i think you are giving “established franchises” too much importance, the Franchise aint holy. its a money making scheme. literally only making more because the ones before made money.
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I’m saying that rewriting most of the old well loved stories for political goals isn’t something that is above critique.
Everybody is talking about Poor things. I havent seen it yet. I loved Barbie and Beau is afraid. I think Dune 2 and Nosferatu will rule.
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i think caring about critiquing that is a waste of energy for anyone who has a desire to be happy
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Okay.
I’m a bit of an armchair film critic, and watch all of Kermode & Mayo’s Take on YouTube. I think we are living in a golden age of cinema - there’s so much amazing stuff being released, but inevitably there are endless movies made purely to fulfil contracts, expand franchises etc. The constant Marvel movie sequels don’t float my boat, so I avoid them like the plague. Probably missed a few decent films in there, but I feel the end justifies the means.
The last film I saw in the cinema was Godzilla: Minus One. That was brilliant. Proper Japanese kaiju thriller, relatively low budget and thrilling. All Of Us Strangers looks wonderful, not sure I could hold it together in the cinema due to the power of the subject matter and the sheer brilliance of Andrew Scott (he’s one of my favourite actors). The Zone of Interest looks like a fascinating take on cognitive dissonance and the horrors of evil men doing evil things while living a relatively ‘normal’ life with a family. Wicked Little Letters looks to be a lot of fun, Olivia Coleman is brilliant in everything she’s in and I want to hear her swear like a trooper.
So yeah, that’s a snapshot of films happening right now. And it’s glorious. It’s not all dodgy biopics and movies based around the lives of potato men.
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I am also a fan of A24 movies. Anytime I’m watching a trailer and that logo pops up, I add it to my movie list.
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Watched Bottoms last night and I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was mainly because it was marketed as a “female lesbian stoner comedy” and it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better then that
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Just finished True Detective S4. It was so bad, it made me want to go back and watch S2 again to re-evaluate it. The best I can say about 4 is that it was workman level quality. There was very little to differentiate it from the hundred other bog standards investigative dramas out there, outside of the sheer non-sensical nature of the many red herrings. The imagery of the scientists in the ice was a good Carpenter-level grotesquerie, but then it spent the rest of the season repeatedly face planting.
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lol half these movies suck
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There were a lot of bad movies in the past too, I think we just notice it more now. But yes, in my opinion the offer has also become worse, so that I can hardly watch any new films that come out. I prefer to go back to the old ones that I like. Like one of my favorites “They Live” for example 
I’m curious if part of the problem is the instant access to so much media. For me, finding and watching a movie took more effort pre streaming. I either had to go to the theater or go to a movie rental store and hunt. I remember walking down the new release section to find the movie I wanted wasn’t available, then walking down every aisle wading through the crap to rent something I knew would be solid. There was cable, but that was hit or moss at best as to whether something worth my time away from my records or guitar. I also worked at a theater in 98/99 and trust me, there were a lot of crap movies that came through. Haha! The access to countless films and tv shows at any given moment can lead to option overwhelm for me. I am actually one of those nerds that still buys physical media because I have a fear that the show I love will one day disappear from the streaming sites and I don’t want to carry that grief.
I know the strikes over the last couple of decades has affected the quantity of quality work that comes out as well.
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Taxi Driver
How about that disappointment! Go out, rent a movie only to come home and sit through a mess! At least now we can skip and move on!
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Do you remember all the knock off movies of the blockbusters they’d put next to the proper release for when the good on was out of stock?
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Yeah, I do miss video stores. The anticipation and thrill of the hunt trying to find a movie to watch. And also the beaded curtain porno room they had tucked in the back.
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I was usually high enough to fall for it!
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That’s what that was!
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Ever since the film industry started, people have said the same thing: “films suck now”. Even when they added sound instead of miming many people said it.
The underlying data is that the amount of “content” is growing exponentially, as the technology makes he cost of filmmaking cheaper and cheaper. I have watched good theatrically released films made on a Sony A7 even… But even then, with this volume out there based on people chasing money, greedy and talent-free people have no barriers to keep them out - and so If you are looking for evidence of bad filmmaking, well the sheer volume out there of course will provide an unlimited amount of bad examples if you want. in fact the bad ones will be the ones most promoted out there.
Whether the art form is progressing, however, is an entirely different matter, and requires a better framing and for more detailed analysis, than just flinging out the well worn “is it just me, or do all movies suck now”. Perhaps the level of discourse about filmmaking is what needs to improve.
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Movies that make you feel something are few and far between I’ve come to realize!
Lots of good, few are great!
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