Do you ever feel like there is a shortage of movies?

GoodLuck

GoodLuck

Well-known member
Have you ever walked into a video store to rent a movie and walked out without renting anything?

Have you ever drove by a movie theater to see what was playing and weren't interested in anything that was playing?

Sometimes I feel like there is a shortage of movies and was wondering if anyone else ever feels that way.
 
GoodLuck said:
Have you ever walked into a video store to rent a movie and walked out without renting anything?

Have you ever drove by a movie theater to see what was playing and weren't interested in anything that was playing?

Sometimes I feel like there is a shortage of movies and was wondering if anyone else ever feels that way.
Click to expand...

It's usually like that this time of year. This is when the studios dump all their crap.
 
A shortage of movies? No. A shortage of good movies? Still no.

I always have a list of movies that I haven't had time to see yet, or great films that I would love to revisit.

Of course, that doesn't mean they are at the multiplex, or at blockbuster.
 
Jim Brennan said:
A shortage of movies? No. A shortage of good movies? Still no.

I always have a list of movies that I haven't had time to see yet, or great films that I would love to revisit.

Of course, that doesn't mean they are at the multiplex, or at blockbuster.
Click to expand...

I think that is also a problem. There are a lot of movies that I ask if they have and it's often, no. I'll go on blockbuster.com and you can search a movie to find the nearest store that carries it. It will search the nearest 10 and many times none of them will carry the movie. :(
 
Colorado libraries have a system called Prospector that connects most of he major libraries in the state, including University libraries. Sometimes you can find some pretty obscure stuff that way.
Maybe Texas has something like that.
 
Almost every time I go, Good Luck. But I do agree with the others, there is a universe of foreign, classic, silent and indie cinema with some real gems just waiting out there for you to find them. The difference is you have to hunt for some of them and look long and hard for others.

I also agree that there was a lot of crap produced in the golden age. I produced a couple of DVD releases for Gene Tierney films like Leave Her to Heaven and Laura and had to reseach her entire catalog. Then I had the bad luck to watch a film of hers called The Shanghai Gesture (1941) that was just terrible, so bad.

I produced DVD bonus and doumentaries for TCM for hundreds of Hollywood classics and it never ceases to amaze me at how few people have ingested even the popular Hollywood canon, much less the more obscure stuff as well as the silents. Go and rent Pabst's Die Büchse der Pandora (1929) and tell me it isn't a masterpiece of craft and storytelling and that you don't fall in love with Louise Brooks. There are thousands of great films like this out there that the average American has never even heard of. I don't understand how people can claim to be fans of cinema but have not done their school work to discover what made great cinema? It all began in the early 1900s and each decade had so many masterpieces. Especially people who think it all began in the 70s or 80s. You just have to learn how to view films of the different eras within the mindset of each era, just like listening to a Chuck Berry guitar solo. Compare the Chuck Berry solos with the Steve Vai or Eddie Van Halen solos, no comparison technically, right? But listen to Chuck's solos with the mindset of a teen in the early 50s who had only been exposed to Perry Como and Andy Williams and you can see why Chuck Berry's playing fried people's brains. Films are the same.

Dan
 
Last edited:
look at it this way,

can you easily make a list of 10 or more good movies or watchable movies in the 70s, 80s that you can re-watch.

can you do the same for the past couple of years.
 
There's shortage of movies in the stores. The problem is when Blockbuster clears out everything for their new releases, multiples of which cover the walls. It leaves little room for diversity in films. Online rental, however, has what I need. The other problem is in actually figuring out what is worth watching; there's too much crap to sift through.

So no, but I see the issues that could lead to that opinion.
 
I avoid places like blockbuster like the plague. I occasionally go in there to buy a used DVD (picked up Doubt the other day), but that's about it.

As for recommendations, I come here. Dan's post above is a good example of a few gems I've never heard of. They go on my list. When I first got into this line of work, I looked for people's top ten, or top 100 lists, like the ones from AFI. If there was stuff on there I hadn't seen, I checked it out. I always learn something, even if I don't dig the film.
 
If you care about classic films, gotta have Netflix. They have a VERY impressive selection of foreign and classic. Not everything, but a surprisingly good selection for being a mainstream company.

I also recommend that anyone who cares about films spend the money and buy this book
http://www.amazon.com/1001-Movies-Y...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266365909&sr=8-1

My company gave these out as gifts to all of our clients one year and it was the best received Christmas gift we have ever given. It's not all esoteric either, they have some mainstream, some obscure. It is a good cross section of movies that are essential that the average person mostly has not seen.

I am pretty well versed on classic Hollywood, silents and foreign since I worked in the DVD bonus world for these kinds of titles for five years. I need to become more well versed in indie film, that is my new playground. I saw Avatar and I have to say that if this is the future of Hollywood, I will stick to classic film and low budget indie. I don't totally discount Hollywood though, all of the best films I have seen from the past few years came from this little factory called Pixar. The talent at Pixar are the heir apparents to the Walt Disney and classic storytelling tradition that Hollywood mostly jettisoned around the 60s. UP was SUCH great pure filmmaking.

Dan
 
I couldn't agree more on the Netflix thing. They have just about everything you can think of. Plus, in the last year, 3 of the 5 video stores here have closed. Between their DVD and instant watch options, I always have something to watch.
 
Thanks for the tip on the book Dan. Just ordered it.

I also agree on Pixar. It's all about the story. Everything serves that. Kinda gives me hope for Hollywood
 
Shortage of movies? No. Just good/entertainging ones I suppose.

Yeah, I'm not feeling the greatness very often.
Some good directors I like...

Ron Howard, I love anything he does.

The Coens. The same. Love them (I always want to toss an h in thier name ...Cohen... )

Clint Eastwood. I love his movies, what can I say.

If it were up to me, I'd watch Ron Howards movies till I died. But, he only makes them once in a while.

No shortage of movies. Many I've yet to see so how can I say. Not the Blockbuster crap though. poo poo.
 
There's not only a shortage of movies in my area, but a shortage of video stores.

Netflix has solved all of that.
 
Let me know what you think of the book Jim. About 95% of what is in there is available on Netflix, the only stuff I have had to hunt elsewhere for was some of the Russian and Indian old stuff. I think out of the 1001, I have done about 650 so far. Some real gems in there like Dodsworth, See EVERYTHING ever done by Preston Sturgis and the aforementioned Pandora's Box.

Enjoy!

Dan
 
1001 movies you must see? Is that the book? Honestly? drunk or no drunk?
How do you defend that? My god. Gawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd.

Um, I'll put my movies up against your movies. I just like watching movies. Deal.....ORRRR..NOOO..DEEEEaaal. (I think that's a TV show now.) :beer:

Either way dude, there is no 1001 greatest movies, Period. And yeah, I'll bet my collection against anyones who thinks there is 1001 greats.
Don't make me laugh. Don't even poo pooing try it, fool.
 
Last edited:
Does anyone know the movie (I think it was a silent movie, but I can't remember) where the guy has an affair, and the woman tells him to kill his wife, so he takes her out on a boat, but then he ends up not killing her, but she knows he wants to, then he chases her, and finally she forgives him throughout the day and they have a great day in the city, then they go out on a romantic boat ride and there is a storm, and she almost drowns, and the evil woman thinks that he went through with the murder. Do you guys know what I'm talking about?

To stay on topic, you should watch that movie if you are finding there is a shortage of good movies.
 
Does anyone know the movie (I think it was a silent movie, but I can't remember) where the guy has an affair, and the woman tells him to kill his wife, so he takes her out on a boat, but then he ends up not killing her, but she knows he wants to, then he chases her, and finally she forgives him throughout the day and they have a great day in the city, then they go out on a romantic boat ride and there is a storm, and she almost drowns, and the evil woman thinks that he went through with the murder. Do you guys know what I'm talking about?
Click to expand...

Sunrise, Dir:Murnau (1927)

Dan,
Sounds like you are ready for the next stage: (check the catalogue)
http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top