I generally stay away from movie theaters. A bit of a contradiction here but, I actually hate movies. Filmmaking in the United States, as an art form, has taken a giant nosedive in recent decades. Sure a few gems have been made. And I'm sure most of you reading this are eating up the Star Wars reboot and the Marvel Universe films. I'll admit, they're fun :)
The thing is, Hollywood is no longer in the movie business. They're in the nostalgia business. They're also in the franchise business. Very little decisions have anything to do with art. You can't make a film anymore without it being attached to merchandise. In the last few years alone, we've seen all of the following comeback: Star Wars, Jumanji, Ghostbusters, Dirty Dancing, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King. They are also remaking classic Universal monster movies and my beloved 'Bride of Frankenstein' will be part of the Unnecessary Do-Over Parade.
Art is business. Film is a business. And just like any other business, the market is dictated by trends. And the bottom line of any major movie studio doesn't give a shit if a movie is bad or good as long as it made money. So why not go for a sure thing, right?
Take the DC comics films, for example. I didn't see Batman v. Superman but it's been widely panned by critics and fans as simply a terrible film. A waste of dollars that could have gone to feeding starving kids. Or certainly, to just make a different better movie. But, alas, the film made $850M globally 5 weeks after it's release in 2016. So, the big wigs are just gonna wanna do more of that! Trends dictate market and products for the market.
Even on the independent level, some great, impassioned films are being made that fall short of getting accepted to important film festival platforms simply because they don't fit a list of criteria known as the "curatorial voice". Some filmmakers make films that include these criteria points just so they have a better shot of getting accepted to festivals. Which is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard of but it does happen. And they're usually bad. But they get in. Why? They fit the curatorial voice!
I guess, like most things in life, these trends are formed based on fear. Studios fear a shut down or losing important advertising partners so they keep cranking out rehashes of prior successes. Indy filmmakers scrap that cool personal film just so they can get funding to make a film that is likely to make a festival run.
Still though, did we need another Jumanji? And all respect to the funny ladies in Ghostbusters but did we really need that too? We don't need another 'Amityville Horror'. We DEFINITELY don't need a 'Bad Moms Christmas" movie. But we got it! :D
Like everything else human beings mix with money, we've polluted a great thing. It's over! Say goodbye to Hollywood folks! I'm not saying don't go to the movies or not to enjoy fun films. Go right ahead! But be aware of what's happening. Your nostalgia is being capitalized on. There are good films out there being made that don't get the shine they deserve because they can't be marketed along with a toy or a lunchbox.
So...fuck it...if it truly doesn't matter, here are two more bad films to add to the pile. I'd love to keep making a series of these because they're so absurd and illogical. They are incredibly fun to make and to watch.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I made sure to do all of the drawings in the film left-handed. I really wanted a genuine crappy-kids-drawing look. It also sort of looks like I drew it with half of my brain in my head. Which I really like a lot :)
Here are some "finished" stills from the original 'Bad Movie':
And some from 'Bad Movie 2':
Thanks for reading my rant!