Thoughts on movies.

[Innocentmask]

I just want to discuss my thoughts on movies today. Like the industry, and movies themselves on how they are going this year. Me, i think its getting slowly worse. I just think that there's no more creativity in them anymore, they are getting easily predictable, no suspense or awesome characters. I know there will be a few good here and there but this year isn't getting more memorably good movies or original at all. Like reboots, the new Star wars is basically a rehash, Jurassic world was dull like bad sequels. Its probably just me overthinking... What are your thoughts?

[Jingle Jangle]

For me I believe that the bigger movies these days are backed by an existing brand. Where the movies are rushed into production with a bad script that needs several revisions in order to be good. Movies cannot be good by themselves, it has to be connected to a later world. Something it feels that I'm watching an advertisement within a film for the next one.

Not all modern films are bad, I find the recent Marvel films to be some of the best. Star Wars under Disney needs to make better scrips so future projects don't become like the Last Jedi.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Jingle Bells

[TheGoodHoms]

The reason blockbuster movies are becoming more predictable or ride on the success of a franchise is because studios are making them on ludicrously large budgets which are very hard to make back otherwise. If you put 100 million dollars into a film production it's safer to make an adaption or squeal  because there's already an audience there that you can guarantee a good chunk of the film's revenue off of which will please your investors. Trust me, big businesses like film studios live and die by their investors so they really need to make sure they're meeting expectations at all times. 

[AnonymousSpeed]

2 hours ago, Innocentmask said:

SearchMan fan

I don't remember if DWN 61 was SearchMan's serial number or if there's a space in his name but you have good taste, soldier.

I'm not honestly big into movies- I haven't watched a ton of classics (Citizen Cain, Gone With the Wind, 12 Angry Men, Vertigo, nothin') so I can't say if the industry has deteriorated, but I'm not even into the Marvel and Star Wars stuff which seems popular with a lot of people. Georg Rockall-Schmidt on YouTube has a good video on the topic but I'm too lazy to link it. An argument that comes up in that video and other places, however, is how these inflated budget blockbusters need to be safe, which leads to creative stagnation which will eventually cause the industry to explode. That'd be kinda bad, I guess.

Honestly, the best thing about movies, for me, is Armond White, and I don't even say that ironically.

Edited November 12, 2018 by AnonymousSpeed

[DarthR0xas]

Blockbusters, sure, they're slanting downward, but I've found a lot of very good movies this year. All of them are anime movies, granted, but still pretty good. A Silent Voice was great, and I really enjoyed the My Hero Academia movie.

[Tootsie]

hello yes i like the movies

 

In all seriousness though, blockbusters are predictable and bad and have been basically as long as i've been alive. They appeal to demographics and any that are unpredictable are either 1.) Shitty and terrible movies on their own or 2.) Really really rare. If you want some good movies, you gotta go indie. My recommendations are Song of the Sea, Anomalisa, Secret of Kells, Coraline, and pretty much most things by Laika, Ghibli, etc. I know, all animated. But really I just haven't thought of a lot of live-action movies that blew me away besides Infinity War and like, Star Wars: A New Hope. I kind of agree that blockbusters are getting worse and worse (see: Illumination Animation) but animation and indie stuff is all really really good still. There's movies to enjoy for those willing to find them.

[Lau]

I think most movies are finding it hard to find something unique. Literally everything has been done before, and audiences are clamouring for something new, something fresh.

I personally only watch films that are connected to a pre-existing brand, like the MCU, though I do have a soft spot for Disney and Pixar. The most decent stand alone films that I've found to be incredible in recent years are the Greatest Showman and Your Name.

[Michelaar]

I barely watch movies anymore, the only ones I really like are horror movies and those I go watch sometimes. Most elements of a movie aren't unique enough anymore and are things we have generally seen before.

[Etrurian emperor]

I'm not really a movie guy. Video games have completely supplanted movies as my preferred medium. I like movies and enjoy watching them but they generally don't stick with me. I can enjoy my time watching a movie and stop thinking about it forever before the day is over in a way that's impossible for me with games. 

[indigoasis]

Movies are alright, but I don't watch them too often. They're either too long to keep my attention, or I'm just not interested. I got a movie last year for my birthday, and I still haven't watched it, let only opened the case. I wanted to watch it, but I could never find a good time for it, so eventually I just forgot about it.

The only movies that I can say I'm interested in is Marvel movies, Pixar movies, and a few others, most notably Bumblebee and Detective Pikachu, which looks phenomenal by the way. I'm going to force my friend to watch DP whether he wants to or not.

And Toy Story 4 is going to be filled with adults at the movie theater.

[ChefGuevara]

I miss when Netflix had indie movies

 

[Rapaille]

I like watching movies since they take away less time then videogames or books and I don't have to be active so often when I come back from college I don't feel like playing videogames or reading a book.

I don't go to the cinema often since not that many movies in cinema interest me but I do visit the smallscreen from time to time. While they don't have the budget that many cinema movies have they often are far more interesting since they have more focus on the plot and you sometimes see movies from different countries which sometimes tell you something about those countries or highlight the history of that country which you wouldn't learn about otherwise (the volume also tends to be lower which is something I dislike about big cinemas).

I don't think that quality is diminishing. I just think that there are a lot of movies so when you watch so many movies to tend to notice similarities between movies. There are also a lot different things you could do instead of watching movies. When watching movies is one of the only things you do and it isn't often you tend to be less critical because you are just happy that you can watch a movie. 

 

Edited January 8, 2019 by LJwalhout

[dragonlordsd]

There are a lot of good reasons why movies are the way they are, but here are a few things to think about:

1. Movies cost a ton more to make, so studios aren't going to take as many risks.

Studios these days are more and more going "all in" on films, and as such, the amount of executive oversight is increasingly insane. It's really hard to work when all of your decisions are constantly being questioned.

While Disney has cemented itself enough to allow some risks to be taken with their more outlying properties (like letting Taika Watiti direct Thor, or having their darker series like Daredevil run for a bit), most other studios are really pulling back.

2. People will buy generic films.

This is kind of painful to admit, but it is a sad truth. Transformers, Fast and Furious, and so on... they make money. It sucks, but that's just how it is. Netflix reported that people watched 1 billion hours of Adam Sandler films, which is just depressing.

3. The more people who work on a film, the more likely you are to get the same people working on the different films.

As special effects get pushed further and further, movies need more and more people to make all of the special effects. Ergo, the credit sequences get longer and longer. But here's the thing: there aren't that many artists in the world who can work at the level needed for Hollywood films. If you've got 1,000 cg artists working on Avengers, that's a pretty big chunk of the industry. And the more that expands, the more you're going to get the same people working on films, and doing things the exact same way.

For example, take Maciej. He's an amazing artist. I love his work. He's fantastic.

BUT. He's been the key concept artist for Jurassic World, Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ghost in the Shell, Captain America, Kong: Skull Island, and so on and so on.

Now, there were a bunch of artists working on those with him, but the same can be said about each of them. And if all the visuals are being done by the same people over and over, you start seeing the same look everywhere.

 

Finally:

4. You didn't see most of the original and interesting movies.

Seriously, there are so many movies made every year that NOBODY watches. Most of them are crap. But a good number are amazing.

Netflix is particularly terrible about this, because finding new and interesting movies is amazingly difficult. There are a massive number of hidden gems on Netflix, but they're utterly buried beneath Netflix's garbage recommendation system, which spams you with the same crap over and over. If you want to find something interesting, try looking up "movies on Netflix you've never heard of" or "hidden gems on Netflix" Then don't click on any of the first ten results. Just do some digging and see what you come up with.

Edited November 13, 2018 by dragonlordsd

[mymanga003]

I'm not by any means a motion picture fellow. Computer games have totally displaced motion pictures as my favored medium. I like motion pictures and appreciate (Download Showbox for iOS [100% Working ] for iPhone and iPad ) watching them however they by and large don't stay with me. I can make the most of my time viewing a film and quiet considering it always before the day is over such that's inconceivable for me with amusements.