Do you feel like the entertainment business isn't original anymore?

One more movie about talking animals says yes.

Go Wikipedia the plot of Antichrist (2009). Read the entire thing. I have never read/seen anything like it.

Yahtzee certainly thinks so.

I think it is less profitable to introduce a new, edgy, intriguing game than to come out with a sequel.

New ideas require new blood and people willing to take chances, and neither of those are happening in this economy.

yeah turn off your tv.

Lost was original and its ending soon. Also, just how many movies these days are sequels? You’re acting like every new movie is a sequel, which is not true at all.

Also, game “sequels” are more like updates rather than “unoriginal sequels”. People like the games and want to continue playing them so they create updates to them in the form of new releases.

I do agree about talking animal movies and Saw VI, but those don’t speak for all entertainment.

The public seems to want what they’ve always wanted. Can’t just blame the studios. It’s show business after all, and they have to account what they’re doing to shareholders and the like, which means they must give the public what they want. Assessing what that is would take a magician, so the easiest way to make money is to go with the tried and true.

@erikaVT I read a bit into it and it sounds interesting. I’ll have to watch it and see how it turns out.

This is definitely not it..

@erikaVT That movie sounds like another Hostel…

@jsammons Read the entire plot.

@DominicX I never saw the second one, but I don’t remember the first one burning any sexual acts of violence into my brain.

It’s all about money. The large majority don’t give a rats ass if they are original. That’s why I really enjoy the director/producer who you’ve never heard of .. and the movie he/she makes.

What’s originality? To say even Lost is completely original is to deny its clear Robinson Crusoe heritage.

The task today, partly, is using what’s old in new and ‘original’ ways. Partly. But to ask, ‘Where has originality gone?’ is to presume it was ever there to begin with.

“Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everybody I’ve ever known.”
Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters, 1999

It you’ve invested in branding a name and know it works and is profitable, its more potentially profitable to do sequels over something unknown.

Then again, there are a lot of things that are somewhat original. We’ve covered most of the obvious things, like medical dramas, but occasionally something puts a new twist on an old favorite that works. I don’t think that there’s anything truly original on the Earth, but some things come close.

I’m torn on this one. On one hand, they do seem to make a lot of sequels and movies that are strangely similar. The Saw movies have gotten out of hand. I absolutely loved the first Saw. I thought it was pretty genius. But now it’s getting old. On the other hand, I think there are still some pretty good movies out there. I’m a movie freak. I rent at least 5 movies a week. Some are great, some could use some improvement, and some should have never been made. But hey, you win some, you lose some. I’m going to continue being a movie fanatic either way.

That movie sounds nothing like Hostel.

@Clair

I said that only because of its heavy use of violence/gore.

@DominicX But there are lots of movies with violence and gore. And Hostel’s wasn’t even used in a clever or appealing way. Were you being sarcastic or did you actually feel that way about the film?

@Clair

I’ve never seen Hostel; you’re taking my comments too seriously.

@DominicX Oooh, I see. You should watch it just to see how ridiculous it is. Not appealing at all. Anyway…Ahemmm.. :-P

@Clair My fear of gore would probably prevent me from doing that… :P

I think that part of it is corporate greed. Part of it is also people getting involved in the buisness for the sake of being a celebrity instead of actually having any talent.

That being said theres still plenty of good and original films/albums/tv shows being made today.

It’s kind of hard to be very original. Most stories have been told thousands of times before. Many movie companies have it down to a formula. Business is in business to make money. They’d rather have one hundred sure things that make a little money, then have to depend on a hit in order to make a lot of money. So they tend to stick to the formula.

A large part of the entertainment business is taking something from what others have already done, and putting your own spin on it. Think of how many songs there are about break-ups, family, sex, death, relationships etc. People seem to love the Batman franchise which most people credit to comic book artist Bob Kane. He was inspired by a silent horror film from 1926 called “The Bat” and it’s sequel “The Bat Whispers”. The Joker wasn’t original either, he was inspired by a film called “The Man Who Laughs”. So you shouldn’t view it as original or unoriginal because it’s sole purpose is to entertain.

There is originality. Some of it you can find on cable (Bored to death, Californication, Rescue me, breaking bad etc…). Then you look at the state of broadcast TV. How can you not be appalled? Unfortunately the kind of numbers that edgy, original shows can pull are good enough for cable but the accountants at GE vould pull the plug after just one episode to avoid losing too much money.

There also are thousands of obscure and probably very original movies released each year. But if studios gave priorities to these they’d be broke.