Comment by zecho | Hacker News Reader

Comment by zecho | Hacker News Reader

SOPA/PIPA shouldn't be the only reason, as noted in a throwaway line by the OP.

Here's why I haven't been to a movie in well over a year:

...Four adaptations of comic books. One prequel to an adaptation of a comic book. One sequel to a sequel to a movie based on a toy. One sequel to a sequel to a sequel to a movie based on an amusement-park ride. One prequel to a remake. Two sequels to cartoons. One sequel to a comedy. An adaptation of a children's book. An adaptation of a Saturday-morning cartoon. One sequel with a 4 in the title. Two sequels with a 5 in the title. One sequel that, if it were inclined to use numbers, would have to have a 7 1/2 in the title.

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201102/the-day...

SOPA/PIPA just sent me from being indifferent about moviemakers to actively opposing them. And it goes deeper than just boycotting. I intend to donate money to campaigns of politicians who were always against these bills and to the EFF, the ACLU and other watchdogs that did a good job bringing it to our attention.

Here is a list of the 50 best films of 2011: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/12/the-50-best...

Here are Roger Ebert's 20 best films of 2011: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/12/the_best_films_of_20...

Here is the AV Clubs 15 best films of 2011: http://www.avclub.com/articles/best-films-of-2011,66423/

Saying that 'all Hollywood is shit and should be destroyed' based on mass market crap is as purposefully naive as saying that the entire music industry is only producing the content you hear on Top 40 Radio.

Your response, though, proves the point. You made a list of independent films! While some of the weaker candidates came from Hollywood, the vast majority of the films you listed came from independent studios -- who are not trying to destroy the internet.

Hollywood (the major studios) is not film just as the major labels are not music. They represent a period of less than 100 years where vast amounts of money could be made off of art by middle men who market it. That period is over but they don't want to give up "their right" to that money. Who would? But instead of going peacefully, they will do a "scorched earth" all the way down, making everybody pay for the fact that the times have changed and no one needs them anymore.

This is a bit silly to say 'Hollywood' is trying to destroy the internet, yet somehow these independents are 100% separate from all that is evil and it is that black and white.

Note most of these films are from small studios, but the majority of these are distributed by Sony Pictures Classics or Fox Searchlight, etc, which if evil 'Hollywood' didn't get involved most of these pics wouldn't be able to be seen at your local town cinema, let alone maybe even get the money to be produced.

So to say that Transformers 3 is Hollywood because it sucks, yet The Descendants is isolated on it's own non-evil island away from Hollywood is a bit silly.

> This is a bit silly to say 'Hollywood' is trying to destroy the internet

No, unfortunately it is not "a bit silly". The content industry MUST finally get control over the Internet to survive. I am convinced they use SOPA etc. not to fight piracy at first but to ultimally destroy Youtube (Google) and other competitive independent video platforms which will surely make the whole movie industry obsolete in the future.

Why? Because even NOW private people have become high quality movie producers. The first movies with Star Wars quality have already been made by private enthusiasts. Look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Revelations

This movie is really competitive to the Star Wars series and was made 2005 - seven years ago! It is obvious that coming professional movie producers don't need middle men in the future at all.

I am not against the content industry but their attempt to use SOPA et.al. to do collateral damage by establishing a global censorship infrastructure which would ultimately destroy our precious fundamental human right of free speech cannot be tolerated at all.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com