Lorna wrote: ↑December 31st, 2023, 4:25 pm
I see where you’re coming from with regard to films of the 21st-century, not being up to par, all I can offer you is that while I have likewise been *so* deeply turned off and repelled by the modern films that I have disliked, there have been some films I’ve seen made in the last 20 years that I did like
And would even call excelllent, among them GET OUT, GOD’S OWN COUNTRY, DJANGO UNCHAINED, DAWN IF THE DEAD, THE KINGS SPEECH and some others.
But yes, you have to be careful because the bad films are so bad that they can give you trust issues when taking viewing risks
A few notes before I address your post on 21st century films...
Although you didn't get far, I'm glad you liked Black Cauldron all over again. I spoke of it a few days ago here, how much it meant to me. It's terribly underrated.
As for Howl's Moving Castle, before going in, I knew the story was odd, because years ago, someone had donated this comic book like publication which showed the whole unfolding of the story, and even there, it seemed weird and slightly incoherent..... I think it plays better unfolding on the screen, but maybe I was a bit too kind when I saw it a few years ago.....
It's not the only Japanese animated film with an unusual plot on the IMDb list. 2016's Your Name, which is in that top 100, starts as some sort of Freaky Friday clone with a girl and boy mysteriously switching places repeatedly, before revealing itself to be a youth romance/drama/sci-fi/ race-against-time/disaster movie. Seriously. It actually worked because the underlying emotions were so strong, but it is another film not to go into with the intention of expecting clarity or credibility.
Re, your earlier post on the Batman animated film, thank you for deconstructing it. I kind of thought that it sounded as though it couldn't live up to the hype, which is still strong for it. There actually was a (frustrating) book ranking TV series a few years ago which said that the animated TV series was one of the 100 best American series of all time. Sorry to hear that Dana Delany's vocal performance wasn't up to pitch; I have this utmost respect for her due to her brilliant, masterclass performance she gave on China Beach, my all-time favorite TV series. I only wish her subsequent career had been better, although it was great to see her on Desperate Housewives.
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But now the topic has to turn to the 21st century for films. Part of my aversion is due to purely personal issues: the years of this century have been hard, and I have a lot of past regrets dating back to 2007. (How I wish I could have been better than I was, to not have made some of those big mistakes).
The biggest personal reason is because I spent years with people I met on IMDb that mostly discussed new releases/Oscar films. When the boards closed there, I followed them to a Facebook group. It all started out so well. But my jitters stemming from an earlier internet trouble had its impact, as did my unyielding criticism of some "popular, praised" films combined with some degree of social naivete. And one day, feeling worn down from being dogpiled on several times and being repulsed by the sounds of the latest movie of the moment, I lost my cool, and tried to fight back. They banned me from the group for over two years before letting me back in. During the time of the ban, only about 15 of the 150+people even acknowledged my existence. I found I was the butt of jokes, that people I deeply cared for, people I had poured my soul out to, didn't even care, that some directly publicly scorned me and publicly said bad things about me in my absence. They mocked my love of older films. I did a lot for them in that four year period before being banned; I'm kind of back there now, but it will never be the same as it was before. I am so wary of being hurt, and some of them still don't give me the time of day. How I was treated there really made me reluctant to do anymore than I absolutely had to with post-2000 films. Almost every time I watch one from the 21st century (save maybe for some of those titles from 2000-2003), especially films from the 2010s, I become reminded of the past. And it still hurts.
But the other half of it comes from the films themselves. I keep track of the films I have seen, and about 13% come from 2000 onward. To my surprise, I really liked a good 45% of them. But the other 55% ranges from the bland to the inane, from the mediocre to the reprehensible. And what makes an impact also is how seriously some of the bad films were taken. Some were given some of the best press in the world, Oscars, and a big popular response. And they were still lacking. Every Oscar year brings at least one big clinker up for Best Picture. Netflix rarely produces a good film, the current indie scene is dominated by the sanctimonious, narcissistic duo of studios A24 and Neon (to be fair they have financed some good films, but also a whole lot of schlock), and the majors are lost to blockbusters. And I have so little patience for the blockbusters turned out by the score now. The films that are aimed at adults the past few years (2020- now) have the subtlety of a sledgehammer; even Stanley Kramer would say they tried too hard. Plus there are some that are plainly morally repugnant. And I am still furious that 20th Century Fox is now referred to as the meaningless 20th Century Studios....
To be fair, there are reasons to keep watching. Most of the films have been downbeat, but they come with some exceptional performances (like Glenn Close in The Wife or Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years). And every now and then, there is a film left for dead that is actually marvelous (A Quiet Passion, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, Stan and Ollie, Motherless Brooklyn, Three Thousand Years of Longing). It's enough to make things a bit easier and more palatable. But my heart still belongs with the 20th century.
Pulp Fiction
