How does these things get made? (1 Viewer)

[DaveGR]

Ive seen over the past several years,many many horrible "movies"?? being made. I know that this has been a problem for many years,but seriously some of these things look like they were thought up by people on bad drugs. Im sure there are people who like these things,but there are just SOOooo many of them. The premises of some of these things are just beyond horrific. Kangaroo Jack ,I mean come on,the plot is ,I cant even describe how awful it is. This is just one in a string of many Im thinking of. Im sure many out there can think of other movies with the same accidently made feel to them. or maybe not,i dunno

 

[ChrisWL]

Yes Dave, there have been very few mainstream movies lately that were worth paying for. The constant stream of cookie cutter teeny movies with plots created by studio board members going over demographics is PATHETIC!!!!!! Have you also nopticed that since Sept. 11 every studio is putting out there official "US pride" war film to make money , pathetic!! You know what else is pathetic and proves that many cheesy movies are created by studio boards looking for money-- After Exit Wounds came out with Steven Segal and DMX it did pretty good at the box office, so what does the studio do, they go and make another cheesy ass movie with Segal and they think "hey, we put DMX in the last one and it grossed big, these kids like the rap stars, lets find another one to put in there with steven" and then Ja Rule comes along and the pathetic movie is Half Past Dead, it goes to show how art is degredated by the fact of money, it will always be that way. Thats why movies cost so damn much to make, the studios want movies to cost 50 mil so they know they are the only ones who can shell out the money and control the moarket place for mainstream movies. GREED, GREED, GREED ruins ART!!!! but thats just my opinion p.s. I saw a commercial for Special Ops or Covert Ops or something and it was so damn cheesy I almost barfed, the plot is a bunch of kids straight from a Seventeen magazine who must race down the mountain to warn the the world of terrorists who are gonna blow up everything! some peoples kids will watch anything with a cool preview which is why this slew of HORRIBLE movies is not stopping!!!!!!

 

[Zane Charron]

Maybe sometimes execs think they might have a suprise gem on their hands that connects with the public somehow (such is the case with Kangaroo Jack which, if you didn't notice, was number 1 in the box office this past weekend).

Some examples? My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Who would have thought that a film with THAT name dealing specifically with Greek customs and traditions would make over $200 million?

Take a look at Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. While it wasn't a blockbuster, it did take almost $100 million at the box office on it's meager (I believe $15 million) budget. Who'd have thought a movie staring an annoying Jim Carrey playing a pet detective in Miami would pay off?

The thing with these films is that they don't cost that much to make. No name/little known actors, little known directors, cheap production costs, etc. So I guess they can afford to make them.

But yes, there are a lot of bad/mediocre and unoriginal films out there. I guess they are just hedging their bets.

 

[Angelo.M]

I don't like it either, but movies like "Kangaroo Jack" get made for one simple reason: every once in a while, they make oodles of money. I may be wrong, but I think "Jack" was number 1 at the proverbial "Box Office" this past weekend.

Sigh,

--AM

 

[Holadem]

Blah! Yet another "they don't make them like they used to" thread... There are as many bad movies today as there has ever been. The last few movies I watched were Chicago, About Schmidt, The Hours, 25th Hour, The Two Towers, Antwoine Fisher, Solaris. Every single one of them was worth my money.

Kangaroo Jack ,I mean come on,the plot is ,I cant even describe how awful it is.

The target audience of Kangaroo Jack is CHILDREN, as evidenced by the kind of crowd I saw at the local multiplex - families. They seem to have had a lot of fun in this case, that is all that matter. Not every movie has to explore the depths of the human condition.

Movies target a specific audience, find the ones that target you and you will have much more fun. Edwin et al . maintain excellent threads dealing with alternative, off beat, and foreign movies. They pretty much do the homework for you. My point is: there are many good movies out there, you only have to WANT to watch them.

--
Holadem

 

[MarcinL]

Those Movies Were not that bad, KANGAROO JACK, BIG TROUBLE, RAT RACE, ACE VENTURA -these are borderline

But here are few movies that just plain suck!!!

FREDDIE GOT FINGERED - (get inside animals WTF???)
DUDE WHERE'S MY CAR - (they are making a sequal!!)
KUNG POW enter the fist (Goddamn that was just STUPID)

 

[DaveGR]

See I didnt mean that I think theres a lack of Quality films. Quite the Contrary, the ones you mentioned Holadem are quite fine. This year has been great.but Seriously theres alot of Fluff or worse yet,just plain Arhhhghh movies out there,and I know alot of the Fluff movies are made for kids,but get this,Kangaroo Jack was not originally targeted for purely kids,,In fact there was a nude scene in it,which they cut apparently to get the pg rating instead of pg13,because they musta finally figured out that there was not going to be alot of teenagers wanting to see a Kangaroo jumping around. ALSO CHRIS WL,,YESS YESS YESS I agree,,I have spoke to some of my friends about the Exit Wounds phenomena,and how scary it was to see people embrace a Segal movie,hehehe and yes Ive seen alot of GO USA films. In fact not to say this was made for that fact,because it was done im sure or close to it before 911,but Blackhawk Down,,I just didnt give in to all they hype,I think it was a good film,but by no means great at all. and if it came out a month before 911 I dont think people would have thought it to be all that great. Like I said I like it,but I think it fed upon the tragedy. But thats just me. Im not saying that just because its stupid it shouldnt get made,but theres just alot of "accidents" out there. And just because a movie like this makes alot of money,doesnt mean much,,American audiences can be,,well,,not that great in choosing films. AND Ive seen quite a few KIDS films,that were quite good,and well made,and had an actual interesting or fun without being stupid plot. Oh well thats me.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I think this same conversation could have been had at any time in cinema's history. We tend to forget that the 'great movies from the past' represent the pinnacles of achievement, and weren't necessarily typical products or even popular(e.g. Citizen Kane). In a similar vein, there are numerous popular movies of the past that nobody touches with a bargepole these days (e.g. how many Victor Mature movies would you list amongst your favourites?). Thirty years from now, people will probably be saying 'why aren't there films like there used to be? Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series, the Matrix series; cinema was great in those days'. The dross will have been forgotten.

However, having said that, there are some movies where I do wonder *why* anyone thought they were worth making - The Avengers (I saw this at the cinema, and people were walking out after half an hour), Howard the Duck ...

 

[Lew Crippen]

I agree with Holadem as to the quality of movies (and the specific ones he mentioned).

As for the fluff (or the ones which we don’t care for), I really don’t care how many of them get made. After all, it is a very expensive proposition to make even a cheap movie. If a studio makes a bundle on (what I consider) a fluff movie and all of the executives give themselves a big, fat bonus, at least they did not put my money in their pockets. And the chance exists that they might use some of the profits to make a movie that appeals to me.

For example, as much as I suspect that Gangs of New York has been compromised by Weinstein, at least Miramax gave Scorsese a ton of money to make a film that I enjoyed—the more so, as it appears that unless there is some box-office pickup from the Oscars, this film will wind up losing money.

Miramax (and all of the studios) have to get the money from somewhere in order to take even a few chances.

As do independent productions.

 

[Kevin M]

KUNG POW enter the fist (Goddamn that was just STUPID)

In the end I guess it really does come down to taste because I totally got the joke and thought KUNG POW: Enter the Fist was a riot. I don't recommend you watch any of the Thumb films because they were made by the same people and have the same oddball irreverent humor.

I am having a similar discussion Here. I don't really believe that things are getting that much worse...but then again...

To quote myself from that thread..

"As far as the mental decay of cinema...well...if you make a direct comparison between moronic teen films of the 70's 80's & 90's there is little difference between them aside from the level that they are willing to go to to get a shock laugh, what Kevin Smith refers to as "Dick & Fart jokes", on this level they are rapidly sinking lower and lower in efforts to keep the (in their opinion is seems)already short attention span of the teenage mind.
Is there really that much difference between Porkys and say Scary Movie? ...only the amount of bodily fluids and gases used. I can see a day when it will be degenerated down to The Fart Movie, an hour and a half of people farting in the faces of other people.
I'm serious about this...really....I swear..."

 

[John Spencer]

Well, Kevin, your prayers have been answered. There is a film entitled F.A.R.T.: The Motion Picture. Oscar nominations standing by.

 

[Kevin M]

I know John, that's why I said it....being a boy meets girl film it isn't quite the film I am expecting someday, but still when I read about this it made me laugh and cry at the same time.

 

[Michael Reuben]

the more so, as it appears that unless there is some box-office pickup from the Oscars, this film will wind up losing money

No it won't. Miramax has repeatedly said they'd recoup on GONN when the film hit $55 million at the box office, and it's past that.

M.

 

[DaveGR]

I think they should let a 8 year old write a story for a movie about anything he wanted,then let a 10 year old write the script. Id like to see this,and compare it with some of the stuff being made.would be so interesting,hehehe. Or as The Simpsons so aptly showed,a room full of chimps typing away on a script. Now THAT would be funny.

 

[Lew Crippen]

No it won't. Miramax has repeatedly said they'd recoup on GONN when the film hit $55 million at the box office, and it's past that.

Thanks for the correction Michael. Perhaps Scorsese will get a pile of money to make another big-budget movie.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

It's obvious why films like Kangeroo Jack get made: either Jerry Bruckheimer lost a bet, or he owed someone a favor.

 

[Brian Kidd]

KANGAROO JACK began life as a Mob comedy called DOWN AND UNDER. When it was discovered that the film was a steaming pile of crap, the marketing department went into full swing, renaming the film after a kangaroo character that is in less than half the film and unleashing a marketing campaign aimed at children. The result? #1 at the box office...at least for this week. This time of the year it's traditional to dump films in the theaters that wouldn't have a chance otherwise. I fully expect ol' Jack to drop down the charts significantly after this weekend when films like CHICAGO and CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND go into wide release. Rest assured, there will always be crap. But, it tends to disappear quickly and be forgotten.

 

[DaveGR]

HAHAHA hmm I bet Jerry Lost more than one bet in his life.MuWHAHAHAH
Good times,good times

 

[Nick C.]

No it won't. Miramax has repeatedly said they'd recoup on GONN when the film hit $55 million at the box office, and it's past that.

According to the extensive New Yorker article on Weinstein (the one Richard Gere referenced at the Globes) that GONY box office gross is seen as a farce in the "industry" because various figures have said the Weinstein quoted $100m for production should actually be closer to $120-130, and with extensive promotions totaling over $30m, a box office receipt of $55m won't break even

 

[MarcinL]

Jerry Bruckheimer Should drop Kangaroo Jack from his resume in the future, Why would a guy do this flick anyway, he lost some money on the poker game or what?