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What about the messages in films like Seven Days In May, West Side Story, To Kill A Mockingbird, Silkwood, Norma Rae, In The Heat Of The Night, 9 to 5, etc.etc.etc.? It's not like films have only recently begun to tackle social issues.
The objection being expressed here by many is not against a movie having a social message it's against Hollywood now using a rigid social justice template to determine how virtually all films must be produced. That's not how it used to be in the day when those movies you enumerate were produced. Films were all over the place (as they should be) and we weren't being led to graze on one kind of grass. Nowadays it feels very much like agitprop, i.e. communist propaganda in art or literature. The quality is worse though. Some agitprop like 'Soy Cuba' was really good and novel. Great cinematography, quirky and fun to watch for me but I wouldn't have wanted to be a Soviet citizen with a lonely pickle on my dinner plate and nothing else to watch but that.
Hollywood's leftist message product, on the other hand is a buffoonish blunt force object. Insultingly low quality and transparent training films. If I want a boring, derpy lecture with a Captain Obvious theme I'll sit through a corporate sexual harassment class.
So ironic that you use To Kill A Mockingbird as an example of a great classic film that carried a social message given that progressives just canceled it for being racist. Love the way y'all pick and choose whether something's in or out of the prog religion based on your need du jour. Bolton, McCain, Harper Lee .. in, out, in, out, flip, flop ...
Honestly, even before the pandemic or the woke pandering intensified, I pretty much only went to the movies to catch a few superhero flicks with some friends and that's it.
Netflix and online media content have honestly done more to damage the movie theater industry than it's own films tbh.
Movie theaters have been challenged to retain audiences long before the pandemic.
So ... You want to see movies and TV shows only about straight white men?
What about the messages in films like Seven Days In May, West Side Story, To Kill A Mockingbird, Silkwood, Norma Rae, In The Heat Of The Night, 9 to 5, etc.etc.etc.? It's not like films have only recently begun to tackle social issues.
No, but I'd like to see more films about delayed gratification and deeper examination of the issues, instead of the latest Marvel Comics sequel.
Hollywood still occasionally turns out a great film without sinking to Politically Correct garbage -- A Soldier's Story and The Shawshank Redemption, to cite two examples. But too often, a simplified version of the Leftist Social Gospel is slipped into the package -- and the "lesson" is being intensified.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 05-27-2021 at 10:56 AM..
I am a big fan of Norman Lear's works: All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, etc. Norman Lear tackled social issues head on but unlike today, he presented all sides of the social issues fairly. His work was not preachy, it was entertaining because he did not force one side on the viewers. That is the big difference between 20th century Hollywood and 21st century Hollywood. It is too bad Norman is no longer around as he could teach the current people in Hollywood a thing or two.
That's a fantastic post AD! I am must old enough to remember those classic scenes between Archie Bunker and his son in law Meathead. The scene would unfold and the two would spar off and give their sides of the argument but nothing was forced upon the audience! The viewers had the flexibility to choose which side of the coin made the most sense.
Compare and contrast to todays "woke driven" material in which the viewer has no latitude. It's BAM, here is the message and this is the way it is now. Big difference!
The proper way to bring up social issues is to make sure there is a dialogue, not a monologue. A monologue is a lecture and none of us like to be lectured.
I'll give you an example. My wife and I were watching Netflix and we were interested in a new series that came out. Can't remember the name of the show now because we only watched two minutes before turning it off. But the very opening scene was a young bi racial girl walking into her new class and instantly complaining to her teacher about the racial makeup of the class. That's a perfect example of a monologue. The viewer is hit over the head with the commentary and there is no room for interpretation. It was very forced and awkward so we stopped watching.
So it was times like this that Norman Lear is greatly missed. Again, great post
That's a fantastic post AD! I am must old enough to remember those classic scenes between Archie Bunker and his son in law Meathead. The scene would unfold and the two would spar off and give their sides of the argument but nothing was forced upon the audience! The viewers had the flexibility to choose which side of the coin made the most sense.
Compare and contrast to todays "woke driven" material in which the viewer has no latitude. It's BAM, here is the message and this is the way it is now. Big difference!
The proper way to bring up social issues is to make sure there is a dialogue, not a monologue. A monologue is a lecture and none of us like to be lectured.
I'll give you an example. My wife and I were watching Netflix and we were interested in a new series that came out. Can't remember the name of the show now because we only watched two minutes before turning it off. But the very opening scene was a young bi racial girl walking into her new class and instantly complaining to her teacher about the racial makeup of the class. That's a perfect example of a monologue. The viewer is hit over the head with the commentary and there is no room for interpretation. It was very forced and awkward so we stopped watching.
So it was times like this that Norman Lear is greatly missed. Again, great post
Wow. Talk about cringeworthy.
I simply can't watch any product of hollywood or the entertainment industry made later than about 2005.
Horrific quality, idiotic preaching, etc.
Hollywood from the 20s to about the 70s was fantastic. It's been a steady decline since then, and now it's unwatchable.
The Left, like YOU,have banned movies like To Kill a Mockingbird. Quality films. Or did you and Missy Ohio forget???
Also, those were real, social issues that actually occurred. Not made up nonsense like today's junk.
Wrong.
I’m not ‘on the left’.
I’m also not a Democrat, nor a Biden voter.
Criticizing Trump, and poking fun a people who adhere to stereotypes doesn’t make someone on the left, nor a D, nor a Biden voter.
Everything isn’t ‘Us vs.Them’.
You are a conservative white male.
Being sensitive about someone pointing that out is an indication that you aren’t proud of that. There’s no other logical reason why someone pointing that out would bother you, which it obviously does.
In some ways I’m more conservative than you are.
In Trump, you’re willing to accept someone who isn’t conservative. I’m not willing to accept (vote for) him.
Criticizing Trump, and poking fun a people who adhere to stereotypes doesn’t make someone on the left, nor a D, nor a Biden voter.
Everything isn’t ‘Us vs.Them’.
You are a conservative white male.
Being sensitive about someone pointing that out is an indication that you aren’t proud of that. There’s no other logical reason why someone pointing that out would bother you, which it obviously does.
In some ways I’m more conservative than you are.
In Trump, you’re willing to accept someone who isn’t conservative. I’m not willing to accept (vote for) him.
Good lord. How much more ignorant and low brow can you be than to boil a discussion down to immutable traits like someone's race and gender.
How silly.
He was probably taken aback that anyone would bring that up in a serious, adult discussion.
Here's a hint: Trump won men. Most men voted for Trump, and they vote Republican every election. Most women vote democrat and do so almost every election.
There is nothing unusual about either of those things.
If you'd rather have what we have today instead of Trump, you're not a conservative. Sorry.
I’m a Zombie movie guy, always have been. Just watched part of Army of the Dead on Netflix. I only made it about 20 mins, so stupid. They are choosing these skinny little spaghetti noodle arm women for this fight to the death crew against zombies..just ridiculous. Absolutely stupid video game grade B movie. They promoted it like it was the best thing to come out since sliced bread.
The BEST Zombie movie I’ve seen maybe ever was “Train to Busan” a Korean production about 3 years ago. Do yourself a favor and watch that one.
I’m a Zombie movie guy, always have been. Just watched part of Army of the Dead on Netflix. I only made it about 20 mins, so stupid. They are choosing these skinny little spaghetti noodle arm women for this fight to the death crew against zombies..just ridiculous. Absolutely stupid video game grade B movie. They promoted it like it was the best thing to come out since sliced bread.
The BEST Zombie movie I’ve seen maybe ever was “Train to Busan” a Korean production about 3 years ago. Do yourself a favor and watch that one.
Yup.
When George Romero made Night of the Living Dead in 1968, all he had to worry about was making a good film.
Today, you have to follow the liberal code in order to get a movie made. That means you MUST check gender, ethnicity, and undertone message boxes.
You've got to have a "strong woman" beating up men. She can't just be there to look good and be the object of affection of the men.
You have to have forced diversity, not offend the wrong people, etc. This all comes before one line of the story is written, so you better wedge it in there somewhere!
It's like forcing DaVinci to only use two colors of paint.
I simply can't watch any product of hollywood or the entertainment industry made later than about 2005.
Horrific quality, idiotic preaching, etc.
Hollywood from the 20s to about the 70s was fantastic. It's been a steady decline since then, and now it's unwatchable.
Guess you did not like the 80s movies.... It was still a great era too. Still DO YOU KNOW OLD HOLLYWOOD REALITIES? Behind the scenes? From the Silent era on. Could curl your twos or hair.....
Clearly, few knew at the time and the media kept quite. Inuendo's denied. Studios did cover up well. You cannot promote OLD HOLLYWOOD without realizing THE SIN and PERSONAL LIFES of those who created it all.
Clearly, today... most know how so many Hollywood actors were homosexuals. Some Big Studio Producers etc were. Lots of... well sleeping ones way up.
Still Hollywood had the Hays-Code to uphold and limit it. So many things it could not do even pre-1934 it could and the movies show much more then.... male and female and suggestively. Still it was not about limiting sexuality and inuendo's and violence ... subjectively as the good-guy had to always win. We want that anyway. Still sometimes ..... A Asian Actress could not even have a roll if it suggested she had a relationship out of her race. Black of course not. So any casting would that hinted at that went to well... a non-Asian playing that Asian actor then.
We all know GREAT MOVIES no matter if a person WOULD BE CRINGEWORTHY IF WE KNOW THEIR PERSONAL LIFE... .That was basically YOURS AND MINE OF OLD HOLLYWOOD. LIKE A -- KISS AND DO NOT TELL kind. Cover-ups and if it leaked a tad.... too much careers might sink and did. Some studios covered very well and they survived.
There was a NEXFIX MINI-SERIES LAST YEAR called --- HOLLYWOOD. It was based on REAL HOLLYWOOD with some Fictional Characters based of real ones..... Also a WHY IF HOLLYWOOD COULD have been allowed to not limit Racial portrayals to mostly stereptyping. etc. What it does show though... IS REALITY OF BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE OLD GOLDEN-AGE OF HOLLYWOOD and OUT BELOVED ACTORS AND ACTRESSES in many ways.
I did not see it and would like to.... We cancelled our Nexflix early last year. Still LOOKS GREAT and Trailer for it is on YouTube.
Here is COMPARISONS of the MOVIE SERIES on Nexflix called - "Hollywood" vs the TRUTHS of its showings and those Portrayed in the move vs REALITY. LOTS OF INTERESTING REALITY OF OLD HOLLYWOOD....
The true story of Netflix’s “Hollywood” isn’t exactly a dream come true. To say that “Hollywood” (the movie) takes some creative liberties would be an understatement. For everything creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan made up, though, there is some truth beneath the surface.
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