Can you watch too many movies......???!!!!

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Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 3/7/2012 12:50:03 PM

blue_lion

Posts: 25
Joined: 13/9/2011

Every time we exit the cinema my friends rave about a blockbuster film and say it�s great, I seem to just think it was just ok. Think I have seen way too many movies!!!!!!!!

Does anybody else rarely get surprised by a plot twist or story these days?

Is it the bad writing of the films making them predictable, average and boring?

Post #: 1

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 3/7/2012 12:53:31 PM

elab49

Posts: 51596
Joined: 1/10/2005

I think it still depends on whether the film is any good.

E.g. I've recently seen a film where it looks as if there are wholesale swipes from the likes of Slither, Attack the Block and Gremlins, amongst others. But I still really enjoyed that film irrespective. Whereas other films that aren't so good then I'd dismiss them and use that kind of copy/paste as part of the criticism.

So I think it depends entirely on how it is done. I think there are some films that simply can't surmount it though - for a film like Brake the audience is, IMO, too aware for it to work.

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Post #: 2

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 3/7/2012 1:13:20 PM

Bloke from Oz

Posts: 4816
Joined: 6/12/2006

The trick is to be selective about what you watch.

Several years ago, I was getting tired of big blockbuster films with little or no plot, and I simply decided, JUST DON'T GO. If you feel so strongly and negatively about a certain film, don't see the film, and send the filmmakers your message: IF YOU MAKE CRAP, YOU DON'T GET MY MONEY.

(You would, of course, have to find something else to do with your time.)

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Post #: 3

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 3/7/2012 1:30:28 PM

great_badir

Posts: 4172
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: A breaking rope bridge in the middle of the jungle

No.

Even though I'm fiercely critical, I will sit through any old clag from beginning to end to the point where, some people would argue, I've seen way too much stuff that never even made it to video or DVD, let alone the cinema. Yet there are still plenty of good and great films getting made.

I think part of the "problem" (not that it's really a problem) is the sheer number of films being made now. Relatively speaking, it's a lot easier and cheaper to get a film made than it ever used to be and, unlike in the 80s and 90s where "straight to video/DVD" was the last post for any production, in the 00s and beyond that has become a marketable field in itself where you can pretty much guarantee a profit because costs are kept down and films are made quickly and have an established loyal audience. Because of that, Steven Seagal has probably not had a flop for ages and, ergo, the proportion of "shit" films to "good" films has probably changed significantly. We are, also, at a point now where it has become de rigeur in many genres (horror, sci fi, comedy and musicals, in particular) to reference pop culture, so it feels like we've seen it all before more often than it used to.

Funnily enough I was wondering the other day how many films I've actually seen in my lifetime to date (I'm now 33 and my first film memory was a re-release of Disney's Jungle Book at our local fleapit when I was three) and, on the basis that most of my social life (cos most of my mates are film geeks too) and spare time involved film watching in one way or another, I reckon it's easily in the tens of thousands.

So am I getting bored of films? Nope.

Do I think films are getting generally worse? If looked at on a film-by-film basis, maybe, but only because of the increase in film making. Taken as a whole, though, no there's certainly nothing that makes me think cinema is dying.

Am I becoming more selective? I watched THREE of Ray Dennis Steckler's Cash Flagg flicks last week. VOLUNTARILY! That should answer that question.

< Message edited by great_badir -- 3/7/2012 1:41:07 PM >

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Post #: 4

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 3/7/2012 2:09:46 PM

The Big Guy

Posts: 42
Joined: 29/12/2011

I think one can get 'film fatigue'. When watching films over a concentrated period, I can become tired. This is when I watch TV series instead. Sometimes I read a book. Or even 'go outside'. That one is a last resort, however.

(in reply to great_badir)

Post #: 5

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 3/7/2012 2:13:02 PM

st3veebee

Posts: 2354
Joined: 3/9/2006
From: 9303 Lyon Drive

Hmmmmm.. perhaps.

I find that trudging through the mediocre output only makes the really good films stand out even more. It also makes revisiting classics, like Jaws this year, in the cinema even more special

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Post #: 6

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 2:46:36 AM

Whistler

Posts: 2277
Joined: 22/11/2006

I don't think the problem is seeing too many movies, it's just an issue of how good the individual movie is.

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Post #: 7

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 3:22:54 AM

Spaldron

Posts: 10487
Joined: 6/10/2006
From: Chair

Having watched so many films you sometimes end up picking at all the clich�s and seeing all the same shit you've already seen a million times before in better films which can make you somewhat jaded to new films. On the other hand it just makes things so much better when you see something genuinely original and inventive so to answer the OP you can never watch too many movies but the experience can make you a whining cunt sometimes.

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Post #: 8

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 3:25:52 AM

NinjaShortbread212

Posts: 4542
Joined: 26/4/2011
From: Edinburger, Scottyland

Clearly.

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Post #: 9

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 4:14:48 AM

Lazarus munkey

Posts: 1651
Joined: 20/3/2006
From: out of nowhere

Yes you can.

In the same way you can have too many blow jobs, too much music, too many piles of money and too much pan-fried duck.

I think that movie buffs learn to look for other things to most people in the films they see. I guessed the twist to The Sixth Sense 5 minutes into the film and it spoiled my enjoyment of it not one bit because everything else in the film was so good.
It's worth noting that directors and writers put a lot into their films that most people miss completely: literary references, in-jokes, motifs. So the more you know film, the more there is to enjoy.

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Post #: 10

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 11:01:35 AM

Discodez

Posts: 777
Joined: 2/9/2010

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

Yes you can.

In the same way you can have too many blow jobs, too much music, too many piles of money and too much pan-fried duck.

I think that movie buffs learn to look for other things to most people in the films they see. I guessed the twist to The Sixth Sense 5 minutes into the film and it spoiled my enjoyment of it not one bit because everything else in the film was so good.It's worth noting that directors and writers put a lot into their films that most people miss completely: literary references, in-jokes, motifs. So the more you know film, the more there is to enjoy.

I guessed the ending to the sixth sense before I'd even seen it! Being told that it was about a kid that sees ghosts, that Bruce Willis played a psychiatrist who had "issues" of his own and it had a great "twist" at the end just gave it all away totally for me, but it also meant I could see all the clues that if you don't know the ending, you'd probably have missed first time round so it was still an interesting film.

I think genre pictures in general can still be hugely entertaining though even if you're steeped in them and often know how they will end. Italian "Giallo" films for example, once you've seen a few you know that the murderer will either turn out to be the protaganists new best friend, wife/husband or another seemingly minor character who is there at the start then "dissapears" for the rest of the film, excpet when they are shown carressing knives and putting on black gloves

.

I also think the more films you see, the more forgettable some films become. I've seen plenty of "meh" films that I've pretty much forgottten everything that's happened two minutes after leaving the cinema/swithcing off the TV.

< Message edited by Discodez -- 4/7/2012 11:03:04 AM >

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Post #: 11

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 12:26:52 PM

blue_lion

Posts: 25
Joined: 13/9/2011

Cheers for your responses folks, some very good ones here !

Think I will have to try and be more selective in what I see. :)

(in reply to Discodez)

Post #: 12

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 1:58:30 PM

Qwerty Norris

Posts: 3150
Joined: 26/10/2005
From: Edinburgh

For me you can never watch too many films, but inevitably the more you watch - the higher your standards become.

There was a time that I could enjoy the experience of just going to the cinema irrespective of how good the film actually was. But in the era of the digital age, cineworld cards & film on demand, seeking out variety has never been easier. Therefore, when Hollywood churns out something, it is really noticeable over whether you feel it's delivering or not.

Out of the 60 plus visits I've made to the cinema this year to check this years releases, none of them have been exceptional in my view. Some are very good, but most are solid or average.

In that respect, the less you watch, the more likely you are to be satisfied.

But on the other hand, if you tend to watch more, then come across something really special - the experience becomes even more exhilarating.

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Post #: 13

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 1:59:30 PM

NinjaShortbread212

Posts: 4542
Joined: 26/4/2011
From: Edinburger, Scottyland

quote:

ORIGINAL: Qwerty Norris

For me you can never watch too many films, but inevitably the more you watch - the higher your standards become.

So much this. ^

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Post #: 14

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 2:06:56 PM

st3veebee

Posts: 2354
Joined: 3/9/2006
From: 9303 Lyon Drive

quote:

ORIGINAL: Qwerty Norris
But on the other hand, if you tend to watch more, then come across something really special - the experience becomes even more exhilarating.

This seems to be the general feeling. You will find that the average output does very little for you (and perhaps you would be far more entertained having not watched any movies for a while) but when a great film comes along you enjoy all the more.

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Post #: 15

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 2:22:02 PM

snooker23

Posts: 12
Joined: 3/9/2006
From: Belgium

No I don't think you can watch too many movies.

The gems you still come across from time to time outweigh the drawbacks for me. I cannot help it movies still have something magical to me.

Still there are certain genres (cough rom com cough) I avoid like the plague though.

The major drawback of watching a lot of movies to me is that you can see through lazy writing a lot easier.

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Post #: 16

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 3:46:10 PM

adambatman82

Posts: 11156
Joined: 15/12/2005
From: Sheffield

quote:

ORIGINAL: Qwerty Norris

For me you can never watch too many films, but inevitably the more you watch - the higher your standards become.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I think the wider the range of films you see, the more likely you are to approach films of a certain type from a specific prerogative. I know that when I go and see a major blockbuster I'm approaching it in a different way to how I would a film I've never heard of at a festival, for example.

I see more new films than pretty much anyone else I know in my personal life (around 300 a year), yet I'm the least disillusioned with cinema in general.

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Post #: 17

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 4:19:30 PM

Qwerty Norris

Posts: 3150
Joined: 26/10/2005
From: Edinburgh

quote:

ORIGINAL: adambatman82

I'm not sure I agree with this. I think the wider the range of films you see, the more likely you are to approach films of a certain type from a specific prerogative. I know that when I go and see a major blockbuster I'm approaching it in a different way to how I would a film I've never heard of at a festival, for example.

Of course. I not going into Battleship expecting or hoping it to do the same thing for me as Once Upon A Time In Anatolia.

If I go into a specific type of film, there tends to be a kind of benchmark that I compare it to. I didn't dislike Battleship because I'm more into high brow fare. I disliked it because I found it to be very disengaging for a film of its type (say Independence Day for example?). I am aware though that there are those (yourself included) who enjoyed themselves, but it did absolutely nothing for me.

In the end, I always judge a film on the comparison between what it sets out to do & what (for me) it ultimately achieves.

That's why Anatolia & The Muppets are in my top 10, whilst Cosmopolis & Battleship are in my bottom 10.

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Qwerty's Top 10 of 2013 (so far)

1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. No
3. In The Fog
4. Good Vibrations
5. McCullin
6. Beyond the Hills
7. The Place Beyond the Pines
8. Wreck-it Ralph
9. Shell
10. In The House

(in reply to adambatman82)

Post #: 18

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 4:24:46 PM

Qwerty Norris

Posts: 3150
Joined: 26/10/2005
From: Edinburgh

quote:

ORIGINAL: adambatman82

I see more new films than pretty much anyone else I know in my personal life (around 300 a year), yet I'm the least disillusioned with cinema in general.

That's probably because you manage to seek out most of the very best the year has to offer - particularly when you're managing about 2 or 3 times more than what I tend to see per year. Being average joes like myself, I'm at the complete mercy of the distributors, which can be even more frustrating if you're based outside London.

_____________________________

Qwerty's Top 10 of 2013 (so far)

1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. No
3. In The Fog
4. Good Vibrations
5. McCullin
6. Beyond the Hills
7. The Place Beyond the Pines
8. Wreck-it Ralph
9. Shell
10. In The House

(in reply to adambatman82)

Post #: 19

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 4/7/2012 4:53:15 PM

Hood_Man

Posts: 11273
Joined: 30/9/2005

I can never see too many, but I always try and remain open minded. I managed to enjoy Battleship and GhostRider this year for instance (in places), and sometimes I'll watch a film where, even if I'm not enjoying the story, I might see something else in it that I like.

I was watching The Bounty Hunter on DVD last year for instance, and while the film itself was pretty forgettable, for some reason I was entranced by the cinematography. I loved how clean and colourful it looked, and I was so surprised to have that sort of emotional reaction to an otherwise forgettable Jennifer Aniston vehicle.

I also find I tend to be more enthusiastic about films than my mates

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Post #: 20

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 6/7/2012 9:14:31 PM

Rinc

Posts: 12515
Joined: 2/10/2005
From: A park bench, with a newspaper quilt

I think it's a miz of two things: one whether the film is any good and two, who we watch films with. Because I absolutely love watching films and never get bored of watching them. But I've seen hundreds more films than my friends and have seen far more many classics. I think it's fair to say that my friends have seen a larger percentage of crap films than me because I search out films of any genre perceived as great whereas they just watch whatever is released of a genre they like. So I really do think they have less reference points for what makes a great movie and would give a film 5 stars that I'd only give 3 (without taking into account my harsh rating system).

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RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 8/7/2012 5:22:09 AM

TragicRomantic

Posts: 77
Joined: 7/7/2012
From: Elysium

Impossible to watch too much cinema.The more you watch though,and you will see some duds.
If you love cinema,you'll watch a lot.It's like football,there'll be tonnes of matches,some even dire,but you'll be back for more.

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Post #: 22

RE: Can you watch too many movies......???!!!! - 9/7/2012 7:51:58 PM

filmfanatic123