I am always on the hunt for a good new science fiction or fantasy movie or series. I try to avoid the ones that I know I am not going to be able to stand - anything super gruesome, or weak tea (As in rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation). And Netflix seems to keep trying to bring stuff to the screen - in a way, they have become the SciFi Channel (lots of bad movies, occasional good ones).
But twice now I have had to turn things off.
Essentially, it appears that unless your show has the requisite amount of swearing, sexual references (or actual sex), and a choose-your-own-adventure of today's social causes, it is likely not to get made - at least judging by what I have seen. It seems we all swear copiously and have zero self control (I know - news to you all as well). Apparently being in the future or on different worlds leads one to modern day sensibilities which have no direct impact on the ability to survive, accomplish things, or get work done.
Needless to say, I am seriously reconsidering my options.
In thinking through this, I tried to think of the last science fiction or fantasy movie that I really enjoyed and was "tame" by today's standards. It was Teminator: Salvation, circa 2009 (they could have ended the series there and it would have been fine). I cannot think of a movie I would endorse in that category since then.
(Yes, I am aware that this means I have missed a lot since then: The Star Wars Round 3, the Conan remake, something with the Aliens franchise [never saw it], and a host of others).
Which means that if I want to continue looking for things to watch, I am going to have to start at 2009 and work my way backwards.
It makes me sad a bit, of course - after all, CGI effects can be amazing these days - but not overly so. I would like, for once, to watch a movie that I do not cringe at while I watch it. That only means looking backwards at this point, not forwards.
The future, in the past, seems more attractive that the future that is projected as possible today.
Their job isn't to tell a story, it is to sell tickets at the box office. It started slowly with the odd flash of T & A here and there and it sold. So they started doing more and more and now hardcore porn is part of the industry.
ReplyDeleteLike all such things you get to a point of diminishing returns; people aren't going to the theatres like they used to. Porn is nothing now. Kids can see it anywhere for free so now Hollywood has to come up with something else to draw them in. Unless they figure it out we may well live in the post cinematic era.
Glen, I do not wonder if - in terms of theaters - we are already there. I can think of no really good reason to go to a theater. I pay a great deal of money for loud music, advertisements, lousy popcorn, and a movie I may or may not like. So I do not go - I have maybe been to one a year for the last three years, and this year it currently looks pretty bleak there.
DeleteSad. Once upon a time it was their job to tell a story.
Modern CGI is amazing. But the CGI needs to be supported by good writing, and characters we care about.
ReplyDeleteI'm using writing to cover plot and dialog.
Think about the number of classic and enduring movies shot in black and white that used no bad language, and only vaguely alluded to sex.
Yes humans use bad language, and humans have sex.
But the storytelling impact both of sex in cinema, and bad language in cinema, is much like spicing your food with a uniformly heavy dose of pepper.
(Yep, not my first time thinking about this issue)
John - The fact that CGI can make bad movies it what sustained Sci Fi (and now Netflix). But after the first burst of wonder - "Wow, CGI" - it comes back to good writing and characters we care about.
DeleteI am amazed - now - at something like The Maltese Falcon or Casablanca or even Forbidden Planet. Made today, those movies would never sell - precisely because of the reasons you list. We have abandoned good story telling for Tabasco laden effects.
The problem is, of course, Tabasco may enliven flavor, but it does not make spoiled food any less spoiled.
Thanks for stopping by!
I don't know if anywhere other than Prime has it; But I think you might like a show called Eureka. Only 5 seasons; and the last one was somewhat of a "jump the shark" moment, as hubby refers to shows that lose their way; but it's pretty good.
ReplyDeleteLinda, as I recall Eureka was a Sci Fi Channel Series (they did have some good ones). Jumping the Shark is always painful, especially in a show you enjoy.
DeleteI am also very tired of all the F-bombs every 3rd word or so. Sci Fi and other Netflix productions. I am watching old movies again, too.
ReplyDeleteTewshooz, it comforts me to know I am not the only one.
DeleteHonestly (if you like battle movies), some of the South Korean and even Chinese movies are quite good and not laden with the same issues.
We usually find that graphic violence, language, and sex are pretty much a tip-off that the characters will be shallow and the storyline will have no substance. It's also disappointing that they try to pass horror movies off as science fiction. We've had better success with independent films from the library.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I had not thought of it that way - but you are right, it is usually a sign of poor storytelling. And yes, the horror/science fiction band has largely been crossed and is often the same at this point.
ReplyDeleteI find foreign films almost as entertaining at this point. I wish I had access to more samurai dramas and the annual NHK programming from Japan, which is generally an epic a year from history and always good.