By George Robbins
Movie theaters are definitely among the businesses who are the worst off right now because they are making so little income that they cannot afford to continue on the way they always have. What many people forget is the fact that theaters only end up getting a portion of their money from ticket sales and the rest from concessions. As always, they only get a percentage of the money from ticket sales back as their own revenue while the rest goes back to the studios and now, this has become something of a perilous venture. Nobody is really willing to go out to theaters anymore and it is creating a lot of issues for the movie theater industry as a whole since they kind of rely on that sort of thing. AMC has been one of the biggest movie theater chains at the front and center of all of this and they are suffering for it.
AMC, like all other movie theater chains, was set on reopening their doors to the public as soon as possible, but when they were finally given the greenlight, issues started cropping up everywhere. One of the biggest issues was a surge in virus cases which resulted in movie delays, so they decided to push back their opening until eventually they decided they didn’t want to wait anymore. This prompted movie releases to start happening and we finally got new movies in theaters for the first time in months with not so great turn out. It turns out there was a reason why theaters should have stayed closed as it could have ended up saving them money they are going to need. No one in the general public is really willing to put themselves at risk going out to the movies at a time like this and so movies that were released are now failures.
AMC in particular has been very out there in terms of letting people know how much trouble they are in and have just recently announced that they will have no money left soon. They have said that by the end of this year, or some time in early 2021, they will no longer have any money left as they are losing too much right now. In an effort to save money, Regal Cinemas shut down not too long ago to avoid this very scenario and while AMC doesn’t quite seem like they will be following in those footsteps just yet, they won’t really have a choice soon. The truth is that they have no movies to show people and even if they did, they may not be able to bring people in at all because people are far too wary of places like that right now. Theaters are in trouble and AMC specifically may end up losing everything if they don’t play their cards right moving forward.
By George Robbins
Disney has had a lot to think about over the course of almost this entire year thus far and they will only be continuing to deal with these things as time goes on. Right now, their biggest concern has been how they are actually going to continue making money while this pandemic continues onward. Truth be told, the pandemic is going to be something that will be ongoing for a very long time to come and it is dangerous for us to think otherwise. Many people, and companies, were hopeful that there would be some kind of quick resolution, or at the very least, a better contingency for the virus moving on. This has essentially become a debunked way of thinking and companies now have to change tactics.
Disney, like many other media companies, was trying for the longest time to just delay their releases and focus more heavily on getting them out in a proper way. This very quickly became impossible as they were inevitably forced to further delay the release of many of their films due to things beyond their control. Movie theaters reopened and now many have shut their doors again because no one is willing to go out to theaters and this caused companies to delay their films moving forward. Disney took this opportunity to explore an alternative means for making money while their theatrical releases were delayed. What they found out has apparently changed the way they are going to function moving forward.
Over the course of the past month or so they have been dealing with a variety of issues with the release of ‘Mulan’ being at the center of a couple. What they got out of the experience is the fact that they certainly have the wide-range capacity to make money through their streaming service which was proved upon the aforementioned movie’s release. This has made them expedite a process that they have apparently been willing to commit to for some time now. They, like most other companies, are moving away from the traditional movie theater and television style of releases and are moving more towards the streaming side of things. With this pandemic, they have decided to fast track that decision and they will now be trying hard to get things running better with streaming as their focus. This just goes to show how much media is changing.
By George Robbins
Nowadays, there are a ton of horror movies out there in the world and there continues to be new ones cropping up all of the time. Horror movies change constantly due to the fact that trends are always different in different societies as time goes on. This is why so many horror movies seen in the United States are so different from horror movies in other countries. What some people think are horrifying ventures are different types of experiences for entirely different groups of people. This is why culture is such a huge part of what makes a horror movie as terrifying as it is and it is what draws people in to watch these things. Hence the reason we often see the same traits and tropes pop up in media.
There are obviously some differences between horror movies that we see coming out of various countries, but there are also some similarities. There are most certainly things that everyone around the world finds horrifying, but some places just find some things scarier than others. One of the most universally understood forms of horror is one that focuses heavily on body horror. This type of horror is something that very easily becomes a subject of ridicule and this is not always fair because they can sometimes turn out to be great films. Body horror films see the people in the movies being torn apart or some other creature defying what we would define as a humanoid appearance for the sake of horror.
Body horror is very pervasive and can easily be seen skulking about in other sub-genres in the horror genre itself. We can say that slasher films have some element of body horror to them because we see bodies being taken apart and terrible things are then done to them. One fine example of this type of horror is seen dramatically in the movie ‘The Thing‘ and it is there as a way to simply amplify the suspense in the film. The truth is that the movie did not sell well and it actually kind of bombed critically, but this is not the end-all be-all for that film. In fact, as time went on, people got used to seeing that type of horror in that film and came to appreciate it for what it was.
Films with body horror are often seen this way no matter how much time has gone on and it usually takes time before the masses start liking them to some extent. The issue stems from the fact that people have to get past the horror aspect of the film before they can enjoy it. People still live based upon instinct and so when they see a horror movie, they instinctively may not like it because of the response their body has to it. Over time though, knowing what will happen in said film and knowing that it has a good plot can change that view and people start viewing it in a better light. This is what happened with ‘The Thing’ and now it has easily become a cult classic the likes of which people will always sing praises about when discussed. In fact, it helped pave the way for some films because it helped show that, although body horror is not seen in a great light, you could still make a good film with it.
Although criticisms may never fade surrounding those films, horror movie buffs will continue to love those films and they will become loved by more and more people as time goes on. These praises and spread of information about these films make them popular among a certain group and that group usually ends up being pretty widespread. It is due to this phenomenon that movies end up getting the title of “cult classic” as they eventually ended up creating a fanbase that is nothing but in love with the movie. This isn’t a concept that is exclusive to horror movies, but many horror movies are cult classics because of the general public’s reaction to them. Cult classics yet again vary wildly by culture, but the way that they end up coming about is pretty much the same no matter where you go in the world.
Cult classic films are a response to people generally not enjoying a film upon its release because they felt like they didn’t really enjoy it all that much. What we enjoy from a movie can vary drastically depending upon the genre that the movie belongs to which is why horror movies often fit this description. That feeling that horror movies produce where you feel fear creates a response in our bodies telling us to feel a certain way about the film. When a movie has a good story, many people can acknowledge that fact and therefore, a large group of people can react similarly to that movie. This is why the highest critically rated films out there are movies that the general public can all watch and say that they enjoyed whereas, it is a different story for horror films.
Horror movies fit that unique dynamic where everyone reacts differently to the movie and the story being told in the movie. Most of the time, people react in a negative way to the things they see on screen because given a similar situation they really don’t know what they would do. Many people say what they would do, but there is really no way of knowing unless someone is actually in a similar situation. People who can get past this fact are often the ones to find the good things in horror movies and they can often enjoy the plot of the films. Then, of course, there are the people that just genuinely enjoy horror movies in their entirety and like the adrenaline boost they give while watching them. This is actually kind of the case for all those who saw Paul W.S. Anderson‘s ‘Event Horizon.’
Paul W.S. Anderson is a name that we are all very aware of by this point for his role in the creation of video game movies such as ‘Mortal Kombat’ and ‘Resident Evil.’ He was also responsible for the movie ‘Death Race’ as well as other films in the same vein and he is now working on the ‘Monster Hunter‘ movie. Everyone knows that these movies were received poorly, at least critically, but they have most certainly become films that we will never forget. No matter how much time goes on, his legacy as a director will not be forgotten even if his films don’t win any awards. Among the films that he has made though is one that no one will ever forget and that is the movie ‘Event Horizon.’ This horror film is unlike most of what we had ever seen before and helped inspire science fiction horror moving forward.
‘Event Horizon’ took many different ideas from many other types of horror films and them its own in more ways than one. It can kind of be said that the movie took the fear of the unknown and made it into a feature length film while turning some things on their heads. For instance, in a horror movie, the group doesn’t usually turn away at first when things don’t feel right. In this movie, the first thing they try to do after arriving at their location is run because they know something is off. The movie sees the crew of a spaceship trying to survive the hell that found its way onto another ship which suddenly reappeared after an experimental warp for faster-than-light travel. What we ended up with from the film was a cult classic body horror film which just created an air of depression and uneasiness which is what made it so popular.
Obviously, when a movie becomes really popular, talk starts coming up about a possible sequel being made for the film. For ‘Event Horizon,’ this took longer than most films as it is a cult classic and not a film which was immediately beloved upon release. When asked if he would return for a sequel to his now beloved sci-fi horror film, Anderson replied that he is not interested in being part of an ‘Event Horizon’ sequel. In fact, he is concerned that a sequel would ruin feelings surrounding the original movie which is more than likely true as the way the original movie ends is perfect for the story it tells. A sequel would not fit the purpose of the original movie and it would more than likely ruin the aesthetic of the original film.
By George Robbins
Disney is by far one of the largest media companies in the world in this day and age and it’s no surprise that they get caught up in a lot. They have their hands dipped in so much that it’s no surprise when something ends up happening and they have to fix it somehow. This has happened on a number of occasions in the past, but now so more than ever, it is becoming an issue. This pandemic has made it all the more apparent that Disney is doing everything they can just to make money without actually paying attention to what else is going on in the world. At least, this is what many people are thinking right now as time goes on and things just keep looking worse.
The biggest controversies that we have extensively been hearing about over the past couple of months have been surrounding the reopening of parks and the release of ‘Mulan.’ To put things simply with the parks, people feel that Disney Parks reopened the gates to their parks way too soon and Disney essentially said that they didn’t feel that way. On top of them apparently allowing people to work who tested positive for the virus only complicated this even more. The thing with the release of ‘Mulan’ is just a little more complicated because it involves a couple of things people are upset about. One of those things is the fact the movie had a $30 price tag on top of a subscription fee and the other thing was a little more serious than that.
Many attentive fans out there who watched the movie through saw in the credits a mention about where the movie was filmed. This mention was a thanks to the Xinjiang province which is near Uighur Muslim internment camps in China. These camps are widely known to be a part of what is perceived to be a mass cultural genocide and this mention being put in the movie has sparked outrage among the community. Disney president of film production Sean Bailey recently replied to the outrage by defending the decision to film in that area, saying that those scenes “comprised 78 seconds” of the final film. This doesn’t really do much to quell the anger though as many believe that this is seen as Disney trying to avoid any issues on both sides. Many believe now that Disney simply doesn’t care about human rights issues and only care about placating their money.
By George Robbins
Pixar is a studio that has created many films over the years that have captivated audiences and made them glad to go out to the movies. In fact, Pixar movies have essentially helped raise entire generations of children who were fascinated by the animation they had seen on screen. Pixar easily found their place among the movie industry and ever since, they have done their best to make sure they stay near the top of the animated movie scene. Recently, many people believe that Pixar just isn’t what it used to be and that we have seen a decline in overall movie quality, but it is just Pixar moving with the times. We can look to their past to see just how well they’ve done over the years.
What started Pixar’s ascent to the top of the animation food chain was when they made ‘Toy Story‘ and released it in theaters back in 1995. At the time of release, ‘Toy Story’ was a movie unlike anything that had ever been seen before. CGI animation was very much a newer technology at the time, and although CGI was used in plenty of films, there were no films that could do it well. ‘Toy Story’ was a completely animated film made with CGI, so everything blended in much better than it usually would in a live-action film. Without a doubt, it was a technological marvel for its time and it still holds up today.
Although their older films still hold up pretty well, they did not just leave them as they were and they kept improving the tech they would use. This is how we ended up with movies like ‘The Incredibles’ which took a breakthrough in CGI technology for the movie to look as good as it does. Eventually, like everything else, the movies they produced just started looking better and better and now they have some of the most popular franchises in the world. This will never change at this point and they have mostly been working on compelling stories to make people interested in their films. Many of their stories land pretty well, but not every single one is a masterpiece.
Coming up for release in a couple of months time is the movie ‘Soul’ which has been made by Pixar. The movie follows the soul of a man as he tries to guide the soul of a child in a bid to get his life back before it is too late. The movie was forced to delay its release due to the pandemic and it will not actually have a theatrical release, but we will get to see it this year. In fact, the movie is set for a release on Christmas Day of this year. Early reviews for the film have rated it fairly well and they have called it a return to form similar to their best films. This gives us high hopes and expectations for Pixar’s new film and we know it will not disappoint come Christmas Day.
By George Robbins
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, is easily one of the biggest franchises in the world at the moment and it seems it will easily stay that way for the foreseeable future. There is not many franchises that can actually reach the same heights that we have seen with MCU films and the only other one known world wide is Star Wars. The Star Wars franchise is one that has maintained its popularity for many years now and will continue to hold its popularity for a long time. The big difference between the two franchises is that the side content for each is what determined the popularity over time. Star Wars maintained its popularity through the use of canon side-content instead of just the mainline movies.
Star Wars has had many pieces of media released over the years to give more context to the universe in which everything inevitably takes place. This has been shown through novels, comics, toy lines, and even television shows over the years and it has given the franchise something to latch onto. Nothing has been able to really establish itself so well as a worldwide phenomenon until the MCU came along. When the first ‘Iron Man‘ film released, no one really knew what was going on and the film itself is held up as this piece of media that really changed the world of cinema. What followed was a series of films that no one really expected and a franchise that would turn a lot of things upside-down.
After the next few Marvel films released, the Marvel Cinematic Universe became an established franchise. People recognized pretty quickly that it had the potential to reach. and even top, the Star Wars franchise in popularity. This is how we ended up with Disney being the company which would end up purchasing Marvel Studios which was working on making the new films for the MCU. Disney would go on to take control of both the MCU and and the Star Wars franchise, giving them the most profitable franchises across the world. What they came to quickly realize was that while they had a lot of the pieces for their franchise puzzle, they didn’t have them all.
Unlike the DC franchise, control of every character in that universe was not under the umbrella of a single company. DC is owned by Warner Bros. which has control of the intellectual property rights of every single character so that they can make whatever piece of media they want about them. Marvel is a different story in its entirety and many of the characters from the Marvel comics were not a part of the MCU. Many of the Marvel Comic book characters were given to companies such as Fox some years back. This is why they had control over the entirety of the X-Men for so many years and why the MCU never so much as mentioned them.
For the longest time, no one knew if the X-Men or any related characters to their comics would end up being a part of the MCU. Fox had been making those films since the late 90’s and they continued doing so all the way up to the point where the studio was essentially bought out by Disney. If not for this, they probably would have just kept making those films and their films weren’t really doing so great with the last of them tanking critically. Things were not looking so well for them, but now those characters have a good chance of becoming a part of the MCU now that they are under the same umbrella company. It will probably be a long time off before we get to see them, but it is the best chance we have at seeing a good X-Men movie.
Furthering the hope that we can see the X-Men characters in MCU films is the fact that Spider-Man has been made such a huge part of the MCU. For those unaware, Spider-Man, and characters related to his comics, are owned by Sony and have been for many years. Luckily, a deal was made where Marvel Studios could use Spider-Man in their films, thus making him a part of the MCU. This means that there are now plenty of different interactions we could end up seeing in the near future in regards to other characters from the Spidey comics. Now that the MCU has complete control over X-Men characters, things should work out even better for them in theory. We just have to play the waiting game from now on to see just how they plan on integrating the characters into their shared universe.
As previously stated, the movies under the Fox umbrella of Marvel movies were never going to be a part of the MCU and that still isn’t changing. The characters themselves are highly expected to become a part of the larger universe, but it will be some time before we actually get to see them in action. Even though those movies may not be a part of the MCU as a whole, they are definitely important to the cinematic shared universe at its core. This stems from the fact that the movies are still based on the same comic books and it will continue to be that way forever. There is nothing we can do about the past except to accept the fact that these movies existed and that the MCU wouldn’t be what it is now without them.
Before ‘Iron Man’ released back in 2008, there were plenty of superhero films which released based on Marvel characters. I just discussed those movies which came from Fox and Sony and they helped open the roadway for the MCU films we have now. The superhero movie genre existed, but it just wasn’t perfected to the point where the masses would enjoy it until ‘Iron Man’ came out. It seems Disney is now acknowledging this fact with the label they have given to these other films. Disney has officially re-branded these non-MCU films as Marvel Legacy movies on Disney+. This just shows what these movies mean to the industry and hopefully going forward it will remind people of what we have now due to what we had before.
Get Some Strange!
