• Top 10 Problems with Modern Movies

  

  Written by Zeromage 48 Comments
  Last Updated:: December 13, 2008

  It seems like every year movies are getting worse and worse. I used to go to the movies every week, and now I’m lucky if I go once a month. Not only are the movies today worse, but they cost more too. Since I make more money now than I did when I was a kid, I wouldn’t really care about spending a lot of money going to the movies, but it’s still hard to justify paying $10 to go and see Jumper. If you bring your wife or girlfriend with you, plan on spending over $40 (with popcorn and a soda) to see some shitty new movie. I wouldn’t mind if every new movie was as good as Dark Knight, but let’s face it, most new movies suck ass. You’re better off spending your $40 buying a full season of the X-Files on DVD. At least you’ll be entertained for a whole week, and you won’t have to sit next to some overweight guy who breathes really hard, or some little girl who sniffs every ten seconds while you’re watching them. So why do new movies suck? In this next list we’ll go through the top 10 problems with modern movies.

  10. Too many re-makes

  How many times can you re-make Psycho? What can you possibly gain by re-making a movie that is almost perfect to begin with? The answer is “nothing”. Has there ever been a re-make of a good movie that was better than the original? The Invasion? No. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Ha. Don’t make me laugh. Re-makes almost always suck, and the ones that don’t usually aren’t good enough to justify doing it in the first place. Here’s an idea: Why not write a whole new movie instead? Do you see the re-make concept in other forms of media? Has any author ever re-wrote Dune? Or what about Sirens of Titan? Of course not, because real writers would rather create something of their own, rather than ruin something that someone else wrote.

  9. No mystery

  When I say there’s no mystery in modern movies, I don’t mean that there’s not enough crime thrillers out there. I mean that modern day directors have no sense of mystery when they make new movies. The classic example is Steven Spielberg’s classic movie Jaws. We don’t see the shark until the last half hour of the movie. Do you think modern directors have the patience to do something like that today? If they ever re-make Jaws (which I’m sure someone will do eventually) I’d bet money that we would see a big CGI shark in the very first scene of the movie. This was a concept that George Lucas used to understand also, like when we never see the Wompa creature in the original version of Empire, but of course in the special edition of the movie we get to see the entire beast, and after we finally do see it something is lost.

  8. No Patience

  There doesn’t seem to be any pacing anymore in modern day movies. Its nonstop action from beginning to end. There’s no build up. Alfred Hitchcock once said that a bomb under a table goes off, and that’s surprise. But when we know the bomb is under the table but we don’t know when it will go off, that’s suspense. Modern movies depend on surprise. Remember the Star Wars: A New Hope? Nothing happened for the first 30 minutes of the movie! Compare that to The Phantom Menace. Right in the beginning of the movie we see Jedis using almost every force power that we’ll ever see in throughout entire prequel trilogy. In a sense, after the first fifteen minutes of the movie there’s nothing left to see. I don’t think that it’s all Hollywood’s fault though. I just don’t think that there’s any way that a modern audience would be able to sit through a movie that moved as slow as the original Star Wars.

  7. Too predictable

  The vast majority of movies that come out today are about as a predictable as a new Indie band. The last time a new movie surprised me was the latest Bourne movie. Other than that you can almost tell what’s going to happen before you see the movie. If that wasn’t bad enough, nowadays the previews and commercials give away the entire movie before you even see it anyway. Remember What Lies Beneath? The previews told you that Harrison Ford was the bad guy before you even saw the movie! I can’t tell you how surprised I would have been when he turned out to be the bad guy if I hadn’t known it before I even saw the movie. In the trailers for Cast Away we almost saw the entire movie play out before it was even released. Again, this is apparently what modern audiences want though. They don’t like surprises. That’s why people like McDonald’s. There’s no surprises. You know exactly what it’s going to taste like before you even order. Everybody knows the menu so nobody’s is surprised.

  6. Bad Actors

  Ten or twenty years ago who didn’t want to see the latest Harrison Ford movie? Every movie he was in turned out to be great. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Bladerunner, and The Fugitive were all great movies, but he was also able to turn otherwise mediocre movies like Patriot Games and Airforce One into good movies as well. We don’t have too many great actors today. It seems like looks, rather than ability, are the reason that most actors and actresses are cast today. Ashton Kutcher, Hayden Christensen, Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, and Jennifer Lopez are all great examples of modern day actors with zero talent. I’m just glad that movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Poltergeist were cast in the 70s and 80s instead of today.

  5. Bad Writing

  For the most part the writing in modern day movies takes a back seat to the special effects, and it shows. Remember in Episode 2: Attack of the Clones when Anakin says to Princess Amidala “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything’s soft… and smooth…” Who wrote this garbage? This was possibly the worst dialog in any movie I’ve ever seen. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher must feel embarrassed for these two actors. Bad writing isn’t limited to the Star Wars prequel trilogy though, you see it in any Jennifer Lopez movie, in any Vin Diesel movie, and pretty much 99% of the crap that you’ll see in theaters today.

  4. No originality

  When’s the last time you saw a good movie that wasn’t based on a short story, a novel or even a comic book? Are the writers in Hollywood the only ones who don’t come up with their own ideas? Its almost like the writers in Hollywood are failed writers from other mediums who couldn’t get their own stuff published so they went into a field where they could ape other people’s stuff and it would be alright. Every movie is a sequel, or a re-make or based on some other work like a novel. Too bad we don’t see good original ideas in new movies anymore like E.T. or Back to the Future.

  3. Too much emphasis on special effects

  This one almost goes without saying. Can we please have a new movie where something doesn’t have to blow up every five minutes? Its not that I have a problem with special effects per se, but I do have a problem when they are the main focus of the movie instead of the story line. Sometimes it seems like Hollywood writers are writing scripts to try out bigger and bigger special effects, rather than using the special effects to tell the story that they wrote. This is one of the biggest reasons why most modern day movies are crap.

  2. No imagination

  Where’s the imagination in today’s movies? Has any modern day movie been able to capture the sense of wonder you had when you first saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Has there been a movie released in the last 5-10 years that was as imaginative as Flight of the Navigator, or Dark Crystal? With a few notable exceptions (Pan’s Labyrinth) the answer is “no”. As stated earlier, the no-talent writers and directors of today would much rather focus on making more and more outrageous special effects than trying to come up with an imaginative story.

  1. Too much CGI

  Does everything have to be computer animated these days? In the first 15 minutes of the new Indiana Jones movie we see a frightened prairie dog with computer generated animated expressions. At this point the movie already doesn’t “feel” like an Indiana Jones movie. Was there really a need to computer animate a prairie dog? Is it so hard to get footage of a real prairie dog? Its not like you’re computer animating a rare or mythical beast like a dragon. It’s a prairie dog! Does everything need to be computer animated? The same can be said of the new Star Wars movies. Why were some of the Clone Troopers computer animated? And why does everyone use CGI when it looks like shit anyway? Give me costumes and puppets any day, at least they look halfway decent unlike the CGI garbage we see in movies today.

48 Comments

1. #1 The Mountain says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

   True True stuff
2. #2 Salo says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 8:16 pm

   You guys must be the grumpiest people in the world!
3. #3 George says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:12 pm

   Well, the worst example of CGI ever was Van Helsing, it’s the cinematic equivelant of eye rape. But you guys still have only scratched the surface. Just look at the fucking Wayans, Eddie Murphy, or Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg.

   Plus, the bigger the budget, the more out of hand things get. Look how much better Terminator 2 was than Titanic, and they were directed by the same man. And although Harrison Ford is not a good actor, at least he has charisma, something that needs to be taught.

   Also, I think that when we look back, Episode 1 was just not the cinematic abomination many think it is. It had the best acting and the strongest story of all the prequels. And Natalie Portman actually seemed to care in the movie, something she lost along the way.

   Also, Hayden Christiansin got out acted by a 10 year old who played his character, that’s all you need to know about how bad he is.

   Pardon the long post, I’m very passionate about this.
4. #4 George says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:27 pm

   Wait, I think you guys also need to know that the past is much better when it’s the past. Their were plenty of shitty movies back then, need I bring up Howard the Duck. And besides, now you’ve had a chance to filter out all the shit, and keep the good stuff.

   If you go onto sites like the Angry Video Game Nerd, or the Nostalgia Critic, you’ll see plenty of the shit the people of yesteryear had to deal with. For every Link to the Past, their was dozens of Paperboys, Ghosts ‘n Goblin’s, and Superman (almost every superman game ever made was terrible).

   This decade has sucked plenty of shit, but in 2 years, it’ll all be over, and shortly after that, we’ll filter out the shit, and keep the good stuff. Like the Dark Knight.
5. #5 Zeromage says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:31 pm

   No argument that there was plenty of shit in the past too. But in the 70’s 80’s and to some extent the 90’s I could easily go to the movies every week and see something great, despite the fact that there was a lot of shit out there. I’ve enjoyed three movies this year. It will all become much more clear when OW releases its Top 100 Movies of All Time though.
6. #6 Vintage Junkie says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:33 pm

   First, let me say that this was a fantastic article. I’ve been dying for you guys to start bashing new movies. I knew it was coming, and you didn’t disappoint me. Wondering what you guys thought of the Spiderman movies though?
7. #7 Gyb says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 2:13 am

   This is really right-on. I really hate re-makes.
8. #8 Bob says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:32 am

   Hi,

   I think your article has some good points. That said, I have to add a point that a lot of people will disagree with…

   I thought that The Dark Night was a very poor movie — I don’t think it will stand the test of time. I was invited to see the movie by friends who watch essentially only superhero movies, so I figured I might as well give it a shot.

   I mostly remember how everything was relatively predictable. I will admit that I hate superhero movies because if you watched the related cartoons when you were a kid, you already know the entire story! Lame!

   It was unbelievably long, overblown, pompous yet low-brow. Give me a poorly executed or even corny science fiction movie anyday. (Actually, bad movies are often great to watch because they are so hilarious, I still enjoy watching Point Break for that reason, Keanu Reeves is in his element as a surfer)

   I will admit that the Joker’s acting was rather good, but I still think if that actor did not die following the film’s completion, the movie would have not received such critical “acclaim.” I don’t trust critics anyway, and this only reinforces my distrust.

   On another note, I will admit that when I saw Ironman, (again not my choice) I was actually impressed. This may be due to the fact that I didn’t already know it’s respective story, but I think upon seeing it a second time that it was a better overall “package.” I get the impression that most viewers dislike assimilating new characters and stories in their head, they would prefer the same old familiar stuff every time. I absolutely cannot identify with this at any level.

   Now, back to Ironman: The other thing that was good about it was that the equivalent story of The Dark Night was compressed into 1hr 30min. Batman dragged out most of it’s scenes for what seemed like an eternity.

   I’m not saying Titanic was the best movie ever, but at least it had a story that wasn’t told to me in advance. Sure, I new the boat was going to sink, but all of the escapades that occurred were less predictable than in Batman.

   Sorry about the negativity, but I just felt compelled to comment.
9. #9 Pillville says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

   “Why were some of the Clone Troopers computer animated?”

   ALL of them were animated. Every single one.
10. #10 Zeromage says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    Not true actually. The clone troopers Obi Wan was talking to for instance…
11. #11 SnakeDoc says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:47 pm

    CGI is helluva cheaper than actual silicon models or shooting on location.

    That said, there are still alot of good movies coming out nowadays, so might want to drop the nostalgia hat and enjoy the good stuff which is available now.
12. #12 Josh says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:31 pm

    How true. The worst offenders of all 10 problems are horror movies. Saw 2-4 (I haven’t seen #5 so I won’t comment on it) weren’t very good, but they were all better than every other “horror” movie out there (well, most of them anyway). That said, Saw 1, and …Waiting were both original and great. As for #8 on your list, we live in an ADD society, so a lack of pacing is based on the viewing public’s lack of patience and attention span.
13. #13 Bob says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:05 am

    Ugh, sorry when I referred to “The Dark Night,” I meant “The Dark Knight”.

    My apologies.
14. #14 Thiga says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:50 am

    THomas Crown Affair was better than the original, but you’re right, its a rare case that remakes come close to the originals.
15. #15 David says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:16 am

    Man what the hell has happened? when i first stumbled upon this site i really liked it, now i think you guys are a bunch of morons, seriously how old are you? Movies now are the same as they have ALWAYS been, there are good movies and there are bad, no more and no less then when we were younger, its just that in the past we WERE younger so not as informed as we are now, we have grown up and so have our tastes, But i tell you i am 30 now and have loved movies all my life and i still love movies and as many bad movies that come out each year there are still plenty coming out from all over the world, that have tons of imagination and originality and are excellent. and Bad actors? what are you talking about every generation has bad actors all those you mentioned are talentless yes but there are far more that are very talented for example, Robert Downy JR. Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Garry Oldman, And many more, and thats just north American actors don’t get me started on the rest of the world. Point being mthere are good movies and there are bad movies, now just as in the past it is no different.
16. #16 Bob* says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:03 am

    *applauds*

    Somebody should sent this memo to all filmmakers around the world!
17. #17 Toast says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:24 am

    “No argument that there was plenty of shit in the past too. But in the 70’s 80’s and to some extent the 90’s I could easily go to the movies every week and see something great, despite the fact that there was a lot of shit out there. I’ve enjoyed three movies this year. It will all become much more clear when OW releases its Top 100 Movies of All Time though.”

    you were younger and more easily amused in the past though and when you rewatch those movies, you’re original love of those movies skews your view.

    Also although not showing the wompa in empire, or the shark in jaws or alien in alien, made them alot cooler it wasnt always intentional it was because they didn’t have the technology to create a decent looking creature.

    also you say present movies suck because of emphasis on special effects ect but fans of movies from the 50’s are gunna the same thing about the movies you’ve raved about in this article.
18. #18 safcsx says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    I think that stupid commercials telling you the plot should have been higher. I remember I went to see the Island when someone gave me free tickets to it before it was out and it was intriguing. Sure the 2nd half was all Micheal Bay explosions but the first half was a solid set-up. Had I seen the trailer where they tell you the whole 1st half before seeing the movie (OMG they’re clones) it would have sucked all the way through. Every time I go see a movie I have to close my eyes halfway through every trailer that looks cool and it pisses me off. I look retarded covering my ears and humming ot myself in trailers and I wish it would stop.
19. #19 Osama says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

    Great write-up! Intelligent and factual! I hate most modern movies too
20. #20 Weeji says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    You might have to dig a bit, but you’ll find good movies. I scour the new theatrical release lists weekly, and if anything piques my interest, I will immediately seek out a trailer, and if it looks like something I want to see, I’ll see it. The good movies are rarely thrown at you in countless TV ads, because genuinely good movies aren’t what average people want to see. I do agree with the trailer thing though. Many times I wish I could un-see those.
21. #21 Generic Name says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:40 am

    I agree 100% with almost everything said here, but i dont get why so many bash CGI so much and say puppets and costumes are better, they look crap compared to CGI! Ok first off I believe that if it can be done in front of the camera, instead of added in digitaly, I think it should but only if it can be done well and look realistic, otherwise it just looks ridiculous and i agree that the overuse of it is a big reason why modern films are mostly crap. As you pointed out about the storm troopers in the Star Wars prequels, why in gods name did they have to be computer generated? I don’t understand it but I work with CGI so i notice it alot and it (mostly) looks stunning with alot of work gone into it, just as long as it needs to be used
22. #22 Milander says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:26 pm

    Agree with most points and have said it for many years too. But, I feel that (as others have pointed out) it was much the same in the past with the exception of CGI of course. Could anyone here honestly sit through Gone With The Wind or Yellow Brick Road or Mad Max:Beyond the Thunderdome. There is always crap and great, use your eyes, read the reviews, don’t follow the herd and you WILL find great sequels and new films. For example: Love Actually, Chocolate, Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and many others. Google IMDB (internet movie data base) for the website addy adn check it out for ideas and viewer reviews not hollywood reviews.
23. #23 OLD SCHOOL MODERN MOVIE CRITICS says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    Ok, I agree on Saw – SUCKS!!! ( except: 1-3 ) Remakes – SUCK!!! Why is it that ” brilliant ” writers remake old school movies instead of having new ideas, it’s boring… J-LO SUCKS!!! in everything I may say. Talk about Anaconda!!! And about the movie theaters: I hate going to watch a movie and having behind me a hispanic with his wife or girlfriend translating to her every word in the movie, TOP THAT!! very, very annoying, why even go?! or that person that has already seen it and talks about it to his friends who have not seen it, come on people for those of you who do, don’t ruin it for everyone… Another thing you left off, is the 30 minutes of commercials that air at the theater. This is complete bullshit! Too much sex and dumb ass acting in movies today, and having Seth Rogan and Sean William Scott in every other movie sucks ass as well.
24. #24 Mr Butterscotch says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    I see where you guys are going with this, but I’d like to point out that movies from an earlier time period (50s and 60s) suffered from a number of the problems that you list! Especially the bad acting…
25. #25 She-Ra says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    IT DEPENDS WHAT MOVIES YOU HAVE SEEN, I DO AGREE THAT THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN BAD ACTING BUT NOW MORE THAN EVER… IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PRETTY FACE OR BODY NOT TALENT… SOME, WELL MOST OF THEM DO NOT EVEN DO THEIR OWN STUNTS AND THEY STILL WANT AWARDS! FOR WHAT?! BEING ASSHOLES…THAT’S ALL THEY DO…
26. #26 Ollie says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:06 am

    OMG Iactually agree with this list, especially 10,4 and 3(i mean just look at the star wars prequals. there CGI eye rape)
27. #27 zerorequiem009 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    top reasons old movies suck
    1. Sparks for explosions
    2. Horrible 80’s drumms
    3. Horrible acting
    4. Stupid white kids becoming ninjas
    5. Steven Segal
    6. Overacted deaths
    7. Dont know when to end movie… always beat the main bad guy but he escapes on a car chase …crashes car… runs…. stupid stand off
    8.
28. #28 zerorequiem009 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    top reasons old movies suck
    1. Sparks for explosions
    2. Horrible 80’s drumms
    3. Horrible acting
    4. Stupid white kids becoming ninjas
    5. Steven Segal
    6. Overacted deaths
    7. Dont know when to end movie… always beat the main bad guy but he escapes on a car chase …crashes car… runs…. stupid stand off
29. #29 Anon says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:04 am

    I read you were saying remakes sucks and mentioned charlie and the chocolate factory as an example, that movie actually follows the book better than the original did.
30. #30 THEH says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    thought u might want 2 know, the last star wars, every single clone tropper was animated….
31. #31 Rachel says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:42 pm

    I agree with you on # 1, with there being too much CGI. Its everywhere, espescially in animation. There are some CGI animated movies that are great, don’t get me wrong, but I feel that these CGI animated movies will fail to stand the test of time. Let’s face it, the CGI movies made these days all rely on pop culture references, slapstick humor, and music from the Billboard Top 40 playlists to reach out to its target audience.

    I miss the days of traditional 2D animated films, that all had a timeless message, an original score, original songs, and characters that you wanted to love. There’s a reason why these 2D films have transferred to every subsequent generation well – because they captivate the hearts of both children and adults, and could really tug at the heartstrings. CGI animated films only seem to want humor, and rarely, if ever, have a message. It makes me cry that only CGI animated films are being made and marketed. I’m just glad I grew up with the good stuff.
32. #32 contra_bullet says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:06 pm

    Man you guys must have not seen
    cloverfield
    transmission the UK one
    28 day later
    REC
    changling
    the new tranformers which actualy made sense… seriously what could be the reason for those things! The new Terminator movies and even the TV show.
    Oni Bak 2
    Ghost in the shell
    tri gun
    LOL big trouble in little china!

    It’s really weird because people love some of the crazies things some times and they continue to love them unless they are transformers the animated movie LOL. That could have been so cool expect for rodimus prime!
33. #33 Jan says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    In my opinion, the best films of all were made in between 1935 and 1961.
34. #34 DekuNutEatingStalfos says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:23 am

    Peter Jackson’s King Kong was better than the original.
    No, I’m serious! *flame shield ready*
35. #35 Moviemasterkid1 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:32 am

    Batman the dark knight is a modern movie but is listed in the top five movies of all time on imdb(internet movie database)
36. #36 andrew says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:25 pm

    What about Pixar? They’re imaginative, original, have good writing, great effects, everything.
37. #37 John Bgron says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:16 am

    You hit the nail on the head mate. I’d say that only 1-2% of movies are worth watching these days. Anyone that disagrees with you is a Generation Y fuckwit that only likes a movie because all their Facebook “friends” do.
38. #38 zooeyhall says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    An excellent, spot-on article!

    I was watching “Norma Rae” awhile back on cable. Can you even IMAGINE a film like this getting made today? Hollywood seems to think everyone out there are total idiots! “Give ‘em crap to watch! That’ll get their moronic asses into the theatres!”
39. #39 fuckstick says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    District 9,
    Moon,
    the Hurt Locker,
    The Departed,
    The Dark Knight,
    The Proposition,
    Watchmen
    Slumdog Millionaire
    Frost/Nixon
    Taken
    Casino Royale
    There Will Be Blood
    No Country for Old Men
    Milk
    The Bourne Ultimatum
    Children of Men
    In Bruges
    Transiberian

    All made recently. And I can’t accentuate “In Bruges” enough.
40. #40 Cecil says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:51 am

    Unfortunately, too many contemporary actors think they are as good or better than earlier actors. I just don’t understand how Steve Martin thinks he is better than Spencer Tracey (father of the bride), Phil Silvers (sgt bilko), Clifton Webb(cheaper by the dozen),Peter Sellars(Pink Panther), and Walter Matthau (the out of towners). Based on his remakes, he is as good as they are in his dreams. He needs to stick to original material.
41. #41 nophilip says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    I think you’re about 75% accurate with this article. While some very putrid stuff has come out recently (GI Joe had just about the worst dialogue I have ever heard), there are definitely some keepers. Some of my favorite movies are from the last decade, such as The Prestige, Matchstick Men, M. Night Shyamalan’s first 3 movies, or the Ocean’s movies. I do think that much of the overall talent in this area is shifting from movies to television. There are really some fantastic shows out there, like Lost, Dollhouse, Firefly, Chuck, Fringe… the list goes on.
42. #42 Clayton says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    DekuNutEatingStalfos,

    You are so wrong there.

    Peter Jackson turned a fast-paced, terrifying horror film from 1933 into a romantic comedy.

    Great article, BTW. I agree so much. CGI ten years old looks like a cartoon, stop motion 80 years old still is impressive.
43. #43 Justin says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:45 am

    10.Too many remakes?Believe me remakes didn’t just start in the 90s or 200s.

    9.No mystery.I’ll agree with that.

    8.All your claims for this one is “nothing even happened in the first 30 minutes!It was great!”How is that good?If I want to watch a movie I don’t want to be bored for an hour before something worth watching actually happens.There is a difference between patience and wasting time.

    7.You make the comparison of predictability to a food menu?Why would you want to be surprised when you order food?There are the same amount of old movies that are predictable too so this real isn’t a valid problem.

    6.You REALLY seem to be living in the past here.Sure,this generation has it’s group of bad actors,but every generation does. You say it’s all about looks now.What about Marilyn Monroe or Elvis?Terrible actors.There are alot of great actors in todays movies that are both diverse and intriguing.You are beginning to show that this is just a list to vent your anger with aging.

    5.Bad writing?You only seem to be using Jenner Lopez movies as examples it’s getting more predictable than Cast Away.Cast Away wasn’t supposed to be a surprising movie,the writers gave it underlying themes of man vs. nature and other conflicts that you obviously can’t comprehend.Go read a novel and learn about writing.

    4.No originality?Try watching a Tarantino,Shyamalan,Apatow movie.Alot of great movies old and new are based off novels or stories.It’s no different.

    3.Too many special effects,hmm Star Wars anybody?Every single Star Wars old and new sold tickets because of the special effects.They have the technology to make explosions,crashes,blasts,basically anything look amazing now instead of the crap they had back then,why would you not use it?You are really hypocritical because special effects have ALWAYS been a major part of script writing since the early 70’s.

    2.No imagination?How doesn’t that fall under the categories bad writing or no originality?This should be a top 5 because you don’t have sufficient arguments.

    1.Too much CGI?I’ll agree with that,IF it’s crappy CGI.Look at the scenes in the Transformers movies.They look amazing and CGI was the only way to capture it.
44. #44 steven says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    whinge whinge whine whine
45. #45 TNT says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    I think nowdays they just want to make profit and fast. Therefore they must feed the biggest and therefore less demanding audience. So the sequels come out (ok, very few are actually better, but those are entirely exceptions)
    I’d say that computer generated animation almost always shows. There are really few examples, where you can’t see if it is real or not (like Pirrates of carribean)

    Lack of good actors – instead of ass kicking superheroes like Arnold, Stallone(Thank Odin, he made some great finishing movies like Rocky6 and yet to come- Rambo) etc etc, we get soft metrosexual douchebags (very few exceptions here too).
    And not only in action movies. In all genre – drama, comedy…
    Where are people like Jackie Chan? Atkinson?

    Lack of original ideas. Really – every second movie has had been a comic or a cartoon before that.

    I’m too tired to write normal, careful comment…
    Let’s just say i like “The thing” more than any /modern/ scary movie.
    Oh, and modern movies really do not make lasting impact. You watch it once.. meh.. was ok, and that’s it. Because they give you no alsting values. I can give an example – in ussr we had a movie “Gentlemen of Fortune”, that dealt with uncommon problem, but was so full of everyday life humor, you could watch it over and over and everyone understood how good it was. I probably have seen it like 20 times (not in a row) and still don’t feel this “aah, the next scene I know…”
46. #46 nick says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

    The american godzilla had too much bullshit cgi.
47. #47 Nathan says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:29 am

    I was expecting some real points here (such as action and thriller movies tajing themselves way too seriously) but instead all I got was “Movies are only good if you can laugh at their special effects.” Do you think if the tefhnology we have today was available to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg they would pass up the chance to use it? There always has been bad movies and there always will be.