What I find most frustrating is that I look at the new films in theaters and see a ton of potentially interesting movies out there: Saraband, Yes, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Murderball, March of the Penguins, The Beautiful Country, even Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But here we are wasting bandwidth discussing the next big budget mess from a hack director. Why? Because it's a big budget film and that therefore makes it IMPORTANT. Bleh.

Resist the capitalist running dogs!!! :)

"I mean, look at Kevin Costners’ track record; the guy makes a huge hit with “Dances with Wolves”, makes a very decent Western with “Open Range”, but like Bay, most everything else the guy has done has been a complete disaster."
- Tim David Raynor

Not to defend Costner too much, but what about the Untouchables, JFK and Robin Hood? I liked those movies a lot.

Chris,

You mustn't believe everything your teachers tell you. Trust me; I know.

John

**I don't think there are any better or any worse films being made today than at any time in cinema history. We just tend to glorify the past, thinking everything was so much better "back then" when we were young or when the industry was young or whatever.**


On this subject, I agree (though I point out nobody said anything like this so it's an unrelated issue). I find classical Hollywood just about as insipid and boring as contemporary Hollywood though one might add that at least they didn't spend the annual budget of an average town to make each of them (with a few exceptions). The only reason we can point to so many "great" classical Hollywood films is that they made so many more films back then. Law of large numbers - if even the same percentage of them were good, we'd have a lot more of them around.

But let us not stumble into that hoary old bit of nonsense: "Things never change." I would nominate this for the stupidest thing that people say on a regular basis, but I guess that's an awfully stiff competition. Things change all the time.

"'Things never change.' I would nominate this for the stupidest thing that people say on a regular basis." -Christopher Long (Staff)

Just wondering, what kinda people have said "things never change" to you? I've never encountered anyone who has said something that stupid in my life. :o

Some things, in fact, do remain the same: Love, kindness, human relationships, human nature, human misery, human unkindness, war, peace. To suggest any absolute (like "things don't change" or "things always change") is to invite valid argument. The only thing for certain in the world is "Maybe."

John

**The only thing for certain in the world is "Maybe." **


Oh, you know the surest way to my heart is a good aphorism. How can I possibly argue with you now? :)

Well, we can always discuss the relative meanings of the word "maybe." It's all in how you define "maybe."

Well, maybe.

John

John,

I enjoy healthy debate with an intelligent guy like you, but if you ever recommend a book by the loathesome movie-hating David Thomson again, I will be forced to add you to my enemies list, right ahead of Eddie. :)

Michael,

As with TGP, you seem to seem to be responding to something I am not even saying at all. I didn't say anything about a "hatred" of big budget filmmaking. That's not relevant. Didn't say a word about it, don't care either way if that's what people like. So let's stick to what's actually being discussed.

I can and do choose not to see most of these films. Because I live near L.A., I have the choice to see other movies. Most people do not have this choice at all. Again, here's the statistic: 80% of the screens in the country play the same 10 movies. This is not the way it used to be or has to be. It is only this way because of deregulation. Deregulation, not changes in audience taste, is why an art-house circuit that flourished in the 60s and 70s, has all but ceased to exist.


Just a few years ago, Godzilla made waves because it was released on an unthinkable 3,000 screens. Now 3,000 isn't even a big release and a few films have cracked the 4,000 mark. This isn't because so many more screens have been built either.

The 30-screen multiplex near me is showing 18 total films. The 25-screen complex down the road from it is showing 16 films. The 25-screen multiplex is showing precisely 2 films that the 30-screen is, and I think this is unusually good because this multiplex seems to commit one screen to a slightly smaller film.

If I were still living back home in the suburbs of Philadelphia, my choices would be: Batman, Bewitched, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cinderella Man, Dark Water, FF, Herbie, Madagascar, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, War of the Worlds and Wedding Crashers in one multiplex or Batman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dark Water, FF, Madagascar, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, War of the Worlds or Wedding Crashers at the other multiplex or, if I drove a little further out, Adventures of Shark Boy, Batman, Charlie, Dark Water, FF, Land of the Dead, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Rebound, War of the Worlds at the next one or Batman, Charlie, Cinderella Man, Dark Water, FF, Herbie, Madagascar, War of the Worlds at the other multiplex within a half hour drive.

Yes, this is why I moved. The Walmart-ization of the distribution and exhibition sectors is simply ruinous. "Free markets" are, of course, anything but.