"What do you MEAN you aren't going to see

The FANTASTIC FOUR this weekend?

Believe it or not, I HAVE been asked this question a couple of times already. I've sort of been taken aback by it.

I'm a realist. I know that there aren't MILLIONS of people reading this, clinging on my every word, and taking my comments as gospel. If there were, I'd have my own column in the paper, and getting PAID for what I love doing, watching film. There are a few people, that I have told about this blog that know me personally, that do ask my opinion on film. When I'm asked, I will give it, but I make sure that it's short and to the point. I enjoy discussing film as much as I enjoy seeing film.

The last sentence explains in a nutshell why I won't see The FANTASTIC FOUR this weekend, or next weekend, or when it ends up being on TBS in a couple of years from now. I don't think of The FANTASTIC FOUR as a FILM, I think of it as a movie. FILM is something that provokes discussion, or makes an impression on you, something MORE is left with you when you see a FILM besides the taste of stale popcorn when you leave the theatre. Now some of you may say "He won't go see The FANTASTIC FOUR, but you RUSHED to see REVENGE OF THE SITH, and BATMAN BEGINS, what gives, what's the difference?

REVENGE OF THE SITH was the CONCLUSION (Albiet a sad one) to a movie series that DEFINED my childhood, and the childhoods of a LOT of other people. I like to see things through, no matter how painful they may be. SITH also stimulated discussion about Star Wars on a whole. Everyone could talk about how Star Wars affected their lives at one point or another. I remember as a kid going blindly numerous times to the theatre to see EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and seeing people get floored with the Father revelation. SITH was the final chapter in a lot of people's childhood memories. BATMAN BEGINS, we I went to see it because I have been a fan of Christopher Nolan's other movies, and the thought of what he could do with this tale of the Dark Knight intrigued me.

The FANTASTIC FOUR has none of this for me. The marketing campaign makes the movie look like it would be of NO interest to me whatsoever. Jessica Alba, although cute, isn't really a deciding factor in whether or not I go to a movie.

The FANTASTIC FOUR in my mind, represents everything I HATE about present day Hollywood - jump on the bandwagon, and try and push something through the pipeline, because MARKETING says it's the thing to do. It represents the CORPORATE Hollywood, the Suits and Beancounters that are AFRAID to take a chance, and just watch boxoffice receipts to see what they can rip-off next.

Like everyone who reads this, I don't get PAID to see movies, so I think I can pick and choose the ones I will (or won't) see. I took a bullet for this BLOG to write about BEWITCHED, I think I have to let the wounds (and, yea, the nightmares) from that one heal before I do THAT again.

There are FILMS that are going to be released soon that are piquing my interest, and I will write about them when the time comes. One of them comes out next Friday, and I'll be sure to see it, and make a comment on here. As for The FANTASTIC FOUR, they don't seem fantastic enough for me to spend time in a theatre, especially when there are socks and underwear to be sorted in my dresser.