Friday 7 January 2011

Genre Movies Top UK Box Office Moneymakers

The biggest movies in the UK in 2010 were almost all genre films of some kind according to the list produced by Screen International.

Topping the list was TOY STORY 3, which some wouldn't call genre because it's a kids' movie, but it features toys that come to life when there aren't any humans around and how much more fantasy-related can you get than that?

AVATAR came next followed by the latest HARRY POTTER, Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, INCEPTION, SHREK FOREVER AFTER, TWILIGHT:ECLIPSE, IRON MAN 2 and CLASH OF THE TITANS.

The only film in the list that you couldn't make a case for being either sci fi or fantasy was SEX AND THE CITY 2 at number 8.

If ever there was more proof needed that, in the cinema at least, genre IS the mainstream then this is it. When people are spending their money then they are going for the fantastical.

Admittedly, five out of the nine were sequels and two were remakes with only AVATAR and INCEPTION as being really new.

This is at a time when budgets are being squeezed everywhere and Hollywood will no doubt take note that ticket buyers are still expecting good visual and big movies for their money. What that means for the future of big screen genre outings is uncertain, but it can only be to the good.

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Dr Who Still Hates My Dad

In January last year I blogged a bit about the fact that Dr Who under Russell T Davis had a serious anti-father bias. Well, Stephen Moffat has taken over and it's nice to see that things haven't changed an iota.

This year's Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, revolved around a man who was the worst sort of person ever. He revelled in taking hostages against debts and was willing to let a whole spaceliner of people die when he could save them without too much effort.

And why was he like this? He was like this because of his abusive father!

Once again, Dr Who comes up with a bad dad as the root of all evil.

Still, at least in last year's series we saw that Amy Pond's father was a good and kind man - Oh hang on a minute we didn't because he wasn't anywhere to be seen and when he could have appeared quite easily we get some sort of aunt or friend of the family.

It seems like the anti-father agenda is set to stay.