The New World

I'm finally going to see Christian Bale's new movie this weekend. My friend and I were trying to go together because she is a huge Colin Farrell fan, for reasons that escape me, but she also likes Ricky Martin, so what can you do? Anyway, my friend's strange celebrity crushes aside, we were unable to hook up, and while The New World isn't a big blockbuster, I worried if I didn't see it this weekend it might leave the theatre and move on before I got a chance. So this Sunday I've decided to take myself to the movies and enjoy an afternoon matinee.

Now here's something I find strange, not that anything to do with Hollyweird isn't usually strange to start with, but let's face it - Colin Farrell hasn't exactly been batting a thousand in the movie theatres lately. I mean Alexander? Heeellllloooo? Need I say more? And the guy pretty much has a reputation of being a drunken, swearing lout who's goal in life appears to be getting soused and then crawling into the pants of any girl foolish enough to think that was a good idea. Hardly the picture of a hero.

Then you have Christian Bale. Sure, he 's been operating in the background for some time, making quirky movies (Machinist, American Psycho), but he's also coming hot off the heels of a summer blockbuster in Batman. He keeps his personal life private, not splashed all over the headlines, lives a relatively low key life with his wife and new baby and quietly goes about his business of making movies.

Now if I'm the marketing execs in Hollywood, I'm marketing The New World as something of a romance, then am I going to market it more as a Christian Bale movie? Or am I going to market it as a Colin Farrell movie? Well call me crazy people, but I'd be choosing to focus on CB. Yeah, yeah, I know, he's my favorite so I'm definitely a biased opinion, but he's also the better actor. I've never seen a Colin Farrell movie that rocked my socks off and made me leave the theatre thinking, damn, he's good. But I'm always impressed with CB, even in mainstream roles such as Batman or Reign of Fire he brings something to the role that makes it more than what it probably looked like on paper. And who would you consider a more romantic, heroic lead? Drunken Colin who can't get three words out without an expletive? Or Batman?? C'mon.

All I'm saying is, that maybe if the execs had focused a little more on Christian in their promotion, and a little less on Colin, that maybe, just maybe, they would have lured in more viewers and made more money. But did they take my advice? Nooooo. They just issued yet another restraining order and told me to stop calling their offices. Oh, and something about staying 500 feet away from anyone affiliated with the production, blah blah blah. Whatevah.