tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post7643869963201426125..comments2023-12-28T06:30:48.808-05:00Comments on The Rule of Reason: The Death of Adult MoviesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-14636057125986353312014-04-12T01:04:05.648-04:002014-04-12T01:04:05.648-04:00For some time now I've had an uneasy feeling a...For some time now I've had an uneasy feeling about the quality of movies.The virtual societal push back, the politically correct goo, the dumbing down, everything would have me believe that I should get with the program.That I should enjoy these offerings. You're just and old curmudgeon they say. <br />I don't think I am. <br />Biological units die. Before they die they go through various stages. Helplessness, growth, pinnacle achievement,plateaux, decline etc. In the same way society is just a collection of individual biological units going through the same stages.<br />We've peaked, we're dying and the symptoms are all around.<br />Bad movies, bad literature, political correctness. Just an old man farting in the wind. Who cares. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05945859956248440202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-74887167937490811392014-04-09T14:21:22.407-04:002014-04-09T14:21:22.407-04:00Victoria: I never said (and I know you're not ...Victoria: I never said (and I know you're not accusing me of it) that these movies were "bad." My point was that this is what the culture has brought people down to, although I must add that people who are looking for heroism and good defeating evil in movies (or even in literature) don't have much of a choice anymore. Another point I wanted to make is that there's a treasure trove of great movies that remain to be discovered. They're all "oldies" but they're there and they're evidence of what was and could be again. Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-50097268624608956702014-04-09T13:13:38.653-04:002014-04-09T13:13:38.653-04:00Wow. I never thought of it like this. I really enj...Wow. I never thought of it like this. I really enjoyed the Dark Knight movies, and most of the recent Marvel efforts, because they took the old fashioned concept of a superhero and made it work with modern-day villains, problems, and technology.<br />I think that's why Batman is so beloved in general...because he's not really a superhero. He doesn't have any special powers, he just has a lot of money and believes in fighting evil. I like that.<br />I like these films because they are engaging beyond the typical dumb action film. It's not just endless explosions and chase scenes....<br />...but at the end of the day, you're right. They are definitely teen stories. There's no real depth to them; the morals, the problems, and the solutions are all pretty superficial.<br />I don't think that makes them bad, but it definitely speaks to our society's shallowness. Damn.Victoriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708892332720921271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-52597926730920909342014-04-09T11:50:25.376-04:002014-04-09T11:50:25.376-04:00Someone thought he had scored me on the meaning of...Someone thought he had scored me on the meaning of "Panem" (which I parodied as "PanAm" in the column). But explaining that "panem" was, loosely, Latin for "bread and circuses" would have meant adding or complementing the reference to Imperial Rome. While composing the piece, I consulted my Latin-English dictionaries because I recognized the term, and decided it wasn't worth explicating when I already describe one of the purposes of the Hunger Games, which was to entertain the effete populace. See, however, http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2012/03/bread-circuses-the-hunger-games-ancient-rome/. As a patron of many Italian restaurants, I was familiar with "panini," the diminutive of "pane" or "bread." When I lived in New York City, I often patronized a bohemian place in Greenwich Village called the Chocolate Panini, and in Palo Alto, California, Il Fornaio, in which I wrote most of my Chess Hanrahan novels. Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-30531654175387125122014-04-08T23:11:29.211-04:002014-04-08T23:11:29.211-04:00Joe: I read comics as a kid, too, focusing more on...Joe: I read comics as a kid, too, focusing more on the "Classic Comics" renditions of noted literature. I liked "Superman" on TV. But as one matures to adulthood, these are things one leaves behind. One doesn't denigrate them, but they can't fill or answer an adult's needs for moral guidance or inspiration. Some of the movies I recommend in the column are only the tip of the iceberg of what I'd want others to see. They're not all perfect, but they are adult in the best sense of that term. Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-14815341843877183852014-04-08T22:45:28.701-04:002014-04-08T22:45:28.701-04:00Ed,
I agree. I have taken my kids to see some of ...Ed,<br />I agree. I have taken my kids to see some of these comic book movies and though I enjoyed comics as a kid, i almost invariably fall asleep in these mind numbing movies.<br /><br />Having access to better movies... Even b movies from the past on Netflix is more entertaining... And much cheaper.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02283312915111581912noreply@blogger.com