Okay, so currently I’m at a job where-in I am hyper-aware of movies that are coming out soon/on the table for production. This isn’t a complaint. I love movies, entertainment, and pop culture. I’m beginning to realize this isn’t a superficial fascination with all things glitz, glam, and fantasy, but more of a fascination with the things that make us human. Storytelling.
Our culture has evolved from grunting around campfires (although I believe this still goes on after a few cases of PBR at any camping trip in America), to constant user content generation on blogs, video submission sites, in the age of facebook and twitter, generally any spot on the web is an opportunity to participate in human collective storytelling. And there are so many stories out there worth telling. Anyone has an opportunity to find a place to let their voice be heard, whether they are a gay Latino woman living on the upper west side of Manhattan, or a paraplegic ex coal miner from Haiti (yeah I’m mad-libing this a bit). In any case we’re an open mouthed, open-hearted generation with the desire to share and be heard. Even if it’s just tweeting what your cat had for breakfast this morning.
So in light of all that, WHHHHHYYYYY in the name of Zorg (obscure 5th Element reference?) is the movie industry categorizing mankind’s storytelling capabilities into manufactured scripts tailored to “certain demographics”. More clearly stated, why does Hollywood think it’s okay to churn out the same movie with the same actors in the same plot and expect us to pay damn near 15$ per person to go see a 2 hour version of all the boring parts of what was a 2.5 minute trailer??? And why, seriously, why is it, despite all the strides we’ve made in civil rights, why is it so hard for a mainstream movie (even a silly rom-com b-list movie) to be cast with diversity, even when it doesn’t have a “message”?
So many of these mainstream blockbuster films could have easily included a gay sub-character without using that character to insert stereotypical snappy lines, because in real life, some people are part of stories not because they’re gay, but because they’re as swept up in the consequences of living on this planet, like the rest of us. Why can’t the female protagonist of a rom-com be a black woman without the whole movie being a “black movie” or she’s dating a white guy so there’s “racial tension”, why not cast Zoe Saldana instead of Katherine Heigl (I mean give that poor girl a break, I’m sure she’s so bored with playing that uptight blonde character in EVERY MOVIE).
SO this rant’s just about done. With one exception. In my opinion, based on observation throughout my life (and the fact that I watch so much TV, i have to reach outside of my country to be sated), it seems to me that brits are doing this better. Shows like Torchwood, with a diverse cast of characters, with seemingly fluid sexualities that don’t necessarily serve as plot devices, but organic storytelling (despite the sci-fi nature of the show). Or Skins (the UK version, duh), with casting that showcases people that look like PEOPLE, teens that LOOK LIKE TEENS, dealing with things and interacting on a level that doesn’t seem so forced and formulaic (although if you look at Skins generations 1-3 there is a clear formula to how the show works- that aside). Why can’t Hollywood take the cotton out of their ears and really look at the masses they seek to entertain. We exist a wholly diversified nation, so Hollywood, Y U So White?
As an aside, this whole rant was brought on by an article I read on ONTD and Jezebel about casting the movie Hunger Games, which is a pretty decent book that deserves a movie due to the stunning visual descriptions of a dystopian world. The issue is, despite the authors very clear distinctions about ethnicity, culture, and diversity, the movie is allegedly being white washed to death ala M. Night Shalaman’s Avatar. So, seriously, Hollywood. What the ef?
Thank you for your time 😀
ps. I’m not the bestest editor soooo my bad if a lot of this is rambling nonsense. *kanyeshrug*