Fifty Shades of Grey Most Watched Trailer of 2014

[la_mode]

I disagree about there being "tons of actors" who wouldn't touch this movie, regardless of what the tabloids may say.

A movie this big is going to boost anyone's career.

 

[Papaya]

I agree with the main point and I think it's incredibly insightful (and obvious, now that it's brought up!)

However, I would like to point out that Joseph Campbell's "scholarship" has been shown to be rife with fraud and exaggerations. Many people who studied the same cultures he claimed to have heard his myths and folklore from said he was exaggerating and even making up the myths from whole cloth.

I was a huge 'Star Wars' fan (and even made a short SW documentary) and that's how I came to read up fairly deeply on Campbell. There are certainly worthwhile ideas to stew over, but in my opinion his fraud and basic over-simplifying.

Furthermore, it's important to note that, even if one were to agree to all of the monomyth claims, ancient folklore and mythology came about organically. Nowadays, people retrofit stories to conform to it. It's literally become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Wachowski's copy the "Hero's Journey" after reading Joseph Campbell, and then people site 'The Matrix' as proof of the Hero's Journey being legitimate.

And actually, I'd suspect that the Cinderella monomyth is even more potent than the "Hero's Journey", because I believe there is much more genetic variation amongst men than amongst women. Therefore, many are going to have divergent tastes, whereas 99% of women will get all tingly when watching 'Pretty Woman' or reading '50 Shades of Gray'.

Thanks

I have no knowledge of whether any of Campbell's work was fraudulent nor have I studied or even read all of it (I think one could spend a lifetime doing that... in fact there's a whole foundation of people dedicated to just that) so I'm not qualified to comment or defend it. For my purposes I don't even care whether some of the specific stories he referred to were made up. All "stories" are made up. Only history isn't. (EDIT Well...I guess that's debatable, but you know what I mean)

I disagree that his work is an oversimplification. Fuck me but reading his work is anything but simple. His analyses are incredibly complex. His reduction of his findings into simpler form is was/is genius

I say I don't care because n my humble opinion there are undeniable elements, rythms, beats that are found in Campbell's original model "Hero's Journey" that are vital to good story telling. Are those found in every "good" movie? Abso-fucking-lutely. You can give me any GOOD or better movie or script and I can show you where they are.

Has that original model been altered, mis-interpreted, bastardized and regurgitated as a fucked up version of The Heros' Journey? Abso-fucking-lutely. You can go to any coffee shop in LA, ads in CL. etc etc, and there are countless number of jackwagons claiming to be able to teach wannabe screen writers "Hero's Journey" classes. I'm sure there are many capable and even great writing teachers out there but 40 years of people fucking it up has made reference "The Hero's Journey" seem cliche' and in some circles cheesy.

Example of rythm: Do you know why ALL movie scripts have a three act structure? Of course because before movies we had plays and plays are written in 3 acts. Were the always? No.

Aristotle is often credited by screenwriting how-to authors with having originated three-act structure over 2000 years ago because of his observation that a tragedy must have a beginning, a middle and an end for people to enjoy it. This is the RYTHM of a good story While he was not explicit about how this should be achieved, a three-act form can be found in his identification of Greek drama’s component parts — prologue, parados, episode, stasimon, and exodos. Prologue and parados were where the story was introduced. Episode and stasimon referred to a dramatic scene (episode) followed by a choral song (stasimon) that could be alternated as many times as necessary to fulfill the story. And exodos was where the story was finally resolved. Thus, we have a beginning, a middle and an end. Not exactly today’s three-act structure but certainly heading in that direction.

Is rhythm a vital part of good story telling? Of course. Campbells analyses of what make for good story telling throughout history goes way way beyond that of Aristotles. It's no coincidence though that Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher (again my opinion) and that he was able to recognize what people respond to through his observations

Did Wachowski's follow Campbells model for The Hero's Journey? BLATANTLY. Is the model "legit"? Id argue that $1,100,000,000 and climbing in revenue is "proof" that people respond to the model. If that isn't then please tell me what is.

I'm thinking it might be a fun and worthwhile exercise to start a Movie Monomyth Analysis thread. You name a good or favorite movie and I'll run it through the "Joseph Campbell" analysis ( best that I can) and see what happens. Of course if you pick a crap movie I'll call you out. Thoughts anyone?

 

[Uzisuicide]

This movie is a disaster for everyone. Women who leave the theater after this movie will be even more convinced that they are entitled to a caliber of man that they're just not going to get. Consequently it will take longer for them to realize that they have two choices: 1) lower their standards to something more in line with their SMV or 2) be alone lamenting that all the good men are gone. There's no third way.

 

[AnonymousBosch]

I disagree about there being "tons of actors" who wouldn't touch this movie, regardless of what the tabloids may say.

A movie this big is going to boost anyone's career.

Like the cast of 'Showgirls'?

 

[monster]

This movie doesn't actually look that bad. It might one of those rare movies that's actually better than the book. But trailers are also deceiving too.

At any rate, it can't be much worse than 95% of the movies coming out these days.

 

[Papaya]

I disagree about there being "tons of actors" who wouldn't touch this movie, regardless of what the tabloids may say.

A movie this big is going to boost anyone's career.

Like the cast of 'Showgirls'?

Gina Gershon was pretty hot back in her day....weird mouth and all

 

[la_mode]

Showgirls was hyped up the media, partially because Elizabeth Berkley was stepping into a risque stripper role far different from her annoying teenage feminist persona on Saved By The Bell.

It was also nowhere near the cultural phenomena that 50 Shades Of Grey is.

 

[Deepdiver]

LOL A friend is a certified builder with a factory built high end (modular) home builder that could build anything form a cottage to a mansion in sections that would be then towed to a job site, craned into place on the completed foundation in 1 or 2 days and then seemed up by a fits and finishes crew in a week... a bit more cost than a stick built due to the quality however lighting fast time to occupancy and better quality control than traditional stick built.

The company brought in a consulting group that copyrighted and trademarked "women-centric" designed homes that consisted of 4 primary areas, an organized entry storage area/vestibule either in the garage to home transition area or near the main entrance, an entertaining area basically open concept island kitchen and great room living/dining/tv space, a decompression area - master bedroom with large walk-in storage closets and a Master bath with corner jacuzzi tub for sensual hot calgon water softened jacuzzi baths and a separate walk in shower/massage booth and then a flex space for the reality of today's "blended" a.k.a. broken families that would be a home office with sofa bed convertible to a guest room for step kids/kids on weekends... with 100 Million copies sold and over 31 million Youtube trailer views I now see a fifth space ... a sound proofed 50 Shades BDSM closet room with all the accessories with perhaps a prepper bunker/saferoom or panic room as well.. could revolutionize suburban home construction or urban condo design and marketing for the mommy porn set - in an art becoming life and life mimicking art sort of way. Brilliant.

 

[NilNisiOptimum]

This trailer showed before the movie I saw last night. I got to snickering about, actually got shushed by a middle age woman behind me. All I could do was laugh harder.