@Jack - No offense, but you probably haven't ever tried to get your "original" idea out on retail shelves. I know and understand what struggling film makers go through just trying to get their movie made and out there. I'm one of them myself. But I can't hate companies like The Asylum because they're making money making movies. If their movies weren't absolutely shoving it in your face what they are, then I'd agree with you.
I've seen ideas stolen. I've seen good, talented, hard-working and creative film makers get swallowed by demons who steal their ideas. So no, I can't call The Asylum ripper offers. Their is far worse out there.
And I understand completely the argument that film makers should push their originality and put an end to the mediocre junk that crams the shelves. But that comment is simply from someone who has never really put a movie together. It's not cheap to make a film and it's god damned hard to make that money back. Which makes investors angry. Which makes your first film your last. There is a balance between art and marketability that has to be worked delicately.
Don't get me wrong, I hate that the movie business makes it so impossible for new and creative ways. But The Asylum really is a lesser evil.
Well, considering that the Asylum is the only independent studio that is really embracing this remake thing, how are they the "lesser evil"? The other independents aren't doing it. At least not to such a large degree. Seems to me they're the "greatest evil" in the independent market. I certainly don't consider them evil by the way, I actually have several of their DVD's and enjoy them a lot, though I don't have any of their remakes. I really don't "care" if they make remakes, I'm just not interested in them and certainly not applauding them for it. If they deserve applause for staying afloat with remakes, don't the other independent studios deserve much greater applause for staying afloat with original material? I would certainly think so.
I also don't understand this connection you're making between struggling film makers getting their first big break and the Asylum's remakes. These movies are made by people who have been in the industry for a while, nobody's getting a first big break or anything. They've got some first time actors of course, and some last-time actors, but so do all the small studios in their low budget productions. If they make more money with remakes, that doesn't make any difference to me as a member of the audience. I don't choose which movie to see based on how much money it made or how many people were employed during its filming. I just wandered into the "independent" section because I was looking for something different - remakes? Hollywood puts them out by the hundreds. That's what I was trying to get away from. I thought that's what independent cinema was there to do, provide the film goer with options.
