homage is the new spoof

This blog's been a month delayed seeing as Meet The Spartans is essentially out of theaters.

The contemporary spoof is outdated, and a purely capitalistic detriment to the transition toward romantic movement. It was dug up in the late 90s with the Scary Movie franchise, which in itself was necessary to deconstruct the frivolous slasher films that also saw revival. But since, and reflected by the latter Scary Movies, the genre has promptly become archaic, especially in this collective post-millennium esteem. Fundamentally, how can it be a "spoof" if the spoof itself is more inane than the original materials it derives itself from? The term "stupid funny" inherently and tellingly postmodern.

Sure the argument could be made that its precursors Airplane!, Naked Gun, Hot Shots worked on the same premise, but the distinction is that the former had, or at least aspired for some cinematic validity. Analyze the current stock-crop of spoofs (i.e. Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans) and an effort for credible narrativization and overall production value is neglected. These, sadly products on an assembly line to get in, get your money and get the hell out.

These soulless products (Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans), which are mass-distributed by FOX and unconsciously shat out by Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg, are wholly founded in mean-spirited provocation, which again separates the former from the latter; the former lot of old-school spoofs exploiting haphazard mirth for its humor. But do we blame FOX for distributing this romantic degradation, or even the two douche bags, Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg? No. We, as a collective, must signify these movies as problematic. Because hypercapitalism has no ties to us. It'll just keep insatiably satiating itself.

There's already a compromise in place: kitsch cinema, as delineated by the Grindhouse features Deathproof and Planet Terror, Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and James Gunn's Slither or even, Roth's Hostel. The homage is the new spoof. Cinema that is existentially satirical, but founded in genuine admiration of its root material.