If you've been wondering if America has been getting stupider each day, wonder no more. Just take a look at the box office results for the week to see what people are going to see.

Films like Michael Clayton and No Country for Old Men are not on their list of films to see after a long day of shopping at the local Wal-Mart. No, the bottom-feeders of this society would much prefer to spend their money on the same dreck that that has infested our multiplexes for some time now. I'm talking about big-budget movies devoid of a storyline, but infused with enough CGI to try to make the audience not care. Or the same old horror flicks and horror flick remakes that I'm still waiting for people to get sick of. And let's not forget the low brow/bathroom humor comedies that get dumber by the year.

It's to the point now where I don't feel like these studios even care one iota about making a good film. In the past, some part of the studios (who were then owned by movie lovers and not conglomerates) wanted both a critical and financial success from the film they chose to make. Their souls wanted something they could point to and be proud of. Unfortunately, conglomerates don't have souls. So now it's just about making the money, holding on to one's job, and trying to create the perfect marketing strategy to attract the same lemmings into the next movie they make.

But this isn't entirely the fault of the studio; it's also the fault of the people. How can you blame Hollywood when all they wanna do is make a buck? They make what people want to see. So if people are showing up in record numbers for the newest CGI love fest, then that's what we'll all get more of next year.

I challenge the people of this country to go see smarter films. I challenge them to challenge themselves, to open their mind to seeing other films besides the ones they've been marketed to all week on the TV at home. Go see a smaller film which stars your favorite actor, or buy a ticket to an indie film that has an original storyline. Chances are you'll take more away from these kinds of movies than the marketing vehicles that Hollywood is desperately trying to sell you. But more importantly, you'll be forcing Hollywood to make better films for all of us.

© 2008 J.T. Malloy http://www.bigtalkandgunsmoke.com

Article Source: Bad Movies - Why The Audience Is To Blame