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Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

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Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#81

Post by throwaway894345 »

zorked wrote: post #52
throwaway894345 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When can I expect 2010s movies to feel as good as 90s and early 2000s movies felt 10 years ago? Is there going to be a future golden age when this decade’s churned-out Disney / Marvel / Star Wars reboots and sequels feel inspired?

You will forget the bad movies, remember the good movies, and describe the 2010s as a great era.

Is the supposition that I also forgot that I disliked movies in earlier decades? I don’t find explanations that require people to deny their own memory to be particularly convincing.

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#82

Post by throwaway894345 »

phantasmish wrote: post #50
speedgoose wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Poop doesn’t get better with age. But you have good movies in the 2010s.

I have seen tons of great movies made after 2010, but must admit I’m having trouble thinking of any blockbuster -type movies that stand up to the best of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Does Fury Road count? I dunno. The closest I can get aside from that are a couple Tarantino movies. Jurassic Park, the first Mission Impossible movie, Aliens, Jaws, hell even Independence Day. Nothing’s quite up there. Lots that are a kind of…

I struggle to even think of many post-2010 films that stand up to the casual flicks of the 1990s, never mind The Matrix, or Gladiator, or the others you mentioned.

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#83

Post by whilenot-dev »

matt_daemon wrote: post #13

Anecdotally one thing I’ve noticed is that older films had much fewer characters. Take a movie like When Harry Met Sally — there are basically four on screen characters, giving more time to build chemistry and relationships

Movies with stories about building chemistry and relationships just need fewer characters. They still exist:

- All of Us Strangers (2023)

- Aftersun (2022)

- The Lighthouse (2019)

- Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) (2019)

- The Duke of Burgundy (2014)

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#84

Post by throwaway894345 »

smallmancontrov wrote: post #41
throwaway894345 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When can I expect 2010s movies to feel as good as 90s and early 2000s movies felt 10 years ago? Is there going to be a future golden age when this decade’s churned-out Disney / Marvel / Star Wars reboots and sequels feel inspired?

It took ten years and twenty movies for the Marvel franchise to go stale and years more for hating on it to become cool ‡. That's an accomplishment by any metric not specifically designed to facilitate the latter. You will never be 10 years younger again, but the kids who grew up with those movies will carry forward their fond memories of the good in them and when they find their voice on the adult stage they will re…

How did you make the leap from a critical passing quip about Marvel movies that I “ruminate on the bad”? I’m glad you like Marvel movies, the point of my comment wasn’t to cause offense.

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#85

Post by ChrisArchitect »

dubcanada wrote: post #37
mandevil wrote: post #18

A big part of this is that modern movies are carefully calibrated so that you can follow along while sitting on your couch focused on your phone. Movies in the 1990's didn't need to have so much clanky dialog explaining, in careful detail, why we were someplace. The writers and directors could presume that the audience was actually paying attention to the movie, and so would make the necessary inferences. Modern movi…

I don't particularly disagree with you, but do you have evidence that modern movies are calibrated and written to allow for someone to sit on their phones the entire time and understand? Largely seems like some movies are written to be mass consumed and some are not. No different then a movie from the 90s. Our attention span is decreasing a lot obviously, but it's never been that long.

Frequently referenced/discussed Netflix directive for 'second screen' viewing.

Some discussion:

Casual Viewing – Why Netflix looks like that

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42529756

and Related:

The new literalism plaguing today’s movies

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44567683

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#86

Post by ChrisArchitect »

milleramp wrote: post #64
CupricTea wrote: post #54

The biggest thing for me is the cinematography. 80s/90s movies were filmed as if you're standing alongside the cast. * Many more shots from eye level * Significantly less jumpcuts * People actually cast shadows onto the environment, and filmmakers would fearlessly shoot scenes with full bright or full dark elements in them without trying to make everything dark and bright visible simultaneously * Waist-up or even ful…

It's also color grading that has changed. https://youtu.be/tvwPKBXEOKE?si=rnVOSw1h1vM60l7x

More: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45949863

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#87

Post by silexia »

The reason these older movies are better stories is because American culture used to be much more merit based and free market based. Now, half the decision in hiring a director, actors, writers is what is their identity. Return to pure competition and movies will improve.

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#88

Post by carlosjobim »

Barrin92 wrote: post #62
carlosjobim wrote: post #4

Modern motion pictures are made for people who temporarily or permanently lack the mental capacity to understand deeper plots. The other audience is too small to bother with.

It's the opposite. Modern movies are obsessed with plot. Inception being an example of this. It's everything else, the image and characters that's lacking. You're never going to get something like Tarkovsky's Solaris again that just shows you a highway scene for five minutes. Villeneuve commented on this a year or two ago in an interview where he pointed out that he hates the extent to which television has infected f…

To me they all seem to be video game plots or soap opera / palace drama plots, which might be intricate yes, but it still doesn't hit the mark. I can't put words on it, but the spell is broken.

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#89

Post by crtasm »

ToucanLoucan wrote: post #65
mrits wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Commit to taking in ONE PIECE of art at a time you fucking dopamine junkies." "in-game radio station" You found a loop hole

Kinda but not really. The music was all created for the game specifically, this wasn’t a GTA situation. It contributes a lot to the weird atmosphere of that game, hence me being flabbergasted he rolled credits on it having no clue it was there.

My experience playing the first few areas/levels was frequent, unskippable radio chatter telling me to do things when all I wanted was to be alone and explore the weirdness. I didn't (yet?) find out about the music stations but would probably avoid them and the game had my full attention.

Re: Why 90s Movies Feel More Alive Than Anything on Netflix

#90

Post by swat535 »

ToucanLoucan wrote: post #24
mandevil wrote: post #18

A big part of this is that modern movies are carefully calibrated so that you can follow along while sitting on your couch focused on your phone. Movies in the 1990's didn't need to have so much clanky dialog explaining, in careful detail, why we were someplace. The writers and directors could presume that the audience was actually paying attention to the movie, and so would make the necessary inferences. Modern movi…

My most "old woman yells at cloud" opinion is the fucking DISEASE of smartphones that is truly a cancer in our society. Don't get me wrong, I love mine, and they're completely possible to use in a way that coexists with the rest of your tech and life, but my god, the wide adoption of them has demonstrated the majority of our population has the regulation capacity of a fucking carrot. And my inner artist is absolutely…

I'm so torn on this, because on one hand smart phones have been a net positive in many aspect of my life. I get instantly access to maps, I have my bank in my pocket, I get notified of my bills, check my emails, communicate with friends and family, order stuff online..

Yet there is also the toxic stuff, constantly scrolling X, Facebook or Instagram, bombarded with ads, subscriptions and trash..

I think smart phones can be great devices but their use should be limited to useful functionalities rather than dopamine hits.

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