Contemporary Movies: Good or Trash?

[S.B.G]

I read this article today and found myself largely in agreement.

Ridley Scott, a filmmaker not known for pulling his punches, has issued a withering assessment on the health of Hollywood output right now.
The Gladiator and Blade Runner director argued that the industry is “drowning in mediocrity.” So much so, Scott revealed that he has taken to re-watching his old films.
Scott made the comments during an interview reflecting on his career at BFI Southbank in London on Sunday. Metro and Yahoo! were among those reporting the Oscar-nominated director’s remarks.
“The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally – millions. Not thousands, millions… and most of it is s**t,” he said. Scott added that films are too often “saved” by digital effects because they haven’t got a “great thing on paper first.”
Asked if he has a go-to comfort movie, the British director said: “Well, actually, right now, I’m finding mediocrity – we’re drowning in mediocrity. And so what I do – it’s a horrible thing – but I’ve started watching my own movies, and actually they’re pretty good! And also, they don’t age.”
“I watched Black Hawk [Down] the other night and I thought, ‘How in the hell did I manage to do that?’ But I think occasionally a good one will happen, [and] it’s like a relief that there’s somebody out there who’s doing a good movie.”
Having wrapped The Dog Stars, Scott revealed a little more about his plans for Gladiator 3. “He’s around and he technically is the Emperor of Rome, and so I have a footprint about what I think it should be,” he explained.
Scott wasn’t the only one to bemoan the quality of film output in recent days. In an appearance on Hot Ones, Channing Tatum said: “When you get asked to do a movie, or you’re trying to get a movie made, it’s a very confused pipeline of possibilities, and it really feels like, at times, that you’re incentivized to make bad things to get paid, rather than make something really, really good.”

Ridley Scott Says Hollywood Is So “Drowning In Mediocrity” He’s Been Forced To Watch His Old Films

Ridley Scott has claimed that Hollywood is so "drowning in mediocrity" he's returned to his old films, including 'Black Hawk Down.'

deadline.com

I'd say since the early to mid '00s, there have been increasingly fewer and fewer movies that I'll watch. I find myself re-watching old favorites or discovering old movies for the first time, rather than watching anything new.

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

When I watch old movies from when there were no computers to generate special effects, the effects that were used were practical, and the actors' had to act and put on a good show. Likewise, the writers had to come up with compelling storytelling to capture the viewers.

To me the quality of movies that are much older tend to have more appeal to me. Anyone that's noticed what I've been posting in the What Movie Are You Watching? thread will have noticed a lot of movies from the 1940's through the 1970's lately.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

 

[decafjava]

If this is just Hollywood, then I am inclined to agree. However there is a whole world out there of interesting films. I have been attending, after a few years hiatus, some film festivals here in Geneva. Currently been attending showings at the "Animatou" (Link in French only) a festival of animation dealing with many varied themes both light hearted and serious. Most are shorts but the quality is impressive. Same with other film festivals I have attended and there are films from other places than the US both in Europe and elsewhere which have been very interesting and fun to watch. The last "Hollywood" film I watched was "Oppenheimer" which I really enjoyed despite the subject matter.

 

[jz0309]

I read this article today and found myself largely in agreement.

Ridley Scott Says Hollywood Is So “Drowning In Mediocrity” He’s Been Forced To Watch His Old Films

Ridley Scott has claimed that Hollywood is so "drowning in mediocrity" he's returned to his old films, including 'Black Hawk Down.'

deadline.com

I'd say since the early to mid '00s, there have been increasingly fewer and fewer movies that I'll watch. I find myself re-watching old favorites or discovering old movies for the first time, rather than watching anything new.

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

When I watch old movies from when there were no computers to generate special effects, the effects that were used were practical, and the actors' had to act and put on a good show. Likewise, the writers had to come up with compelling storytelling to capture the viewers.

To me the quality of movies that are much older tend to have more appeal to me. Anyone that's noticed what I've been posting in the What Movie Are You Watching? thread will have noticed a lot of movies from the 1940's through the 1970's lately.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

I feel very similar, while there are a few new movies out I still want to watch, it seems like in the last decade or so most have been around super heroes and the storylines seem to be repeating themselves, I can't watch those anymore.
I've been increasingly buying old(er) movies, and there's a bunch on my wants list. Just too bad that they still charge $10+ for some of those.
Having streaming only for quite a few years now, I do miss TCM and also AMC, they had great movies that you don't find anymore in stores or online.
The same goes with TV shows, can't stand what is new today and rather watch old ones, like a week ago saw the first Columbo...

And while COVID had its share, I haven't been to a movie theater in like 6 or 7 years, just not willing anymore to pay $40-50 or so for 2 to watch one of these new movies...

 

[S.B.G]

I feel very similar, while there are a few new movies out I still want to watch, it seems like in the last decade or so most have been around super heroes and the storylines seem to be repeating themselves, I can't watch those anymore.
I've been increasingly buying old(er) movies, and there's a bunch on my wants list. Just too bad that they still charge $10+ for some of those.
Having streaming only for quite a few years now, I do miss TCM and also AMC, they had great movies that you don't find anymore in stores or online.
The same goes with TV shows, can't stand what is new today and rather watch old ones, like a week ago saw the first Columbo...

And while COVID had its share, I haven't been to a movie theater in like 6 or 7 years, just not willing anymore to pay $40-50 or so for 2 to watch one of these new movies...

I love TCM but never get to see it because I refuse to sign up for cable/satellite/streaming TV services to get it. I wish they could do their own separate, standalone, streaming service for a reasonable price. That I would sign up for.

I recently finished the entire Colombo series and enjoyed it quite a bit.

One of the things I like about the older movies, and TV shows too, is the general lack of technology in them. Think laptops, iPad's smart phones and whatnot. Life back in the day was a little simpler in that regard and I look back fondly at it.

 

[Mousse]

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

That's what happens when writers go on strike. AI is rubbish for script writing and story.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

Too many damn remakes of old blockbusters. Hand the Rocks the Cradle? Really? Come on, man. Rebecca De Mornay was the definitive evil nanny out to steal your baby.

Remaking an old movie, but dumb it down and gussy it up (eyegasm FX). I'd rather bad movies that had a good premise, but horrible production value get a remake. There are thousands of B Movies that had a good premise. Remake Toxic Avenger, or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, or The Hand of Manos.

If this is just Hollywood, then I am inclined to agree. However there is a whole world out there of interesting films.

I've been watching some great stuff coming out of Hong Kong and Korea. I guess only the good stuff gets translated/subtitling. I'm fine with that. It saves me the trouble of sifting through the dredges to find the gold nuggets.🤗

 

[jz0309]

I love TCM but never get to see it because I refuse to sign up for cable/satellite/streaming TV services to get it. I wish they could do their own separate, standalone, streaming service for a reasonable price. That I would sign up for.

I recently finished the entire Colombo series and enjoyed it quite a bit.

One of the things I like about the older movies, and TV shows too, is the general lack of technology in them. Think laptops, iPad's smart phones and whatnot. Life back in the day was a little simpler in that regard and I look back fondly at it.

yup, I'd pay for TCM too.
was surprised to see that Spielberg was the director of the 1st Columbo, didn't know that.

 

[S.B.G]

AI is rubbish for script writing and story.

I agree, but also my opinion goes further back before AI was thing.

 

[S.B.G]

Spielberg was the director of the 1st Columbo, didn't know that.

Interesting, I wasn't aware of that!

 

[Huntn]

I read this article today and found myself largely in agreement.

Ridley Scott Says Hollywood Is So “Drowning In Mediocrity” He’s Been Forced To Watch His Old Films

Ridley Scott has claimed that Hollywood is so "drowning in mediocrity" he's returned to his old films, including 'Black Hawk Down.'

deadline.com

I'd say since the early to mid '00s, there have been increasingly fewer and fewer movies that I'll watch. I find myself re-watching old favorites or discovering old movies for the first time, rather than watching anything new.

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

When I watch old movies from when there were no computers to generate special effects, the effects that were used were practical, and the actors' had to act and put on a good show. Likewise, the writers had to come up with compelling storytelling to capture the viewers.

To me the quality of movies that are much older tend to have more appeal to me. Anyone that's noticed what I've been posting in the What Movie Are You Watching? thread will have noticed a lot of movies from the 1940's through the 1970's lately.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

Too much money to be made, not enough talent nor risk taking, consequently audience taken as marks to be made $$$ off of. AI... pipe dream, hoping for something "great" because of the billions spent on it.

 

[Bodhitree]

There is a lot of mediocrity in the movies. The last movie I saw that really impressed me was 1917, directed by Sam Mendes. The whole single-take structure of the film worked beautifully to put the viewer in the middle of the trenches. It came out in 2019. The Pixar movie Soul was good too, from 2020.

But I’ve basically stopped going to the cinema, these days I prefer to buy a movie off the Apple TV store if it looks good to me. So I don’t have a huge sample size… but I keep up with who wins at Cannes, the Oscars, the BAFTAs.

I wanted to like the new Dune films, but they lacked a real heart.