Channelling Kubrick

I was watching 2001: A Space Odyssey the other day and it struck me. That's what we've been missing this whole time: we're missing Kubrick.

Now, if you take a second and think about this, it makes perfect sense. Since Kubrick death there's been a void in the entertainment industry. Okay granted, there has been a handful of pretty good and pretty surprising films out there, but I'm not talking about those types of films -- for the record, the types I'm referring to is the indie movie types that's layered with simplicity yet blows you away with their complexity.

Mr. Stanley Kubrick created films that was primarily based off of literary works. Within each piece he found some profound element which he explored in depth. This resulted in films that were well of two hours long. Now, he was famed for created films with serious subject matter that sparked off serious controversy, resulting in a few of his works being banned for a period of time.

Now, while I'm musing over the current state of the entertainment industry (you know, the one where there's always some cheap remake of some old horror movie floating like a smelly turd on the horizon) and it dawns on me that what this film-going generation lack is the vision and story telling prowess as displayed by Mr. Kubrick. Even though we live in an age where we're pretty open minded towards anything, I doubt that the same types of films that was made way back in the day would do anything to create an earth shattering rift in what can only be classified as appropriate entertainment in today's standards.

However, there's a way around this. It might just be some wishful thinking on my part but I think that there's not enough risks being made in the entertainment industry these days. Aside from the fact that making a film is a risk in itself, there aren't any peopl who want to stake their careers and reputations on the line to create a film that dares the conventions that "guides" what we see and hear in film today. Television has pretty much destroyed the conventions that defined it.

I think that it's about time someone started a revolution in filmmaking where the artist who has a groundbreakingly controversial story, he or she can tell it without being constrained to showing only this or saying only that.

Or, I might just be going crazy and I might be taking this Kubrick thing a little too far.

Maybe.