5 ms·

A big part of this is that modern movies are carefully calibrated so that you can follow along while sitting on your couch focused on your phone. Movies in the

by mandevil 11mo ago

A big part of this is that modern movies are carefully calibrated so that you can follow along while sitting on your couch focused on your phone. Movies in the 1990's didn't need to have so much clanky dialog explaining, in careful detail, why we were someplace. The writers and directors could presume that the audience was actually paying attention to the movie, and so would make the necessary inferences. Modern movies are mostly terrified of doing because the audience is also swiping on Tinder and scrolling Instagram at the same time and would never realize that he just stopped walking with a limp oh my God was everything he said in the entire movie a lie?

politelemon 11mo ago
> he just stopped walking with a limp Remind me where this is from, this sounds really familiar.
- giggyhack 11mo ago
  The Usual Suspects
- deleted 11mo ago
  [deleted]
- genghisjahn 11mo ago
  I have a memory of this but, just like that,"whuh"...it's gone.
- jyap 11mo ago
  The Usual Suspects
- dylanfw 11mo ago
  To avoid spoiling a 30 year old movie: ROT13 `Gur Hfhny Fhfcrpgf`
- daseiner1 11mo ago
  would you say that you’re feeling sort of… “spacey”?
ToucanLoucan 11mo ago
My most "old woman yells at cloud" opinion is the fucking DISEASE of smartphones that is truly a cancer in our society. Don't get me wrong, I love mine, and they're completely possible to use in a way that coexists with the rest of your tech and life, but my god, the wide adoption of them has demonstrated the majority of our population has the regulation capacity of a fucking carrot. And my inner artist is absolutely REPULSED at the notion that "oh I missed stuff in the movie cuz I was on my phone." Then put your fucking phone away. Watch a movie, or don't. Watch a show, or don't. Commit to taking in ONE PIECE of art at a time you fucking dopamine junkies. I have a buddy, I absolutely love him, but I don't think that fucker has sat down with one medium at one time in YEARS. He leaves a stressful day job and he goes home and he watches YouTube or TV, while playing videogames. Every night. He got to the end of Pacific Drive and didn't know there was a fucking in-game radio station (with a whole host of absolute bangers btw). Like I just... idk it makes my inner creative absolutely die inside how everyone is so utterly and hopelessly dependent on their dopamine treadmill that they've lost the ability to focus entirely.
- mrits 11mo ago
  "Commit to taking in ONE PIECE of art at a time you fucking dopamine junkies." "in-game radio station" You found a loop hole
  - rlonstein 11mo ago
    I thought Saints Row IV and Sleeping Dogs did this really well, to the point where I'd go around in the car just to hear all the radio stations.
  - ToucanLoucan 11mo ago
    Kinda but not really. The music was all created for the game specifically, this wasn’t a GTA situation. It contributes a lot to the weird atmosphere of that game, hence me being flabbergasted he rolled credits on it having no clue it was there.
    - crtasm 11mo ago
wingmanjd 11mo ago
Not related to the main conversation, but I'm still mad that the DVD menu of that movie gave away the reveal before the movie even started (showed someone limping and then suddenly not limping anymore as they walked down the street). There was no real twist ending since I knew the guy was lying about something. (Vagueness intended to avoid spoilers for that 1 in 10,000 someone who hasn't seen the movie)
- ggambetta 11mo ago
  That spoiler should be a crime.
  - aeonfox 11mo ago
    A crime with all the usual... er
add-sub-mul-div 11mo ago
I wouldn't say all movies, but particularly the ones made by Amazon and Netflix specifically for streaming.
dubcanada 11mo ago
I don't particularly disagree with you, but do you have evidence that modern movies are calibrated and written to allow for someone to sit on their phones the entire time and understand? Largely seems like some movies are written to be mass consumed and some are not. No different then a movie from the 90s. Our attention span is decreasing a lot obviously, but it's never been that long.
- chao- 11mo ago
  I remember seeing something like that referenced a while ago, and went back and found it: https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/ https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/ >Several screenwriters who’ve worked for the streamer told me a common note from company executives is “have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.” I don't necessarily agree that it means all movies (or even most) are doing this, but it is some evidence that at least some are.
- chime 11mo ago
  Could be from https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dumb-down-shows-since-viewers-are-on-their https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dum... which mentioned https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/ https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/
  - luckys 11mo ago
    That long article on the second link was really good, thank you.
- postoplust 11mo ago
  https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dumb-down-shows-since-viewers-are-on-their https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dum... (https://archive.is/RE0pz https://archive.is/RE0pz) > Amid a push to perfect 'casual viewing,' creatives say streaming execs are requiring them to remove nuance and visual cues, and do things like announce when characters enter a room.
darth_avocado 11mo ago
The second screen effect is largely overstated when it comes to why movies suck. While it’s true for some movies and TV shows that end up being streaming exclusives, the same problem doesn’t exist in theatrical releases or even shows for TV for streaming services like HBO. Modern movies suck mostly because of Hollywood mostly being risk averse and prioritizing profit over everything else. This leads to IPs being sequels, prequels, remakes, “parts of the universe” or adaptations of existing successful IPs. This also leads to creative directions that are “designed to pull maximum audiences” or in other words average. Almost every single Marvel movie has the same plot with a few changes in characters. It also translates to situations where ideas that would otherwise be successful being tabled. K-POP demon hunters is a great example, an original IP, that audiences want, being sold to Netflix because the executives somewhere did a couple of focus groups and came to the conclusion that this won’t work. Another side effect is lack of innovation. Pixar animation has largely been stale for years now, meanwhile Ne Zha 2 is taking in billions worldwide, Demon Slayer is was one of the most popular movies in the US despite its limited release and Arcane is one of the best rated TV shows ever. There’s a lot more like fewer stand ins to save money that make scenes look “empty and soulless”, overuse of CGI, overuse of Pedro Pascal, etc. All in all, it’s enshittification if movies because less profit is unacceptable.

politelemon 11mo ago

> he just stopped walking with a limp Remind me where this is from, this sounds really familiar.

giggyhack 11mo ago
The Usual Suspects
deleted 11mo ago
[deleted]
genghisjahn 11mo ago
I have a memory of this but, just like that,"whuh"...it's gone.
jyap 11mo ago
The Usual Suspects
dylanfw 11mo ago
To avoid spoiling a 30 year old movie: ROT13 `Gur Hfhny Fhfcrpgf`
daseiner1 11mo ago
would you say that you’re feeling sort of… “spacey”?

ToucanLoucan 11mo ago

My most "old woman yells at cloud" opinion is the fucking DISEASE of smartphones that is truly a cancer in our society. Don't get me wrong, I love mine, and they're completely possible to use in a way that coexists with the rest of your tech and life, but my god, the wide adoption of them has demonstrated the majority of our population has the regulation capacity of a fucking carrot. And my inner artist is absolutely REPULSED at the notion that "oh I missed stuff in the movie cuz I was on my phone." Then put your fucking phone away. Watch a movie, or don't. Watch a show, or don't. Commit to taking in ONE PIECE of art at a time you fucking dopamine junkies. I have a buddy, I absolutely love him, but I don't think that fucker has sat down with one medium at one time in YEARS. He leaves a stressful day job and he goes home and he watches YouTube or TV, while playing videogames. Every night. He got to the end of Pacific Drive and didn't know there was a fucking in-game radio station (with a whole host of absolute bangers btw). Like I just... idk it makes my inner creative absolutely die inside how everyone is so utterly and hopelessly dependent on their dopamine treadmill that they've lost the ability to focus entirely.

mrits 11mo ago
"Commit to taking in ONE PIECE of art at a time you fucking dopamine junkies." "in-game radio station" You found a loop hole
- rlonstein 11mo ago
  I thought Saints Row IV and Sleeping Dogs did this really well, to the point where I'd go around in the car just to hear all the radio stations.
- ToucanLoucan 11mo ago
  Kinda but not really. The music was all created for the game specifically, this wasn’t a GTA situation. It contributes a lot to the weird atmosphere of that game, hence me being flabbergasted he rolled credits on it having no clue it was there.
  - crtasm 11mo ago

wingmanjd 11mo ago

Not related to the main conversation, but I'm still mad that the DVD menu of that movie gave away the reveal before the movie even started (showed someone limping and then suddenly not limping anymore as they walked down the street). There was no real twist ending since I knew the guy was lying about something. (Vagueness intended to avoid spoilers for that 1 in 10,000 someone who hasn't seen the movie)

ggambetta 11mo ago
That spoiler should be a crime.
- aeonfox 11mo ago
  A crime with all the usual... er

add-sub-mul-div 11mo ago

I wouldn't say all movies, but particularly the ones made by Amazon and Netflix specifically for streaming.

dubcanada 11mo ago

I don't particularly disagree with you, but do you have evidence that modern movies are calibrated and written to allow for someone to sit on their phones the entire time and understand? Largely seems like some movies are written to be mass consumed and some are not. No different then a movie from the 90s. Our attention span is decreasing a lot obviously, but it's never been that long.

chao- 11mo ago
I remember seeing something like that referenced a while ago, and went back and found it: https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/ https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/ >Several screenwriters who’ve worked for the streamer told me a common note from company executives is “have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.” I don't necessarily agree that it means all movies (or even most) are doing this, but it is some evidence that at least some are.
chime 11mo ago
Could be from https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dumb-down-shows-since-viewers-are-on-their https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dum... which mentioned https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/ https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/
- luckys 11mo ago
  That long article on the second link was really good, thank you.
postoplust 11mo ago
https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dumb-down-shows-since-viewers-are-on-their https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-is-telling-writers-to-dum... (https://archive.is/RE0pz https://archive.is/RE0pz) > Amid a push to perfect 'casual viewing,' creatives say streaming execs are requiring them to remove nuance and visual cues, and do things like announce when characters enter a room.

darth_avocado 11mo ago

The second screen effect is largely overstated when it comes to why movies suck. While it’s true for some movies and TV shows that end up being streaming exclusives, the same problem doesn’t exist in theatrical releases or even shows for TV for streaming services like HBO. Modern movies suck mostly because of Hollywood mostly being risk averse and prioritizing profit over everything else. This leads to IPs being sequels, prequels, remakes, “parts of the universe” or adaptations of existing successful IPs. This also leads to creative directions that are “designed to pull maximum audiences” or in other words average. Almost every single Marvel movie has the same plot with a few changes in characters. It also translates to situations where ideas that would otherwise be successful being tabled. K-POP demon hunters is a great example, an original IP, that audiences want, being sold to Netflix because the executives somewhere did a couple of focus groups and came to the conclusion that this won’t work. Another side effect is lack of innovation. Pixar animation has largely been stale for years now, meanwhile Ne Zha 2 is taking in billions worldwide, Demon Slayer is was one of the most popular movies in the US despite its limited release and Arcane is one of the best rated TV shows ever. There’s a lot more like fewer stand ins to save money that make scenes look “empty and soulless”, overuse of CGI, overuse of Pedro Pascal, etc. All in all, it’s enshittification if movies because less profit is unacceptable.