We're out of ideas

The subject line does not refer to the NaturalBlog (exclusively anyway), but rather to tonight's Oscars.

The theory: Creativity for the mass audience has mostly run its course, and what we're left with is iterations on themes already constructed.

The proof: And the nominees are...

For best picture, a movie about a real author, a real senator and real terrorism.

For best actor, a guy playing that real author, a guy playing a real journalist and a guy playing a real singer.

For best actress, a woman playing a character from a book, a woman playing another real singer.

And that's the best of the best. Look at the dregs from last year. There's a remake of Kong, at least two more movies based on books (Narnia and Harry Potter and the Mystery of Puberty), and Kevin Costner pretending to be Dustin Hoffman. Aeon Flux (who'd have thought a real person could be as thin as a Japanime heroine?), Chicken Little, Rent. Remakes all.

I won't argue that our cultural creativity has run totally dry (Brokeback Mountain, Syriana), but I do wonder why there are so few original ideas that we end up with an Oscar slate full of retreads.