the list of 9 for may 9, 2009:
THE NINE LEAST INSPIRED MOVIE TITLES OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS
It's hard to title a movie. It really is. You want something engaging, something that suggestswhat the movie is about, something memorable, and most importantly, something that's notembarrassing to say aloud. Add to this list "something not generic," because as the below nineentries will reveal, the much-discussed creative bankruptcy of Hollywood studios has now extendedinto the very titles of the movies.
- DECEPTION. In which Ewan McGregor is... wait for it...deceived by Hugh Jackman! Audiences were not deceived and stayed away in droves.
- DEFIANCE. A bunch of Polish Jews defy the Nazis inWWII. "Defiance" is a pretty evocative word, but it could describe nearly any movie ever made.
- HOTEL FOR DOGS. This family movie appears to have followedthe Snakes on a Plane school of literal titling. Guess what it's about?
- OBSESSED. Incredibly, this Fatal Attraction ripoffstaring Beyonce Knowles and Stringer Bell was the #1 hit during its first weekend, despite itstitle already having been used for approximately four hundred and eighteen other movies, threehundred and fifty two of which debuted on Cinemax.
- FIGHTING. Guys fight!
- KNOWING. Nicolas Cage, uh, knows stuff!
- COLLEGE. Critically blasted teen sex comedy - guess whereit takes place? - with one bit of trivia: its costume designer was Caroline Marx, who alsodesigned the costumes for my first feature Foreign Correspondents.
- ELEGY. Though it was well-received, this indie drama withBen Kingsley and Penelope Cruz falls into the "Generic Serious Title" category, along with otherforgotten Sundance-geared films like Levity and Redemption.
- FAST & FURIOUS. Special mention goes to this fourth entryin a series of car racing movies for the studio simply taking the title of the first film andremoving the two instances of the word "the". Because, you see, simply putting a numeral - Romanor otherwise - in a sequel's title is so uncool.
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