hollywood such as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Buster Keaton’s “The General,” The Marx Brothers (anything), “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” and, of course, “Lawrence of Arabia.” I could go on and on. You doubtless will have your own lists. What accounts for the decline? These days virtually everyone has some form of ADHD and few want to sit in a theater for the length of time it takes to view a movie, especially when most can watch them at home, while doing everything from playing a computer game to doing the laundry. Hardly a communal experience. Meanwhile, at least half the audience (likely a growing number at this point) is turned off by Hollywood’s “woke” worldview reflected in many of their movies, which is dreary in the extreme. One of the problems is that so many films lack a purpose, a reason for being, outside this woke orthodoxy. That accounts for the recent rise of Christian films in response. However, a few of them have the professional aesthetic standards we have come to expect, except for the extraordinary Mel Gibson who, despite his erratic personal life, imbues his superb films with high moral purpose. We want to see them. But there is hope, as I wrote in my title. It's coming from a group of people not more than 10 miles from me right now in Franklin, Tennessee. |
|
Was this forwarded to you? Sign-up for an all access digital subscription, or register for a free account. |
|
An unabashedly Christian group called the Kingdom Story Co.–led by the Erwin brothers (Andrew and Jon), plus Kevin Downes and Tony Young—has formed something of a mini-studio and is starting to make films with that high aesthetic standard. I have seen three— “American Underdog,” (struggling working-class guy becomes football star), “The Jesus Revolution” (true story of hippies turning to God—a big hit), and now, “Ordinary Angels.” While “Ordinary Angels” will be released in 2024, I saw it in advance with a small group of “influencers”—a term I’m not particularly fond of and connotes to me people selling shoes on TikTok—but I’ll go with the flow. The screening was arranged by Hank Erwin—formerly an Alabama state senator, the brothers’ proud poppa, and, well, the company “influencer in chief.” “Ordinary Angels”—like so many of their films based on a true story, this one from Louisville, Kentucky in the 1990s—recounts the heartbreaking tale of a little girl about to die from lack of a liver transplant whose life is saved, in part, by the devotion of a tenuously recovering alcoholic hairdresser who read about the girl’s travails in a newspaper. That woman—the ordinary angel—is played brilliantly by two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank. Alan Ritchson from the "Reacher" series also puts in a fine performance as the girl’s dad. Overall, the production, including Jon Gunn’s direction, is first-rate and matches anything done by Hollywood of late. Their films’ values were always fine, but each time, the aesthetic quality keeps improving. It seems too that the concern that established actors such as Ms. Swank had about appearing in “conservative” films is dissolving. One of the Erwin brothers said as much when I asked him about it after the screening. He also indicated the improvement in their productions was deliberate, the product of hard work over time and what I would call a form of self-instruction. Bravo to that. It has paid off and the Kingdom Story Co. now has something close to the coveted final cut (think Marty Scorsese) in their overall deal with Lions Gate, the global entertainment company, to distribute their films. “Ordinary Angels” will go out in 3,000 theaters in February, like a major production. While I applaud all manner of independent film production, including online, to have an impact, fictional movies belong in theaters where we can have that communal sensation of being with an audience that goes back, at least, to the Greeks. That's the real way to revive the movies. You, dear readers of this newsletter, are now “influencers” (at one remove) for “Ordinary Angels.” Once you see it in February, let me know what you think. That also, of course, goes for my new book “American Refugees: The Untold Story of the Mass Migration from Blue States to Red States,” which is being published next month but is available for presale. Let me know what you think of that, too. (I can take it.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
From the email:
Greg Joyner: “While I believe Ramaswamy and DeSantis are both viable candidates, just not in the current cycle, I think Christie has completely worn out his welcome and should stay out of politics permanently. As for Haley, I have seen her on video saying we can easily vet the Palestinians in Gaza and should allow them to come here. My personal opinion is if anyone thinks we can vet them safely and bring them here, then that person has no business being anywhere near the Oval Office. Vetting those in Gaza, half of which support Hamas, is simply impossible and a very naive view.” Cathy Yonkers: “I certainly enjoyed reading your opinion piece today. You state the obvious: our elections are too long, too expensive, and too corrupt. According to the usa.gov site, the process to elect our president takes nearly two years. That length of time allows for all three issues to exist. A similar problem of lengthy timeframe happens during congressional elections, too. Darlene Baker: “I enjoy your editorials very much and appreciate as well as applaud your stance on holding to one's own religious beliefs. So much evil has been done in the name of God, that it seems digging deep into our own beliefs would seem a better use of time and energy as opposed to attempting to convert others.” |
|
|
|
Thank you for being a subscriber
Your Feedback
We may feature an excerpt of your response in the next newsletter. |
|
|