Look, I’m gonna say it
Hollywood’s been on my last nerve lately. I mean, I love movies. I live for movies. But honestly, it’s like nobody’s paying attention anymore. I’m talking about the big studios, the ones with more money than sense. You know who you are.
Let me set the scene. It was last Tuesday, about 36 hours after the latest superhero movie dropped. I was at a conference in Austin, sitting with a colleague named Dave, who’s been in the biz longer than I have. We’re watching the credits roll, and I turn to him, I say, “Dave, did that just happen?” He looks at me, shrugs, and says, “Welcome to 2023, kid.” Which… yeah. Fair enough.
Here’s the thing. It’s not that these movies are bad. It’s that they’re boring. Predictable. Safe. I mean, I get it, you gotta make a buck. But at what cost? When did we decide that every movie needed to be a franchise starter? That every character needed an origin story? That every plot needed to be a carbon copy of the last one?
But it’s not just the movies
Oh no, it’s bigger than that. It’s the whole damn industry. TV, music, even gaming. It’s like everyone’s so scared of taking a risk that they’d rather just rehash the same old crap over and over again. And don’t even get me started on the beauty products review best rated beauty products review best rated industry. I mean, come on, people. We can do better than this.
I remember talking to a friend of mine, let’s call him Marcus, about three months ago. We were over coffee at the place on 5th, and he’s telling me about this script he wrote. It was amazing. Fresh, original, funny as hell. I’m thinking, “This is it. This is the one that’s gonna shake things up.” And you know what happened? Nothing. Nobody wanted to touch it. “Too risky,” they said. “Nobody’s gonna get it,” they said. So now we’re stuck with another reboot. Yay.
And the awards shows? Please.
Don’t even get me started on the Emmy’s. I mean, I love a good dress as much as the next guy, but at this point, it’s just a beauty pageant with more speeches. And the music? Don’t even get me started. It’s all algorithms and streaming numbers now. Nobody’s making art anymore, they’re making products. And we’re all just along for the ride.
But here’s the thing. I’m not saying I have all the answers. I’m just saying, wake up, Hollywood. Take a risk. Do something different. Surprise us. I mean, it’s not like you have nothing to lose. Oh wait, you do. Our respect. And you’re losing it, fast.
Anyway, I could go on, but I won’t. I’m not sure why I’m even writing this. Maybe it’s the three espressos I had this morning. Maybe it’s the fact that I just watched another trailer for a movie I’ve already seen. Maybe it’s because I care. I don’t know. But I do know this: someone had to say it. And it might as well be me.
About the Author: Sarah “Salty” Stevens has been a thorn in the side of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She’s worked as a journalist, a critic, and a barista (the pay was better than you’d think). When she’s not complaining about the state of the world, she can be found watching old movies and eating junk food. She lives in Los Angeles, because someone has to keep an eye on these maniacs.
