Postmodernism In Movies & TV Today
Film and Television Programs are Rehashing Tired Formulas too Often
There is an old storytelling adage that states every story is really: 1) boy meets girl 2) boy loses girl 3) boy finds girl.
All stories regardless of the genre do share the same basic human emotions and generally fit together in a linear manner but is it really true that there are no new ideas?
Definition of Postmodernism
The literal definition of postmodernism is 'after the modernist movement'.
Basically this means than if you have lived more than a couple of decades you have a body of culture floating around in your subconscious that forms a basis of knowledge which allows you to relate to your environment by points of reference.
Is the postmodernist movement really an attempt to convince us that unique thought is over so audiences will be content with the continual reworking of familiar concepts?
Perhaps Jeff Foxworthy's standard comedy shtick "You might be a redneck if.........." can be applied to the current state of film and television in the U.S.
Perhaps a project might be postmodern if..........
Postmodern Rehash of Old Ideas
A slightly campy 1960's or 1970's television program featuring a hero archetype (maybe a Batman or an Incredible Hulk) is given a major rehaul and sent to the big screen. Sexier sets, darker writing, and major movie star talent transform the once kitchy genre into a serious and weighty blockbuster hit.
How about transforming a news magazine-type show like1980's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous into a show where the rich and famous just live out their lifestyle in front of the camera? For those occasional less than fabulous moments, how about hiring a scriptwriter to maybe cook up a little scenario for the talent to maybe interject into their day? Instead of watching Entertainment Tonight then an episode of a sitcom like The Cosby Show, just throw the two concepts into one and voila! the fantasy lifestyle and the pseudo-biographical storyline have now merged into The Osbournes. Genius really!
Take a film idea that was bankable two decades ago and despite the fact that is available for purchase now on DVD for five dollars at WalMart or even better, free on cable tv at various intervals, go ahead and remake the story for audiences today. Life lessons that were learned in The Karate Kid will obviously be lost on youngsters today because of acting talent like Ralph Macchio and those dated 80's outfits.
Celebrities are rarely awarded their own television program today (think Carol Burnett Show, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dick Van Dyke Show). People become celebrities today because they have a show on tv (mainly because they are beautiful and have a privileged lifestyle that people at home enjoy watching on tv because they don't have that lifestyle or they would be just living that life and not watching someone else live it on tv). Tylenol, anyone?
The Blame Game
Is it the fault of studio executives that so much trite programming is constantly regurgitated or does the blame lie with viewers who tune in and provide the shows with ratings because there is nothing else to watch?
The truth might be that bad film and/or tv is like pornography. One individual's opinion of the definition might be slightly more liberal than the person next door but everyone is convinced that they know it when they see it.
What do you think about this article?
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