Running out of good movies to watch—what now?

It’s honestly nothing new, right? The quality of the Hollywood film industry has just been circling the drain for ages—I’d even go as far as saying this started back in the late nineties. Since we hit the new millennium, it feels like every single year the number of actually, genuinely good movies just keeps shrinking. And the last two or three years? Man, I think they finally hit rock bottom. There’s just no good cinema left out there. Seriously, if anyone can name a decent movie for me, tell me Inception so I can give you a high five or something.

Like I said, it’s not like we haven't been complaining about this forever.

So, here’s what I’m wondering: What do you guys think needs to happen? We’ve got the actors, we’ve got the directors, and the tech is better than it's ever been in history, yet the soul is missing. How do we actually get the industry back on its feet? How do we find fresh, original ideas again? Like, what's gotta change so we can experience another masterpiece like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or Deer Hunter, or Taxi Driver, or The Godfather, or maybe even Pulp Fiction?

If I viewed things through such a narrow lens, I’d probably just end up taking my own life with a dull butter knife.

I honestly feel like if you just take the time to dig a little deeper and really hunt around, you’re bound to stumble upon some incredible gems that haven't been overhyped by the mainstream... that's just how it works, I guess.

And besides, great cinema isn't just something happening exclusively in America or within the Hollywood film industry... there is so much talent out there in the rest of the world making films that are just as good, if not arguably better... if you spend a bit of time scrolling through this forum, you'll see tons of recommendations for amazing international films... so, in my opinion, the art of filmmaking itself isn't dying at all; maybe Hollywood is struggling a bit, but who really cares about that when there's so much other great stuff out there to watch?

goldenhound32 said:If I had such a narrow view of things, I’d probably just end it all with a blunt knife.

goldenhound32 👍

I mean, seriously, between 2000 and 2010, the Hollywood film industry pumped out so many absolute masterpieces that you’d have to be totally blind not to notice, and honestly, I’m not even going to sit here and list them all out for you.

The whole point is 👎 ....as well as the author's own take on the situation (just check out the opening post). 🙄

And don't even get me started on Inception; that movie is absolute perfection. 😂

I couldn't agree more with Jamie Nelson10. Hollywood isn't the center of the universe. Honestly, if you're one of those people who can't even sit through a movie unless every single word is spoken in English, then I really can't help you. Besides, there is a massive wealth of incredible, small-scale independent American cinema out there that often flies completely under the radar simply because they don't get massive mainstream coverage... except perhaps here on this forum, which remains an exceptionally useful resource. 🙂

cosmiclynx57 said:593 👍

The decade between 2000 and 2010 produced such an insane amount of high-quality cinema that you’d have to be blind not to notice. I’m certainly not going to sit here and list them all out, though.

The topic is... 👎 ...just like the author's own observations and thoughts (go ahead and read the opening post). 🙄

I think the whole issue boils down to expectations and standards. As you get older, it just gets harder to actually impress anyone, let alone surprise them. Getting that genuine "aha!" moment or offering a fresh perspective on something old and familiar? That’s tough. But I guess we still keep chasing it anyway. 🤷

In that sense, and assuming Michael Parker92 is focused on the Hollywood film industry, sure, there were plenty of decent movies, but damn, there were so few truly incredible ones.

What has to happen? It’s a damn good story with multi-layered characters. Right now, it feels like indie films and international cinema are just outperforming everything else.

We were just putting together those lists of the best films from the 2000s here on the forum, and there was a pretty universal consensus: we really did just live through one hell of a decade. There will always be great movies out there, especially in indie circles or specific genres where chasing a box office record isn't the only goal.

Michael Parker92 mentioned in his opening post that the quality in the Hollywood film industry has basically tanked. But let's be real—the mainstream has always been a mixed bag of hits and misses. We tend to forget the garbage and remember the gems; that's really all there is to it.

The sheer volume of movies being produced lately is insane, so it’s only natural that you’re going to run into some real duds.
You just have to dig through the noise and look past the big blockbuster hype to find the hidden gems.
For instance, I’d never even heard of In Bruges until a buddy lent me his copy—what a delightful little surprise that turned out to be!

cosmiclynx57 said:593 👍

Honestly, the stretch from 2000 to 2010 was just such a goldmine for cinema—I mean, they pumped out so many absolute gems during that decade that you’d have to be blind not to notice them. But hey, I'm not going to sit here and start listing them all off or playing critic, though we both know there were plenty to choose from!

The topic is... 👎 ...just like my own take on things—you might want to give that opening post a quick read to see where I'm coming from. 🙄

I mean, I’m not so sure about that. Looking over your ratings on IMDb—and honestly, if we set aside The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter (which, by the way, I really don't get how they earned a 9)—it seems like you've barely given anything a high score lately. Like, looking back at the last ten years, there are hardly any 9s or 10s on your list!

I’m right there with the OP on this one. Honestly, movies these days are just... meh. They lack actual substance, and they completely fail at building any real tension—you know, that feeling where you're actually glued to the screen from start to finish? Instead, we get what I like to call "formulaic storytelling." Ever since the '90s, American films have been stuck in this repetitive loop. It’s always the same predictable template—especially in action or sci-fi flicks—where you get a tiny little explosion to start things off, followed by bigger and bigger blasts, until everything just blows up at 3:00 PM sharp. It's getting old.

As for the rest of the film industry—well, it’s really a matter of taste. Personally, I have a huge soft spot for great European cinema, though I’ll admit I’m pretty picky about what I actually sit down to watch. On the flip side, I just can't get into Chinese or Hong Kong movies—you know, those ones filled with endless kung fu tropes and people flying around like some sort of Tiger or dragon? It's just not my thing.

Michael Parker92 said:My question is—what do you all think should be done?

Watch some series.

Michael Parker92 said:It’s nothing new—Hollywood quality has been tanking for a long time now. Honestly, I’d say this started back in the late nineties. Since the turn of the millennium, even though we get more movies every single year, the actual good ones are getting harder to find. The last two or three years? Man, I think they finally hit rock bottom. There just aren't any good movies left. (Seriously, if someone names a decent movie, I'll give them enough cash to buy INCEPTION).

Like I said, we already knew this.

My question is this: What do you guys think needs to happen? We have the actors, we have the directors, the tech is better than it’s ever been, yet the soul is gone. How do we fix the industry? How do we get fresh ideas again? What has to change before we see another masterpiece like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, or Pulp Fiction?

Movies used to be 50% business and 50% art. Now, it's basically 33% propaganda (I'll get into that in another post), 66% pure profit, and maybe 1% art—and most of the time, that 1% is just some corporate garbage.

Math is just part of our everyday lives. Honestly, when was a movie ever just about the art and not the bottom line? Even back in 1896, it was all about the money.

I have to somewhat agree with 😁 regarding the topic... though I honestly can't remember the last time an American film truly blew me away... 🤔
There are okay movies, good ones, and certainly watchable ones, but as for being left speechless? Well, I haven't felt that since 🤷

Someone did mention that our standards naturally rise as we get older, making us harder and harder to impress. I believe there is some truth to that 🤷

Roger Allen3 said:It's just basic math—and we deal with that every day. But back then, movies weren't exactly about the bottom line, right? Like, what was the profit margin back in 1896?

Honestly, I highly doubt that Orson, Bergman, Godard, Resnais, Tarkovsky, Murnau, or Antonioni were sitting around obsessing over their box office returns—or even making much money, for that matter. They were artists first and foremost. Of course, you still find people like that today—it's not all doom and gloom—but they certainly seem to be a rarer breed than they used to be.

silentpilot6 said:I guess I'm on board with the 😁 topic... honestly though, I can't even remember the last time an American movie actually blew my mind... 🤔
:

So, what's a movie that actually wowed you, man?

I honestly feel like Hollywood has gone completely off the rails when it comes to money lately; it’s become nothing more than a giant cash grab where massive budgets are thrown around without any real thought.
For instance, how does a movie like Little Fockers 100 hit the $100 million mark, or How do you know 120 mil $ reach $120 million? It's hard to justify those kinds of numbers for basic comedies when they aren't even trying to deliver a visual spectacle.
Even the animation studios are getting greedy, with Tangled pulling in a staggering $260 million budget—it seems like their only priority now is maximizing profit rather than actually focusing on quality.
It’s probably just more of the same mindless excess we see from Michael Bay and his Transformers.

Richard Wilson4 said:So, which director actually blew you away?

trop de elita jebati👍

Honestly... I have to admit, I don't watch much foreign cinema... 🤷
I know that's a mistake on my part, but I usually only catch international films when they happen to air on local TV (NBC occasionally broadcasts some pretty decent non-American movies) or if someone gives me a solid recommendation. The issue is that I often can't even remember the title once the credits roll 😬, mostly because they don't grab your attention from every angle quite like Hollywood blockbusters do.

Sometimes I'll dive into an algorithm to find something from Japan, South Korea, or England... There are some great films out there, but there's plenty of absolute garbage too. 🤷

Michael Parker92 said:So here’s what I’m wondering about: What do you guys think actually needs to happen? We’ve got all the actors, we’ve got the directors, and the tech is better than it’s ever been in history, yet great movies just aren't happening anymore, so how on earth do we fix this broken film industry, how do we spark those fresh, groundbreaking ideas again, and what’s gotta change if we want to see another masterpiece like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, or Pulp Fiction?

Just lower the bar.

We’re getting older, and a bit of that cinematic magic has faded—it used to be that we’d sit there, eyes wide and mouths agape, completely hooked by a great movie or a killer soundtrack. But as the years pile up and you gain experience, things stop surprising you. They just become background noise. I mean, if you’ve sat through 10,000 horror flicks, what on earth does the 10,001st one have to do to actually rattle your cage? It made me think.

Dammit, maybe it's just weird to us now because our grandfathers would just sit at the table, messing around with their food, maybe skimming the paper, and lighting up a cigarette. They were bored out of their minds.