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Oncle Boris
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Once in a brown moon
Aug 2001
time: 00:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Dry
So, better say:
Hollywood is probably one of the suckiest place when it comes to movies...
Don't mix up Hollywood and USA. |
Sure. Maybe it was not clear enough, but I started by mentioning Kubrick, Lynch, van Sant, Welles (I could have added Scorcese) just to make sure I was not criticising America as a whole, but Hollywood.
As for the guy who told me Mexico is not in South America. Yeah, thanks for the insight (as if I didn't know my geography). Petty cosmetics such as these won't detract from my main point: Mexico definitely belongs to the "south American" cultural ring, both by language and tradition.
As for the UK debate: yeah, many great movies came from the UK. But surprisingly, and as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong) there is no major artistic current that originated from there. Anyway, not as much as we can associate Germany with expressionism, France with Nouvelle Vague, Italy with neo-realism, Russia with formalism, etc. Being on the winning side of history is not good for the artistic inspiration!
Still, I like to think that Peter Greenaway has been an excellent defender of UK colours in the past 20 years.
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MrBaggins
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quote:
Originally posted by Oncle Boris
[SNIP]I don't wound to sound anti-American here...[SNIP]
Sure, there was Welles, Kubrick[SNIP]
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Well... Kubrick actually moved to the UK when he started doing his most edgy stuff like Lolita, and liked it so much, he stayed... so he's technically a Brit now, in terms of this discussion.
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Ecthy
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Zhonghuà Rénmín Gònghéguó
Mar 2000
time: 06:32
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they're good only from a superficial perspective...
the Israeli movies I've seen so far sucked donkey cheneys, all of them
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Oncle Boris
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Once in a brown moon
Aug 2001
time: 00:32
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quote:
Originally posted by GePap
The US certainly has the best production values, and with so much money to spend, the US gets to do so much. Now, most popualr films form any country are no good anyways. If you heard of a film from another country, it is becuase it is good..the exception ebing the US, becuase of its huge market share. Crappy French films don't make it becuase you can always pay for a better produced crappy US film instead.
Which is why things are so stillted. The whole wrold gets to see Hollywoods crap, while only the best of any other country, if only becuase Hollywood dross drown all other dross. |
Almost true. The thing is, most countries with smaller markets have to create movies with smaller budget, so they are less restricted by commercial constraints. I will not deny that many movies are made the "Hollywood" way throughout the world. But as far as I know, no one yet has surpassed the "master" in doing such movies. The land of the brave is still the stronghold of the commercial machine they created.
The French are notorious for creating more and more Hollywood-style films; but guys like Renoir, Godard, or even Blier are still the real driving force behind their cultural identity, even from the masses' viewpoint. This is not the case of the United States. Moreover, while they borrow formal elements, the American-style morale propaganda will seldom slip through the "technical exportation".
Most western countries will give much more importance to, say, Venise, Berlin or Cannes. That is not the case of the USA and their infamous Academy Awards.
Last edited by Oncle Boris on 17-12-2003 at 04:37
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Drogue
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Omnipresent conscience
Oct 2002
time: 05:32
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The USA. However I judge films, by the amount it moved me, by its relevance, by how much I forgot I was in a film and started to live it, by the way it makes me think, or by the sheer enjoyment of it, it comes out top. Admittedly I'm not a big fan of many of the typical hollywood blockbusters, but I do like the Coen Brothers, Kubrick, Sam Mendes, Ridley Scott and all the best animation and CGI (both in technicalities and ideas/humour) come from Pixar or Dreamworks.
I disagree with Oncle Boris for two reasons. There are paradoxes, there is psychology and many many films do not have set good or bad characters. Sure, it produces a lot of dross, a lot of formulaic blockbusters, but it also produces many thoughtful productions. If you want to see an example of a paradox of the bad or goodness of characters, watch a Coen Brothers film, especially The Man Who Wasn't There. Is the main character a goodie or a baddie? The same (to a lesser extent) with Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Kill Bill and The Italian Job (admittedly could class as non-American, but still english language at least  ). As for the resolution point, while some films, even Hollywood ones, do not have the same resolution points, most stories have a starting point near the begining and a resolution point near the end. Leaving a story in suspense is one thing, but leaving it simply unfinished, or not telling the start, is a mark of bad storytelling.
The second point is that there is both formulaic dross and great films in most countries. Since Hollywood can get budgets and audiences for dross, it may produce more, but it produces many more films. Taking only the good films, most of them, IMHO, still come from the USA.
Sure, you can argue about the artsiness of foreign cinema, but then US cinema can be artsy and thought-provoking. It isn't all formulaic dross. US cinema is also, IMHO, far more watchable. You can think about the meanings and thoughts, but you can also sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
As yourself, if you could only watch films from one country, which country would you pick. I would pick the US without question. Sure, there are many Japanese Anime films I like, likewise with Britflicks, and even a few European and foreign language films I like. But the majority of what I watch, what I enjoy, is US films. I'd miss the others, but nowhere near as much as US films.
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Dr Strangelove
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Ummm, when you say "cinematography" I usually think of the visual quality of a film. They give special awards just for that. If you mean who makes the best all around movies, then just say so, because they give awards for that too.
Speaking of great cinematography I am reminded of "Out of Africa", "Doctor Zhivago", and "Lawrence of Arabia".
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16-12-2003 19:56
true 
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