I lament for a time when films were praised based on their quality and not their popularity. Twilight wouldn't be believed to be the "best movies I've ever seen" and more people my age would be aware of Chaplin (who anyone who ever watches a film owes a debt to). Granted there are good films out there but you have to sift through fifteen bins of garbage before you even can find a film of higher quality. The ratio is not good.
All of the horror movies these days are either full of gore, sex, or people getting tortured physically. You know why? Because that's what is popular. That's the type of vulgar, impudent garbage the average filmgoer wants to see. Alfred Hitchcock never had to do that. He understood the subtleties needed for a horror film because he was a genius. Today you have the Eli Roth-like filmmakers who put torture and slashers on the screen and call it art.
Lately I have seen far too many stoner, gross-out comedies being made. They are not funny except to the subintelligent boils of the earth. Most are written as though there was an explosion at a used screenplay factory and then shoddily put together using fruit stripe gum. If you see a film by Mel Brooks you'd know he built jokes up properly. Now all I see are a lot of stupid punchlines
I have high standards. There isn't any way to sugarcoat it nor would I want to if there was a way. Perhaps my high standards are the reason I am so often disappointed. Who knows? Maybe if I didn't hold films to such a high standard I'd have been one of the fools who enjoyed Hangover Part II. That's why I proudly proclaim my standards because I know how great film can be. There is nothing I love more than going to the movies and I am never happier when I get to discuss films that I enjoyed. Therefore when I am not able to do that I am not happy.
So I say to many filmmakers of today, make me happy!
Perhaps this post was a bit mean spirited but, as Peter Finch said in Network, I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!
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