Watching a Movie Just Ain't the Same Anymore! (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

I'm reading "The Jaws Log: 30th Anniversary Edition" by Carl Gottlieb. I believe I read the original shortly after it was first released and am enjoying my reread. I just just run across this following quote.

Steven, Richard Zanuck, and David Brown all thoroughly agreed oat least one thing--the shark was to remain a mystery. There was to be no press about the elaborate mechanical models that were to be used, and certainly no pictures of the great beasts as the hung lifeless in their cradles or were towed patiently to to sea in the special barge...We all believed that an audience's enjoyment of the picture would be severely dimished if they had read for months in advance about how the shark was just a mechanical contraption.. Audiences being what they are, we felt sure they'd be thousands of wise guys pointing to the screen, saying "Look, you can see it's not real--there's the machinery, there's the operator, hiding inside. See how it's up out of the water? No real shark would do that," thereby thoroughly destroying the illusion for that happy majority that has willingly suspended its disbelief in order to enjoy the story at the moment. Half the time they would be wrong, pointing like yahoos to real sharks filmed at considerable risk, exclaining, "Look, it's a phony!"

This was written shortly after the original theatrical release of Jaws and I find it very on point. Instead of going to a movie wanting and willing to be entertained, too many go into the theater wanting to find fault. They don't want to accept any deviation from what would happen in real life, they will be taken "out of the movie" by deviations from reality. It's a movie and many of them start with such crazy situations, why take this attitude.


Jurassic World, for instance. Come on, we will never be able to make dinosaurs. And if we could, it would be fantastically expensive to maintain them. It would probably only be practical to do a few, as in single digits. IMHO, the whole idea of the franchise is outlandish so I walk into the theater and don't care about that. And if i'm not going to care about that, I'm not going to care about a motorcycle ride thru a forest that apparently has a paved road we can't see. Don't care.


The Star Wars franchise. What's with all the flying noise in outer space? There's no air to transmit the sound.


Take the Martian. It's already been revealed that Mar's atmosphere isn't thick enough to support winds that could do the damage that maroons Witney. This is original to the book and the author knows it's not accurate. The author also went to great lengths to make the book accurate. You know what? I don't care. Entertain me and I'll let it go.


I think more audience members would have a more enjoyable time at the theater (and at home watching their blu rays) if the went as audience members and not as would-be film critics.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think more audience members would have a more enjoyable time at the theater (and at home watching their blu rays) if the went as audience members and not as would-be film critics.

In my humble opinion, that's where I differ from many of our own posters here, who are much more critical than I with their film grades. I just want to be entertained without worrying about whether the script, actors and director are without any issues. Granted, I will take notice if something sticks out, but generally, I'm focus on being entertained first and foremost. I don't want to be Gene Siskel or Roger Ebert. God, I miss those two film critics.

 

[atfree]

What I hate are the "critics" who slam old films for using process shots, mattes, back projection, etc, but marvel at CGI and green screens creating stunts and things that can't even exist in reality.


One of my co-workers is a huge Marvel movie fan.....but he can't watch the older Bond films because they're not "realistic".

 

[Tony Bensley]

What I hate are the "critics" who slam old films for using process shots, mattes, back projection, etc, but marvel at CGI and green screens creating stunts and things that can't even exist in reality.


One of my co-workers is a huge Marvel movie fan.....but he can't watch the older Bond films because they're not "realistic".

????????

 

[dpippel]

I think more audience members would have a more enjoyable time at the theater (and at home watching their blu rays) if the went as audience members and not as would-be film critics.

IMO there's no difference. Every single member of the audience is a film critic to some extent. Whether or not we as individuals enjoy a particular film depends on so many different factors and so many EMOTIONAL queues that I have no problem at all enjoying movies that others dislike or vice versa. That's just the way it works.


I'll amend another of your comments to fit my particular philosophy a little better: Entertain me WITHOUT BEING STUPID and I'll let it go.

 

[Ruz-El]

I'm on the fence. I can go with a movie as long as the film makes sense in the world it's portrayed to be in. Sounds in space in the Star Wars is fine since that's the world it portrays. I will be critical of sloppy writing and poor plot points (which in the case of Star Wars I refuse to get into on any website, ha ha.)


The things that really annoy me is when a Neil Degrasse Tyson posts some video on the "problems" with the science in films like GRAVITY. The only comment I have for those is "No Shit".

 

[atfree]

????????

Yep....he also refuses to watch any B&W film because they don't look "real". I work in an office where 80% of the workforce is under 35.....when my other co-workers and I (the ones over 45) discuss classic (in our minds, at least) films, the younger folks have never heard of or seen most of them. Other that Star Wars, if it wasn't made during their lifetimes (or, more specifically, since they were 10 or so), they have no interest in them.

 

[TravisR]

...if it wasn't made during their lifetimes (or, more specifically, since they were 10 or so), they have no interest in them.

To be fair, I think that's pretty standard for most people of any age though. I'm over 35 and I'm one of the few people that I know of that has interest in movies older than myself. Even people around my age that I would consider to be 'big' fans of movies haven't seen much beyond Citizen Kane and Casablanca.

 

[Johnny Angell]

To be fair, I think that's pretty standard for most people of any age though. I'm over 35 and I'm one of the few people that I know of that has interest in movies older than myself. Even people around my age that I would consider to be 'big' fans of movies haven't seen much beyond Citizen Kane and Casablanca.

Well, I'm over 65 and I love b&w. I grew up with b&w and color. They both have their place. I do recognize that as you look at a younger audience the acceptance of b&w declines. I think a film appreciate class should be just as required as math and english in high school, perhaps jr. high.


How could To Kill a Mockingbird be anything but b&w and it was made in the early 60's when there was plenty of color.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I'm on the fence. I can go with a movie as long as the film makes sense in the world it's portrayed to be in. Sounds in space in the Star Wars is fine since that's the world it portrays. I will be critical of sloppy writing and poor plot points (which in the case of Star Wars I refuse to get into on any website, ha ha.)


The things that really annoy me is when a Neil Degrasse Tyson posts some video on the "problems" with the science in films like GRAVITY. The only comment I have for those is "No Shit".

This may seem odd since I started the thread commenting about being too critical, but I would find Tyson's video about the science interesting. Then I'd go back to the film and enjoy it anyway.

 

[Johnny Angell]

In my humble opinion, that's where I differ from many of our own posters here, who are much more critical than I with their film grades. I just want to be entertained without worrying about whether the script, actors and director are without any issues. Granted, I will take notice if something sticks out, but generally, I'm focus on being entertained first and foremost. I don't want to be Gene Siskel or Roger Ebert. God, I miss those two film critics.

Yup, I miss Roger and Gene too. What a great show that was.

 

[Ruz-El]

This may seem odd since I started the thread commenting about being too critical, but I would find Tyson's video about the science interesting. Then I'd go back to the film and enjoy it anyway.

I think that's his intent. I've seen too many facebook posts from people sneering about the science in the movies being BS after he posts them to appreciate his efforts. They come off more smug than educational.

 

[Ruz-El]

What I hate are the "critics" who slam old films for using process shots, mattes, back projection, etc, but marvel at CGI and green screens creating stunts and things that can't even exist in reality.

The funny thing about processed shots. I'm used to seeing them in older movies so the limited tech doesn't bother me. When they do bother me (bothers not the right word, I usually get a chuckle out of them), it's always in new releases when they are executed poorly. I'm currently binge watching MAD MEN (TV show so maybe not a fair comparison) and it has some of the worst process shots in the driving scenes that I've ever seen. Choppy backgrounds stuttering by in the windows. Always makes me laugh.

 

[TravisR]

Well, I'm over 65 and I love b&w. I grew up with b&w and color. They both have their place. I do recognize that as you look at a younger audience the acceptance of b&w declines.

Yeah, I was a kid in the 80's so I was lucky enough to see a good mix of movies and TV shows that were both in color and black & white on TV. Seeing 'old' stuff as a kid is a reason why I still enjoy older movies today. Nowadays, there's so many viewing options and you basically only see black and white on TCM and the 'old' TV show channels so kids have much less chance to be exposed to them anymore.

 

[hanshotfirst1138]

The funny thing about processed shots. I'm used to seeing them in older movies so the limited tech doesn't bother me. When they do bother me (bothers not the right word, I usually get a chuckle out of them), it's always in new releases when they are executed poorly. I'm currently binge watching MAD MEN (TV show so maybe not a fair comparison) and it has some of the worst process shots in the driving scenes that I've ever seen. Choppy backgrounds stuttering by in the windows. Always makes me laugh.

24 does it constantly during car scenes.

 

[TravisR]

24 does it constantly during car scenes.

The reason why it worked on 24 and not on Mad Men was because 24 was smart enough to throw the background out of focus so you don't really notice it. On Mad Men, the driving plates were sharp, in focus and looked fake as hell.

 

[dpippel]

Maybe they were going for that look due to the era in which the series is set?

 

[TravisR]

Maybe they were going for that look due to the era in which the series is set?

I suppose that's possible but they usually tried to be subtle with the differences between back then and today on that show.

 

[Ruz-El]

Regardless of the reasoning, it looks like hell ha ha.


I too grew up in a home where we watched B&W as well as colour films, with no reason being discussed. Either we watched a movie or didn't age and colour didn't matter. Like many have said, I have friends my own age who have never watched old movies (colour or black and white) since "Old = Bad". They're always surprised when they love some new film and I tell them where all the ideas came from. I'm THAT type of jerk.


You can't win them over either. I had a friend who would flat out not watch old B&W films, period. I started up "Curse of the Demon" just to show him the cool opening and we ended up watching the whole thing. He loved it, comparing it to one of his favourite shows, the X Files. I've never been able to get him to watch another B&W film since.


I think unless you grow up with old films/TV they don't get in your lexicon and you just never feel the want to go back and watch them. That's more of a problem than dodgy effects, etc.

 

[CraigF]

Entertain me WITHOUT BEING STUPID and I'll let it go.

Yes. Also, when your writing sloppiness/inability leads you into a plot chasm, don't fix it by rebooting the whole story right in front of my face. Have the courtesy to do it in the sequel.