Posted on 05/31/2009 9:24:43 PM PDT by OneVike
I am currently reading a book written by a friend about movies. He has asked me to read it and write a book review for him. While I am reading his book, I would like to get an idea of where my fellow Freepers stand as to what you think about today's movies. I have learned in my 11 years as a member of Free Republic, to trust and respect the opinions here more than anywhere else I could go to on the WWW. I guess I would have to say that your opinions reflect the truest conservative points of view in this country. So I have set up a blog specifically to ask a poll question of my fellow Freepers. YOU!
I will leave this poll up until June, 7, 2009 at 11:59 PM, at which time I will use the results of the poll in my review of my friends book. When the article is finished, I will post the review here at FreeRepublic for everyone's consideration. I would tell you more about the book, but I would then ruin my chance at you caring to read my review. Well, I hope to get many, many, many, who will answer my poll question. Thanks for reading this through and God bless Jim Robinson and FreeRepublic.
OneVike
I didn’t go to the movies today.
No acting.
90% special effects which are not humanly possible in this universe.
So, who is your favorite actor, alive or dead?
Today’s movies are polluted with political correctness presented as tradition.
The only thing worse is watching our brain dead lap it up.
You can place today’s movies into three categories, propaganda for some crazy left wing cause or America bashing, teen junk, or promoting some perversion. You get a really good film once every five years or so.
The 90-120 minute movie is obsolete.
The series that run on cable are much more original than the endless Hollywood remakes. Cable series have time to develop characters, fewer stereotypical characters, and terrific writing.
I thought there was no hope for today’s movies till I saw Star Trek.
PIXAR movies are entertaining. About the only movies my husband and I look forward to, HOWEVER, there is a movie, BROTHERS AT WAR which isn’t getting much distribution that I’d like to see....documentary. We like documentaries and historical films, also...as long as they are not, “polluted”
with PC.
They’re crap.
The leftists in Hollyweird can use their celebrity to rail against America but they won't be doing it with my money.
Star Trek wins four of five stars from me.
Yah. What you said.
Bruce Willis, hands down. Fun movies, he’s a conservative who doesn’t talk about politics unless pressed, and again fun movies!
Yeah, about every 5 years or so now, a decent movie sneaks out. They need some competitio over there.
Maybe the advent of the technology being accessible to the little guy will give them that much-needed competition.
I’m 50 years old. I would be truthful and say that nothing much has changed over the past forty years.
There were titillating and raunchy movies in the 1970s...just beyond the level of decency...which is pretty much what you see today.
There were big-budget movies in the 1970s and 1980s...which were total failures just like some movies of today.
There were actresses and actors in the 1970s and 1980s....who could not act, yet were pronounced ‘stars’...pretty much like you have today.
The changes? Disney isn’t Disney anymore....drive-in movies were probably better than the 2-star movies of today...we were lectured with actual real moral dilemmas versus the bogus dilemmas of today...we sometimes got 5-stars movies out of minor league vehicles (Ole Yeller) unlike today where minor league movies are simply minor league movies....and finally, the one and only improvement is that there are foreign films which are more readily available today which tend to be better than some of the trash produced in the US.
braveheart, gladiator, black hawk down, and enemy at the gates come to mind.
Generation Kill.
I agree with that there has been some really good sci fi on the cable the past few years.
Ditto.
The vast majority of them and anything Hollywood puts out is trash and I cannot be bothered. The last film I rented and may be one of the best films I ever watched was “The Lives of Others” about East Germany and life in a police state.
Rush loved the film too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others
Hollywood sickens me. I do think the British team who reworked the horrible Batman franchise did a graet job. A great line up with Caine, Oldman and Bale.
Bale is a bit of wacko but he told his lib step mom Gloria Steinem to “shut up woman” as she would preach and pontificate (aka spew) her liberal hate at the dinner table.
Good actors? Russell Crowe. The best American movie I saw in a long time? LA Confidential with Aussies Crowe (really NZ) and Guy Pearce in the lead. Pearce is excellent.
Gladiator was good too - it helps when you have Ridley Scott as director. Ridley’s Alien is one of my favorite films. A masterpiece haunted house, sci fi and horror movie rolled into one.
I risked going to Star Trek because I heard it was pretty good. Yuck! It was awful. But, that’s my opinion. Give me the old Star Trek movies any time.
I watch the old movies on TCM.
They can do without my money, and I can do without their filth.
That about sums it up!
Just saw “UP” with the family today, it’s a really good movie. I highly recommend it. I’d really be surprised if no one liked it, but then...
I hardly think they’re ALL garbage, but 9 out of every 10 movies that come out I have no interest in seeing. And most of the 10% I would see I wait until they’re on DVD or I catch them in a hotel.
Some movies are exceptional—even when they’re not theatrical releases. For example, I just watched again the movie “Taking Chance,” made by HBO, which is without a doubt the most moving, powerful and well-made movie I’ve seen in at least five years. No explosions or CGI effects, no nudity or atrocious profanity, just a great story about real people who love our country.
So there are some wonderful films, but most of them don’t make it to the theater or are gone in an instant. The public appears to like big, loud, profane, slam-bang movies that are highly derivative and mostly lacking in originality.
Well I was pretty skeptical because I’m a old time Star Trek fan too. Oh well if you watch the old movies on TCM you dislike for the Star Trek remake is understood!
I go to the movies about once a year. Because I have teens, I see more than that at home.
So, what’s been good this century?
I think “Napoleon Dynamite” was a very worthwhile film. It was very funny, but also very intelligent and uplifting. Excellently done.
I am a big fan of the documentary, “Spellbound.”
“The Incredibles” is a good example of a movie for kids and adults without a pc message. Funny, too.
“Braveheart” sure wasn’t pc, and was quite inspiring, even if it wasn’t true. Some priceless characters in that.
I loved “Last of the Mohicans” although maybe that was in the 90s. Also, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “Cold Mountain.” How about the Civil War series by none other than Ted Turner? “Gettysburg” was awfully good.
Still, it’s a handful among thousands. I will probably think of more through the evening.
I think youtube and popularly available software has opened up the door to an explosion of independent filmmaking, and Hollywood will never have a stranglehold again. Thankfully.
They’re awful. Sex and or nudity presented in a character for the sake of pulling in an audience, and also as entertainment, nauseating.
Violence for entertainment.
Cursing on every level and even by children, as lines are fed to them by debauched men. Why is no one questioning why these men are writing this into the movies?
Propaganda to hate your country spoon fed constantly.
Last week we watched the original King Kong and the remake with Jessica Lange.
You know what we noticed? In the original, King Kong’s island has all sorts of prehistoric creatures, in which he does battle every few minutes.
In the remake, there is only almost only Kong on the island.
Fay Wray was a better choice. Feminine scream that still is played as the quintessential female scream.
Jessica Lange had to show her breast to make some sort of specialness.
Also, the man Jack Armstrong played in King Kong was an okay guy, just enthusiastic.
In the remake his character was evil, and stepped on by Kong, supposedly to even up the score. Justice. But in reality was just another violent act served up for your audiences pleasure.
Hollywood. Home to commies, perverts and Napolionic complexes.
“I don’t go to movies. The last time I did was to see Twister in 1994.”
Great movie line; “COW”
Best Russell Crowe movie, in my opinion, was “Cinderella Man.” I love that flick, and can’t believe it wasn’t more popular.
:-)
The movie “To End All Wars” is a really good one, you and your husband probably would be touched.
“Best Russell Crowe movie, in my opinion, was “Cinderella Man.” I love that flick, and can’t believe it wasn’t more popular.”
Not many today can relate. Especially when he went in and paid back the welfare money.
I like to be entertained, mostly, when watching movies or tv.
Generally, I don’t watch as many movies as I did when I was younger.
My favorite movies are those I can watch again and again while still enjoying them.
hahahaha...thanks...
Boring.
Gary Grant, he was entertaining.
That was a powerful scene. I almost can’t believe lib director Ron Howard left it in the movie. The whole story is a fantastic lesson in hard work, perseverance, and the importance of family.
I don’t have a favorite actor. I’m more into “characters” the actors play.
As a fan and collector of classic movies, I will honestly say that there are some good movies still being made. But changes the question a little to: Are you willing to spend $10 a ticket? and the answers “NO” is what you will get from me. Even the matinee prices here in the Seattle are are $8.50. I can wait a few months and buy the dang thing for less that two movie tickets cost. And we make better popcorn.
Just a few years ago we would see maybe 12 movies a year. It is down to maybe 3 or 4 at the most, and only for those that must be seen on the big screen.
>At least two, maybe three, films per year are really quite good. Four at most.
>
>Star Trek wins four of five stars from me.
Indeed so, it was a good movie... though there were a few continuity-slips, but that’s just nit-pickery.
The last good sci-fi movie (before this new Trek) was probably ‘Serenity’.
On the whole though, I’m rather dissapointed that there aren’t more good sci-fi films produced here in America.
Great actor and a great film. I liked LA Confidential because he and Guy Pearce together were awesome. Both were not well known in America when it came out.
I get turned off by the PC stuff.
Coconut oil is the best for popping corn along with Johnny’s popcorn seasoning salt.
>and finally, the one and only improvement is that there are foreign films which are more readily available today which tend to be better than some of the trash produced in the US.
The movie ‘Zatoichi’ springs immediately to mind.
Done! I think there are very few truly good movies anymore. But hey, what did you expect, look who runs Hollywood. BTW, you might be interested in an excellent book on Hollywood by Edward Jay Epstein (of Lee Harvey Oswald fame) entitled “The Big Picture.”
Here’s a link:
http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/home.htm
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