If you ever listen to what I say, you’ll probably know I really don’t like the state of modern Hollywood. With shit like Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans, Epic Movie, anything Michael Bay/big budget Hollywood shit. What do you think of the state of Hollywood today?
Any Americans have anything to say. Particularly interested in the opinons of Europeans.
And of course I don’t think everything Hollywood today is crap. Some good Westerns coming out in recent years. Coens bringing there own specific style to the place, Scorsese, Ridley Scott, etc.
Steven Soderbergh is an interesting case. He makes the money making Ocean pictures but experiments with old Hollywood in Good German.
I’m not a general movie fan, but I think the 1970s was probably the best period of Hollywood cinema. Well-made, gritty and realistic movies
I don’t know too much about the 40s and 50s, but aren’t much of what came out in those days a bit dated today?
In the 1980s there was a lot of crap, stupid action movies and comedies. But I like Milos Forman’s Amadeus (1984) and The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) , and of course Steven Seagal’s first movies since I’m a fan of him.
Today I’m a fan of the Jason Bourne movies which I think are very good
Disagree somewhat. A lot of 70’s stuff is poorly made exploitation with some good stuff. 40/50’s have good films. Though my knowledge of them is mostly Film Noir. None of which seem dated in the least.
But agree about the 80’s. EXTREMELY dated even though it was the most recent of the periods listed.
Every decade puts out it’s share of turds. I like the late 60’ to mid 70’s myself. The 80’s stuff does look dated. I think it’s mainly because the 70’s style has come full circle & is now cool & retro. Don’t hold your breath for some of those 80’s styles to come back. That’s not to say that the 80’s or 90’s didn’t make great movies. Sometimes technology can be to advanced for it’s own good.
As you stated as long as people like the Coen Brothers, Tarantino, Cronenberg, Lynch, Ridley Scott, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan, Bryan Singer, Sam Raimi … are making movies I’m not so much concered about Hollywood.
I’m more disappointed about George Lucas/Steven Spielberg and what they have done to Indiana Jones as to Michael Bay. Transformers 2 is the financial most successful movie this Year. These CGI Movies weren’t that successful if people didn’t wanted to see them.
I don’t think that Hollywood has changed that much over the years. They are making good and bad movies. There are a lot of good movies produces outside of the US and with less budget which would need more attention.
As Paco and I…I… have said there is and always have been good and bad made. This doesn’t really change.
My bigger concern is the rate at which multi plexes have come to dominate the local cinema options in most places. These multi svcreen warehouses were hailed as offering wider choice at the time of their inception but the reality is they are all tied in completely with the big studios and their distribution arms which has meant that they only show what those companies want to peddle. I, like everyone else here, am a big movie fan and I used to go to the cinema every week. Often twice a week. But I now go about once or twice a year because the multiplexes in my area show nothing but Michael Bay type blockbusters, mindless rom coms and teenage ‘comedies’ or kids films. Nothing else gets a look in and the independent cinemas have all been squeezed out of existence.
There are still a few clinging on but none close enough to where I live to make it convenient enough to get to. This is a real shame. As box office figures can only show what people are able to get to see. This, along with monstrous advertising budgets, makes the success of current Hollywood dross a self fulfilling prophecy. Teenagers with nothing better to do will go see what’s on offer. We used to have the option of Hollywood films or less mainstream stuff when I was that age. No longer.
This to me is the bigger issue. In an age where digital technology actually allows for low budget film making to be even easier it is harder to get anything shown. If the distribution and presentation options for smaller or independent films is cut off all the advantages are nullified. No point making a film if no one can watch it.
Of course, some of the films from that period are dated, mostly the big-budget Bibical epics. But, on the whole, most of it is as fresh today as it what was when it came out.
Same here. Most of my favourite actors are either dead or too old to appear in films.
I agree. I do think Hollywood had a golden era (from around the begining of the nineteen twenties to the end of the fifties), but Hollywood will continure to make good films and bad films. Unfortunetly, at the moment, it seems to turn out more bad ones that good ones. But this will undoubtedly change.
Except a few movies like Indieana Jones, Das Boot and Chariots of Fire, most films from the eighties, especially the crowd pleasers, have become dated.
i disagree that films of the 40’s and 50’s have become dated, some undeniably have but the majority still stand up very well. as everyone has said great films and bad films are made today as they have been since the beginning of cinema. The cinema of today lacks ambition to try something new, too many unnecessacery remakes in all genres and too many sequels creating franchises.
that sums up the complete lack of ambition on the studios part to not take any risk and hire hack directors to churn out garbage. It’s gotten bad when award winning directors reveal they want to remake movies like PJ and Kong… please make an original movie for once. No one cares to see semi-funny Jack Black as Carl Denham. If I want to see 1930’s NYC then I will watch a movie actually made in the 1930’s for authenticity not some CGI creation that people think is what it looked like.
that being said I do like some of the newer comic book movies as the production has gone up and movies like Watchmen, Batman Begins, and Iron Man can look impressive alongside the actors while not being the awful Captain America starring Reb Brown.
@ Phil - I am lucky enough to live 5 minutes from an Indie theater & a 10 minute drive from a theater in Harvard Square that shows (get this) only classics. Never had a chance to see Mean Streets on the big screen (I was only 3), well you get your chance. Ironically, I don’t go to the theater much at all. :’(
how recent? 5 years or 25 years? The only remakes to me that are worth anything is John Carpenter’s The Thing, Tobe Hooper’s Toolbox Murders, and Tom Savini’s Night of the Living Dead and to me The Thing is a totally different film than the original with a much bleaker ending and Hooper’s version is better than the original.
We have a free movie pass for Tuesdays through the cable provider which we try to take advantage of and we see a decent amount of movies that way. If it stinks no biggie it was free.
@80’s: I still like the 80’s movies. One of the most underrated decade of the last century. Blade Runner, Wall Street, Platoon, Terminator, Full Metal Jacket, Die Hard, Glory, most of the John Carpenter Movies … were made in the 80’s.
IMO one of the better remakes of the last years was 3:10 to Yuma. I prefer the original but I enjoyed the new version.
@Phil: Agree with you about the Multi Plexes and Big Budget (No Risk) Movies. :
Blade Runner, Wall Street, Platoon, Terminator, Full Metal Jacket, Die Hard, Glory, most of the John Carpenter Movies … were made in the 80’s. 