4 ms·

Blockbuster carried the latest movies from all the studios. Everything newest and most desirable. They had a smattering of classics and art house and older genr

Blockbuster carried the latest movies from all the studios. Everything newest and most desirable. They had a smattering of classics and art house and older genre films, but mostly it was about everything latest and greatest. Netflix streaming seemed like that at first, but better! Now, they have a tiny slice of content. And as a content-producer, they seem willing to throw money at anything B-list. Meanwhile, the studios became more risk averse as people started preferring to watch at home. Then theaters shut down and studios became more risk averse. And Netflix and Amazon arose and started playing studio games and studios became even more risk averse. That trajectory of fear is mirrored in the content. The 1970s were known for directorial freedom and risk-taking. The 70s gave us Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Star Wars, Animal House, Annie Hall, Rocky, Halloween, Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance, MASH, and more - not all high art but all complete gems. Every decade since, we've seen a gradual progression toward samey-ness.

iancmceachern 4y ago
Exactly. Blockbuster had all the movies the average person would be able to know about. Any movie that was advertised and known by the general public could be picked up at blockbuster and watched. It's not like that now. Now I have to Google which streaming service can I stream this or that on and then go to that service. It's as if there was a paramount movie store on one side of town, a Disney one on the other, MGM on the other. It's like car dealerships now, it used to be like grocery stores.
- airpoint 4y ago
  “All the movies an average person would know” — they’re all still available “to rent” from every major provider. No need to Google anything? I think you’re confusing stream-all-you-want for a monthly fee vs pay-per-view providers.
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    You cant. It's often exclusives. If you want to see "seeing red" or any other Disney film, that's on Disney, if you want to see Val, Hulu, etc.
- EricE 4y ago
  justwatch.com is way more effective/useful than Google.

iancmceachern 4y ago

Exactly. Blockbuster had all the movies the average person would be able to know about. Any movie that was advertised and known by the general public could be picked up at blockbuster and watched. It's not like that now. Now I have to Google which streaming service can I stream this or that on and then go to that service. It's as if there was a paramount movie store on one side of town, a Disney one on the other, MGM on the other. It's like car dealerships now, it used to be like grocery stores.

airpoint 4y ago
“All the movies an average person would know” — they’re all still available “to rent” from every major provider. No need to Google anything? I think you’re confusing stream-all-you-want for a monthly fee vs pay-per-view providers.
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  You cant. It's often exclusives. If you want to see "seeing red" or any other Disney film, that's on Disney, if you want to see Val, Hulu, etc.
EricE 4y ago
justwatch.com is way more effective/useful than Google.