Same ol' actors. Same ol' movies.

Every movie released within the past ten years or so has been a vehicle for celebrities. When a movie is released these days someone will say, “Oh I want to see the new movie with (insert celebrity name here)” not “Oh I want to see the new movie about...”. Movies from earlier generations of course had some big names, but there was also a great plot and substance to them. Matthew McConaughey is one of the celebrities who make millions of dollars playing the role of the hunky ladies' man with a southern drawl. He is not the only celebrity that has fallen into this trap, and it seems it will happen to more as time goes on.

Look at the movies released at your local movie theater, and half of them are remakes or books turned into movies. Most of the movies are made to make you laugh, scare you half to death, show you how great of an “actor” some stars can be, and some are just made so you, the viewer, can be amazed by the 3-D graphics or how many things can blow up. Some movies from the 1980s, which is not very long ago, are being remade, and a few are even being turned in to musicals. Case in point, Footloose. It is now being made to feature this generation's teenyboppers singing instead of just dancing. Apparently the writers in Hollywood have writers' block because more classic movies are getting new faces rather than new movies being made. According to Simon Brew of denofgeek.com, there were thirty-eight planned remakes as of 2008. Some movies are getting remade while others are getting sequels. Take Rocky for example. There have been six films total, the first made in 1976 and the last movie was made in 2006. And everyone can agree that each film got worse the next time around, not to say that the first is not a classic, because it is. While some “has beens” try to reprise their famous roles in sequels or remakes, there are newer actors in the game snatching those roles for the younger crowds. As a viewing society, we all need to put an end to this horrible stage of remaking everything and demand fresh, new ideas.