Movies in the last decade - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

CokeMachineGlow · 03-06-2010, 11:56 PM

So I was watching redlettermedia on youtube deconstruct and dissect the new star trek movies and expose how terrible they are; and it made me think ... have all movies in the last 10+ years begun a downward spiral into the creative abyss? (his youtube page is worth viewing... his reviews are better than the movies themselves and almost as long). I'm not casting a wide net over all movies and saying the last decade has been terrible... it hasn't. No Country for old men, there will be blood, Zombieland, there has been a lot of great movies in all sorts of genres. But the overall trend has been going backwards in quality and creativity, and perhaps it's best expressed in prequels, sequels and spin offs.

I once read somewhere that kids around the world up to a certain age all can be attracted to the same kind of movie... where as adults from different parts of the world have different tastes. So what's happening now can't be too surprising; movie plots are dumbed down, big bangs and special effects are replacing story and character development, and movies suffer as a result. Star Trek is a wonderful example of this... the lens flare and lack of a coherent story is almost baffling. The plot of this movie is so unrelentingly stupid, I can't possibly shut off my brain to just enjoy myself. Transformers 2 was an abomination only equaled in Terminator 4... it's as if no one proof reads these scripts anymore.

I honestly think the start of this trend was Star Wars: The phantom menace. This movie is a complete trash bag but because it had the Star Wars lore and a lot big 'splosions, people spent money to go see it. Movie have been sunk to the lowest common denominator so any kid could follow along and plot me damned. Don't even get me started on Indiana Jones, a movie where a guy survives a nuclear explosion and being projected hundreds of feet (if not thousands) into the air and survives cuz he was in a damn fridge. Maybe I'm being too crotchety, but seriously, watch Godfather 1 and 2 then try and some watch some of this fecal matter being put out in theaters and ask yourself "does plot even matter anymore?"

drewboy12 · 03-07-2010, 12:20 AM

there will always be bad movies. There will always be great movies... Go see Shutter Island.. One of the best story lines in a movie I have seen in years. Crazy Heart, also amazing. Inglorious s.

jayswin · 03-07-2010, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CokeMachineGlow

I once read somewhere that kids around the world up to a certain age all can be attracted to the same kind of movie... where as adults from different parts of the world have different tastes. So what's happening now can't be too surprising; movie plots are dumbed down, big bangs and special effects are replacing story and character development, and movies suffer as a result. Star Trek is a wonderful example of this... the lens flare and lack of a coherent story is almost baffling. The plot of this movie is so unrelentingly stupid, I can't possibly shut off my brain to just enjoy myself. Transformers 2 was an abomination only equaled in Terminator 4... it's as if no one proof reads these scripts anymore.

I blame VanFlamesfan for this.

OutOfTheCube · 03-07-2010, 12:43 AM

Star Trek was awesome.

CokeMachineGlow · 03-07-2010, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Star Trek was awesome.

Why? What made it a good movie? Was it a fun way to just veg out for 2 hours, or did you actually appreciate a plot that I missed?

OutOfTheCube · 03-07-2010, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CokeMachineGlow

Why? What made it a good movie? Was it a fun way to just veg out for 2 hours, or did you actually appreciate a plot that I missed?

What was wrong with the plot? It had some holes because of time travel? Let's dissect Back to the Future while we're at it too.

It was a fun movie, strong performances from all the actors, super fast paced, great special effects, excellent soundtrack, lots of excitement...

Honestly, if you went in expecting more than that from a big budget sci-fi movie that was a reboot of a series that had gone completely down the tank, you're kind of an idiot. It blew away even the most optimistic person's expectations.

CokeMachineGlow · 03-07-2010, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

What was wrong with the plot? It had some holes because of time travel? Let's dissect Back to the Future while we're at it too.

So because there was a silly trillogy made for kids back in the 80's about time travel, this gives any movie carte blanche to have stupid plots based around time travel? I'm not suggesting a dissection of star trek, it treats people who watch it like they're ######ed. The plot is completely riddled with holes, not just the silly time travel.

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It was a fun movie, strong performances from all the actors, super fast paced, great special effects, excellent soundtrack, lots of excitement...

Yeah, great, it was a fun movie with lots of nice 'splosions and lense flare, I get that. It also has no resemblance to anything Star Trek is and was about.

Quote:

Honestly, if you went in expecting more than that from a big budget sci-fi movie that was a reboot of a series that had gone completely down the tank, you're kind of an idiot. It blew away even the most optimistic person's expectations.

Oh sweet, personal attacks cuz I didn't like Star Trek. Stay classy bro. And yeah, I expected more from a Star Trek movie. I wasn't expecting to go into the theatre and see a mix between transformers 2/bad boys/star trek. It was a stupid movie for a young generation of kids who have no idea what makes a good movie... just sit down in the theater, cram your face full of popcorn and pay money to watch bright lights.

OutOfTheCube · 03-07-2010, 01:01 AM

I guess they weren't targeting the uppity art-house movie crowd with STAR TREK then. What a surprise.

And what were you expecting, something on-par with the last two critical and commercial failures?

CokeMachineGlow · 03-07-2010, 01:07 AM

the TNG movies were as bad if not worse than the reboot, in case you didn't read my post very carefully I mention this. The TNG movies basically ignored the entire tv series and raped the tng legacy. Picard became bloodthirsty and unethical in one movie then in insurrection he suddenly decides to commit treason to try and lay some cougar. Oh yes and the ridiculous dune buggy chase scenes...Worf showing up on the enterprise each movie with less and less explanation being offered (hey look its word again... shut up and enjoy). Nemesis may infact be worse than Star Trek 2009, but only because it followed the same stupid formula but with the old actors.

Oh yeah, and us Star Trek fans are TOTALLY uppity art house upper crust people. I don't even listen to rock and/or roll...only CBC radio 1 for me in my vehicle. Excuse me while I go cleanse my monocle.

OutOfTheCube · 03-07-2010, 01:18 AM

Hey man I'm a Trek fan too, Wrath of Khan is one of my favorite movies ever, but for completely different reasons than the reboot.

Anyway, to actually add something productive to this, I think the thing is that people just forget about old, crappy, yet succesful movies. Big budget showmanship has always been succesful, but it isn't timeless and memorable. There's always been a balance of both in Hollywood (well, since the advent of special effects) and it'll be that way forever. I don't think you have to worry about awesome high quality plots and acting disappearing anytime soon, they'd be long gone by now if all anyone cared about was special effects.

trackercowe · 03-07-2010, 01:22 AM

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_trek_11/

Punk kids with their rap music, cd players, and afro's.

Star Trek, was a great movie in many aspects. Yes it was filled with plot holes, and the you can tell Abrams was never a star Physics pupil, but I thoroughly enjoyed it compared to the aforementioned Transformers.

However, I will agree to your argument that the last decade has been subpar. I can count true classics on one hand almost. Real movies like No Country, There Will Be Blood, Zodiac, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine, and Catch Me if You Can are are a rarity these days.

Star Trek served its purpose for me at least (especially the opening scene), but I have no real desire to learn more by watching it again. In the case of a movie like Zodiac I try to watch it again every few months, as I always keep coming back to learn more.

2009 in particular was a very poor year for movies as well. 2010 is off to a better start, and I expect Inception to become a true classic.

I would honestly say you can find better material on Showtime or HBO than in theatres. After watching The Wire, and now Deadwood it's hard to say paying $20 to see a movie in theatre is the better option.

Orange · 03-07-2010, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CokeMachineGlow

It was a stupid movie for a young generation of kids who have no idea what makes a good movie... .

That sounds an awful lot like "back in my day..."

Hey, it happened with your grandpa and that crazy rock and roll giberish, now it's happening to us with movies and there crazy explosions and CGI effects.

CokeMachineGlow · 03-07-2010, 01:27 AM

I'm well aware of how well star trek did in the box office and critical columns.... but it just isn't a star trek movie. its transformers, its bad boys, its mindless fun with a bad plot, great special effects, and a lot of lens flare. again tho, this is just one movie. watch the next generation movies, the star wars prequels, and ask yourself... who proof read these stories? plot is king, alongside great acting.

Quote:

That sounds an awful lot like "back in my day..."

Hey, it happened with your grandpa and that crazy rock and roll giberish, now it's happening to us with movies and there crazy explosions and CGI effects.

Maybe it is... I'm turning 30 soon... but I distinctly remember hating star wars 1 2 and 3 when I was still young.

trackercowe · 03-07-2010, 01:35 AM

Oh TNG movies sucked hard for the most part, no doubt about it. But, what can you expect with Johnathen Frakes directing?

On the other hand, it's not like the first Star Trek series of movies were that spectacular.

The Motion Picure was boring as hell, way too long, and had a bad ending.

Wrath of Khan was easily the best, and I am sure so will the remake.

Search for Spock was pretty good, but not having Spock in a good chunk of the movie was its downfall.

Voyage Home was actually pretty well written, but they really started to tighten the budget by then.

The Final Frontier was absolute trash, and is probably the worst of all the Star Trek movies. Can only blame Shatner for that one.

Undiscovered Country was pretty decent, but once again the special effects were subpar comparatively.

CokeMachineGlow · 03-07-2010, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Oh TNG movies sucked hard for the most part, no doubt about it. But, what can you expect with Johnathen Frakes directing?

On the other hand, it's not like the first Star Trek series of movies were that spectacular.

The Motion Picure was boring as hell, way too long, and had a bad ending.

Wrath of Khan was easily the best, and I am sure so will the remake.

Search for Spok was pretty good, but not having Spock in a good chunk of the movie was its downfall.

Voyage Home was actually pretty well written, but they really started to tighten the budget by then.

The Final Frontier was absolute trash, and is probably the worst of all the Star Trek movies. Can only blame Shatner for that one.

Undiscovered Country was pretty decent, but once again the special effects were subpar comparatively.

star trek the motion picture was an abortion, yes. but 2, 3, 4 and 6 were very good... with 2 and 6 being fantastic films, not just fantastic star trek films.

tanguay'sstillgood · 03-07-2010, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CokeMachineGlow

Maybe I'm being too crotchety, but seriously, watch Godfather 1 and 2 then try and some watch some of this fecal matter being put out in theaters and ask yourself "does plot even matter anymore?"

I haven't seen the new Star Trek, so I can't comment on that, but you can't actually be comparing the 'bad' movies of this decade to what are regarded as some of the best movies ever, can you? To be fair you better pick a different comparison. How does the Godfather stack up against movies from the last 10 years that will still be talked about 40 years from now?

Maybe there is more crap getting out because it is easier to make/distribute a movie? How many theatres are there now compared to the 70's? That could have a lot to do with it.

Maybe people are happy to go see big 'spolsions. What's wrong with that? Isn't the point of going to the movies to be entertained? Who cares if it's brainless...a lot of people obviously still liked it for that.

trackercowe · 03-07-2010, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CokeMachineGlow

Kristie Alley should of been an abortion, yes.

Oops.

I actually didn't mind First Contact as well. But, none of them compare to the greatness of Wrath of Khan. Ricardo Montalban sure made one hell of a villain. Sad that he passed away recently.

Oh, and Bad Boys 1 was pretty good actually. Bad Boys Miami Takedown might be the worst movie in the history of Michael Bay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKrQ0umHUGA

HPLovecraft · 03-07-2010, 01:48 AM

Before anyone can determine which movie is "good," one needs to first define what, exactly, a "good movie" is.

trackercowe · 03-07-2010, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

Before anyone can determine which movie is "good," one needs to first define what, exactly, a "good movie" is.

Rule#1 No Paulie Shore.

octothorp · 03-07-2010, 02:02 AM

If I was to rank the last five decades in terms of movies, the 00s would be right in the middle, not as good as the 1990s that brought us Shawshank, LA Confidential, Schindler's List, Fight Club, Usual Suspects, Fargo, Trainspotting, Unforgiven, Glengarry Glenross and a lot of other great movies; not as good as the 1970s that produced a lot of my personal favorites - Alien, Apocalypse Now, One Flew Over the ####oo's Nest, Chinatown, Dog Day Afternoon, as well as the best of both Monty Python and Woody Allen. But this decade has been a lot better than the 1980s, which had a handful of solid big budget pictures like Empire Strikes Back or Back to the Future, but I have a hard time thinking of any really great plot-driven movies from that decade. And this last decade has probably been better than the 1960s too, which had some good Hitchcock films and the best of Sergio Leone, a few great theatre adaptations, and not much else.