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Post by gato on Dec 24, 2020 16:39:58 GMT -5
Ever watched a movie and thought to yourself, "well that was a waste of time." We don't have to look far to find one for sampling. One redeeming aspect, though, is to have someone do hilarious reviews of these losers that show up all the cheesy special effects, crummy acting and anemic scripts, that are more often than not, written by someone who has taken a bunch of past movie titles and just put them through a blender, to come up with an effort that runs the tank dry, in the two and a half minute trailer that comes out on Youtube.
Why bother with the movie after that?
Well, there's this guy who calls himself the "Critical Drinker" on YT who does a great job of pulling the rotten skin off of whatever shiny melon Hollywood is peddling this week. And he does it with a remarkable Scottish brogue that lends an even more comedic tone.
His language is at times NSFW, but it only adds to the hilarity.
Try "Terminator: Dark Fate" as a sample.
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krrf
Wholenote
Posts: 375
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Post by krrf on Dec 25, 2020 8:12:53 GMT -5
I always liked Honest Trailers for this type of stuff. Makes some of this junk almost watchable!
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 25, 2020 23:32:28 GMT -5
For me, the answer is simple.
Bad premise? Low budget? Crap script?
Get Dennis Hopper or Gary Oldman. People will buy theater tickets just to see those guys in action.
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Post by LTB on Dec 26, 2020 0:25:44 GMT -5
“ Ever watched a movie and thought to yourself, "well that was a waste of time."”
More times than I can count. I hate when they follow same lazy script and seem to just change names & places.
Wish I could remember the first movie I saw where a car is sent flying through the air. Now it is in nearly every action movie. Or those Hallmark Christmas movie where they follow typical template and simply change names of people, towns and through in the same ole tired love stories every year at Christmas time.
My wife and I watched the newly released movie “ Greenland” about a killer comet. Acting was ok for the most part but same old script and largely predictable
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Post by gato on Dec 26, 2020 8:04:12 GMT -5
Judging from movies I have seen over the last 20 years or so, one of the main problems in my opinion, is lazy script writing. It's pretty easy to spot a script written by someone who has simply seen a whole lot of other movies. They trap themselves in a movie gumbo, tossing in bits and pieces of films they've seen in the past. Problem is, the reason the bit worked in another movie is because it was built on scaffolding that set it up.
Let's say in the original film you're dealing with a character who is afraid of heights. As onlookers, we are given her backstory that brings us up to speed on the trauma that led to her current condition. Then, in this movie, she is faced with circumstances where she is forced to power through her fear to survive, save someone, etc. The arc of the story gives her believability, as we cringe and grip the arms of the chair as she dangles from that rope.
The hack screenwriter likes the character from that film and rips her off for his script. Too lazy to build a back story, he just puts her in a van with some other people, where two snarky girlfriends make fun of her fear. That's it. So when she overcomes her phobia in the rip off film, we just shrug. The formula becomes even more problematic when the lazy screenwriter grabs a half dozen cardboard characters, gives each a stand alone psychological problem and sticks them all in a van or a room or on a sailboat or .... whatever. He didn't care enough to develop his characters, so we don't care what happens to them.
A typical formula: six diverse college kids (black, white, Asian, gay, jock, nerd) in a van, going to spend the weekend at the old family home of one of them, usually the driver. It's away from the city. It's isolated. They are warned by the creepy guy at the run down filling station, to "stay away from that place." The way the kids interact with this guy pretty much sets them up as bowling pins for the strike we all know is coming. One of the girls feels sorry for him. Her boyfriend goes out of his way to insult him. Two of the guys shoplift. One of the girls makes a point of showing cleavage at the check out register and so on. The variations are endless. But the result is the same. Who will die first and how? Well, it depends. Is there a basement? An attic? Is there a cranky generator out in a shed that provides electricity? No need to hit the pause button when you go to the kitchen for a snack.
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Post by tahitijack on Dec 26, 2020 11:41:07 GMT -5
Hallmark Channel?
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 26, 2020 12:15:50 GMT -5
The formula becomes even more problematic when the lazy screenwriter grabs a half dozen cardboard characters, gives each a stand alone psychological problem and sticks them all in a van or a room or on a sailboat or .... whatever. Now that is hilarious and 100% true. It's the screenwriter casting the net wide to provide at least one character every viewer can identify with--and is a real cop-out...most of the time. Two films that use this same premise and do it with elan and originality are Fandango, and The Usual Suspects. |
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Post by reverendrob on Dec 26, 2020 13:10:35 GMT -5
I was thinking nekkid women and the "evil is sexy" trope myself, but...
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 26, 2020 15:04:25 GMT -5
Hay, ^^that^^ works too.
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Post by jazzguy on Dec 26, 2020 15:18:46 GMT -5
For me, the answer is simple. Bad premise? Low budget? Crap script? Get Dennis Hopper or Gary Oldman. People will buy theater tickets just to see those guys in action. gonna be tough to get Dennis these days |
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Post by rickyguitar on Dec 28, 2020 14:39:03 GMT -5
Yeah, I am not watching any new Dennis Hopper movies.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 28, 2020 19:49:45 GMT -5
Weekend at Bernie’s 3??
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matryx81
Wholenote
I think I know the reason but I can't spell it.
Posts: 771
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Post by matryx81 on Dec 28, 2020 20:50:34 GMT -5
Judging from movies I have seen over the last 20 years or so, one of the main problems in my opinion, is lazy script writing. I wonder if this is a product of improvement in film technology. While it may be better now, the writing has certainly suffered. The classic era of movies had far better scripts and dialogue. |
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Post by gato on Dec 29, 2020 7:14:49 GMT -5
Amen to that! These days, gaping plot holes are filled by adding explosions and / or loopy fight scenes, where the 110 lb female action figure throws Blutos around like stuffed animals.
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