Most movies today are pale imitations of the older movies of our time. I enjoy older movies simply because there is an actual story. Most of today’s movie makers have lost their way. Since when is it okay to substitute a plot for really great special effects. If most people today would watch just a handful of older movies they might just see that most of the stuff that’s out there is just fluff.
Take out all the computer graphics and huge explosions and what is left? Nothing. This is how I judge movies I see today. I ignore most of the computer graphics and gunplay then try to find a plot. Now I think computer graphics and some gunplay is fine when its used to enhance the plot or to do things that would be unsafe for the actors, but some of the movies out there use it as a crutch to try and bring people into the box office.
I guess most movies are made to bring in teenagers. A lot of flashy effects or scantily clad women seem to get the job done. There are still a few nice gems that seem to be getting fewer and farther apart. American movie audiences will watch anything with enough explosions.
The other day I was watching To Catch a Thief with Carey Grant. A superb movie with enough plot and just enough humor to make it a great flick. I sat down and got comfortable watched the wonderful acting and the excellent backdrops. I had seen it before but it’s a timeless film that can be watched over and over. You know it’s a great flick when if you need to get up for a soda you pause the movie.
I do rent newer movies and I have to admit about a month ago I rented the new Batman movie. I had to struggle after the first half hour to watch the rest. In fact I actually turned it off after 45 minutes and went to do other stuff. I almost didn’t finish it, but it had such great reviews from friends and critics. I thought maybe the movie comes together in the final half. To my great disappointment it didn’t. Now for reference I thought that Batman Begins was a good movie, at least good for today’s films but the new one had no redeeming features. It was mass produced and had almost no plot. By then end I was wondering if both my friends and the critics were paid by the movie company so I would spend my hard earned money to rent it. I mean no disrespect to Heath Ledger ( A Knights Tale was an excellent movie) as I think he was a good actor, but if you take away the special effects there aren’t enough speaking parts to make a plot.
It has been said that all of the great books have already been written. I state that we are also running low on great movies. The worst part is when Hollywood needs a quick buck they take a great old film classic and ruin it. Case in point Flight of the Phoenix. A great flick with Jimmy Stewart. How could it get any better people stranded in the desert slowly dying and trying desperately to work through their differences and save themselves. Now look at the remake. I actually had absolutely nothing to do with the original plot. I was terrified when I rented it. This massacre happens over and over. Another example is Rear Windows remake Disturbia. The list goes on and on.
Until Americans start demanding better quality movies it is only going to get worse. How do you make a difference? Stop. That’s it just stop going. Until the quality goes up there isn’t really much of a point in going to see the latest flop to hit the box office. If we all stopped going Hollywood would really have to struggle to come up with a plot instead of pumping out dozens of terrible movies a year they might actually have to put out five or six that are really good.
