Has Hollywood Run Out of Ideas?

Is Hollywood running out of original ideas? Sometimes I think so, but occasionally my mind is changed. It has been a very long time since I have seen something with no familiar plot devices or story elements, something that is truly original, creative and innovative. However, some have come close. Avengers: Infinity War would be an example to this as I consider it more than a regular film, because nothing of that scale has ever been done before. Besides that, 2018 had a couple other instances of attempts at original material. Hereditary was, in my opinion, another piece that brought many new things to the horror genre, like psychological bombardment, and using real life events to absolutely emotionally wreck you as opposed to paranormal elements attempting to spook you. But act three decided to devolve into a jump scare ridden mess and diverging away from what made the rest of the film great.

These are just a couple examples. A director that I believe has a bright future ahead of him and a wealth of ideas for future films is Jordan Peele, director of Get Out, and more recently, Us. While I enjoyed Get Out much more than Us, both films succeeded in being very original, creative and bringing forth very interesting concepts. Jordan Peele has been heralded as creating an entirely new sub-genre of thriller, known as social thrillers. Social thrillers are stories that are told with real life issues being kept in mind. Get Out tells a story that is representative of African American oppression in the US. Absolutely skin crawling soundtracks and horrifying cinematography are implemented by Peele to tell his stories.

While truly great films have come out over the last 20 years, I feel as though everything is at least somewhat derivative, and that can mean only one thing, that the film industry has run out of original ideas, and the only thing that matters now is making money by utilizing CGI to dazzle the audience. Storytelling has taken a backseat to expensive and over the top special effects.

An interesting thought that I take into account is the fact that Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park, and Forrest Gump, and The Shawshank Redemption were all in theatres at the same time in 1994. I consider all of these films very original and among my favourites of all time. The 90s was the last golden age of film in my opinion, and I don’t know if we can ever get back to that. One can dream.

Review - Alien: Covenant 6.5/10 QUICK REVIEW

Alien: Covenant was a good movie visually, but in terms of storytelling, it fell short. The film was meant to expand upon what its predecessor Prometheus established. The engineers, the deacon, the origin of the xenomorphs, all things that Prometheus set up were seemingly dropped in favour of an action packed science fiction blockbuster. I don't hate Prometheus as much as other people, I actually don't think it's that bad. It's a superior movie to Covenant. I just hope that the third entry in this new series of Alien films will tie it all together to make Covenant a better film than it currently is.

Streaming Services Harming the Film Industry?

I've been thinking a lot lately about films like The Cloverfield Paradox and Bright. Netflix has allowed filmmakers to create very mediocre movies because the viewership will inevitably be there. The days of going out to the theatre and paying money to see individual films are coming to an end. Why leave the house and spend money when you can just watch something on Netflix for no cost other than your subscription? I'll use Adam Sandler as an example for what I mean. Sandler has released his last few films on Netflix as opposed to theatres, and it has proven to be a much better outlet for films of that quality. None of his films are winning any awards, and low quality work can thrive on Netflix when people are bored enough to watch it. I'm guilty of it, I'll admit it. I watch crap movies on Netflix when I'm bored, and that's a huge problem that'll continue to plague the film industry. Just some thoughts I had today.

It Comes at Night - Review - 7.7/10 *SPOILERS*

I managed to watch It Comes at Night last night when I should have been sleeping (school's rough). I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was highly praised by classmates of mine. It was my understanding that most people who saw it last year had a lot of negative reactions to it, so I didn't really bother. However, after seeing it on Netflix, I can honestly say, it did not deserve the hate that it received. The problem that led to it's generally negative response was the marketing. It was marketed as a generic horror movie, when in reality it is a psychological thriller with a few elements of horror. It takes place in a world where an unknown illness that has been implied to have wiped out much of the human race. That isn't the point though, the sickness isn't the focus of the story. It is a smaller and well contained story surrounding two families that end up having to share a house and work together to make a life in this new world. Travis, played by Kelvin Harrison Jr., is the 17 year old who is arguably the main protagonist of the film. He's plagued by nightmares that form metaphors for events going on in the real world, and these visions he has help to progress the story by giving a sneak peak into upcoming events. The movie has an excellent story, a solid cast, and really cool ideas presented to the thriller genre, but ultimately, it's downfall came from the false marketing of what the movie was, subverting audiences expectations for what kind of film they were going to see. I give the movie a 7.7, a win in my books.

Merely a Setback...

Lots has been going on in the last couple months, in both my personal life and professional life. I know I'm always saying I'll update this blog more often and I don't, but I MEAN IT this time. School, for the most part, is going well. I failed my camera practical exam, but as Kael'thas Sunstrider once said, "It is merely a setback." I continue to work on my writing, editing, and camera work in the hopes that one of those avenues will turn into a potential career for me. The dream is, and always will be, to make movies. That is my ultimate goal, and which form that takes is still up in the air. I will post videos, scripts, and edits that I create on this blog, so for those who peruse this page, you have much to look forward to.

Regards,
Conner.

Week Two

Successfully finished my first two weeks at BCIT. So far, I've learned how to operate a $12,000 camera, and also somehow managed to hit my head on a different $12,000 camera. Other than that, I'd say things are going good, classmates are all cool people, and I'm really looking to spending the next two years filming videos and suffering through editing with them. Things are looking good for the future and I'm really happy about it.

School

Well, I'm down to the final days before I head off to school. I'm nervous and excited at the same time, it's awful. For real this time, I'm going to keep this blog as up to date as possible and share some of my projects on here. I might be helping start up and run a comedy YouTube channel just for fun, so that's something. Anyway, just updating this so it looks like I still use it.

Have a great week of work/school everybody, and God bless.

Video Production

So I thought before I start school in September, I'd try my hand at amateur film making in the meantime. Hoping to put out some cool vlogs and other videos of that nature from my adventures this summer. If I can get my screenplay finished once and for all, I 'd also like to see if I can make that happen.

Anyway, here's the link to my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIbFqIIq_5wa9XTm1VACe3Q

I'll try to keep this blog as up to date as possible, but you can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram to keep updated on anything I create and post: @connerm96

The future looks bright, and I hope you'll join me and be a part of it.

Review - Arrival 4.5/5 *SPOILERS*

               Arrival is far from your average science fiction alien movie. This is a film that calls into question how we as a race deal with potential threats, and how we would and should react in the event of an extraterrestrial threat. It bears witness to stellar performances by Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker. All I can say is that I believe this movie landed a spot in my top 30 movies of all time for sure. It was the best movie of the year so far, in my opinion. I have yet to see Hacksaw Ridge, but I think Arrival definitely takes the cake.
               What I really liked about this movie, was how simple it was kept. If you're looking for an action-packed, high octane war movie about an alien invasion, look elsewhere. This is an alien movie for scholarly folk. The aliens are referred to as "Heptapods" due to their seven legs. twelve ships manned by these tentacled creatures show up as different places around the world. Nothing is known about them at first, they simply float in the skies above the countries they decided to reside over. A global investigation ensues to figure out what these ships are, how they got there, but most importantly, what is their purpose on Earth.
                Amy Adams plays the linguistics professor, Dr. Louise Banks. She was brought in by the U.S. Government to attempt communication with the aliens by boarding a ship every 18 hours through a hole that opened up. She is joined by Jeremy Renner's Ian Donnelly, a mathematician who will try and figure out technicalities of the alien ship and learn more about their technology. They form a close friendship over the course of the film.
                The cinematography and score of this movie is truly spectacular. Some of the best shots in an alien invasion film I have ever seen were done for this. This movie moved me emotionally. The music and feelings are felt by Louise, as most of the film is from her perspective and her motivations drive the plot. This movie managed to entertain and hold my attention, as well as be a beautiful peace of art, which is rare for me. I get bored easy.
                Director, Denis Villeneuve outdid himself with this. Another piece of his work is Prisoners, another favourite of mine, and you can really feel the same emotions in both films. It was scored by Jóhann Jóhannsson and he did a truly outstanding job. Absolutely the movie of the year.
                So did this movie fit my two most important categories? In both writing, adapted from Story of your Life by Eric Heisserer, and entertainment viability, this movie earns two thumbs up from me. Sci-fi fans and average movie goers alike NEED to see this film.

Arrival - 4.5/5
             

BCIT Acceptance

So I was recently accepted into the Television and Video Production program at BCIT. Finally deciding what I wanted to do with my life and taking this first step gave me the most freeing feeling. Being able to walk onto a film set knowing the basics of every role will be an excellent skill to have. Starting small obviously, but the dream is showrunning my own Netflix science fiction anthology series. If I can get there, that would be simply incredible. I'm feeling truly supported by friends and family and I have a great feeling about this next chapter in my life. Screenwriter and director is my dream job, and I pray to God I get there someday.

Short Horror Film

So I have a screenplay for a short horror film in the works. It'll be 5-10 minutes long.

Written and directed by me, some creative help from Mr. Keith Wise, and a couple people in mind to be on my cast and crew. If anyone reading this wants to get involved, give me a shout, I want this to be as successful as possible for my first foray into true film making.

I'll try to keep this blog updated as much as possible on the progress I'm making.

Have a good day, and God bless.

We Need More WW2 Movies

               War movies, specifically World War 2 movies, have some of the best titles in history. Saving Private Ryan is on my ever changing "top ten movies of all time" list. My number one favourite movie of all time is Inglorious Basterds, which isn't necessarily a war movie, but a Second World War era film. The only memorable WW2 movie in recent years that I can think of is Fury, with Brad Pitt and Shia Labeouf. Fury was pretty good, if I remember correctly. Not too many in the last few years would be my point here.

               Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is swiftly approaching, and Tom Hanks' Greyhound is apparently in development, we have great stuff to expect. Yet, I still feel there is a gross void of WW2 movies in today's market. So many stories could be utilized, and still others could be invented.

               If I ever make it in the industry, I fully plan on helping to make some truly great WW2 films.

Lack of Original Content in Hollywood

It's truly disheartening to see how movies are these days. While there are some who keep putting out original and excellent stuff, most films these days are reboots, and sequels. If I see the horrendous Ghostbusters reboot spawn a franchise, I give up. Nobody comes up with anything original anymore, not saying I'm any different, but come on, I could do better than some of these big time writers running around today. People who have no business being in the director's chair are planted firmly in it, and nobody can write a plot that makes any damn sense anymore. Unrealistic events and characters run rampant.

Point is, I feel there should be more original work being done, even if it's heavily inspired by something else. An original movie can be very similar to another one from the past, as long as the writers are competent and bring their own version of storytelling to it. I'm just tired of the ceaseless rebooting of movies from the 80's and 90's being done today.

Anyway that's my rant for the day. Have a good day everyone.

Thoughts - September 11th, 2016

It's certainly been too long since I've posted anything.

Couple of things I want to address:

1. I have movie reviews for Suicide Squad, Morgan, and Sully in progress

2. A friend of mine started a gaming channel, just giving him a shoutout: Wondergaming.

3. Starting to think about getting a YouTube channel running to create content such as short films, movie talks, and hopefully take my sci-fi crime thriller into a fully fledged web series.

Movies are my passion, and writing and directing is going to be my focus going forward. Great things are happening, I can feel it.

Review - Nerve 3.5/5

            I went into Nerve hoping to see a pulse pounding thriller, and it did not disappoint. Emma Roberts, who I feel is a highly underrated actress, pulled off her classic character trope of a shy and withdrawn teen named Venus, or V, wishing only to keep herself under the radar. Following her story, I grew to actually care about her as a character, worrying for her more and more as she came across increasingly challenging dares for the game of Nerve. Dave Franco portrayed an excellent polar opposite to Roberts as Ian, an adrenaline junkie with a dark past that isn't revealed until late in the film. The feats that these two accomplish together had me closing my eyes or cringing while on the edge of my seat more than once.
            V starts off as a quiet and introverted teenage girl, who is thrust into Nerve by the sudden realization that she's not the most exciting person in the world. Her friends describe her as basically a sidekick, and she sets off to prove that she has an edge, even if that edge hasn't exactly manifested itself yet. Against the wishes of her peers, she teams up with Ian and the pair undergo challenges that gradually increase in difficulty, until the drama and pressure placed on her become too much.
            Ian counters V at every turn in terms of personality traits, and that's what attracts them to each other. The bad boy effect begins to take hold of V, and with Ian's influence, she becomes a true daredevil. The viewer begins to care about the duo, and love them together. The on-screen chemistry between Franco and Roberts wasn't the greatest, but it was definitely enough.
            As always, I look at a movie and grade it on three things; did it make sense, did it serve its intended purpose, and was it entertaining.
            As far as plot and character development, I had no problem with this film. The events made sense as they passed and continued on to the next, and the characters gradually were placed in different positions than they were at the beginning of the movie without being rushed.
            Nerve was intended to be a nail-biting thriller, and it was just that. The excellent direction by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman delivered a heart-pounding experience that truly made me scared for each of the characters.
            I was utterly shocked at some of the stunts V and Ian had to pull off, each one was a surprise, and some had me wanting to pass out from the sheer anxiety that would come from the stunts they pulled. The movie definitely did entertain me, and kept my attention the entire duration


Overall, Nerve is a solid movie for regular viewers and adrenaline junkies alike.
It receives a solid 3.5/5 from me.

Nadine's Quirks and other Perks

I've known Amy my whole life, and seeing all the cool stuff she creates is just awesome.

Everyone should check out her page, Nadine's Quirks and other Perks . The artwork she posts and talks about is just great, and I'd love for more people to support her.

Graphic Novels and Comic Books

So I'm starting to work on a graphic novel idea I had. Well, it's just going to be a story for now, whether or not it ever reaches graphic novel form is unknown at the moment. The idea is a science fiction crime thriller that will consist of four parts, and follow the story of an ex-soldier and physically enhanced warrior who fought in a great war between an alien empire and the human colonies in the Andromeda Galaxy. Now living in a post war, dystopian society, he leads a resistance with his brother against the government left in charge of the colonies. However, what happens when freedom fighting becomes terrorism, and the people longing for a greater world become anarchists. He struggles with this idea while slowly coming into conflict with his brother and the very ideals he once fought for. Dealing with the aftermath of his telekinetic abilities slowly destroying his mind.

This is what I'm going to be working on currently, and I hope to turn it into something truly great.

No Words - Freewrite

Yes, I'm finally getting back on the horse with this damn blog. Here's a freewrite coming from a post on /r/WritingPrompts.

          There she was, as elegant as ever, ravishing even in an over-sized hoodie and sweatpants. Her glasses sat crooked on her face, and she bore a slim smile on her face, as always. Her hair partially hidden under a beanie, she walked to the back of the shop and ordered the same regular cup of coffee she did every morning. She was that kind of girl. 

          She sat on the sofa across from me and we exchanged smiles. She got to work immediately, finishing that paper that was due Thursday in her psychology class. Her organization was impeccable, yet marked with disorder. There was a method to her madness, no matter what she did. Her stressful life was a facade for serenity. She was that kind of girl.

          Maybe I was crazy, but it felt like I knew her beyond this coffee shop, like we had shared a history. Good and bad memories flooded my head, that I knew had never even happened. She was an enigma, an unsolvable puzzle in the very centre of my life. She was the reason I came to this coffee shop every morning, just to see her. She was that kind of girl

          I smiled, finished my coffee, and made for the door. As i walked past her, she grabbed my arm. I looked down at her and she stared right back at me. 

          "Hi, I'm Emily." Her first words to me. It was a long time coming, but she did what I had never realized I wanted to do. She beat me to it. She was that kind of girl.

This honestly made me tear up.

Star Wars VII Characer Reveal - Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke

Serkis in the image capturing studio

Well, today it was finally announced who Andy Serkis would be playing in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Serkis will fill the role of Supreme Leader Snoke.

Now, to me, this sounds like the name of a villain, and my prediction of what this character will be is the new "Emperor" figure for the new trilogy, acting as leader of the Empire - now known as the First Order - and being the one who took over after the death of Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.

Serkis has somewhat of a history of roles as secondary villains in movies, and this Supreme Leader could be the one signing Kylo Ren's cheques.

These are just my few thoughts on this reveal, and I think bringing Serkis onto a project of this magnitude was an excellent move. I'll probably talk about more Star Wars stuff in the future so stay tuned.

Godspeed, and may The Ancients watch over your travels.
Conner