have we as film fans got too up ourselfs

[Castlewood]

I think a lot of people are missing the whole point of what entertainment is.

I'll give you an example. My friend's all-time favorite movie is "Fight Club". I asked him why that is. His answer was, "because it's culturally relevent, with a great and powerful message on today's society." I asked him what he liked about it... and he didn't really have an answer for me. Basically, he doesn't love the movie because it's a movie; he loves the movie because it has a message.

Now, I don't think "Fight Club" is entertainment. I LOVE the movie, and it's one of my favorites as well.... but I look at that film the same as I look at "American Psycho" and "Goodfellas". They're not very entertaining to me. I think they're very disturbing, and they make me feel uncomfortable when I watch them, to an extent. I love these movies because of that. They're character studies, with very little action, and plenty of deep messages regarding how we are as Americans (or arguably the world) when it comes to violence, conforming in society, etc. I don't find anything entertaining about that.

When I think of entertainment, I think of something that doesn't disturb me. I think of something that's big, loud, fun, and enjoying. "Die Hard", "True Lies", "Speed", "Lethal Weapon"..... these movies have a purpose: to entertain. You're not gonna find anything deep and philosophical here. Stuff blows up. People get shot. The end.

What annoys me about people, is that they expect most movies to be like "Fight Club" or "Goodfellas" or "American Psycho", when they're not even designed to be like that in the first place. What the hell is so wrong with watching Bruce Willis take on an F-35 with a semi-truck? I'd rather spend eight bucks to see that than to watch some boring-ass movie drama.

Yes, I like character studies. I like drama. I love "Little Miss Sunshine", and I absolutely love "Se7en". The difference is, I'm not going to bi*ch about how nothing blows up in those movies, because I know exactly what I'm going to see when I watch movies like those. People watch classics like "Predator" and "Face/Off" today and they suddenly turn against them because they don't have a complicated concept like "Eternal Sunshine."

Should we just have ONE genre in American cinema now? Because it feels like we're going that route. The current state of Hollywood and American cinema seriously concerns me. When I watch a mind-blowing classic like "The Silence of the Lambs" (another favorite of mine), I stop and think, "Why the hell don't they do stuff like this anymore?" When I look at "Live Free or Die Hard", I wonder, "Why the hell was it PG-13? Why would they water it down?".... and then I stop and look at the other films of 2007:

- Spider-Man 3
- F4: Silver Surfer
- Pirates: AWE
- Shrek the Third
- Evan Almighty
- Transformers
- Harry Potter
- The Simpsons Movie

... a bunch of dumb, watered-down kid's movies that are all family-oriented. That really scares me. Hollywood has suddenly gotten dumber than ever. Hollywood is turning into ONE type of movie. It's either some kid's thing, some comedy that really isn't funny, or some horror flick that isn't scary. That's it. That needs to stop. Of all the movies listed above, I've seen them all except for the last two, and I want my eight bucks back for each of them. Yeah, their purpose is simply to entertain... but they failed miserably (for me). When I got home, I had to pop in my "Long Kiss Goodnight" DVD into my PC just to feel better about myself. It worked.

There's supposed to be a balance between what is entertaining and what is just plain stupid... and "Live Free or Die Hard" is the only one that found that balance... in my opinion. In my eyes, it's the only good movie of 2007 so far.

I also hate movies that are deep just for the sake of being deep... or artsy just for the sake of being artsy. "Lost in Translation"... pffft. Give me a camera. I'd do better.

You know what? I think "Die Hard" is art. There, I said it. Art.

Looking back, I guess I don't know what my point is here. I guess you just have to find the balance of what is supposed to be pure entertainment, and what is supposed to be deep and meaningful. Find the balance, and don't bash fun flicks just because they didn't bake your noodle.

 

[Shuley]

So how would you rate Schindler's List?

Brilliant!

 

[Shuley]

I think a lot of people are missing the whole point of what entertainment is.

I'll give you an example. My friend's all-time favorite movie is "Fight Club". I asked him why that is. His answer was, "because it's culturally relevent, with a great and powerful message on today's society." I asked him what he liked about it... and he didn't really have an answer for me. Basically, he doesn't love the movie because it's a movie; he loves the movie because it has a message.

Now, I don't think "Fight Club" is entertainment. I LOVE the movie, and it's one of my favorites as well.... but I look at that film the same as I look at "American Psycho" and "Goodfellas". They're not very entertaining to me. I think they're very disturbing, and they make me feel uncomfortable when I watch them, to an extent. I love these movies because of that. They're character studies, with very little action, and plenty of deep messages regarding how we are as Americans (or arguably the world) when it comes to violence, conforming in society, etc. I don't find anything entertaining about that.

When I think of entertainment, I think of something that doesn't disturb me. I think of something that's big, loud, fun, and enjoying. "Die Hard", "True Lies", "Speed", "Lethal Weapon"..... these movies have a purpose: to entertain. You're not gonna find anything deep and philosophical here. Stuff blows up. People get shot. The end.

What annoys me about people, is that they expect most movies to be like "Fight Club" or "Goodfellas" or "American Psycho", when they're not even designed to be like that in the first place. What the hell is so wrong with watching Bruce Willis take on an F-35 with a semi-truck? I'd rather spend eight bucks to see that than to watch some boring-ass movie drama.

Yes, I like character studies. I like drama. I love "Little Miss Sunshine", and I absolutely love "Se7en". The difference is, I'm not going to bi*ch about how nothing blows up in those movies, because I know exactly what I'm going to see when I watch movies like those. People watch classics like "Predator" and "Face/Off" today and they suddenly turn against them because they don't have a complicated concept like "Eternal Sunshine."

Should we just have ONE genre in American cinema now? Because it feels like we're going that route. The current state of Hollywood and American cinema seriously concerns me. When I watch a mind-blowing classic like "The Silence of the Lambs" (another favorite of mine), I stop and think, "Why the hell don't they do stuff like this anymore?" When I look at "Live Free or Die Hard", I wonder, "Why the hell was it PG-13? Why would they water it down?".... and then I stop and look at the other films of 2007:

- Spider-Man 3
- F4: Silver Surfer
- Pirates: AWE
- Shrek the Third
- Evan Almighty
- Transformers
- Harry Potter
- The Simpsons Movie

... a bunch of dumb, watered-down kid's movies that are all family-oriented. That really scares me. Hollywood has suddenly gotten dumber than ever. Hollywood is turning into ONE type of movie. It's either some kid's thing, some comedy that really isn't funny, or some horror flick that isn't scary. That's it. That needs to stop. Of all the movies listed above, I've seen them all except for the last two, and I want my eight bucks back for each of them. Yeah, their purpose is simply to entertain... but they failed miserably (for me). When I got home, I had to pop in my "Long Kiss Goodnight" DVD into my PC just to feel better about myself. It worked.

There's supposed to be a balance between what is entertaining and what is just plain stupid... and "Live Free or Die Hard" is the only one that found that balance... in my opinion. In my eyes, it's the only good movie of 2007 so far.

I also hate movies that are deep just for the sake of being deep... or artsy just for the sake of being artsy. "Lost in Translation"... pffft. Give me a camera. I'd do better.

You know what? I think "Die Hard" is art. There, I said it. Art.

Looking back, I guess I don't know what my point is here. I guess you just have to find the balance of what is supposed to be pure entertainment, and what is supposed to be deep and meaningful. Find the balance, and don't bash fun flicks just because they didn't bake your noodle.

Citizen Kane is art...Die Hard is dated crap. You are having a hard time seperating a great film and a popcorn film...Your the type of moviegoer,who doesn't wanna think and can't tell the differance between well written dialogue and cornball dialogue...it all sounds the same to you,right? Pulp Fiction has great dialogue,Die Hard doesn't,Gone With The Wind has great dialogue,Transformers does not. Maybe one day you'll get it.

 

[Shuley]

Watching action movies is like watching porn...who cares about the plot and acting?...just get naked.

 

[Tempest19]

maybe I'm alone in this i love a deep film but i still enjoy just switching the brain off for a fun film.

Glad I'm not the only one left.

For me a blockbuster movie is all about the ESCAPE and feeling like a KID again.

If the movie suceeds at that, then it's GREAT! t:

Some films you don't need an overly complex plot, not every movie has to be 2001 Space Odysee (I know my spelling is crap) and Citizen Kane! If every movie was like that, I'd keel over- literally.

You need a good balance.

I personally see ALL kinds of movies and go to movies sometimes two or more times A WEEK! Ranging from independent dramas to "turn off your brain" blockbusters and I love every genre there is, except for the 'chick flick' lol. So, I've seen what a truly great and awesome film is and what a truly horrible film is (it bothers me how much people throw around the word 'horrible' for something that is actually "mediocre" at worst in comparison to the truly horrible films, at least I've seen the term used correctly a couple of times).

There is a reason why there is a period of time each year for dramas (fall), family films (winter), and blockbusters (summer). And that's because there NEEDS to be a BALANCE between these types of films, although they sometimes blend together, or else one would get really old after a while... you need some good old fashioned fun to balance out a very serious drama. Hope that makes sense....

 

[terry78]

Saying all films need to be poignant is like saying we need to be studying and working all our lives and never having fun. You go out to a party you ain't trying to think. You're trying to relax.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Brilliant!

Why thank you....

 

[Kevin Roegele]

This thread is twenty people arguing twenty different points.

 

[shapeshifter]

This thread is twenty people arguing twenty different points.

how is that any different from any other thread here?

 

[Figs]

this is something I've been thinking about for a while with the Internet becoming more and more a major hyping and promotional tool for films, its also basically a way for everyone to ***** about the littlest things

this stemmed from a review i read for die hard 4.0, with this quote

" the film spends to much time on action and little to no time on the years we missed of maclane's single life"

come on its a bloody die hard film, yes story is important but i didn't go to see my dinner with Andre. anyway what I'm wondering is has the popcorn film become extinct, have people simply forgot to have fun at the movies now, must everything have some kind of major cultural significance or a hidden meaning about life, to be considered a good film.

maybe I'm alone in this i love a deep film but i still enjoy just switching the brain off for a fun film.

That's the way our pretentious, snobby, spoiled brat, holier than though society has become. Too many people have forgotten how to have fun, and try to act like their smarter and have better taste than everyone. I like both sides, mindless fun and deep thought provoking films.

You get those people who think every movie needs some kind of hidden message or deep thoughts involved. They don't have the common sense to realize if every movie is like that things would get boring real fast. It would be like eating the same thing for breakfast. lunch and dinner for the rest of your life. I love changing things up in life, it's what keeps it interesting.

Bottom line, a lot of people forget how to have fun or are just trying to act better/smarter than everyone else.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

This thread is twenty people arguing twenty different points.

strangely i expected this by now to have simply boiled down to a childish flame war

 

[livrule]

That's the way our pretentious, snobby, spoiled brat, holier than though society has become. Too many people have forgotten how to have fun, and try to act like their smarter and have better taste than everyone. I like both sides, mindless fun and deep thought provoking films.

You get those people who think every movie needs some kind of hidden message or deep thoughts involved. They don't have the common sense to realize if every movie is like that things would get boring real fast. It would be like eating the same thing for breakfast. lunch and dinner for the rest of your life. I love changing things up in life, it's what keeps it interesting.

Bottom line, a lot of people forget how to have fun or are just trying to act better/smarter than everyone else.

Amen .... Post of the day.