They Are Not Making Good Movies any More!

 RHYS BOWEN:: When I fly the 10 hours to England I usually enjoy catching up on movies I’ve missed during the last year. This time there was not one movie I wanted to watch. They were either too scary, too dumb or too sad. And I realized that most years recently there is not one movie that stays with me. La La Land was good. And happy. But there haven’t been many like the Last Exotic Marigold Hotel in recent years, which is the type of movie I want to watch on a flight.

I was thinking about this because Clare and Tim were telling me about their first date. They were both working at a homeless shelter in Mexico and they came across the border on their night off and went to the movies. They saw the Fisher King and discussed it all the way back across the border.

What a great movie that was. How deep and multi-layered and thoughtful. In my top ten list. Also another Robin Williams movie, The Dead Poet’ Society.

Off the top of my head I’d add to my top ten:

Out of Africa

Passage to India

A Room with a View

Casablanca

Enchanted April

And maybe Shakespeare in Love, Tea with Mussolini, Midnight in Paris, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

All intelligent stories with fabulous acting and wonderful scenery. I suppose this is what I want in a movie: to be taken somewhere, engaged, inspired and given a satisfying conclusion. They can be sad, if necessary. But no Marvel movies, no car chases or exploding buildings. Real people interacting in real ways about the human condition.

There haven’t been many of those recently, have there? I can’t even think of any in recent times. I confess to watching Mama Mia Two, even though it wasn’t as good. I enjoyed all the Harry Potters and the Lord of the Rings (though not as much as the books).

There haven’t even been any feel good light movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral.

So tell me, dear Reds, what do you want in a movie? Have you been disappointed recently? Is it just me getting old and crochety? What would be in your top ten?

JENN McKINLAY: I think streaming shows have taken the place of movies on flights. I know when I travel with the Hooligans, they download entire seasons of a series to watch on a flight. Imagine landing in London when you’re only halfway through Dept Q. Ack!  

Recently, I loved American Fiction but that could be because as an author it was so relatable. I think Oppenheimer and Barbie were interesting – especially as they came out together. But I hear you on the lack of substance in film. I can’t think of a recent film that I thought about for days afterwards. Movies that have always resonated with me (just to name a few) are Field of Dreams (that writer angle again), Romancing the Stone (oops, writer again), and Raising Arizona (phew, no writer in sight!). LOL. I do skew towards adventure and comedy and writers, apparently. 

HALLIE EPHRON: Fresh off a roundtrip from Boston to San Francisco I have to agree, there was nary a movie on offer that I wanted to see. 

But at home I’ve found that I relish going to an actual *movie theatre*! With friends. Out for dinner after to discuss the plot points. 

Some movies need a big screen… or maybe it’s the audience around you reacting, too? WICKED was great in surround sound. Ditto BARBIE. And the audience empathy for THE LIFE OF CHUCK added a dimension to a wonderful movie.

Now, I confess, I want to see SUPERMAN. But there’s not much else. And I agree with 

Jenn, the small screen has replaced the large. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I love to go to the movies, love love love. But we have not been since..Bernstein?  That can’t be true, but maybe. But these days it’s rare to have a movie that will have the draw to convince me not to simply wait until it’s on TV. 

Movies I could watch forever? Working Girl. The Godfather.  North by Northwest. The Shawshank Redemption. My Cousin Vinny.  Oh, and Born Yesterday. And The Man Who Invented Christmas. One more–Sullivan’s Travels.

(and sure, I  want to see Superman. But not enough to go to the theater. And on planes, yeah, there’s nothing. I sometimes sneak and allow myself to watch ONE Project Runway before I go back to work.)

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: The last movie I saw in a theater was also one that stuck with me for a long time - THE CONCLAVE. Celia, and I talked about that one for days! And, Like Hallie, I saw BARBIE in the theater with Virginia, and loved how it turned out to be a funny candy-colored musical with SO MUCH to say about culture and misogyny and body image and accomplishment, etc, etc, etc. 

I enjoyed the first “phase” of Marvel movies from 2008 to 2012, in part because they were an every-summer family thing for us - we’d all go together and hash out the plot holes (or at least, I would.) They became less and less engaging, sadly; the last one I watched was in 2018. 

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago I’ve been streaming movies from the 70s, and I’m continuing to find great films I really enjoy. You have to get used to the pace; many of them unfold more slowly, or spend more time on individual scenes, than movies of today. And now, reading over what I wrote, I see I’m a living example of how fragmented the movie watching habits of Americans have become!

LUCY BURDETTE: We saw Conclave and the Bob Dylan movie in the little Tropic Cinema in Key West–enjoyed them both. I do want to see THE LIFE OF CHUCK and MATERIALISTS.

I totally agree about the shows on flights. I hardly ever watch anything new–just old favorites like THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA or TOOTSIE or SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE. John is very good about downloading shows–I try but then I can’t figure out where they’re stored!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We haven’t seen anything in the theater in ages. We are just too spoiled with our big TV–and getting to break movies up into two or three segments, with bathroom breaks etc., because they all seem to be three hours these days. And there’s seldom anything I can’t wait to see. 

I agree with Rhys on shows on flights. If it’s something good or that I haven’t seen, do I really want to watch it on the in-flight screen with bad sound? I will watch series, usually comedy, or cooking shows. Something totally non-demanding.

We have been on a 70s movie streak at home, inspired by the anniversary of JAWS and by watching THE OFFER streaming series about the making of THE GODFATHER, neither of which I had seen!! I must have been living in a cave in the 70s!

I loved JAWS!! Such fabulous filmmaking! I can’t think of anything new that’s similar and that doesn’t feel tired. And THE GODFATHER, oh my goodness, although I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it quite so much if I hadn’t seen THE OFFER first. I highly, highly recommended THE OFFER, btw. A fascinating look at Hollywood in the 70s, great writing, acting, and cast.

RHYS:  Oh, yes .I forgot about Conclave. It was outstanding. And of course I could rewatch those oldies like Devil Wears Prada. But I don't like car chases, explosions and I find that the sound in theaters is overwhelming for me these days. I know, I'm getting old and crabby.  But what about you, Reddies? Have you seen any good movies recently? What are your all time favorites?

PS: I'm speaking with the Poisoned Pen bookstore today at 5 pm Pacific Time. You can watch on the store's Facebook page.  See you there!