Toto: Hyper-political Hollywood gives us little reason to return to theaters

[PeteS in CA]

Toto: Hyper-political Hollywood gives us little reason to return to theaters

https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2020/10/06/toto-hyper-political-hollywood-gives-us-little-reason-to-return-to-theaters/

The movie meant to save theaters didn’t, and that’s an understatement.

Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” the first major film to hit theaters since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in March, has earned a measly $41 million stateside since its Sept. 3 release.
...
The miserly reception caused Disney to bounce “Black Widow” from November into 2021, along with “Death on the Nile” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake.
...
Stars have not been behaving as well as anyone hoped during the pandemic. When the virus first hit celebrities struggled with their messaging. Some created online-only content to entertain the masses, a simple, noble gesture.

Others looked shockingly tone deaf ...
...
Later, when ordinary Americans fought back against the lockdowns decimating their livelihoods, stars mocked them as hicks who didn’t understand science and wanted to kill grandma while their paychecks kept a-coming.

Not a nice look. It got worse from there.

The usual celebrity angst against President Trump ramped up, if one can believe that was possible. The ugly comments got uglier, with some directly targeting Trump voters.

You know, the folks who also like to unwind at the local cineplex.

Some stars took their activism in a ghastly direction, donating to the Minnesota Freedom Fund which bails out jailed protesters. ...
...
Twitter isn’t real life, but chances are the cacophony of vile, divisive messages coming from Celebrity Nation seeped into the national consciousness.

It’s one thing to swallow hard and watch a new Samuel L. Jackson film at home. It’s another to snag a sitter and/or fork over $30-plus for a Jackson movie knowing he just insulted anyone voting Trump on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Think that sentiment isn’t a factor in the anemic box office receipts we’re seeing these days?

Stars got hyper-political, and nasty, at the worst possible time. ...

I don't know whether it's a "kill shot" or merely a recoverable knock-out blow, but pro sports and Hollyweird celebs are injuring their industries and livelihoods with worst-possible timing.

[Fishrrman]

Why go to the movies -- probably 98% of which I wouldn't want to see anyway -- when I have access to almost anything from the past, to watch on my 27" display?

Same for you folks.
Get yourself a secure browser that connects via proxy, like the Epic Privacy Browser, and turn the proxy protection on (this hides your IP address from where you connect).
Then, try this:
proxybay.bz/
(I have deliberately made the above URL UNclickable, you have to add "https://" to the beginning.)
Then, pick a site like "ukpass.co".
When you get where that takes you, click the checkbox for "video" and search on the name of a title.
For example, enter "blade runner 2049", check "video", and hit "search".
You'll see A LOT of choices.
I'd suggest picking one for 1080p (or 720p if you can't find 1080p).
Pay attention to file sizes. Some are MUCH LARGER than others.
You can click on the link, or just click on the little "magnet" icon.
then...
On the Mac, you'll need "Transmission". On the PC you'll need a torrent downloader.

You must be "unafraid", as I am.
But you'll be rewarded.

[Free Vulcan]

About the only thing I see in the theatres anymore is superhero movies. Not too pc and the graphics experience can't be topped.

But that's it. Movies suck. Not just the plots, but even the execution sucks anymore.

[Wingnut]

All I know about TOTO is summed up by this:  "I bless the rains down in Africa."   

[Applewood]

About the only thing I see in the theatres anymore is superhero movies. Not too pc and the graphics experience can't be topped.

But that's it. Movies suck. Not just the plots, but even the execution sucks anymore.

And Hollywood has run out of ideas.  Otherwise, why remake West Side Story? 

[Cyber Liberty]

All I know about TOTO is summed up by this:  "I bless the rains down in Africa."   

I was wondering about that too, so I looked at the source article  The author is somebody named Christian Toto.

[jmyrlefuller]

Why go to the movies -- probably 98% of which I wouldn't want to see anyway -- when I have access to almost anything from the past, to watch on my 27" display?

Because that's just it: it's the past. I've already heard of it.

Give me something NEW to enjoy.

[roamer_1]

Because that's just it: it's the past. I've already heard of it.

Give me something NEW to enjoy.

Meh. New is overrated. There is nothing 'new' under the sun... And plenty in the past you didn't know. I say that with every surety, as even with my focus firmly in hindsight, I find 'new' things all the time.

[Cyber Liberty]

Meh. New is overrated. There is nothing 'new' under the sun... And plenty in the past you didn't know. I say that with every surety, as even with my focus firmly in hindsight, I find 'new' things all the time.

How many movies recently are actually original thought anyway?  Superhero flicks....remakes of West Side Story (which as a remake of Shakespeare), and on and on.  The only new things are the CG animation SFX.

[roamer_1]

How many movies recently are actually original thought anyway?  Superhero flicks....remakes of West Side Story (which as a remake of Shakespeare), and on and on.  The only new things are the CG animation SFX.

More true than not. And I find little to praise in it. I think a reliance on SFX, the hard lean toward them, has been a disaster to the storyline... the high cost of FX diminishes the spending on the rest. A whole lot of bang and boom with nothing to say.

Truly 'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'.
That's what gets old.

Stories that impart truth, that have meaning and a moral in the end, are told for centuries... Aeons... never getting old.

[catfish1957]

All I know about TOTO is summed up by this:  "I bless the rains down in Africa."   

And then Weezer and Weird Al weigh in.  Interesting cover to say the least.....


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[Cyber Liberty]

More true than not. And I find little to praise in it. I think a reliance on SFX, the hard lean toward them, has been a disaster to the storyline... the high cost of FX diminishes the spending on the rest. A whole lot of bang and boom with nothing to say.

Truly 'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'.
That's what gets old.

Stories that impart truth, that have meaning and a moral in the end, are told for centuries... Aeons... never getting old.

Does Shakespeare really ever get old, when we quote it to this day?   

[Wingnut]

Does Shakespeare really ever get old, when we quote it to this day?   

Mine eyes smell onions.
– Lafeu, in All’s Well that Ends Well, Act V, Scene III

[roamer_1]

Does Shakespeare really ever get old, when we quote it to this day?   

Ha! you took notice of my intent!

Just think of all that Shakespeare could do with the film industry of today, and all its effects (and affects)... Probably, nothing. 

[dfwgator]

More true than not. And I find little to praise in it. I think a reliance on SFX, the hard lean toward them, has been a disaster to the storyline... the high cost of FX diminishes the spending on the rest. A whole lot of bang and boom with nothing to say.

Truly 'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'.
That's what gets old.

Stories that impart truth, that have meaning and a moral in the end, are told for centuries... Aeons... never getting old.

People wrote books and movies, movies that had stories so you cared whose ass it was and why it was farting, and I believe that time can come again!

[roamer_1]

People wrote books and movies, movies that had stories so you cared whose ass it was and why it was farting, and I believe that time can come again!

A sad statement. Idiocracy. 

As for story telling, it has it's beginning and end around a fire, or on your grand mother or grandfather's knee.
All the rest is merely vanity.