Far too many dramas released in the past ten years or so are dark and gloomy, not only in the portrayed mindset of pretty much everyone who appears in the film, but nearly every scene takes place at night or in a darkened room. The mood is pessimistic, and nearly the only characters who seem to even want to live are those who don't deserve to live. With apologies to our European friends, these are the kinds of movies that I had previously associated with European films. It's getting to the point where, if no one turns a light on in the first ten minutes of a movie, I back out of it and look for something else. On the other hand, comedies tend to be funny only if you are easily amused by cuss words and sexual innuendo, the kind of humor that used to only work with those junior high school boys whose parents would let them watch it. Although there are certainly comedies that I have liked, I usually gravitate to dramas but I have been trying comedies lately. However, while the lights are usually on, there's nothing there that is worth wasting time on.
OK, apropos of nothing... I'll add one of my pet peeves about Stupid Things in Film. Years ago we enjoyed watching the TV drama, CSI. I found the show interesting because I had no idea about the advances made in crime scene analysis. That said... anytime the CSI Team arrived on the scene after a murder, they WITHOUT FAIL, beamed their flashlights all around the room... without turning on the normal lighting in a dark room. What the hell? Even in brightly-lit rooms, the FLASHLIGHTS were beamed all around. It turned into a joke with my husband and me. I had to stop watching because I was always yelling "turn on the freakin' LIGHTS!!" at the TV.
Remember when movies had an actual story line, not just endless violence? If y'all see one worth seeing now, please let me know so I can watch it.
Yep, same here - watch documentaries mostly Its getting to be the 'same old thing' in movies and dramas and as Ken stated so dismal I give a film 15 minutes tops, really can tell in that short time A good film equals good 'characters' and good dialogue - they are the ones I stick with
When the farmer's corn is "as high as an elephant's eye", I like to get out the Oklahoma DVD and crank up the sound and sing along! It lifts me up!
It seems as though the movie “Dumb and Dumber” is the standard by which nearly all of the newer comedies are produced. I could only make myself sit through about a half hour of the stupidity of that foundational enterprise so imagine how long I sit through anything like it. The new stuff just seems to cater to an audience who has to be stoned to enjoy it. Whether drama or comedy, I prefer to watch the stuff of yesteryear on YouTube. Even the lowest budget films from even 40 years ago have more quality than some of the junk that comes out today. Interestingly enough though, my favorite dramas of recent years starred perhaps the best comedian in the history of recorded comedy, Robin Williams.
So much gloominess, a lack of dialogue or raunchy, low quality dialog, all the pot - lots of really bad productions. Agree with @Patsy Faye: A good film equals good 'characters' and good dialogue - they are the ones I stick with. They should make more educational shows, to help kids struggling with homework, to help them at the beginning of their education, so they can keep up. I once watched an educational clip solving an algebra problem. Just a chalk board and chalk, writing and explaining the problem. It was explained so clearly anyone could have understood it. No distractions. Very inexpensive to make. Wish they had those for every school grade and subject.