More style over substance

I was sick last night, so as part of our evening of doing nothing, my wife and I watched some of the People's Choice awards. It was rather depressing. The entire thing reeks of a lack of substance, from the witless dialogue of the segues, which are so obviously written but still meant to seem like ad-lib, to the films, movies and actors chosen for the awards.

The most upsetting to me was the Best Movie going to Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. George Lucas's arrogant victory speech spoke about how badly he's done with critics and Hollywood, and how validated he feels knowing his fans and his audience love him, was particularly upsetting. "The reason I make films is for you. The audience rules."

No, it doesn't, George, and no it isn't. You make films to make money, and the audience rules the market, but it shouldn't direct the art. Art, film, music, drama, all play important roles in building culture. Entertainment can be made to harmonize with culture building, or it can be employed in spite of it. In much the same way that western modern artists have abandoned function and form in fields like painting and sculpture, some of our films have abandoned plot and dialogue for special effects and produced works that are visually stunning but entirely unsatisfying; cultural candy that's good for nearly nothing and dangerous when it's heralded as the best we have to offer. Star Wars III was one of these films. It was a triumph of Style over Substance.

Western art doesn't have to be this way. We should encourage filmmakers to make substance stylish - to entertain us with tales that inspire as well as dazzle - and build our culture while we're being entertained. How do we do this? For starters, we can vote next year. Next, we can stop going to theaters and paying for these sorts of films. The industry is already economically burdened, and you can expect them to keep running whatever's selling until they figure out how to deal with the digital world. Lastly, we can promote movies that DO tell good stories and carry inspiring messages. Tell your friends. Email your parents. Load the blogosphere with reviews. The triumph of substance over style is important to maintain a culture that values things that have real value, and every little bit helps.