Jerry Seinfeld has a new movie out that I probably won't go and see as I was never a big "Seinfeld" fan. But he did say something in the news this week that caught my eye. Here's the quote:
"They [people who make movies] don't have any idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea."
When asked to elaborate, Seinfeld then said, "Film doesn't occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives. When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we're walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see."
So, I think I understand what Seinfeld was getting at here, but the comparison or use of the "fire hose of water" metaphor has got me a little confused. What do you think he means? Here's my take: a fire hose throws out a ton of water, and what he's saying is that there's too much volume coming out and too many options for people to watch. As a result, everything is just getting sopping wet and there's no rhyme or reason for what gets produced and what doesn't get produced and because of that, no one cares. Does that sound about right?
But even if I don't understand completely what Seinfeld is getting at, I do want to say this: watching shows (for me) has never been so fulfilling. Here's a slice of what I rate as "incredible" that has come out in just the last ten years:
1) Breaking Bad
2) The Mandalorian
3) Game of Thrones
4) The Expanse
5) The new Dune movie and its sequel
6) Foundation on Apple +
7) Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Endgame
I feel like I'm living in the golden age of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books. However, is Seinfeld right? is the movie business over? Is he being literal about "movies" as opposed to "television", which I'm lumping together as synonyms of each other? A show is a show, right? And show business is show business?
Just a little fact check: the last episode of Breaking Bad came out September 29, 2013 so that was more than 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the fire hose thing could mean that there's too much stuff, though ironically thanks to the strikes and pandemic this "summer" will probably have the thinnest lineup since theaters reopened.
@P.T.: Thanks for the fact check. I guess I was lumping "Better Call Saul" in with "Breaking Bad" and just kind of thinking it was all really good and continued to be good. But you're totally right. Also, the time slippage thing is really catching me off guard. I legit didn't comprehend that 2013 was eleven years ago until I just did the math. It's weird how fast time is going by.
Delete@P.T.: Here's a follow up question for you: Do you think that a.i. has made the firehose problem worse, especially in the writing world? There is no doubt in my mind that it will make the firehose of stuff we see coming out of show business worse in the coming years.
DeleteI watch very few of today's TV shows so I can't say much for TV, online or on air. Of what I've read in entertainment news, it seems, at least streaming TV, to be striving.
ReplyDeleteBig screen movies on the other hand may be a different story. Just this past weekend I went to go see "Godzilla x Kong" at a theatre that only a month or two ago had always had long lines. This time, both when I entered and exited the average number of people in line seemed to be no more than 5. This is a theatre in a fairly small town, however. I haven't been to theatres in other nearby areas lately.
However, even if movies fall out of the popularity that Seinfeld says they have, cinema is still an art that there will always at least be a small audience for, even if most film goes indie. so I don't think it will really ever be dead.
I loved "Godzilla X Kong" but I'm a huge fan of kaiju movies and the Legendary universe of monsters.
DeleteIt's definitely being overwhelmed by the amount of options elsewhere. It used to be you had to choose from a hundred things. Now, it's millions. There are shows out there that are awesome that most people will never find.
ReplyDeleteThere will still be movies, but they will scale back what goes into the theater and more will hit streaming. (Like Seinfield's movie.) We still enjoy hitting the theater for big releases and will continue to do so. But we are selective which ones we go see. (Like Godzilla x Kong, which we caught opening night.)
@Alex: I think it's cool that we both like the same kinds of movies.
DeleteI did not know that Seinfeld has a movie out. I'm not sure about the future of film. TV used to be so huge and who watches network TV anymore? Actually, I'm not even sure about the future of civilization. Seems like we're getting to the end of the road there, too.
ReplyDelete@Karen: Dark, but I sometimes (okay quite a bit lately) think the same thoughts as you are expressing here about the future of civilization.
DeleteThings have shifted. Are movies done? I don't think so. But I don't think they'll hold the same sway that they used to. Just like everything else, we have so much choice. It's not like three networks. Or one big movie out. When there were fewer choices, everyone watched the same things. Now we don't have to anymore. Is that a bad thing? Yes and no, I think.
ReplyDelete