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Scorsese's newest controversy about "Cinema" and Streaming (1 Viewer)

harync

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I think perhaps people like Mr S. are just a little unhappy and nostalgic about how times have changed since his days growing up and going to his local cinema on a regular basis in NYC and watching the current french new wave film or whatever.

For better or worse that is not the world we live in anymore. People watch movies on their phones or casually at home etc.

The industry has changed. Accept it or try to change it if you are passionate about it.
Thank you for capturing some things I missed, and my general point very succinctly.

When I was a poor university student I would go to the movies every week and pay to watch one film and sneak into a second. I watched hundreds of movies during that time, a lot of great films and some not so great ones. I would pride myself on having seen all of the academy award nominees. Since I had kids (and pre-COVID), I made it to the cinema 1-2 a month for big tentpole films my kids could watch. Maybe I'll go by myself for a film I can't wait to see, but that's a rare occurrence. I can, however, watch nearly any movie I want through streaming or purchase, and money is not really an issue. I may miss the poor university student days in the cimema, but those days are gone, as is that world.
 

Mark Mayes

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So, aside from the paycheck...maybe being a part of the MCU is... I don't know... fun? :cool:
For your sake, we will say that's a possibility. I enjoy them too as a spectator and it'd be nice to think they thought of the work as fun and fulfilling. The SAG actor in me is more cynical.
 

Joe Wong

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For your sake, we will say that's a possibility. I enjoy them too as a spectator and it'd be nice to think they thought of the work as fun and fulfilling. The SAG actor in me is more cynical.

Ah, understood. I see where you're coming from. If there's one thing having worked for 20+ years in my own field (not movie-related) has taught me, it's cynicism.

Back in my 20s I wondered whether it would be fun being paid to do movie reviews, which would combine my interests in writing and films. But then I realised I may have to sit through many a bad film... and that put an end to that idea!
 

Noel Aguirre

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Like what did Scorsese do to try to save the last big screen cinema in New York City- The Ziegfeld? NOTHING!
What’s a movie without a proper screen to view it on? I wouldn’t go see My Fair Lady or Apocalypse Now on any screen in NYC now. Every major city in the world still has at least one grand cinema left except NYC! LA, Rome, London even Boston! Scorsese’s home town has nothing and alll those Hollywood folks that live in NY should have fought to keep it to show their product. Spielberg, Lee, Scorsese all live here and did nothing. But in Scorsese’s case he complains about the state of affairs of everything else in current cinema? Please.
 

roxy1927

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There were far greater cinema's in NY than the Ziegfeld. The Rivoli, the Warner, Loew's State and the Criterion before they were cut up. The love for the Ziegfeld was something I never got. A screen size of 50ft for a cinema that large not good. They were torn down in the late 80s but they were already disfigured for years. Most world premieres of big budget films were held in these theaters rather than in Hollywood.
 

Dave Moritz

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I hear what Scorseses is saying and I actually agree with a lot of what he says. I do not agree that Marvel is not cinema how ever but at the same time places like YouTube are delivering a lot of amature content. And there are other sites that are offering almost anything you can think of from just rapid fire clips arranged into compilation videos to videos that honestly are not very good and one could argue barely constitutes entertainment. Movies with good plots and story lines it could be said are being reduced and mixed in and lost in a long series of programs and content to click on. Right now because of Covid19 the regular release of movies to theaters to video is totally turned upside down. If theaters where open and studio created movies where ending up on the big screen non of these streaming services would get any first run movies. And I can understand the frustration of many directors that would be unhappy that there work is not ending up on the big cinema screen. While I have saved and invested in my little home theater and I get very good video quality on my smaller screen and very good sound. I would never want it to be a replacement for seeing movies at a commercial cinema. I can not wait for things to return to normal so I can get back to seeing the movies I really want to see on a super sized screen non of us can fit in our homes! Covid19 has helped streaming services and I do have a few and I am sure many of you as well want to return to seeing movies the way we have been seeing them along with enjoying movies at home. 1st run movies should be on the big screen then to video where they can be viewed at home the way it should be.
 
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In college humanity courses we used to dissect the meaning behind the great directors' (Fellini etc) films in the same manner we autopsied every word of the great poets like TS Elliot and Cummings. Today when people dissect film it is in regards to special effects or character connection "is Wanda blah blah blah." this does not mean today's films are not enjoyable. But the majority will never achieve true classic status as the meaning is just backdrop to special effects.

Compare 1925 Phantom of the Opera versus 1943 version. two different directors, 1925 film B&W, 1943 in color. The 1925 is silent and the 1943 is a talkie. 1925 acting by Lon Chaney Sr is levels above Claude Raines. The 1925 film is consistently considered the finest of all the Phantom remakes.

I watched Casablanca, and the Bride of Frankenstein this week. Dialogue is as short as today's films but what they say is more impactful than "look out, to your right. cover me." The emotion is speaking and unforgetableness of simple lines like, Bogart's "of all the gin joints in all the world...." are screenwriting gems.

Their acting is intense with facial expressions and hand movements that you don't see in today's big budget special effects movies. The Bride of Frankenstein's face is only revealed for a few minutes at the end of the film. Yet, the director accomplished burning her image into our mind that we remember her as if she was present throughout the entire film.

This is why I prefer the episodes of WandaVision and Agent Carter over the Marvel movies as you get less special effects in exchange for greater character development and it requires better acting on their part.

Once Steve McQueen, in Bullet, drove his green mustang up and down the streets of San Francisco, car chases or space craft chases have never been the same.

I have to give credit to George Lucas' screenwriters and Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Arc for "Snakes...why'd it have to be snakes?" A quote web site claims, "According to statistics, when someone born before 1985 sees a snake, there's a 97% chance they'll say this line."

Like Forrest Gump said, "...life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." the same for movies today.
 
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WillG

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Scorsese worked for Disney in the 1990s to make the movie Kundun, a Touchstone release which they later had to apologize for after they upset the Chinese Government. I wonder whether there are still any hard feelings over that.

looks like some things never change
 

JoeStemme

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With regards to a movie falling off a streaming service's Top 10, this sounds similar to a box office chart. By definition, popular movies will stay on for a while, and the less popular will not. I would hope that a viewer would look beyond what's trending/popular or is suggested (based on previous activity) if they're looking for stuff to watch. But, to reiterate, to each his/her/their own.

All true, but, you're missing my nuance - that pre-streaming that box office "chart" was just Step One of a movie's life. There was still home video and TV showings.
Now, with a movie that's an exclusive to a single streamer, once it falls off the "chart" it's out of sight, out of mind for the vast majority - not to mention the millions and millions who don't subscribe to that one streaming service.
So, in effect, it's Step One --- and done
 

Joe Wong

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All true, but, you're missing my nuance - that pre-streaming that box office "chart" was just Step One of a movie's life. There was still home video and TV showings.
Now, with a movie that's an exclusive to a single streamer, once it falls off the "chart" it's out of sight, out of mind for the vast majority - not to mention the millions and millions who don't subscribe to that one streaming service.
So, in effect, it's Step One --- and done

I see what you're getting at: movies created exclusively for a streaming service do not have the same exposure as, say, theatrical movies. Especially if they don't get released on physical media or other online services. Good point.

This method of distribution has led to some questions surrounding blu-ray/DVD releases of shows like The Mandalorian. While that's a TV show and not a movie, the idea that it's only found on one streaming service (and nowhere else) is similar.

In a way it's getting back to the initial days of movie distribution, when there were no other mediums. Popular films would have periodic revivals so that audiences old and new would be able to see them. Not that a service like Netflix would "revive" a movie, since it's always available in its library.

I do think my point that the onus is on the audience is still valid. If a service like Netflix doesn't advertise a film they first premiered a few years ago, then, yes, the casual viewer may not know of it. But an invested or interested viewer would hopefully still do a search.
 

Josh Steinberg

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The nice thing about now vs then, which you’ve just pointed out, is that stuff doesn’t disappear in the same way. Even if it doesn’t make it big or (if it’s a series) gets canceled before completion.

There was a sitcom on CBS that I liked called “$#*! My Dad Says” with William Shatner. It ran one season and was canceled back in 2010-2011. Never came out on DVD or BD. Never was on a streaming platform. It’s just gone. I can’t see it again.

On the other hand, there was a sitcom my wife loved that was on Netflix. It got canceled after two seasons. All episodes remain on Netflix. My wife can see it anytime she wants.

It strikes me that discussions over whether things are bad kinda miss the point - I don’t really see these changes having built in moralities of being good or bad - it’s just different.

To me, our present evolution to content being available on demand is better than growing up in an era where the best one could hope for in many cases was simply to hear about something. For much of the 20th century, if you missed something, you missed it. If you wanted a second chance at it, someone else had to program it somewhere: you as an individual had little or no ability to make it happen.
 

Joe Wong

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Agreed, Josh!

I remember before the onset of VHS, when Spielberg's Jaws (1975) had its TV network premiere (in Australia), around 1981, it was such a big deal. Previously, it could only be seen in cinemas.

Even when VHS started becoming popular in the 80s, I believe studios were hesitant to release on this medium since someone who owned the tape can watch it whenever they so desired. So initial pricing was like $100, and only rental stores could reasonably purchase these tapes and hope to recoup via rental.

Now we're "spoiled" by the wealth of options for viewing content, both old and new, and regardless of whether it was initially intended for theatres, TV, or streaming service.

I do like the choice and access. :)
 

ilovenola2

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"People watch movies on their phones "
And to THINK I could have watched "Godzilla vs. Kong" on my phone!!!!! Arghh! WHY did I waste that 15 dollars on that big, loud, empty-theatred AMC IMAX show?? (/s if you couldn't figure it out.)
 

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