Monday, January 27, 2014

Fixing "FROZEN." Yes the Disney Hit is Great but Could Have BeenGreater.



WARNING: Mild spoilers ahead! If you're one of the three people on Earth who have yet to see "FROZEN," please proceed with caution! I try to avoid mentioning major plot points, but we all define the word "spoiler" differently, so you've been warned!! By continuing to read this, you absolve me of all responsibility for possibly ruining the movie for you! That said, I don't think I will...

So, I really enjoyed the Disney's latest CG animated movie. It really resonated with me in a few ways that I suppose I should be embarrassed by--what with me being a male who is thoroughly into adulthood. However, there were some huge problems with that film. Three, to be exact--three missed opportunities with story, humor and music.

I'll start with the part that I am least qualified to criticize--the music.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Hello world! This is the blog where I save Hollywood one post at a time!

What's this blog about?  Didn't you read the title of this post? Well, this is the blog where I teach Hollywood, if it wants to show up for class, how to save itself.  Right now, Hollywood (and really the entire traditional entertainment industry) is trapped in a death spiral.  To fight the digital world of new media, Hollywood is casting it's net wider and wider, trying to appeal to the most people by being as safe, bland, unchallenging and as inoffensive as possible.  This is the wrong way to go.

The right way is by telling good stories.  The guys behind <em>BOARDWALK EMPIRE</em> and <em>BREAKING BAD</em> know this.  (I'm not yelling, we're supposed to type titles in all caps in the Industry--don't ask me why.)  So, why do so many shows and movies fail in the box office or succeed but still fail to be any good at all?  Good question!

I don't know.

What I do know is that no one can blame you for making a TV show or movie that tells a story well--whether it makes money or not isn't your fault--unless it's a terrible story.  And I see this happen all the time in movies and TV shows.  Everyone wants to make a film or show that everyone wants to watch.  Read this blog and it will teach you how to do it.

Or are you too scared?