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Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

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Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#111

Post by psychlops »

seanhandley wrote: post #82

I worked for a while with a guy who'd worked at the BBC for many years. His reasoning for why movies are more boring was simple: money. A production team is looking to distribute their movie in as many channels as possible, and with the broadest appeal possible. As a result, you see a film made with the broad strokes but lacking in subtlety. If a film might be challenging because of the subject matter, the complexity…

Oddly enough, money is also why exciting movies are made. Not many people make movies, nor art, out of the generosity of their hearts.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#112

Post by Krasnol »

Philip-J-Fry wrote: post #76
squarefoot wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That problem is due to wrong downmix from multichannel to stereo. both VLC and Kodi have options to compress audio so that louder parts can be lowered. Here's the relevant Kodi wiki page: https://kodi.wiki/view/Settings/System/Audio

The problem exists in the cinema too, so it's not that.

God...the headache I had coming out of the new Blade Runner...terrible.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#113

Post by JanneVee »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #60
JanneVee wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nostalgia that is the most natural thing in the world is defined as 'fascist' now?

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." -- Yoda These are all 'natural things', doesn't mean we should rush to embrace them and the people who use them to manipulate us.

So my affinity and longing for simpler times with 8-bit computers can be used to manipulate me for someones ideological purposes? There is a huge gap between someone saying 'it used to be better' and the primrose path to embracing a fascists autocrat!

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#114

Post by ZYinMD »

I have a different problem with the modern movies - modern people have pretty much seen everything, but still ask "show me something I haven't seen before", so movies try their best to create "novelties", and end up with crazy plot twists that make the story worse. But then the novelty wears off quickly as we've seen everything yet again, so movies have to find newer and crazier shit to keep us entertained, and deviate father away from the best stories. Sooner or later we'll run out of stimulus, meanwhile our children are exposed to crazy shit from day 1.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#115

Post by Strawhorse »

Gatsky wrote: post #46

I disagree that one learns anything important from a (non-documentary) movie. Movies are an experiential but non-interactive art form that resists internalisation. At best they make you feel a certain way for a short while, in my experience.

Movies (non-documentary) can moot and champion whole ideologies, psychologies, and philosophies, for example Fight Club (nihilism), Logan's Run (progressivism, anti-establishmentism), Lost in Translation (existentialism, contemporary anomie), Magnolia (existentialism, fugue) etc. I suggest you broaden your viewing.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#116

Post by JKCalhoun »

blippage wrote: post #65

One thing I've noticed is that is seems more recent movies lack character observations. Everything is done is in service of the plot. I think it was in Doctor No there was a conversation between Q, M and Bond. Bond's favourite weapon was the Beretta, and Q explained their downsides. Bond was ordered to use the Walther (IIRC) as a replacement. It was in a box. At the end of the scene, Bond picks up the box, surreptiti…

The 70's were a great time for character driven film.

A more recent character-driven film that reminds me of the 70's was "About Schmidt" with, of course, that veteran of 70's films and filmmaking, Jack Nicholson.

Oh, "Frances Ha" comes to mind as well. You'll probably have to pick through the indie films to find character these days.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#117

Post by sandworm101 »

Pasorrijer wrote: post #90
BoppreH wrote: post #24

Another enormous gripe I have with modern movies, other than the (lack of) interesting moral lessons from OP, is the sound design. Loud explosions and music, with quiet, mumbled lines[1]. I'm forced to watch every movie with subtitles on, or to miss a good chunk of the dialogue. And I'd go beyond that, and blame the mumbled lines for our lack of interesting quotes. It's a lot harder to have unexpected turns of phrase…

A response to your edit, I was on a zoom call with current musical editors / producers and that is 100% part of the problem. Many of today's actors /actresses almost mumble their lines and make it absolute hell for the audio people to pick them up, whereas theatre trained individuals were loud and enunciate the crap out of everything.

They are trying to be authentic. That is what actors are taught these days, to portray "realistic" characters that move and sound as realworld people. The net result is mumbling and tiny little movements that in turn mandate tight closeups and asmr-like microphone placement. Try that on a stage or in any live performance and you will be called wooden. Compare actors like Samuel L Jackson, Percival Ulysses, Jane Lynch or Rowand Atkinson. They dont need closeups and microphones secreted in hairlines. But they also rarely get leading drama roles, more often appearing as side characters who run on stage to tell the team the dramatic news.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#118

Post by Strawhorse »

dustingetz wrote: post #33

the english second language market is several times larger than the english market, so mega franchises like Marvel really need to keep it simple. a lesson for entrepreneurs as well.

These foreign cinemas have their own industries. Plus, Marvel as an entity has been around for years before they started making those crap movies. It's just hollywood kowtowing to other countries for more money.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#119

Post by Krasnol »

lordnacho wrote: post #103

For me the noticeable thing about modern movies is the pace. It's like something must happen all the time, if there isn't something moving or someone talking, it isn't a modern movie. I feel like been conditioned to not be able to watch older movies anymore, my brain is just like "huh why isn't something happening?".

Those cuts!

I know I grow older and my brain probably has some issues with that too but my god, there are too many cuts. Even in (US made) documentaries they introduce this artificially creating fast pace where there is none.

I got a headache from watching Star Trek Discovery which pretty much was peak madness.

Re: Modern movies teach us awful lessons [video]

#120

Post by CodeGlitch »

jpgvm wrote: post #7

Knew this was Critical Drinker before I clicked on it. Mate introduced me to it and he is absolutely spot on for the most part. Modern movies (and TV for that matter) have become so commercialized and expensive that the series they are now rehashing (Star Wars for instance) wouldn't be possible to create today. George Lucas definitely didn't have the name or history necessary when Alan Ladd gave the go ahead to make…

> Knew this was Critical Drinker before I clicked on it.

Absolutely. He seems to be consistently spot-on with his analysis of TV and Movies and the wider industry. I also enjoy Red Letter Media:

https://www.youtube.com/user/RedLetterMedia

Both channels use a humours approach to their reviews and analysis.

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