Gripes with modern cinema.

[re'up]

I think the cinema is worse because the viewers are worse, and the writers are worse. We've bred a group of movie goers/viewers who aren't doing anything beyond consuming content, and these people don't give a fukk about art. They couldn't describe a human feeling they got from a film beyond "ok can't wait for the sequel/prequel."

There's also a constant push for films and television to adopt and regurgitate views/opinions of various social groups. I'd have no issue with this if the writing was halfway decent but instead it's constantly terrible. Clunky, blatantly forced, in-your-face and you can often tell which Tweets influenced the dialogue. Film being influenced by the times/social views is nothing new. Peep the cynicism and American disillusionment in 1970s cinema for instance. But compare that to today and you immediately sense an inability to write anything subtle, a refusal/inability to tackle controversial or opposing views, and nonstop child-like pandering. The audience wants simple shyt. And the audience is in a perpetual state of adolescence. We've gone from people debating the meaning of films to arguing over whether Spiderman would support [insert progressive political issue].

This is well thought out.

Each era of cinema reflects society as a whole, at the time, and trends within the world of movies. Trends, and techniques, and styles, and advancement of technology. It's why movies like Casablanca, while great, to me, don't compare to how gorgeous film looked, and how editing improvement made it more involving, and less kind of stunted. That also reflects my age too, as I was born in 1985. The excess of the 80's, the WASPY sentiments, the existentialism of the 90's, in a thriving US economy. The kind of growing distrust in society. Fight Club, American Beauty. The 2000's were interesting. More patriotism post 9/11. But, also reactions to a changing cultural landscape, Brokeback Mountain for one, James Bond getting the rougher rebrand, as a kind of mercenary, man without a country.

So, this 2020's era is going to reflect society at large, as you very well summarized. Lots of nods at progressive causes, lots of messages that are one size fits all. The Taylor Sheridan way of trying to check every box, and kind of self protect from any criticism. Consumable, cheaply made, blandly filmed, I swear Netflix has like a filter that washes everything out on a large amount of their stuff. The edges are all shaved, there's no beauty in the shots. But, they also backed Saltburn, which is pretty dope, despite some of it's flaws, I think.

I saw over 30 movies this year, and there are some great ones. The Killer, Killers of the Flower Moon, a half dozen indies I have seen this year are excellent and worthy, flaws and all. Fair Play. BlackBerry. Air. Scream 6. Ferrari later this year.

 

[WaveCapsByOscorp™]

Bad writing.

Who’s fault it is that there are bad stories coming out can be attributed to a lot of people but I’m sure anyone who had the ability to green light a project holds a majority of the blame.

I always expect the business not to GAF about anything except profits. That’s their purpose, to maximize them.

But, just like the artist has to worry about paying the bills and be realistic, I expect the execs to have enough soul to consider what hyper capitalism can do to artistic endeavors if left unchecked.

The problem is the business is doing too well to consider the problems and anything done artistically is a risk, and businesses don’t take unnecessary risks when they have a model that can ensure a certain amount of profit over time.

They’re really the most uncreative among us.

I worry most about the future creators considering what they’re seeing and have at their disposal.

Creating cinematic “art” for a generation that taste buds have been ruined. Not to mention the creators possibly catching that same opinion

 

[Piff Perkins]

I'll lightly add on to what someone said about fans:

A lot of people are wannabe critics. I don't know if it makes them feel smarter or whatever, but people nitpick everything in modern movies and it really reflects the overtly-critical and egotistical attitude of the current era.

People act like if a movie wasn't some life-changing experience, then it was a failure. The expectations are way too high and people refuse to just take things as they are.

There's also a hint of nostalgia bias, too. I promise you if people applied their criticism of modern movies to a lot of the vintage classics, you'd notice some more flaws.

Notice it's just nit picking and not actual criticism, ever. It's always some bullshyt like "there's a Starbucks cup visible on the table at the 46 minute mark." All of it caters to this almost autistic-esque obsession with proving something is bad or wrong based on minor mistakes/flaws instead of actually engaging with something critically or emotionally. You see the same gotcha-type shyt in the way young people scour the internet for clips of "problematic" things a celebrity said 10-30 years ago, or in the way every social or political issue has to be agreed upon and if you deviate in any way you aren't a real ally/good person.

In short it seems like a whole lot of people believe movies exist solely to make them feel good/entertained, and anything that deviates from that (sex scene, uncomfortable relationships, problematic characters, difficult choices, immoral actions, etc) is bad.

 

[FlyRy]

Things are dire. The movie industry is in a dark place. I've enjoyed the films this year overall though and been to the movies more this year than any time in my adult life. But creatively it's in a rut. Especially blockbuster wise.

TV has become flabby too compared to where it was 7-10 years ago.

@re'up saltburn is Amazon

 

[ViShawn]

Things are dire. The movie industry is in a dark place. I've enjoyed the films this year overall though and been to the movies more this year than any time in my adult life. But creatively it's in a rut. Especially blockbuster wise.

TV has become flabby too compared to where it was 7-10 years ago.

@re'up saltburn is Amazon

This was a great video. This was on my list and I finally watched it.

 

[Nero Christ]

There's the Frank Zappa video breaking down the old guys (used to be 50 & up) who use to run music compared to the modern guys and it applies to the Hollywood too. Basically the old guys didn't understand what younger writers & directors were doing but basically let everything rock to see what stuck. The young guys now(between 35-50) are tied to the shareholders and their quarterly numbers. No chances taken.

Another issue is, young writers aren't as influenced by classic literary. They watch other movies and base story structure off of that, as well as growing up conversing mostly on the internet. Dialogue in film/tv now a days sounds like how folks online post.

 

[WIA20XX]

Another issue is, young writers aren't as influenced by classic literary. They watch other movies and base story structure off of that, as well as growing up conversing mostly on the internet. Dialogue in film/tv now a days sounds like how folks online post.

^^^
UNDERRATED COMMENT

 

[re'up]

Things are dire. The movie industry is in a dark place. I've enjoyed the films this year overall though and been to the movies more this year than any time in my adult life. But creatively it's in a rut. Especially blockbuster wise.

TV has become flabby too compared to where it was 7-10 years ago.

@re'up saltburn is Amazon

oh right, some other movie I saw a preview for Friday was Netflix, that looked good, or at least not like a Netflix movie, as I describe it. Not Ferrari. Could have been Poor Things.

Saltburn is part of the MGM being sold to Amazon deal.

Speaking of Saltburn, someone like Emerald Fennell, and whoever wrote that movie, they are younger, and take influences from things that are from my era in a sense too, Bret Easton Ellis, Donna Tartt, The Talented Mr. Ripley (although, that goes back to Highsmith) and A LOT from Call Me By Your Name

so there's good aspects of a changing generational shift of directors and writers.

edit: it was Maestro

 

[re'up]

Bad writing.

Who’s fault it is that there are bad stories coming out can be attributed to a lot of people but I’m sure anyone who had the ability to green light a project holds a majority of the blame.

I always expect the business not to GAF about anything except profits. That’s their purpose, to maximize them.

But, just like the artist has to worry about paying the bills and be realistic, I expect the execs to have enough soul to consider what hyper capitalism can do to artistic endeavors if left unchecked.

The problem is the business is doing too well to consider the problems and anything done artistically is a risk, and businesses don’t take unnecessary risks when they have a model that can ensure a certain amount of profit over time.

They’re really the most uncreative among us.

I worry most about the future creators considering what they’re seeing and have at their disposal.

Creating cinematic “art” for a generation that taste buds have been ruined. Not to mention the creators possibly catching that same opinion

See David Zsalav.

 

[Easy-E]

 

[Majestyx]

Bonds not diverse like they used to be
slow mo overuse
360 camera overuse
recycling of shyt. making movies out of books fine, making movies out of older movies and tv shows... lazy AF
Disney owning too many properties.

 

[Bryan Danielson]

Currently in theaters now;

Napoleon
Wish
Hunger Games
Next Goal Wins
Saltburn
Thanksgiving
Trolls Band Together
The Holdovers
The Marvels
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Priscilla
Tiger 3
Journey to Bethlehem
Radical
Killers of the Flower Moon
Mandalavaaram


So we want to go the movies but we tired of CB movies, what movie we seeing brehs?

 

[shonuff]

There's the Frank Zappa video breaking down the old guys (used to be 50 & up) who use to run music compared to the modern guys and it applies to the Hollywood too. Basically the old guys didn't understand what younger writers & directors were doing but basically let everything rock to see what stuck. The young guys now(between 35-50) are tied to the shareholders and their quarterly numbers. No chances taken.

Another issue is, young writers aren't as influenced by classic literary. They watch other movies and base story structure off of that, as well as growing up conversing mostly on the internet. Dialogue in film/tv now a days sounds like how folks online post.

man i wanna tell you

you cannot IMAGINE how many young dudes and women i talk to that not only dont know films from teh 70s like Dog Day Afternoon or Butch and Sundance or Deliverance... but they are ignorant of the films in the 50 and 40s and even 30s ( a film major i spoke to was amazed that movies like Metrolpolis or Nosferatu existed and was completely ignorant of their influences )

but the real shyt you touchedon is just how LITERARY ignorant some writers and film makers are-- no one reads and you can tell

no Hawthorne or James or Proust or Poe or even fukking Shakespeare.....like as a writer how the fukk are you going to write and you dont READ???

and the real fukking shame is this younger generation could have good writers but they are so infantilized and stunted - they dont live life with risk at all.

i mean a Kerouac, Hunter Thompson or Bukowski life is some shyt that is too edge and they cant handle that.

they dont really experience suffering in their lives...addiction or loss. or just badshyt happening to them because - only the safe path is taken ....and that lack of experience with bad shyt in life gets mirrored in the writing and the art....its why Horror movies now are so fukking tame compared to the 70s and 80s films that really pushed boundaries of "acceptability"- its why 50 shades is somehow a fukking phenomemnon when the shyt taht was in 50 Shades was shyt that was printed in the Cosmopolitan magazine letters to the editor or feature stories...


it would blow bytches minds to read Erica Jong and Fear of Flying...

 

[re'up]

man i wanna tell you

you cannot IMAGINE how many young dudes and women i talk to that not only dont know films from teh 70s like Dog Day Afternoon or Butch and Sundance or Deliverance... but they are ignorant of the films in the 50 and 40s and even 30s ( a film major i spoke to was amazed that movies like Metrolpolis or Nosferatu existed and was completely ignorant of their influences )

but the real shyt you touchedon is just how LITERARY ignorant some writers and film makers are-- no one reads and you can tell

no Hawthorne or James or Proust or Poe or even fukking Shakespeare.....like as a writer how the fukk are you going to write and you dont READ???

and the real fukking shame is this younger generation could have good writers but they are so infantilized and stunted - they dont live life with risk at all.

i mean a Kerouac, Hunter Thompson or Bukowski life is some shyt that is too edge and they cant handle that.

they dont really experience suffering in their lives...addiction or loss. or just badshyt happening to them because - only the safe path is taken ....and that lack of experience with bad shyt in life gets mirrored in the writing and the art....its why Horror movies now are so fukking tame compared to the 70s and 80s films that really pushed boundaries of "acceptability"- its why 50 shades is somehow a fukking phenomemnon when the shyt taht was in 50 Shades was shyt that was printed in the Cosmopolitan magazine letters to the editor or feature stories...


it would blow bytches minds to read Erica Jong and Fear of Flying...

Having met a lot of people, relatively speaking, in the business, a lot of them don't really know or care about movies that much, The ones in their 20's, or 30's. And you talking about 70's and 80's, people now, even late 20's, don't know 90's movies, or 2000's movies, they don't know anything. The truth is social media is what entertains people now.

And social media, in a very unique way, manages to entertain and engage people while never provoking any thought, that is probably the easiest way to say it. and I think a lot of movies/shows now try to mirror that. What will engage and entertain but never challenge. Social media never challenges anyone, in a meaningful way. It gives lots of space to identity, and to conform, but it doesn't truly challenge. That's why so many people think they are activists by ranting and raving and posting on social media.

 

[re'up]

Put it like this, look at the way people are going to engage with the YSL RICO trial, they will see the entire thing through the refraction of social media.

Most or many, they won't read, they won't learn about legal tactics or who these attorneys are, how exhibits are presented, they won't even be able to tell you the chronology of the indictment, or the major players. They will argue for Thug's innocence, because they like him personally, and take that side, that identity of a Young Thug fan, and view the entire trial through that lens, and the lens of will they or won't they convict.

I think that's how people watch comic book movies, and streaming content now too. They won't be moved by beautiful shots or sharp, painful dialouge, they won't be immersed in the world of crime or whatever, they simply watch for a few dopamine hits, and move on.