Anyone who saw my status updates last night knows that I suffered through a viewing of New Moon, and I came away from it feeling rather depressed about my own career. That was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, and from the little bit of the books I’ve read, the writing in the series isn’t any better. Yet that writer and a couple of generations of her offspring are financially set for life. The director, cinematographer, special effects coordinator, and most everyone else associated with it are at the very least set in their careers. If nothing else, they can make their rounds on the Con circuit and earn a fortune off of memorabilia.
But the movie, from beginning to end, was really, really, really bad.
I’m a storyteller, so that’s one of the first things I look for in anything I read or watch — does the plot maintain integrity throughout? I’m not going to re-watch it to find all of the inconsistencies in the story, but on first viewing, there were many and they were glaring. I also appreciate good acting, and one or two of the kids did decent jobs, but overall, the acting was terrible. Of course, the dialogue was so poorly written that Kevin Spacey and Anthony Hopkins would’ve had difficult times making it sound realistic.
I know I’m not the first struggling artist to lament the decline of Western culture, but my god. How have so many people been suckered into thinking that this is good by any standards? Have we been that dumbed down in the last 20 years? Was I wrong to think that plot structure and coherence actually matter? It’s really disheartening for someone like me who has spent 37 years trying to master a craft but getting very little return for my efforts to see such a pile of horse manure make so much fucking money. Earning a decent living would be enough for me, but while that pile of crap makes a fortune, I can’t seem to turn the corner.
I know this has been pretty negative, and I know I shouldn’t begrudge others their success. I’m sure the author, whatever the hell her name is, poured all of her heart and soul into creating these books. I know how hard that process is, and bless her for finding success in the world. Maybe I need to find a way to make dwarves sparkle like rubies to catch the attention of this generation. I truly fear where we’ll be in another 20 years.
Big Owl's Tree 