Beaufoy is far more outspoken: ”American blockbusters have a real stranglehold on cinemas; if it hasn’t got big stars or if it’s not a really anodyne piece of work for 18-to-24-year-olds on a Friday evening, it won’t get shown,” he says.

anodyne (adj) : capable of relieving pain [syn: analgesic, analgetic] – source: The 17-inch silver screen