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Every movie is terrible.

#101
I finally watched The Last Jedi. Well, actually I skipped through most of it. Terrible.

In other news, MoviePass ran out of money Thursday, had to get an emergency loan to continue operating. Also they've apparently blacked out Mission Impossible.

Invalid Link Removed

Seems Like MoviePass Is Not Long for This World
 
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#102
Alkali Ike said:
I finally watched The Last Jedi. Well, actually I skipped through most of it. Terrible.

In other news, MoviePass ran out of money Thursday, had to get an emergency loan to continue operating. Also they've apparently blacked out Mission Impossible.

Invalid Link Removed

Seems Like MoviePass Is Not Long for This World
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I dropped them a couple weeks ago. AMC stubs a list is great if you have a lot of their theaters around.
 
#104
We saw Black Panther last night. Amazon was having a half off sale, so it was $2.99. I'm glad we didn't see it in the theaters, though it was mildly entertaining. The writing was awful, though the effects were pretty good.
 
#107
there are some actors who are so bad at their craft it pretty much insures that any movie they work in will be a total waste of film. More often than not I find that to be the defining factor that makes a film watchable for me...more so than director or technical aspects. A bad script follows in the #2 spot. But it surprising how many crappy films get financed and made.
 
#108
hbarcat said:
What happened to the idea of making original films? Almost every movie is a sequel, remake, or reboot or is based on "real events" or a classic book or TV show from the past.

Doesn't anyone in Hollywood have any imagination anymore?
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A lot of that has been the way it's always been.

Gone with the Wind - book.
Apocalypse Now - book.
The Manchurian Candidate - book.
Rosemary's Baby - book.
Casablanca - remake of a stage play
The Godfather - book.
Jaws - Book
Ten Commandments - book
Doctor Zhivago - book
Ben Hur - book
 
#109
aborgman said:
A lot of that has been the way it's always been.

Gone with the Wind - book.
Apocalypse Now - book.
The Manchurian Candidate - book.
Rosemary's Baby - book.
Casablanca - remake of a stage play
The Godfather - book.
Jaws - Book
Ten Commandments - book
Doctor Zhivago - book
Ben Hur - book
Click to expand...


Sure, they've always made movies based on earlier works, but not to near exclusion of completely original movies.

It seems to me, about 20 years ago, producers figured out that making sequels of previous hits and new versions of old material was a risk free way of making money and they started using this business model as their primary method of profit generation.

And now, it seems their so obsessed with it that they're almost afraid to take a chance on investing time and money in a new idea.
 
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#110
hbarcat said:
Sure, they've always made movies based on earlier works, but not to near exclusion of completely original movies.

It seems to me, about 20 years ago, producers figured out that making sequels of previous hits and new versions of old material was a risk free way of making money and they started using this business model as their primary method of profit generation.

And now, it seems their so obsessed with it that they're almost afraid to take a chance on investing time and money in a new idea.
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How many westerns with the same actors were made in previous generations? How many goofy frat style movies were made with the same 10 people in the 80's and 90's? Cop and detective movies, etc. I think it's just like with music. People remember the gems from the past, and forget that a whole bunch of junk was made too.
At the end of the day Hollywood is a business. If they had any confidence at all that people would go out and watch an original idea with actual actors instead of pretty people, they would do it. But the people have proven that they won't. They get that from excellent TV series every night. They want spectacle for their $30 movies.
 
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#111
Gorn said:
I’m exaggerating but not by much. I see every movie that comes out. I like the movie going experience and I have moviepass and the time. Almost all of them are terrible. It’s like no one watches these things before they’re released to the theaters. Bad dialogue. Bad stories. Bad acting. Predictable. Cliche. Boring. I’ve seen every movie that’s come out since I got moviepass three months ago and almost every one of them has been god awful. It makes me feel pity for aspiring film makers that might have good ideas and will never achieve success while garbage movies make millions, exceed their budgets, and untalented hacks get rich. Carry on. Happy America day.
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It sounds like your describing today’s music...
 
#113
The Last Jedi actually made me angry. It lost me completely when Rey handed the light saber to Luke in what should have been a serious dramatic moment in Star Wars canon.

But what does Luke do? He tosses the light saber over his shoulder into the water like it’s a piece of garbage he’d throw out. Ok, so he doesn’t care now about anything Jedi.

But then we learn he’s keeping ancient Jedi training manuals enshrined like sacred documents. If he doesn’t care, why is he keeping that stuff.

Chewie roasting a “puffin” over a fire and the roasted puffin’s friends are sad and start sniffling.

There were numerous attempts at making scenes amusing that fell completely flat. Out of place. Maybe even disrespectful to loyal fans who go back to the original trilogy.

I might be overstating it but the movie really is terrible in my opinion. And that’s what the thread is about.

Edited for spelling
 
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#114
blue4 said:
How many westerns with the same actors were made in previous generations? How many goofy frat style movies were made with the same 10 people in the 80's and 90's? Cop and detective movies, etc. I think it's just like with music. People remember the gems from the past, and forget that a whole bunch of junk was made too.
At the end of the day Hollywood is a business. If they had any confidence at all that people would go out and watch an original idea with actual actors instead of pretty people, they would do it. But the people have proven that they won't. They get that from excellent TV series every night. They want spectacle for their $30 movies.
Click to expand...


It seems to me like you're saying, in your 1st paragraph, that the movie scene is the same now as it's always been in terms of the amount of originality as well as quality. But then, in your 2nd paragraph, it looks like you're admitting that movie producers have all but given up on originality and quality because they know they've lost to the new paradigm where potential moviegoers are staying home and watching programming that they can choose from among the vast landscape of superior alternatives that never used to be available.
 
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#116
hbarcat said:
It seems to me like you're saying, in your 1st paragraph, that the movie scene is the same now as it's always been in terms of the amount of originality as well as quality. But then, in your 2nd paragraph, it looks like you're admitting that movie producers have all but given up on originality and quality because they know they've lost to the new paradigm where potential moviegoers are staying home and watching programming that they can choose from among the vast landscape of superior alternatives that never used to be available.
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I'm saying that the movie scene hasn't changed as much as people complain it has. I'm admitting that producers gave up on originality sometime around the 45th John Wayne western but for some reason people have just now started to notice. Just like in every thread about cars, music, tv, food, coffee, beer, life in general, etc things that happened back when we were young seem just awesome and now that we're old things don't seem that way anymore. Star Wars is the perfect example. When you're a kid, bad dialog and weird monks wielding swords made of light seems fantastic, When you're old, well if it's not on the level of Shakespeare it's disappointing and a sign of the failing times. Disrespectful even. Return of the Jedi of course pandered to kids with cute ewoks, merchandising, and a poor repetitive plot but only now thats a problem? Doesn't anyone remember how our parents and grandparents complained about the music and movies? My grandmother used to make all these same claims, damn near word for word, when I was a kid. When the whole world swooned over Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman she was about as dismissive as you can get.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's our perception that usually changes more then anything else. I don't remember going to the movies 25 years ago and wanting to see everything that was playing. I remember going and watching whatever she wanted to because they played nothing I cared to see. JMO, everyone has their own view. I just don't see a new trend here.
 
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#117
blue4 said:
I'm saying that the movie scene hasn't changed as much as people complain it has. I'm admitting that producers gave up on originality sometime around the 45th John Wayne western but for some reason people have just now started to notice. Just like in every thread about cars, music, tv, food, coffee, beer, life in general, etc things that happened back when we were young seem just awesome and now that we're old things don't seem that way anymore. Star Wars is the perfect example. When you're a kid, bad dialog and weird monks wielding swords made of light seems fantastic, When you're old, well if it's not on the level of Shakespeare it's disappointing and a sign of the failing times. Disrespectful even. Return of the Jedi of course pandered to kids with cute ewoks, merchandising, and a poor repetitive plot but only now thats a problem? Doesn't anyone remember how our parents and grandparents complained about the music and movies? My grandmother used to make all these same claims, damn near word for word, when I was a kid. When the whole world swooned over Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman she was about as dismissive as you can get.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's our perception that usually changes more then anything else. I don't remember going to the movies 25 years ago and wanting to see everything that was playing. I remember going and watching whatever she wanted to because they played nothing I cared to see. JMO, everyone has their own view. I just don't see a new trend here.
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I do agree with you on the general premise that things always seem better in the past simply because nostalgia clouds our memories and judgement.

But not with the specific example of movies. I'm the last person on Earth to pine for the good old days. Your example of Star Wars is a great example because I've always been a vocal critic of the entire franchise. It baffles people when I say that the only good one of the bunch was the original episode - and that was really juat a corny cliche of a bunch of other movies, but set in outer space.

I believe we're living in a golden age of a lot of things - cars, computers, global communication, arts, sciences and most especially, new technology. I really do believe that good, original, full length movies have become noticeably rare, compared to even a decade ago. And I think its due to an obvious shift in priorities of what the public considers entertainment. They want to be able to catch their story on the fly in neat little chunks (ideally streaming) because very few people today are willing to take a chance and sit through 2 hours of screen time, unless they are pretty sure ahead of time that it will pay off in entertainment value.

And that attitude has completely altered the way producers approach movies.
 
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#118
Alkali Ike said:
The Last Jedi actually made me angry. It lost me completely when Rey handed the light saber to Luke in what should have been a serious dramatic moment in Star Wars canon.

But what does Luke do? He tosses the light saber over his shoulder into the water like it’s a piece of garbage he’d throw out. Ok, so he doesn’t care now about anything Jedi.

But then we learn he’s keeping ancient Jedi training manuals enshrined like sacred documents. If he doesn’t care, why is he keeping that stuff.

Chewiee roasting a “puffin” over a fire and the roasted puffin’s friends are sad and start sniffling.

There were numerous attempts at making scenes amusing that fell completely flat. Out of place. Maybe even disrespectful to loyal fans who go back to the original trilogy.

I might be overstating it but the movie really is terrible in my opinion. And that’s what the thread is about.
Click to expand...
Add to that the fact that the scene with Kylo Ren taking Rey to Snoke is almost a block-for-block, word-for-word rip from the Darth Vader taking Luke to the Emperor in "Return of the Jedi". I almost said out loud "Is this a joke?" while watching it in the theater. So bad.
 
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#119
hbarcat said:
I really do believe that good, original, full length movies have become noticeably rare, compared to even a decade ago.
Click to expand...

Top 10 grossing movies 2008:

1) The Dark Knight
2) Iron Man
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4) Hancock
5) Wall-E
6) Kung Fu Panda
7) Twilight
8) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
9) Quantum of Solace
10) Horton Hears a Who

Top 10 grossing movies 1998:

1) Saving Private Ryan
2) Armageddon
3) There's Something About Mary
4) A Bug's Life
5) The Waterboy
6) Dr. Dolittle
7) Rush Hour
8) Deep Impact
9) Godzilla
10) Patch Adams

Top 10 grossing movies 1988:

1) Rain Man
2) Who Framed Roger Rabbit
3) Coming To America
4) Big
5) Twins
6) Crocodile Dundee II
7) Die Hard
8) The Naked Gun
9) Cocktail
10) Beetlejuice

Top 10 grossing movies 1978:

1) Grease
2) Superman
3) National Lampoon's Animal House
4) Every Which Way but Loose
5) Heaven Can Wait
6) Hooper
7) Jaws 2
8) Revenge of the Pink Panther
9) The Deer Hunter
10) Halloween
 
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#120
aborgman said:
Top 10 grossing movies 2008:

1) The Dark Knight
2) Iron Man
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4) Hancock
5) Wall-E
6) Kung Fu Panda
7) Twilight
8) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
9) Quantum of Solace
10) Horton Hears a Who

Top 10 grossing movies 1998:

1) Saving Private Ryan
2) Armageddon
3) There's Something About Mary
4) A Bug's Life
5) The Waterboy
6) Dr. Dolittle
7) Rush Hour
8) Deep Impact
9) Godzilla
10) Patch Adams

Top 10 grossing movies 1988:

1) Rain Man
2) Who Framed Roger Rabbit
3) Coming To America
4) Big
5) Twins
6) Crocodile Dundee II
7) Die Hard
8) The Naked Gun
9) Cocktail
10) Beetlejuice

Top 10 grossing movies 1978:

1) Grease
2) Superman
3) National Lampoon's Animal House
4) Every Which Way but Loose
5) Heaven Can Wait
6) Hooper
7) Jaws 2
8) Revenge of the Pink Panther
9) The Deer Hunter
10) Halloween
Click to expand...

Looks pretty similar to me.
 

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