Hollywood is remaking alot of old films and im starting to think they are out of ideas for new movies.

They had their dumb teen movie period, and their tv series to motion picture period and now they are bringing back movies from years ago and remaking them, have these so called moviemakers run out of ideas?

They are in seriouse need of some new talent and the studios need to ride these writers for some new material or fire them and hire some new minds with fresh ideas because I cant take another teen movie or remake of an old movie, and these writers that rewrite these old movies are just adding to someone elses ideas.

There are plenty of ideas for movies, but none of them make money because they are too intellectual to appeal to the young dumb male demographic Hollywood is always pursuing for a quick buck. The whole thing wrong with American cinema - and I know French actress Fanny Ardant, who cited our movies as one of things she doesn't like about America, would agree - is that it's run by idiots who don't know what fine filmmaking is all about. ohno:

There are plenty of ideas for movies, but none of them make money because they are too intellectual to appeal to the young dumb male demographic Hollywood is always pursuing for a quick buck. The whole thing wrong with American cinema - and I know French actress Fanny Ardant, who cited our movies as one of things she doesn't like about America, would agree - is that it's run by idiots who don't know what fine filmmaking is all about. ohno:
I agree, id rather watch a foreign film with subtitles ANYDAY, rather than that violent , mindless crap Hollowood < not a typo :p shovels out; showing only the very worst of what American society has to offer!!! I rarely watch any American film made after about 1959

I hate how they are making movies based on TV shows. Sometimes they can pull it off, but other times (Bewitched) (The Dukes of Hazzard) is just an injustice to the show itself.

Tomorrow the remake of The Omen starring Julia Stiles opens. Enough said. :lol:

Tomorrow the remake of The Omen starring Julia Stiles opens. Enough said. :lol:

I was about to cite this as an example to prove that Hollywood is indeed out of ideas as well... :lol:

There's a lot of crap out there for American movies, but there's more incredible American cinema than not. I hate most foreign movies.

I agree, id rather watch a foreign film with subtitles ANYDAY, rather than that violent , mindless crap Hollowood < not a typo :p shovels out; showing only the very worst of what American society has to offer!!! I rarely watch any American film made after about 1959
I agree. I love watching the IFC channel and seeing the independent films shown there.

What is also a shame is when they use the same ol' tired actors/actresses over and over and over again.

Over the past few months I have been working on ideas for what movies I might produce, write, and direct. Of all of these ideas 10 of them are original, 2 are biopics, and 2 of them are set during a historical event.

I have been reading a book about screenwriting, which is regarded as one of the best on the subject. The author says that you should avoid adaptations whenever possible because audiences expect and want original movies.

I agree, id rather watch a foreign film with subtitles ANYDAY, rather than that violent , mindless crap Hollowood < not a typo :p shovels out; showing only the very worst of what American society has to offer!!! I rarely watch any American film made after about 1959

The best time for American movies was actually the period between 1967 and 1979, because so many Hollywood films from that era took their cues from the foreign movies of the late fifties and early sixties. Consider all of these Holloywood classics, made at a time when Hollywood didn't give a damn about teenagers:

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
The Graduate (1967)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Easy Rider (1969)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
Deliverance (1972)
Chinatown (1972)
Sleeper (1973)
Save the Tiger (1973)
Mean Streets (1973)
The Conversation (1974)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1976)
Annie Hall (1977)

And that's just a partial list!

So when did the last golden age of American film end?

Most critics will cite Star Wars (1977) as the movie that changed Hollywood for good because it kicked off an era of special-effects movies, but I disagree - because Star Wars was an intelligent movie. More plausible candidates for bringing the golden age of Hollywood to an end are National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) for kicking off an era of teen and frat-boy movies, or Rocky II (1979) for kicking off an era of uninspired sequels and sanctifying Sylvester Stallone's career. :lol:

I hate most foreign movies.

Somehow, Janice, I didn't really expect you to be a fan of And God Created Woman. :lol:

The problem in Hollywood is the ones with new ideas aren't allowed to make movies.

The problem in Hollywood is the ones with new ideas aren't allowed to make movies.

You said it. :(

There are a lot of great American movies, you just have to look for them. The major studios are going for a lot of remakes lately, but there are a ton of great ORIGINAL movies out there.

The 80s and 90s had good movies too.

The 80s back to the future infact most of spielbergs movies are very good movies, like the goonies and raiders of the lost ark, in the 90s you had movies like schindlers list and there was the shawshank redemption, and movies that were funny and not stupid like mrs doubtfire, the 60s and 70s were not the only very good movie periods, but in the 70s you had movies like the goodbye girl and that was a wonderful movie and grease which was of course a musical but very good never the less.

There are a lot of great American movies, you just have to look for them. The major studios are going for a lot of remakes lately, but there are a ton of great ORIGINAL movies out there.


Yeah, take Moonlight Mile from 2002 written and directed by Brad Silberling. (Director of: Casper, City Of Angels, Lemony Snicket's.) That's original work. I don't think a director like him gets enough credit for his films.

I think the problem today is a lot of the really great films get over-looked by all the other crappy films of today.

Brian, you said: "I have been reading a book about screenwriting, which is regarded as one of the best on the subject."

Can I ask which book? I've recently developed an interest in screenwriting.

I agree that Hollywood seems to be out of ideas. In all fairness, isn't there an old addage that says something like there's really only 7 stories in the world (don't ask me what they are!)....so what needs to happen is there needs to be a fresh take on how to tell these stories I guess.

It's not that there aren't any good movies in the 90s. They made whos who of crap in the 50s, 60s, 70s and on, but none of it is remembered. The only reason we notice it now is because of how many actors there are and they it's all marketed. B movies anyone?

Anyway, I don't think Hollywood is out of ideas. There are so many original young filmmakers with a brilliant script probably sitting in their apartment trying to get heard. I think they just choose not to believe in these filmmakers and take the easy road out. The audience is gullible. It's so easy to find a classic or brilliant movie that is foreign or independent at the video store, but it's alot easier to just watch whatever studios market on tv.

Tomorrow the remake of The Omen starring Julia Stiles opens. Enough said. :lol:
The original Omen was a good movie. I don't know why they have to remake it. The worst remake of a classic that I saw was the remake of Psycho. The movie was awful and it was virtually a scene by scene remake. They just wanted it in color. :ohno: