Are The Most Popular Films The Best Films?

This is a paper I wrote comparing the Canadian and American film industries. It outlines some of the specifics on whether or not a Canadian-made film could ever reach blockbuster status within the industry.

Movie Comparison

James Cameron’s “Titanic” is the highest-grossing movie of all time, cashing in with approximately $1.8-billion in box office sales. In comparison, Canadian made “Bon Cop, Bad Cop” barely broke even with an approximated $12.7-million.

In their respective countries, both movies have achieved the top spot as the highest grossing film in the box office. However, “Bon Cop, Bad Cop” is speculated to be the third highest-grossing Canadian film in history; losing out to the 1970s comedy “Porky’s” due to inflation.

Even though it was a success in Canada, “Bon Cop, Bad Cop” failed to reach the kind of recognition “Titanic” achieved in 1997. When comparing the films statistically, it is hard to speculate whether or not “Bon Cop, Bad Cop” even had the makings to be as successful if given the same opportunity “Titanic” had.

Below details some of the figures for each film.

Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006)
Production Budget (USD) = $8-million
Worldwide Box Office Sales* (USD) = $12.7-million
Widest Release = 260 theatres
Awards = 5 wins & 20 nominations
Average Review Rating (As seen on Rottentomatoes.com) = 6.1/10 (Counting 6 reviews)

Titanic (1997)
Production Budget (USD) = $200-million
Worldwide Box Office Sales* (USD) = $1.8-billion
Widest Release = 3,265 theatres
Awards = 11 Oscars, 76 wins & 48 nominations
Average Review Rating (As seen on Rottentomatoes.com) = 7.3/10 (Counting 95 reviews)

* The information presented does not include aftermarket revenue and has not been adjusted for inflation.

With box office sales being used as a tool for film comparison, numerous aspects should be taken into consideration when comparing Canadian and American films alike.
1. Economic inflation.
2. Opening on a weekend against strong competitors.
3. The size of the marketing campaign.
4. Credibility of the filmmaker and production company.
5. In Canada, due to economic and distribution issues, theatres will often choose films that are more likely to generate money over ones that wouldn’t, giving Canadian films little opportunity for success.

Critical Acclaim

Depending on the filmmaker, the definition of success may vary. Some may seek the approval of established figures within the film industry, while others will look to the box office and their audience. Still, a movie that has received rave reviews from critics may have done poorly in the box office and vice-versa.

Critics are often people already of the film industry, which can be viewed as highbrow by some. For this reason, a number of filmmakers prefer to base their film’s success on box office sales and audience feedback. This gives the filmmaker positive reinforcement and the financial means to continue making films.

Popularity

Before a movie opens, a marketing campaign is put into motion. Trailers, websites and actors appearing on talk shows are just a few ways studios build hype for their film. Studios spend copious amounts of money on advertising to help make their films as attractive as possible before the audience has a chance to view it. After the opening weekend, the film then lives on through word-of-mouth. Now having seen the movie, the audience quickly spreads their opinion on to family and friends. A simple text message or a full review on a blog can potentially make or break a movie after its opening weekend.

Using pop-culture and capitalizing on currently popular themes also helps to keep a studio’s film marketable after the initial hype has died down. This is seen in the current vampire craze among young-adults, which taps into a pre-existing audience, set off by Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series. Vampires, and the lore surrounding them, have been retrieved from pre-existing material. However, a series of films are scheduled for release, with two already available, which will take advantage of the popularity surrounding the series. In addition, a slew of copycat content has followed suit with the likes of “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Vampire’s Assistant”.

Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Cannes Film Festival and Music Television (MTV) are a few types of diverse organizations that host their own brand of award show. Each respective award has its own distinct style and audience. Whether one award is more influential than another is subjective. However, the general consensus leans toward the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, as being the most prestigious.

As mentioned above, movie awards can be seen as subjective. Consider MTV and the programming they provide. MTV draws a young audience by utilizing current trends and popular culture. As part of it, advertisers market their must-have products to the channel’s impressionable age group, helping create the MTV brand. Naturally, when the award show arrives the nominees end up being the most popular among their target audience regardless of the film’s quality. Because of this, the MTV Awards have little influence over the success or failure of a film.

On the other hand, the Academy Awards carry the title of being the most influential among award shows. Simply winning an Oscar can drive up ticket and DVD sales. Nevertheless, the Oscars are not without faults. Despite raking in approximately $1.1-billion at the box office worldwide and having an average rating of 8.5 out of 10 (as seen on Rottentomatoes.com), they excluded 2008’s “Batman: The Dark Knight” from nomination.

The Academy Awards have the stigma of being extremely political. Some people suggest that the committee is filled with elitists due to their criteria for member entry. Ty Burr gave his opinion in a Boston Globe article saying, “The Oscars are in fact a popularity contest designed not to award good movies but movies that make the film industry look good.”

Final Thoughts On Critical Acclaim, Popularity & Awards

They say Canadian cinema is cinema with heart, but even heart can’t win out against Hollywood. With American studios fronting blockbuster films with massive budgets and paying even more on marketing them, Canada has little hope of ever finding a place in American cinema. Each country’s style of cinema is radically different, with Canada’s being artistic and America’s appealing to a mass audience.

When looking at the numbers for “Bon Cop, Bad Cop”, you can clearly see that the film didn’t stand a chance compared to “Titanic” in the box office. The funding for Canadian movies does not exist; limiting what a film can and cannot do. No matter how much acclamation and attention the film received, “Bon Cop, Bad Cop” still did not have the financial means to market their film.

Once again, money seems to be the deciding factor on whether or not a film will become a success. Critical acclaim, popularity and awards are all icing on the cake, which help an already established film reach atmospheric heights. With the Canadian film industry not having the means to compete with Hollywood, Canada will continue to be hard pressed in the highly competitive film industry.

Bibliography

"All-Time USA Box Office." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Amazon. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. .

"Bon Cop, Bad Cop - Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information - The Numbers." The Numbers - Movie Box Office Data, Film Stars, Idle Speculation. Nash Information Services, LLC. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. .

"Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - Awards." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 26 Nov. 2009. .

"Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - Box Office Mojo." Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. .

Burr, Ty. "The Oscars still wobble on an axis of art and popularity - The Boston Globe." Boston.com. The New York Times Company, 22 Feb. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. .

"Canada's Awards Database." The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television - Promoting, Celebrating, and Recognizing Canada's Film and Television Industries - L'Acad. Web. 26 Nov. 2009. .

Canadian Press. "CTV News | 'Bon Cop' passes 'Porky's' on all-time box office." TV, Video and News - Catch up with full episodes - CTV.ca. CTVglobemedia, 11 Oct. 2006. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. .

Dwyer, Sean. "Bon Cop Bad Cop Becomes Most Successful Canadian Movie Of All Time - Film Junk." Film Junk Blog And Podcast. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. .

Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche. Dir. Jill Sharpe. By Gabriela Schonbach and Katherine Monk. Moving Images Distribution, 2004. DVD

Leipzig, Adam. "FILM; How to Sell a Movie (or Fail) in Four Hours - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. The New York Times Company, 15 Nov. 2005. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. .

"Rotten Tomatoes: Movies - New Movie Reviews and Previews!" ROTTEN TOMATOES: Movies - New Movie Reviews and Previews! IGN Entertainment, Inc. Web. 22 Nov. 2009. .

Stevens, Jim. "Blackflix.com: Movie Awards: What Do They Mean." Blackflix.com - African American Movie Stars, Reviews, Interviews And More! Blackflix.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. .

Vivian, John, and Peter J. Maurin. The Media of Mass Communication. Fifth ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. Print.

Paris Hilton: The Selling of Celebrity

Here's a paper I had to write on Paris Hilton, the selling of celebrity and it's concepts back in September of this year. You can check out the video Paris Hilton Inc, which details the basis of the paper here: Paris Hilton Inc: The Selling of Celebrity

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Historically, entertainment shows society’s inner need to fantasize and observe areas of interest that exist outside a person’s every day life. Every culture has had it’s own form of celebrity with a majority of today’s being entertainers. Society has the innate need for individuals that represent a lifestyle, culture or dream that someone of a modest living could never achieve. A person can then use their preferred media outlet to bask in the wake of a celebrity’s success and failure.

Paris Hilton provides entertainment to the masses with her scandalous antics and unbecoming low-class behaviour. As the ups and downs of her life unfold viewers at home get a taste of what it’s like to be larger than life, satisfying the viewers need to live vicariously through someone else.

Perhaps the greatest form of technology that has helped shape Paris Hilton’s mythology is the Internet. It’s my opinion that the Internet put Paris Hilton on the map, namely through the posting of the adult home video that was released by her ex-boyfriend. It’s a fact that sex sells and has been used by some of the world’s biggest celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and, more recently, Brittany Spears. Using the home video scandal as a springboard, Paris Hilton has since reached out into all corners of entertainment by adapting her brand to select media forms.

However, I do not believe Paris Hilton to be an auteur. The brand that is Paris Hilton is merely a large endorsement for products that already exist such as her clothing and perfume lines. Nothing within either of those examples is unique or original. While some celebrities simply endorse products, others, such as Jennifer Lopez and Brittany Spears who both have their own perfume lines, have given someone like Paris Hilton the opportunity to imitate an already existing trend. The same can be said about her music, film and television careers. For instance, her television show “The Simple Life” was launched in a sea of copycat entertainment amongst shows like “The Osbournes” and “Tommy Lee Goes to College”, which frequently portray the chaotic, and often idiotic, life of a celebrity. Paris’ brand could be summed up as being the simple repackaging of already popular products from various markets, which coupled with her popularity, make her profitable production-line entertainment.

Today’s celebrity has marketing power at their fingertips with extremely easy to use and affordable technology. With websites like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook pioneering new ways of social networking, celebrities are just a click away from being in your home and delivering current news via webcam or email. Celebrities can also get closer to their fans by blogging about their experiences and giving a behind-the-scenes look at their daily lives, allowing the viewer to put a personality to the face. Not only is the overhead for all this relatively low, the celebrity has the opportunity to cash in by endorsing and expanding their products to a wider audience without having to leave the comforts of their home or go through expensive media channels.

Celebrities could be seen as the drivers of culture creating fads, lifestyles and beliefs. With celebrities being worshipped for their status, it’s only natural that we as a society try to emulate their lives. For example, an outspoken celebrity may voice their political views, which could sway a viewer’s opinion regardless of how educated the celebrity may be on that topic. While some viewers will already have their own opinion, others will merely assimilate those of the celebrity. Instead of seeking sources of credible information, the viewer may blindly follow the ideas of an entertainer, whose job is to entertain and not inform. Whether the celebrity’s opinion will have a positive or negative impact on our culture depends on their bias and sincerity.

Not only do adults view celebrities as role models but perhaps even more influenced by their actions are society’s youth. No collective group is more impressionable. For instance, if a child sees an actor from their favourite television series engaging in questionable behaviour, then they too may partake in the activity thinking it acceptable. Teenagers, drawn to a particular image, may try to replicate the lifestyle their idols portray by dressing in a similar fashion or purchasing a particular brand of product. With that being said, celebrities may be the world’s greatest trendsetters, inadvertently promoting brands and products to us, the consumers.

Mass media entertainment exists to make money, therefore, creativity, artistry and intellectual content are given up for what sells. The media panders to the lowest common denominator and the widest audience, which happens to coincide with the human desire to be entertained. All classes of society have this need for entertainment. However, because of this, our collective intellect may be suffering. For example, it’s more likely that people understand how a reality show like American Idol works than how our Government does. Which one is more important would be subjective to some, but as a result it gives more power to the celebrities who already happen to have influence over our society.

As I just mentioned, money is the bottom line concerning entertainment. If riding the coattails of today’s most popular themes drive home the money then the media will be flooded with clone content and related product until it dries up. With today’s media access points going beyond radio and television into things like iPods, satellite radio and the Internet, entertainment has a digital foot in the door when it comes to reaching billions of consumers; almost making it impossible to slow this money generating giant down.

Disney's A Christmas Carol Movie Review

Christmas is right around the corner and award winning film director, producer and screenwriter, Robert Zemeckis brings us a new animated film to herald in the season. Disney’s A Christmas Carol is the retelling of a Charles Dickens classic, but for a family movie, it is marred with scenes of awkwardness, hard-to-follow dialogue and mature content.

The movie follows the current trend of making what should be a child friendly film into something adult oriented. The signs are obvious early on as Scrooge, played by Jim Carrey, is shown mourning over the lifeless body of his long time business partner, Jacob Marley, and later during Marley’s ghostly visit. Even though some of the scenes are humorous, the children present in the theatre were audibly shaken by the ghost’s appearance and antics.

Even more unsettling was the Ghost of Christmas Past, which is also voiced by Jim Carrey. The infamous 1971 Willy Wonka boat ride is the only comparison I can muster for this character. The ghost’s mannerisms and speech were so creepy that I sat there in disbelief until the Burger King, moonlighting for the Ghost of Christmas Present, swept Scrooge away on another adventure.

Tim Burton could have easily produced the last bits of the film as the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come chases Scrooge around a dark and foreboding London. If the kids weren’t already upset, I’m sure this did the trick. There’s something about being hunted by a Grim Reaper driven carriage and falling into your own grave that would truly scare the Dickens out of anybody.

Visually the film is spectacular and there is lots of fun to be had. Every corner of the screen is brimming with detail and the cinematography and musical score are top-notch. However, parents should take caution when bringing their young ones to the show due to its visually graphic content.

"I'm gonna burst your brain," says Dean Malenko.

Haven't had much time lately to complain about things with mid-terms and assignment due dates coming up. My brain is starting to hurt in anticipation. When it finally bursts I will have it donated to science. There's too much information trying to be absorbed all at once; it's not normal. It feels like a seething mass of gelatinous steak. Alas, once this is over I will have plenty to rage about.

I do, however, have plenty of things to look forward to. A games night at a friend's place, a Halloween party, studying, another Halloween party, maybe another party after that, but not before I study and have my brain ooze out of my nose like some crazy Egyptian mummification ceremony. They won't even need a spoon to get at my gray matter. French fries!

Cold Stone Creamery

I have a bit of a gripe and some history with Cold Stone Creamery so sit back and read this ripping good yarn. For all of you who don’t know what this establishment is it’s a “premium” ice cream shop that’s trying to make it’s way into Canada. Honestly, nobody is going to beat the quality and value of the Stoney Creek Dairy when I feel like having some ice cream locally, but Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Creamery is trying to open up a can of ice cream in a seasonally profitable market by joining forces with Tim Hortons. Did Horton hear a Who? I thought he had a thing for Dave Thomas and his Pippi Longstocking look-a-like daughter, Wendy.

I’m getting sidetracked here. My history starts with a job interview at a Tim Hortons HR hut or whatever it’s called. During this interview I had to answer the standard interview questions and then was given a paper with song lyrics. Yes, I had to sing hokey lyrics to famous television show tunes like the Flintstones. Anyway, I guess I didn’t impress Simon Cowell with my audition despite his praise because I didn’t get the job. During the interview, however, the guy outlined some of the things Cold Stone would require of its employees such as singing for the customers and artistically constructing ice creamy delights by throwing it in the air and catching it behind their back. I kid you not. Here’s an extreme clip of what he was hinting at.

Fast forward to a few days ago. A friend and I visited this place on our way home from her cousin’s. Absolutely everything that I was told about the job during my interview some how didn’t seem to make it to the store front and it had only been about a month since it’s opening. Cold Stone boasts that they give the “ultimate ice cream experience.” I was served by a 40 year old man wearing a Tim Hortons uniform and paid $5 for a milkshake that was no bigger than a small drink at most fast food restaurants. No one sang and nobody dropped my ice cream on the floor in an attempt to show off. Not a single thing I experienced was ultimate. I was expecting much more from this place based on my interviewer’s enthusiasm and strict guidelines he had outlined. Something is certainly amiss here and I advise customers to exercise extreme caution when deciding where to have ice cream. There are far better choices in Hamilton.

Will I ever go back? Oh, hell no. And that’s the bottom line cause Cold Stone said so.

Observations: The Lone Highwayman's Shoe

How some things get on the highway are beyond me. Hats, potted plants, garbage bins. Sure, things just fall out of a car or your jerk of a friend decides you don’t want that CD anymore and throws it out the window, but how would something like a shoe end up in the middle of a highway? Nobody walks there and very few people put their feet out the window. Could it be the last remnants of a suicide bridge jumper? Maybe that jumper chickened out and in defiance flung his shoe into traffic instead. Take that world!

I don’t know why but every time I’m driving down the on-ramp by my house there’s always a shoe laying there. It’s not always the same shoe either. It would make more sense if the brown boot I saw last month were still kicking around (pun intended) but the footwear changes every week or so. And what happened to the shoe I was beginning to grow fond of? I personally think the city is behind these antics. There was probably a bill passed stating that all municipalities must have a division assigned to highway shoe rotation. There are so many unanswered questions that will never get answered in this world but this should be at the top of the list. I guess it's one of life’s many mysteries that nobody cares enough about to investigate.

In The Beginning

I will be using this space to vent frustrations and to write about things that really get me going. As an aspiring Journalist, a lot of what I write may come in handy for future articles. At any rate, it will be good practice. Sometimes I'll write huge rants while others will be short infuriated sentences. Even though I may be right mad about something, deep down I hope you readers will get a few good laughs.

Laughing is one of my favourite things in this world, whether it be me or making someone else. If it weren't for my sense of humour I probably would have lost it by now and I'm sure a lot of others feel the same way. I just have to remember to keep it sane and to keep it funny.