Consequences
- Thread starter MovieBob
- Start date
kinda surprised Greengrass's innovation of shaky-cam-action didn't make the list, given it's over-use in Hunger Games last week...
(edit) and even more surprised given that hand-held over-use comes up in the Wrath review as well...
(edit) and even more surprised given that hand-held over-use comes up in the Wrath review as well...
The idea of mixing horror and comedy elements didn't spring fully formed from Sam Raimi. One of the documentaries on the original Carrie DVD has somebody talking about how most good horror films should have lots of laughter in the first hour and horror-comedy as its own genre has been very visible at least as far back as The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I don't think Sam Raimi realizing sometime during the first Evil Dead that he was making unconvincing trash and deciding to take the piss for it really did a whole lot to influence the mainstream's perception of the genre. Instead, I would say a combination of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Scream are what convinced audiences to treat all horror films as schlocky farces.
This reminds me of what CR! from Familiar Faces over on TGWTG said on the matter, "You see every time there's a jump in technology or technique, the industry always goes through a phase where it tries to see what is the minimal amount of effort it takes to make a commercial success, and it becomes very apparent who knows what the Hell they're doing." Bob's article here pretty much sums it up nicely.
I admit - I laughed my ass off when that girl got impaled on a sailboat mast in Final Destination 5. I couldn't help it. That was the payoff for the buildup to that point. For some movies, funny horror is good. But there does need to be a sound mix of horror-comedy movies - Raimi's own "Drag Me to Hell", and legitimate horror - "Insidious". It keeps the audience from being completely desensitized to what they're seeing on screen.
Well Bob, I have to say it is nice to see you commenting on movies again. In this avenue, I find your comments to be insightful, thought provoking and quite fun. It is also nice to see you not belittling your fans in a public forum.
Also, seeing the awesomeness of "O Brother Where Art Thou" mentioned as influential made my heart skip a beat.
I would love to see your thoughts on the effects of The Cohen Brothers, or even just the Big Lebowski on cinema.
Also, seeing the awesomeness of "O Brother Where Art Thou" mentioned as influential made my heart skip a beat.
I would love to see your thoughts on the effects of The Cohen Brothers, or even just the Big Lebowski on cinema.
I really wish you hadn't pointed out the whole teal/orange thing. I have a feeling that's going to start annoying me now.
As for comic horror, you can't just blame one movie or say it's all bad. Tremors did horror right, and every local TV station that had a Pierce Vincent Vampire Hunter, or Elvira style character added humor or eroticism to the horror movie mix. (Ooh, horror show hosts would make an excellent Big Picture feature, but I fear it may be outside your area of expertise.)
Also an article like trollpwner suggested on the good consequences of bad movies would be interesting to read, if there were enough to fill a page.
As for comic horror, you can't just blame one movie or say it's all bad. Tremors did horror right, and every local TV station that had a Pierce Vincent Vampire Hunter, or Elvira style character added humor or eroticism to the horror movie mix. (Ooh, horror show hosts would make an excellent Big Picture feature, but I fear it may be outside your area of expertise.)
Also an article like trollpwner suggested on the good consequences of bad movies would be interesting to read, if there were enough to fill a page.
Here's one for you Bob: Intentional Shlock. B-rated movies are gaining a whole new level of fame and appreciation these days thanks to MST3K and the Internet. The worst dreck of yesteryear is being applauded for how bad it was. And Hollywood has tried to capitalize on it, trying to fix their big-budget films with "synthetic ugly." Sometimes it's out of love, like Grindhouse, sometimes it's simply to exploit, like say Cowboys and Aliens and The Expendables.
Don't forget that Star Wars also had another effect on Sci Fi: films could no longer explore SF elements and be popular. Star Wars didn't really popularize the SF genre, it popularized the Space Opera, which put more emphasis on otherwise conventional plots that just happened to be in space or the like.
Remember 2001: A Space Odyssey? Remember how groundbreaking an SF film it was? Have we had anything in the same vein, an SF film that explored speculative fiction ideas, that was nearly as popular? Nope (well maybe; I invite examples to such a thing in the comments). Why? Star Wars. It turned SF and Space Operas into a coat of paint that could be applied to big budget action films.
Remember 2001: A Space Odyssey? Remember how groundbreaking an SF film it was? Have we had anything in the same vein, an SF film that explored speculative fiction ideas, that was nearly as popular? Nope (well maybe; I invite examples to such a thing in the comments). Why? Star Wars. It turned SF and Space Operas into a coat of paint that could be applied to big budget action films.
I'm surprised the shaky cam didn't pop up on this list, too. The lightning-fast editing and "just like you're there!" cinematography in the Bourne trilogy leaves me nauseated already, but this has become a trend in so many action movies since. Bourne would otherwise be a top-tier action thriller, with just the right pacing, explosions, and exposition to keep things interesting, but the editing style it inspired makes me shake my fist in rage for all the people who actually want to see what's going on in all the action.
Two recent films that come to mind are Sunshine and Moon. Of course, neither are the cult hits 2001 is, but they're great movies that make the most out of their sci-fi setting.Bluecho said:
Eh, I think I just don't watch enough movies, but I'm not sure I agree with Bob's "all horror has become comedy" verdict. I've seen both recent regular horror movies and horror comedy movies and definitely can tell the difference between the two.
Zombieland is an awesome horror comedy, by the way.
Everyone should go see it. And if you haven't already seen it, see it again.
Zombieland is an awesome horror comedy, by the way.
Everyone should go see it. And if you haven't already seen it, see it again.Or it's closest predecessor, the steady cam technology.xyrafhoan said:
Created for Disney's The Three Musketeers for the sword fights, it's been in almost every movie since, and is often used for stuff that really isn't needed. (the 360 rotation around a still character or face to face dialogue which could be done with a fricken tripod are prime examples.)
I can't speak for sure about MST3K, But the trend definitely predates Scream. If anything, all Scream added to the formula was a heavy dose of "genre savvy."AlexanderPeregrine said:
MST3K was earlier, and maybe it had influence, but I'm pretty sure the trend was already in place before MST3K had any major influence. I just don't remember the timeline of the show well enough to say otherwise.
I'm with you on the "unconvincing trash" part, though.
DAMMIT!!! not im going to notice that orange/teal in every movie i watch. Ignorance really is bliss... but I do agree with what Moviebob said, especially about the horror films. Maybe I should go to a comedy film and scream in terror whenever someone tells a joke? That could be fun actually
