Art-Commerce-Entertainment…Movies?
First, for these purposes, here’s my idea of what those words mean as they relate to movies. Art–a movie with special and significant beauty, ideas, or appeal…commerce–making money producing, buying and selling movies…entertainment–movies that audiences can enjoy and escape with.
Just about every movie ever made and played to an audience has all three of these factors working for it. Sometimes I speak almost disparagingly of so called ‘popcorn’ or ‘summer’ or ‘family’ movies because, to me, they’re all about commerce and entertainment. Not about art at all. But when I really burrow down into it, these same films are also about art; maybe just not in the ratio that appeals most to me. If you had to do a pie chart on movies, current and past, how do you think the three slices of pie would stack up onyour favorite (or least favorite) movies? Avatar has all three in spades.
Expendables? Commerce yes, entertainment yes, art? Maybe.
Actually, yes. Just in smaller quantities than say, Winter’s Bone or Babette’s Feast. What about most of the indy movies, short and long, being made now in Kansas and Missouri? Hmmm. What do you think? One thing’s for sure. Even Vampire Sucks and Eat Pray Love and The Takers are also art, maybe just sliced rather thin. It just depends upon the mix. And your opinion of the mix.
The Film Peddler