The disappointing opening of Snakes on a Plane was an excuse for fearful Hollywood executives to declare the internet, and blogs in particular, as unable to open a film. Some claimed the power of blogs is overvalued and used the Snakes numbers as proof. Variety took the opportunity to compare Snakes to The Blair Witch Project and point out the "perils" of internet marketing.

But there is one important difference between BWP and SoaP, and all these bullshit pronouncements about the "failure" of the blogosphere to open a movie only obscures the real lesson Hollywood needs to learn.

It's hard to see past the massive Blair Witch backlash, but when BWP was released it was met with a chorus of favorable reviews. People were anticipating BWP before it came out and loved the movie after they saw it.

Once people saw SoaP, word of mouth about the film spread faster than the hype that fueled its anticipation. Whatever desire I had to see SoaP was quickly eliminated by the chorus of reviews that could be summed up with the words "it was all right."

The deafening buzz over Snakes on a Plane proves the power of the internet to generate heat. The disappointing opening of Snakes proves that you still need to make a good movie.

I've been ignoring my indieWIRE blog. I admit it. Truth is, I have found the state of movies the last few years rather, well, unexciting. When I think back on the entertainment that has moved me the last couple of years, it's all been Television:

Deadwood
Sopranos
Lost
Arrested Development
The Office (UK & US)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
30 Days
Spike Lee's amazing HBO doc When the Levee Breaks

Hard to get me into the cinema when most flicks can't compete with the above list. But I'm back, and the movie responsible? Snakes on a Plane. I'll explain in the next post.