Little Black Reality
Little Black Book is a fluff vehicle for the up & coming Brittany Murphy. It was surprisingly thought provoking, mostly cause it explores reality TV, which I continue to find interesting. It seems we have an unabating appetite to watch real drama and I do wonder what this feeds in us.
Brittany works for a Springer-like show and is manipulated by a producer, played by Holly Hunter, into providing some very real and public drama, during which people are hurt and embarrassed. Of course it was all considered high entertainment, not only by the audience, but, by the producer who manipulated everyone and hurt real feelings.
Even as the ruse unfolds and people show pain, Holly cares only about the entertainment value. I understand the impetus to an extent, it is her job and function. I've directed plays, films, done interviews and tried very hard to bring out emotion and depth for the sake of entertainment.
Playing with people's minds and emotions though... that's very disrespectful, and that's where you're supposed to draw the line. I don't think entertainment value, even for millions of people, should be considered more important than people's real feelings. Once you get to that point, you've forgotten what reality is. And maybe that's a great lesson that can be drawn from this little fluff; in constantly blurring the line between reality and entertainment... we get lost and confused between the two.
Holly seemed to have all these special rules and phrases which conveniently made some things truths and some things lies. Omissions were definitely lies in her (little black) book, yet she manipulates Brittany through them. It's very hard to evaluate honesty and morality sometimes. It is all relative. I know honesty has always been important to me because bullshit is a waste of time and energy. Sometimes you have to work to find it.
It's sad in a way, people are very jaded and sceptical these days. Sometimes it seems like people hardly know what real feelings are like anymore, unless it's their own pain, that's always real. Though, I guess people also get out of touch with themselves, identifying but not understanding their feelings. Many people create drama in their own lives, causing real pain to themselves and those around them. Perhaps this stems from an unconscious need for excitement, escape, control and/or a blurring of real & unreal.
It seems to be a part of our evolution as a species that we seek increasingly realistic dramatic entertainment. I find this whole concept fascinating. Evolution goes only one way, I think (hope) we're not going back to eating with our hands, cause forks are easier. Most improvements are that easy to appreciate... wheels, fire, sliced bread... you can see why those inventions beat their predecessors.
But, why the evolution toward the desire to watch real drama? It's more satisfying. Drama, all art, is supposed to mirror reality. Maybe it's not evolution but trend. After all, painting got increasingly realistic until the technology allowed us to the level of a hyper-real Vermeer only to have realism bashed to pieces by the Impressionists.
Anyway, the real reality of this film is that Hollywood puts such a premium on youth in women that the cute little ingenue was supported by two Oscar-winning actresses, Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates, not to mention Grammy winning Carly Simon. Tell me another industry where 20-something girls get 100 years of top talent experience working for you?
Brittany works for a Springer-like show and is manipulated by a producer, played by Holly Hunter, into providing some very real and public drama, during which people are hurt and embarrassed. Of course it was all considered high entertainment, not only by the audience, but, by the producer who manipulated everyone and hurt real feelings.
Even as the ruse unfolds and people show pain, Holly cares only about the entertainment value. I understand the impetus to an extent, it is her job and function. I've directed plays, films, done interviews and tried very hard to bring out emotion and depth for the sake of entertainment.
Playing with people's minds and emotions though... that's very disrespectful, and that's where you're supposed to draw the line. I don't think entertainment value, even for millions of people, should be considered more important than people's real feelings. Once you get to that point, you've forgotten what reality is. And maybe that's a great lesson that can be drawn from this little fluff; in constantly blurring the line between reality and entertainment... we get lost and confused between the two.
Holly seemed to have all these special rules and phrases which conveniently made some things truths and some things lies. Omissions were definitely lies in her (little black) book, yet she manipulates Brittany through them. It's very hard to evaluate honesty and morality sometimes. It is all relative. I know honesty has always been important to me because bullshit is a waste of time and energy. Sometimes you have to work to find it.
It's sad in a way, people are very jaded and sceptical these days. Sometimes it seems like people hardly know what real feelings are like anymore, unless it's their own pain, that's always real. Though, I guess people also get out of touch with themselves, identifying but not understanding their feelings. Many people create drama in their own lives, causing real pain to themselves and those around them. Perhaps this stems from an unconscious need for excitement, escape, control and/or a blurring of real & unreal.
It seems to be a part of our evolution as a species that we seek increasingly realistic dramatic entertainment. I find this whole concept fascinating. Evolution goes only one way, I think (hope) we're not going back to eating with our hands, cause forks are easier. Most improvements are that easy to appreciate... wheels, fire, sliced bread... you can see why those inventions beat their predecessors.
But, why the evolution toward the desire to watch real drama? It's more satisfying. Drama, all art, is supposed to mirror reality. Maybe it's not evolution but trend. After all, painting got increasingly realistic until the technology allowed us to the level of a hyper-real Vermeer only to have realism bashed to pieces by the Impressionists.
Anyway, the real reality of this film is that Hollywood puts such a premium on youth in women that the cute little ingenue was supported by two Oscar-winning actresses, Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates, not to mention Grammy winning Carly Simon. Tell me another industry where 20-something girls get 100 years of top talent experience working for you?
posted by Intervision at 5:09 AM
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