Lot of bad movies out right now... (1 Viewer)

Let's look at the list shall we?

Bringing down the House
Dreamcatcher
Agent Cody Banks
The Hunted
The Core
Basic
Head of State
Boat Trip (do I have to say it)

and lets not forget A View from the Top

Wow, I know this is my opinion but I would have to say this is the biggest stinker of a month in years!! Maybe decades.

What is going to pull us outta this slump??

What's going to pull us out of this slump? Obviously whatever the studios are putting out isn't working. Believe it or not, alot of Americans are hungry for movies with some redeeming values that the whole family can enjoy.Nothing trashs a really good movie faster than throwing in some unnecessary cussing or sex scene.It's amazing that the master directors of years ago were able to make some true masterpieces of the cinema without the trash.

Actually, this time of year is usually the time when the studios tend to release crappy films before summer blockbuster season begins.

It is now the end of March, and I've only seen two films released this year (Shanghai Knights, Daredevil).

Not really a surprise, because good movies are usually held until the summer or the end of year. Otherwise, it is dump the crap time.

Jason

Yeah, the last thing we saw in theaters was DareDevil, and we probably should have waited for the DVD on that one except that we hadn't been to the movie for a while and were just in the mood to go. That's OK, it gives me time to catch up on the backlog of DVD's I've been meaning to watch.

Well, we have 2 Matrix movies, Return of the King, X-Men 2, The Hulk, and a host of other big releases to tide us over throughout the year.

Unfortunately, only half of those seem to actually have something going for them.

Actually Morgan, out of those movies listed, the only one I think will suck is The Hulk. The rest I have hopes for.

God the Hulk, I'm just thinking back when I saw the trailer...simply awful!

Actually, the current movie suckage is rather refreshing. I think I saw more movies in the theater during 2002 than any other year in my life. (Fellowship, Spider-Man, Scorpion King (it was a dumb, fun movie), Star Wars, Undercover Brother, Austin Powers 3, MIB2, Reign of Fire, new Bond, new Star Trek, new Harry Potter, Two Towers, and many others.) So now, it's kind of nice to not feel the need to go to the theater every weekend. But yeah, hopefully they'll get some better ones out soon.

I have seen a bunch of garbage this year.

Daredevil, Narc, Dreamcatcher.

The movies I've enjoyed were

Tears of the sun, hunted, and shanghai knights. I know everyone hates tears and hunted, but I enjoy any movie with tommy lee.

But the year still has promises. X2, T3, Matrix 2 & 3, ROTK, Pirates of carribean (who knows, no trailer yet), and I know I'm forgetting something.

Almost a year from now we have Troy (have you seen this cast?? amazing, maybe next Gladiator) and Hugh Jackmans Vampire movie. Is it too early to talk about those?

Don't forget Chicago is still in theaters (and #6 in the box office). Who knows for how long since it keeps winning all these awards. Also the Piglet movie is right behind it and should be a great choice for the family.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movies/box_office.php

I've seen 8 movies released in 2003 and must say it has been an atrocious beginning. But same goes for last year. Michael, Bend It Like Beckham, Nowhere of Africa, and Irreversible were good but they were 2002 films.

Don't really care for the two Matrix or the marvel movies, though I will watch the two Matrix. The movies I'm looking forward to this year are In America (another 2002 film getting a late release in the states) and the unknown delightful surprises.

Next to watch in the theater shall be Anger Management.

It really doesn't matter if they're 2002 films when most of us haven't be afforded an opportunity to see these films until now when they're starting to open in our areas.

Chris,
Did you see all of those films you have listed?





Crawdaddy

Awww...I thought View From The Top actually turned out to be kinda fun, if light and not particularly memorable. It's better than the trailers make it out to be.

Is this really that bad? or just bad for elitist movie buffs? Now granted the films listed in the first post are never going to be accused of high art, and I for one don't think that every film should or could aspire to artistic pretensions. Films are also entertainment, and although the elitist movie buff will protest that artistic (or deep thoughtful pictures) are entertaining, for the vast majority of the populace they are not. Winter is the season for elitist movie buffs we just wrapped up an outstanding season in my opinion, and now the studios are catering to the people that didn't want to see Adaptation, About Schmidt, the Hours, Far From Heaven, or the Pianist.

You know, a regular Joe probably would think that there are a lot better films in theaters now then there were in December, January or February.

In all seriousness let's look at that list, you got three popular/mass comedies Bringing Down the House, head of State, and View from the Top. comedy's a matter of taste and perspective, and while HTFers or elitist movie buffs find Buñuel or Wes Anderson the funniest filmmakers that have ever existed, most people would find them insuffereably boring and dry. and it's not uncommon to see the criticism 'unfunny' leveled at popular comedies, as though the reviewers or critics are deeply offended that they are supposed to laugh at such mundanity.
Next on the list are The Hunted, Dreamcatcher and Basic. These are pretty standard thrillers (unusual actually because they are all R and none are PG13 (unless Basic is but I don't think so). This is another genre that is immediately dismissed by intellectuals and movie buffs as crap without a single thought. "Escapism" is a common criticism that's slung at these movies with the greatest contempt and revulsion possible. I agree with Tolkien, those that dislike escapism are known as the jailors. Again these are entertaining movies meant to appeal to a broad audience, I've only seen Dreamcatcher, and I think it was a strong concept that could have been done better, but I was still entertained. If the intellectual movie buff complains "if its supposed to appeal to a BROAD audience why doesn't it appeal to me?" I would say that this person is too narrowly defining their own filmic tastes or refuse to sink so low as to attempt to enjoy what the unwashed masses like (this is just a new form of classism btw, imho).
Then there's the Core which is a disaster movie, and by several accounts I've heard a pretty good tongue in cheek disaster movie at that. Movies don't get much dumber than disaster movies, they're about saving the world, being heroic etc. its escapism again, but lets just sit in our nice cell in this little prison instead.
Finally we have Agent Cody Banks--a kids movie. Critics almost universally hate kids movies. exceptions are made for the ones that pander to adults (Shrek) or are from the Critics own childhood (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). These are made to appeal almost exclusively to children, not the highly-educated-five-college-degrees-including-a-doctorate-in-film-criticism intellectual elite. And when talking about kid's movies, one should make the distinction between that and a family movie. A family movie is not a kids movie that also panders to adults, but a movie that doesn't talk down to kids or up to adults but manages to find a perfect balance and entertain both. E.T. is a family movie, Hook is a kids movie. Chicken Run, Monsters Inc, Spirited Away, and Beauty and the Beast are family movies (you could make an argument for spy kids as well, but I think its more of a kids movie), Agent cody Banks, Shrek, Treasure Planet, and Scobby Doo are kids movies.

Adam