General curiosity: Weak black levels. (1 Viewer)

The topic spells out an issue that I find especially annoying, and I hope that knowledgable people can give answers that at least inform my aggravation.

I recently watched Darren Aronofsky's 'The Fountain', and the milky black levels were pronounced enough to be distracting. There are many examples, but this one sticks out as being especially bad. I realize that reasons can vary quite a bit from movie to movie and disc to disc, so I'm looking for knowledge of a more general nature, if anyone can provide it, or at least send me toward the best resources.

Are there very many theatrical releases that are as weak as 'The Fountain' example? If so, why would anyone shoot a film with such a visual weakness? I can't imagine a filmmaker aiming to produce that result. There are many desirable effects in cinematography, but surely that is not one of them, at least not in use by itself. I can understand it being used in conjunction with other effects to achieve the look of older footage, but not where the subject is contemporary.

Or...is most every example a shortcoming of being transferred to disc?

I would say that as a filmmaker I would go for any look if it supported the way I wanted to tell the story, including milky blacks.