Fahrenheit 2023

I have often discussed here the need for more original ideas when it comes to filmmaking. Even in the previous Brew discussing the Super Bowl commercials, it was hard not to get slightly dismayed by the number of movies that were sequels and reboots. But why are there so many sequels and reboots? Some of it is the fear that dominates much of the studio suites and wanting the built-in audiences that naturally come with reboots and sequels, but is that the only reason? I struggled to develop more than that until I read this piece from Law & Liberty from Dr. Richard Gunderman. 

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Gunderman opens his piece by discussing the distance between the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Ray Bradbury Center. For those who don't know, Ray Bradbury was a prolific writer of fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery stories. I first heard of him while watching the film Something Wicked This Way Comes, released in 1983, based on his short story and screenplay, and released by Disney of all places. Gunderman relates that Bradbury spent his life with books and believed it was the only real place to discover and truly open up your imagination:

"Bradbury spent his life with books, not because he was a bookworm but because he knew they are the best resources available to expand the human imagination. We can never become another person, but we can imagine how another person sees the world, feels about it, and wishes it would be. Imaginative literature allows us to glimpse the full range of human possibility, to consider how our lives might turn out if we pursued different paths, to ponder how it would feel to give in to and resist various forms of temptation, and what, ultimately, we aspire to contribute through our lives. It is impossible to become a good investigator, whether in the examination room, the laboratory, the classroom, or the boardroom without continually nurturing and developing one's imagination. We must imagine how life could be different before we can fully appreciate what it is. "

Gunderman's main point in his article is how important that aspect of imagination from diving into books is to becoming a good doctor. Still, it also applies to becoming a good executive and producer. That might be what is missing from our industry and our culture. The ability to dive into a book and activate those aspects of the imagination that Gunderman describes so well in the quote above is crucial to opening the creative elements of the brain. What better way to become a better visual storyteller than by reading those who do it so well in books? As I've mentioned before, the industry has become so isolated from its audience that it doesn't know how to make movies that will put butts in the seats, but it may also be that they've lost the ability to activate the imagination and expand it beyond what has been seen and done before. 

One of Bradbury's most famous books, Fahrenheit 451, is named after the temperature at which book paper ignites. It's a dystopian novel that imagines books being banned, and any discovered are burned by roaming "firemen." Although book burning is the story's main thrust, as Gunderman points out, it's more about killing the human imagination. Luckily, we are not at the point where Bradbury's vision of the world is a reality, but this wonderful medium of film and its creators, need to re-open their eyes to the power of books to open their imagination, or we're looking at Super Bowl movie ads in ten years with the same movies we just saw advertised in their fourteenth iteration or fifth reboot. God help us. 

Ant -Meh

The official kick-off to the next phase of the Marvel Universe: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania arrived with a bang: $106 million domestic opening and $121 overseas. Not too shabby, and then this past weekend happened. It dropped nearly 70% only to bring in $31.9 million. While still #1, this does not bode well for a solid run. Although not entirely a surprise, given the poor reviews and audience exits, Marvel has to be slightly concerned. This continues a trend that began last summer with the latest  Dr. Strange and Thor and now continues with Ant-Man: tepid reviews and audience reaction. The movies are still crushing it at the box office, but if these drops become regular, it will become more difficult for them to turn a profit. 

This may be why the Iger pullback on the Disney content machine may be a blessing in disguise for Kevin Feige and his team. They have been firing on all cylinders, churning out shows for Disney+ and movies for theaters. Now that a slowdown has been initiated, Feige and his team time can focus on ensuring the quality of Marvel films doesn't suffer as it so clearly has the last couple of years. Much like with James Cameron, I would never want to bet against Marvel, especially Kevin Feige, but there is something slightly off, and I prefer they whip it into shape before they start working on my beloved X-Men.

Pages from the Commonplace Book

Since we're on the subject of Ray Bradbury, let's stick with him in this week's Commonplace Book. From Fahrenheit 451:

 "Stuff your eyes with wonder. Live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories."

"Stuff your eyes with wonder." That quote should be on the top of every studio execs office. So get to stuffing, Hollywood; we can take only so many versions of the Fast and the Furious. 

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