To that end, compare the first "True Detective" With Woody Harrison, Matthew McConaughey, and the most beautiful nude woman I've ever seen- - Alexandra Dadario, to the subsequent episodes as they worked their way up the Dei ladder.
"Maybe you can name the well-written and compelling and much-loved film or series that is thoroughly progressive?"
I'm thoroughly conservative, but the 'go to' example I usually hear from progressives is Star Trek, and I'm inclined to rate that claim as "Partly True" (only partly, because they generally don't recognize that a lot of Classic Trek episodes are rather thinly reskinned versions of very old and traditional stories, so pointing at Uhura as 'representation done right' only gets them so much credit).
I’m not a Trekkie but the ones I’ve talked to tell me that modern progressivism has destroyed that franchise too, injecting nonsensical gender politics and humiliating CPT Picard. ‘Discovery’ is the most thoroughly progressive (by modern standards) part of the franchise. Check it out sometime.
Gene Roddenberry was a progressive in a general sense. He was a humanitarian and an idealist and had faith in progress. Even HIS ideas would be considered regressive by modern writers though! It’s actually a great example, based on my very limited knowledge…
Roddenberry was a liberal, believing in the values of the Enlightenment generally. Progressivism (especially in its modern form) is something else entirely.
The whole of my life has been about training myself to not believe or trust my own eyes and I’m about to commit heresy of a sort against modren attitudes, but here goes: the female Marine in Aliens worked as a character because she looked and acted like I would expect a female who decides to become a Marine would look. Tough, “butch” and lacking a certain softness associated with women. I’ve known a few women like this and they’re not bad people, they just are who they are. I was a tomboy with anger issues and fantasized about being a tough Marine type who could just machine gun her problems away.
Fantasy is the point and I can suspend some disbelief, however, my overall experience of feminine strength is that it is fundamentally different in how it manifests even if the motivation is the same: defend what you love. Ma Joad is a freaking STRONG woman. She never has to beat anyone up yet she stays true to the mission of keeping her family together when the men left. That kind of strength is not noticed or celebrated, therefore it cannot be cultivated
Fortunately, Hollywood is doomed — between the phenomena you identify here and the rise of AI, as soon as the first popular film made entirely by AI arises it will be game over. Who needs Hollywood when some guy in Croatia can bust out a full length film on his laptop? And all the whining of the allegedly creative classes won’t matter a whit to the average consumer who just wants to be entertained.
Aliens, the sequel to the far superior Alien, is the film you are referencing. There is still wonderful cinema being produced by the likes of Scorsese, Soderbergh, P. T. Anderson, Ari Aster, J. Hillcoat, A. Dominik, J. Campion, L. Ramsay, S. Polley (& their respective talented teams of collaborators) to name just a few. Like great music & great literature, great cinema should be revisited over time, there is always more to discover in great works of art. There is not room enough here to start the list of cinema worthy of consideration for revisiting. Don’t settle for supporting that which doesn’t truly respect the role of the arts to challenge, enhance & illuminate our creative, integrated, intelligence as an audience as well as that of the participants.
Maybe you need to get out more James. I watched RUST recently a thoroughly satisying entertaining Western with all the cliches you'd expect and enjoy, if you like tge western genre. It nicely complicates the ideal of rugged stoic masculinity by having the central character caring for his younger brother after the 2 boys have been orphaned. Also all of the characters have to wrestle with moral and ethical dilemmas finding themselves in quandaries. Women don't make much of an appearance in the film...however there's an interesting portrayal of a single mother.
It worked for this viewer. Two hours solid well crafted entertainment. Reflective of contemporary concerns around gender relations without any preachiness.
It asumes intelligence on the part of the audience by working through various 'masculine' attributes and inviting the audience to consider these.
Yes this is the same film on which the cinematographer was killed.
One dei movie that was actually good was Terminator: dark fate. Despite rolling my eyes at all the dei tropes I was entertained despite myself. Turns out though it was written by three old white dudes with a lot of writing experience so take that as you will.
You need to get out more. I recently watched RUST which has all the cliches we know and love in the Western but refreshes the genre by offering a riposte to the toxic masculinity discourse. After being orphaned the central 13 year old character cares for and nurtures his younger brother. His tough, rugged authoritative grandfather is also shown as caring at times. The film celebrates classic masculine traits - strength, independence, use of violence to protect the weak, being ´strong´ for others, self sacrifice while at the same time the ´good men´ are everyone of them morally ethically compromised in some way. It is slow to start do be patient it really picks up in the second half. The colour and lighting is also used to great effect to create mood and atmosphere.
As well as a thoroughly entertaining Western that ticks all the boxes it´s a coming of age tale and would I think make a great teaching resource for anyone working with boys or men on ´what it means to be a man´ .
And here I thought that I didn't like movies anymore, because I was racist, sexist and bigoted.
Maybe you’re just a human being, with an intuitive sense of ethics and a few observations of both men and women in your time.
To that end, compare the first "True Detective" With Woody Harrison, Matthew McConaughey, and the most beautiful nude woman I've ever seen- - Alexandra Dadario, to the subsequent episodes as they worked their way up the Dei ladder.
"Maybe you can name the well-written and compelling and much-loved film or series that is thoroughly progressive?"
I'm thoroughly conservative, but the 'go to' example I usually hear from progressives is Star Trek, and I'm inclined to rate that claim as "Partly True" (only partly, because they generally don't recognize that a lot of Classic Trek episodes are rather thinly reskinned versions of very old and traditional stories, so pointing at Uhura as 'representation done right' only gets them so much credit).
I’m not a Trekkie but the ones I’ve talked to tell me that modern progressivism has destroyed that franchise too, injecting nonsensical gender politics and humiliating CPT Picard. ‘Discovery’ is the most thoroughly progressive (by modern standards) part of the franchise. Check it out sometime.
https://youtu.be/BJ_7EXT9eeY?si=lGbaor6rEUOlStpC
Gene Roddenberry was a progressive in a general sense. He was a humanitarian and an idealist and had faith in progress. Even HIS ideas would be considered regressive by modern writers though! It’s actually a great example, based on my very limited knowledge…
Roddenberry was a liberal, believing in the values of the Enlightenment generally. Progressivism (especially in its modern form) is something else entirely.
Seems like a feature of feminized managerial ‘rule by Karen’. Can’t make compelling art when your true passion is indignant finger wagging
The whole of my life has been about training myself to not believe or trust my own eyes and I’m about to commit heresy of a sort against modren attitudes, but here goes: the female Marine in Aliens worked as a character because she looked and acted like I would expect a female who decides to become a Marine would look. Tough, “butch” and lacking a certain softness associated with women. I’ve known a few women like this and they’re not bad people, they just are who they are. I was a tomboy with anger issues and fantasized about being a tough Marine type who could just machine gun her problems away.
Fantasy is the point and I can suspend some disbelief, however, my overall experience of feminine strength is that it is fundamentally different in how it manifests even if the motivation is the same: defend what you love. Ma Joad is a freaking STRONG woman. She never has to beat anyone up yet she stays true to the mission of keeping her family together when the men left. That kind of strength is not noticed or celebrated, therefore it cannot be cultivated
Winston Churchill's statue was never toppled. It was a slaver called Colston.
I stopped watching movies out of the US years ago. Hollywood killed creativity and cater to dumbness and wokeness.
One minor quibble Winston Churchill’s status should be toppled he started WWIi, not Hitler.
Get yourself a VCR and go back to your basement.
Hollywood has become a vast shithole overflowing on the rest of us. Watch Last of the Mohicans again.
"People with faulty and overly simplistic assumptions about evil, personal responsibility, gender roles, achievement, and righteousness..."
You mean conservatives?
Fortunately, Hollywood is doomed — between the phenomena you identify here and the rise of AI, as soon as the first popular film made entirely by AI arises it will be game over. Who needs Hollywood when some guy in Croatia can bust out a full length film on his laptop? And all the whining of the allegedly creative classes won’t matter a whit to the average consumer who just wants to be entertained.
Aliens, the sequel to the far superior Alien, is the film you are referencing. There is still wonderful cinema being produced by the likes of Scorsese, Soderbergh, P. T. Anderson, Ari Aster, J. Hillcoat, A. Dominik, J. Campion, L. Ramsay, S. Polley (& their respective talented teams of collaborators) to name just a few. Like great music & great literature, great cinema should be revisited over time, there is always more to discover in great works of art. There is not room enough here to start the list of cinema worthy of consideration for revisiting. Don’t settle for supporting that which doesn’t truly respect the role of the arts to challenge, enhance & illuminate our creative, integrated, intelligence as an audience as well as that of the participants.
Because to make movies “the people” want, would be to do the opposite of what we have been doing, which would mean that the last decade was “wrong”.
Maybe you need to get out more James. I watched RUST recently a thoroughly satisying entertaining Western with all the cliches you'd expect and enjoy, if you like tge western genre. It nicely complicates the ideal of rugged stoic masculinity by having the central character caring for his younger brother after the 2 boys have been orphaned. Also all of the characters have to wrestle with moral and ethical dilemmas finding themselves in quandaries. Women don't make much of an appearance in the film...however there's an interesting portrayal of a single mother.
It worked for this viewer. Two hours solid well crafted entertainment. Reflective of contemporary concerns around gender relations without any preachiness.
It asumes intelligence on the part of the audience by working through various 'masculine' attributes and inviting the audience to consider these.
Yes this is the same film on which the cinematographer was killed.
One dei movie that was actually good was Terminator: dark fate. Despite rolling my eyes at all the dei tropes I was entertained despite myself. Turns out though it was written by three old white dudes with a lot of writing experience so take that as you will.
You need to get out more. I recently watched RUST which has all the cliches we know and love in the Western but refreshes the genre by offering a riposte to the toxic masculinity discourse. After being orphaned the central 13 year old character cares for and nurtures his younger brother. His tough, rugged authoritative grandfather is also shown as caring at times. The film celebrates classic masculine traits - strength, independence, use of violence to protect the weak, being ´strong´ for others, self sacrifice while at the same time the ´good men´ are everyone of them morally ethically compromised in some way. It is slow to start do be patient it really picks up in the second half. The colour and lighting is also used to great effect to create mood and atmosphere.
As well as a thoroughly entertaining Western that ticks all the boxes it´s a coming of age tale and would I think make a great teaching resource for anyone working with boys or men on ´what it means to be a man´ .