Has the amount of content available these days affected the magic of movies?

[wonderer99]

OK so I struggled for a while coming up with a title for the thread as I just couldn't word it right but, I don't know, the last 5 years or so, pre pandemic, movies and TV shows just seem to become........less valuable?

I have come to the conclusion, for myself at least, that it is, in large part, due to the sheer amount of content we simply have today. We are literally bombarded with new movies and movie quality tv series, one after the other. I was having a conversation with my partner and she said there is simply "too much to watch now"

Couple that with the binge watch mentality and we just don't seem to absorb anything anymore, let it sink in and relish it before moving on. It seems that even viewers are not allowing themselves to love movies anymore to a certain degree.

This seems to be prevalent across the board, from smaller arthouse movies that would have been laden with praise that barely get a mention to massive blockbuster type movies that sit on Netflix for a week then get forgotten. Movies such as The Tomorrow War would have been an "event movie" Do we even have a blockbuster season now? Or is it just Marvel season?

The thing I realised and I don't know if others feel the same is that even though I consume more content now than ever before, the amount of things I cherish has not increased. Statistically I should be finding more things I love but my physical media collection has not grown by much. Another casualty of the streaming times is movies we would have pored over the cover of the box art we now forget because its streaming only and has been erased from the front pages.

Films and shows that I would have loved and watched numerous times thereafter now sit in the great film but will probably never watch it again category simply because there is no time to revisit everything anymore.

I don't know, I am not explaining very well but I hope you get what I mean. In a nutshell I am beginning to feel that having too much content is actually a bad thing. It used to be a case of being great to have so much choice but now I don't feel like we don't give our hearts to much anymore.

[levcore]

Yes a bit I think. It makes movies feel like less of an event.

I miss the 90's.

[Krynoid-Man]

I have noticed over the past few years that films tend not to stick the popular conscious for as long as they used to.

[CreasyBear]

"Content." That dreaded word does more harm than anything. It takes the preciousness of the art of filmmaking out of the equation. It's no longer "film" or "cinema" it's just disposable "content". And there's more of it than ever, because our little pee-brained society can't look up from their phones long enough to properly digest art. Chew. Spit. Repeat.

Personally, over the last decade, I go to the theater less and less because less films interest me. It's either MCU #26 or another Fast and Furious or just a generic remake. There's less variety and quality. It's disposable films for a disposable society. Films are a reflection of the society that creates them and sadly, this society creates art that is superficial and vain.

[s2mikey]

All solid points made here. There are just so many ways to spend your "viewing" dollars(aka time). Movies are still my thing but thats mostly based on my favorites, most of which are older or existing franchises. TV is also able to do a LOT more than they used to so their production values, actors, directors, etc, etc are just as good as any movie. Oh, and they get to flesh out stories easier/better than multiple films would have to. Game of Thrones showed the world how good a TV production can be. Then you have numerous shows, sports, whatever else all vying for your time. Its content overload.

As Creasy said too - there isnt a lot of variety now out there at theaters. Its just MCU #37 of #100 or some obscure thing that Im not into. The choices are gone. Or, everyone's NON-favorite thing: Reboots and regurgitations of older franchises that suck 99.4% of the time.

[wonderer99]

Glad I am not alone in this. I watched the trailer for Finch yesterday. A sci fi adventure movie starring Tom Hanks with great effects and original story. A decade or more ago it would be a THING. Now it is just something else that's coming soon, will be watched and forgotten. What makes me sad is that I find myself a part of it. Its not even something you can blame on "society" really as we all do it now.

I remember sitting on a bench in the pouring rain for two hours waiting for WHSmith (a book and entertainment store here in the UK) to open so I could grab my VHS copy of Jurassic Park: The Lost World before it sold out.

I cant imagine caring about any movie like I did back then. Queueing round the block to get into a massive movie like Independence Day. Incredible feeling. I just got done watching Midnight Mass and thought it was great. However 15 years ago I would have bought the series and watched it numerous times over the years. Now, due to the rate of new movies and TV being made I will probably never get the time to see it again. Yes I know I could watch it whenever I wanted but with so much out there we are always trying to find something new to love and as others have said there is a feeling that nothing is special anymore. I am sure someone will be along soon to say how depressing and glass half empty this thread is but I cant shake it. No matter how well made or popular something may be there is just something missing now.

[CreasyBear]

If everything is at your finger tips 24/7, then it's hard to discover anything. I largely just ignore all of the streaming shows and movies, aside from a select few, and focus on older films and the few newer films that I am interested in seeing. All I ever hear people talk about is this new show that came out this week or a new season of this or that and it's sheepishly and mind-numbingly boring.

[DR Herbert West]

The thrill of the hunt is gone.

[bigrob]

been saying this for years

with the release windows (cinema > 6 months> rental > 6 months> retail) getting smaller and smaller to literally day and date release, there is no anticipation of a second viewing or build up for it's second and third release.

It gets released, it's out there, that's it. it's over.

[Krynoid-Man]

I think having more of a choice, ironically, ends up limiting the kinds of things you end up watching. For example, I used to stay at my Grandmothers a lot when I was a kid/teen and the spare bedroom I was in only had a basic Freeview box so I would be flicking through the channels to find something to watch.

While I did end up seeing a lot of crap because there was nothing else on (I've seen every episode of the first several seasons of The Big Bang Theory five times as a result), I also ended up seeing some movies and TV shows that I probably wouldn't have normally been interested in but ended up liking and helped me to broaden my taste in media. An Affair to Remember would be an example, before I saw that I dismissed romance films as "girls stuff" but seeing it made me realise I can enjoy them and not to dismiss them just because you're not the main demographic.

Had Netflix or a similar streaming service been around back then, I would have missed out on those things.

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

OK so I struggled for a while coming up with a title for the thread as I just couldn't word it right but, I don't know, the last 5 years or so, pre pandemic, movies and TV shows just seem to become........less valuable?

I have come to the conclusion, for myself at least, that it is, in large part, due to the sheer amount of content we simply have today. We are literally bombarded with new movies and movie quality tv series, one after the other. I was having a conversation with my partner and she said there is simply "too much to watch now"

Couple that with the binge watch mentality and we just don't seem to absorb anything anymore, let it sink in and relish it before moving on. It seems that even viewers are not allowing themselves to love movies anymore to a certain degree.

This seems to be prevalent across the board, from smaller arthouse movies that would have been laden with praise that barely get a mention to massive blockbuster type movies that sit on Netflix for a week then get forgotten. Movies such as The Tomorrow War would have been an "event movie" Do we even have a blockbuster season now? Or is it just Marvel season?

The thing I realised and I don't know if others feel the same is that even though I consume more content now than ever before, the amount of things I cherish has not increased. Statistically I should be finding more things I love but my physical media collection has not grown by much. Another casualty of the streaming times is movies we would have pored over the cover of the box art we now forget because its streaming only and has been erased from the front pages.

Films and shows that I would have loved and watched numerous times thereafter now sit in the great film but will probably never watch it again category simply because there is no time to revisit everything anymore.

I don't know, I am not explaining very well but I hope you get what I mean. In a nutshell I am beginning to feel that having too much content is actually a bad thing. It used to be a case of being great to have so much choice but now I don't feel like we don't give our hearts to much anymore.

Hi in my opinion there are a few things going on here. It is possible that there is more content than we can absorb. Yet that has always been an issue.

To me where the problem lies is all that has been absorbed over the years, there are only so many stories that can be told. Depending on how you absorb things you have seen it all already. Twists are no longer surprising. Things blowing up is not interesting. The last stabby stabby does nothing for you.

You have just gotten to old for it I think.

[Member-682067]

No, not really. If I see a movie or show that piques my interest on a streaming service, I will try it and if I like it, I will continue watching or jump ship.

There were many newer movies and tv shows that I didn't care for pre-streaming, there are just more of them now to try that fit my aesthetic because the business has grown. In the context of this discussion though, I think I am at an advantage because I'm not overly interested in newer stuff with a few exceptions.

So again, no, I don't feel the method of release of tv shows and movies impacts my opinion(and I would guess a lot of other people's as well) of it at all, because I think people are going to gravitate towards what they are interested in no matter what.

[Lee A Stewart]

When you go to a buffet, do you eat everything? Or do you wander around, look at all the selections, then choose what you want to eat.

It's nice to have lots of choices. And maybe someday I will try one of those cheese filled wontons. Then again - probably not.

[jzbadblood]

Boutique labels doing fantastic restorations of obscure movies from the past has reignited my love of movies in general. I realized I like filmmaking on a smaller scale. If something has a huge budget I can already tell you I just won't care about it.

I cancelled most of my streaming services awhile ago. Every Netflix movie just felt a piece of a larger soulless content mill. These days I mostly watch things on disc. Movies always feel like an event to me I never just passively watch anything. No movie I want to sit and watch is being shoved into the background. I also never watch TV shows anymore I feel they're filler "content" more than a worthwhile use of my time.

[JediJones77]

I've been repeating the mantra that streaming equals "quantity over quality." That's what that business model needs, demands and creates. And the quantity that's being produced has a spillover effect on theatrical movies by spreading talent across the whole entertainment industry too thin.

It's a myth that the TV series or streaming movies are "high quality" or "movie quality." A complete myth that they want you to think. If they were high quality, you WOULD be excited about them. It's not your fault that you're not excited. The industry simply isn't putting out high quality work. Technical credits are not what quality is all about. Those may be easy to achieve. Quality is all about artistic inspiration, imagination and creativity. That's what we're not getting very much of.

Nevermind that the industry is going in the direction of pandering. The Oscars are basing qualifications on the demographics of the people who made the movie, not on its quality. Film companies are happy if their content sends the "message" they want to send that fits their belief system, or panders to a certain audience, or tries to anyway, as no audience likes being pandered to. The quality of the movie isn't nearly as important for many filmmakers and studios now as those messaging factors.

Lastly, the critics are failing us for the very same reasons, judging the movies on "issues" rather than on their quality. And Rotten Tomatoes is not a good system. Having Siskel & Ebert to give specific opinions on movies in depth was a lot more helpful in finding out about new, good movies than an averaged out score.

[SilverFox84]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

OK so I struggled for a while coming up with a title for the thread as I just couldn't word it right but, I don't know, the last 5 years or so, pre pandemic, movies and TV shows just seem to become........less valuable?

There's a lot of merit in what you say, almost the exact same thought crossed my mind a few weeks ago

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by JediJones77

It's a myth that the TV series or streaming movies are "high quality" or "movie quality." A complete myth that they want you to think. If they were high quality, you WOULD be excited about them. It's not your fault that you're not excited. The industry simply isn't putting out high quality work. Technical credits are not what quality is all about. Those may be easy to achieve. Quality is all about artistic inspiration, imagination and creativity. That's what we're not getting very much of.

There you go with that nonsense again. Do you still think all TV is Laverne and Shirley or something?

[Show spoiler]

[JediJones77]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

Glad I am not alone in this. I watched the trailer for Finch yesterday. A sci fi adventure movie starring Tom Hanks with great effects and original story. A decade or more ago it would be a THING. Now it is just something else that's coming soon, will be watched and forgotten.

That's because movies didn't ever become special when they looked like something that came out 10 years ago. Is that why Star Wars, Pulp Fiction, Ferris Bueller, Jurassic Park, Titanic, Spider-Man, etc. became popular hits? Original movies are the ones that make the most impact. When you looked at Star Wars, it didn't seem like a derivative of something you already saw.

Originally Posted by mwynn

To me where the problem lies is all that has been absorbed over the years, there are only so many stories that can be told. Depending on how you absorb things you have seen it all already. Twists are no longer surprising. Things blowing up is not interesting. The last stabby stabby does nothing for you.

You have just gotten to old for it I think.

That couldn't be more wrong. If the filmmakers are showing you things you already saw before, then that's on THEM. Not on the audience. Artists CONSTANTLY need to advance an artform to keep it interesting for the audience. Does music now sound like it did in the 1950s or 1990s? Just cranking out a formulaic story is not how you make a movie that is going to interest and excite people. Remember when Scream revitalized the horror genre? It did it by doing something unique and different. Just as Star Wars did for sci-fi. The possibility for a great movie to be made is ALWAYS there. Storytelling and filmmaking offer an INFINITE source of possibilities, that renews and refreshes itself every day as the world evolves and changes. However Scream 5 and Star Wars 9 aren't too likely to be the movies that will achieve that potential.

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by John1701D

There you go with that nonsense again. Do you still think all TV is Laverne and Shirley or something?

[Show spoiler]

Jonesy ain't all there.

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

When you go to a buffet, do you eat everything? Or do you wander around, look at all the selections, then choose what you want to eat.