Summer 2010, the most uninteresting summer in a long time

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

My interest in cinema has has shrunk over the years. I used to see everything I could but I've found as I've gotten older I have more interest in spending time outdoors or going to places like museums, art galleries, concerts etc etc as opposed to sitting inside a theater. I'm almost at a point where I'm seriously considering selling off my DVD collection, with the exception of about 30 films. My wife and I don't even watch that many movies when we're at home.

We prefer to play games or talk.

I value my film score CD/LP collection way more than my DVD collection. And so do you, I bet.

[Ollie 1,059]

Aye Captain.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I judge all movies nowadays against the remarkable assortment of films I grew up with, most originating from the 1970s, 80s and early 90s. Star Wars, E.T., Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Tim Burton, Spielberg and George Lucas when they were actually good, Jim Henson, River Phoenix, the good Star Treks and Terminators, Disney animated features like Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, etc. Most of today's stuff pales in comparison to the entertainment of that era. I find myself going back further in time to find good movies. I guess I've become a film snob (and a time traveler).

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I value my movie collection over my cd collection any day. I prefer movies to music these days, though I have the option of both. I will spend far more money on movies than I will cds.

I will buy 2 cds this year for me. JNH Last Airbender and Alex Desplats or however you spell it, Deathly Hallows Part One.

[Wojo 2,453]

My movie collection would be completely replaceable at an inconvenient expense, but not unreasonable.

I cannot say the same of my music collection.

[indy4 155]

I don't often watch movies that I own on DVD, so I rarely buy new ones. Even for my old favorites. I can remember the last time I saw Star Wars.

[John Crichton 4]

My movie collection would be completely replaceable at an inconvenient expense, but not unreasonable.

Same here. In fact, I'm about ready for another kinda annual movie purge, there's several things sitting on my shelf that I don't care much for anymore. As I've said before, I watch much, much more TV on DVD than movies, that's the majority of my collection.

The strange thing is, when it comes to my CDs even the stuff I hardly ever listen to I don't ever want to get rid of.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I find myself not watching that many movies anymore. I oddly still buy them, but that's probably because it has been an imprinted routine for about a decade. I have slowed down quite a bit though. Nowadays I only buy Blu, and I only upgrade from a DVD if it's essential, and I only buy stuff I really loved in theaters and would want to watch more than once. Actually, my buying habits really haven't changed I just don't really find the time to watch them.

Ironically, my CD purchasing has skyrocketed these past few months. My wish list at SAE totals $350.

[Wojo 2,453]

Actually it's my video/PC game collection that would be the hardest to replace. Movies drop to dirt cheap on the internet or Walmart because of BR driving down the price of DVDs, and there's always Netflix or Blockbuster and a complete suppression of morals.

[Morlock 11]

I judge all movies nowadays against the remarkable assortment of films I grew up with, most originating from the 1970s, 80s and early 90s. Star Wars, E.T., Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Tim Burton, Spielberg and George Lucas when they were actually good, Jim Henson, River Phoenix, the good Star Treks and Terminators, Disney animated features like Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, etc. Most of today's stuff pales in comparison to the entertainment of that era. I find myself going back further in time to find good movies. I guess I've become a film snob (and a time traveler).

Meh, you can be a film snob and still be excited by current cinema. The 'cinema is dead' argument has been around since the 1920's. There are negative and troubling trends, sure- but there have always been those, as well. I understand and am saddened when I hear that people can't find movies that capture their imagination like they did 20 years ago, but that is not because they don't make them good any more.

[Ollie 1,059]

Ironically, my CD purchasing has skyrocketed these past few months. My wish list at SAE totals $350.

Come talk to me when you actually purchase your wish list. Then you will have joined the big league.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Oh believe me, I've gotten excited. But all that excitement doesn't pay off. The Star Wars prequels, Star Trek, Indy 4, the dull Christian Bale Batmans, CGI-fied and politically corrected E.T., anything former hero Tim Burton does. It's a nightmare.

[John Crichton 4]

Actually it's my video/PC game collection that would be the hardest to replace.

Yes again. I've got a lot of games that are long OOP and impossible to get a hold of, at least until GOG.com gets them up (love those guys). I remember spending years trying to find a replacement for my lost Journeyman Project CD and finally stumbling on one in a Half Priced Books.

[Trent B 337]

To be honest I'm really looking forward to Iron Man 2. It's pushed the $100 million mark over seas all ready. It gets released here in the states tomorrow. I can only imagine how much money it'll pull in here in the states. I am with most of you though that my interest in movies has dwindled over the years as well. I'm tired of all these damn remakes that keep coming out.

[tharpdevenport 4]

Then you aren't a film fan.

No, it means they aren't making movies worth a toot and I shouldn't have to lower my I.Q. and standards to "enjoy" something.

I wanted to see "Amelia", but none of the theaters here carried it. Not even the dollar theater that has movies after their run.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Then you aren't a film fan.

No, it means they aren't making movies worth a toot and I shouldn't have to lower my I.Q. and standards to "enjoy" something.

I wanted to see "Amelia", but none of the theaters here carried it. Not even the dollar theater that has movies after their run.

That's the same dilemma most fans of good movies have, that they have to hunt them down, either in small theaters or on DVD (or the internet). I couldn't catch LET THE RIGHT ONE IN in the cinema, so I got the DVD, and it was the best film I saw last year.

They are making great movies, they just don't always get a fair chance because of the idiot blockbusters.

[King Mark 3,625]

We grew up on classics like Jaws, Raiders, ToD, Superman the Movie, The Godfather, E.T, Star Wars,TESB. Those movies had OMG! scenes that were intrinsically cool that you wanted to analyze and see over and over again , not just characters "reacting" to CGI crap happening around them ,or incredibly bland formulaic,PG-fied,PC-fied summer movies (Clash of the Titans I'm looking at you)

Not many movies fall into the "great" category in the 2000's, you know when you come out of the theater amazed :

-A.I. (I know some hate it but to me it's the last great Spielberg film)

-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban

-The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

-The Dark Knight( mostly for the Joker scenes, I found the action sequences terribly edited and shot)

-Avatar (to some degree the story is stupid and acting lame but you can still lose yourself in it)

-District 9

-Watchmen (I loved the overall visual style of the film)

-Star Trek

-Revenge of the Sith(the special effects and the music are worthy, and the film is not as bad as some people make it out to be)

-Pan's Labyrinth (overall a very powerful film)

-Transformers (the first one ,yes you come out of the theater blown away)

-Cloverfield (kept me on the edge of my seat)

-There will be Blood (just incredibly powerful acting and set pieces)

-Ironman

-Spiderman 2

-Hulk (I actually preferred it to Ironman)

-Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (the only one of the three I really liked)

-Wanted

-Knowing (oddly disturbing and suspenseful with a great finale)

-Inglorious Bastards

-Zombieland

-The Simpsons Movie

-Casino Royale

-Kick Ass (best movie of the year so far)

Those are the films I'd buy on home video,if I still bought movies

[Koray Savas 2,251]

You've got a pretty decent list, but there are tons more. The smaller films have always been better.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

We grew up on classics like Jaws, Raiders, ToD, Superman the Movie, The Godfather, E.T, Star Wars,TESB. Those movies had OMG! scenes that were intrinsically cool that you wanted to analyze and see over and over again , not just characters "reacting" to CGI crap happening around them ,or incredibly bland formulaic,PG-fied,PC-fied summer movies (Clash of the Titans I'm looking at you)

Not many movies fall into the "great" category in the 2000's, you know when you come out of the theater amazed :

-A.I. (I know some hate it but to me it's the last great Spielberg film)SUCKED ASS

-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

-The Lord of the Rings Trilogy FOTR was okay, TTT sucked, ROTK was grand

-The Dark Knight( mostly for the Joker scenes, I found the action sequences terribly edited and shot)

-Avatar (to some degree the story is stupid and acting lame but you can still lose yourself in it)What a dumbass Mark, the Acting was not lame.

-District 9 overated

-Watchmen (I loved the overall visual style of the film)SUCKED ASS

-Star Trek THE MOST STUPID STORY IN ANY STAR TREK FILM

-Revenge of the Sith(the special effects and the music are worthy, and the film is not as bad as some people make it out to be)YES IT IS, IT'S AWFUL

-Pan's Labyrinth (overall a very powerful film)

-Transformers (the first one ,yes you come out of the theater blown away)ONLY IF YOU'RE A MORON

-Cloverfield (kept me on the edge of my seat)IT WAS BAD

-There will be Blood (just incredibly powerful acting and set pieces)

-Ironman

-Spiderman 2

-Hulk (I actually preferred it to Ironman)THE HULK SUCKED ASS, THE INCREDIBLE HULK WAS DECENT

-Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (the only one of the three I really liked)REALLY YOU LIKED THE WORST OF THE THREE, WOW

-Wanted

-Knowing (oddly disturbing and suspenseful with a great finale)THE ENDING WAS CRAP BUT IT HAD MOMENTS

Inglorious Bastards

-Zombieland

-The Simpsons Movie

-Casino Royale

-Kick Ass (best movie of the year so far)IT WAS REPREHENSIBLE, BUT HEY IF YOU GET YOUR ROCKS OFF AND ARE ENTERTAINED BY SEEING AN 11 YEAR OLD SAY CUNT AND GET BEAT TO DEATH MORE POWER TO YOU.

Those are the films I'd buy on home video,if I still bought movies

[Ollie 1,059]

I still don't know what happened during the last hour of Transformers. There was fighting but....

You've got a pretty decent list, but there are tons more. The smaller films have always been better.

No, they're just as dull, bland and predictable as the big films. Everyone thinks they are making cool films because they are doing it outside the system but most of them aren't worth the time nor effort.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Scorcese movies are still good. Departed and Aviator are in my Blu-ray collection.

Some Pixar movies are very good like Finding Nemo and Up.

[Andy 4,087]

I still don't know what happened during the last hour of Trnasformers. There was fighting but....

You've got a pretty decent list, but there are tons more. The smaller films have always been better.

No, they're just as dull, bland and predictable as the big films. Everyone thinks they are making cool films because they are doing it outside the system but most of them aren't worth the time nor effort.

[King Mark 3,625]

-Kick Ass (best movie of the year so far)IT WAS REPREHENSIBLE, BUT HEY IF YOU GET YOUR ROCKS OFF AND ARE ENTERTAINED BY SEEING AN 11 YEAR OLD SAY CUNT AND GET BEAT TO DEATH MORE POWER TO YOU.

Very classy,Joe.

Hit Girl is an amazing movie character and an instant classic. One of the most convincing child actor performances in a long time. Her fight scenes were more believable than most incoherent CGI enhanced action scenes thrown into movies nowadays. She does some disturbing things, but there's a multitude of other reasons as to why she's awesome, and by the end of the film you really care and are clearly rooting for her to get the bad guy. Most critics gave this film a high rating and I believe the majority of people who saw it enjoyed it. Then there's a few moralistic finger wagging internet twats like you that try to make everyone else feel guilty about liking the movie, or whatever it is your trying to imply in your comment.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Kick Ass really dragged after the first scene of Hit Girl killing the people in the apartment. I think that scene especially really desensitized me to all the violence and shocker moments for the rest of the movie. I was bored.

[Ollie 1,059]

Hit Girl is an amazing movie character. Of course because of moralistic finger wagging internet twats like you were supposed to feel guilty about liking the film. Anyways most critics apart from Roger Ebert and "parental groups" disagree with you.

Yes, when my daughter was 11, I taught her the "C" word and made sure she used it.

[King Mark 3,625]

I think the part where Kick Ass and Big Daddy get captured in the warehouse and beat up on the internet had real tension about it. And the ending had one of the most amazingly shot sequences in recent memory.

Yes, when my daughter was 11, I taught her the "C" word and made sure she used it.

To me it's just another swear word that's not worse than the other ones . By comparison everything Stewie says or does on Family Guy every week is much worse than Hit Girl. And there's as much explicit violence in any episode of Heroes as there was in Kick Ass.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I didn't find Kick Ass to be that violent, especially the Hit Girl scenes. CG spurts of blood, that's it. Kill Bill is much much much worse.

As for the smaller films, they're far from bland. I also wasn't specifically talking about independent films, just not summer blockbusters, which are always just giant CGI action scene after another.

Film like The Brothers Bloom, Moon, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, 3:10 To Yuma (2007), A Serious Man, Inglourious Basterds, The New World, Children Of Men, Babel, Munich, Road To Perdition, etc. etc. etc. are all top notch films that I wouldn't hesitate to toss onto a Top 250 list.

[King Mark 3,625]

I didn't find Kick Ass to be that violent, especially the Hit Girl scenes. CG spurts of blood, that's it. Kill Bill is much much much worse.

That's what I'm saying .Anyways forget it, I think Joe just wants to drag this into a somekind of debate about morality . I've read Roger Ebert's review and I disagree with it.

[Morlock 11]

Yeah, dragging morality into the conversation...what a freak.

[King Mark 3,625]

Whatever, Joe quoted my list like a total asshole and insulted me several times instead of commenting on the film themselves. His only intent was to provoke me and and put me on the defensive.

-Hulk (I actually preferred it to Ironman)THE HULK SUCKED ASS, THE INCREDIBLE HULK WAS DECENT

I made a mistake,I meant The Incredible Hulk...the one with Edward Norton

-Star Trek THE MOST STUPID STORY IN ANY STAR TREK FILM

-Transformers (the first one ,yes you come out of the theater blown away)ONLY IF YOU'RE A MORON

I'm almost 100% certain I could find threads in the MB archives where you said you liked and praised both these movies when they came out

[Johnnyecks 33]

Iand Piranha 3D, love that line in the trailer by Dreyfus, Well this was not a boating accident, and it wasn't Jack the Ripper, it was a Piranha with a mouth on it this big, then he puts his thumb and forefinger together. I laughed my ass off at that.

What trailer was this? I can't seem to find it.

[Ollie 1,059]

Here's the trailer:

http://www.movieweb.com/movie/piranha-3d/VIlkEtmmV8TKpn

or

http://piranha-3d.com/

Me thinks Joe is having some fun though.

[Wojo 2,453]

That really looks cool.

[King Mark 3,625]

I saw The Losers.

Terrible movie,don't waste your money.The story was incomprehensible and it had one of the worst movie villains ever.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,500]

There really hasn't been anything that good in the last few years. Movies nowadays suck.

No, guys, ET has a point. Most "popular" films are made, and/or sponsored by some fast-food chain, or some godsawful soft drink manufacturer, and, as such, these "people" do not have the slightest idea as to what makes a good film. They only care about how it does on its first weekend, or, as Roger Waters once put it: "who cares what it's about, as long as the kids go". Unfortunately, this mentality is creeping into all "art", to the point where people's taste will be compromised so much, that they will simply forget what a "good" film really is. Most mainstream films, these days, are lazy, cynical, parochial, and manipulative, and the "joke" is that people do not even realise that this brainwashing is goong on. This is how good taste dies: to thunderous applause.

You lost me at Roger Waters.

When you say "You lost me at Roger Waters", do you mean that you got confused, or that you gave up reading?

[Morlock 11]

I take less seriously things peppered with Roger Waters, I find his powers of observation to be extremely weak. Otherwise, I do agree with much of what you said, if not the apocalyptic spirit of it. It's never as a bad as all that.

[King Mark 3,625]

It's the same as it always was,mostly cookie cutter forgettable films with the occasional good one .It wasn't different in the 80's. You get movies that will strictly make you mildly entertained for 2 hours and that you never want to see again and a few that will stick with you

the only thing that's spiraled downwards is film scores.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's the same as it always was,mostly fogettable film with the occasional good one .It wasn't different in the 80's.

People only think it was different because all the crap films are forgotten.

Studio's like Cannon were releasing dozen's of cheaply made, rubbish films every summer.

[King Mark 3,625]

yes, that's what I mean .Cannon films was the equivalent of the generic CGI crap fests we have now

[Datameister 2,037]

Yup. Heck, things may have even gotten slightly better - or at least slightly more consistent, with the bad being a little better and the good being a little worse. Look at the ridiculous levels of cheese in some of the less-than-stellar films from past decades...you don't really get as much of that any more, though the bad films are still bad.

[King Mark 3,625]

And Tom Cruise movies were like the big budget "formula" action films of today

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Here's the trailer:

http://www.movieweb.com/movie/piranha-3d/VIlkEtmmV8TKpn

or

http://piranha-3d.com/

Me thinks Joe is having some fun though.

Would I ever do that???

[Naïve Old Fart 9,500]

yes, that's what I mean .Cannon films was the equivalent of the generic CGI crap fests we have now

That maybe so, but at least three of the Cannon films had great scores:

"Link", "King Solomon's Mines", and "Highlander".

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

And Masters of the Universe.

And Masters of the Universe.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,500]

And Masters of the Universe.

And Masters of the Universe.

...and "Masters Of The Universe" (sorry!).

[Ollie 1,059]

Don't forget Superman IV.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Masters of the Universe is so misunderstood.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,500]

Don't forget Superman IV.

I'll never be able to forget "Superman IV"...however hard I try!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

And Masters of the Universe.

And Masters of the Universe.

...and "Masters Of The Universe" (sorry!).

Yeah me too. That reply button can be temperamental.