Blockbusters and Biopics
I just finished working on a film where the director had an idea, but didn’t know how to make choices to execute it. Similarly, despite all our bashing of Hollywood blockbusters, Noel Murray makes a good argument over at the AV Club:
Not so long ago, the big summer blockbusters were being helmed by the likes of Roland Emmerich, Chuck Russell, Stephen Sommers, Simon West and Dominic Sena - all middling technicians with no clear vision - and Michael Bay, a visionary with no finesse. The movies were frequently sloppy, ugly, and dispiriting. By contrast, [Sam] Raimi (Spider-man 1-3) and [Gore] Verbinski (Pirates of the Carribean) make movies with personality, crafted with skill. Critics and film buffs may not like that personality, but they should at least appreciate that definite choices were made, by directors with a clear plan in mind. They’ve given us something intelligible to engage with.
It’s like the difference between arguing politics with a newspaper columnist and arguing politics with a Jerry Springer guest. Both may be an exercise in futility, but at least the former will give you a chance to use your wits, if you choose to take it.
On another note, I’ve noticed that the number of musician biopics has gone up since the success of Ray. Last year it was Walk the Line. This year we have La Vie en Rose (about Édith Piaf), Todd Haynes’s tangential Bob Dylan flick I’m Not There, Anton Corbijn’s Control about Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, and, of course, Across the Universe Julie Taymor’s Beatles extravaganza. Then in development are biopics on Janis Joplin (starring Zooey Deschanel), Miles Davis (Don Cheadle) and a project about Keith Moon, the Who’s drummer (starring Mike Myers). (courtesy of GreenCine)
alissa wrote:
my question is . . . why musicians? does it make a better movie because you can put performances and familiar music in? do you get a built-in audience that way? (i guess probably all of the above.)
just saying, you don’t see as many biopics on writers, or painters, or filmmakers. (hmmm.)
Posted on 05-Jun-07 at 3:35 pm | Permalink
katy~* wrote:
i’m not really sure “across the universe” should be put into the above list, as it does not look to be biopic in nature.
i am actually very much looking forward to that movie.
i believe the biopics about musicians create the modern-day musical, and are generally guaranteed to garner return in the box office, b/c the fans of the artists [along with those semi-exposed to a musicians' work] will almost certainly go see it. pretty much what you said, alissa~*.
there is a handful of biopics about writers and painters, but i’m led to believe those types of movies always end tragically, and therefore, aren’t made very often because of that. er…
;-).
~*
Posted on 06-Jun-07 at 12:53 pm | Permalink
Billie Cox wrote:
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Posted on 12-Nov-08 at 6:42 pm | Permalink