Male Movies

I’m not a big fan of this article. The author’s sarcastic tone is evident in his first sentence: “I don’t think I’m breaking any news if I tell you that “The Avengers,” Joss Whedon’s ensemble action-adventure that unites an entire posse of Marvel Comics superheroes, will be far and away this weekend’s No. 1 film at the box office.” This tone becomes annoying very quickly. Andrew O'Heir begins his piece stating that all big budget flagship movies for film franchises are targeted toward young men, specifically those 35 and younger. O’Heir then writes about how most Hollywood blockbusters are action packed violent pictures targeted solely for guys and how the females are  basically unaccounted for as far as a valuable viewer statistic. I not only take issue with O’Heir’s tone but also how he takes issue with what kind of movies Hollywood produces. Movies are an industry and the major purpose of making films is to make money. So of course movie makers and producers are going to release films that have the best potential to make the most money. I don't mean to sound rude but if these movies aren’t female oriented, who cares? Get over it. Yes movies are for entertainment but there would be no entertainment of the sort without profit. After discussing how much money Hollywood makes from their “guy-oriented” films he says: “Of course, the Hollywood suits have no objection to making enormous piles of money off female moviegoers,” another example of sarcastic tone. He makes this statement in a way that sounds like he thinks making money is a crime and that hollywood is duping female moviegoers. At the end of the article O’Heir states that Hollywood is changing slowly as seen through strong female heroes in movies like the hunger games that appeal to both genders.

The rhetor uses logos appeals such as citing specific films and their targeted audiences. Although the author communicates his point through facts, his persuasion is more emotional: Hollywood’s fascination with overly masculine films is too strong and the industry should move toward producing a greater number of gender neutral films.