[Hello there! I know I usually only post on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. But May has *5* Thursdays! And I wanted to talk movies with you.]
Before you get caught up in the pearl clutching of those bemoaning the poor box office performance of recent movie releases (like this Forbes article, or this one from the LA Times), consider this:
1986 May movie releases: Top Gun, Big Trouble in Little China, Cobra, Short Circuit.
1991 May movie releases: Thelma & Louise, Hudson Hawk, Backdraft, What About Bob?, Switch (with Reservoir Dogs coming June 1).
1998 May movie releases: The Truman Show, Godzilla, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Deep Impact, The Horse Whisperer, Les Miserables.
2004 May movie releases: Harry Potter (Prisoner of Azkaban); Van Helsing, Troy, The Notebook, Godzilla (again)...
The further we go further into the 2000's, fewer and fewer original titles are released.
May, 2009, aside from Up and The Proposal, is filled with franchise flicks: Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, Angels & Demons, another Night at the Museum, The Grudge 3...
10 years ago, May was firmly in retread territory. Though one could argue that Maleficent was original-ish, other 2014 May releases include: Godzilla (AGAIN!), another X-Men, another Spider-Man...
Which brings us to this year's May fare:
* Fall Guy (with its genesis in a mid-80s TV show... What's next in development? Remington Steele, the movie? Simon and Simon? Riptide?)
* Another Garfield movie (More 80's popculture?)
* Another Planet of the Apes.
* Another Mad Max.
No wonder box office is down. Fewer and fewer people want to pay theater prices for decades old throwbacks.
Hollywood's offerings have exuded a real "been there / done that" vibe for years.
Today's films often feel more like they're more geared toward the movie-makers than the movie-goers.
For instance, "The Fall Guy" is full of meta-level movie insider jokes that land ok with people in the industry.
But the average viewer doesn't care about a snippet of dialogue that works in a "Save the Cat" structural reference. Yeah, the stunts are way cool. But the story, an obvious retread of every action movie ever, falls flat.
In offering retreads and endless soulless sequels, the industry has done this damage to itself.
I genuinely believe that most people are willing to pay for entertainment.
We're just waiting for something we've have seen a thousand times before.
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While discussing this topic on LinkedIn, a colleague suggested that 1986 was “the greatest year of films from the invention of the motion picture industry. Hands down, no arguments, please.” In addition to the May releases mentioned above, 1986 featured Highlander, Ferris Bueller, Little Shop or Horrors, Color of Money, Crocodile Dundee, Top Gun, and Ruthless People.
However, 1985 was also epic: Back to the Future, Breakfast Club, original Mad Max, Witness, Cocoon, Mask, St. Elmo's Fire, Real Genius, Ladyhawke ( 💜 )...
And 1987 brought us Dirty Dancing, Princess Bride, Full Metal Jacket, Lethal Weapon, RoboCop, Planes Trains & Automobiles, Raising Arizona (hello, Coen Bros), Lost Boys, Good Morning Vietnam, Running Man, Fatal Attraction, Moonstruck...
Which leads me to boldly proclaim 1985-87: THE THEATRE TRIFECTA ::chef's kiss::
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For me, personally, the best movie I’ve seen in recent years is 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once. I liked Don’t Worry Darling (also released that year) too, behind-the-scenes drama notwithstanding.
What about you? Seen any good movies lately?
I watched The idea of you. I just wanted a light hearted movie that could sit and watch without flinching or covering my eyes because of the violence. I see enough of that on the news. It was worth the watch but it got me thinking. If the roles were reversed and the guy was the older one no one would ever give it a thought. I am what one would call an older woman, and there are days my joints agree, but as a rule I didn't think of my age. If I wasn't in a relationship and wanted to date a younger guy I should be able to openly and without judgement. Men do it every day. Why is it looked upon as weird or odd or totally out of line when a woman does it? In this day and age it's still a double standard when it comes to dating. Anywho I enjoyed the movie. It was a light-hearted watch to just sit and chill.