I only peeked at the Oscars last night while doing other stuff - some thoughts

[NRaleighLiberal]

My wife and I stopped going to the movies (except on very rare occasions) years ago - once it became all about the annoying ads, and the over-use of action and graphics - well, we felt "old" and our genre types are out of style - Out of Africa, English Patient, Remains of the Day - no more, it seems. I think splitting The Hobbit into 4 thousand endless films kind of did it for us. All about money.

So as I peeked at, listened, to the Oscars last night with only partial attention, I decided which films will go into the Netflix DVD queue.

Really, for us, it's become more about well done series, such as Six Feet Under, Sopranos, Breaking Bad - most recently, The Leftovers (one of our favorite watches ever), and Fargo (which we found superior even to the superb movie).

And we go back and watch our old favorites now and then - Kieslowski's Red White and Blue trilogy - Amelie - movies with lots of character development and depth, filmed when you can actually hear the actors' dialog (none of this mumble stuff over too-loud music).

yes, it's my "get off my lawn" moment, I am sure! But immersing ourselves in The Jewel in the Crown, working through the plots and subplots and characters - I guess that's where our film watching compass has settled. I am sure our parents felt the same way - change overtakes their preferences. Just kind of funny when one realizes that, yes, they've kind of become their parents!

[Siwsan]

1. Too often, CGI is used as a substitute for good, solid directing, writing and acting

I'd rather be overwhelmed by the talented delivery of amazing dialog and beautiful cinematography than by a screen filled with computer generated space and time filler.

[MLAA]

2. Ill add a bit to your rant 😉

I enjoy a broad range of movies and go to the theater every week or two now that I am retired. The thing that bothers me recently is too, too much action in my favorite action movie dynasties. The last couple of Mission Impossibles and Jason Bourne movies have been non stop chases etc without enough storyline/dialogue/cleverness. I am exhausted at the end of them. I love a good car chase scene, but it now just too much. I want little more story woven in between the miraculous feats!

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. Did I do a rant? Yes, I suppose (but it is a nice rant, yes?!)

The arts are so interesting because there really are no right or wrong answers - just our preferences! I agree with you, by the way, as I am sure you suspect!

[MLAA]

6. It was a very nice, polite low key rant 😉

[MaryMagdaline]

4. James Ivory won for Call Me by your name

So there is hope for movies with dialogue. Phantom Thread was also nominated. Big action movies were not the thing this year so it was a good year for my type of movies. I, too, have to watch my favorites over and over because blockbusters are not my thing.

Even Three Billboards relied too much on gratuitous violence. McDonough is a British tarantino or Cohen brother.

[msongs]

5. high volume, no plot or character development, constant profanity, product tie ins,

CGI, what's not to like for outrageous admission price and advertisements for junk one does not want

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. Well, that was certainly confusing.

You were watching the Oscars, which made you think of the best movies of your generation, to which you then compared to the mediocre movies of this generation?

The second highest-grossing movie of 1985—the year Out of Africa was released—was Rambo: First Blood Part II.

Just putting that out there.

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. My point was that the type of movies we love just don't seem to be getting made any more.

simple as that.

Our tastes have always been fringe.

I'll go one better - NY times magazine had an article on the most influential songs to define today's music.

not a single idea of who any of the artists, or what any of the songs, are!

I am officially "old"!

[Act_of_Reparation]

9. I guess I'm not understanding...

...how the Oscar-bait of the 1980's is qualitatively different from the Oscar bait of the 2010's. I was a kid in the 80's. I'm an adult now. I've got my feet in both pools, so to speak, and I really can't tell what separates The King's Speech from Amadeus (apart from the latter just being an all-around better movie), or Argo from Platoon, or 12 Years a Slave from The Last Emperor. Period pieces, biopics, and character dramas have dominated the Oscars for as long as I can remember.

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. Well, movies came first

And all kinds of stories were presented in theatrical films. Then TV came along and some great stories were being told on the small screen rather than the big one. The disadvantage of course was that you had to have commercial breaks.

Then came cable and channels like HBO started producing original content, and much of it is very good.

But I think movie theaters may die out because their business model just doesn't work anymore. They are generally only busy on the weekends. It's just so easy to watch HBO (and others) or "Netflix and chill". There is some innovation out there newer theaters rarely have screens with more than 150 seats. There's a Cinemark near me where some of the screens only have 50 seats! But with digital projection they can show one film on multiple screens with the flip of a switch.

I do think they will still make "movies for grownups" but many of them will be viewed on your TV rather than a theater. But those are the films that don't lose much by viewing them on a smaller screen and you can get a 55" flat screen for under $500! The thing is between theaters, cable, streaming and VOD, there is more demand for original content than ever. You might have to hunt fir it a little more, but it's out there. An indie I recommend right now is "Blame".

[Cuthbert Allgood]

10. Three Billboards was utterly fantastic.

The character development was incredible.

[NRaleighLiberal]

11. in our Netflix queue, along with Darkest Hour

we are working our way through latest released season of Homeland - just finished The Leftovers (one of my favorite of all time, for sure)

[pressbox69]

13. Very much

in agreement with you.