Hugh Howey

Bestselling author of Wool and other books. Currently sailing around the world.

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I’m a Genius – Part VIII

There was an interesting piece on The Tyee this week about the importance of seeing PACIFIC RIM in theaters. The author laments the steady stream of sequels and remakes and cautions that if we do not support original content, we’ll get less and less of it in the future. As I’m reading this piece, I’m reminded of another story I saw recently that listed the original films that haven’t fared well on the big screen. White House Down, After Earth, and now Pacific Rim. It doesn’t bode well for a Wool release if studio execs look at recent history before pulling the trigger. And so I came up with an ingenious idea. Hollywood, are you listening? You should put numbers after every film.

That’s right. I want to see Wool 4 hit the big screen. You can bill it as “Bigger and better than Wool 3!” Or: “Everything missing from Wool 2 is right here!” Also: “If you missed the other films, don’t worry. Now’s the time to get on board!” How about: “Runs a full two hours longer than Wool 1!”

It doesn’t matter that there aren’t three other films out there. That’s not important. What matters is the mark of pedigree, the sense that the other movies must’ve done very well (I.E. a bunch of people paid $20 to go see them), so this one must be pretty good too! There weren’t 122 other The Taking of Pelham’s. There weren’t 60 other movies about baseball and asterixis. All you knew was these movies must rock to have such insane followings.

Make it happen, Hollywood. It’s brilliant. It’s the best idea I’ve had since . . . well, that last time.

10 replies to “I’m a Genius – Part VIII”

LOL!

I love the subversiveness. I used be involved in the film industry. Things have become quite different now with everything from production, marketing, to distribution to eventual DVD sales.

For WOOL, your fans including me will go see the movie at the theaters. The atmosphere of the silos has to be experienced in an air-conditioned, freezing, dark movie theater. The more claustrophobic, the better . . . Actually I wouldn’t mind watching the movie in a real silo, actually.

Can Jennifer Lawrence play Jules?

I find it funny that White House Down is considered an original movie when Olympus Has Fallen preceded it by 6 months. Pacific Rim looks like Transformers. RIPD is a knock off of MIB. Lone Ranger had nothing original to it. I think the problem is Hollywood’s perception that the American public is a bunch of dumb hillbillies. Make it loud, fill it with action and they will come. WOOL, may not be a blockbuster film, but I believe one that will be strongly reviewed, build an audience of new viewers over subsequent weeks, through word of mouth, and end up being a profitable venture for the movie company.

The good news is that Wool 1 won’t have 45 minute overkill mayhem CGI sequences (I hope) and will be a great refreshment after the overkill we’ve witnessed with the summer fare seen so far this year. I did not see After Earth or White House Down–the reviews were just too awful (at least from the reviewers I trust). I did see Man of Steel, World War Z, and Pacific Rim. All 3 had some good points–best Superman since Christopher Reeve, the story and innovative tricks on Krypton also good; Brad Pitt is solid in WWZ, gives it some soul; & the bits of humor and especially Ron Perlman in PR generates some fun while the other Sons of Anarchy star, Charlie Hunnam, puts some heart into the movie (although no Brad Pitt). But all 3 were guilty of CGI extended mayhem overkill that went on way too long and diluted what could have been ratings averaging a full star higher. Why do they do this?

I think Man of Steel was perhaps the first movie I was actually tired of watching a fight scene and actually being irritated that the bad guy was about to get up again. Everyone in Hollywood has a fever, and apparently the only cure is more CGI.

Oh, Hugh… That is an old idea. And it works! Star Wars SO did that with starting the series back in 1977 with Part 4, A New Hope!

Regardless is you pinched the idea from Lucas or not, I would still pay to see Wool 4!

As far as i know, the first person to do this was Coco Chanel. There is only Chanel Number 5. There never was any Number 1, 2 , 3, or 4. Look how much money she made. Your in great company!

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