Where has Great Movies gone ?

[BJ_M]

By Michael Bay
Director, The Island

I've been a major Hollywood director for a long time, and I thought I'd seen it all. But I can't help wondering what's happening to the entertainment industry—indeed, to our entire society. Where are our standards? Our values? For ****'s sake—our cultural priorities? I simply cannot accept that March Of The Penguins is the big summer hit everybody's talking about. Hello?

It used to be that a summer blockbuster had to have brutal violence, sexy women, breathtaking action sequences, adrenaline-pumping high-speed chases—at a bare minimum, some explosions. But sitting through that penguin movie, I couldn't believe my eyes. Where were the big set pieces? Hell, this movie didn't even have sets! Has anyone ever heard of production values? It's one of the most vital aspects of the filmmaking art, and you don't get it by just showing up on an iceberg and filming whatever happens to be in front of you. Frankly, for real icebergs, they looked fake. This film is an insult to the great men and women who spend countless hours in front of computers creating incredibly realistic CGI icebergs.

Does no one out there care about these things anymore but me? Am I a lone voice of sanity crying out in a universe gone mad?

What kind of a world do we live in when a futuristic techno-thriller starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson as escaped clones on levitating jet bikes doesn't outgross the shit out of a glorified Discovery Channel rerun? Don't people realize how much money I spent? How many people it took to bring that vision to the screen? Do people realize how many rewrites and punch-ups we went through? I paid my writers millions of dollars, and they were some of the best in the biz. You know who wrote their script? A bunch of birds.

Where was the villain? A story's not going to keep an audience on the edge of their seats without a strong opposition. Where was the second-act turning point? You've gotta have that moment when the hero's at the end of his rope and the bad guy looks like he's going to win it all. And where was the love story? Stars have to have real chemistry that smolders on the screen to make a summer blockbuster one to remember. Okay, the penguin movie had mating cycles, but that's not love. Is it all about sex to these animals?

Speaking of which, I think we can all agree that the penguins in this film gave some pretty wooden performances. In many scenes, it was impossible to tell them apart. Maybe if they'd moved the camera once in a while, I could have gotten more emotionally invested in what was going on. For Christ's sake, there was not a single crane shot in the whole movie!

I remember a day when the public appreciated fine cinema. In that lost age, it made sense that my important historical drama Pearl Harbor had a fighting chance for at least a special-effects Oscar. Best sound, no question. But now, in this crazy upside-down, topsy-turvy world, I hear that—guess what?—the only summer movie getting any Oscar buzz is a static, near-silent documentary about waddling, flightless birds!

These days, I guess old-fashioned values like "megawattage," "high-octane thrill rides," and "explosions" just don't matter anymore. Well, I call that a sad day for American moviemaking.

I'm busy in pre-production planning my next big spectacle (which no one will see because they'll be off watching a 10-hour documentary on park squirrels, no doubt). But if you are in the San Diego area, do me this favor: Go to Sea World, walk into the emperor-penguin exhibit, and punch one those fuckers right in the face. Tell 'em Michael Bay sent ya.

[BJ_M]

btw - the above is from The Onion , so please reconize the satire and don't punch any penguins --- anyway they can bite you where it counts when they get mad..

[kicko]

March of the penguins would make a real nice re-make after its 4-5 sequels of course

[saladonyourlincoln]

Hate to add insult to injury but I can't help thinking that the quality of output from Hollywood leaves quite a bit to be desired. There used to be CLASS in the movies and in the actors and actresses...in fact when any of the CLASSY actors or actresses said anything, people listened because those same actors and actresses had CLASS and said things that were worthy of CLASSY-type people....look at what we have in hollywood today...a buncha kids trying to act like grown-ups...I'm sorry, Tom Cruise, Jude Law, Meg Ryan, Nicole Kidman and all the other up and comers will never come close to the John Waynes, Gregory Pecks, Cary Grants, Audry Hepburns, etc...and other CLASSY actors and actresses of the days gone by...just my 2 cents worth...

[Laddydaddy]

I would have to agree with saladonyourlincoln. Films like The Thin Man relied on good scripts and great acting. You can't beat actors like William Powell and actresses like Myrna Loy. Just my 2 cents.

[pepegot1]

I wholeheartedly agree that today's movies are of poor quality and actors to match. That is why I enjoy the classic movies where good acting was present, and with a decent story to go along. Movies of the past were hopefull and full of good values, i.e., "High Noon," "The Court Marshall of Billy Mitchell," and on and on. Today's movies preach violence and raw hedonism. When I was a kid, more years ago than I would like to admit, I was influenced by movies that depicted love, honor, and the struggle for justice. A man was as good as his word, instead of tell them what they want to hear, even if it's a lie. This situation is just one of many in which "American Institutions" are in serious trouble.
Everyone says it's going badly, but solutions are wide in scope and various.
People are either left or right and name calling solves nothing, except to continue the decay. Right and Left have the decay in common, except the solutions are different. If rational discourse would ensue, instead of name calling, things might improve. I think however, that is wishful thinking.

[smearbrick1]

I'll tell ya what happened to the summer blockbuster... PG-13!! That's what happened. What happened to the days when slasher/horror flicks were, I don't know, HORRIFYING? Now, everything is sanitized for the PG-13 audience. Most of the PG-13 crap they show in the theater might as well be shown on ABC family channel.

[RDS1955]

Last Great Movie Hollywood Made IMHO (And it wasn't really even Hollywood) was the Lord of the Rings Trilogy...Although the Acting at times was a bit under the scope, the movie in general overall will become a classic in my opinion..

[RDS1955]

Hate to add insult to injury but I can't help thinking that the quality of output from Hollywood leaves quite a bit to be desired. There used to be CLASS in the movies and in the actors and actresses...in fact when any of the CLASSY actors or actresses said anything, people listened because those same actors and actresses had CLASS and said things that were worthy of CLASSY-type people....look at what we have in hollywood today...a buncha kids trying to act like grown-ups...I'm sorry, Tom Cruise, Jude Law, Meg Ryan, Nicole Kidman and all the other up and comers will never come close to the John Waynes, Gregory Pecks, Cary Grants, Audry Hepburns, etc...and other CLASSY actors and actresses of the days gone by...just my 2 cents worth...

Here, Here !! Give the man a drink... Said a Mouthful plus more...You got my Attaboy on that one....

[mike909]

I agree with smear...seems like at this rate we will all soon be watching G movies whether we like it or not....to protect the children.
EDIT: that part where he said punch one of them f$ckers is pretty funny.

[GilbyGood]

When I go to see a film I expect to be entertained. When the special effects distract from the film to the point that I say, “HEY THAT WAS ONE FANTASTIC SPECIAL EFFECT” it seems that my interest in the story line has been shattered to the point that if the story is not rock solid, then bring on more films like March Of The Penguins.

Hollywood keeps saying that they are in a slump welllllll!!!! Hello if they start giving us films that stand on their own without having to depend on special effects and every other word is coming out of the gutter then they will continue to be in a slump. Just my 2 cents.

[louthewiz]

The reason most of today's movies suck ass is most of the great producers actors and script writers are dropping like flies and we as the cosumers are suffering because most of the hollywood moguls just don't give a shit, I mean when is the last time a good spooky horror movie was shown??!!

[Neroon]

Where has Great Movies gone ?

To South Korea thats where. Ever since i saw 2009 Lost Memories at the Fantasy Film Festival i got hooked and never looked back. Are not run in the Cinemas here, but out on DVD soon after theater release in international Codefree versions with english subs. And if you don't buy them locally but order them from Asia via the internet you pay less than 10 bucks a piece with free shipping.
Blockbusters like Shiri and Taegukgi (Production costs 5mil and 12,8 mil respectively! ) blow everything Hollywood made in the last 10 years out of the water. They even make romantic comedies that are acutally funny and have a plot!

[ebenton]

Along these same lines...I realize that the original post here was satire from the Onion. However, I just went to a movie by myself, which I thought really sucked. I was in the mall and I was bored. My wife was out of town and I thought I would go see a movie. Well, the move with the shortest wait until starting time was "Must Love Dogs".
I thought, "What the hell. it's a chick movie, but all I want is some popcorn, a soda and something to watch for a couple of hours." So I paid my money and went in.
I lasted about one hour into this 2-hour snoozefest. John Cusack looked like he is about 1 year or less away from having jowls. Diane Lane was cute enough. Dermot Mulroney (or however the hell you spell it) had about 3 minutes on screen in the first hour.
Finally, lacking any more popcorn and soda, and detecting no movie plot, I got up and left so that I could do anything more exciting, such as browsing wallpaper at Home Depot or something. I don't care what happens in the rest of the movie. In fact, I can't even remember what the movie was about in the first place.

Sorry to turn this into a movie review thread. I know this is not what this site is for, but I couldn't help myself.

[davideck]

Finally, lacking any more popcorn and soda, and detecting no movie plot, I got up and left so that I could do anything more exciting, such as browsing wallpaper at Home Depot or something. I don't care what happens in the rest of the movie. In fact, I can't even remember what the movie was about in the first place.

This happens to me more often than I should admit. Except that I don't go to the movies; I'd rather watch the DVD at home. The picture is better, the sound is better, the popcorn is better, and the environment is better.

My wife rents bunches of DVDs from the library for 50 cents each, and most of the time I feel like we got ripped off! I might make it through to the end of 1 out of 10. She has a hard time breaking away from any movie that she starts, but I typically get to the point where I really don't care what happens during the rest of the movie and leave to do something more interesting (like mow the lawn).

[Marty2003]

I don't remember where I read this, it's quite possible it was someone else on this forum, but the ratio of crappy movies to quality movies that are being produced today is no different than the ratio in the past. The only reason we think hollywood produced mosty great movies in the past is because the studios don't release the old crappy movies on dvd so we never hear about them again, we only hear about the "classics". Of course I'm a generation Y-er, so I probably know nothing about what I'm talking about.

[ebenton]

Marty2003,
You're probably right, but it's difficult to come up with examples to prove it. Old farts like me can remember going to the movies in the 60's and 70's and maybe even the late 50's, but I'll be damned if I can remember the titles of any stinkers. I can't even remember the actors in most of the crappy movies I saw back then, so it's next to impossible for me to look on IMDB and find out if the movies have ever been re-released on DVD.
My wife has rented some "classics" from Netflix, but the only really bad ones I can remember seeing (I don't watch most of them) are movies like "Ma and Pa Kettle...". If they made Ma and Pa Kettle into DVDs' it's possible that other, equally-inane old movies have been made into DVDs also. I'll have to browse through "Classics" on Netflix to see how many "bombs" I can spot.

[BSpielbauer]

I don't remember where I read this, it's quite possible it was someone else on this forum, but the ratio of crappy movies to quality movies that are being produced today is no different than the ratio in the past. The only reason we think hollywood produced mosty great movies in the past is because the studios don't release the old crappy movies on dvd so we never hear about them again, we only hear about the "classics". Of course I'm a generation Y-er, so I probably know nothing about what I'm talking about.

This is absolutely correct. If one judges by the number of films which critics "praise" and "pan" this is truth. If one tries to judge by the number of films which end up on the "Best" lists, such as the AFI lists or the Time Magainze lists, etc., one notes that no one time period (including recent years) is predominate, nor does any time period suffer.

And, then, there is, of course, box office. Revenue. Yes, I know this is not an indicator of quality in any way, but we must at least examine it to see if we see change.

In fact, the only difference since the advent of home video is that Hollywood found a way to turn many of those "flops" into money-makers, so that the FINAL tally shows many, many weaker films making money where they formerly would lose money.

If one looks to the theater revenues, alone, there has been virtually no change at all in the percentage of "flops" versus "money-makers" versus "genuine hits."

Even the current slump (which has been widely publicized) is NOT as bad as the last "slump" on box ofice revenues. In fact, some have continued to point out that it is only a slump if one forgot that last year's spring and summer were wayl, way "up" in box office, due to some bizarre anomalies (Passion of the Christ, and the astronomical success story marketing campaign using the churches as a network, and an army of people who may normally not attend movies at all, as some surveys showed...), and Farenheit 911, and similar oddities. Subtract "Passion of the Christ," and box office was actually UP very slightly this year from Jan. to July. In other words, yes, this is a HORRIBLE year, because we compare it with LAST year, which was a GREAT year. Which many in in the industry have failed to notice. One article recently pointed out that it was a very average year, if one compares it with the past four.

Broadway generality -- since roughly the beginning of this century, 4 out of every 5 shows lose money. They flop. This has not changed.

Hollywood generality -- since 1930, 4 out of every 6 films lose money. They flop. This has not changed. If one counts box office.

Since the mid-eighties, though, Hollywood has found a way to recoup some of those losses. If one factors in home video, including both the hits and the sem-successes and the flops, only 2 out of every 6 films lose money. This does not mean the quality of film got better, though... My own theory is that it merely means a lot more people were "deceived" into buying into a clever marketing campaign when it was released on VHS, or on DVD, and saw it on the shelf, and made the purchase or made the rental... Six months had passed, and we forgot how bad the word of mouth was on that distant film from so long ago. So, we picked up that copy of "Alexander."

EVERY year has had its "Alexanders," and from the analysis that I have read, again and again, the number of occurrences has not really fluctuated at all.

Not to begin a flame war, but I find it ironic that one poster above longed for the good ole' days when movie stars had "class," and then proceeded to cite John Wayne as one of his prime examples. This did make me giggle, just a bit. Hopefully we all realize that one person's idealization of "class" is another's person's prime example of social buffoon. And, I include my own perceptions in this statement.

Take care,

-Bruce

[pongster]

I agree, lots of garbage out there. It used to be that a scary movie could scare you without making you puke. A love story could display romance and passion without full nudity. A war movie could be exciting without splattering everyone watching. A comedy could be funny without having to resort to the lowest form of bathroom humor.

I really miss all the epic old movies, such as the Cecil B. DeMille pictures. With the exception of scant few such as the LOR Trilogy, they are gone. With all the garbage, I rent more and buy more classic movies than anything else.

I guess Hollywood believes that they can only be successful by continuing to dumb down plots and characters, and continuing to clone the once in a while successful movie. The same mentality is displayed in TV where we have the stupidest reality shows, Crime investigative shows, etc.

Give me the penguins, give me squirrels, give some friggin' originality.

Thanks for listening to my rant, gotta go watch Survivor 38 and CSI Death Valley. Tomorrow I think I'll catch Anaylze This & That and Scream 12.

L8R

[Soopafresh]

Movies are often best when they stir your soul. The 'classics' all have archetypal themes which resonate within the deep parts of ourselves.

Struggle, sacrifice, transformation is almost always interesting.

[RDS1955]

Movies are often best when they stir your soul. The 'classics' all have archetypal themes which resonate within the deep parts of ourselves.

Struggle, sacrifice, transformation is almost always interesting.

Whoooaaa; Deep, SoopaFresh, Deep........

WHO?!?! Me?!?!

[guns1inger]

Often rewarding and challenging films can come from way outside the hollywood system. I recently caught a film by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) made a few years ago for the BBC in England called "Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise". Not a happy film, by any stretch, but brilliantly done.

There was a lot of crap and b movie fodder made during the so-called golden age, and if they'd had VHS or DVD back then, much of it would have direct to video as it does now. Instead it went to the drive-ins and to support the main feature. The main evidence that we have now of this golden age is the (usually, but not always, deservedly) lauded classics.

Remakes weren't rare, especially in the b-movie genres like horror and science fiction, but until the heyday of Hammer, sequeals weren't something that the studios pursued. They were happier with series type films, such as James Bond. Remakes now seem to be in fashion again, but this time very much mainstream and often taken from what were well regarded instead of little known originals.

If I was to try to list rewarding films from the last few years, my list would include

Ringu (the Japanese original)
Shaun of the Dead
The LOTRs Trilogy
Saw
Fight Club
Se7en
Best in Show

Admittedly, not a lot of straight drama in there, but most drama seems so artificial anyway. And the basic premise doesn't have to be original for a film to be rewarding, so long as it is well executed and engaging. I read somewhere (I can't for the life of me remember wehere) that someone once wrote that there were only seven stories, and that all others were derived from these basic seven. That may be so. From Kurasowa's Yojimbo came A Fist Full of Dollars and from there Leone went on to Once Upon A Time in the West.

We look back at the golden years of hollywood through a filter of history - ours and others (often film critics) and therefore don't see if truely represented. In two generations our grandchildren will be having this same conversation, but longing for the good old days when CGI was just starting and they still used real actors, and how much better the films were then . . . . . .

[saladonyourlincoln]

I do agree that one's perceptions of CLASS might not be the same as another's. Sorry that you feel John Wayne was a buffoon...that may be true but at least he (JW) did not take every opportunity to jump in front of a camera crew or news person just to make some idiotic point or point out what he believes in ONLY to get the rest of us ignorant morons out here in the world to follow his lead or example no matter how lame it might be. In addition, those same classic movie stars did not feel the need to TELL everyone in the world what their political affiliations and voting preferences were. These current hollywood types think my knowing these things will persuade me to change my political beliefs and party...I think NOT!! Those types of things did NOT occur back in days gone by and this alone gave those actors and actresses a bit of CLASS that seems to escape those "stuck-up", smart-ass buffoons of today that are convinced that they should "lead by example"...Okay...so it's now my 4 cents worth...

[holdar]

@saladonyourlincoln

that may be true but at least he (JW) did not take every opportunity to jump in front of a camera crew or news person just to make some idiotic point or point out what he believes in ONLY to get the rest of us ignorant morons out here in the world to follow his lead or example no matter how lame it might be. In addition, those same classic movie stars did not feel the need to TELL everyone in the world what their political affiliations and voting preferences were. These current Hollywood types think my knowing these things will persuade me to change my political beliefs and party...I think NOT!! Those types of things did NOT occur back in days gone by

Someone earlier pointed out that we look back on the past with rose colored glasses, yours are cherry red. Somehow you have forgotten the McCarhty Era, the Black List, the censoring of “socialist/pinko” content in film. Lena Horne and Canada Lee were “Black Listed” (no pun intended) for belonging to a “commie symp” organization the NAACP. John Garfield’s (one of my favs) movie career ended because he refused to talk about other stars a his House Un-American Activites Committee (HUAC) hearing.

HUAC's hearings resulted in 10 filmmakers going to jail for contempt of Congress and hundreds of actors, writers and directors being put on an unofficial industry blacklist. The effect on Hollywood's morale was profound and enduring. (Cold War: An Illustrated History)

The hearings were broadcast on TV and as "newsreels" in theatres. Stars like Ronald Reagan and John Wayne (Big Jim McLain,1952) led the charge to cleanse the industry. When you talk about “commie sympathizers” what do we mean. We mean “The Day The Earth Stood Still” attacked during production for pinko (anti-nuke) content and daring to cast Sam Jaffee. Alright I have to stop before my head explodes. A little history goes a long way.

[dvdguy4]

And then the people of the motion picture industry wonder why nobody is going to the movies nowadays. The movies suck. The last movie I saw was in may and that was StarWars and it will be til December when Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe comes out and the new Harry Potter comes out.

[Soopafresh]

“The Day The Earth Stood Still” - Sam Jaffe plays the part of 'Klaatu', but when he comes to Earth, he goes under the assumed name of "Carpenter", tries to spread the word of peace, for which he is betrayed and killed, but gets re-animated and ascends back into the heavens.

Archetypal Theme ? I'd say 'Yes'

[gadgetguy]

In general, I seldom go to the movie theatres anymore because the previews are so poorly done that I'm left thinking "if the previews are this bad, how good can the movie be?" However, I have been a little surprised over this past year or so. The Fantastic 4 movie was a pleasant surprise. It is in no way a "great" movie, but for comic book fare, it was a solid effort. I was also surprised by "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Johnny Depp gave an excellent performance, and although different from Gene Wilder's portrayal of the character, still brought the quirkiness of Willy Wonka to life. (Although on leaving the theatre I found myself humming the songs from the original in my head, and can't for the life of me remember any of the songs from the current one.) TLOR trilogy was by far an excellent series of movies that, I believe, will stand the test of time. The StarWars prequels, IMHO, did not hold the same "magic" as the original trilogy. I'm looking forward to seeing "Serenity", although I'm not sure this will have the "across the board" drawing power to make it a big hit. And I intend to go see The Brothers Grimm, which appears to retell the fairy tales more as they were written, rather than the Disney sanitized versions that we're all used to.
I have found all of the movies above that I attended to be entertaining and worth the price of admission. I have also ignored everything else that's been released because nothing in the previews made it seem interesting, or alternately, made me feel that I had just seen all the best parts of the movie and that there was nothing left to see. Some of the movies I may eventually rent just to see what the hubbub was all about, but in most cases I'll just wait 'til it appears on TNT or the like. If it is interesting enough there, I may rent the video to see what was cut out.