I watched Flash Gordon(1980) when it came out. The sound in the theater was so loud it’s a wonder I’m not permanently deaf.
Great list. I’m a huge movie buff, who goes to see dozens of new movies every year. I looked at the top box office list linked earlier, and found that I had seen only two that were higher than 38 on the list. OTOH, I have seen most of the movies listed here. I agree that the current mainstream blockbuster movies are too loud and special effects heavy for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have plenty of new movies to choose from. I just need to be careful to find the ones that I will enjoy.
The last two movies I’ve seen on the big screen are Rififi (revival, from 1955 I think) and Baby Driver (this year’s movie!). What can I say I have a thing for heist/caper movies. I loved Rififi and I loved Baby Driver. Baby Driver also had the greatest soundtrack (I am always happy to hear Unsqure Dance), and–unlike every single one of the previews–at no point did I have to cover my ears during the movie because the sound was too loud.
I will add that ALL the movies in the preview looked equally bad, and except for Stepdad II or Daddy’s Home II or whatever they’re calling it, they all looked the same.
It was 1984, and the movie 2010 was screening at my theatre. We had a rare 70mm print, and a modern stereo system to go with it. 6 channels, each driving a kilowatt amp.
In the movie, they hotwire HAL to boost them the hell out of there. 4, 3, 2, 1, ignition, full thrust!
This was the point that things got a tad excessive in my theatre. 120+db wall of sound came out of the stage speakers. All 6 clip lights came on the amps. The projection port flexed back toward the booth. You could see the back wall of the theatre move.
The doors in the back of the theatre opened by themselves.
And last but not least, the manager from Caldors under us would storm up the escalator screaming we had bounced stuff off her desk again.
I swear, this entire thread is just a parody of grumpy old people.
Basically every criticism made, many of which are entirely justified, are criticisms of SOME modern movies… albeit, popular and prominent ones.
Too much CGI? Plenty of movies are made these days with no CGI
Too much shakycam? Plenty of movies are made these days with no shakycam
And in the era of the internet, it’s easier than ever to find out which new movies are the ones that likely would, in fact, interest you.
It’s like someone complaining that “music” isn’t as good as it used to be, and all of their complaints are about rap music. Or that “TV comedy” isn’t as good as it used to be, and all of their complaints are about Big Bang Theory.
Shot Caller
Abandoned
Get Out
It’s a Disaster
The Visit
The Best Offer
10 Cloverfield Lane
Here are some other recent movies that were good/entertaining. I see what the OP is saying, there aren’t as many as there used to be.
CGI is definitely used to much. It was much better having E.T. be a person wearing a costume instead of CGI. It just feels more real for it to be something you can reach out and touch. Similar to the original Star Wars trilogy, they were real objects even if they were small, it feels more real and gritty than CGI.
Yes but the “blockbuster” movie is often a big budget CGI nightmare.
IMO the Harry Potter series used it to great effect but the more recent Star Trek movies use it to to excess. where it falls apart is the mindset of “more is better”.
I agree with OP. OTOH, although I love some Bogart and old noir films, most old movies are too dated. For example, High Noon is great in its way, but … boring. Looking over a list of films, it appears that many of my favorites were from the 60’s and 70’s. There were some good movies in the 1990’s but some of the best (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Unforgiven) featured violence more than plot.
Here are six films from the 1970’s. Can anyone name a recent decade with six movies as great as these?
Godfather
Godfather II
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Apocalypse Now
Taxi Driver
Chinatown
I agree with all of this. (And my 68th birthday is coming soon. :))
There is such a huge difference between American and European tastes in films. I should do more exploration: Is there a thread titled “Which modern foreign films should I watch?” ?
I’ve selected from Jeff Lichtman’s list only the films I have a clear memory of. They’re all good films, but none are even remotely in the same league as the six great films of the 1970’s mentioned above. (And three of them are historical. Films are for entertainment; there are other sources for non-fiction.)
I differ from OP in emphasizing the 1970’s rather than 60’s or 50’s. I’d better explain.
I’ve heard it claimed that Iliad described a semi-conscious man, often just doing what the gods tell him to do. The Odyssey OTOH describes its hero as the first man to think for himself, to challenge the gods. The Iliad–>Odyssey is a major transition, not just of literature, but of the recorded expression of human consciousness, morality and psychology.
It will seem too bold to compare the 1964–>1972 transition in the cinematic arts to the Iliad–>Odyssey transition, but I will.
And I wonder if there was a large shift in American awareness and morality that was reflected in the films of that period.
In response to this thread, I just hunted down and watched a movie I’d last seen 50+ years ago! – Seven Days in May.
[the following script is paraphrased whimsically. The actual script is too prosaic and boring to type]
The President tells Jiggs (Kirk Douglas) “And yours is the most important role of all. Keep Gen. Scott’s trust (Burt Lancaster) and let us know what he’s doing.”
The next scene has Kirk and Burt together. Kirk Douglas: [paraphrasing!] “Sir. I must say I believe in the rule of law, rather than your malicious plots.” Burt: “You’re on leave, Colonel. Beginning Now!”
Modern-day action heroes are usually smarter than this. The other characters in the film are all even worse comicbook-level, too simple-minded to even be called caricatures.
One is reminded of Luca Brasi’s sleeping with the fishes in a 1970’s movie. Contrast the intricacy of Godfather with the blatant plot of Seven Days in May. Obviously nobody would put these two flicks in the same league, but Seven Days got 7.9 at imdb and five stars at Rotten Tomatoes. :eek:
Or does the contrast between the 1964 and 1972 films partly reflect a change in the public expression of the human condition?
I mean, there’s a perfectly reasonable discussion to be had about what decade’s cream-of-the-crop movies are the best. Are those 6 movies better than:
Goodfellas
Pulp Fiction
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler’s List
Shawshank Redemption
Silence of the Lambs
Which all came out in the 90s? I dunno. Tastes vary.
But the OP of this thread was not “hey, I think the best movies made in the past are better than the best movies made today” it was “here’s facile, broad-brush dismissal of EVERY movie made these days”.
I prefer newer movies, like The Avengers, Inception, and Interstellar. The production values are amazing when technology is used correctly.