"It has been done before...."

[TheForce8686]

To all those people in these threads that continue to bash movies because it "has been done before". When was that last movie made that didn't have similarities or ideas that can be associated with another movie or story? I know this story that was written like 2000 years ago where a man gives up his life for the good of others. I know there are several other stories in that book that involve love, betrayal, etc. Everything made in the last 2000 years is basically a rip off. There is nothing new. There is good vs evil and everything in between. If you can't accept that you shouldn't watch movies.

[Dotpattern]

I've seen this post before.

[LordCrumb]

I have seen this argument before..

[TheForce8686]

Originally Posted by Dotpattern

I've seen this post before.

Originally Posted by KaiGusto

I have seen this argument before..

I have too. I generally just ignore it but with the thousands of Avatar, Book of Eli, etc posts we have had recently it has come up A LOT. I am just expressing my opinions in this thread and it will gradually disapear into the oblivion along with the common sense and taste of many members on this site.

[jadedeath]

I'm still waiting for the movie to come out with someone turning to salt...

Now THAT would be something that I haven't seen before in cinema...

Logan

[charlieray1]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

I'm still waiting for the movie to come out with someone turning to salt...

Now THAT would be something that I haven't seen before in cinema...

Logan

It's been done! The Bible (1966) with George C. Scott. It has the scene from the Bible story of Lot's wife being turned to a pillar of salt.

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

I'm still waiting for the movie to come out with someone turning to salt...

It's been done. Wholly Moses! with Dudley Moore. His wife turns to salt. His slave then uses the pillar for cooking. Pretty funny movie.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by TheForce8686

To all those people in these threads that continue to bash movies because it "has been done before". When was that last movie made that didn't have similarities or ideas that can be associated with another movie or story? I know this story that was written like 2000 years ago where a man gives up his life for the good of others. I know there are several other stories in that book that involve love, betrayal, etc. Everything made in the last 2000 years is basically a rip off. There is nothing new. There is good vs evil and everything in between. If you can't accept that you shouldn't watch movies.

I guess most movies (books, etc.) pretty much boil down to the same plot: A person/group of people have a problem/problems which either get solved or not. Exception: the subjects are animals (e.g. "Incredible Journey"), aliens, etc. In that sense, I've seen it before.

[Elvis]

Everything has been done before it's just a matter of "how much" you can make it not look like anything else. Take Up in the Air for example....I would like someone to give me a film that is like it.

[GoYanks]

If the movie can get you emotionally involved, then it succeeds on some level.

There are only so many stories...

If it's something completely new, your brain probably wouldn't know what to do and write it off immediately as inane jibber-jabber.

There's a reason for the formulas. They are familiar, and americans love familiar.

[Atreyu]

True, most movies and all don't have original ideas, but it's up to the film makers to present them in a new light and make them seem fresh. Breathe new life into these old ideas, if you will, or present them with a new twist. As old ideas and stories can be made to seem relavent today.

[Mahatma]

Think it a valid point.A friend of mine said it succinctly:It's not so much what you say as to how you say it.Most has been done before,but that does not say that we shouldn't express ourselves.Tell it from a different perspective

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Everything has been done before it's just a matter of "how much" you can make it not look like anything else. Take Up in the Air for example....I would like someone to give me a film that is like it.

Exactly.

[Elvis]

I can't remember who, but I said District 9 was pretty different from everything else and they threw out Alien Nation. Now how were they alike other than the fact that Aliens were here on earth. I mean E.T. was on earth too.....

although you have to admit this is pretty funny.

[TheForce8686]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Everything has been done before it's just a matter of "how much" you can make it not look like anything else. Take Up in the Air for example....I would like someone to give me a film that is like it.

Up in the Air was good but it is just another retelling of a lone wolf who keep people at a distance because he has been burned in the past. If it made 600 million dollars then people would be ripping it apart too.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by TheForce8686

Up in the Air was good but it is just another retelling of a lone wolf who keep people at a distance because he has been burned in the past. If it made 600 million dollars then people would be ripping it apart too.

Please name a movie....that film made me think of nothing else when I saw it. Did not remind me of another lone wolf at all. Now if you take Avatar it slapped me with Dances With Wolves and The Last Samurai 30 minutes into the film and thats not to say that Avatar was not good but he did not do a good job of trying to make the story more original.

[TheForce8686]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Please name a movie....that film made me think of nothing else when I saw it. Did not remind me of another lone wolf at all. Now if you take Avatar it slapped me with Dances With Wolves and The Last Samurai 30 minutes into the film and thats not to say that Avatar was not good but he did not do a good job of trying to make the story more original.

Just check out Jason Reitman's last 2 films, Thank you for Smoking, and Juno. They were very similar straigtforward films. Almost all romantic comedies have a similar feel to Up in the Air when it comes to people getting close to each other. He was a workaholic who couldn't find time for real relationships. It was the same thing in American Psycho. All of the movie I listed (and I know there are even more examples) ended differently but ultimately had the same type of characters and story.

[Hi-Def Steve]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Please name a movie....that film made me think of nothing else when I saw it. Did not remind me of another lone wolf at all. Now if you take Avatar it slapped me with Dances With Wolves and The Last Samurai 30 minutes into the film and thats not to say that Avatar was not good but he did not do a good job of trying to make the story more original.

Although not a film I did think about Norm on Cheers.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Please name a movie....that film made me think of nothing else when I saw it. Did not remind me of another lone wolf at all. Now if you take Avatar it slapped me with Dances With Wolves and The Last Samurai 30 minutes into the film and thats not to say that Avatar was not good but he did not do a good job of trying to make the story more original.

"Please name a movie....that film made me think of nothing else when I saw it." could be the name of a thread. It is hard to pick anything. For me, I'd have to say Office Space. It makes me think of work, old jobs and life. But I don't think of any other movie or TV show.

Does Office Space make you think of any movie made before it?

[Brandon]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

I guess most movies (books, etc.) pretty much boil down to the same plot: A person/group of people have a problem/problems which either get solved or not. Exception: the subjects are animals (e.g. "Incredible Journey"), aliens, etc. In that sense, I've seen it before.

I read something in one of my English Lit classes in college that said there are only 15 (or 18 or something similar) possible plots to a story. Any story that you can think up must be a variation on this finite number of plots.