Has your taste in movies changed over the years?

[grape_jelly]

Hi guys,

First post in a long while, and thought this would be neat to explore

I took a long break from the blu-ray world after selling off over 90% of my 400+ collection a few years back. I'd actually stopped watching movies for quite some time and focused on other interests.

Buying a 4k television alongside my recent acquisition of an Xbox Series X made me curious again however... and here I am with a little pile of black colored spines in my media storage unit. What I've noticed though is the type of movies I'm buying are a bit different than what I had collected in the past.

As a kid, I loved comedies. They were fun and easy for me to grasp. Kevin Smith, Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, etc..

In my teens I became obsessed with horror movies. Very angsty, and rebellious. These movies suited my mood. I hoarded as many VHS tapes and DVDs as I could. Mostly horror. Mostly schlock. Eventually sold them all at garage sales years later before diving into blu-ray when I became an outright snob.

My twenties were spent being a hipster guy and my collection reflected that. 400 blu rays, mostly boutique labels and limited runs. Lots of Criterion Collection, Twilight Time, Olive, Synapse, Blue Underground, Vinegar Syndrome etc. I still had some horror love in me (likely always will) but I was far more interested in filmmaking as an art form. Even went to film school for a bit. I collected kino, and kino only. Eventually got tired of my physical media and sold it off again.


Now I'm 31, and this is my current collection:



Much smaller overal, and I don't plan on letting it get huge like my other collections were. I'm no longer pining for obscure classics, or even older movies. This is all fairly modern and well known stuff. I enjoy a nice spectacle now. Seems like mostly sci-fi with some action thrown in for good measure. Few family friendly flicks. Just made me think. Made me want to create this thread. Seems like I've mellowed out as I've gotten older. Maybe it's just the sort of movies being release in 4k overall. They're not as common as blu-ray and certainly not DVD were. I'm not sure.

How about you?

[CreasyBear]

Yes. More and more mainstream films, especially the tentpoles appeal to me less and less, with only a few a year that interest me. Even smaller arthouse/indie films and "awards" films appeal to me less. Generally, I just don't think films are as good as they were 30-50 years ago. Less thoughtful and genuine. But then, that's where society as gone too and cinema is just a reflection of that.

[DR Herbert West]

Changes a little every year.

[scarletlion]

Yes, fewer and fewer mainstream films. I just rarely find any emotion or natural beauty in films that come out of places like Britain and USA. There are notable exceptions every year, but by and large, cinema from Europe, South America and Asia that is a little heavy on the artistic side and light on action is what I like now. Basically the opposite of 20 years ago.

[slumcat]

Hasn’t really changed in 10 years. But has changed over 20 years. And even then, the bones of my current taste were present when I was a child.

[jess1581]

I'd say so yes. I've become less tolerant of modern cinema. Scripts are becoming less well written, you can poke holes thru the smoke screen with ease, visually they've become more lifeless and less tangible, murky, subdued, and dull in their digital sheen. It's more about politics, the "message" than just entertaining, instead of escapism, we get reminders of how shitty the real world is. Casting is typically off the mark and I usually either settle for who is there or reject it altogether. I haven't given a new film more than 3 stars with a few exceptions. Music has devolved into sounds, noises, no themes, no melodies.

Cinema nowadays just lack the soul and enthusiasm.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by jess1581

I'd say so yes. I've become less tolerant of modern cinema. Scripts are becoming less well written, you can poke holes thru the smoke screen with ease, visually they've become more lifeless and less tangible, murky, subdued, and dull in their digital sheen. It's more about politics, the "message" than just entertaining, instead of escapism, we get reminders of how shitty the real world is. Casting is typically off the mark and I usually either settle for who is there or reject it altogether. I haven't given a new film more than 3 stars with a few exceptions. Music has devolved into sounds, noises, no themes, no melodies.

Cinema nowadays just lack the soul and enthusiasm.

Hard to argue here. Thats why I spend a majority of my time watching my favorites over and over. Sure, I enjoy some new stuff and by those titles on disc. But, most viewing is older films/sagas/franchises.

[grape_jelly]

Sounds like a lot of you are going through the exact opposite experience I am

Rather than being tired of it, I'm thinking "Hey this modern blockbuster stuff ain't so bad"

Ebbs and flows maybe

[drush9999]

I don't watch a lot of the latest stuff now. Hollywood has no soul anymore as mentioned, and Netflix/Amazon etc produce a lot of crap. Just keep up to date with my favourite directors who are still around mainly.
I still enjoy the films of my youth, and never change my mind about those. Have more fun discovering the films I missed in my lifetime and further back too.

[jess1581]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

Hard to argue here. Thats why I spend a majority of my time watching my favorites over and over. Sure, I enjoy some new stuff and by those titles on disc. But, most viewing is older films/sagas/franchises.

Me too. It's no coincidence that current state of pop culture is NOSTALGIA. That's because everything was better then. It's just more laughable when they try to emulate it, because they only recreate the artificial face value, but could never understand the spirit thus the authenticity goes out the window.

[Friginator]

Yeah, I’m less and less interested in franchises and more interested in standalone stories. The more Hollywood tries to sell everything as a trilogy or a cinematic universe, the less interested I get.

[Cremildo]

Yes, of course, as I myself have changed over the years due to aging and different life experiences.

In my teens, I only really cared about big blockbusters, the canonized (American) classics and Oscar-winners or -nominees. In my early adulthood, I opened up more to arthouse films, non-Hollywood stuff and slightly less famous classics. Now, in my mid-thirties, I've developed a taste for Brazilian films and even more obscure arthouse fare from all over the world, especially Europe, all the while becoming less enamored of standard commercial fare from Hollywood, except those from my favorite filmmakers.

[The Debts]

Yes, to an extent. I am less interested in if a film makes sense logicallly than I am emotionally; Trying to pick apart a movie like some sort of math problem is to me a betrayal of what films are supposed to be. As the great Roger Ebert once said, movies are empthy machines. Plot is also becoming an ever increasing irrelevant thing to me; Sometimes, the best stuff doesn't even have to have plot at all and its better just to go with the vibes.

I've also become more into films that go for huge tonal swings: For me, the mark of something truly excellent is if it can go into entirely different territories without betraying what the story is going for. Films like Your Name and Titane really friggin go for it in this regard and I applaud it when filmmakers go as bold as that.

[atomik kinder]

As I get older, I find that movies that I used to love aren’t quite as good as I used to think the were. It’s very rare for me to find a movie that is more than just pretty good. I haven’t thought anything was great, in a long time.

[Mister_Kidd]

I don’t know if my tastes change so much as expand. When I was younger I always liked to divide things into two categories: Good and not good. I much more likely to find the good in everything now. Except Michael Bay his movies will always be not good, lol.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by grape_jelly

Sounds like a lot of you are going through the exact opposite experience I am

Rather than being tired of it, I'm thinking "Hey this modern blockbuster stuff ain't so bad"

Ebbs and flows maybe

Nah - you're fine. Honestly, its natural for people to have the rose colored glasses on when it comes to our favs. Whatever we grew up with is what will be our "wheelhouse" so to speak. For me, thats Star Wars in 1977 and then everything right up through the early 2000's. Its the repetitive super hero thing thats starting to wear thin. And I like/own some of them.

The action films now dont have the heart and soul of movies like Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc.

[John1701D]

When I was much younger I watched lots of black and white arthouse films. Now I only watch porn and Tiktok cat videos.

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by John1701D

When I was much younger I watched lots of black and white arthouse films. Now I only watch porn and Tiktok cat videos.

I only watch videos with people complaining about things I don't like.

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by mwynn

I only watch videos with people complaining about things I don't like.

Well how else will you know what to think?

[Gacivory]

I’ve find as I get older I care less what other people think of what I like. That includes modern blockbusters and smaller independent films.