Confessions About Movies

[zombie no.one]

I have never seen E.T., any of the Karate Kid movies, or Better Off Dead, which I've been told is utterly bizarre for a child of the 80s.

The other week I picked up the KARATE KID quadrilogy dvd box set cheap and watched them all for the first time... first one has a decent enough sentimental teen revenge / love story arc, the rest are kind of forgettable

[M.10rda]

 Going back and watching Poltergeist, it underwhelms now and feels more like just watching the 70's turning into the 80's, more than watching much of anything happen on film. 

Ya' know, I've loved that film in hindsight (mostly) for 40 years now. Must've watched it 30+ times as a (too) small child. I revisited it partially around Halloween (didn't watch the whole thing, though I should) and in some ways I see where you're coming from. It's got the best elements of Hooper (wild color ala EGGSHELLS, over-the-top manic emotion ala TCM), it's got some okay Spielberg elements (70s/80s suburban kitsch, unabashed exploitation of small children), but it also feels like what it is: a big-budget studio project helmed by an unreliable coke addict (you pick whichever one of  'em you choose to think I mean). It's probably too mainstream for its own good  and it also depends on SFX that were convincing in 1982 but don't always fly by 2023 standards. It does move along, though, and it's got great acting and music, anyway.

I mean, comparatively, I could barely get through the 2 sequels even once each... again as a young child w/ low standards. I try to keep it in perspective.

[lester1/2jr]

I didn't get Jurassic Park

[zombie no.one]

not really sure there's much to 'get' about it... dinosaurs! humans! stuff going wrong!

I remember being blown away by the CGI...

On that note here's a confession: I don't reckon CGI in movies has really improved since JURASSIC PARK. change my mind

[Cult_Moody_Movies]

not really sure there's much to 'get' about it... dinosaurs! humans! stuff going wrong!

I remember being blown away by the CGI...

On that note here's a confession: I don't reckon CGI in movies has really improved since JURASSIC PARK. change my mind

While practical effects are always better over CGI, CGI has improved. XD

[M.10rda]

Oh yeah. No question. Rank and file CGI from the 90s looks reeeal bad today. JURASSIC PARK and T2: JUDGMENT DAY were state-of-the-art projects w/ huge money behind them. But for every T2 there are a handful of Brett Leonard-caliber CGI jobs.   Someone was talking about how bad the original 1982 TRON looks today but I think TRON looks much better than THE LAWNMOWER MAN from 10+ years later. Heck, POLAR EXPRESS was 2004 iirc and looks like complete pants today.

[M.10rda]

Come to think of it, POLAR EXPRESS looked like and was complete pants in 2004, too. 

[Cult_Moody_Movies]

Oh yeah. No question. Rank and file CGI from the 90s looks reeeal bad today. JURASSIC PARK and T2: JUDGMENT DAY were state-of-the-art projects w/ huge money behind them. But for every T2 there are a handful of Brett Leonard-caliber CGI jobs.   Someone was talking about how bad the original 1982 TRON looks today but I think TRON looks much better than THE LAWNMOWER MAN from 10+ years later. Heck, POLAR EXPRESS was 2004 iirc and looks like complete pants today.

I would say at least Tron as a unique style that I think fits the era of video games. I argue the same thing with the TV series Reboot. The 90's was a cesspool of horrid CGI messes.

Ironically (from a previous hot take) another example of good CG from the 90's was Starship Troopers.

[zombie no.one]

Oh yeah. No question. Rank and file CGI from the 90s looks reeeal bad today. JURASSIC PARK and T2: JUDGMENT DAY were state-of-the-art projects w/ huge money behind them.

yes these 2 are basically my go-to examples of quality 90s CGI... yeah there probably were poor examples around then, but really watching the feeble CGI in Argento's DRACULA 3D made me think has anyone really come close to topping them?

[Trevor]

I have never seen the original Home Alone.

[ER]

I've come to hate going to the movies. It's been ruined in almost every way.

[Trevor]

I've come to hate going to the movies. It's been ruined in almost every way.

We have severe power supply issues here - just google SA loadshedding to see - and this fact - blackouts for up to five hours daily - has stopped many people from going to the movies as the last thing you want is to pay a lot of money and only see a quarter of a movie. 

[Gabriel Knight]

I've come to hate going to the movies. It's been ruined in almost every way.

After coming back from NAPOLEON, I kinda agree with you. "Oh, yeah, this movie is an editing mess, but that's because you haven't seen the actual 4 hour version that you're supposed to be watching!". Why everything has to be like that nowadays?

[zombie no.one]

I’m pretty certain I have been to the cinema less than 25 times in my life.

From 2000-2012 I lived directly opposite my town’s main cinema, and in that entire time I went just once, to see DRAG ME TO HELL.

Since 2012 I have gone totally haywire, and been to the cinema about 6 times

[M.10rda]

Conversely, I worked in movie theaters for much of a 9-year period (w/ a few breaks) and thus spent so much time in 'em that (though I love watching movies on the big screen) I did grow a little calloused to it. Maybe that's what working in the adult film industry is like after a while, too.  I only go to indoor theaters 2-3 times a year anymore, and (foolishly) only went to my local drive-in twice this year. Then again, if the movies were better than RENFIELD, COCAINE BEAR, THANKSGIVING, and IT'S A WONDERFUL KNIFE, maybe I'd have gone more often.