Now, here is an idea for an independent film: The Battle of the Bay of Pigs. I know the media won't touch it, but maybe the controversy strategy would work. After all, a reveal of how Kennedy betrayed American soldiers and freedom fighters would be controversial. Or, how about a movie about the Cuban missile crisis, from the perspective of our Cuban men that risked their lives to gather intelligence on what Castro was doing? These would be awesome, good old fashioned, heroic movies!
The summer of '05 continues to be one big stretch of quicksand for Hollywood, as picture after picture disappoints then disappears. Dreamworks' The Island (see "Movie review: The Island"), which cost $124 million, opened to a dismal $12.1 million box office on a weekend that saw all movies in theaters gross 9 percent less than the same period last year (see boxofficemojo.com).
Perhaps studio execs, flummoxed (and even panicked?) by an eroding appeal, should convene a big think and ask what is going on. One speculation: The public knows there's a war going on, but Hollywood doesn't. As we approach the fourth anniversary of 9/11, not a single major motion picture has been released that honors the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who are fighting the distant battles, or the terrorist trackers at home.
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And their shareholders might also ask: Could a movie about Pat Tillman or the battle for Fallujah or the special forces on horseback in Afghanistan or the march to Baghdad do worse than The Island?
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