Why is it that all the “reviews” use the word “lavish”? Seems like some talking points have been handed down from marketers to add some sugar to the apologia that has to be served.
Let’s not sugar coat things by pointing out the obvious: this is a focus group movie. No matter the intention of directors, actors or writers, this kind of movie stinks to high heaven of being a middle of the road, non offensive, internationally marketable, visual roller coaster ride designed painstakingly to hit all the marks - and missing most of them.
I don’t watch movies or series anymore, generally because of this issue. No grit, no teeth, no style, no soul. I can’t even enjoy movies with friends because things have gotten so bad. This is also why Japan said fuck off to the wider world in regards to story telling and characterization in their anime - because they see the outcome.
When I see another overblown budget, with abysmally small ticket sales that can barely cover a fraction of the cost, my eyes roll in the back of my head - not because it is cringe alone - but because it is so normal. The same for AAA video games. Heck, the same for major label music. They all follow the model to manipulate your baser senses - i.e poking the lizard brain until it pukes out dopamine and seratonin - at the cost of actual quality.
What’s the word? “Enshitification”? It touches all, and the shitty trail leads back to some cocaine adled, self indulgent, narcicistic executives, who care nor hide nor hair for storytelling or characterization. It’s all tweaked to meet with a statistical average and median of likability, which becomes the arts & entertainment equivalent to pink slime - and people feed their kids this tripe.
This rant is just another in a choir screaming at the machine. IDGAF if “you just want to be entertained”. Actual creators have to make this shit and have been deprived their potential to do great things. To give this movie it’s “fair shake” is tantamount enablement.
Writer rooms have been sieged, actors put in their place, directors dance to a tune - all to meet criteria of an executive class seeking to cast the net wide. Imagine what they could have done if they weren’t handheld off a cliff.
Hollywood mentality is braindead, soulless and exploitative. Stop making apologia for this dretch. Call it for what it is. Another symptom of a sick system that churns out crap, that churns out the media equivalent to pink slime and that breaks in creatives to paint by numbers so they can fulfill the criteria of some artless buffoons.
I’ve been some dork online and this was rhe 17,376,731st solo coping session about the state of media. I’m gonna go have a little cry now.
Well stated, though I think the “coke addled” is long past it’s prime - I think these people are just fucked in the head without drugs.
And while you’re criticism is generally spot on, this film seems to have been intended to be a failure to carry the financial. Burden of building the infrastructure for film production.
You’re not wrong, just that in this case it’s only half the story. In so many other cases (most media today, as you point out), you’re spot on.
You should check out Wake Up Dead Man. It’s about a gay atheist detective working with a Catholic priest to solve a murder that looks like a miracle. It’s a good old murder mystery, next to no special effects, all about the politics of religion.
Why is it that all the “reviews” use the word “lavish”? Seems like some talking points have been handed down from marketers to add some sugar to the apologia that has to be served.
Let’s not sugar coat things by pointing out the obvious: this is a focus group movie. No matter the intention of directors, actors or writers, this kind of movie stinks to high heaven of being a middle of the road, non offensive, internationally marketable, visual roller coaster ride designed painstakingly to hit all the marks - and missing most of them.
I don’t watch movies or series anymore, generally because of this issue. No grit, no teeth, no style, no soul. I can’t even enjoy movies with friends because things have gotten so bad. This is also why Japan said fuck off to the wider world in regards to story telling and characterization in their anime - because they see the outcome.
When I see another overblown budget, with abysmally small ticket sales that can barely cover a fraction of the cost, my eyes roll in the back of my head - not because it is cringe alone - but because it is so normal. The same for AAA video games. Heck, the same for major label music. They all follow the model to manipulate your baser senses - i.e poking the lizard brain until it pukes out dopamine and seratonin - at the cost of actual quality.
What’s the word? “Enshitification”? It touches all, and the shitty trail leads back to some cocaine adled, self indulgent, narcicistic executives, who care nor hide nor hair for storytelling or characterization. It’s all tweaked to meet with a statistical average and median of likability, which becomes the arts & entertainment equivalent to pink slime - and people feed their kids this tripe.
This rant is just another in a choir screaming at the machine. IDGAF if “you just want to be entertained”. Actual creators have to make this shit and have been deprived their potential to do great things. To give this movie it’s “fair shake” is tantamount enablement.
Writer rooms have been sieged, actors put in their place, directors dance to a tune - all to meet criteria of an executive class seeking to cast the net wide. Imagine what they could have done if they weren’t handheld off a cliff.
Hollywood mentality is braindead, soulless and exploitative. Stop making apologia for this dretch. Call it for what it is. Another symptom of a sick system that churns out crap, that churns out the media equivalent to pink slime and that breaks in creatives to paint by numbers so they can fulfill the criteria of some artless buffoons.
I’ve been some dork online and this was rhe 17,376,731st solo coping session about the state of media. I’m gonna go have a little cry now.
May I quote you?
Well stated, though I think the “coke addled” is long past it’s prime - I think these people are just fucked in the head without drugs.
And while you’re criticism is generally spot on, this film seems to have been intended to be a failure to carry the financial. Burden of building the infrastructure for film production.
You’re not wrong, just that in this case it’s only half the story. In so many other cases (most media today, as you point out), you’re spot on.
You should check out Wake Up Dead Man. It’s about a gay atheist detective working with a Catholic priest to solve a murder that looks like a miracle. It’s a good old murder mystery, next to no special effects, all about the politics of religion.