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Do we get all we need from today's movies? Can we do better than Pulp Fiction??

Dendelion Blu

Dendelion Blu

Guys

this is the latest post on my blog

Do today's movies give what we want?

I'm asking the question: don't we all get the feeling that today's movies aren't giving us what we want?

Wouldn't we prefer something better?

Can we do better, as indie film makers?

Please comment as I wanna hear everybody's opinion!!

Edoardo
Movie Producer
 
the new releases the past year have stunk accept for machette in my opinion. there was a always a new release each week you wanted to watch and now there is nothing. hollywood has sold out to the "pop" culture.
 
I like popcorn and explosions. I'm REALLY happy with the film releases in the past few years. I need more Michael Bay (luckily Transformers is coming out soon).

These, BTW, are not sarcastic comments. I've watched too many "smart" films that feel as if the filmmakers made them interesting, witty and artsy just for the sake of being that ... as bad for me as VFX for the sake of VFX... at least with action films, there's an expectation that it need not deliver anything deeper than the initial premise... and if it does so, it's a bonus.
 
Dendelion Blu said:
I'm asking the question: don't we all get the feeling that today's movies aren't giving us what we want?
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I'm getting that subtle feeling that Hollywood sold it's soul to major corporations and sold movie fans out forever the same way the South just got the feeling tornadoes might be dangerous.

I basically hate all movies now. They're all so insulting with their over-the-head dialogue and shaky cams in place of cinematography. And so incestuous. Hollywood hasn't had an original idea in the past decade. I can watch any comedy now and tell you when the hot chick is going to fall or get knocked down hard with someone in the crowd saying "ouch, that's gonna leave a mark." It's like all movie scripts now are being generated by Microsoft Movie Magic (limited edition) Just pick a genre and basic theme and out pops a script.

And then we've got action. EVERYBODY knows kung fu, EVERYBODY'S flipping around green-screen sound stages via trapeze wires or stunt cannons as they feebly attempt to interact with tennis ball markers standing in for the usual stable of CGI characters. I could go on and on but the fact is - everybody wishes they had made "The Matrix." But they didn't, we've already seen it. And then we saw where even the Matrix sequels couldn't live up to the original. But all Hollywood knows to do is keep beating a dead horse and adding terms like 3D or blueray.

For horror we've got zombies, vampires, something weird scurrying over the ceiling or some jackass freak making somebody saw some part of themselves off. Beyond that it's remake or sequel after sequel after sequel after seqquel.

Hollywood could care less about story. They know they can dump 25 to 50 million into marketing and the idiot masses will still show up and buy a friggin ticket.

Did that answer your question? I realize it's just my opinion. But you asked.

ps: I'm from Texas, I grew up with tornado destruction so I can say that.
 
laughingcrow said:
ps: I'm from Texas, I grew up with tornado destruction so I can say that.
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Could say the same thing about the 'incestuous' comment, amiright?
th_rimshot-1.gif
 
They're giving me more than Pulp Fiction did.

Being glib aside- There are a handful of films which I've absolutely loathed recently (Sucker Punch and Battle:LA) but there have been enough films that I've seen that have been decent, good or excellent.

The shitty films that were made ten, twenty, thirty...etc years ago get forgotten and only the gems rise to the surface. When we look back in ten years time people will have forgotten that Battle:LA was ever made and people will be asking the question 'Are they making movies as good as Black Swan nowadays?'
 
Dendelion Blu said:
don't we all get the feeling that today's movies aren't giving us what we want?
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No. I genuinely believe that the movies being made are what the audience wants.

Studios are in the business of making money. If the majority of the audiences were demanding something else, the studios would make them in a heartbeat.
 
Zensteve said:
No. I genuinely believe that the movies being made are what the audience wants.

Studios are in the business of making money. If the majority of the audiences were demanding something else, the studios would make them in a heartbeat.
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Completely disagree

Studios are making movies that the audiences are used to

That's different

Nobody knows what the audience wants, so they make what they're used to, and it works

I do believe people want to be blown away by more than the usual crap?

And they're just waiting for the right film??

Edoardo
Movie Producer
 
laughingcrow said:
I'm getting that subtle feeling that Hollywood sold it's soul to major corporations and sold movie fans out forever the same way the South just got the feeling tornadoes might be dangerous.

I basically hate all movies now. They're all so insulting with their over-the-head dialogue and shaky cams in place of cinematography. And so incestuous. Hollywood hasn't had an original idea in the past decade. I can watch any comedy now and tell you when the hot chick is going to fall or get knocked down hard with someone in the crowd saying "ouch, that's gonna leave a mark." It's like all movie scripts now are being generated by Microsoft Movie Magic (limited edition) Just pick a genre and basic theme and out pops a script.

And then we've got action. EVERYBODY knows kung fu, EVERYBODY'S flipping around green-screen sound stages via trapeze wires or stunt cannons as they feebly attempt to interact with tennis ball markers standing in for the usual stable of CGI characters. I could go on and on but the fact is - everybody wishes they had made "The Matrix." But they didn't, we've already seen it. And then we saw where even the Matrix sequels couldn't live up to the original. But all Hollywood knows to do is keep beating a dead horse and adding terms like 3D or blueray.

For horror we've got zombies, vampires, something weird scurrying over the ceiling or some jackass freak making somebody saw some part of themselves off. Beyond that it's remake or sequel after sequel after sequel after seqquel.

Hollywood could care less about story. They know they can dump 25 to 50 million into marketing and the idiot masses will still show up and buy a friggin ticket.

Did that answer your question? I realize it's just my opinion. But you asked.

ps: I'm from Texas, I grew up with tornado destruction so I can say that.
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What's a really good movie you saw recently, and why did it take your attention / provoke emotions??

Edoardo
Movie Producer
Dendelion Blu
 
Was there a longing for something tarantino-esque before Tarantino made his 1st movie or did "Reservoir dogs" appear and create a taste for Tarantino's style?
 
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I think it's easier to be optimistic about filmmaking when you think about it as a global art form. Although Hollywood might not be satisfying, there are great films coming out of Japan, South America, the American indie scene and many other places. After all, filmmaking is more accessible than ever!
 
Dendelion Blu said:
Nobody knows what the audience wants, so they make what they're used to, and it works
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Dude, narrative film has been made for over 100 years.

Either the studios are incredibly inept at finding what audiences want, or maybe... just maybe... they already have, and are delivering exactly what is being asked for. :rolleyes:

Mass-audiences do not go to movies asking to be challenged. They go to be entertained. The mass-audience (and the matching purchasing power) will be given exactly what they want.

Now you & I might gravitate to something outside the box... heck, might even discuss it on an internet forum... but we would be the exceptions to the very real reality that theatrical productions are catered to accomodate as much of an audience as possible.

If the audience actually rejects it, that's only when things change... and even then, that's only to serve up whatever the new audience "in" is.
 
I've just hit the imaginary "Like" button on ZenSteve's post... this is exactly it. The same argument has been raging for decades about bands "selling out." The reality is that you can live in poverty and make art... or you can provide a product to a market... which requires investment and ROI - so the product had better meet market expectations/want/needs. The 40s saw alot of Nazi-bad, US-Good war films because the audience was spending on those films. They were spending on those films because their sons were overseas and they wanted to see the heroism and purpose to sending them there.

The 70s saw alot of political and social statement films... because that's what the audience wanted at that time.

The 80s saw alot of fun adventure movies, the economy had recovered and gains were being made on social issues - there was an optimism and a playfulness that showed up on screen, because the audience demanded it monetarily.

Now in a world with terror looming (talking about the last decade), the audience has demanded Hollywood make brainless comedies and films of spectacle to allow them to escape the realities of the world.

The studios make the films you so desparately crave... but if you don't live in LA or New York, you'll probably never see them as they get REALLY limited releases... because they don't make money. The audience, over and over again, has voted with their checkbooks overwhelmingly and said they don't want them. The majority wins here - and we're not it.

Personally, I like the stuff in the theaters right now - wish I could afford to see them more often.
 
I agree; popular films are popular because they are well liked, not because they are the only thing out there. There have been some brilliant films in the past 10 years or so. Gushing about two that come to mind instantly, "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" was a brilliant, wonderful exploration of imagination vs. dogma. I can't seem to re-watch it enough times! On the other end of the spectrum, "Inland Empire" was one of the deepest explorations of trauma and recovery that I've ever seen. There are few films like that, and for good reason. It's not a film for everybody. That isn't to say people are dumb and they can "get" movies like that, it's just that isn't what most people are looking for in a film.

And that's the key. People aren't always looking for an artistic experience in film. They aren't in music either; some of the most artistic and challenging music I've ever heard is beyond unlistenable to most people. They're not looking to be challenged; they're looking for entertainment, as ZenSteve said above. But that doesn't mean that there isn't middle ground. "Inception", while not as groundbreaking as some people seem to take it, was a very intelligent action film. And it was hugely popular.

Me, I'm a big geek. I love all the fantasy/sci-fi/comic book movies coming out these days. Fantasy in particular, and that seems to go through phases of being cool (lots in the 80s, not so much in the 90s, definitely in the past decade).
 
Don't you think there's a reason if the marketing budgets are so huge?

The old rule, "see something enough times a day, and you'll eventually come to like it" applies here, doesn't it?
 
laughingcrow said:
It's like all movie scripts now are being generated by Microsoft Movie Magic (limited edition) Just pick a genre and basic theme and out pops a script.
Click to expand...

Actually, I believe all Hollywood scripts are being written by this guy:

41799_123122468760_5222469_n.jpg


:)

BTW, I hate to jump in the middle of something, but I think you seriously mis-interpreted Dready's joke. When I read it, I didn't take it as any kind of attack on you, or any stereotype, and I doubt that's how she intended it. But hey, this is the internet; misunderstandings happen.

To answer the OP's question, I'm with knightly. I'm digging what's being put out right now. Heck, the latest blockbuster, "Thor", is kinda rad, and you can't tell me that it's unoriginal. Sure, it follows a tried-and-true structure, and a few genre conventions, but I don't believe this story has ever been told on the big screen before. And it's a fun movie.

How about "Bridesmaids"? Comes out in a couple weeks. Looks hilarious. Getting good reviews. Can't tell me that one is unoriginal.

Have you seen "Source Code"? Definitely not unoriginal. Pretty damn unique, actually. Smartly-written, emotionally-engaging, what more do you want?

My honest opinion, if you think movies today are lacking, compared to the past, then you are either looking at the past through rose-colored glasses, or you're looking at today with blinders on. It's not like there was a new awesome movie in the theaters, every single week, in the 70's. They had a lot of crappy movies back then, too. And there are plenty of good movies being made right now.

Who's looking forward to "Super 8"?!!! :hi:
 
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