Issue #1 - Dead Genres

Welcome to Staring at the DVD Shelf, issue #1.

As I was staring at the DVD shelf, I saw a few titles that come from a genre that seems to be no longer in use. Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy, and Drama genres will never die, there the basic categories when pitching a film or making a film. But whatever happened to the Westerns? No one makes them anymore. But the Westerns would seem ripe for a comeback. Or are they here but in something new? But why did these go away?

The Westerns were some of the most profitable and popular genres pictures to make in the first 50 years of film. John Ford, Howard Hawks, and stars like John Wayne, Jimmy Steward and Gene Audrey are all classics people involved with these genre. And the there was the Spaghetti Westerns. Gritty, bloody, sweaty, an anti-thesis to the American films in almost every way. So why did a genre really born out of American pride and dream die off? There was Dances with the Wolves, Tombstone, and more recently Open Range, sure but it isn't like the studios are pumping out these at even a 1/3 of what they use to. Some say Blazing Saddles killed the genre. But with themes of conquest of the wilderness, codes of honor, the lonesome hero, the western genre always tickled Americans fascination of the Old West. You would think that not only Deadwood, but directors like Martin Scorsese and John Carpenter, who lovingly stated that would do a western picture, the western genre seems ready to take off again.

But is the Western genre dead, in a down spot, or moved on to something new? This might seem unjust but think about it: the Superhero genre is the new Western. Yes, i know superheroes are different in concept and medium, but we're in a superhero movie boom. 1978's Superman is the superhero's genre starter much like the Westerns 1908 Great Train Robbery. Each started mildly but excitingly, and were later the template for future genre success. While the superhero genre was minimal with only Superman and Batman films, the underrated success of Blade and the mainstream acceptance of X-Men, the genre is at an all-time high. Spider-Man, a smash box office hit was only undone by more smash hits like X2, Spiderman 2, and Batman Begins. We're at the zenith point now, with Spiderman 3 on the verge to conquer. The BO for Spiderman 3 really won't mean to much in terms of genre success. It really comes down to next year: Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight, and if those have strong legs, then the genre will be here for another 10 years for sure.

As for the comparisons, each usually have lonesome heroes, a conquest of environment (westerns had the frontier, superheroes have the world of average people), each feature a journey, each have ideals, and each are quite iconic. Can't think of the West without thinking of the Duke's tall presence and hat. Can't think of a superhero without thinking of the Man of Steel and the Batsignal.

Westerns really died to over-population of films of that type and stories being retold and stale once the genre was past its zenith. The Superhero genre is the new Western: people will get sick of radiation, origin stories being identical, typical masked villains, and the hero saving the day. At least there's the comics.

As I was staring at the DVD shelf, I saw a few titles that reminded me of Grindhouse. Is anyone else tired of talking about Grindhouse? Magazines to podcasts, everyone had that word on thier lips. Heck, I was even excited too. But when Grindhouse debuted at #6 and then in its second week dropped to barely hanging on at number 10, to only fall further, it only confirmed what I was kinda expecting: dead genre. Sure, I and a lot of other people enjoy the grindhouse movies of the 70s. Coffy, Cannibal Holocaust, They Call Her One Eye, I spit on Your Grave, I Drink your Blood, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, man I could go on and on about these movies, but ultimately nostalgia is a bitch. You just can't make these films now. We're too conservative, too politically correct, too prude, to make or see movies about sex, gore, and rudeness.

Taratino and Rodriguez tried and tried hard. They loved those movies too. The faux trailers were things of genius, but the film was undone by self-referential jokes and insider knowledge for most of my generation to not care about. Planet Terror was bloody fun but wore on and became to wink wink. Death Proof started hot and fizzled due to a lackluster, if not bad second half and characters.

As quickly as I became happy and excited that such a film was going to be released, I became bored, tired, and didn't care. A fun experimental that doesn't need anymore attention or publication, please.

Dead genres. There's always DVD...

Until next issue, press play.