Why modern movies suck - they teach us awful lessons

[ninjayeti]

Sure, but the rest who are good at directing, bad at writing scripts probably shouldn't emulate them.

Well if your point is "people who are bad at writing screenplays shouldn't write screenplays" I agree.

But your post specifically calls out directors writing scripts as the reason for bad movies and I don't think that holds up to any scrutiny. Lots of the best movies in recent years were written by the director, and lots of the worst movies were written by full time writers.

 

[darkwillow]

Well if your point is "people who are bad at writing screenplays shouldn't write screenplays" I agree.

But your post specifically calls out directors writing scripts as the reason for bad movies and I don't think that holds up to any scrutiny. Lots of the best movies in recent years were written by the director, and lots of the worst movies were written by full time writers.

I mean a bad movie can be for any reason.
In the last 2 years, what is a big budget, block buster movie, with an amazing story and character, that was not based on a book or a comic, written by only the director.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Well if your point is "people who are bad at writing screenplays shouldn't write screenplays" I agree.

But your post specifically calls out directors writing scripts as the reason for bad movies and I don't think that holds up to any scrutiny. Lots of the best movies in recent years were written by the director, and lots of the worst movies were written by full time writers.

Yeah, I agree with this point. Looking at the Best Picture Nominees for 2022:

Belfast - Director: Kenneth Branagh. Writer: Kenneth Branagh.

Coda - Director: Sian Heder. Writer: Sian Heder.

Don't Look Up - Director: Adam McKay. Writer: Adam McKay.

Drive My Car - Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Writers: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe

Dune - Director: Denis Villeneuve. Writers: John Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth.

King Richard - Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green. Writer: Zach Baylin.

...

That's only the first half, but there's definitely a mix of films written by the director, written by a team with the director, or not written by the director. Now whether individual viewers see these as good films or not, we can agree these are movies being considered as "good" by the Academy.

 

[Ryujin]

Another reason for the lack of nuance and depth, in modern film, is that the big blockbusters have to play well in the foreign market. It's far easier to go for mass appeal, in both domestic and foreign markets, if you have lots of bang-bang and not so much nuance. Jokes don't translate, due to idiom or the like. Cultural touchstones are different. Certain foreign governments simply don't allow their people to see some sorts of characters/stories. This is heightened when a particular nation is involved in providing monetary backing.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, I agree with this point. Looking at the Best Picture Nominees for 2022:

Belfast - Director: Kenneth Branagh. Writer: Kenneth Branagh.

Coda - Director: Sian Heder. Writer: Sian Heder.

Don't Look Up - Director: Adam McKay. Writer: Adam McKay.

Drive My Car - Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Writers: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe

Dune - Director: Denis Villeneuve. Writers: John Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth.

King Richard - Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green. Writer: Zach Baylin.

...

That's only the first half, but there's definitely a mix of films written by the director, written by a team with the director, or not written by the director. Now whether individual viewers see these as good films or not, we can agree these are movies being considered as "good" by the Academy.

Most of those aren't big budget though.

As much as we love to blame Hollywood they're serving up what the punters want to see en masse.

80's had a variety of budgets and a variety of genres so you had more variety at least in terms of mass consumption.

Movies changed in 70's (summer blockbusters) and 90"s (big budget special effects).

What's better is subjective.

 

[Mallus]

Oh, the Critical Drinker. The guy who thinks saying things like "entertainment shouldn't have politics in it" isn't a profoundly ignorant thing for someone who fancies themselves a critic to say.

There isn't enough bourbon on the face of the Earth to make me sit through one of his videos. But thanks for posting!

I mean, like any successful YouTuber/new media content creator, he's got some business chops. I can respect that.

 

[Ryujin]

Most of those aren't big budget though.

As much as we love to blame Hollywood they're serving up what the punters want to see en masse.

80's had a variety of budgets and a variety of genres so you had more variety at least in terms of mass consumption.

Movies changed in 70's (summer blockbusters) and 90"s (big budget special effects).

What's better is subjective.

A film maker friend once commented, "A small budget movie these days is $2M. There's no place anymore for the $500K movie."

 

[BookTenTiger]

I mean a bad movie can be for any reason.
In the last 2 years, what is a big budget, block buster movie, with an amazing story and character, that was not based on a book or a comic, written by only the director.

Are we only talking about Blockbusters?

There have been critically acclaimed recent movies that meet your criteria:

Licorice Pizza
Da 5 Bloods
Tenet
Nomadland (based on a nonfiction book but I think it counts)
The Mitchels vs the Machines
Quiet Place Pt 2
Old
Candyman

Not all of those are blockbusters, but many of them are successful films written and directed by the same person and not based (as far as I know) on existing fiction.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Most of those aren't big budget though.

As much as we love to blame Hollywood they're serving up what the punters want to see en masse.

80's had a variety of budgets and a variety of genres so you had more variety at least in terms of mass consumption.

Movies changed in 70's (summer blockbusters) and 90"s (big budget special effects).

What's better is subjective.

Is this discussion just about big budget movies? The title just says "modern movies."

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I have watched the Critical Drinker in the past and I will not watch any more of his videos because I think he prefers to court controversy than to tell me something useful. He is the cause of my Youtube rule never to watch any thing with the word "Woke" in it from either side of the political spectrum because they are almost always clickbait.