Is NETFLIX where actors go to watch their movie careers die?
Remember when there were actual movie stars out there. When I say movie stars, I am not just talking about well-known personalities; I am talking about the kind of stars that really “Put Cheeks in Seats” (an acronym for selling tickets in the box office). Stars like Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Marilynn Monroe, Marlon Brando, the Barrymores, Tony Curtis, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and a myriad of others. Today's “stars” tend to be little more than blown up TV personalities; their characters are paper-thin, with very little substance, and careers that tend to be blown away like leaves in an autumn wind.
The introduction of Netflicks and many other streaming services have certainly employed a vast array of actors who, in reality, would be lucky even to get a walk-on part in the traditional movie industry. An example of terrible films that should never have been made but were, thanks to Netflicks, are the films by Adam Sandler. Sandler’s early contribution to Netflicks was in 2015 with a western comedy called “The Ridiculous 6,” followed by “The Do-Over,” “Sandy Wexler,” “The Week Of,” and “Murder Mystery.” Murder Mystery was one of Netflix’s most popular titles as it scored 83 million viewers in the first four weeks of its release. I will guess that most of those viewers logged in looking for a good quality murder mystery… Instead, they got a half-baked movie co-starring Jennifer Aniston. 83 million logged on for the film, but it is important to note that most of those logged off after a few minutes. Aniston has yet to prove herself in anything other than a television show. As far as Sandler is concerned, his films worth watching are very few. Perhaps the only Sandler films I would take a look at again would be The Wedding Singer and Happy Gilmore… The rest of Sandler's work is less than stellar. The only good thing to be said about them is that they employed most of his friends of limited talent who otherwise would be waiting tables at Red Lobster. If Sandler's goal was to make millions, then he has achieved that, especially thanks to Netflicks, but at some point, I would think he would like to make quality films while he still has the chance. The big question is would movie theaters take a chance on him. So… in the end, what are we left with… Streaming services that are making basically “Made for TV” movies…. Movies that, in reality, if not for the vacuum created by the dozen or so and growing streaming services that are desperate for a product, would never have been made. Steaming services will take any product as long as it fills the playlist regardless of its quality. The streaming services have excelled in their television series programs that have enticed binge-watchers everywhere to devote endless hours to see the end.
