I don't wanna be the guy that hates on everything, but like....when are we going to get actual original movies instead of reboots, remakes, and superhero movies?
I don't wanna be the guy that hates on everything, but like....when are we going to get actual original movies instead of reboots, remakes, and superhero movies?
Unfortunately, when those things stop being profitable, which with Disney owning a whole lot of the industry now, is unlikely to happen. Their marketing machine is just too powerful. IMHO, the...
Unfortunately, when those things stop being profitable, which with Disney owning a whole lot of the industry now, is unlikely to happen. Their marketing machine is just too powerful.
IMHO, the golden age of (American) cinema is over. We are stuck in an endless cycle of remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, and comic book movies, with few signs of that slowing down. The biggest film releases for 2019 all seem to fall into those categories. Just look at 2019's top grossing films. 8 out of 10 are superhero films, sequels, or remakes (and just look at how much Disney is in there!). That being said, there are a pair of Chinese movies making the top 10 this year as well. How much of that revenue was generated outside of China I don't know, but I think we'll start to see more and more Chinese-made movies in our cinemas in the coming years.
All that said, if you're looking for originality and risk-taking, TV seems to be more and more where it's at. There are far more TV shows and places to watch those shows than ever before, and there are some real gems being turned out in the past few years: Stranger Things, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones (season 8 notwithstanding), Mr Robot, Better Call Saul, Black Sails, Silicon Valley, Barry, Rick & Morty, Westworld, Fargo, Black Mirror, True Detective, Bojack Horseman, Peaky Blinders, Handmaid's Tale, Taboo, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Good Omens... The list goes on. Granted not all of these are truly original, a good amount are adaptations of existing stories, but a whole lot are original premises with genuinely interesting themes, ideas, and presentation.
Don Juan has had about 100 versions since the 17th century. Romeo and Juliet was shot and staged hundreds of times. We can say the same about Greek tragedies such as Oedipus Rex and Medea. The...
Don Juan has had about 100 versions since the 17th century. Romeo and Juliet was shot and staged hundreds of times. We can say the same about Greek tragedies such as Oedipus Rex and Medea. The recreation of past works is never a simple reproduction, but a resignification that enriches our culture with new meanings. Jordan Peele’s Get Out is a great example.
Besides, Hollywood always had its trends. It’s the nature of the business. In 1940 you might be complaining about the abundance of westerns and noir films. Either way, it’s not hard to avoid such trends. There’s plenty for everyone. You just need to look for it.
I think this trend / fresh to remake ratio will stay around this level for quite a while. The studio system has changed. Where it used to be writer-generated, its now the studio approaching...
I think this trend / fresh to remake ratio will stay around this level for quite a while. The studio system has changed. Where it used to be writer-generated, its now the studio approaching writers with the concept. The studios just don't want the risk anymore, and you can't blame them. They know that if they shell out 356m for Endgame they'll bring in 2bn -- where pictures like Ladybird, made for 10m with a take of 75m did well, but it just can't compete.
That being said, there are plenty of films out each year that are totally fresh -- they're just not big blockbuster / movie of the summer hits. Following distributors like A24 is a good start.
Along with @bilbodwyer's list, you should definitely check out Too Old to Die Young
Too Old To Die Young (2019) - Detective Martin Jones, who leads a double life as a killer for hire in Los Angeles' deadly underground, suffers an existential crisis which leads him deeper into a blood splattered world of violence.
It has the same aesthetic as Drive and Only God Forgives -- and has a slower pace than most people are used to, but it's amazing. Super violent, dark, etc etc -- purely as a warning.
UGC (User Generated Content) is the only place for that now, that or whatever Netflix or Amazon Prime are putting out. When I say UGC I mean places like YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, Funny or Die,...
UGC (User Generated Content) is the only place for that now, that or whatever Netflix or Amazon Prime are putting out. When I say UGC I mean places like YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, Funny or Die, Patreon, etc. etc. People who don't have much of a budget like to make original works of art I find, big budget means a producer expecting a guaranteed payoff thus less originality.
Obvious "woah" out of the way, I'm interested in what you revisit in the Matrix some 20 years later, now that everyone is online, the red pill is kind of a bunch of ignorant assholes, and the...
Obvious "woah" out of the way,
I'm interested in what you revisit in the Matrix some 20 years later, now that everyone is online, the red pill is kind of a bunch of ignorant assholes, and the Matrix was damn near prophetic in our relationship with machines, people and tailored realities.
EDIT: Along with the freedom to be a little more explicit in the LBGTQ themes touched on in the original set of movies. (Neo as trans allegory, Switch actually presenting another gender inside the Matrix, breaking free of the order of the world and waking up to what you truly are...)
They don't need to recast Morpheus, they have the perfect opportunity for a meaningful and crowd outraging death, and then Morpheus's protege to carry the Matrix Cinematic Universe into a new...
They don't need to recast Morpheus, they have the perfect opportunity for a meaningful and crowd outraging death, and then Morpheus's protege to carry the Matrix Cinematic Universe into a new franchise death spiral.
There is no way this goes well though, you have half an audience that the Matrix is an old classic they don't really think about, a quarter who will hype it to the point M4 can't possibly compete, and a last quarter who are too cool for school and will hate on it as a sequel regardless, because it conflicts with their head canon or w/e.
Woah. I can see 10 more movies and another animated tv series, maybe even two. And at least 5 more video games. Seriously though, I did enjoy The Animatrix and Matrix Online could have been a...
the Matrix Cinematic Universe
Woah. I can see 10 more movies and another animated tv series, maybe even two. And at least 5 more video games.
Seriously though, I did enjoy The Animatrix and Matrix Online could have been a great game but they went too big too fast and they were competing against the aesthetic of WoW.
The game Enter The Matrix broke a lot of boundaries for releasing movie influencing material before you saw it in the films, but unfortunately was not what people actually wanted from a Matrix...
The game Enter The Matrix broke a lot of boundaries for releasing movie influencing material before you saw it in the films, but unfortunately was not what people actually wanted from a Matrix game. Then Path of Neo came along and fixed all of that, fucking fantastic game (and it fixed the ending to Revolutions).
The movies though... 2 and 3 were garbage (albeit garbage with cool individual scenes) to the point there is a 'there was only ever 1 Matrix movie' trope where I live.
I still think Matrix Online would have been much better if they had launched it as an ARPG with zero traditional marketing and just let it grow organically.
I still think Matrix Online would have been much better if they had launched it as an ARPG with zero traditional marketing and just let it grow organically.
Man, where the hell do they have left to go with the story? I'm on board as long as it's not another lame reboot/rewrite. I'll be less enthused for a prequel than a sequel but still open to it.
Man, where the hell do they have left to go with the story? I'm on board as long as it's not another lame reboot/rewrite. I'll be less enthused for a prequel than a sequel but still open to it.
I’m so excited about this. The Wachowskis have made some of my favorite movies and I am onboard for anything they do, especially if its more Matrix content!
I’m so excited about this. The Wachowskis have made some of my favorite movies and I am onboard for anything they do, especially if its more Matrix content!
I'm intrigued but hesitate to let myself get excited. This could be fantastic or a disaster, I doubt it'll be middling. I suppose I'll just have to see how this all shakes out and wait on a...
I'm intrigued but hesitate to let myself get excited. This could be fantastic or a disaster, I doubt it'll be middling. I suppose I'll just have to see how this all shakes out and wait on a trailer in a couple years.
This will be pretty interesting, as Trinity is in the flesh dead, though I suppose she could be an (aged?) simulation. I suppose there is a slim chance that they will pull a Terminator and pretend...
This will be pretty interesting, as Trinity is in the flesh dead, though I suppose she could be an (aged?) simulation.
I suppose there is a slim chance that they will pull a Terminator and pretend at least Revolutions didn’t happen, but that would be a long shot.
I don't wanna be the guy that hates on everything, but like....when are we going to get actual original movies instead of reboots, remakes, and superhero movies?
Unfortunately, when those things stop being profitable, which with Disney owning a whole lot of the industry now, is unlikely to happen. Their marketing machine is just too powerful.
IMHO, the golden age of (American) cinema is over. We are stuck in an endless cycle of remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, and comic book movies, with few signs of that slowing down. The biggest film releases for 2019 all seem to fall into those categories. Just look at 2019's top grossing films. 8 out of 10 are superhero films, sequels, or remakes (and just look at how much Disney is in there!). That being said, there are a pair of Chinese movies making the top 10 this year as well. How much of that revenue was generated outside of China I don't know, but I think we'll start to see more and more Chinese-made movies in our cinemas in the coming years.
All that said, if you're looking for originality and risk-taking, TV seems to be more and more where it's at. There are far more TV shows and places to watch those shows than ever before, and there are some real gems being turned out in the past few years: Stranger Things, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones (season 8 notwithstanding), Mr Robot, Better Call Saul, Black Sails, Silicon Valley, Barry, Rick & Morty, Westworld, Fargo, Black Mirror, True Detective, Bojack Horseman, Peaky Blinders, Handmaid's Tale, Taboo, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Good Omens... The list goes on. Granted not all of these are truly original, a good amount are adaptations of existing stories, but a whole lot are original premises with genuinely interesting themes, ideas, and presentation.
Don Juan has had about 100 versions since the 17th century. Romeo and Juliet was shot and staged hundreds of times. We can say the same about Greek tragedies such as Oedipus Rex and Medea. The recreation of past works is never a simple reproduction, but a resignification that enriches our culture with new meanings. Jordan Peele’s Get Out is a great example.
Besides, Hollywood always had its trends. It’s the nature of the business. In 1940 you might be complaining about the abundance of westerns and noir films. Either way, it’s not hard to avoid such trends. There’s plenty for everyone. You just need to look for it.
I think this trend / fresh to remake ratio will stay around this level for quite a while. The studio system has changed. Where it used to be writer-generated, its now the studio approaching writers with the concept. The studios just don't want the risk anymore, and you can't blame them. They know that if they shell out 356m for Endgame they'll bring in 2bn -- where pictures like Ladybird, made for 10m with a take of 75m did well, but it just can't compete.
That being said, there are plenty of films out each year that are totally fresh -- they're just not big blockbuster / movie of the summer hits. Following distributors like A24 is a good start.
Along with @bilbodwyer's list, you should definitely check out Too Old to Die Young
It has the same aesthetic as Drive and Only God Forgives -- and has a slower pace than most people are used to, but it's amazing. Super violent, dark, etc etc -- purely as a warning.
Some other newer films I've enjoyed lately:
Some others in my list
UGC (User Generated Content) is the only place for that now, that or whatever Netflix or Amazon Prime are putting out. When I say UGC I mean places like YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, Funny or Die, Patreon, etc. etc. People who don't have much of a budget like to make original works of art I find, big budget means a producer expecting a guaranteed payoff thus less originality.
Given the latest Sony/Disney spat, I am fully expecting Yet Another Spider-Man Reboot in short order.
Obvious "woah" out of the way,
I'm interested in what you revisit in the Matrix some 20 years later, now that everyone is online, the red pill is kind of a bunch of ignorant assholes, and the Matrix was damn near prophetic in our relationship with machines, people and tailored realities.
EDIT: Along with the freedom to be a little more explicit in the LBGTQ themes touched on in the original set of movies. (Neo as trans allegory, Switch actually presenting another gender inside the Matrix, breaking free of the order of the world and waking up to what you truly are...)
They don't need to recast Morpheus, they have the perfect opportunity for a meaningful and crowd outraging death, and then Morpheus's protege to carry the Matrix Cinematic Universe into a new franchise death spiral.
There is no way this goes well though, you have half an audience that the Matrix is an old classic they don't really think about, a quarter who will hype it to the point M4 can't possibly compete, and a last quarter who are too cool for school and will hate on it as a sequel regardless, because it conflicts with their head canon or w/e.
Woah. I can see 10 more movies and another animated tv series, maybe even two. And at least 5 more video games.
Seriously though, I did enjoy The Animatrix and Matrix Online could have been a great game but they went too big too fast and they were competing against the aesthetic of WoW.
The game Enter The Matrix broke a lot of boundaries for releasing movie influencing material before you saw it in the films, but unfortunately was not what people actually wanted from a Matrix game. Then Path of Neo came along and fixed all of that, fucking fantastic game (and it fixed the ending to Revolutions).
The movies though... 2 and 3 were garbage (albeit garbage with cool individual scenes) to the point there is a 'there was only ever 1 Matrix movie' trope where I live.
I still think Matrix Online would have been much better if they had launched it as an ARPG with zero traditional marketing and just let it grow organically.
Man, where the hell do they have left to go with the story? I'm on board as long as it's not another lame reboot/rewrite. I'll be less enthused for a prequel than a sequel but still open to it.
This was my first thought too except for the prequel part. Neo was not the first so it would be interesting to see him as the previous One.
I’m so excited about this. The Wachowskis have made some of my favorite movies and I am onboard for anything they do, especially if its more Matrix content!
I'm intrigued but hesitate to let myself get excited. This could be fantastic or a disaster, I doubt it'll be middling. I suppose I'll just have to see how this all shakes out and wait on a trailer in a couple years.
Only one of the Wachowskis is on board, at least so far. That seems really weird and ominous to me.
Apparently Lilly has been on a break for a while. Lana did season 2 of Sense8 without her sister.
Honestly, I'm happy to see it just for the special effects which might be something else, in this day and age.
This will be pretty interesting, as Trinity is in the flesh dead, though I suppose she could be an (aged?) simulation.
I suppose there is a slim chance that they will pull a Terminator and pretend at least Revolutions didn’t happen, but that would be a long shot.
Oh my god. My body is ready.