This is written via the wonder of wi-fi at the La Quinta by Shiloh's restaurant in Tulsa.
So, an article at CNN reports on a study that concludes that today, in movies, Sex does not sell. This group looked at the movie grosses for the past nine years and found out. . . nudity and graphic scenes do nothing to help a movie.
While this is an interesting topic in and of itself, the study was started when a young acting student found that she was uncomfortable with the sexual nature of the scenes she was asked to do in class (and we all know, sex sells. . .) - so she investigated, and found that it didn't.
Also of note was this comment by a professor - Rather, Detweiler said, he has seen among his students that the new form of rebellion against the older generation includes "not doing drugs, not sleeping around and not getting divorced." That might explain the popularity of some of the Jane Austen films and movies like the "Twilight" series, he said. "Those stories are really about sexual separation," he said. "They are all about wooing, not winning."
This is something that I think the more liturgically minded among us have known - but the younger generations today dislike the emptiness and shallow desire for pleasure that their parents dove into (being the spoiled brats of the Baby Boomer and Gen X generations). We see this liturgically - and apparently it also applies to movies.
Just some food for thought - sort of hopeful I suppose.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
First, I find it interesting that you are watching the Communist News Network (CNN) at all and most especially while on vacation.
Second, it does not surprise me that a piece on motion pictures should grab your attention as you and Dan often spoke of movies at Sem especially those Japanese anime films which was very interesting.
Yet, I wonder about the verasity of such a story when the younger generation has "hooking up" and "friends with benefits" both of which are equal to or even a step beyond the "free love" of the sixties crowd.
Certainly the video games they play have their share of raunch and thus they are rated as well. And might there not be something to be said of the Twilight phenom and all of these girls and older women for that matter drooling over this vampire dude?
Now Blind side was a very well done and touching movie that supports this story as does Sherlock Homes, Startrek, Harry Potter and the upcoming Persy Jackson-the Lightning Thief. So maybe this has some merit.
What I am pleased to hear was that some young maiden, desiring to remain such was willing to say no and maybe to a babyboomer prof who wanted more than he deserved and regularly took advantage of the co-eds in his charge.
Now finish enjoying your vacation and watch Foxnews for some truth and fair debate :) This of course comes with a hug.
The point though, huggable buddy, is that there is a disconnect between what Hollywood thinks will sell and what consumers actually buy. And we are seeing "Shock value" decline quickly. The first shocking game sells. . . then. . . it drops away in sales.
There has always been salaciousness and an enjoyment of sexual overtones in entertainment (just think on Shakespeare) - but we are moving away, perhaps, from a 40 year run of explicitness. That may be a positive thing.
(Of course, the cynic in me wonders what impact porn on the internet has here - why pay $9 for a movie in a theater when the world is your porngraphic oyster at home -- maybe this isn't a moral shift, but rather just a factor of supply and demand. Even then, it might mean better things for those of us who enjoy movies on the big screen)
That all seems reasonable. And again, the young lady who said no is a positive thing especially when so many are saying yes.
Of course the sexual innuendos have always been there as we are sexual creatures so that is used to lure in, engender support, and bring laughter but if the out right raunchy stuff is omitted there can still be lots of good "sexual" tension in the movie yet without the final assault on the senses.
Bye the bye, are you going to symposia? Have a blessed New Year, all of you brothers. The Lord give you strength and resolve to preach the Word, in season and out of season.
Alas, no symposia for me this year -- perhaps next, I think. I've been wanting to get back - but let me get the Mrs. out of school first.
I would blame the lamentable popularity of Jane Austin on a lack of appreciation for things like: plot, character development, and not-dialogue. :)
The resurgence of popularity of Jane Austen is due solely to zombies.
I actually think P&P&Z corrected the major flaw in the story... it actually added character development and a plot.
Post a Comment