Most movies stink....

[Robb]

Seriously. I'm on NetFlix trying to update my queue, and I'm going from page to page to page of stuff I wouldn't bring home to level out an uneven table.

What's more, stuff I know stunk up the DVD player for days, people are rating highly? Does this go back to Robb's Second Rule ("Most People Are Idiots")?!?!

On a related note, if Arnold's movie this year had done better, would he not have gotten into the Governor's race? In other words, are we all to blame? :)

[gyopsy]

1. Movies are getting worse

Gone are the days of mainstream films that aren't stupid comedies or action flicks. Seabiscuit is about the best at the box office right now and even that isn't so great.

I think audiences have a MUCH shorter attention span now than they did twenty years ago. Even movies from the 1980s have a different pace than those that come out today.

[Nay]

3. Yes, the attention span problem is a big one.

And not just in the movies. Even the novels that are coming out now read like bare-bones movie scripts -- no description, no involved development of characters, no scenery. All that stuff is "boring" to everyone. Makes me read 19th century novels just to get some atmosphere in the story.

[newyawker99]

21. Congrats Nay!! 300 posts

:toast:

[Rick Myers]

2. Gene Rodenberry once said:

"90% of everything is SHIT!" I live by that rule!!!

[CBGLuthier]

10. If Rodenberry said it

He was quoting Theodore Sturgeon.

[NightTrain]

4. That also applies to...

TV shows and popular music.

[Kamika]

5. Agree

Movies are really bad.



If you want a recomendation see star trek 1-6

Even if you think they are nerdy etc they are really great movies.

I dont think i ever seen movies that had better character development then those movies.

The story is often pretty bad but just to see the characters makes it all worth it.

[chimpymustgo]

6. "The 25th Hour" with Edward Norton. The best movie of last year.

It's out on DVD now.

Also "The Quiet American" with Michael Caine.

"About Schmidt" - Jack Nicholson
"Catch me if you Can" - Leonardo diCaprio
"Road to Perdition" Tom Hanks.

[gyopsy]

8. All really good

I guess there are still some good mainstream movies that come out. But they are increasingly hard to find. Summer movies are the worst now. Most good movies come out in December before Academy Award season. In fact, I think almost all the movies you listed above came out for the winter movie season, for their wide release anyway.

[chimpymustgo]

9. "Bend it Like Beckham" is wonderful.

Also "Whale Rider".

[THUNDER HANDS]

20. 25th Hour was AWESOME

One of Spike Lee's best films.

Especially like the part where he's standing in front of the mirror talking about all the people in NY who piss him off.

:)

[liberalmuse]

7. Most mainstream movies suck...

I'm usually disappointed, so I've turned to documentaries, low-budget indies or foreign films. The last mainstream movie I really, really enjoyed was, 'The Contender'. If I had seen it while Clinton was in office, I wouldn't have been as cynical about it, but these are the Bush years. I found it a luxury to believe, even if it was only for a few minutes in suspended reality, that there could be a couple of people with ethics in D.C.

[catmandu57]

11. Yes they do

and since they do I haven't seen any so can't recomend something, but I can agree they suck.

[Kellanved]

12. stick to movies which are proud to stink

This one as an example:
http://www.schwanstein-entertainment.de/orion/orion_wsmall.wmv


http://www.raumpatrouille-derfilm.de

[Pert_UK]

13. It's all shitty-sequels and remakes........ARSEHOLES!!!

I can't believe the state of cinema at the moment. There have been a few good ones (The Quiet American) and some reasonable ones (Identity) but generally speaking it's all CASH-IN sequels (last week there were NOTHING BUT sequels at my local movie theatre) or remakes. OK, there are occasionally "original" films out there, but these days they're all about the maximum number of explosions and the speed of action/editing - built for an MTV generation with an attention span of.......oh I'm sorry, what was I saying?

I mean for example, take The Hulk and T3.......no please, just take them.

P.

[VOX]

14. Sadly, this is true. Most mainstream crap adheres to a safe formula...

There's so much $$$ involved, no one's much interested in taking any risks and making art. Also, with an eye toward the rental market, the industry *really* plays it safe.

When's the last time you were actually surprised and/or thoroughly delighted by a mainstream piece of entertainment?

Most current cool films come from the independents and foreign artists who aren't bound by the crappy formulaic Hollywood constraints.

[pizzathehut]

15. They screw up remakes! like the following...

Planet of the Apes
Dr. Doolittle
Godzilla

I did like the Lord of the Rings.

[Robb]

16. Thanks for the suggestions

Of course, the biggest giggle (speaking of sequels) of the morning was seeing that "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" is listed under "More Political Dramas". :D

[CBHagman]

17. I used to see 1-3 movies in the theater a month

Now I've cut back considerably on what I see, and even what I've taken the time to see more often than not disappoints. It's as though they're not trying anymore.

The saddest aspect to this is that I live in an area where there are a number of theaters that screen foreign and independent films, so I have more choices. I feel truly sorry for anyone who just has to deal with the super multiplex at the mall or wherever.

By the way, it's only the last two or three years that I've noticed fewer worthy movies. There were quite a few good films in the '90s. In fact, except for seeing "Ricochet" and "Wyatt Earp," :puke:
I generally didn't regret seeing any movie I plunked down hard-earned money for in the '90s.

I also saw plenty of free previews, so I'm pretty spoiled.

But in the last 12 months, I've seen fewer films that I enjoyed. "Bowling for Columbine" was worth seeing, and "Jet Lag" was delightful, but there are few recent films I would recommend.

[JackDragna]

18. As a dedicated netflix user and movie buff..

I suggest seeing everything on the AFI top 100 as a way of seeing some great movies. Netflix has nearly movie on the list and seeing the movies will give you an appreciation both for how good the movies are and will help you spot themes, scenes and references taken from these movies and used in current releases.

[samsingh]

19. there are many good movies

and there are many stinkers.