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I'm a little tire of...
Is anyone else a little sick of movies whose subject can be described "It's gritty and there really aren't any characters with redeeming characteristics, but the actors all deserve an Oscar and the directing is masterful!"
Meanwhile, the movie is endlessly negative, even depressing, because you hate every character and nothing ever really happens. Sometimes, the director will even throw in something nasty to make it "more real (or gritty, or "noir," they love those terms)."
Personally I'm f-ing tired of watching sick movies that are praised because they're realistic and the actors are convincing. If I feel like shit after watching the movie, who cares if the actors did a good job?
I say this after watching "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," and "Descent." The former has no redeeming qualities, is depressing, and ends with you wondering what the hell the point of the movie was. "Descent" is about a girl that gets raped, and eventually gets back at the guy by tying him up, raping him with an instrument, and then proceeding to have another guy rape him. That scene lasted for at least 10 fvcking minutes. I kept fast-forwarding and it wouldn't end! I couldn't believe those sick SOB's would have the scene last that long, and honestly I got pissed that they expected anyone to sit and watch that crap so I turned it off. It had Rosario Dawson in it, so I figured it may be at least decent...yeah right.
/end rant
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Those movies you listed both got pretty horrible reviews. Why anyone would watch them is beyond me.
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Well I agree with the overwhelming negativity of alot of movies. Some I am cool with as not everything needs a happy Harry Potter type ending. But some are just pointless.
I saw one about 3 junkies, one with a crazy mother- forgot the name of it. But it was just an hour and a half of other people's misery. From the crazy mom that ended up institutionalized to the son losing an arm to smack, another in prison, and the chick ends up doing raw sex shows for dope money.
That's it- just a movie that showed people destroying themselves to the point of destitution and prostitution.
Another film, Pieces of April, the wife rented. Holy shit, a depressing, boring film about pretty much nothing.
Some of these are self-serving piles of shit too. All too common is the poem, play, movie, etc that chronicles some part of the writers life, as if it were interesting or anyone cared. The 'its so hard to be a movie writer I'll write a movie about how hard my life is' type of drivel.
It's like the movie industry has gone EMO..............
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSollyLama
Well I agree with the overwhelming negativity of alot of movies. Some I am cool with as not everything needs a happy Harry Potter type ending. But some are just pointless.
...That's it- just a movie that showed people destroying themselves to the point of destitution and prostitution.
Another film, Pieces of April, the wife rented. Holy shit, a depressing, boring film about pretty much nothing.
It's like the movie industry has gone EMO..............
That's exactly what I'm talking about! And the Devil movie actually got rave reviews from the critics. I have Netflix, and checked it out before I added it to the list. Critics must be very unhappy people in general...
__________________ "He who is willing to trade his freedom for temporary security deserves neither and will lose both."
-Benjamin Franklin
I think what has been done with Batman and James Bond movies has been good. I would decribe them as Gritty compared to old movies. I think it can be a good thing when used right but like reality tv, can get old very fast.
I for one am quite glad that all movies are not made for the exact same audience. I didn't like either of the movies that you listed, but I am sure that some of my favorites are movies that you would hate and visa versa. If I have to see one more happy-ending predictable feel-good hollywood movie about square jawed American super-men, i'll be sick. So lets just be happy that we have choices and do a better job of reading the movie jackets before we rent.
Here is the synopsis of Before the Devil knows your Dead:
Quote:
The perfect crime goes horribly wrong when Andy and Hank (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) botch a robbery of their parents' jewelry store in this wrenching drama from legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet, who was 82 when he directed the film. Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris co-star as the unsuspecting parents, while Marisa Tomei plays Gina, who cheats on her husband, Andy, with Hank.
and for Descent:
Quote:
In the wake of a violent rape that leaves her shattered and emotionally destroyed, a star college student (Rosario Dawson) with a once-promising future descends into a downward spiral of depression, drug abuse and promiscuity. Talia Lugacy directs this Tribeca Film Festival selection that explores what happens when the victim ultimately gets the chance to exact revenge upon her attacker (Chad Faust).
I think the real question here is how you could possibly expected either of these movies to make you feel happy. Why did you rent them?
Sin City and a few other "gritty" movies I like, but for the most part I think it's just shock and awe and a perverse sense of voyeurism that get most people to watch the bad ones. Look how well the Saw movies sold, all four. And all the ripoffs: Hostel, Jeepers Creepers, you name it. Crap. Craaaaaaap.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighsideSV
If I have to see one more happy-ending predictable feel-good hollywood movie about square jawed American super-men, i'll be sick. So lets just be happy that we have choices and do a better job of reading the movie jackets before we rent.
I actually agree with both statements. A cast of talented actors who I've liked in the past, with a legendary director, is a tough one to call though.
Because of the bleached and re-dyed style of movie-making these days, sometimes you have to wade through a little bit of trash to find truly good movies, since they rarely are the money-makers. I was fresh off seeing those movies, so I was in the moment. It's a learning experience. My range of taste in movies is huge, so what I like isn't easy to describe.
As I've gotten a little older though, I have started watching some classic Oscar-winning films. Damn, they just don't make them like that anymore. I'm not talking about the feel-good stuff necessarily, just the VERY noticeable difference in quality...of pretty much everything: directing, acting, script, story.
__________________ "He who is willing to trade his freedom for temporary security deserves neither and will lose both."
-Benjamin Franklin
You mean back when movies had to rely on story, character development, acting and good cinematography instead of CGI and hoping their audience has a short attention span?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSollyLama
Well I agree with the overwhelming negativity of alot of movies. Some I am cool with as not everything needs a happy Harry Potter type ending. But some are just pointless.
I saw one about 3 junkies, one with a crazy mother- forgot the name of it. But it was just an hour and a half of other people's misery. From the crazy mom that ended up institutionalized to the son losing an arm to smack, another in prison, and the chick ends up doing raw sex shows for dope money.
That's it- just a movie that showed people destroying themselves to the point of destitution and prostitution.
Another film, Pieces of April, the wife rented. Holy shit, a depressing, boring film about pretty much nothing.
Some of these are self-serving piles of shit too. All too common is the poem, play, movie, etc that chronicles some part of the writers life, as if it were interesting or anyone cared. The 'its so hard to be a movie writer I'll write a movie about how hard my life is' type of drivel.
It's like the movie industry has gone EMO..............
That movie was Requiem for a Dream. I didn't like it much either.
I'm a little tire of...
