Where have all the 4 star movies gone?

The Godfather

In my opinion too many film makers don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. I can't believe how many movies I go to and have given so few 4 star reviews. Where have all the great movies gone? Lets start out with the #1 rule of movie watching. Is it entertaining? Don't give me any of your "art" bullshit. A movie is only good if you leave the theatre not feeling you just wasted your money and genuinely had a good time. I don't care about the dramatic shadowing or the creative camera work. Those things do not make a movie. They are extras that may win awards but have little to nothing to do with the enjoyment of the film.

I once talked to a film student who said he wanted to make important pictures that say something. All of that is fine as long as it does not hamper the entertainment value. Star Trek IV, the best in the series, had a message about saving the whales. That was fine. It did not hinder the plot. However, I would rather not sit through more heavy handed message flicks like Do The Right Thing. Watching this one sided movie is like getting a lecture on racism. Yawn!

Take a look at some of the best, entertaining films of all time and surprisingly they have a lot in common. Star Wars, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, ET, Some Like It Hot, The Sound Of Music, and Casablanca are all G rated by todays standards. They all have rather simple straight forward plots with excellent pacing, and none are bogged down by any message or "art".

I agree with Eric here for a change (except for his opinion of Do the Right Thing, which I consider to be a great movie). Too many critics are afraid to give good reviews to any movie which is the least bit sentimental. Yet most of the movies that have stood the test of time, like the ones Eric has already mentioned, as well as Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life are all highly sentimental films. Someone once asked me to name my favorite films and when I listed these movies they said 'OK those are your emotional favorites now tell me which ones are the best'. In my opinion there is no difference. In the end who cares if techniquely a movie is perfect, or every shot was groundbreaking. What matters in the long run is simply this... Does it have heart, and do we believe in these characters. A good example is Citizen Kane which is always ranked at the top of lists. And although the groundbreaking visual style is most often sighted for it's success, the real reason it is so good is because of the amazing performance by Orson Welles and the Horatio Alger type story it tells. Which is, in fact, highly sentimental.

Great stars are also important. The least remembered Bette Davis or Greta Garbo movie is still around today because of them. Whereas other movies that may have been considered 'better' are long since forgotten. Memorable lines are the next most important aspect in my opinion as evidenced by how often classic movies are integrated into our daily lives by a well-timed quote.

Back to Eric's original question, Where have all the great movies gone? Now I'm not one of these people who thinks they don't make good movies anymore, or that their hasn't been a real movie star since the days of the black and white movies. Nor do I think that great American movies ended with the advent of the blockbuster. Personally, I just think Hollywood is going through a dry spell.

The year, or at least the summer of 2001 will certainly be remembered as not having any movie worth remembering. Hopefully this coming Autumn will remedy that situation. Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings should certainly take care of that.

But why does Hollywood seem to have trouble turning out really good films of late? I would say it's the tired old habit of churning out sequels/prequels, or rip offs of other great movies, recycling material that wasn't that good in the first place, or relying on star power instead of a decent script. I have to say that while I agree with Eric's points, that I don't really see a whole bunch 'artistic' movies coming out of Hollywood right now. If they did, that would be more interesting than the bland pap they're spitting out right now.

Blockbuster or small Indie, show business needs to stop churning and just put as much time and creativity in to their movies as it does money and star power.