Cheaper is better

Many people think that to make a great movie or tv show you need millions of dollars. I disagree with this whole heartedly. Some of the best movies and shows were created because a bunch of friends had a camera and thought filming something sounded like fun. If we first look at tv there are many examples of this. One of my favorite shows, Trailer Park Boys, is a very cheaply produced shows that is one of the most popular comedies in Canada. Even after a couple year hiatus the following is still great enough to make 3 more seasons and 2 more movies. 

This is a stark contrast to a tv show like Mad Men. Mad Men had an astronomic budget in comparison and many well known actors. I find this show to be boring and slow developing. For a show that spends so much money on production they don't produce an exciting or very original story or product. The over arching story is pretty stagnant and characters not so dynamic.
 

Next is movies. A cult classic that almost everyone has heard about, Clerks, was filmed by a very small crew with a roll of cheap B&W film. It still wildly popular and beloved by many people. This shows perfectly that you don't need money to make something great.




Enders Game had a budget of 115 million bust was ultimately a flop. This movie was an adaptation from the popular book with the same title and didn't find much success. They lost millions of dollars and many fans of the book were very disappointed.

Spy Movies

I loved The Debt. 

The Debt (2010) is about three retired spies and a fatal secret from their past resurfacing. The cinematography: excellent. The plot: engaging. The acting: top notch.

Helen Mirren executed her lead role flawlessly and convincingly.

But rather than review this movie. I'd like to talk about spy movies. I love spy movies. As a kid, my brother and I watched every James Bond movie and even classics like Where Eagles Dare.

I'm not exactly sure why, but I can feel a distinct style developing for recent espionage movies. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Debt, The Bourne Trilogy (Quadrilogy now?), Taken, The Good Shepard, and The American are all movies that come to mind when thinking about the recent trend of slow-to-start, cold, gritty and beautifully shot spy movies.

All of these blockbuster spy movies rely heavily on star appeal. Stars like Colin Firth, Helen Mirren, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, and George Clooney are all cast in hopes of Academy Nominations.

The lead spies are usually rogue intellectual types, with either a moral or selfless mission. Spies are never meant to be self serving. If they were, the film would simply be labeled as a gangster or crime movie.

This recent trend I'm referring to runs counter to the old kind of spy movie which placed an emphasis on the luxury, the gadgets, and traditional war movie. In the past, James Bond was watched by people envious of his lifestyle. Now, spies are more often depicted as living on the run or with some kind of deep internal conflict. It's less about good v. bad, and more about internal struggles.