I feel it in the film.

I feel it in the theatre.

I smell it in the posters.

Much that once was, is lost
For none now live who remember it.

It began with the forging of the independent films.
Three were given to the eclectic:
Immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings.

Seven to the artists:
Great thikers and craftsmen of the editing halls.

And nine, nine films were gifted to the race of men who,
above all else, desire power.

For within these rings was bound the strength
and the will to govern the Oscars.

But they were, all of them, deceived;
for another ring was made.
In the land of Miramax, in the fires of Los Angeles,
the Dark Lord Weinstien forged, in secret, a master ring.

And into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice
and his will to dominate the industry.

One ring to rule them all.

One by one, the art of film fell
to the power of the ring.

I suppose I shouldn't direct all my malice towards one relatively gigantic company in California. Disney, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures have had their hand in the gradual fall in quality. And the viewers (although hopefully not the ones that visit this site) are up to their knees in the blood of quality.

By some measures of success it was a good year. People were finally ready to stop cowering in their living rooms reading their bibles and ready to start laughing at formulaic physical comedy again. People were once again willing to spend upwards of $15 to see a movie. And movie industry did surprisingly well. Even films that deserved in every right to be a complete failure were relatively successful.

This was also a miserable year for film. The end of the year was simply a mad rush to create film entirely for the sake of winning an Oscar. In some cases, like Mystic River, it succeeded (Sean Penn did after all steal that awards away from Bill Murray) and in other cases, like Cold Mountain, it was a miserable failure. Yet in each case, the film was a failure. Cold Mountain was a pointless excuse for a period film and Mystic River was created almost entire so that Sean Penn could show his remarkable ability to cry over his dead daughter.

I suppose I wouldn't have minded all these films being released if it wasn't increasingly clear how much of an impact these films have on the independent circuit. Smaller theatres today have become the release strategy of choice for these types of films. Edging out true independent films, simply because the mindless public (thank god I'm not running for office) can't tell the difference between an honest film and a film that has no purpose other than to push all the right awards buttons.

And still yet, mainstream Hollywood has not been content to simply push their own films through this marketable challenge, Stars themselves are increasingly producing and staring in their own "look at me I'm doing an art film" projects. Sean Penn is a perfect example. A great actor, but also one who never seems to take an honest project -- who is always aware of the political ramifications a film might have to his image.

However, as I write this, I also think back to the successes of this year. Lost in Translation, although one of the films above I talked about above, is a wonderfully honest film. A film created because there was a story and message to tell. You could see it on Bill Murray's face at the Oscars. He lost the award because he was unwilling to play the game. He was unwilling to put the time and energy into creating an image. There was also Pieces of April, a wonderfully entertaining independent film that even managed to pick up a few awards. And In America, a wonderfully written personal story by Jim Sheridan. And the personal triumph that is Thirteen. I must admit too that I thoughorly enjoyed watching Hollywood beat at its own formula by a group of unknowns who had previously worked on Hercules and Xena.

What I miss this year is the Ghost World's. The American Beauty and Requiem for a Dream’s. I missed going to see films and being blown away.

This was not a good year for movies. Don't let people tell you otherwise. And most of all, don't tolerate it in your viewing. Your movie dollars pay for these films -- remember that.