I was already going to see this movie but now I can enter the theater with a tail wind…
Nice article. I deliberately seek out art which is unpredictable and/or beyond my previous experiences. It’s the only way to live so thank you for voicing that sentiment.

I’m sick of hearing people say things like: “Oh, they’ve run out of ideas in Hollywood, they just keep recycling the same crap.” Hollywood’s never had any good ideas. They’ve always gone with what’s safe, marketable and predictable. Why do you think there were so many Elvis movies? It’s nothing new.

And yeah, for every 10 Elvis movies, there was a Dr. Strangelove. And for every 10 Saw films (they’ll probably go to 10), you’ve got The Wrestler, or There Will Be Blood, or Che, or any number of other visually arresting, intellectually stimulating films to go and see. You really think those types of movies are going to disappear?

Look at the film festivals held every year, with hundreds of fresh films every year, full of originality and well told stories. Not all of them are good to be sure, but most of these festival films aspire to be works of art, marketable or not. And a good handful of those go on to receive critical acclaim, a major deal, and a place in your local movieplex. That’s how A Serious Man got to there. Seems to me that there are more people out there making worthwhile films then there has ever been before.

You probably sit around and bitch about “kids nowadays” too, don’t ya?

I agree. Those two films are the definition of drama. If their not dramas then I do not know what is.

It’s a case of the ‘grass WAS always greener.’ Doesn’t matter the era, the older era was always better. A serious comparison of big budget, mainstream cinema/smaller budget, dangerous film throughout the history of the medium would find that things are now, as they ever were.

The claim that no drama has been a success in the past five years is beyond ridiculous no matter how narrowly you define the term drama (which, coincidentaly you neglected to do).

I am completely baffled as to how anybody could argue that Attonement was not a drama, same with Slumdog Millionair a film told in flashbacks of somebody being tortured and interrogated that involves scenes of somebody purposefully blinding children for money and rampant mob violence and prostitution.

And then… nothing. Why not? Because today Broadway and the West End is filled with nothing but musical adaptations of hit movies and musicals based on the songs of some hit pop act of the last thirty or forty years. And why is this? It’s because they sell, because they are risk free. People know what they are going to get, and they know they already like it, so why take the risk on seeing something new and untested that they might not like.

It’s sad. Undoubtedly the new guys are out there, the great shows are out there, and they are never going to see the inside of a major theatre because the cost of a mounting a production means that the risk-averse option is going to win out with the producers every single time.

These days you just can’t convince the larger number of moviegoers these days that a film that may challenge them to think even a little bit will be good for them. I read a piece by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone about 6 years ago where he decried Britney Spears’ presence at the Sundance Film Fest where she told a reporter “The films here are kinda weird, you have to think about ‘em while you watch ‘em.” Well, DUH!! Not surprising coming from a celeb who went to Park City merely because she wanted to attend what she thought would be the socialite event of the season. Her seat in the theatre or theatres she went to could’ve gone to someone who would’ve perhaps had something more intelligent to say.

I frequent the IMDB message boards often. My primary stop this year has been the boards for Watchmen, a film I despised (as a 20 year fan of the source material). I wasn’t at all surprised to hear all the praise that’s been heaped upon a film that to me was among the poorest adaptations of a graphic novel I’ve ever seen. But I’m convinced that everyone who showered the film with accolades were somehow hypnotized by the production, imagery, visual effects, etc. Never mind that the story was horribly lacking in depth, character development, story development, acting, etc.

All I keep hearing about is how movie-goers are annoyed to find that the movie they payed $10-15 to see was “predictable.” But if unpredictability is what we value in storytelling (and really, we should value this) then are pigeon-holed marketing schemes really going to attract the shrinking target audience? It’s no surprise that movies with viral marketing campaigns such as Blair Witch, Cloverfield, and even Paranormal Activity have had great success: viewers simply do not want all of their questions answered before they arrive at the theater.

I agree with your stance, though I think you don’t truly understand why filmgoers do indeed see movies in which they “know what they’re getting.” For example, if I go see a Mission Impossible film, I know there are certain elements to pull me in, as an action fan. That’s the target demo…plus female fans of Tom Cruise. Movie studios are built to make money and there’s nothing wrong with marketing to your target audience.

What I despise is movies that talk down to their audience, by pandering to the lowest common denominator. Films that are copycat and have nothing left to say. For example, this bizarre Hollywood notion of the “remake”, which is essentially to repackage a film from the recent past, even if it had been successful. I recently saw an ad for the remake of the movie, “The Stepfather.” Problem is, it was a perfectly solid little film made about 20 years ago, starring Terry O’Quinn from “Lost.” But I suppose it wasn’t seen by enough people. So, we have to get another one. Same deal with “Wicker Man”. I can’t think of one example where a remake was superior to the original…can you?

I knew nothing about “A Serious Man” before buying my ticket, except that the Coen Bros. directed and that there were no stars. That was enough for me. I suppose you could say I was a demographic as well…the indie film fan.

But I completely agree with you. Films like “A Serious Man” are an endangered species, likely to only find acceptance and an audience on DVD down the road. A shame…it’s quite a challenging little flick.

Keep up the good work.