The Truth About Hollywood

In these recent years, I have started to purchase items online because I am unable to locate them in local book stores & video stores. I still find it very surprising why my favourite stuff are so difficult to find locally... you mean, there are so few people who share my interests? Hmm...

Well, I purchased my latest book from eBay & it is titled 'A Rocky Life' whereby a reporter wrote a book about the ups & downs of Sylvester Stallone's love life. This reporter must have been very priviledged to interview the star himself, plus other people such as his second ex-wife, the star's mother, etc. I wonder how it feels like to actually talk to a celebrity... Wow...

This book proved to be an interesting read, as I have read several biblographies of Sylvester Stallone, but it was mostly on the central topic of his down & out career, before he attained stardom... as well as the other centre of attraction topic on how he developed his physique for his intensely physical roles in his movies. I mean, this guy has actually been training for over 40 years! Talk about how he spent his life!

Anyway, this book was so interesting that I could almost hardly put it down... & I actually finished this 200+ pages book in about 3 - 4 days. Wow... true life accounts really reach my heart. But as I read this book, I felt a strong sense of sadness overwhelm me. Sly's life has been excruciatingly difficult ever since his childbirth... & till date, he still suffers from emotional scars from the past... some from his parents, mostly his aggressive & violent Dad... & of course, all those women that have passed by his life...

Frankly, I feel sorry for him, although he is probably not the only person on Earth to ever live through these depressing encounters. I actually felt sad throughout those 3 - 4 days as I read this book! Wow... what an impact...

There was another side to his book which I discovered... & that was the cruelty & realism of what happens at Hollywood. Movie making is ultimately about making money... & a star's pay check & awards seriously depend on how much money the movie makes. To Hollywood producers, making profits is their only concern. I'm not sure if this is something to feel sad about coz I really feel that movies have its way of reaching into the lives, hearts & minds of its viewers. In a way, movies can actually change lives... as we have seen its influence ever since movies came into play since the early days. For example, Christopher Reeve's Superman movies weren't the first Superman movie that was released. There were actually several earlier Superman versions even before his time... & they were in black & white, of course. And so are the much earlier Batman movies, etc.

Another fact that I found it quite difficult to swallow is how critical American movie critics could be. I mean, I was astonished to read about how critical & judgmental they could be! Talk about expectations... nothing comes close to Hollywood! I'm not sure about Bollywood, but they would get there, sooner or later... as long as it reaches the international market.

Its astonishing to me, coz there are so many movies that made an impact on me... or at least I found entertaining, but these are so easily shot down by movie critics, hit charts, etc. Honestly, the critics can be so brutal... merciless! I just feel for the actors & actresses... I mean, I wonder if I would even find joy acting in such an environment like this... being scrutinised for every move. And seriously, movie making is an art... & artistic views differ...

Thus, all in all, I really take my hat off to Sly... He really has the heart to go through all these for so many years. Not to mention just acting... but writing scripts & directing as well. Wow...