Contemporary Movies: Good or Trash?

[S.B.G]

I read this article today and found myself largely in agreement.

Ridley Scott, a filmmaker not known for pulling his punches, has issued a withering assessment on the health of Hollywood output right now.
The Gladiator and Blade Runner director argued that the industry is “drowning in mediocrity.” So much so, Scott revealed that he has taken to re-watching his old films.
Scott made the comments during an interview reflecting on his career at BFI Southbank in London on Sunday. Metro and Yahoo! were among those reporting the Oscar-nominated director’s remarks.
“The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally – millions. Not thousands, millions… and most of it is s**t,” he said. Scott added that films are too often “saved” by digital effects because they haven’t got a “great thing on paper first.”
Asked if he has a go-to comfort movie, the British director said: “Well, actually, right now, I’m finding mediocrity – we’re drowning in mediocrity. And so what I do – it’s a horrible thing – but I’ve started watching my own movies, and actually they’re pretty good! And also, they don’t age.”
“I watched Black Hawk [Down] the other night and I thought, ‘How in the hell did I manage to do that?’ But I think occasionally a good one will happen, [and] it’s like a relief that there’s somebody out there who’s doing a good movie.”
Having wrapped The Dog Stars, Scott revealed a little more about his plans for Gladiator 3. “He’s around and he technically is the Emperor of Rome, and so I have a footprint about what I think it should be,” he explained.
Scott wasn’t the only one to bemoan the quality of film output in recent days. In an appearance on Hot Ones, Channing Tatum said: “When you get asked to do a movie, or you’re trying to get a movie made, it’s a very confused pipeline of possibilities, and it really feels like, at times, that you’re incentivized to make bad things to get paid, rather than make something really, really good.”

Ridley Scott Says Hollywood Is So “Drowning In Mediocrity” He’s Been Forced To Watch His Old Films

Ridley Scott has claimed that Hollywood is so "drowning in mediocrity" he's returned to his old films, including 'Black Hawk Down.'

deadline.com

I'd say since the early to mid '00s, there have been increasingly fewer and fewer movies that I'll watch. I find myself re-watching old favorites or discovering old movies for the first time, rather than watching anything new.

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

When I watch old movies from when there were no computers to generate special effects, the effects that were used were practical, and the actors' had to act and put on a good show. Likewise, the writers had to come up with compelling storytelling to capture the viewers.

To me the quality of movies that are much older tend to have more appeal to me. Anyone that's noticed what I've been posting in the What Movie Are You Watching? thread will have noticed a lot of movies from the 1940's through the 1970's lately.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

 

[decafjava]

If this is just Hollywood, then I am inclined to agree. However there is a whole world out there of interesting films. I have been attending, after a few years hiatus, some film festivals here in Geneva. Currently been attending showings at the "Animatou" (Link in French only) a festival of animation dealing with many varied themes both light hearted and serious. Most are shorts but the quality is impressive. Same with other film festivals I have attended and there are films from other places than the US both in Europe and elsewhere which have been very interesting and fun to watch. The last "Hollywood" film I watched was "Oppenheimer" which I really enjoyed despite the subject matter.

 

[jz0309]

I read this article today and found myself largely in agreement.

Ridley Scott Says Hollywood Is So “Drowning In Mediocrity” He’s Been Forced To Watch His Old Films

Ridley Scott has claimed that Hollywood is so "drowning in mediocrity" he's returned to his old films, including 'Black Hawk Down.'

deadline.com

I'd say since the early to mid '00s, there have been increasingly fewer and fewer movies that I'll watch. I find myself re-watching old favorites or discovering old movies for the first time, rather than watching anything new.

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

When I watch old movies from when there were no computers to generate special effects, the effects that were used were practical, and the actors' had to act and put on a good show. Likewise, the writers had to come up with compelling storytelling to capture the viewers.

To me the quality of movies that are much older tend to have more appeal to me. Anyone that's noticed what I've been posting in the What Movie Are You Watching? thread will have noticed a lot of movies from the 1940's through the 1970's lately.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

I feel very similar, while there are a few new movies out I still want to watch, it seems like in the last decade or so most have been around super heroes and the storylines seem to be repeating themselves, I can't watch those anymore.
I've been increasingly buying old(er) movies, and there's a bunch on my wants list. Just too bad that they still charge $10+ for some of those.
Having streaming only for quite a few years now, I do miss TCM and also AMC, they had great movies that you don't find anymore in stores or online.
The same goes with TV shows, can't stand what is new today and rather watch old ones, like a week ago saw the first Columbo...

And while COVID had its share, I haven't been to a movie theater in like 6 or 7 years, just not willing anymore to pay $40-50 or so for 2 to watch one of these new movies...

 

[S.B.G]

I feel very similar, while there are a few new movies out I still want to watch, it seems like in the last decade or so most have been around super heroes and the storylines seem to be repeating themselves, I can't watch those anymore.
I've been increasingly buying old(er) movies, and there's a bunch on my wants list. Just too bad that they still charge $10+ for some of those.
Having streaming only for quite a few years now, I do miss TCM and also AMC, they had great movies that you don't find anymore in stores or online.
The same goes with TV shows, can't stand what is new today and rather watch old ones, like a week ago saw the first Columbo...

And while COVID had its share, I haven't been to a movie theater in like 6 or 7 years, just not willing anymore to pay $40-50 or so for 2 to watch one of these new movies...

I love TCM but never get to see it because I refuse to sign up for cable/satellite/streaming TV services to get it. I wish they could do their own separate, standalone, streaming service for a reasonable price. That I would sign up for.

I recently finished the entire Colombo series and enjoyed it quite a bit.

One of the things I like about the older movies, and TV shows too, is the general lack of technology in them. Think laptops, iPad's smart phones and whatnot. Life back in the day was a little simpler in that regard and I look back fondly at it.

 

[Mousse]

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

That's what happens when writers go on strike. AI is rubbish for script writing and story.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

Too many damn remakes of old blockbusters. Hand the Rocks the Cradle? Really? Come on, man. Rebecca De Mornay was the definitive evil nanny out to steal your baby.

Remaking an old movie, but dumb it down and gussy it up (eyegasm FX). I'd rather bad movies that had a good premise, but horrible production value get a remake. There are thousands of B Movies that had a good premise. Remake Toxic Avenger, or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, or The Hand of Manos.

If this is just Hollywood, then I am inclined to agree. However there is a whole world out there of interesting films.

I've been watching some great stuff coming out of Hong Kong and Korea. I guess only the good stuff gets translated/subtitling. I'm fine with that. It saves me the trouble of sifting through the dredges to find the gold nuggets.🤗

 

[jz0309]

I love TCM but never get to see it because I refuse to sign up for cable/satellite/streaming TV services to get it. I wish they could do their own separate, standalone, streaming service for a reasonable price. That I would sign up for.

I recently finished the entire Colombo series and enjoyed it quite a bit.

One of the things I like about the older movies, and TV shows too, is the general lack of technology in them. Think laptops, iPad's smart phones and whatnot. Life back in the day was a little simpler in that regard and I look back fondly at it.

yup, I'd pay for TCM too.
was surprised to see that Spielberg was the director of the 1st Columbo, didn't know that.

 

[S.B.G]

AI is rubbish for script writing and story.

I agree, but also my opinion goes further back before AI was thing.

 

[S.B.G]

Spielberg was the director of the 1st Columbo, didn't know that.

Interesting, I wasn't aware of that!

 

[Huntn]

I read this article today and found myself largely in agreement.

Ridley Scott Says Hollywood Is So “Drowning In Mediocrity” He’s Been Forced To Watch His Old Films

Ridley Scott has claimed that Hollywood is so "drowning in mediocrity" he's returned to his old films, including 'Black Hawk Down.'

deadline.com

I'd say since the early to mid '00s, there have been increasingly fewer and fewer movies that I'll watch. I find myself re-watching old favorites or discovering old movies for the first time, rather than watching anything new.

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

When I watch old movies from when there were no computers to generate special effects, the effects that were used were practical, and the actors' had to act and put on a good show. Likewise, the writers had to come up with compelling storytelling to capture the viewers.

To me the quality of movies that are much older tend to have more appeal to me. Anyone that's noticed what I've been posting in the What Movie Are You Watching? thread will have noticed a lot of movies from the 1940's through the 1970's lately.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

Too much money to be made, not enough talent nor risk taking, consequently audience taken as marks to be made $$$ off of. AI... pipe dream, hoping for something "great" because of the billions spent on it.

 

[Bodhitree]

There is a lot of mediocrity in the movies. The last movie I saw that really impressed me was 1917, directed by Sam Mendes. The whole single-take structure of the film worked beautifully to put the viewer in the middle of the trenches. It came out in 2019. The Pixar movie Soul was good too, from 2020.

But I’ve basically stopped going to the cinema, these days I prefer to buy a movie off the Apple TV store if it looks good to me. So I don’t have a huge sample size… but I keep up with who wins at Cannes, the Oscars, the BAFTAs.

I wanted to like the new Dune films, but they lacked a real heart.

 

[840quadra]

@S.B.G (Hello good friend )

Not a huge fan of most new movies, in fact, I haven't watched one in a Theater for over 5 years now. I do (however) go to screenings of older films quite often.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

@S.B.G (Hello good friend )

Not a huge fan of most new movies, in fact, I haven't watched one in a Theater for over 5 years now. I do (however) go to screenings of older films quite often.

I just watch them at home. My family (wife, and children) have a large collection of DVS. But we watch Asian shows at Netflix and Rakuten Viki. The problem with "Viki" is that they don't allow for multiple profiles such as one for myself and a second for my wife.

 

[S.B.G]

@S.B.G (Hello good friend )

Not a huge fan of most new movies, in fact, I haven't watched one in a Theater for over 5 years now. I do (however) go to screenings of older films quite often.

I don't remember when the last time I went to a theater or what movie I watched. But I am confident that it was back in the before times.

 

[avro707]

I don't remember when the last time I went to a theater or what movie I watched. But I am confident that it was back in the before times.

Same here. I just don’t really have much interest in the movie releases.

Between my fitness efforts and everything else going on, not enough time and I’m tired.

 

[maflynn]

Lets try this again since I raised the ire of some

The bottom line for me is that between theaters not providing a great experience at a high cost, and movies are more interested in topics other then great story telling.

 

[txa1265]

The bottom line for me is that between theaters not providing a great experience at a high cost, and movies are more interested in topics other then great story telling.

I know I annoy people saying that to me Marvel movies are essentially Madden or FIFA games. And I have no interest in any of them!

When I was a teen in the 80s I saw at least 50 of the top 100 movies every year between 1982 - 1987 using paper route, part time retain, or work-study money. Things were affordable.

Wife and I still enjoy the movies, but it has gotten to the point of seeing 1-2 per year in theaters and the rest wait for at home. Some of it is the theater experience (and cost), some of it is the movies themselves

 

[maflynn]

When I was a teen in the 80s I saw at least 50 of the top 100 movies every year between 1982 - 1987 using paper route, part time retain, or work-study money. Things were affordable.

Same, the 1970s and 80s had some fantastic movies, some horribly bad, that were fun to watch, and overall you could spend the entire day at the movies for little money. During the summer, they were one of the few places that had air conditioning and most homes did not have AC, so it was a nice way to get out of the heat.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I read this article today and found myself largely in agreement.

Ridley Scott Says Hollywood Is So “Drowning In Mediocrity” He’s Been Forced To Watch His Old Films

Ridley Scott has claimed that Hollywood is so "drowning in mediocrity" he's returned to his old films, including 'Black Hawk Down.'

deadline.com

I'd say since the early to mid '00s, there have been increasingly fewer and fewer movies that I'll watch. I find myself re-watching old favorites or discovering old movies for the first time, rather than watching anything new.

I just don't usually see anything with a decent plot or decent acting anymore. I see too much Hollywood reliance on special effects and post production.

When I watch old movies from when there were no computers to generate special effects, the effects that were used were practical, and the actors' had to act and put on a good show. Likewise, the writers had to come up with compelling storytelling to capture the viewers.

To me the quality of movies that are much older tend to have more appeal to me. Anyone that's noticed what I've been posting in the What Movie Are You Watching? thread will have noticed a lot of movies from the 1940's through the 1970's lately.

What is your take and opinions on modern movie making?

Agree completely.

Personally, I lament the passing of good story-telling on the screen, (often at the expense of special effects, CGI, post production nonsense), served by a good (intelligent) script, along wth an excellent cast to interpret it.

 

[Bodhitree]

Lets try this again since I raised the ire of some

The bottom line for me is that between theaters not providing a great experience at a high cost, and movies are more interested in topics other then great story telling.

Yes, I agree with that. If you have a decent tv at home, why would you go to the theater to share a dark space with hundreds of strangers, potentially sticky seats, coughing elderly folks or rowdy teenagers, as opposed to spending half the money on a digital copy you can pause and get to own, and eat your own snacks and lie down on your own sofa?

The magic of the theater is dead, for me.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Yes, I agree with that. If you have a decent tv at home, why would you go to the theater to share a dark space with hundreds of strangers, potentially sticky seats, coughing elderly folks or rowdy teenagers, as opposed to spending half the money on a digital copy you can pause and get to own, and eat your own snacks and lie down on your own sofa?

The magic of the theater is dead, for me.

Please add "coughing children or adults of all ages with compromised immune systems" to the mix. I agree with you about public theaters. 😇

 

[Bodhitree]

Some things that are popular I find near unwatchable, like the recent enthusiasm K-pop Demon Hunters on Netflix. The very quick asides to exaggerated character reactions just ruined it for me, though it seems it is popular with Gen Z.

Similarly the recent Superman (2025) I found interesting as a different, more light hearted take on the character. But it seemed like an overly emotional Superman, compared to past iterations.

 

[maflynn]

This is more about movie theaters but I think its related

 

[wonderings]

A reviewer I really like has a whole series on why movies suck these days. I am pretty much onboard with his thoughts on movies, the good and the bad.... for the most part. There is always a level of subjectivity but his base premises I am on board with. This is just one video in the series:

 

[Bodhitree]

Aha, I recognise that voice. His segments have been popping up in my feed for a while now. But I think the video makes a good point @wonderings. It’s true that there hasn’t been much that has been iconic in movies past 2010, it’s as if the launch of the smartphone and the rise of AI have combined to ******tify popular culture by somehow draining essential reservoirs of creativity.

The other day I saw a study called ‘They don’t read very well’ which examined the reading and comprehension levels of first-year English majors at several US universities. Of 85 students, only 4 could show a good level of comprehension of the first seven paragraphs of Charles Dickens’ novel ‘Bleak House’.

These students are intended to be the Hollywood scriptwriters of tomorrow, so I think the idea that we may have witnessed a golden age of cinema, and that the likes of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ or ‘Inception’ or ‘Gladiator’ may not come again for a while. At least until AI gets good enough to be truly creative.

 

[maflynn]

A reviewer I really like has a whole series on why movies suck these days.

I like him as well, and mentioned some of his points here but that was a no-no. Suffice to say when hollywood went from telling stories to preaching and pushing [redacted content] it turned off a lot of movie fans.

Additionally the insane cost of making movies, where they pour 1/2 billion into make a movie, so now it has make a 1 billion to be profitable, is insane. Back when I was a teenager, you'd have maybe one or two block busters, and then a ton of other movies to watch, now they're all "blockbusters" and need to make billions Lets lower the threshold and focus on story telling/script writing again.