A long time ago I learned about “the rule of twenty”, the notion that films and stories are heavily influenced by events from twenty years prior. When I was young, we revered the radical hippy movement and sexual revolution of the 60’s and 70’s. Our parents, the Baby-Boomers, were inspired by the greatest generation coming out of WWII. All this lends itself to the idea that the generation before their own was the best. It seems odd that we tend to believe that it was better in a time that we have little to no reference, but it is quite evident in all of contemporary media. Members Only jackets, sweaters with wide open necks so that one shoulder is revealed, and aviator sunglasses are as prevalent, if not more so, than when all were popular in the 80’s; a time that was thought of as a crass and ridiculously styled era as little as ten years ago. Now the 80’s are back, but not for long. The signs are already on the wall. With the economic struggles of the times, glam and money flaunting hip hop is beginning to fade all over again and a new generation of flannel wearing, grunge loving hippies are about to dot the landscape once again. What of the next twenty years? With the over abundance of remakes and sequels being made these days, as well as all the best selling books being adapted for stage and screen, what kind of media landscape can we expect? Will there be the re-boot of the remake of the prequel to Jaws? Or will new advances in technology allow us to find new ways to express ourselves creatively and expand on philosophies? Only time will tell, but I have to say I prefer the latter.
-Les Brown
