Too Many Movies? (cinema, filmed, theater, script)

[Mike from back east]

Today, the L.A. Times has a story on the movie biz; that there are too many movies coming out (an average of ten per WEEK!) and is overwhelming the limited number of weekends per year (52) that are available for release dates. Story goes on to say tinseltown is bummed that sales of DVD's are down and fewer people are going to the movie. Story is at: Movie release dates become tough for studios to script - Los Angeles Times (broken link)

IMO, the movies these days are NOT interesting, have lousy story lines, use a bunch of drug-soaked losers or wacky wing nuts for "actors" and rely on increasing amounts of special effects that lose their wow factor all too quickly.

Yesterday I looked at the offerings at 5 major cineplexes here in COL SPGS, CO, a city of 500K people, and the same set of flicks were at EVERY one of them, regardless of which chain they were. None of the titles interested me one bit. I can't even stand to watch movies on cable, since you get two hours of movie and one hour of idiotic car, truck, or beer commercials - as bad as watching the NFL these days!

Twenty years ago, we went to the movies almost every Friday, right after work to get matinee prices, then hit a favorite stube for a dinner omelet and glass of wine. We saw a few losers but were decently entertained enough to keep returning almost every week. These days, if we see 3-4 movies a year it's a lot. Best movies I've seen in past few years are: "Walk the Line" and "Polar Express" and the new Indy Jones flick. The one about the two firemen who faked being gay was half decent, though predictably saccharin.

Movies today are nauseatingly insipid. Anything by Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler is butt-wipe. Don't even get me started on whack job Tom Cruise (major YUCK). Sometimes I think hollywood actually TRIES to make movies that are dreadful just to show their contempt for the viewer by seeing how many idiots actually pay to see the crap, i.e., the joke's on the viewer.

Okay, done ranting.

[McGowdog]

Agreed. It's funny how a couple of the movies that you liked were ones that I'd recently seen; Walk the Line and Indiana Jones.

I like the early 70's flicks like White Lightning and Deliverance by Burt Reynolds, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot by Clint Eastwood Jeff Bridges and George Kennedy, The Sting Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Hot Rock and Three Days of the Condor by Robert Redford. I also liked Paper Moon and The Bad News Bears by Tatum and/or Walter Mathau and her dad.

Ah, the good old days... The Bad News Bears was filmed a block from our house in Chatsworth.

I do like flicks like Fight Club with Ed Norton (I'm sick of his alter ego Brad Pitt these days), True Romance and a number of Tarantino flicks like Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill saga and Reservoir Dogs with Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen and Steve Buscemi.

When we go and rent flicks, it's stuff like 24, Prison Break, Sopranos, Deadwood, etc. It's better to rent these on DVD so you can and skip those dreaded commercials.

We would rather watch old mafia movies like The Godfather saga, Casino and Goodfellas than the garbage that's out today.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Bottom line is that for too long, the American movie industry put profit ahead of quality.

There are always going to be some mindless escapist flicks, and IMHO this is okay.
Some people need that stuff, and if you take it for what it is, it is relatively harmless. (Although I really wonder why we needed *another* Hulk movie.)

But I wonder if Hollywood might finally begin thinking about less formula, more depth.

This is for a variety of reasons, among them the fact that the movie-going public is becoming more open to both foreign-made films as well as American independently made movies,and also the younger generation is making their presence known. The Sundance Institute helped this along.
Younger guys like Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach have their followings.
Granted, not every indie or foreign movie is superb, but when you add them into the bunch and read a few reviews, the odds are you'll find some quality viewing.

No wonder Tinseltown has been bummed about the glut of movies. Maybe they will take the hint and think about quality rather than quantity.

[Bostonredsock5]

I agree, sometimes you will get a good movie but more than not they come out with movies like dont mess with the Zohan. All i could think is are they serious? movies like this just seem stupid, and yet millions of people fork over 8-9 bucks to see it. I guess it says something about us that we to go see mindless movies. The movie Idiocracy seems like a look into the future

[Nelly Nomad]

I often wonder when the pieces of schlock are released, do the producers, directors, actors and all associates really think "This is the best picture we could have ever made?". Are they proud of what they are sending out there? I often feel sorry for them, if they honestly think it was good work.

Then I realize how much they get paid and I don't feel sorry anymore. I'm just choose not to contribute to the paycheck by not going to films I think are substandard.

I've been to maybe 6 films (in theatre) in the past 3 years.

[catrinac]

I stick with TV nowadays but that too is not that exciting at the moment. Anyone have a good show to recommend?

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by Nelly Nomad

I often wonder when the pieces of schlock are released, do the producers, directors, actors and all associates really think "This is the best picture we could have ever made?". Are they proud of what they are sending out there? I often feel sorry for them, if they honestly think it was good work.
[Then I realize how much they get paid and I don't feel sorry anymore*.] SEE ASTERISK BELOW
I'm just choose not to contribute to the paycheck by not going to films I think are substandard.

I think what must be considered is Art versus Entertainment.
Of course these can overlap--as they should!
However, when money rather than time and care is the primary objective, it is no big surprise when screenplay, dialogue and cinematography suffers.

Having said that, I still think *some* superficial escapist fare is okay--and subjective.
(Surely one person's "substandard" might be another person's pleasant afternoon in an air-conditioned theater on a hot day.)
Not every magazine is going to be The Economist, not every book is going to be War and Peace, not every television program is going to be Masterpiece Theater, and not every movie is going to be The Godfather II.

I remember years ago the Big News was that television programs, when all was said and done, were aimed at the mentality (and maturity) of the average 12 year old. That point in time, the early 70's, was IMHO a golden time for movie-making. Movie-makers were taking chances, and were allowed the time and care to develop their projects.

I think we are heading into another interesting time for cinema (as well as music.) Independent artists are financing their own work--and it is getting out there, and being discovered.

*This is how I feel about professional athletes, but that's for another thread.

[sgresident]

I think that there are too many movies and that is why they complain that they aren't making enough money. there are definitely movies that should only be on dvd or released as a tv movie! I love renting movies from the red box. all movies are only $1 and you definitely get your money's worth!!

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by Bostonredsock5

I agree, sometimes you will get a good movie but more than not they come out with movies like dont mess with the Zohan. All i could think is are they serious? movies like this just seem stupid, and yet millions of people fork over 8-9 bucks to see it. I guess it says something about us that we to go see mindless movies. The movie Idiocracy seems like a look into the future

That, and "The Strangers"..Horrible film.

[golfgod]

A lot of it has to do with the time of year. Summer is the dumping ground for kid's movies, many of which will not appeal to "discerning" adults. The early part of the year is the dumping ground for the crap that they made that they can't figure out what to do with. Most of the "quality" stuff comes out in the last 4 months of the year. I'm suprised that CO Springs doesn't have an "art" theatre, somewhere that the quality and foreign films will be shown.

We've only been to a couple of movies this year although we are anxiously awaiting Wall E. Although we are pretty avid Netflix users. We got into the Netflix habit when we lived in a small town and didn't want to drive 100 miles round trip to see a good movie. Some that we drove that distance or viewed by Netflix are listed below. BTW, there's not a "blockbuster" in there, although a couple of Academy Award nominees:

Rescue Dawn

Notes on a Scandal

I'm Not There (you don't have to be a Bob Dylan fan to enjoy this, but it helps)

Death At A Funeral

Stage Beauty

A Very Long Engagement

Dirty Pretty Things

The Proposition

Hustle And Flow

Pieces Of April

Monsoon Wedding

Saved

The World's Fastest Indian

In America

Downfall

Last Orders

The Three Burials of Maquiades Estrada

Cosi

Mostly Martha

Finding Neverland

Waking The Dead

Pan's Labyrinth

Away From Her

The Lives of Others

The Jane Austen Book Club

Gone Baby Gone

Pollack

The Good German

The Kingdom

Sideways

Ratatouille

Good luck and good viewing.

golfgod