Q&A: Do You Enjoy Movies as Much as You Used To?
Yeah… It was alright…
Something odd has happened after seeing hundreds and hundreds of movies. I feel like the very vast majority of films out there don’t bring out the rush of emotions, the exhilarating feeling and the true emotional resonance that we all seek out when we go to the movies.
Is it me or do I have to struggle to remember the last movie that truly blew my mind? Why is it that most movies range from mediocre to “meh” to “yeah… it was alright?” Why has it become so hard to really enjoy movies for what they are? Have I become apathetic to the magic of cinema or is it representative of what Hollywood is churning out these days?
My good friend, Neon Bodeaux, often brings up Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies as an example of our cinematic frustrations. The movies are quite fun but when it’s all said and done, they simply aren’t very satisfying because they aren’t the Sherlock Holmes movies we want to watch. At any rate, I’m curious as to whether you feel the same way.
Your turn! Do you enjoy movies as much as you used to? Discuss in the comments.
40 Comments
I still love movies just as much if not more than I used to. Yes, I do see more flaws than I used to, but while I’m watching the movie, except in the case of the really bad ones, I’m still caught up in the story no matter what it is. While the story unfolds before my eyes, I’m more often than not, transfixed and invested in the movie until it’s over. And that’s when the analysis starts kicking in, revealing how things weren’t quite what they could have been, what moments weren’t up to par. But while the movie is on screen (again, except in a few cases where I’m just not feeling it at all), it’s good.
I totally hear you Bubbawheat and I feel the same way while watching most movies. But once it’s all said and done, I crave for something better and most movies these days just don’t seem to hit the spot.
Sometimes I feel like this, especially with this summer with Brave, Prometheus, ASM, Bourne Filler, etc.
Then I go back and re-watch one of my favorite films like Die Hard or Sunset Blvd and I remember what truly great films look like. It’s not that don’t love them anymore, it’s just the one’s I’ve seen lately aren’t all that great!
My advice, go back and rewatch an old favorite of yours, and see how you feel about ‘em.
Great advice Jeremy. And maybe seek out classics that one hasn’t seen as well as trying genres one isn’t as familiar with.
I feel the same way as Jeremy. There are excellent movies out there – you just have to find them. It’s harder now because most mainstream (and indie) films aren’t all that great. I still love films-just trying to find a new one to love.
im staring to notice that since i began writing reviews of films I’ve become more critical and, therefore, have been enjoying movies less…..im thinking that i should stop writing reviews.
Ahaha you have been corrupted by critical thinking. It’s too late Phips
Nah, I still enjoy films as much as when I was younger, but I understand where you’re coming from. I do think with the constant sequels, remakes, reboots and unoriginal films Hollywood has provide us the last few years, I do feel kind of bore with them. Last year was a good example, I enjoyed some films but most of them were downright awful or just lame; I’m only referring to Hollywood films of course. Didn’t see a lot of foreign films last year.
I’m with Ted. I still get the joy of watching certain films, interesting that you had a picture of BRAVE there, I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, it was pure good fun at the cinema. A lot of the big action flicks do bore me a bit though, Total Recall, Bourne Legacy among them, it just lacked the ‘magic’ that made you go ‘wow.’
Yea don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy watching movies. What I’m saying is that I have a harder time being more enthusiastic about movies in general because the vast majority are just so dull.
I would say i enjoy movies now more than i used to. Yeah, most stuff right now doesn’t strike me as great, but there is enough to keep my love for movies going
Also, there was crap produced in the past too. It is just those don’t get remembered.
Absolutely right Julian. There were a lot of bad and mediocre movies back then as well.
Hi, Castor and company:
Nowhere near a fan of traveling to the theater as I was years ago. Nor am I sold on the quality, style and delivery of what passes for actors, writers and directors, nowadays.
Compared to the 1970s and 80s, films have been softened and/or dumbed down. Or have become overwhelmed by Special Effects.
Yea I feel the world becoming more of a global community has really led Hollywood to dumbing it down to the lowest common denominator. It’s disappointing that most if not all blockbusters these days lack the magic of yesteryears.
In short: Yes.
In long: I see so many more movies now then I did even 10 years ago, let alone since I was a kid, and so that just automatically equates out to seeing more mediocre or subpar movies. Also, since I have started reviewing and analyzing movies I confess I watch them with a more critical eye and in many instances that can stymie that innocent enjoyment of movies from days gone by. But…
When I see a truly very good and/or great movie. When I see Atonement or Once or Black Swan or Cold Weather or The Merry Gentleman or Fantastic Mr. Fox or Beginners or Turn Me On Dammit or The Descendants or Somewhere (the 2nd time), on and on, I still enjoy movies as much as I used to. Yes, I do. And in a lot of ways I enjoy them more. I honestly don’t think they will ever lose their magic for me.
This post doesn’t mean you’re losing your faith in movies, Castor? Does it?
No Nick. I will always love movies
Just a couple nights ago, I watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi and it’s a really wonderful film that I had to watch it twice in a row. I guess when we have seen so many movies as we have seen (as film aficionados), the proverbial well begins to run dry a bit.
Absolutely.
This year alone, I’ve already seen more movies than I did in the whole of 2011. Mostly, I can thank press credentials for that. Being part of the press has also given me access and opportunity to talk to a lot of the local-area critics (Boston), and that in turn has further informed the way I process films and approach writing about them. Which in turn has led me to enjoy them more.
There are very few movies this year that I truly have not enjoyed experiencing in one way or another– among them, I’d count Dark Shadows, Battleship, and The Bourne Legacy– even when you take into account all the films I’ve given 1.5/2.0 ratings to. Hell, I still derived value out of the movies I’ve detested the most just because there’s value in writing negative criticism as much as there is writing positive criticism. You have to learn what makes a film work as much as what doesn’t, after all, right?
I think a lot of my enjoyment came from a lesson I learned last year– “never hate a movie”– which has led me to find and embrace the better elements of lesser movies, and also gotten me to stop bringing outside stuff to each release I watch. Not everything is going to wind up being a 10 top of the year candidate, after all, and every movie should be seen on its own merits instead of being held up to a standard it likely won’t meet. So even movies that I only half-liked (V/H/S) or liked and have since thought little and less about (Sleepwalk With Me) are still movies that I enjoyed by taking them as I saw them instead of over-thinking them before the lights went dim. You know? (Not that I’m not guilty of over-analyzing a number of to-be-released films, a’la The Master and The Hobbit.)
Great point Andrew. There is no reason to hate a movie ever, if only for all the people who put their work into them. I guess what I’m saying is that I used to like more middling movies more than I do now. I guess I have become a movie snob ahaha
Hey, nothing wrong with building more refined tastes! I’m actually right there with you– I’m becoming a lot more stringent in what I consider to be a “great” film.
I think there’s plenty of truth to this. If you dive into any medium, it’s bound to happen. And it’s not limited to the arts. Music, movies, philosophy, sociology, political science… name it and it’ll happen. The more you know about it, the more the magic disappears. But… speaking purely from personal experience… I’ve found that the point where I feel like I’ve seen all there is to offer is the right time to dig deeper.
And going further with my own personal thing, I’ve even tried to go deeper with other mediums. None succeeded until film. The beauty of film is that there are 100 years worth of films that can engage you, excite you, and teach you more… as long as you really want it.
But isn’t it even more true of music then, which is more like a 1000 years worth of music to dig into?
But yea, you are right John. Time to dig deeper.
Actually, I enjoy movies even more now than I ever used to. I think a big reason why is because I am continually trying to expand my horizons and see films I would have never thought of before. Ever since I started writing about movies, it has opened my eyes to all sorts of things I would have never noticed in the past. Sure, it’s easy to be extra critical in this mindset, but it’s also possible to see things in a new light and appreciate them even more. Burn-out is a definite problem, though. It helps to take some time off every now and then.
Yea I guess it’s a bit harder to enjoy movies when you have to work insane amount of hours every week ahah. Thanks for the input Eric!
I would like to answer the question in a slightly different way …
I would say no. Because I am not a kid anymore – watching films as kid was so much fun? I am presently bound by the limits of an adult imagination, itself restricted by having to use brain capacity on trivial matters like work, money and the like
But what I can do now that I wasn’t able to before is appreciate and admire films a whole lot more.
Yea you hit it on the nail Iba. But then does that mean people who enjoy junk like Twilight or Underworld or Alvin and the Chipmunks have the brain capacity of a squirrel? LOL
You need to broaden your selection of films to films outside the US distribution deal. ;P But, I kinda agree… lately though. It’s seldom one gets super giddy about a film. But there’s good stuff, just not stuff I get to watch at the cinema.
Yea definitely Amy. I just watched A Separation earlier this week and it was a truly excellent movie which also shed a lot of insight into the Iranian culture and the everyday life of the average people out there.
There’s two sides to every relationship. Have the movies really changed or is it me that’s changed? I still love “the movies” as much as I ever did. What I look for in a movie has changed as I’ve seen more and more films over the years and as my tastes have matured.
That’s not to say I don’t feel very frustrated with the prevailing mediocrity of Hollywood movies these days. However, when I see something and think “I would have loved that if I ‘d seen it [x number of years ago],” then I know it’s time to go back to Netflix and expand my horizons with a classic or some foreign or indie movie that never made it to my hometown.
Great point Helen. I don’t feel that movies in general are “better” or “worse” than they were in the past but rather than my movie taste and knowledge has evolved a lot in the past few years. As many others have stated above, I guess it’s a matter of finding new horizons and digging deeper into the realm of Film.
I don’t think you can bemoan the lack of quality these days if the problem is that new movies don’t work for you as well as older ones. The great thing about film history is that there are literally thousands of films made between the beginning of the last century and present day. I’m sure you haven’t seen them all. If new movies don’t do it for you anymore, explore the classics!
But I don’t think that is the real problem. At least it isn’t for me. I agree, new movies don’t do it for me as they used to. But I think that is more to do with the fact I’m not a wide eyed kid anymore. My idealism isn’t the same. The fantasy of cinema isn’t as magical as it used to be and that’s something we don’t get back. The good thing is how we can enjoy films in another way as adults and I think the appreciation of them is all the more fulfilling.
Yea, we are old cynics now, Dan
I guess that’s why I’m wishing for more unsettling/non-happy endings these days ahah
There’s no there there in many films today due to studio taste in what they greenlight.
For example, I remember watching the movie Dave back in the day about a look alike who fills in for the current US President. The movies was simple yet very comical, and the theme ran throughout the film. Contrast that with this year’s The Campaign, another political comedy, which I found was funny for only half the movie but tasteless toward the end and as a result a film I will never think about again. Dave is a movie I could watch on occasion a few more times and still laugh and enjoy the whole film. Taste and hence movies are less enjoyable generally though several films breakthrough every year.
Yea it really feels like Hollywood is going for a lot less of these more creative/original settings and premise for movies. It’s just so cookie-cutter these days. It’s painful.
I think part of the problem with seeing films at the theater is, I am watching 1-2 a week. whereas I used to watch a film at the theater once a month. In the past I would only see the best new releases but now I watch a lot more films to review them.
I still watch a lot of great film but most of the time it’s older releases and foreign films that I am streaming.
I have actually found that now, more than ever, I am becoming more involved in movies and their characters. Although, that could be because the ones I watch now are on average of a better quality than the ones I used to watch (of course there are always the complete flops, Red Tails for example).
The last film I watched that truly blew me away was Argo. I think it absolutely deserved that Oscar and it took me on an emotional ride that I have not been on for ages. Its movies like that that keep me coming back for more, although sometimes it is difficult to get through a truly terrible one (I have been known to fast forward through some movies).
Perhaps the disillusionment comes from analysing them all the time? I can see how, as a reviewer, you could be prone to be watching them with a critical eye without even really meaning to.
this is a great topic…can’t believe I missed it. Well I do miss a lot from AM because whenever I came here it was just movie this and that is soon to be released. I like questions like this.
The answer to the question, for me, is yes and no meaning that yes I don’t enjoy movie as much as I used to…but I am talking about Holywood movies because there are just TOO much superheroes and sequel there, I am tired of them. And No because I still enjoy movies from other parts of the world. I am also enjoying a lot of British series lately…more than before because I finally know that many US tvshows are originated from the British ones.
I love the movies a lot. I like adventures movie and as well as sometime romantic movies. Most of the time I will be a part of character that most I will be enjoying them.
I think as I become more of a cinephile, the experience is heightened. Bad is worse, but good is better. Ultimately, I enjoy movies more than I used to, just not the same movies. If we use mainstream American movies as a measuring stick, then cinephiles are pickier, but what about the foreign and arthouse movies that mainstream moviegoers don’t like. I think it’s just a matter of Hollywood dominating the conversation about a medium that ultimately transcends it. For every mainstream movie I don’t like, there’s an arthouse movie that a mainstream moviegoer doesn’t like. Why should their tastes necessarily be the yardstick?
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