Are films getting worse?

[admin_exported]

Is it just me or do films seem to be getting worse? Maybe I just have bad taste?! My girlfriend and I go to Blockbusters almost every week to get a Blu-Ray/DVD at some point. I'd say the majority of films out recently are absolute rubbish. Am I just a fussy viewer or what?!

Going off the rental chart here's what I've seen quite recently and think is rubbish:

S Darko: Mind bendingly weird.

Watchmen: Visuals and audio great. Film poor.

Crank 2: I should have known better after seeing the original.

Knowing: Boringly predictable

Benjamin Button: Trying to be like Forest Gump.

Changeling: I don't know where to start here.

Friday the 13th: Wasted 90 minutes of my life!

Haunting in Connecticut: This has all been done before, and better.

My list could go on. There are about 5 other films I've seen recently that are that poor I must have subconsciously erased them from memory!

..In fact the last decent films I watched are:

Defiance: Very loosely based on a true story no doubt but enjoyed it anyway.

Gran Torino: A breath of fresh air compared to recent stuff.

3.10 to Yuma: Not new but seen it recently. Best of the bunch here in my opinion. Excellent film

Bruno: Sacha Baron Cohen is a genius. There's a line that shouldn't be crossed.......but he did. So ridiculous it's hilarious!

I make that 8-4 to the rubbish and that's excluding the one's that were that poor I've even forgot the title of them. So is it just me or does anyone else find themselves pacing around Blockbusters struggling to find something you know you wont hate?

 

[coolaboola]

well i rented on a 4 for a tenner for 5nights this week,moon ,star trek,public enemies and milk.lookin forward to taking pelham 123,terminator salvations and district9 onblu ray next week.startrek is the best blu ray I've watched in a while possibly ever.

 

[coolaboola]

sorry my point is there is some good stuff out at the moment and more on the way but I agree there is a lot of dross,particularly in the rom com category and teen slasher flick shelf.

 

[Alec]

Um, i thought changeling was ok...liked gran torrino too. lakeview terrace was good. thought knowing was quite bad, but ive seen worse.

Havent seen most the films in the OPs list tho, as im far too discerning. some would say closed minded. they are wrong.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Daveee:Is it just me or do films seem to be getting worse?

Yes, and policemen younger, Mars Bars smaller and summers less sunny...

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:
Daveee:Is it just me or do films seem to be getting worse?

Yes, and policemen younger, Mars Bars smaller and summers less sunny...

lol funny how things change the older you get

I thought changeling & gran Torrino were great( must be Clint

) IMO I think there's too much emphasis on the special effects rather than a good story

 

[Anonymous]

If you think there's too much emphasis on special effects to the detriment of characterisation and a good plot, and I would generally agree with that with the exception of foreign language films, then just wait until 3D films come our way in greater numbers. I hope this new film that looks a bit like Halo or some sci fi game doesn't push things further in that direction.

As to the OP, I thought Changeling, Watchmen and Benjamin Button where good films, but yes, there is a lot of drivel out there so beware.

 

[John Duncan]

Yes but the 8 films that you chose could have been predicted to be rubbish before you saw them. A remake of Friday 13th, for the love of God?

Personally I think that film has never been in such rude health.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Fact is, there have always been plenty of appalling films. However, in earlier years these typically sank without trace after a limited cinema release. Now they're clogging up Blockbusters/Love Film/Amazon/Sky etc on DVD/Blu-ray/download/broadcast to satisfy a perceived need for near-limitless 24/7 entertainment.....

 

[RodhasGibson]

Clare Newsome:Fact is, there have always been plenty of appalling films. However, in earlier years these typically sank without trace after a limited cinema release. Now they're clogging up Blockbusters/Love Film/Amazon/Sky etc on DVD/Blu-ray/download/broadcast to satisfy a perceived need for near-limitless 24/7 entertainment.....
IMO Thats it in a nutshell Clare. Like Andrews little comment too

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Daveee:
Is it just me or do films seem to be getting worse? Maybe I just have bad taste?! My girlfriend and I go to Blockbusters almost every week to get a Blu-Ray/DVD at some point. I'd say the majority of films out recently are absolute rubbish. Am I just a fussy viewer or what?!

Going off the rental chart here's what I've seen quite recently and think is rubbish:

S Darko: Mind bendingly weird.

Watchmen: Visuals and audio great. Film poor.

Crank 2: I should have known better after seeing the original.

Knowing: Boringly predictable

Benjamin Button: Trying to be like Forest Gump.

Changeling: I don't know where to start here.

Friday the 13th: Wasted 90 minutes of my life!

Haunting in Connecticut: This has all been done before, and better.

My list could go on. There are about 5 other films I've seen recently that are that poor I must have subconsciously erased them from memory!

..In fact the last decent films I watched are:

Defiance: Very loosely based on a true story no doubt but enjoyed it anyway.

Gran Torino: A breath of fresh air compared to recent stuff.

3.10 to Yuma: Not new but seen it recently. Best of the bunch here in my opinion. Excellent film

Bruno: Sacha Baron Cohen is a genius. There's a line that shouldn't be crossed.......but he did. So ridiculous it's hilarious!

I make that 8-4 to the rubbish and that's excluding the one's that were that poor I've even forgot the title of them. So is it just me or does anyone else find themselves pacing around Blockbusters struggling to find something you know you wont hate?

Do you ever read reviews of films before watching them?? I would not have bothered with most of those films. There is always a lot of poor films about but this has not changed over the years. The 70s is my favourite decade for films but that's only because I'm too young to remember all the films from that era and only remember the great ones.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes and i would agree with the part that,s the majority of film today are geting worst than ever , but still i would definitly say that u are a bit fussy veiwer! because there,s a few movies u have mention that has been great movies and up there with the best and they were oscar worthy

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:Fact is, there have always been plenty of appalling films. However, in earlier years these typically sank without trace after a limited cinema release. Now they're clogging up Blockbusters/Love Film/Amazon/Sky etc on DVD/Blu-ray/download/broadcast to satisfy a perceived need for near-limitless 24/7 entertainment.....

some of the "B" movies of yesteryear were quite entertaining in a weird/bad sort of way

Agree with the 24/7 veiwing there's lots of peeps out there with oblong eyes

 

[Anonymous]

Most of the films coming out of Hollywood are terrible. They are made with the sole intention of appealing to the masses and making money. And before anyone shoots me down, I know filmmakers want to make money but Hollywood blockbusters seem to do it to the detriment of originality and plot. War of the Worlds being a good example.

What on earth did they think they were doing with that? Theyre going to get us! Run! Ah,were safe..... No were not! Run. Utter drivel.

The best films Ive seen in the past couple of years that have proper blew me away were all foreign. Oldboy (Korea), Festen( Danish) and The Counterfeiters (Austrian).

I urge evryone to give them a go!

 

[Frank Harvey]

Yes, films on the whole are getting worse, but there are a few on your list that are acually not that bad compared to some of the real dross that you've neglected to mention.

I haven't even bothered with S.Darko, partly because Richard Kelly had nothing to do with it, and also because Donnie Darko was such an awesome film that there's no way you could follow that. I think even Kelly knew that.

After seeing Crank, and many other Statham films, I know to seer clear.

I put Knowing (seen it the other day) up with The Forgotten - I like the idea of the film, and yes, even though it was a little predictable, I quite enjoyed the storyline. Shame it involved Nicholas Cage. And far better than Day The Earth Stood Still (which you missed off your list).

Changeling is an excellent film, as is Gran Torino - has Eastwood made a anything less than an excellent film recently?! I think not.....

I quite liked the Friday the 13th remake. They didn't go over the top in modern fashion, and kept it real. After watching the originals recently (1-8), I'd actually forgotten how bad most of them were - I bought the first one on Bluray (great film and excellent transfer), but I don't think i'll be buying the others, they can stay on DVD. It's as good as the Haloween remake, which, while not up with Carpenter's original, is still very good.

Not seen Haunting In Connecticut. After seeing other similar movies in the last few years, American cinema sems to have forgotten how to make creepy horror films. Leave that to the Japanese and Europeans (The Orphanage, REC, Cold Prey (Fritt Vilt), Them (Ils), Switchblade Romance (Haute Tension) etc. The best the US has come up with recently is Coverfield and The Mist. We're learning - Eden Lake and especially The Descent seem to be our best offerings (if I haven't missed anything).

I've not seen Benjamin Button, Defiance, Bruno or Watchmen yet.

So from that list, I make it more good films than bad.

I make that 8-4 to the rubbish and that's excluding the one's that were that poor I've even forgot the title of them. So is it just me or does anyone else find themselves pacing around Blockbusters struggling to find something you know you wont hate?Please do try and remember what this was - I'd be interested to know

 

[professorhat]

Over the past few months, I've rented 48 films from Lovefilm and have only rated 10 of those below 4 stars - many of the others I've gone on to buy as I liked them so much. This is mostly because I've been quite discerning on what goes on my rental list - a little bit of research goes a long way.

So from my point of view, in answer to your question, definitely not.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

bobbyg81:
Most of the films coming out of Hollywood are terrible. They are made with the sole intention of appealing to the masses and making money. And before anyone shoots me down, I know filmmakers want to make money but Hollywood blockbusters seem to do it to the detriment of originality and plot. War of the Worlds being a good example.

What on earth did they think they were doing with that? Theyre going to get us! Run! Ah,were safe..... No were not! Run. Utter drivel.

The best films Ive seen in the past couple of years that have proper blew me away were all foreign. Oldboy (Korea), Festen( Danish) and The Counterfeiters (Austrian).

I urge evryone to give them a go!

Oldboy is a fantastic film. I watched Gran Torino last week and thought it was superb. No Country For Old Men, The Departed (I know it's a remake), Hotel Rwanda, the last two Batman films, Donnie Darko, Big Fish, Little Miss Sunshine, Mystic River, Amelie, Pan's Labyrinth, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, City of God..... there are loads of great films of the last 7 or 8 years. I bet if you could transport back to the 70s or 80s, for every Godfather or ET (the 80s was not a great decade, full stop), there will be dozens of turkeys. No different today.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Changeling is an excellent film, as is Gran Torino - has Eastwood made a anything less than an excellent film recently?! I think not.....

MILLION DOLLAR BABY!

 

[Gerrardasnails]

I agree prof. If you check out imdb's top 50 films for each of the last four decades. Number 50 is rated 7.9 in the 70's, 7.9 in the 80's, 8.0 in the 90's and 8.1 in the noughties. Then again, Million Dollar Baby scores 8.2/10!!

 

[Anonymous]

And............Flags of our Fathers & Letters from IwoJima, I guess he has this directing lark weighed of

Also Have to agree there has been some awful stuff from H/wood

Has anyone gone into Blockbuster got out a film and seen it b/4 Doh I did it 2 weeks ago

 

[Alec]

Wasnt that enamoured of million dollar baby. it didnt make me feel much when she went, which i take to mean that she and (more so) her awful family werent developed enough.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Gerrardasnails:The Departed (I know it's a remake)The Hong Kong original is far superior

 

[visionary]

Andrew Everard:
Yes, and policemen younger, Mars Bars smaller and summers less sunny...

but Mars bars ARE smaller

.... what's summer?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

FrankHarveyHiFi:Gerrardasnails:The Departed (I know it's a remake)The Hong Kong original is far superior

That's the trendy, cool, I'm hip with film making thing to say. However, I have to say I preferred the remake - and I love loads of foreign films. We also had a similar thing with Reservoir Dogs and City on Fire - I preferred Tarantino's.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Then I must be trendy, cool and hip

I don't follow what other people say - if I think a film's rubbish, I'll say so, even if it's meant to be a classic. There was just something missing from the remake - I feel like watching it now......the original I mean.....