Hollywood and Holy Films- Closer Than You Think (Part 1)

Are the majority of Hollywood made films "evil"? This is the assumption that is driving the new interest in so-called faith-based films. Over the next few weeks, I will analyze movie released in 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008 to determine if, in fact, this widely held assumption, by religious and agnostics alike, holds any truth. For the sake of my unscientific study, I'll assume "evil" means lots of nudity and profanity. I may expand the study to include other pertinent data, like critical acclaim.

My early film education consisted of 8 basic genres: Drama, Action, Comedy (includes Spoof), Romantic Comedy, Comedy-Drama (or Dramedy), Horror, Suspense (Thriller), and Animated. Informal genres, like Chick Flick (i.e. romantic comedy) also exist. Obviously, genres overlap all the time with varying levels of success. 


For example, The Adjustment Bureau garnered mixed reviews because critics and viewers alike seemed confused by its classification. Many viewers on Yahoo Movies felt that the film was really a romantic drama, but how then to explain the bumbling (but funny) comic relief of the bureaucratic "bad guys" and the incredible CGI effects? Thelma and Louise? Obvious Chick Flick right? I'm not so sure when you consider the attempted rape and emotional ending.

The "genre" of Faith-based film baffles and irritates me because it raises tricky issues. For one, it adds yet another genre to an already clogged film classification system. Two, it fails to describe what the tone of the film is. Can faith-based films include comedy and romance or is it strictly relegated to heavy family dramas like Fireproof? And finally, whose faith are they based on? For now, it applies mainly to Christian films, but will other religious filmmakers be allowed to encroach on "our" territory?

As an avowed film buff, I see tons of movies of various ratings and can assure you that many R-rated films should have been rated PG-13 or lower and many G-rated Animated films should have been rated R because of all the suggestive adult humor (Hoodwinked, Too).

My general experience with films made in the past 5 years or so is that the majority are low on profanity and nudity and high on incredibly bad stories, mediocre acting, and lots of hype. I don't believe I'm desensitized to film but I am absolutely certain when a film of any genre is merely trying to pull on my heart strings in lieu of delivering quality entertainment. 

I feel that Hollywood is being unfairly bullied to some extent because plenty of inappropriate films are on the unregulated bootleg market and no one has mentioned much about the straight-to-dvd market. Let's not forget about the uninspired, crass leftovers that pass for tv shows these days.

Films are, first and foremost, entertainment. The early days of film were of a man riding a giant tricycle or someone tied to a train track silently screaming; not exactly intellectually stimulating material. But in the course of time, human ingenuity refused to be satisfied with such meager fare. Films began to be based on books by serious writers who didn't care to have their hard work visually mocked.  

So here we are in 2011, with movies (films is considered passe) produced by "deep" thinkers and self-proclaimed idiots. Movies must have messages, the Oscars demands. Directors and actors strive to make avant-garde movies. Producers want to be known for producing something "meaningful". Even the MPAA rating system is collapsing under the pressure (remember NC-17?). Most of the time, I can tell what a movie will offer just by the reputation of the director and lead actors. After all, Denzel is never going to star in a slapstick comedy (it ain't gonna happen) and I don't see Quentin Tarantino directing "Smurfs-Part 2".

I'm curious to see what my statistics prove, if anything. Do "evil" movies really make more money than more sanguine ones? Is the faith factor so woefully overlooked by Hollywood that the faith based film "genre" must exist in a separate sphere? Do we need Sunday Services to become its own movie? 

Or is this all a terrible misunderstanding? Are Christians self-alienating from the movie industry for no reason? Are there plenty of faith oriented films in theaters that are inadvertently ignored or misclassified?

There's one thing that this undertaking will certainly prove: Hollywood and Holy Films may be on the brink of overlapping a little too close for comfort.