It’s 2011, and that means another year chock full of sequels, remakes and, of course, another “Harry Potter” film. But what will the new year bring movie fans? WWTW checks out five key questions we’ll know the answers to on Dec. 31, 2011.
- Will 3-D go the way of … well, 3-D? 2010 started with “Avatar” raking in even more money than it did in 2009 and “Alice in Wonderland” making plenty of our cash disappear into the 3-D rabbit hole. But slowly audiences realized not all 3-D is created equal, and they didn’t like paying up to a $5 surcharge per movie ticket for the honor of seeing a movie’s credits hover in mid-air. The coming 12 months may make or break 3-D as a Hollywood cash cow. The novelty won’t fade away as it has in the past, so don’t throw out those Buddy Holly frames just yet. But if enough people reject the major 3-D offerings coming our way, or opt for the less expensive 2-D showings, we may see studios reserve the gimmick for genre pictures.
- Will audiences get sick of superhero films? Like men who dress funny while fighting crime? Well, 2011 will be Nirvana for you. The coming year promises “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Thor,” “X-Men: First Class,” “Green Lantern” and “Green Hornet.” More comic book films are already in the pipeline, but the spigot may run dry if these big-budgeted projects belly flop.
- Will VOD give fresh life to indie films? Movie goers who don’t live near art house cinemas had no chance of seeing “Get Low” or “Animal Kingdom” last year. But Video on Demand services made some quality indie films like “The Extra Man” and “Freakonomics” available to those with cable services like Comcast – often before they even hit theaters. Should consumers embrace the VoD model we’ll see more independent films hitting screens both big and small in 2011. That will change the fortunes of many talented young filmmakers whose work deserves to be seen.
- Can dormant franchises rise from the dead? The new year promises fresh installments of “Scream,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Spy Kids” and “The Muppets.” Will our nostalgia circuits kick in and bring these movie properties back to life? Or are there very good reasons we haven’t seen Fozzie Bear, Ethan Hunt and that masked slasher in ages?
- Can Mel Gibson become the new Comeback Kid? The “Lethal Weapon” star has two new films hitting theaters this year. First up – “The Beaver,” an oddity starring Gibson as a man who uses a puppet to help him deal with depression. “How I Spent My Summer Vacation,” which sounds like a madcap kiddie flick, is actually an action film about a prisoner (Gibson) who learns to survive jail thanks to a 9-year-old boy. Audiences can be a forgiving lot, but the echoes of those rage-filled Gibson phone calls will be hard to forget.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
1) 3-D will be around for awhile, largely because Samsung and the like are investing heavily in 3-D technology for home entertainment systems. The movies will be shoddy, but the effects will be sort of cool. I didn’t see much in 2010 that was better in 3-D. In fact, I hardly noticed the 3-D in “Tron: Legacy.”
2) I hope not. I wouldn’t even mind seeing a “Daredevil” reboot at some point.
3) I hope so. But I wonder about the audiences for such films through such films. Will these little gems find a wider audience? Or will the same people watch, using a different platform?
4) Depends on the franchise, don’t you think? I would expect a new Muppet Movie to do well among kids my son’s age, who’ve become acquainted with the Muppets through those amazingly successful YouTube videos. The Scream franchise, on the other hand, was already as post-modern parody of the played-out horror genre. What do you suppose they’ll do next? And how could it be better than the Saw or Hostel movies at sending up the genre?
5) No. Not for me, anyway. He’s done.
I). I hope so. I’ve seen some films, and some have been interesting, but I’ve yet to experience a film that totally floored my by the 3D effects. Avatar included. It is an enhancement, much like HD but not much more than that
2) Perhaps, but I still see audiences flocking to well known films like X-Men, Batman, and the like. When studios try to tap into a specific genre with limited appeal, they run the risk of losing. (Scott Pilgram, Jonah Hex, etc)
3) Again I hope so, but this won’t happen until the majority of people have VOD. And even then, they will need to know about the films before. But I hope they do.
4) It depends, if they stray too far from the source material, then no. If they stick to the core basics as to what made these films tick in the first place then perhaps. But I see the hollywood machine getting to them first and ruining the whole film. What gripes me is that later these insiders will shake their heads and wonder what went wrong.
5) Again, I hope so. Its a shame but he has way too much talent for me to write him off. I just hope he gets his act together.
“The Beaver” looks funny and his friend is helming the project. I say he’s got a good chance of a bounceback.
My question would be can Lindsay Lohan bounce back?
1) 3-D is a joke. No one wants it, except when it’s combined with IMAX for big event movies like Dances With Furries (sorry, I meant Avatar), but the studios keep forcing it on us. Another year or two and I think it’ll be gone.
2) I don’t think superhero movies are going away anytime soon. They’re making good money, and there’s plenty of untapped material in the comic book universe to keep bringing us fresh movie ideas for at least another decade.
3) I enjoy watching movies on demand, but until they expand their selection of viewable films, I don’t think it’s in danger of replacing DVDs.
4) If the quality of the reboot is good, I think any franchise be brought back. I never would have guessed that a Karate Kid reboot would be so popular, but they did it right: it was a highly entertaining family movie, with Jackie Chan and a crowd-pleasing ending.
5) Much as I’ve liked Gibson in the past, I think he’s done. Both the public and Hollywood are fed up with him and his antics. I don’t think he’s a bigot like some have said, I think he’s a drunk who says stupid things, but this time he’s torched his public image. The only thing I can’t figure out is, why does the even-worse Charlie Sheen keep getting a pass?
“…why does the even-worse Charlie Sheen keep getting a pass?”
Not to mention Roman Polanski, Alec Baldwin and others. Gibson needs to direct something–IN ENGLISH–that’s intense–BUT NOT GORY–that the public LOVE$$$. And then keep his mouth shut and let his work speak for itself, as he counts his money and spreads it around for others to make out of the box, anti-Hollywood Establishment movies.
VOD is great; I’ve watched things I never would have rented or gone to a theatre to see.
Nothing really to say on reboots and super-hero movies. What I’d like to see are remakes of films that didn’t work out the first time. Remember, it took 3 tries to get THE MALTESE FALCON right.
As far as 3D–and this goes for computer and hand-drawn animation, as well–I’d like to see films originally intended as straight ahead dramas or comedies given the 3D treatment. For instance, a sumptuously produced period drama, like Visconti’s THE LEOPARD, would blow your eye-sockets out in 3D. Or make a WWII actioner like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN in 2D animation or computer animation and you’d have an instant classic on your hands.
I wonder if Narnia 3 in 3D was actually hurt by it. After I’ve seen a couple of 3d movies and gotten over the effect, it was actually kind of annoying to have to put the glasses on again for Narnia. The world wasn’t emersive enough to really need the glasses and the effect not experience enhancing enough to pay the extra price. Add in the possibility that the folks most interested in Narnia would be religious conservative and less likely than most to go for the new trendy thing.