Chris Gore, Founder/Owner of FilmThreat/Author/Filmmaker: What’s… what is…okay
all right here. So I don't know…I don't know what I'm doing? Am I on a kid's show? What is this,
the elephant in the room? What is the elephant in the room?
Film Courage: Well that's what we're wondering if you have any take on?
Chris: Well I think the elephant in the room is Hollywood is making movies for the mob on social
media and not for general audiences. When you look at the successes that have been the biggest films
of the year they've all been very mainstream movies Top Gun Maverick being among them
right and I think that there's a whole section of the audience that
has felt alienated by the infusion of too much agenda and really I go to the movies to escape
I go to the movies to get involved in someone's story and that story and that person whose story
that I'm experiencing through their eyes may not even look like me may not be the same gender as I
am may not be the same ethnicity I don't care I want to be involved in a human story that I can
relate to and by relate to I don't mean I need to see someone who looks exactly like myself I
think that what needs to happen is is that the the films that Hollywood makes should really
be reflective of the actual audience that goes to the movies we have seen this year as we've
gotten past the before times so to speak the the lowest box office while we've had box office hits
we have had far less tickets sold in the United States I mean most recently by the end of the
summer and going into the fall some of the worst weekends we've ever seen now there'll always
be a number one movie at the box office but when compared to previous years Hollywood has certainly
not recovered I think part of that is that the habit of going to the movies has been lost I think
that these specialness of big tentpole Hollywood movies has been diminished by the sh by the the
shortened window hey it's in the theaters I'll wait and I'll see it later on my 4K, 75-inch TV
what is going to get audiences back to the box office and it's telling stories that
are more Universal and that means getting away from lecturing and getting away from Identity
politics and really stop infusing agenda into what should be Universal storytelling
it's unfortunate because it used to be a thing where we'd all go to the movies and
we'd be talking about it the next week right we would have discussions I liked it I didn't like
it my opinion about that film is different than yours that's fine I love to disagree with people
about film my favorite conversations I've ever had people I disagreed with vehemently I love
it it's the conversation is the point it's not it's not I'm not trying to be right okay
because we all have different experiences we experience films differently so I'm still
sitting here with this elephant it's going to but I think really Hollywood needs to get back to who
is the core audience how can we appeal to the most people but in a way that doesn't seem pandering
and can there even be an American identity I think this is kind of the problem right
now like we don't we disagree on so many so many issues that I think that's that's a difficult task
so the way the challenges are out there for Hollywood but just just get back to the core
entertaining people and is the mob quote-unquote mob on social media the new focus group
it's unfortunate that the mob on social media is the focus group that's being listened to I mean
focus groups can be useful right hey the movie's 15 minutes too long we're looking
where where where can we find 15 minutes to cut out I think that the mob on social media is
very vocal but they're not your core customer and Studios need to stop listening to the mob
that's that's the elephant in the room stop listening to the mob listen to the elephant
in the room and we're not talking Good Fellas here no yeah exactly stop listening to social
media mobs that go after people these are people that are bored and generally
sad because they've got the time to express whatever the horrific an annoying opinion is
get away from it stay true make make a and make a film that that is going to move people
I really do think we're going to look back on this era of filmmaking and think how did so many bad
movies get made and I hope that I'm there to be able to look back and go why did they make that
Pinocchio movie with Tom Hanks and then someone's going to say wait a sec they made a Pinocchio live
action movie with Tom Hanks oh my God I saw it you're not going to believe it it actually exists
I'm going to name 12 Movies (12 woke movies). Okay quote unquote and I'd love to hear your
reaction sure so first one Thelma and Louise. Thelma and Louise could be considered woke
having said that I don't consider that movie in the sense of how we see woke
today because I don't feel it's it's it doesn't lecture. I don't feel like
I'm being lectured to in that film but yeah that that has I would say that it definitely
has progressive messages but I wouldn't even really necessarily put that in a woke category
for me personally I think there's a different way that messages have been infused into Hollywood
in the past and it's very different now where the messaging is right on the nose and you're
being told you're a bad person if you don't actually like the movie like if you don't
like this if you don't like this movie you're racist or if you don't like this movie you're
a sexist or how could you not like this movie because this person made it I kind of call BS
on that so and I don't necessarily consider it's certainly a feminist film for sure
You know I don't have a problem with it. Do The Right Thing, Get Out, Fruitvale Station,
Mad Max Fury Road, Straight Outta Compton, All About Eve, Mean Girls, Philadelphia,
Remember The Titans, Glory and Hidden Figures. I don't know that I would call those all woke films,
there's certainly movies that I'll have messages right and and look Hollywood films have always
been filled with messages I think what's new today is that the messaging is infused in a more
overt way it used to be underneath the surface the messages used to be the subtext of the film
for example just like Dances with Wolves right has a lot of messages in it but it's but it's
it's it's just right there I think that a lot of films that are coming out now and
the reason people are reacting so poorly is that audiences are being judged based on if
they like a movie or not you're you're free to not like Thelma and Louise you're free to not
like do the right thing you're free to not like those films that's perfectly fine but
it doesn't make but what I think is interesting is they're trying to make people out to be bad
for having a different opinion about a movie I've never seen this in my life
and I think that's that's kind of I think that's what's turned a lot of people off to a movie they
may actually enjoy but refuse to see there's a recent example of that the movie The Woman King
which I think the Woman King was completely misrepresented in its marketing it was marketed
to be one thing and then the movie is is something something else there's much more to the film
and I've never seen this happen in a time that I've been around where an audience is
being accused of being sexist or racist for not liking a film or a particular filmmaker
you're free to not like those things and the fact that people feel like they have to go
along with sort of the the the what they think is the majority of people in their peer group
well everyone thinks this so I'm going to I'm going to also think that
and I just find that kind of weak-minded I always like people who have different opinions
about about films but I it's unbelievable to me that that people 's opinion can can vilify them
or make people look differently how could you not like this how could you not not like this
this particular film or filmmaker never seen that ever before and I and I find it kind of shocking
what I think is most disheartening is when you see like a studio kind of use it almost like
a marketing strategy this was this was done with Amazon and the rings of power
they tried to accuse audiences of being racist for not liking the diverse cast and
there's quite a crossover audience between fans of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones
and so HBO comes out with House of the Dragon well that's also a diverse cast and people love that
show so what is it the same fans who were accused of being racist for not liking the character of
Reva Sevander in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series were also the same fans who begged to please please
put Lando Calrissian in a Star Wars movie same fans please please can you put Mace Windu played
by Samuel L Jackson please put him in the Kenobi series you can't accuse these fans
of of of those kinds of things I think it's it's really disingenuous on the Studio's parts and I
think what they're doing is is that they're sort of shielding themselves from criticism
by making certain creative choices and the fans can can like it or not like it whatever
but I don't think they're they're racist for not liking a particular film or character some
characters resonate Lando Calrissian is a badass love him people love the character of Mace Windu
and what's weird is so many so many today think like well this is this is the first
time we've ever had a character of color in in a film when you look back in particular genre
Science Fiction and Fantasy has had diverse casts from the beginning back in the 70’s
so this is this is not new what's new is using it as a piece of marketing and weaponizing IT
against audiences to me it's always a losing strategy it's always a losing strategy to do
that let the work speak for itself if people don't like it don't vilify your audience.