Lackluster Blockbusters
- Thread starter Dave19642006
- Start date
Many of those movies are on the Top 100 grossing movies of all-time so I wouldn't consider them a bust.
Titanic, Star Wars, ET, Passion of the Christ, all Spidermans, Independence Day, etc. These were HUGE movies...just because the author may not have liked him doesn't mean they were a bust. Quite the opposite in fact.
Yeah, what he said...
I enjoyed Da Vinci Code and half of those movies..Da Vinci was close to the book so what exactly did he expect from it??
Something about him calling some of the biggest movie openings in history busts just does not seem logical.
Wow, he hates on Spielberg for using a crappy puppet in "E.T.", then spends the rest of the "article" ripping apart other films for overly flashy special effects. What exactly is this guy's idea of a "good summer blockbuster"? I'm guessing "Made of Honor."
- Mar 27, 2006
- 43,030
- 34,558
- 113
He doesn't ever say that they are busts. I think he's commenting on Summer Blockbusters in general. Typically you get films that are high on budget and high on action, but low on story and quality.
Don't get me wrong, there's a place for those films, but they're not the height of filmmaking.
Don't get me wrong, there's a place for those films, but they're not the height of filmmaking.
I'll agree that Bay and Emmerich mades some craptastic movies. Those two guys suck. Their movies seem to be all flash and a mostly unbelievable story. The Spider-Man movies to me look too slick and digital....like a cartoon. And Lucas did kill the SW movies both with the prequels and the new digital effects for the original trilogy (Greedo shooting first? Disgusting).
Just because a movie makes a lot of money doesn't mean it was good. A lot of people buy in to slick previews with lots of explosions.
Just because a movie makes a lot of money doesn't mean it was good. A lot of people buy in to slick previews with lots of explosions.
While that may be what he is hinting at, he is still a tool. I am sure that Michael Bay is like, hey this guy is right, all those movies that made hundreds of millions of dollars suck.
This guy is one of those "I know what good films are and you don't" kind of guys.
Besides, I don't think too many people confuse a great summer "popocorn" movie for a great movie. These movies are mostly just entertaining pieces that you don't have think about too much....and they all have their place and make tons of money.
Everyone knows they're not ground-breaking, artistic cinema. Even the sometimes very generic Academy doesn't recognize most of these films with awards.
Besides, I don't think too many people confuse a great summer "popocorn" movie for a great movie. These movies are mostly just entertaining pieces that you don't have think about too much....and they all have their place and make tons of money.
Everyone knows they're not ground-breaking, artistic cinema. Even the sometimes very generic Academy doesn't recognize most of these films with awards.
It doesn't mean they are good but they are still blockbusters. If a movie is crap but makes $300 million at the box office, I don't think the studio cares one bit. There is a difference between a bust and a crap movie.
I guess this article is a classic example questioning the definition of "good".
As an example, I don't really understand jazz music very well. I like it as much as the next guy, and have enjoyed several nights sitting in a jazz club listening to the bands. But I had a roommate who was a jazz musician and was a true connoisseur. He would play some stuff that he considered to the absolute best, and I thought it was crap. Most likely its because I don't really "get it", but the fact remains, I didn't like it.
The same can be said for any time of art, food, theater, film, music, etc.
As an example, I don't really understand jazz music very well. I like it as much as the next guy, and have enjoyed several nights sitting in a jazz club listening to the bands. But I had a roommate who was a jazz musician and was a true connoisseur. He would play some stuff that he considered to the absolute best, and I thought it was crap. Most likely its because I don't really "get it", but the fact remains, I didn't like it.
The same can be said for any time of art, food, theater, film, music, etc.
Yeah, I GUARANTEE that every studio would rather make $300 million movies than win an Oscar, or to have some blogger give them +rep for making a good movie.
I am all for well directed deep movies, but sometimes a blow em up action no brainer is fun too. Some people take movies too seriously. I realize that the "there is no way that would happen in real life" situations happen in movies. Thats the point, its a movie. There was alot that annoyed me on Transformers that Bay does, but in general 75 percent of the movie was enjoyable. Lucas really pooched Star Wars. His CGI was a big toy for him that he couldnt put down to make the s-c-r-i-p-t and acting decent. There was some camp to the originals, but they were well made entertainment.
The summer movie season is typically the big "everyone wants to see this movies".Summer movies are pure profit films that will generate buzz.
The movies for depth in writing and cinematic "expression" aren't released until late in the year and just prior to Oscar time.
Comparing them is like apples and oranges.
If it weren't for Titanic, I wouldn't have been able to get any sleep that summer. My 2nd floor apartment didn't have air conditioning.
The movies for depth in writing and cinematic "expression" aren't released until late in the year and just prior to Oscar time.
Comparing them is like apples and oranges.
If it weren't for Titanic, I wouldn't have been able to get any sleep that summer. My 2nd floor apartment didn't have air conditioning.
This guy totally lost me when he said Will Smith does not make a good hero/protagonist. How did this guy con someone to pay him to write about movies?
