In observation of the film world, I am sure you have noticed that studios are in fierce competition to produce the most popular movie. Of course their object is to make money, but lately the feud has become more obvious. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince release was postponed until summer 2009 because of the release of Twilight. Even more so apparent than this competition is the release of two films incredibly similar. One by Disney "Bedtime Stories" and the other by Warner Brothers, "Inkheart." The first is about a man who tells his nephews a bedtime story, and whatever they add to the story will happen the next day. Inkheart is the story of a man who can bring to life whatever he reads aloud from a book. From watching the trailers I recommend the second, Inkheart. It is better cast, and has a more original plot line. Bedtime stories stars Adam Sandler, who has his place...but not Disney. I visualized several actors that would have been better in his place. Inkheart stars Brendan Fraser, who is not my favorite, but his casting is made up for by Andy Serkis and Helen Mirren.
The film industry is complecated yet very simple. At least in Hollywood standards, the goal is to make people happy and suck money from their pockets. When one film flourishes, other studios jump on the bandwagon. For example the reemergance of superheroes. Spiderman, Batman, Superman, X-Men, Fantastic Four, the Hulk, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. After Lord of the Rings, several "epic" stories were released, like Troy and the beginning of the Harry Potter series.
There are a few movies that seem fresh and new; "Australia" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Unlike the films mentioned first, these are "adult" films, meaning I don't know if I will be going to either of them when they are released. Their plots are original, ones I defer you to watch their trailers on your own so you can be your own judge.
Originallity is not always the best seller in the entertainment world. Lord of the Rings is an old story, yet sold fantastically well. Pirates of the Caribean, though based on a ride from Disneyland, was the first big-production pirate movie for a decade.
Inkheart and Bedtime Stories are two films I don't expect will get a whole lot of attention. Nice try though. Having some "control" over what happens in the universe would be cool, but I have a feeling the moral to those stories will be that you can't really control what "fate" will place in your lap, so don't try and meddle with things bigger than yourself; Humans don't really know what is best for them in the end anyway.
Hollywood. They win some, and loose most. But every once-in-awhile...pure genius.
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