It’s an old pic due to computer problems…but I put it because I wish I was there right now.

It’s funny that last year many critics and Internet wannabe-critics spent their time crying about the sorry state of the movie industry. It was certainly the year of the sequel…or more accurately the threequel since many movie franchises doled out their third installment (Pirates of the Caribbean, Spider-Man, Shrek, etc.). For the most part, these movies felt like they were created with the sole purpose of printing money rather than adding another epic chapter in what people would call stellar franchises. Crying from critics aside, theatres still made tons of money on these cookie-cutter affairs and have opened the door to keep these franchises rolling.

hile money is good, the compelling argument is that these movies provide little artistic value and will eventually be destined to the bargain bins in the next couple of years. The real crime, some would say is that these films take up so many screens that smaller titles that have more artistic merit are brushed aside, unable to be screened in many cities. There is some truth to this as not every small budget movie is a Canadian art-house film intended to have twenty-three secret meanings and will only appeal to approximately six people. There are some incredible titles such as ‘Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead’ that seem to have flown under the radar and not made an impact on the national consciousness because of its small amount of visibility. The argument against this is that the movie ‘Juno’ was also a small independent movie that found an audience leading to a growing demand to see the film on more screens. The movie broke the $100 million barrier and was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

I would look at it this way: if a movie is good, it deserves to be praised and shoved in people’s faces. Spider-Man 2 is a movie that should be promoted to death because it was an excellent film. Spider-Man 3 was awful and should be buried underneath the Earth’s crust never to be seen by humanity again. What irks me is that while the movie made some money in theatres, it’s all the tie-in products that netted Sony and its partners a kazillion dollars. The movie had to give up most of its revenue from theatres due to all the promotion and marketing surrounding the film. The movie could not only make $100 million because according to some estimates that between production and promotion, it cost the filmmakers half a billion dollars to make. The money is in the novelty products; action figures, collectable cups, spidey-boxers. Director Kevin Smith sites this when asked about his work on the Superman Reborn project in which he was told by the producer to write into the story certain elements that would sell toys.

Film should be about the film. It shouldn’t be about what you can buy to go along with the film. It trivializes the medium and lessens it as an artform. Thankfully, when the award hardware is handed out, these cash in films are rarely represented. One exception to that rule could be the new Batman movie. It fits the cookie-cutter formula perfectly; it’s a sequel, has had a massive marketing blitz, and there are plenty of toys to be bought. However, the producers made sure a viable and compelling script were included to ensure that the movie wasn’t to be destined for an “only good if you’ve got nothing better to do at 3AM” rating.

Then again, Shrek 4 is in production.

 

Montreal News

- The big news story in the city is still the shooting death of Fredy Villanueva by Montreal police. There is still uncertainty as to what took place last Saturday but both sides are demanding answersas the police are trying to clear the name of the force which some would say has been taking a pounding in the press while the grieving family want to know why their son was killed. Mayor Gerald Tremblay has been conducting press confrences all week where he avoid laying blame on either side but recognizes the tensions in Montreal’s various racially diverse communities where street gangs seem like the only option for some.

Canadian News

- An arbitrator here in Quebec has ruled against a Wal-Mart in Gatineau that effectively forces a collective bargaining agreementinto effect giving the workers at the auto-shop there major pay raises and other assorted benefits. While this may be good for the workers, some are concerned that Wal-Mart may close the store due to their anti-union history.

International News

- This could become a major focal point in the U.S. Election or it could be another Internet report that gets lost on its way to the American Heartland: Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, who is a close friend of President George W. Bush and who was the pastor at the wedding of one of Bush’s daughters, has publicly denounced Sen. John McCain for his conduct at a bike rally in Sturgis, ND. He has also gone on record praising Sen. Barack Obama.

Entertainment News

- In an effort to make Clue more hip to the young kids, Hasbro has changed the game up a bitby modifying the names of the game’s characters, changing the room names, and substituting some of the weapons for something more 21st-century (bye bye revolver). If Hasbro wants to get more kids to play their game, turn it into a Facebook application. Kids don’t care much for bored games anymore as much as I don’t care for them on my lawn.

Sports News

- Apparently, the Toronto Argonauts are not the only football team that has trouble filling Skydome Rogers Centre.