pop culture
Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.
What Happened To Live Action Kids Movies?
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul was released on May 19th debuting at number six with a first weekend gross of $7 Million and a domestic gross of $15 Million, which means it will probably not make back its budget of $22 Million. I'm not sure maybe one more weekend will be the charm for the Wimpy Kid. But with the failure of this movie and Monster Trucks(another live action kids film) the question has to be asked: "What Happened To Live Action Kids Movies?" The live action kid film has been on a steady decline since the start of the 21st century with some exceptions like the Harry Potter Series, but those movies also got a steady influx of fans from the geek culture to help make that franchise a success. Other live action kids movies haven't been so lucky and the number of theatrical releases for live action kids movies has gone down as studios choose to focus more on animation due to the fact that those movies make way more money than live action kids movies. Which in my opinion makes me sad, as a kid who grew up in the late 80's and early 90's with classic live action kids films such as The Goonies, Home Alone, Hook, The Mighty Ducks and The Sandlot, movies that kids of my era still hold in high regard along with animated classics like The Lion King, Toy Story, and The Secret of NIMH, so where and why did live action kids movies fall off the tracks? The first reason was the low quality of kids movies that were being released in the late 90's "I mean did anyone really ask for a Mr. Magoo live action movie or a Home Alone movie without Macaulay Culkin? The second reason was DVD and The Disney Channel, straight to video is nothing new, neither are made for TV movies but near the late 90's into the 2000's live action kid films thrived on these platforms, which is a smart strategy for studios.Why release five live action kids movies in the theater when you can release ten on DVD and The Disney Channel and now Netflix and make double the money. The rise of superhero movies is also a reason why live action kids movie don't do well at the box office, now that kids can see their favorite superheroes in live action save the world in a PG-13 and sometimes R-rated setting why would they want to see some kid do it in a G-rated setting? The final reason live action kids films are on the decline is the rise of CGI animated movies. Since Toy Story was a worldwide phenomenon in 1995 every studio has been fighting to duplicate that success. In 1998 Steven Spielberg's animation company DreamWorks got involved in the CGI game with their first CGI animated film Antz, which grossed $171 Million and since the success of Toy Story, Pixar has been the standard for CGI animation with films like Monster's Inc, Finding Nemo and Inside Out. DreamWorks is a close second with films like Shrek, Kung-Fu Panda, and The Croods and with other animation studios like Illumination and Laika getting in the game, it doesn't look like animation is dying at the box office anytime soon. But what does this mean for live action kids movies? It means that the genre will have to reinvent itself. One thing studios have to do is stop insulting kids intelligence with movies like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and give kids movies with story and depth that's the reason kids like the Marvel movies and all these CGI movies because they are not insulting their intelligence and it's the reason I liked movies like The Goonies and Home Alone. So if the live action kids movie doesn't change it will die.
By Mickell Ford9 years ago in Geeks
Old Man 'Logan'
There is the old saying that tells us that “all good things must end.” For Hugh Jackman, the actor who has played Marvel's comic book character Wolverine since 2000, now would seem a good time to say goodbye to the character. Thus Logan, released earlier this year, was announced to be his last time in the role. Not only that but the film looked to be quiet different from any of the previous X-Men films or even the solo Wolverine outings. The resulting film is an interesting piece of work to say the least.
By Matthew Kresal9 years ago in Geeks
Top Television Shows in the 1970s
Ah, the 1970s. It was a decade of bean bag chairs, swag lamps, gas lines, and a President on the ropes and out the door. Waterbeds hove into view, a piece of furniture masquerading as a boat. Mood rings and lava lamps glowed on your finger and in the corner respectively. We washed our cars obsessively. Was it because we were vehicular neat freaks? Nah, we just didn't want the “Have a Nice Day” guy to show up in the dust.
By Kim Hastings9 years ago in Geeks
Doctor Who
“Never knowingly be serious.” Great advice from one of the oldest and newest favourite characters of science fiction. The Doctor is an alien. A Time Lord, in fact, from a planet called Gallifrey who travels through time and space in his iconic blue box, the TARDIS.
By Sapphire Ravenclaw9 years ago in Geeks
My Favorite Year Celebrates Real Breaking Bad Behavior but How Can We Resist?
The classic 80s movie is based on Mel Brooks’ recollection of Errol Flynn’s appearance on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows in the early 1950s. As a young writer, Brooks was tasked with reigning in the fallen star so he’d be kept sober long enough to learn his lines and deliver the live rendition. Of course, it can be asked, how much did O’Toole really have to act to bring drunken debonair to life? Either way, the problematics both legends exhibited were often no laughing matter, and can’t help but weigh on our consciences as we enjoy.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
Marvel's Glorification of Bad Dads
In Guardian's of the Galaxy Vol 2, Peter Quill has the opportunity to finally meet his biological father, a god aptly named Ego who has plans to take over the entire galaxy and destroy all other life forms until only he remains. To put it simply, he is a bad dude. And at the end of the movie, Yondu, the blue alien who kept Quill instead of taking him to his biological father, helps save the day, essentially becoming a guardian of the galaxy. There is then a number of touching moments where Quill talks about how in the end, he was a great dude and was, in reality, his father because he raised him.
By J.C. Marie9 years ago in Geeks
Six Marvel Characters That Will Never Be In the MCU
With the explosive success of Marvel's Cinematic Universe (or MCU) approach to filmmaking, combined with their vast library of characters, it seems there is no end in sight to the long string of appearances by the players from the House of Ideas. But there are some characters that might be better off remaining in their comic books, as any live action appearances on film or TV simply won't work for them. Here are six Marvel Comics characters not suited for the MCU.
By Joachim Heijndermans9 years ago in Geeks
The Longwinded Tale of Neville Longbottom. Top Story - May 2017.
I was introduced to the Harry Potter series by a primary school teacher in 1999. The books (and later the films) were something that I connected with immediately. Harry himself was an inspiring character, and I learnt a lot about dealing with hardships and friendships from his life story. But the character that I have always had the strongest connection to would have to be Neville Longbottom. His life story has so many similarities to my own.
By Rebecca Sharrock9 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: The Evolution of Twin Peaks
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS - PARTS 1 to 4*** There has been an almighty wave of reactions online to the revival of Twin Peaks, spanning the spectrum of emotional responses, from amazement, bewilderment, excitement, annoyance, boredom and outright contempt. Personally, having seen all 4 parts, I was blown away; from the opening moments I was mesmerised by the vivid imagery, contemplative pacing and the mysterious, dangerous mood that seemed to permeate every scene. The lack of cosy nostalgia was impressively bold, almost nothing feeling like a 'comfortable' reminder of the original, despite the return of familiar faces and allusions to plot beats of the season one Pilot. The wider scope of the story became immediately apparent, as new characters arrived (and left...) in as yet unconnected plots unfolding in New York, South Dakota and the Black Lodge itself. To me this feels like a natural evolution of Twin Peaks; the first two seasons featured the town as a microcosm of America, so it seems fitting that Peaks is now a smaller part in exploring similar themes on a much grander scale.
By James Giles9 years ago in Geeks
