People are staying away from movie theathers because the cost is way too high. After paying 12 a ticket to get in, the drinks and food are another 10 a person. For $22.00 a person with let's say a husband that is $44.00. Twice what it will cost for me to own it when it comes out on DVD. Now if I add in a couple kids, which I actually have 6 of them, we are talking enormous amounts of money. If they would go back down to 5.00 a ticket and a couple dollars for popcorn, maybe we could come back to the show.

Enormous amounts of money even if you and your hubby decide for a grownups night out. Sitters dont come cheap - my wife and I only go to the movies if the inlaws are up for the weekend.

And what would we see if they were here?

Lets talk about Pirates of the Carribean - that was a movie I'll pony up ten, twenty bucks a seat for. Why? Its two hours or so of soild entertainment. You like the characters. Its fun watching Johnny Depp as Sparrow...sorry...Captain Sparrow, its fun watching them all - the third movie was a joy because of the obvious fun Jeofrey Rush was having as Hector Barbossa. The FX are eyepoping, yes, yes, but its the story, the script, the actors which make that a worthwhile movie.

This is what George Lucas cant quite grasp - Star Wars was never about the FX - it was about being there, in the story, with characters you enjoyed, and cared about. Except Luke. Yeah, yeah, Jedi, ok, whatever, can we get back to Han or Vader, please?

It wasnt about the Death Star and space battles and lightsabers - it was about that one moment when Vader makes his entrance amongst the carnage of the battle, that just made me sit back in my seat and say 'whoah' - that one, single, perfect moment that made the movie. Theres none of that in his modern FX extraviganzas.

You want me to expend my meager resources on one of your movies? You give me something wonderful, something challenging, something fun, something with a bit of pathos. Not gimmick, not CGI gadgetry.

Transformers The Movie. Good god they'll make anything into a movie. And they expected me to spend money on it?

If tickets were cheaper, would you watch clooney movies, or watch movies you liked twice?

Clooney movies underperform other movies. Kids movies actually clean house consistently, beating the crap out of Clooney movies. So much for the "kids are too expensive" theory.

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let's look at the top 10 for 2006:

Clooney Movies: 0

Kid's movies: 4

Sequels: 5

And 2005:

Clooney Movies: 0

Kid's movies: 4

Sequels: 3

And 2004:

Clooney movies: 0

Kid's movies: 4

Sequels: 5

Yes, but thats just because people think kids are stupid, and so let them go to stupid movies.

And by people I mean Americans. I've got two Miazaki movies at home for my four year old - Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro - which are some of the finest movies ever made. Any category. We've recently rented Curse of the WereRabbit - and the only exception to the rule bad American rule is Henson. Except, funny thing about Henson, the Muppet Show was produced in Great Britain - none of the American networks would back it originally. And the movie he's hooked on now - Muppets Treasure Island - all the humans are Brits (Tim Curry, one of the women from AbFab, etc.).

Most kids movies, Disney included (in some instances Disney especially), are bland, poorly done shlock-fests designed to market toys.

If I'm going to spend money on my son, its going to have some value for him as a child - either ingraining some sense of wonder, or culture, or adventure. Every movie I've mentioned does that in some way.

As for drawing an audience - well, Depp did some damned wierd movies before Pirates - Whats Eating Gilbert Grape, Edward Scissorhands, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, Ed Wood. Damn near arthause movies - definatly not mainstream blockbuster Will Smith material. Welcome to Erf. I make this look good.

Whats Clooney done in those lines? Three Kings. O Brother Where Art Thou? When I saw Three Kings I was bemoaning the inability of Americans to produce anything as clever as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and along comes this dark, clever little saga about the Gulf War. Clooney hammed it a bit in O Brother, but Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, it was a Cohen Bros. movie - Nicolas Cage hammed it a bit in Raising Arizona. So did Holly Hunter - Git away from mah baby, yew warthog from Hail!

I like Clooney. If the movie looks good, I'll go see it - but the bottom line is there is NO actor I will go see just for the actor. Times are too tought, money's too tight.

"Times are too tought, money's too tight."

And here you are, insulting americans and bragging about your cultural superiority instead of working.

Can't you see how your last sentence undermines your entire post? If you can see through Disney's sinister plot to sell us toys, shouldn't you be better off than Americans and their "stupid" children?

I am an American. You've completely lost me as to what your point is. Most of what is put out for consumer consumption in America is garbage. I've often times brought up FireFly as an example of whats done right in America, and its abrupt cancellation by Fox as whats wrong.

Most movies are garbage.

Most Disney is the same tripe they've passed off in each movie. Really, is the Mermade chick any different from the one in Aladin or any of the other clones?

Television is a vast wasteland - reality shows with crazy people, canned sitcoms, someone try to explain to me what the hype is about Heros? Or American Idol.

There are rare exceptions. My Name Is Earl was a clever show, CSI was until they started ignoring the science. That 70's Show was funny for about 2 seasons. Buffy and Angel had their individual episodes.

If you look back, you'll find only a few shows which ever broke conventions - All In The Family or Soap come to mind. Used to be that American movies were expressive of American creativity. Now they've become crass moneymakers without any attempt to create something real, something entertaining. Exceptions, sure - Pirates was such a bolt out of the blue. Reminded me of when movies were fun. When it was a thrill to see a flick - ever see Aliens in the theatre? The audience actually cheered when Ripley said the line 'Get away from her, you BITCH!'. I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in the theater - I'm not sure once my jaw dropped it ever came back up.

Where are those movies now? Fucking George Lucas trying to digitize Indie's bullwhip? Kudos to Harrison Ford for threatening to walk off the set. Damn right! Because there is so much of what George has done to movies - made them vehicles for merchandizing - that has become standard practice.

I'm not spending my money on crap.

You might be American, but primarily you are a whiner, and are in no position to call other people stupid.

Sword_of_Light:

I've often times brought up FireFly as an example of whats done right in America, and its abrupt cancellation by Fox as whats wrong.

Glad to see Firefly getting some love. One of the best shows ever. Made me take you more seriously after your inexplicable praise of Pirates.

Tip for saving money at the theater: sneak in food. Salad, pizza, chinese, whatever. Especially with a long movie, it really beats overpriced popcorn and candy.