Movie Stars

[Leisher]

This article is a pretty interesting read. It's written by Bill Simmons, one of the most popular sports writers on the planet, and he's very big into pop culture.

Basically, he breaks down how our society currently inflates people into the role of "movie star" even though they aren't actual movie stars. Ryan Reynolds is the prime example used in the article. (He focuses on men in this article, indicating that a follow up on women could be in the works.)

His points about Ryan Reynolds are valid, and he paints Will Smith in an entirely new light that will have you finding new respect for him, while also losing some. (Smith is apparently a marketing genius.)

So who are the movie stars these days? What names (and stick with male leads just to stick with the article) sell tickets in your mind?

For me, the only film I've actually gone to a theater to see because of an actor was My Name is Bruce and that's because Bruce Campbell was doing a Q&A in the theater immediately following the film.

I don't think any actor has ever made me want to see a film just because they're in it...in the theater...I have rented films based solely on an actor being involved. For example, any movie with Statham, Willis, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, etc. might not get me into a theater, but I'll definitely rent it.

That being said, if a film has an interesting premise, having good actors can push my interest level enough to get me into a theater, but again, never just based on an actor alone.

[TPRJones]

So who are the movie stars these days? What names ... sell tickets in your mind?

There are a handful that fit this description: Eddie Izzard, Nathan Fillian, NPH, Henry Rollins, and Wil Wheaton to name a few.

I'm not entirely sure that's what he had in mind, but for me this is them. I'll go see movies with these people in that I would otherwise not be interested in. Names like Brad Pitt and Will Smith and Ryan Reynolds, they don't interest me in the slightest.

[Troy]

Ha, I read that yesterday and thought about linking it. What a great article.

All that stuff about Will Smith was really really interesting. I tried to talk to Cat about it and she refused to believe that Ryan Reynolds wasn't a movie star.

[TPRJones]

The problem is people in Hollywood equate money with quality. If a movie makes lots of money, it must be because it was a good movie with good talent in it.

Wrong. It probably made lots of money because of good hype or because of fraudulent advertising. If you really want to be able to use the boxoffice as an indicator of quality there is a way. Stop charging people for tickets on the way into the theater. Instead charge them on the way out, and they only have to pay if they thought it was worth it.

Hollywood would go broke in a few months. But at least then they'd be able to know what was good and what was shit.

[Malcolm]

Maybe people ought to stop seeing and paying for shitty, shitty movies.

[TPRJones]

The problem is people eager to go see it on opening weekend, before there's time to warn them away.

It's very rare that I go see something when it opens. I think the last time was Phantom Menace, which killed any urge to see premiers. Hell it was about two years after that before I even went to see anything before it came out on DVD it was so bad.

[GORDON]

Went to Transformers 3 opening night, since my 5-year-old boy loves the franchise.

I was surprised by how packed it wasn't.

But generally I skip opening nights any more, both to read the first reviews on the internet (I avoided the suck of Sucker Punch that way), and miss the opening weekend crowds, which I have less tolerance for as I get all aged.



Edited By GORDON on 1309572449

[Malcolm]

I was surprised by how packed it wasn't.

Maybe their assholes are still sore from the previous one.