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Guillermo
Rivendell
Jun 2 2008, 11:51pm
Post #1 of 68
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OT (?) Of Hellboy II...
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As the opening of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" draws near I feel the urge to reiterate a fair warning. The Aesthetics of the film are quite "Pop" and colorful and -obviously- more influenced by the hyper-saturated palette of a Kirby comic book than a Fairy Tale or a Fantasy work.
Please do not get confused by either the palette of the film or its tone. It uses the comedic and interpersonal banter from the first film and the monster design is quite outlandish and colorful. We made a deliberate move away from the Celtic / Nordic aesthetics present in most Fantasy films because we knew we could NOT out do bigger productions (like LOTR) at that game.
We are a $85 m dollar film and we tried to find our own "look" so we endeavoured to create a very idiosyncratic melange of Arabic architecture and design and Oriental motifs. We took Japanese suit of armour patterns allowed it to be imbued by Celtic motifs, etc- you can see some of that in the trailer.
Our Elfland is more akin to Dunsany or perhaps even Moorcock in its aesthetics, using the stark contrast of dark against white skin and golden eyes.
Our magical world is broader and freer -even surreal at times- and suits the tone of this film.
I am exceedingly aware of Genres and moreso when I mix them and / or mix them together. Most of Hellboy will give you almost no indication of what will come to pass with the HOBBIT. There is, however a PROLOGUE done with Old Wooden Puppets that will share some faint traces that eventually you will be able to find in certain passages in the forthcoming movie. But even then, please do not take this as a verbatim through line.
When I started HBII I had NO inkling that the HOBBIT would really come my way and I wanted to use the Fantasy Worlds that lie beneath as a metaphor of all that mankind is extinguishing with its unedning greed.
It is my dearest hope that this message will prevent speculation of what in "Pan's Labyrinth" or "Hellboy II" will indicate what the HOBBIT will be. In time there will be definite aesthetic choices that will guide the film towards a yuxtaposition of PJ's and my visual proclivities but I think it will only be visible in retrospect and it would be almost impossible -and rather perverse- to try and divine it at this stage.
The same goes for tone and theme. Nevertheless, if some of you enjoyed the first :Hellboy" or "Pan's Labyrinth" for that matter I would love to have you grace a theater with your derriere and allow our tale to find you-
All the Best
GDT
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merklynn
Lorien
Jun 3 2008, 12:03am
Post #2 of 68
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So... you're saying don't pre-judge The Hobbit film's potential look or palette based upon Hellboy II because the latter is inspired by a comic book and a different sort of fantasy world.
I saw the trailer for the film before Indiana Jones last Friday, and by the end of the film I wish I had been watching Hellboy II instead. I like the hidden fairy world rising up against mankind, and I suspect I will be on their side during the film. I think its all well and good that Hellboy wants to protect the humans, but since I'm a Lovecraftian misanthrope, maybe the fairies would do a better job with keeping the world in order than our resource guzzling, environmentally destructive kin.
I suppose thematically, their is a touch of Tolkien in there. The Ents vs Orthanc... ie Nature vs Industry. Or magic vs science.
I should really look up the actor playing the lead villain in Hellboy II, he has quite an Elf like air to him. Maybe he would be a charming King Thranduil?
I'm looking forward to Hellboy II. My wife saw Sex and the City and wants to take me to see it. Maybe I can get to see Hellboy II instead.
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Woodyend
Gondor
Jun 3 2008, 12:12am
Post #3 of 68
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My husband and I loved Hellboy so much...
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We have both the theatrical version and the directors cut. We seldom go to the cinema anymore but we will make an exception for H2. Thanks for taking the time to give us all heads up.
May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!
~~~~~~~~Gandalf~~~~~~~
Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jun 3 2008, 12:22am
Post #4 of 68
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It is my dearest hope that this message will prevent speculation of what in "Pan's Labyrinth" or "Hellboy II" will indicate what the HOBBIT will be.
I'm sure there will be speculation from people who wouldn't have seen your message before viewing Hellboy II, and those who had read your message but chose to believe their own fears instead. I'll be keeping a link to your post in my files for reposting in the future, as I'm sure it will come in handy during future intense discussions. ;)
Are you having a bit of a breather after Hellboy II and before you get into the nitty-gritty of The Hobbit?
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded b*****d with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Ataahua's stories
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Laerasëa
Tol Eressea
Jun 3 2008, 12:24am
Post #5 of 68
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for me, the fact that the same person who directed Pan's Labyrinth also did Hellboy indicates to me that I should not judge another movie coming out from that director based on a previous one. Just based on those two, it's kind of tough for me to come up with a style that you use, if that makes sense- other than that kind of wild imagination that allows you to create almost whatever you want- like the Pale Man, in PL, or....well for HB, I'm mostly thinking of the creatures (whatever they were) that I saw in the trailer. Don't get me wrong- I really like both of those films (and I don't think I'd really hesitate to tell a director that I was not a fan of his films if I had a legit reason), but there is something incomparable about them, too: I will expect HBII to be in the same style as HB, but I will not expect the style of PL. Maybe that sounds like a kind of obvious thing to say, but that then goes for any other movie that you make- The Hobbit is a different style from HB (a comic book) and PL (a parable, almost)- so given the fact that you were able to change the styles for those two types of films, I don't have any worries about The Hobbit. If that all made sense.
edit- I'm also looking forward to HBII!!! When I mentioned the trailer, it was because I'd seen it lots of times! 
Thank you!
********************************
I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying. - Oscar Wilde
This is a work of fiction. All the characters in it, human and otherwise, are imaginary, excepting only certain of the fairy folk, whom it might be unwise to offend by casting doubts on their existence. Or lack thereof. -Neil Gaiman
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. - Mark Twain
You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway. - Walt Disney
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. - Louis Hector Berlioz
Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. -C.S. Lewis
(This post was edited by laerasea on Jun 3 2008, 12:27am)
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Telperion313
The Shire
Jun 3 2008, 12:30am
Post #6 of 68
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"Arabic architecture and design and Oriental motifs". That's right up my alley. This'll be one of the three summer movies I see, along with The Happening and The Dark Knight. I already saw Indy Jones, though I wish I could take it back. It looks like Hboy 2 is going to pack a serious visual punch, and a nice way to start the summer! I can't wait to see what happens when your imagination enters PJ's world.
Coming to theaters, Summer 2012...
The Lord of the Rings 2: Back in the "Ring" of Things...
A wacky teen comedy in which Frodo, Merry, and Pippin are always trying to "get some". Don't miss it.
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Compa_Mighty
Tol Eressea
Jun 3 2008, 12:42am
Post #7 of 68
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It is great of you to come by and post this.
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As Ataahua said above, it will be a great fire extinguisher in days to come.
Thanks for taking time to post this. Rest assured 95% of forummers here are now aware of what you intend to do with The Hobbit, and have no fears of the hypothetical situation you presented, but is great to confirm how you take the community into consideration.
As far as Hellboy goes, I liked the first film, and rest assured I'll be buying a ticket for Golden Army. We have to support community members, you know? 
Best of luck with the film!
PS: We'll be watching the wooden puppets closely, hehe.
Here's to Del Toro becoming the Irvin Kershner of Middle Earth!
Essay winner of the Show us your Hobbit Pride Giveway!
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MrCere
Sr. Staff
Jun 3 2008, 1:51am
Post #8 of 68
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We try to support the artistic endeavors of those in our message board community
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Although this "Hellboy II" flick might have a little bit wider commercial appeal than most of the efforts of our friends here. 
I have often wondered why people (the press, moviegoers, Hollywood) want so desperately to classify and label artists. Why is it assumed that these great talents can only do one thing?
Some artists, directors or actors, break out of this typecasting but many can never escape it.
How sad if after "Jaws" Steven Spielberg was never allowed to make "Schiendler's List" because he was relegated to directing oceanic thrillers or man vs. nature films.
Tom Hanks was in "The Bachelor" and "Big" but the public allowed his to make some more serious films. What if we hadn't? What if he were forever stuck as a comedian?
I don't expect Guillermo to make the same movie with the same sensibilities over and over. "Blade II" doesn't feel like "Pan's L," or "The Devil's Backbone," and if "HB2" felt like a trip to Middle-earth, I would be ticked off!
I think it is wise of GDT to post this here and will make a handy reference for us but it shouldn't even be slightly necessary. Ideally we would allow creators to create differently and to create new things.
My question for the group (including the guy who brought it up) is why?
Why do we expect artists to do the same thing over and over? Why ? Why do we consume the same actors in the same roles and thank the same directors and studios for allowing us to recycle the same plots? Why why why!?!?!?
 Any help is much appreciated.
I have no choice but to believe in free will.
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
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MrCere
Sr. Staff
Jun 3 2008, 1:52am
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There is some great source material
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You really should read some Hellboy graphic novels if you enjoyed it that much. The film captures the spirit of the character and universe very well.
I have no choice but to believe in free will.
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
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Woodyend
Gondor
Jun 3 2008, 2:05am
Post #10 of 68
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I thought HB was only in comic book form, a medium I'm not very fond of. Of all the comic book characters that have been brought to screen, I think GDT HB is the best fleshed out. Because of this, I never had any fears that he would not treat The Hobbit with the same care.
May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!
~~~~~~~~Gandalf~~~~~~~
Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!
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merklynn
Lorien
Jun 3 2008, 2:20am
Post #11 of 68
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I think we all live by labels. It is human culture to categorize things in order to memorize and learn from them. We do it from birth. One experience leads us to define another. One example, gives us something to measure another by. With films, particularly ones we enjoy, we want to revisit those same moods and themes. It is important that we all understand that the categories into which we lump things in our minds are not rigid and that there are constantly new twists and surprises for each of us when we discover something that does not fit perfectly into one or another. So understanding this and keeping aware of it is the best way to remain open minded in general.
Personally, one of the lessons I have found hardest to learn over the years, but I think I have finally grasped it, is that adaptations are simply that. Adaptations. Interpretations of one person, or group of people. Their differences alone should not be enough to diminish their enjoyment. Differences in taste however are fair game to all, and politely respecting that someone's version of a story differs from your own, is the best way to handle it. In PJs case I enjoyed the Frighteners, and Heavenly Creatures, but was never big into gore and did not like his earlier stuff, purely because of my own sensibilities. But there are few better examples thant Guillermo and Peter when it comes to the range of films they want to tackle. I think Lovely Bones, King Kong, LOTR, Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners, Brain Dead / Dead Alive are about as wide ranging a canvass as a director can have. Guillermo has a very similar range of genres with The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Blade II, and Hellboy, not to mention those I have not yet seen. So what I'm trying to say is that I'm not sucking up, I'll be the first to post in these forums that The Hobbit didn't work for me if it didn't, but I expect to give GDT the respect that it is his interpretation. No one can touch my own personal Middle-earth after all.
The facts are both directors as artists are capable of many forms of expression and have many interests. It is a shame that they can become pigeon-holed by the industy, much like actors can become stereotyped. Take my new signature for example... am I not stereotyping? To be honest, I don't think so, since the particular shots are taken from a time travel film... but we all have expectations of what our hero should look like, and what a book should look like in our heads. Some people want to be surprised, others want the director and their own vision to match as closely as possible. I fall somewhere between the two, but I respect that it is GDTs project, not mine.
(This post was edited by merklynn on Jun 3 2008, 2:23am)
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Darkstone
Immortal
Jun 3 2008, 2:26am
Post #12 of 68
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Why do we eat at a McDonald's franchise rather than the excellent family owned restaurant down the street?
Familiarity is comforting.
Most people are uncomfortable trying new things.
Similarly Hollywood moguls feel comfortable with proven people in proven roles with proven ideas.
Like us they fear trying anything new. Even moreso since with them if it failed they might get fired. However if something proven fails, they can disclaim any responsibility and point to the unpredictable mass audience. It's our fault, not theirs.
And in the end it is indeed our fault. The Hollywood moguls only give us what we want. If we all watched only high quality films then they'd make only high quality films. They're not that smart, and they're not that stupid. They're just scared.
Undoubtedly you already know all this.
******************************************
The audacious proposal stirred his heart. And the stirring became a song, and it mingled with the songs of Gil-galad and Celebrian, and with those of Feanor and Fingon. The song-weaving created a larger song, and then another, until suddenly it was as if a long forgotten memory woke and for one breathtaking moment the Music of the Ainur revealed itself in all glory. He opened his lips to sing and share this song. Then he realized that the others would not understand. Not even Mithrandir given his current state of mind. So he smiled and simply said "A diversion.”
(This post was edited by Darkstone on Jun 3 2008, 2:27am)
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Compa_Mighty
Tol Eressea
Jun 3 2008, 3:13am
Post #13 of 68
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Renaissance men and the rest...
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Renaissance man is a term my father is deeply fond of, it is something he has dreamt of being his whole life and something he has tried to educate my brother and I in.
To understand what a Renaissance man is, we have to define how we will be defining a common man.
A man takes refuge in what he knows, and knowledge is so vast, it is easier to specialize in one thing, rather than know a lot of many things.
A non-Renaissance man can be a genius, don't get me wrong: we have Homer, who dedicated himself to epics, and we have Alexander who dedicated to tactics... and we have Stephen Hawking who has dedicated himself to physics. All brilliant men in their field of expertise, but they were/are people that dare not (or cannot) go into other fields.
And then, there's DaVinci and Michelangelo, the Renaissance men. People who sculpted, wrote, painted and did things almost too amazing to be attributed to a single man. Isaac Asimov was a Renaissance men, writing about history, politics, fiction...
Those are expceptions, most people have good abilities for something and not for other things, and that's why we can call a writer a "fiction writer" or a "terror writer". They work in their comfort zone and they do it great.
As someone said, we need to label things as humans... they say the human trait by excellence is language, and what is language but the labelling of phenomanae that surround us. If it does not have a name, how can we refer to it?
Of course that extends to a personal level. We label ourselves. Studies show that men are inclined to label themselves as "I am an engineer/lawyer" "I am the creator of", "the author of", showing their achievements; in contrast women tend to label themselves as "the wife/sister/mother of" by their relationships with other people. We label ourselves in what we do, and we do tend to exploit what we know best, as opposed to probing unknown waters.
Here's to Del Toro becoming the Irvin Kershner of Middle Earth!
Essay winner of the Show us your Hobbit Pride Giveway!
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jun 3 2008, 3:26am
Post #14 of 68
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in the next couple weeks. Thanks for the heads-up about HB II. I just saw the original HellBoy a couple weeks ago and was very impressed with the visualization. Of course, I adored Pan's Labrynth. I think, if one were to look at the body of your work, they could see patterns, but it would be difficult to project specific visualization themes, and even more difficult to extrapolate your plans for The Hobbit.
Best of luck with the upcoming premieres!
Each cloak was fastened about the neck with a brooch like a green leaf veined with silver.
`Are these magic cloaks?' asked Pippin, looking at them with wonder.
`I do not know what you mean by that,' answered the leader of the Elves.
NARF since 1974.
Balin Bows
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Empedocles
Rivendell
Jun 3 2008, 3:35am
Post #15 of 68
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I've seen Hellboy II's trailer so many times, as well as all the wonderful ancillary material on the webpage, that I just can't wait to see it. The art design seems to be incredible, the mixture of pulp and mythology, the dialogues, the creatures, the score (if the music that I hear on the trailer is actually the score), everything seems wonderful. Except for the Hetfet game, which I started to play only to discover two weeks later that it was only for US residents, which I'm not going to lie to you, pissed me off a little bit, but it was my fault for not reading the terms and conditions anyway.
I'm sure the look of the Hobbit will be different from the look of Hellboy but there's something which I'm looking forward to see in The Hobbit too. There's an epic feeling in most of the movies you've made, even in the most intimate ones like Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone, (and that is present more than ever in the trailer), that I truly hope to see replicated in The Hobbit.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post here. I have no doubt that Hellboy will be a success and the best of lucks in the final countdown.
Please, give us back Glorfindel!!!
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
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Jun 3 2008, 3:43am
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Because most of Hollywood is derivative
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Movies have become too safe, and most of what gets made these days has to fit in with established formulas. I attribute that to the ownership of the studios - all, or nearly all, are owned by public corporations. Those owners are motivated by quarterly results, and they are under tremendous pressure to make their numbers, if not to beat expectations. So movies have adapted the same methodology - managing expectations is viewed as being successful.
I know you enjoy film, and film festivals, and the behind-the-scenes conversations that occur between people in the industry. When I attend the Traverse City Film Festival, one of the major highlights is the daily panel discussions when directors, studio presidents and actors talk about the business of film. The participants, to a person, loathe the current system. They are committed to returning to quality films, and encouraging each other to take a chance and make something outside the mainstream. The problem, of course, is money. Movies have become expensive to make, and even the major studios can't finance their own movies. One individual, or even a small group of individuals, are taking an enormous risk just to make one quality movie. But the major studios won't touch anything that doesn't fit their expectations of a "successful" movie.
I was saddened last summer when, after the Film Festival, my brother told me a story about one of his co-workers that lived in town. They said they didn't attend one of the Film Festival movies because "they had never heard of the movies being shown". They are the perfect consumer for the blockbuster-type of movie, but unwilling to take a chance on gems like "The Valet" or "Once". I'm sad for them because of what they missed, and sad for the quality movies that will never get made.
So what can we do? We can support independent movies by watching them in theaters, buying the DVDs. Show the studios that we want more than the latest rip-off movie.
Of course, we Tolkien fans are so lucky. We have three major studio movies that were made to the highest quality standards, and we have people involved in The Hobbit movies that are just as committed to giving us the same quality in the last two films.
Each cloak was fastened about the neck with a brooch like a green leaf veined with silver.
`Are these magic cloaks?' asked Pippin, looking at them with wonder.
`I do not know what you mean by that,' answered the leader of the Elves.
NARF since 1974.
Balin Bows
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tedster88
The Shire
Jun 3 2008, 4:45am
Post #17 of 68
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I will be going to Hellboy 2 definatley looks like a good film, although point taken a lot of the movie making techniques in HB2 won't be used in Th Hobbit!
Awesome of GDT to post on these message boards! 
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Silverlode
Forum Admin
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Jun 3 2008, 4:52am
Post #18 of 68
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Because thinking outside the box involves risk.
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And risk means admitting the possibility of failure. And nobody likes failure, especially when money is involved.
Studios love the idea of the "sure thing". They want to be sure of making money.
The media loves labels, because it's easier to cater and talk to a pre-defined audience. They want to be sure that people will buy what they're selling.
And audiences like the idea of repeating a familiar pleasurable experience. They want to know that they won't consider their money wasted.
Of course, there is no such thing as a "sure thing", and media demographics are often inaccurate and audiences can be fickle, and that familiar place doesn't always retain the magic the second (or third) time around, so failure is always a possibility no matter what. But if you don't risk as much, you won't lose as much.
If you risk much, you may attain greatness. Maybe. And that's where it gets scary.
Silverlode
"Of all faces those of our familiares are the ones both most difficult to play fantastic tricks with, and most difficult really to see with fresh attention. They have become like the things which once attracted us by their glitter, or their colour, or their shape, and we laid hands on them, and then locked them in our hoard, acquired them, and acquiring ceased to look at them.
Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else [make something new], may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds. The gems all turn into flowers or flames, and you will be warned that all you had (or knew) was dangerous and potent, not really effectively chained, free and wild; no more yours than they were you." -On Fairy Stories
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Voorhas
Lorien
Jun 3 2008, 4:55am
Post #19 of 68
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Sir,
I'm impressed with the caliber of names you're conjuring with: names like Dunsany, Rackham, Kirby, Friedrich, Leiber, and even Moorcock (who can coexist with Tolkien). Whether visual artists or artists with written words, these are the kinda talents to inspiration from. So many amazing daydreams to be found there.
It's probably wise for you to underline the inherent differences between projects like Hellboy II and The Hobbit, but I think discerning viewers will "get it." I look forward to both films.
"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." -- E.A. Poe
(This post was edited by Voorhas on Jun 3 2008, 4:58am)
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Kangi Ska
Half-elven
Jun 3 2008, 5:51am
Post #20 of 68
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I trust your judgement. Your past work shows the remarkable care you take in choosing the look of each of your projects. It will be fun to see what you have done with HB2 and (down the road) what you will do on your journey into Middle Earth.
Kangi Ska
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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jun 3 2008, 6:09am
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It took Spielberg years to make Schindler's List
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Though that was partly because of problems finding the right script, and Jurassic Park got in the way for a bit. So he almost was relegated to the blockbuster action movies - thank heavens he wasn't.
Funnily enough you could argue that PJ and LOTR goes against type too, as his filmography prior to LOTR was low-budget splatter and quirky arthouse (Heavenly Creatures). I think personally I prefer it when directors get to play around with genres - each different genre can inform the next to the benefit of all.
Figwit Still Lives!
Calling for a Figwit cameo in The Hobbit since May 2008
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Kangi Ska
Half-elven
Jun 3 2008, 6:12am
Post #22 of 68
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Categories are useful lies. They fail when you believe they are absolutes. (A friend called this "Hardening if the Categories)
All dichotomies are false.
Humans build taxonomies to simplify the overwhealming amount of information involved in any attempt to understand reality. They shield us from the chaos. Again they fail when we believe that they are real.
Kangi Ska
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jun 3 2008, 9:27am
Post #23 of 68
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films, directors, producers, players, etc., for me there's a comfort-zone in being able to rest in the familiarity of a director's/actor's performance. It's my main formula for escapism, I guess. I don't like seeing actors I like die in their films or be evil (i.e. Elijah Wood as a cannibal in Sin City or getting zapped in Ice Storm) since I enjoy where they take me and I can feel safe that I won't have my fragile reality in relation to them torqued out of shape. I can handle diversions from a formula they're usually identified with (i.e. Meg Ryan in a comedy/love film into a boxing film); but a wide swing from what I've come to trust in them will break that trust and I'll avoid their work until I know it's "safe" to watch.
I consider myself a pretty typical viewer in being faithful to a "type" of film (no slasher/gory stuff), and I am frightfully loyal to directors/players I identify with; but I'm also adamant about NOT supporting a film or player in anything or everything they do if it's something that disturbs me. I'll probably never see Brain Dead, but I love LotR and can't wait to see The Lovely Bones! *twitch*
My whole thing about films is to escape and, in a way, go on a journey with my filmic friends when they bring out new work... but I won't expose my fragile psyche to depressive/futile works. If I want to be jolted like that, I'll go pay my bills or clean my house ;)
 
Trust him... The Hobbit is coming!
"Barney Snow was here." ~Hug like a hobbit!~ "In my heaven..."
TORn's Observations Lists
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Guillermo
Rivendell
Jun 3 2008, 9:56am
Post #24 of 68
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Dunsany is used only nominally on Hellboy, by naming the old world beneath, "Bethmoora" but he was a source of great inspiration for "Pan's Lbyrunth" I find his stories incredibly moving and complex. He tackles existencial subjects with the same ease as he does political ones ("The Sword and the Idol") or purely poetical musing asobjects or dead cities reminiscence about their human "owners" fate.
The "Inner Lands" were a source of inspiration for the world Ophelia longs to belong to in PL. I am glad you enjoy the tales of LD. Are you familiar with the many "Lost Worlds" of the poet laurate Clasrk Ashton Smith??
Best
GDT
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FarFromHome
Valinor
Jun 3 2008, 10:17am
Post #25 of 68
(3380 views)
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Familiarity is comforting... Most people are uncomfortable trying new things. ... And in the end it is indeed our fault. The Hollywood moguls only give us what we want.
I think Sturgeon's second law ("90% of everything is crud") has always held. Most of the stuff people make is safe, derivative, and unimaginative. That's what most people are comfortable with most of the time. It's the other 10% (which might be a high estimate!) that stands out and gives those other 90% of the folks something new to copy - once everyone's got used to it and knows it's now "safe".
The situation always looks worse in the present, because the past has a way of filtering out the second-rate stuff so that when we look back we only see the innovators and creators who changed tastes or attitudes. There were certain periods of high creativity in the past (Renaissance Italy for example) but for the most part I imagine that no matter when you lived, you'd have found the 90%-crud rule was pretty much the norm.
...and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew,
and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth;
and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore
glimmered and was lost.
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