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Author
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Topic: Seen any good movies?
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Paul Adsett
Film God
Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted September 09, 2008 11:30 AM
Is it me, or is Hollywood not making good films anymore? I can't count how many modern films that I have watched lately that have left me stone cold. You know, you get to the end and you say "what the hell was that all about?", and you feel like you have been robbed of 2 hours of your life. Film after film of poor or non-existant character development, convoluted and confusing plots, actors mumbling their lines, hand held camerwork, and lousy lighting and photography. And then after you have sat through all that crap, you go to the special DVD features where everyone is expounding on what a great movie this is, what an awesome director, or incredible actor he or she is, how difficult the film was to make etc, as if they had just made a masterpiece like Casablanca! Once in a while you get something mildly entertaining, but that's about it. Nothing that you have not totally forgotten by the next day.
Last night we watched a film noir picture "On Dangerous Ground' from the 1940's, starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino. Now that's what I call a movie! Riveting from the first frame, wonderful acting, stunning black and white photography, and an enthralling story. And this was a 'B' picture! But the film is so good you don't want it to end, and your still thinking about it days, even years, later. Makes the modern stuff look so third rate and insignificant. Like comparing steak to hamburger!
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 09, 2008 05:28 PM
Steve you have a good point.
The rubbish is all about us now, but then, it's in our face constantly.
There were bad films back then as well, but not as many, as a general rule. Another good point, though is the overall quality.
As of the thirties and forties, the stories, as a general rule, were first time creations, (not remake after remake), and even pedestrian stories were new and given a certain amount of panache, and were new to the audiences. Remakes tend to not sell as well, because the original creation was created in a certain environment. Take for instance, "My Man Godfrey", a depression era film, which would have had much more relevance
to it's audience at the time. The remake in the 1950's couldn't hold a candle to it. It's relevance was diminished.
Even the "B" movies, (as mentioned) were above par. I believe that this is because the qualification "B" didn't refer to the content or quality, but the cost that went into them. Take for instance, "The Stranger" (Orson Welles, 1946). This was deemed a "B" movie, and yet, it was an incredible example of low budget film-making, (as well as Orson Welles "MacBeth" filmed in three weeks at 200,000 budget. Look at that film! Magnificent.
I would say that there are still magnificent films being cranked out, (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, recently, this year, the last Indiana Jones (in my opinion) and the latest Batman, "The Dark Knight), but I fear that the latest crop of film-makers are more enamored with the technical aspects of it instead of telling a good story.
The desperation is shown in how far they have to "push the envelope" (comedy ect.) in order to exact the same kind of audience reaction.
Hollywood is on "autopilot".
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 18, 2008 09:59 AM
I have heard a lot of good buzz about "The Appaloosa". Ed Harris is one of those actors that just gets better and better as he gets older. he has that "Clint Eastwood" factor, the more craggy, the more manly, (and hey, this comes from a man!).
While I think that quality has surely went downhill, I don't think things are as dire in america as stated. I don't think any country has the cornered market on best quality. Those good films from other countries, for in stance, may be the one or two films that were "good" from those countries, (signifying that all the others, as in america, stink?).
I have noticed that the good films of our day tend to be the ones that are labors of love by actors or directors, take Ed Harris's "Apaloosa" for instance. On the todays show, Ed Harris was interviewed a few days back, and he said that he purposely had long sections were it wasn't about action; instead, it was about letting these well drawn characters do thier thing.
This is what made the films of the past great, in my opinion.
I can quickly write off much of what was produced in the heyday of Hollywood, but those character driven pieces are what stick.
Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Orson Welles in Citizen Cane, Peter O toole in "Lawrence of Arabia" (Now there's a film that moves slowly.)
You can even see the chsnge from calm lovely storytelling to frantic pacing in todays animated films. Sit down and compare "bambi" with any of Disney's modern films, where it seems like something has to be happening every single second.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted September 18, 2008 06:29 PM
I think its a real shame that many of the films that come out from "Hollywood" these days are edited in such a way that everything is far to fast. I suppose its geared to a certain age group that have been brought up on "blow them up" playstation mentality where action and CGI is it. I dont think there can be many these days that would have the patience to sit down and watch a good well told story probably say its to boring or something like that.
It might be I am just old fashioned I remember long ago sitting through "Doctor Zhivago" when it came out in 1965 thought it was great and in later times the cinema re-release of "Lawrence of Arabia" back in the early 90s, however my biggest surpise then was my son who was about 7 yrs old actually sat right through it ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) and to this day has never forgot the Omar Sharif mirage sequence. It does say something about those old films like Lawrence that even after 46 years since its release that its still remembered, compare that with the present Hellboy 2, Tropic Thunder, Get Smart, Batman,, Spiderman, etc etc zzzzzzz which are soon forgotton after just a few weeks let alone 40 odd years, next week we have "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and another "The Mummy" starting... more re-makes.. so will see ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) how they go. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Graham.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 19, 2008 02:30 PM
I agree Graham, what an excellent cast.
This film is an excellent example of just how much restoration has come, this being a poor example. I have the special edition of this on Laserdisc, and it has about thirty mintes (I believe) added to it, (as well as a cracking hour long documentary with a lot of the cast that was still around at the time. The part about Ethel Merman and her purse full o cosmetic jewerly is priceless...
She hits Milton berle on the head with it, giving him a tremendous lump on the head that wouldn't go away for quite awhile.
So when she would meet him for years, she would ask Milton,
"Hows the Bump?"
Milton would reply with a slight laugh and ...
"Go to Hell."
Another interesting statement was about how something has to be constantly exploding on screen to entertain the children
I've mentioned it before, but when I went to see "Revenge of the Sith", the only time these careenin brats ever stopped, was when something would explode onscreen. I swear, I was truly NEVER so close to really throttling some parents or screaming, "Control your damn kids!!" than that day. It should have dawned on me just to talk to the management and have them talk to the parents.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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