Interesting article from Variety. It would appear that some major players from the MPAA converged on Capitol Hill with lawmakers to discuss the future of the movie industry in relation to the country and the economy. Apparently, in February, the Motion Picture Industry lost $246 million in revenue due to revised tax breaks in the Obama administration’s stimulus bill. This decision came hot on the tails of the Motion Picture Industry’s record-breaking box office month of January. Hollywood appealed to Washington stating that the Entertainment industry is crucial to the nation’s economy and its eventual recovery.
While 90% of this meeting was the usual blowing-smoke/ass-kiss fest that all lobby meetings in Congress are, I actually see the merit. Of course, I’m biased. I love film and honestly want to devote the rest of my life to the medium as an art form. But (and not to get too artsy-fartsy on you) there is something to be said about the American tradition of cinema and having that natural release available to the masses that only celluloid can deliver. Because with cinema comes the capacity to dream. To imagine. To hope. And at no point in America’s history do we need more hope than we do know. Disenfranchisement and disillusionment are running rampant in this country right now, and I truly believe that most people need to have their spirits uplifted, they need to be entertainedthey need to share a moment with a loved one in front of a silver screen, they just need to smile. And film seems to be the one artform that is most capable of accomplishing those things across the board. Not many people escape through painting or sculpture. People’s musical interests are too incredibly varied, plus, there’s this weird stigma in our culture that music is the one validated art form and to take it away is a crime. And few people truly read for leisure. I am in no way, shape or form discounting these art forms, they are all equally important. But, that being said, I believe that we need cinema just as much, if not more. For the cinema presents physical, human experiences right in front of us to enjoy. Sure, they’re contrived. But that’s what is so beautiful about them. With cinema, we can create the experiences that we would have never had, otherwise. We can dream whatever we want. We can envision whatever we want. We can idealize whatever we want. And in this time of misery and despair, the opportunity to imagine something, anything, is a golden one.
Tags: Alex Hluch, Art, Book, Books, Capitol Hill, cinema, Congress, Film, Hollywood, Lawmakers, Movie Industry, Movies, MPAA, Music, News, Painting, Reading, Sculpture, Shway, shwayblog, The Importance of Cinema, Variety, Washington
April 25, 2009 at 4:03 am |
[...] MySweetLife.Net placed an observative post today on The Importance of CinemaHere’s a quick excerpt…on the tails of the Motion Picture Industry’s record-breaking box office month of January. Hollywood appealed to Washington stating that… [...]
April 25, 2009 at 5:14 am |
Movies in many forms have saved my sanity since being laid off. I have been watching movies (the last being a crazy ass Russian vampire movie called “Night Watch”) and making movies (“Toolverine”). Most people when they say why they dont see movies tend to say:
1. They cost too much.
2. They aren’t good.
3. Its the same shit.
All of these are very true reasons to not go to a theater. I miss going twice a week and the feeling of not being able to wait to see something. I think 2006 was the worst year movie wise for me. This year is just okay. The next few years should be good with the superhero movies I wanna check out that dont look sucktacular. But still, Green Lantern…?
April 25, 2009 at 8:07 am |
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