Exploitative?

I just read a blog on MSNBC where some critic is ranting about why he won't see Michael Jackson's "This is It" movie concert (which is basically a bunch of clips from MJ's rehearsals, pieced together to look something like an actual concert) and it's leading me to post my own whiny rant.


The whiny blogger says, "Perhaps to some, it feels like a way to celebrate a great entertainer. But if so, why not just air it on television? Why charge admission?" and the whiny commenters on his blog all seem to agree (http://testpattern.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/08/26/2044676.aspx).

Now I personally agree that the Michael Jackson movie is slightly exploitative, but let's not forget that MJ had hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and the concert promoters took a huge loss when he passed away-- so it completely makes sense for them to strike while the iron's hot and try to cut their losses (possibly even turning a profit).

The reason I'm annoyed, though, is that there seems to be more outcry over this movie than there was over another set of movies about a sensitive subject that I don't like to think about (or even really talk about) too much: September 11th.

When they made two movies (i.e. "United 93" and "World Trade Center", which starred that horrid Nicholas Cage) about the 9-11 attacks, I found it incredibly distasteful and was pretty angry when critics gushed over how well-made the movies were. (FYI, I refused and still refuse to ever watch those movies.)

As a New Yorker who attended school just two blocks away from the World Trade Center and continues to fast each year on 9-11, I found the idea of Hollywood profiting off of the attack-- just five years later (in 2006)-- to be in extremely poor taste.

I asked the question, "If these producers really wish to educate the public about 9-11 and want to honor the victims' memories, why not create a documentary or movie that can be seen on network TV and available to the public?"

I find it extremely disturbing that the public could be so outraged over a concert film about a pop star (and let's not forget that people who wanted to see the concert would have had to pay a ton more than they would for a movie ticket), but have no such protest for films that are clearly trying to profit off of one of the most horrific events in American history.

I'm seriously hoping that at least the dollars will speak and that the MJ movie will gross significantly higher sales than the two 9-11 movies did.

But on a happier note, the Yankees just beat the Boston Red Sux. Go Yanks!!