Top Grossing Films by Year (filmsite.org/boxoffice2.html)
2000: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
2002: Spider Man
2003: The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King
2004: Shrek 2
2005: Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith
2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
2007: Spider Man 3
2008: The Dark Knight
2009: Avatar
Three superhero sagas, two green men and not a single original film. The American people demand sequels, threequels, remakes and reimaginings. Even Avatar is nothing more than a remix: part Pocahontas, part Dances with Wolves, all special effects vehicle. We want familiar fantasies with easily identifiable good guys and bad guys, with caped crusaders and loveable sidekicks, with magic and spaceships and pirates. We want 3D goddammit. Because reality is depressing. Because in 2000 we had widespread suspicions of electoral fraud in Florida. Because 2001 the towers fell and we rushed into Afghanistan. Because in 2003 we “liberated” Iraq and the Space Shuttle Columbia crashed into the earth. Because in 2005 the levies broke. Because in 2007 Wall Street voodoo brought the economy to a grinding halt. Because in 2008 a young man at Virginia Tech woke up one morning and shot his classmates. Because every time we flick past the morning news we are faced with these stories. These incomprehensible stories. And every morning I wish for some sort of clear cut answer, for a Voldemort, a Darth Vader, a Grinch. I pray for a cackling maniac dressed in a black cape that I, that we can point to and say, there, that’s him, that’s the bad guy.
No comments:
Post a Comment