At The Cinema, Do You ever Get the Feeling You're Watching The Same Movie Over and Over?

[BAYLOR]

You go into the movie theater, sit down and the movie starts and as the last of the opening credits rolls by the movie starts and as your watching the film, you get a terrible sense of Deja vu, You've seen this all before.

Why do you think there is such a lack of originality of most of the films coming out of Hollywood?

 

[Boneman]

You go into the movie theater, sit down and the movie starts and as the last of the opening credits rolls by the movie starts and as your watching the film, you get a terrible sense of Deja vu, You've seen this all before.

Why do you think there is such a lack of originality of most of the films coming out of Hollywood?

 

[BAYLOR]

You go into the movie theater, sit down and the movie starts and as the last of the opening credits rolls by the movie starts and as your watching the film, you get a terrible sense of Deja vu, You've seen this all before.

Why do you think there is such a lack of originality of most of the films coming out of Hollywood?

So you think my topic lacking in the originality department. Okay , that's fair .

Critique of topic aside what do you think ?

 

[Droflet]

Originality, IMHO, involves taking a risk. Taking a risk requires backbone. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case.

 

[Vladd67]

Given the amount of money involved in making films these days the taking of risks probably falls way behind the need for a guaranteed return of investment. Remember film making is an industry as well as, if not before, being an art form. Too many people make films based on a proven formula, the focus group seems to trump the artist.

 

[Vince W]

What Vlad said.

I really enjoy going to the cinema and see a lot of films. I try not to get too hung up on the fact that much of it is very samey, but every year we manage to get a few films, that while perhaps are not the most original, are still very entertaining and worth my time and money. Most recently The Boxtrolls.

 

[Boneman]

Seriously, I find it happening too often. I'm assuming studios are looking for the 'safe bet' which they know they will make money from, rather than risk original idea. Sort-of understand that in a small way, but the films are becoming so formulaic it must be turning audiences off. There was a Bruce Willis film once, which was a complete rip-off of 'Fistful of Dollars', and I told my son what would happen before it did. I was bored witless.

 

[Vladd67]

Seriously, I find it happening too often. I'm assuming studios are looking for the 'safe bet' which they know they will make money from, rather than risk original idea. Sort-of understand that in a small way, but the films are becoming so formulaic it must be turning audiences off. There was a Bruce Willis film once, which was a complete rip-off of 'Fistful of Dollars', and I told my son what would happen before it did. I was bored witless.

As a Fistful of Dollars was a complete rip off of Yojimbo which was a reworking of the book Red Harvest

 

[Rafellin]

Banality and plagiarisation are rife, on top of the accountants running the asylums - 'risk averse' is a polite definition for that element.

After you take that into account, it is simply caveat emptor. Pick the films you watch with care. Distrust trailers, even as they pique your interest.

And never go to see a film in a cinema unless you know it's going entertain you.

 

[BAYLOR]

As a Fistful of Dollars was a complete rip off of Yojimbo which was a reworking of the book Red Harvest

Then there's the Magnificent Seven which owes a debt to Kurosawa's The Seven Samurais as does the 1980 science fiction film Battle Beyond the Stars .

 

[BAYLOR]

One thing that would help. Let the writers , producers and directors do their jobs . The movie studio executives need to stop meddling.

 

[BAYLOR]

Anyone remember Mac and Me? 1988 . basically and ET Wanna be .

 

[J Riff]

They insist on writing credits is why. Instead of, you know, paying someone, like a writer.

 

[BAYLOR]

They insist on writing credits is why. Instead of, you know, paying someone, like a writer.

An actual writer with cart blanche could solve a few things.

 

[jastius]

Part of the problem is that they have these scripts for years.. Make the writer rewrite a hundred pages and get it in in three hours, then want to shoehorn in the latest politically correct silogism.. Lesbian platonic love interest sidekick with adopted oriental baby martial artist bomb defuser... Or whatever is the flavor of the month. In something like a C.S. Forester Brown on Resolution, adaptation...
So instead of the story you get your action hero of the moment playing with a fake nuke while his over bosumed female eye candy shrieks becomingly...

Did you know that Good Will Hunting was originally a time travel spy epic?
What was left after the rewrites was the story we know.
Admittedly better, but definitely an horse made by a committee..

What's on the screen should never be confused with being the product of a writer... They are all camels mascarading as horses.

A point here for the writers.
The only way to retain full rights over a screenplay adaptation of your book is to write the screenplay firstly and then adapt the book from that.
It actually makes a nice little plotting exercise. Works a treat as a story backbone.
Goes off and inspects the latest camel herd on the TV.

 

[andreasn]

Most movies require so much money to make that the movie makers usually go with the trends and avoid taking risks, so that they are sure they will not lose money on the project. the proven formula is usually the safest road to travel.

 

[BAYLOR]

Most movies require so much money to make that the movie makers usually go with the trends and avoid taking risks, so that they are sure they will not lose money on the project. the proven formula is usually the safest road to travel.

Then what they should do is make films with smaller budgets and fewer high priced high maintenance actors and actors. Put in good actors and do a good story, market it properly and people will come to the theaters

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I rarely go to an actual movie theater to watch a movie*, and if it is something I really, really like I may go back a second and maybe a third time. So it's no wonder if I get that sense of deja vu!

Perhaps, for me, the question ought to be why I think there are so many movies I have absolutely no interest in seeing. Going by the trailers, so much SFF seems to be frantic adventure based on video games or with a video game mentality. That, and fantasy romance about vampires. Could it be that studios, in looking for something that will be a "safe" investment, are looking for what is popular (and profitable!) in other media?

____

*Most of the movies I watch, I watch on TV or my Kindle. That way, I'm not paying so much to be disappointed.

 

[BAYLOR]

The big problem and this was on that stated back in the 1970's, The beginning of the Blockbuster mentality.

 

[BAYLOR]

They're still doing the sam movies over and over again . Reboots and remakes.