The top box-office films of this past year were The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King, Finding Nemo, The Matrix Revolutions and Elf. All are fantasies, and 3 heavily employ special effects and other film tricks and techniques. One, of course, is animated. Not one of them resulted in even an Academy Award nomination for acting. The acting was quite secondary to atmosphere and appearance.
When did we stop caring about people in films? When did people in film become background and accessories to things? In fact, there are no real people depicted in these films...all are animated fish, futuristic humanoid-types, hobbits and the like, and silly caricatures of people.
The last film my family truly savored was The Rookie (released in 2002), which featured everyday people and their sadnesses and losses, dreams and triumphs, forgiveness and kindness, set against a baseball background.
They say that film is a reflection of society (about 1 to 2 years in lag, due to the production process), and not vice versa.
Why don't we want to see these films anymore? The answer would provide a fascinating glimpse into our national soul these past couple years.
Send emails to DeborahWhite@UniqueRecipes.com.
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