Interesting post. And frankly, anyone trying to 'shape' their story to the current 'mood' of the public or media can only be an exercise in folly. IF and WHEN your brilliant screenplay is produced it will most likely be 3 to 5 even 7 years down the line. If it is made at all. What will the world and the public's mood be then? My educated guess is that it will have shifted.

Write a damn good story that stands the test of time. Whether it be 'The Dark Knight' or 'Wall-E', but guessing is nonsense. When it comes to pitching today...Follow the mob, then you'll die by the mob.

I like "hopefull" movies for the most part, BUT I also like to see GREAT stories, and art done well by the professionals.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

I think the best movies are both depressing and hopeful at the same time, providing a roller coaster of emotions. If a film can make you laugh out loud one moment, make you go "awww, so sweet" the next, and then just seconds after that make your cry for sadness, then THAT is a good movie. Wall-E had that in spades, which is why it is such a damn good movie. And TDK is, well...good, but a bit overrated. Heath Ledger is the best part of it.

In the end, though, I enjoy movies that tend to be more serious. I don't want a buddy whatever film, because that's not how life is. I want something real...and unfortunately, this Earth is a hell hole, so real means a depressing film.

Two films I'm most interested in are THE WRESTLER and GRAN TURINO ...

Dick Powell is one of my favorite movie stars and I'm a big fan of 90's Bollywood, so I'm always up for positive. But escapism comes in a lot of forms and not every depression era film was gay (in the old sense, you know). There was some gritty stuff as well--gangsters and monsters were big and what could be more terrifying than hearing Maurice Chevalier sing. Still, Shirley Temple was the biggest star.
Good times or bad, depressing and/or thoughtful movies aren't usually box office hits anyway, are they? And from what I can see, 'independent' and 'Sundance' don't mean what they used to. And maybe people are getting a little burnt out on drug addiction, mental illness and sexual degradation (although for me, it never gets old).