Dustin Hoffman On Today’s Movies: They Stink!

[Brian in Mesa]

Dustin Hoffman On Today’s Movies: They Stink!

http://deadline.com/2015/07/dustin-hoffman-movies-stink-1201471193/

While Hollywood studios are raking in the bucks but not elevating the quality of cinema with summer sequels and superhero fare including this weekend’s July 4 openers Magic Mike XXL and Terminator: Genisys, Dustin Hoffman is getting notice for a comment that we’re sure is common among his peers who came up before studios were blinded by global box office returns. That is, that movies today stink and that if you want quality, you find it on television. The business has changed dramatically from when Hoffman was a top star. Then, audiences turned out to see great actors like Hoffman in such films as All The President’s Men, The Graduate, Tootsie, Marathon Man, Midnight Cowboy, Lenny, Papillon and Kramer Vs. Kramer. Asked by the UK paper The Independent about the movie landscape today, he said: “I think right now television is the best that it’s ever been and I think that it’s the worst that film has ever been — in the 50 years that I’ve been doing it, it’s the worst,” the two-time Oscar winner said.

 

[Dback Jon]

Like Ishtar?

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Like Ishtar?

Boom!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Like Ishtar?

Ironically, Ishtar got panned so hard by the critics that most people today still make fun of it or talk about how bad it was without ever having seen the film.

I saw it in the theaters.

Here is an article with some crazy facts about the film:

'Ishtar': Seven Myths Regarding The Legendary Flop

http://news.moviefone.com/2012/05/21/ishtar-movie-flop-dustin-hoffman/

 

[Rivercard]

“I think right now television is the best that it’s ever been and I think that it’s the worst that film has ever been —.

I agree.

 

[BigRedRage]

hes right but there are still good films, they just arent the ones that get mega marketing and etc.

 

[Covert Rain]

Look at some of the Oscar winners or contenders in the last 20 years. There are some great films out there. Even the non-Oscar contenders like Avengers or GOTG have started a new era of respect for that genre. What about Pixar and other animated films? He sounds just like an old dude who says...."this new fangled music stinks".

 

[BigRedRage]

Look at some of the Oscar winner or contenders in the last 20 years. There are some great films out there. Even the non-Oscar contenders like Avengers or GOTG have started a new era of respect for that genre. What about Pixar and other animated films? He sounds just like an old dude who says...."this new fangled music stinks".

Why does everything new suck so much anyway?

 

[crisper57]

I met a camera guy in New Orleans. He was whining that a movie like Good Will Hunting could never be made today. Studios are run by the marketing departments and that means anything original is seen as too big of a risk to green light. That's probably why we also see movies spoiled in previews these days. Marketing departments are more concerned with a film's "buzz" than its quality.

 

[Chaplin]

I met a camera guy in New Orleans. He was whining that a movie like Good Will Hunting could never be made today. Studios are run by the marketing departments and that means anything original is seen as too big of a risk to green light. That's probably why we also see movies spoiled in previews these days. Marketing departments are more concerned with a film's "buzz" than its quality.

Correction, it's more concerned with potential earnings than with quality.

 

[crisper57]

Correction, it's more concerned with potential earnings than with quality.

I dunno about that. Marketing departments are not accountants. They may not know the difference between buzz and potential earnings.

So if a movie is not trending to their liking, they will do something stupid to generate buzz, like give away the massive plot twist in the latest Terminator movie.

 

[Chaplin]

I dunno about that. Marketing departments are not accountants. They may not know the difference between buzz and potential earnings.

So if a movie is not trending to their liking, they will do something stupid to generate buzz, like give away the massive plot twist in the latest Terminator movie.

You said that studios don't greenlight anything original. They don't because they don't know if something original will make them money. But a sequel to a classic franchise is a MUCH better potential money-maker than something original.

 

[Dback Jon]

yet the two most successful movies of all time are originals


And one was a complete new story

 

[Chaplin]

yet the two most successful movies of all time are originals


And one was a complete new story

Are you talking about Avatar and Jurassic World? Or Avatar and Titanic? Or (with inflation) Avatar and Gone with the Wind? None of those are original ideas.

 

[Dback Jon]

Are you talking about Avatar and Jurassic World? Or Avatar and Titanic? Or (with inflation) Avatar and Gone with the Wind? None of those are original ideas.

Avatar is pretty original, at least as far as movies go.

Yes, Titanic is based on a well-known event, but the story behind is original (at least a fresh retelling of age-old themes).


Obviously Jurassic World is not original.

 

[Chaplin]

Avatar is pretty original, at least as far as movies go.

Yes, Titanic is based on a well-known event, but the story behind is original (at least a fresh retelling of age-old themes).


Obviously Jurassic World is not original.

I'm guessing you've never seen Ferngully. Avatar looks nice, but the story is as unoriginal as you can find.

Same with Titanic. The story is actually poorly done, but even discounting that, the story isn't original at all. I'm surprised you think it's fresh.

I actually like both movies, but they are in no way original.

 

[Dback Jon]

I have seen Ferngully, and never connected the two - no more than any two war movies.


So what would YOU consider an original movie?

 

[Rivercard]

Even the non-Oscar contenders like Avengers or GOTG have started a new era of respect for that genre. What about Pixar and other animated films? He sounds just like an old dude who says...."this new fangled music stinks".

If movies were restaurants, "Non oscar contender" super hero films would be the fast food outlets - they are everywhere, the ingredients used are often the same just dressed in different packaging, and when consumed very unsatisfying. But I'll agree with your point that Pixar and animated movies are better than ever.

The other part of his comment was that TV is doing some excellent things. HBO, Showtime, and Netflix are often producing more cutting edge product than studio fare.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I met a camera guy in New Orleans. He was whining that a movie like Good Will Hunting could never be made today. Studios are run by the marketing departments and that means anything original is seen as too big of a risk to green light. That's probably why we also see movies spoiled in previews these days. Marketing departments are more concerned with a film's "buzz" than its quality.

he's absolutely right. The Major Studios back as late as the 90's and early 2000s used to make about 30 pictures a year, now they make around 12-15... and I'm going to venture to say that at LEAST half of those are all either sequels, remakes or based on some other kind of IP (comic books/books). A movie like Good Will Hunting might get made today, but instead of those movies being the norm as far as what studios are trying to make, it seems like each studio will only make a couple of those movies at best and when they do, it'll be to win Oscars.

make no mistake... the comic book movie industry is destroying the silver screen as far as quality is concerned, IMO. Same plots, same resolutions. Some are very good to great even, some are definitely not, but what that genre... eh. I don't care enough to write about this.

basically tho... I agree with Hoffman. You want GREAT story-telling, watch TV at this point.

 

[Chaplin]

I have seen Ferngully, and never connected the two - no more than any two war movies.


So what would YOU consider an original movie?

Ferngully has nearly the same story. It's uncanny.

As for an original movie, I can point to one Hoffman himself was in last year: Chef.

 

[mojorizen7]

Hoffman is right. The same goes for music.

Avatar is Dances with Wolves with CGI.

 

[BillsCarnage]

Avatar was not an original story by any means. At its core was big corporation/invaders want to plunder land for their own benefit/profit and indigenous creatures fight back. It's been told many times.

What Avatar was, not just being the most visually stunning movie to date, was the next big break through in visual fx. The motion capture and 3D became the new standard. Just as King Kong ('33 version), 2001, Star Wars and Toy Story before it, Avatar was the next big jump from a technological perspective.

 

[UncleChris]

Sorry, Dustin.... This is what I am seeing...

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