27 minutes ago, NOTW said:

I think another aspect of the DVD/VHS culture and going to Blockbuster was the excitement for seeing the latest popular movie. People would go to look for the new releases, ask the employees to check the return bin and if they didn't have that, you'd be checking the new releases for the backup plan.

Now with streaming there are a lot of options and you see a movie you've never heard of but has some recognizable actors and you don't know if it's like the B movie DVD you should skip, or if this was actually a good movie. Especially with cutting the cord, you may not be seeing commercials as much. There's not as much shared experience and buzz. Apart from major releases like Marvel or Star Wars, I don't really hear buzz from friends about having to go see a movie in the theater or when it comes out on home release.

Even then, when there's a movie you're interested in you have to check if it's on any of the different streaming subscriptions. You could rent it on Amazon Prime, but they also rotate often so eventually it will hit Netflix or Peacock or something. Then you have series of sequels where the entire series isn't on one platform, randomly one of the sequels will be on a different service. People get tired of scrolling all the various services to see what's new, not really being interested, and then settling to watch something. There's also a culture with streaming of watching what you want, when you feel like it. You might have movies on your watch list but not in the mood to watch just yet.

I still think the quality of movies is a factor. I used to rewatch movies 2 or 3 times because they were so good. I don't do that with most movies these days. I think less is more, there's too many options and we have a lot of entertainment options so it's saturated.

I've also seen videos where people explain that movie studios are now making movies with streaming in mind: they know people are on their phones or tablets or doing something else and the show is in the background so they make the plots simpler, they have characters over explain exposition and point out the obvious. They also are making the cinematography and colors and lighting suited for home viewing, making movies look less authentic and grounded.

Plus you have movie theater tickets are expensive, people are on their phones or kids crying, snacks are ridiculous price and the movie will just be on streaming in like a month or two anyway so why bother?

A big chunk of the cinematography and the lighting being so flat is that it’s easier to add CGI in post.

Turns stuff into crap. We’re essentially doing a re-do of the 60s when TVs at home with three whole channels we’re going to end theaters once and for all, so Hollywood pivoted to big screen large format movies that couldn’t be replicated on the tv, which I think is what you’re seeing now with Barbenheimer type stuff.

Except now you have the Netflix CEO saying moronic stuff like "my kid is a film editor and totally said Lawrence of Arabia can be watched on a phone and nothing gets missed”.

I think it’s gonna take another ten years for them to get it figured out, but the cinema that came after the 60s was pretty good so maybe it’ll be worth it.

On 1/5/2026 at 10:29 AM, hputenis said:

Saw this over the weekend, and I thought it was unbelievable. The dialogue alone was some of the best writing I've ever seen in a movie.

Spoiler

I think I flip-flopped 3-4 different times during the movie on whether or not she was really an alien. 🤣

spoiler response

I was in the same boat if I recall... it's so well done with Plemmons' character's performance and almost the absurdity of it (shaving someone's head so they can't communicate with a mothership ) -- but I think I finally made my final decision (matching what the end of the film clears up) when Stone uncovered the secret-room in the basement