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Bad Movies = Good Economy


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2013 Jul 26, 12:03am   3,563 views  17 comments

by John Bailo   ➕follow (0)   💰tip   ignore  

I have this theory.

The worse movies are, the better the economy.

Reason is movies are a form of escape.

Best movies were made in the 1930s, Great Depression.
Followed by 1940s, WWII.
And 1970s, Stagflation

Worst movies were made in 1950s and 1960s, boom times.

This year, after a pretty good run from say 2007, especially indie movies like horror, has been one of the worst spate. Last night, looking at the Top Ten offerings which included the Despicable Me franchise, the number one movie was The Conjuring (are we running out of words in the dictionary).

It was a fairly good movie. Well, it wasn't so much a movie as in a narrative with a rising story line and resolution as a roller coaster through a haunted house. Mostly a lot of loud bangs and even the classic witch/ghost on a string moving past you. Ok, it stunk.

Almost all the big stars have flopped this year: Willis, Pitt, Depp, Smith ... Ethan Hawke seems to be becoming more bankable!

However, according to my theory...this is great! If we have crappy movies, we must have a good economy because people are having fun in real life instead of having to escape from it.

Comments 1 - 17 of 17        Search these comments

1   Tenpoundbass   2013 Jul 26, 1:13am  

Edward Norton is probably only honest to goodness box office thespian today. I would add Tim Roth to that list, but he doesn't really star in blockbusters anymore, after his leap to television "lie to me".

Depp's LR movie failed, because he's one action star that guys can bring their chick along to the movies to see. He should have played Kimosabi and not Tanto. Or at least he should have forgone the Voodoo witch doctor shtick which he looked more like he was reprising a scene from his POTC at lands end role, where escaped the cannibal tribe still attached to his roasting spit.

With all of that make up, almost anyone could have played that Tanto character. It was like hiring Orson Wells or Morgan Freeman(probably the two best voice overs the world has ever known) to play a deaf mute.

The same with Willis, Pitt and Matt Damian, they have grown to be 1 dimensional, they never play diverse characters like...

Tim Roth
Edward Norton
Sean Penn
Gary Oldman
Billy Bob Thornton(earlier in his career, but post A list fame he's grown to be the biggest 1 dimensional offender of them all)

2   New Renter   2013 Jul 26, 2:03am  

John Bailo says

Worst movies were made in 1950s and 1960s, boom times.

I beg to differ, the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s were some of the best flicks ever made.

Also your sampling may be biased since many films from the 1930s no longer exist. I'd guess only the good ones were preserved while the sucky ones were left to rot.

3   Tenpoundbass   2013 Jul 26, 2:09am  

I think Asian markets particularly Korea is producing the best movies in the last decade or so, followed by Scandinavian countries.

4   coriacci1   2013 Jul 26, 3:55am  

CaptainShuddup says

I think Asian markets particularly Korea is producing the best movies in the last decade or so, followed by Scandinavian countries.

South Korea is making some of the greatest serial tv historical dramas (usually with a bunch of embedded moral messages) around. Not to mention the
the best looking actors by far!!!! you can check em out on the various internet tv drama sites like: Gooddrama,Dramawiki,Vikidrama, etc. some are a bit corny but most have many lessons to impart.

5   AdamCarollaFan   2013 Jul 26, 4:46am  

i can't stand the crap hollywood puts out these days. iron man 1 was good....iron man 3 was god-awful. at least guy pearce was in it. he's a pimp.

6   Philistine   2013 Jul 26, 6:21am  

This theory is an interesting bit of hacky reductivism, but I think the real flaw is it's an argument based in aesthetics and opinion.

Film scholars do (or at least used to) agree that the '70s was a sort of second golden age in Hollywood. I can think of plenty of great films from the '50s and '60s. We have always made bad movies. And then what do we do about the post-modern notion of "guilty pleasures", of which many were made in the '80s: bad movies that we love, anyway.

7   Dan8267   2013 Jul 26, 6:41am  

John Bailo says

I have this theory.

The worse movies are, the better the economy.

I tell John Travolta to get working on Battlefield Earth II.

8   Dan8267   2013 Jul 26, 6:46am  

John Bailo says

Worst movies were made in 1950s and 1960s, boom times.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/V04y37rzlkA

You can help me save the earth from a terrible experience. Yes, the whole earth.

9   Shaman   2013 Jul 26, 9:35am  

"Good . . . Bad . . . I'm the one with the shotgun."

10   New Renter   2013 Jul 26, 10:35am  

coriacci1 says

CaptainShuddup says

I think Asian markets particularly Korea is producing the best movies in the last decade or so, followed by Scandinavian countries.

South Korea is making some of the greatest serial tv historical dramas (usually with a bunch of embedded moral messages) around. Not to mention the

the best looking actors by far!!!! you can check em out on the various internet tv drama sites like: Gooddrama,Dramawiki,Vikidrama, etc. some are a bit corny but most have many lessons to impart.

I saw this flick a few weeks ago:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_way_2012/

It looked promising - a story about a Korean marathon runner conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army to fight the Chinese as cannon fodder. He is then is captured, imprisoned and finally conscripted by the Soviet Army, again to be used as cannon fodder. He again escapes and tries to surrender to the German Army as a captured Japanese soldier (ally of the Germans). The Russian uniform gets him back into a POW camp, but as German one this time. He ends up as a soldier in the Wehrmacht stationed in Normandy on D-Day when he is ultimately captured by the Allies.

A far out tale based on a true story. What's not to love!

Well the special effects were over the top, detracting from the story telling. The (understandable) lingering animosity of the Koreans to the Japanese is overpowering. The Germans by contrast are portrayed favorably which is unusual in a WWII flick.

11   Tenpoundbass   2013 Jul 28, 1:06am  

I saw that flick as well, what a never ending twisting story.
They were even in a Russian Gulag in Siberia.

What I like most about those flicks. I've never heard of them, and have no expectations of what to expect from those flicks, they are just honest movies that haven't been spoiled by hearsay and hype.
I don't even consider how many stars they have. Because I do realize they are probably being rated by some White guy who was disappointed if the Chinese Oriental movie didn't have flying kung-fu monks, that can singlehandedly whoop an army of Ninjas.

12   New Renter   2013 Jul 28, 3:30am  

CaptainShuddup says

I saw that flick as well, what a never ending twisting story.

They were even in a Russian Gulag in Siberia.

What I like most about those flicks. I've never heard of them, and have no expectations of what to expect from those flicks, they are just honest movies that haven't been spoiled by hearsay and hype.

I don't even consider how many stars they have. Because I do realize they are probably being rated by some White guy who was disappointed if the Chinese Oriental movie didn't have flying kung-fu monks, that can singlehandedly whoop an army of Ninjas.

Check out these as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Far_as_My_Feet_Will_Carry_Me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_Back

13   Tenpoundbass   2013 Jul 28, 3:32am  

Your condition should improve Husein, once you start voting republican. Perhaps, probably not, some people are just destined to remain miserable cocksuckers.

14   New Renter   2013 Jul 28, 3:37am  

CaptainShuddup says

Chinese Oriental movie didn't have flying kung-fu monks, that can singlehandedly whoop an army of Ninjas

Sounds like IP man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ip_Man_(film)

15   Tenpoundbass   2013 Jul 29, 1:11am  

I've seen all of those movies you've listed so far.

Have you seen The Host?

The Host (2006)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_%282006_film%29

The premise of the Korean movie was great, it has some of the best special effects, while still relying on an excellent cast of actors to convey the story. You genuinely care about this dysfunctional family. The premise, the story, the acting it was all fresh.

not to be confused with this masterpiece of feces.

The Host (2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_%282013_film%29

I haven't seen this, but reading about it, all I can say is... "WHY?" do we really need another "Invasion of the body snatchers"?
There must be a gazillion alien movies who take over human bodies. And I've never seen one to date that I would watch again.

The Korean movie would have been a great American remake. San Francisco bay would have been an excellent location for this film. It also goes along with the environment narrative.

16   New Renter   2013 Jul 29, 1:50am  

CaptainShuddup says

I've seen all of those movies you've listed so far.

Have you seen The Host?

The Host (2006)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_%282006_film%29

The premise of the Korean movie was great, it has some of the best special effects, while still relying on an excellent cast of actors to convey the story. You genuinely care about this dysfunctional family. The premise, the story, the acting it was all fresh.

I'll check it out, thanks.

Have you seen this one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castaway_on_the_Moon

17   Tenpoundbass   2013 Jul 29, 4:52am  

Great flick, and it came at the right time too. I've been on a homemade pasta kick these days. But I can't imagine what a corn based noodle would taste like, with a packet of funky discarded Ramen soup mix.

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