I consider myself a bit of an indie-movie fan. My wife and I used to frequent Landmark Theaters years before anyone knew about Sundance or Telluride. I like edgy movies that take on provocative themes and offbeat subjects, but there can be a fine line between creative and ridiculous. I was looking forward to seeing the latest, Darren Aronofsky film, Mother with Jennifer Lawrence. I enjoyed two of Aronofsky’s previous films, Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman and The Wrestler starring my all-time favorite, Mickey Rourke. I wish I didn’t waste my time. Mother is quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. It was unsettling, and plain stupid. At one point when I think we were supposed to be terrified, Kathy and I literally laughed out loud. We have all heard stories of the excesses of Hollywood, well the best way I can describe Mother is that it is the ultimate product of a self-indulgent writer/director who has lost total regard for his audience.
The NFL markets its brand as well as any enterprise in the world. I heard a comedian once say that the NFL is so popular, it has its own day. NFL football is huge. Each NFL franchise brings in approximately $400M a year in revenue; almost double the annual revenue of NBA teams and 2 ½ times as much as MLB clubs.