The Irishman (2019) and the Unfortunate Reality of Hollywood today

Last Saturday I luckily saw Martin Scorsese's newest film The Irishman in theatres. I was blown away by how amazing it is. It is easily my second favorite film of 2019. What makes me sad however is that this film has a very small theater run as it is going on Netflix in a few days. The film going on Netflix isn't the issue for me. It is the limited theatrical run for a masterpiece that deserves better.

Today the saying "No film is original anymore" is becoming unoriginal in itself. It feels like it's been that way for years, and it actually has. Sequels and remakes are nothing new to Hollywood. Some of the best films ever made are sequels and remakes (My favorite movie of all time is a sequel). From a business standpoint, doing sequels and remakes instead of original films makes perfect sense. Why do something that has a chance to fail?

My answer to that is why not? The Irishman is something new from an acclaimed director who has had numerous critical and commercial success and it was fantastic. Why can't this be treated the same way as any other Hollywood film? Because it has a greater chance to fail due to not having any brand recognition, that's why.

Of course, if you want to support ongoing franchises that still have plenty of magic in them, go for it. I'm the exact same way as there are film franchises with lots of installments every few years but have tons of passion poured into them the same way The Irishman had. The point I want to make is if you notice a new film coming to theaters either from an acclaimed director or even a new one and it interests you, take the chance and see it. You are walking into something with no pre-conceived thoughts, familiarity, or expectations and could have a life-changing experience. Or it might be something awful. Who knows? But take a risk. Cause if you do, you're steps ahead of Hollywood.