Isn’t mindless entertainment what summer movies are all about? Some say no, including the folks at Pixar who delivered the nuanced, message-laden “WALL*E” two weeks ago.
My Washington Times feature examines whether or not modern audiences really want to turn their brains off this time of year. Should “WALL*E” continue to pile up the big bucks, and so far my prediction that the film would fade has been wrong-o, it could impact the movies we see in the Summer of ‘09.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
K 07.08.08 at 5:31 am
I assume you’re not using the default Hollywood meaning of “movie that makes you think”, which is essentially a euphemism for left wing message film.
That’s opposed to the “Challenging the viewer .. ” designation which is used to signify the ultra left wing message film.
But assuming that’s not what you mean, I will say that this summer, Wall-e certainly made me think. It made me think that the Pixar brand is so far up the curve right now that they can afford to indulge in deep ecology themes and a liittle Wal-Mart hate for good measure, and get away with it scott free.
cftoto 07.08.08 at 1:22 pm
I think the chances of a summer message movie, or any movie, straying from the ideological left are slim to none. So when attacking the subject I assumed the messages would be from the left and went from there … it’s simply where we are with Hollywood product right now.
And you’re right - the Pixar brand is so secure the studio felt confident enough to release its message-laden film to the public without fear of reprisal - from critics and audiences. And frankly the early box office returns validate its confidence.