THB #567: Fly Me To The Moon

I’ve been noticing a phenomenon in Hollywood for the last couple of years. No one seems to be satisfied to just tell a basic story lately. Whether it is exaggerated CG work or the compulsion to tell more layers of a story than are really achievable in a 2 hour and whatever window, it feels almost desperate. Good story well told is just not enough.

These films don’t really deserve to be called out on their own, but one might suggest that it was the difference between Captain Marvel and The Marvels. I’m not saying the first film was perfect or the second was terrible. But the first film had a clear, absolute focus. And the 3some sequel-ish was all over the place and felt like it needed Adderall.

If you look at the Top 5 films from last year, they we very busy. Some were very long. But all 6 shared something critical… focus. Clarity. Barbie was a wild ride… but it always returned to the core focus on Barbie and her evolution. Super Mario Bros. might have been silly and minor in terms of …