Why modern movies suck - they teach us awful lessons

[Snarf Zagyg]

Means slightly more than a couple of producer credits I have floating out there, waiting for release

Dude.

Every waiter in the valley has a producer credit. They give them out at happy hour.

 

[darkwillow]

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

Dune was fantastic, but based on a book

 

[darkwillow]

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.

Yeah I forget about that, though I don't think its an excuse for lack of character arc.

 

[Ryujin]

Dude.

Every waiter in the valley has a producer credit. They give them out at happy hour.

I'm well aware

"Producer", these days, most often translates to "guy who gave us money."

 

[Ryujin]

Yeah I forget about that, though I don't think its an excuse for lack of character arc.

It kind of is, though. There are times and governments who can't brook the concept of a cultural hero ever having been weak, in any way.

 

[darkwillow]

Are we only talking about Blockbusters?

Yes, I don't think there is any doubt there are lots of small movies with good characters.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Me neither. I avoid these guys like COVID, while mourning the loss of channels like Every Frame a Painting!

Yeah, I hear you. The trouble, as some one who has had a go at YouTubing, is that a channel is an enormous time sink. I am in awe of people that can do it while holding down a full time job. How do they ever get any sleep?

 

[Ryujin]

Yeah, I hear you. The trouble, as some one who has had a go at YouTubing, is that a channel is an enormous time sink. I am in awe of people that can do it while holding down a full time job. How do they ever get any sleep?

For a lot of them, that became their full time job. That's why the constant rejigging of the payment structure has hurt them so badly.

 

[Morrus]

Maybe bow out of the thread then if you have nothing to offer.

We'll do the moderation, thanks.

 

[darkwillow]

That is all very well but not much use to me.

Feel free to crash a different thread.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I'm also going to point out that if you're an adult, and you're looking to movies for your lessons ... maybe you're doing it wrong?

Good movies ... really good movies ... don't teach you lessons. Good movies force you to think, not provide pat answers.

If you want a good lesson about morality, read Aesop's fables. Otherwise, maybe don't look to blockbusters for great cinema. IMO.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Dune was fantastic, but based on a book

I think you got my posts mixed up. Dune is from the list of Oscar contenders, which include movies written both by the director and by writers. It just shows that a director also writing the film isn't indicative of the film being good or bad.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'm also going to point out that if you're an adult, and you're looking to movies for your lessons ... maybe you're doing it wrong?

Good movies ... really good movies ... don't teach you lessons. Good movies force you to think, not provide pat answers.

If you want a good lesson about morality, read Aesop's fables. Otherwise, maybe don't look to blockbusters for great cinema. IMO.

This heavy handed preaching in movies tend to go down like a lead balloon.

But a good one will make you think and hopefully you enjoy it but not all movies are for enjoyment.

 

[Ryujin]

This heavy handed preaching in movies tend to go down like a lead balloon.

But a good one will make you think and hopefully you enjoy it but not all movies are for enjoyment.

Something else that a film buff friend thinks goes over like a lead balloon, in "modern" movies, is a sound track that tells you how a scene is supposed to make you feel. That can also be rather heavy-handed.

 

[Morrus]

Feel free to crash a different thread.

You're about to achieve the impressive task of getting yourself uninvited from your own thread. Please stop telling people where they can and cannot post.

 

[ninjayeti]

From this, we get a story as old as Hollywood. Directors will often get co-writing credit. Sometimes very deserved, sometimes somewhat deserved, sometimes ... well, sometimes they get a credit.

OK lets disregard any film that had the director as co-writer. In 2021 five nominees had the director as the sole writer and only one the director was not involved in the writing at all. In 2022 five nominees the director had the sole screenplay credit (one was based on a novel and one had a story credit) and only two did not give the director any writing credit.

I still think that is a pretty compelling rebuttal to the argument "movies are bad because directors try to write them."

 

[UngainlyTitan]

For a lot of them, that became their full time job. That's why the constant rejigging of the payment structure has hurt them so badly.

Oh! I am well aware of that. I started slightly before the adpocalypse and got the threshold for monetisation. The Google changed the rules around the time I had earned 40 cents. Then all my videos demonetised and they still owe me 40 cents.
That is while Patreon is so important to many. But there are several I know that also do it full time and hold down a regular job. That I think is pretty astounding.

 

[Ryujin]

Oh! I am well aware of that. I started slightly before the adpocalypse and got the threshold for monetisation. The Google changed the rules around the time I had earned 40 cents. Then all my videos demonetised and they still owe me 40 cents.
That is while Patreon is so important to many. But there are several I know that also do it full time and hold down a regular job. That I think is pretty astounding.

One rather well known Youtuber, who was making some serious money and ended up meeting many geek celebs (like Stan the Man multiple times), ended up getting hit so bad by the adpocalypse that she started selling nude calendars and posting the nude of the day, on Patreon.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

OK lets disregard any film that had the director as co-writer. In 2021 five nominees had the director as the sole writer and only one the director was not involved in the writing at all. In 2022 five nominees the director had the sole screenplay credit (one was based on a novel and one had a story credit) and only two did not give the director any writing credit.

I still think that is a pretty compelling rebuttal to the argument "movies are bad because directors try to write them."

Oh, sorry. I completely agree with your last statement. That's a silly argument, and I can't imagine making it.

I was just noting that giving the director a writing credit doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot about the amount that they wrote. A Tarantino (for example) who prides themselves on their writing is the exception, not the rule. Often, the writing is minor editing or consulting.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Feel free to crash a different thread.

Interesting that you choose this off topic response to a side conversation to respond to rather than my on topic post on the matter.