DON’T PANIC: That quick look at the movie listings is not a true indicator of the state of Cinema. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, the world film industry is as healthy, more diverse and certainly more stimulating than at any time in history.
They Shoot Bad Movies, Don’t They?
First of all, if we follow the general route of the Internet and limit our discussion on the current state of Cinema by primarily spotlighting the most commercial and (not coincidentally) the most egregious offenders of qualitative standards, then the entire line of thought has already been rendered moot. Does anyone who is foolish enough to support Hollywood’s general deadening of active thought by paying dearly with both money and time to attend a third, fourth or fifth installment of an empty computer generated whiz-bang bauble really deserve any better than they get? It’s similar to stripping down and jumping into a cactus patch, only to later complain that it hurts. The results are both
predictable and far outside any reasonable entitlement for sympathetic response. Isn’t it possible that many of the people who seem magnetically attracted to the flotsam of Hollywood and who are using the excuse that they are compelled to stay updated with and must report on the quality of the weekly Hollywood franchise chapter, 3-D offense or artificially enhanced IMAX con, actually enjoy them, but protest loudly after the fact merely to disguise their embarrassment over what, by many, would appear as a regressive lack of judgment? Hollywood has always been a producer of insulting and moronic product and it takes the sensible mind to weed out the useless from the worthy. But what is the cause of such attraction? Is it simply that works that are more challenging demand too much concentration, analysis and sheer thought, while the CGI infused cinema is complimentary to the lazier, and more common, conceit of movie reviewing as opposed to film criticism, allowing such noxious offenses as a simpleton “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down” mentality to ease the audience away from a more substantial and rewarding artistic experience? This requires a human characteristic which has become unfashionable and antiquated ia world of increasingly disposably regarded culture: it is something that used to be called taste.
To read the complete editorial, click the following link to: https://chandlerswainreviews.wordpress.com/notes-on-the-critical-establishment/
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