this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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me_irl
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Good movies are self-aware. Not everything needs to be a masterpiece of acting and cinematography, or have the best effects, or the best writing. But they have to know what they are. I don't mean breaking the fourth wall or self-deprecating humor. More like understanding their limits.
The people making Sharknado knew they were doing a campy action film (series) with sharks in tornadoes. Fun Movie. Would watch again.
M. Night Shyamalan is a great writer and director, but a lot of his films have a feeling of over-dramatized self-importance, where it seems like he really wants you to know how clever he is. So they get panned.
Chrisopher Nolan (I think) puts similar importance on symbols and archetypes with a dramatic and artistic style, but his movies have a feel of like "I don't give a shit if you get it, just enjoy the ride." He makes good films.
This is very clear when he made Tenet, which i quite like it but a confusing maze. Heck i'm pretty sure 80% of the people doesn't really understand what the heck is that even about.
I'm convinced he's trying to see if there's a limit to how many mental backflips an audience can take before they start to reign him in.
But before Tenet there was Primer, and it was a cult hit.
Zak Snyder makes AMAZING visuals and set pieces.
He can kinda string together the main bits of a plot, but the dude can’t write to save his life.
Rebel Moon had the ingredients for a decent 7 samurai sci-fi thing. But holy fuck did he go so far style over substance with it that all the substance was left out 😆
Same with JJ Abrams, dude makes good visuals and can start a mystery box plot like very few can.
But for the love of all that’s holy, don’t let him decide what’s in the box.
George Lucas can do world building that's a kilometre wide and a millimetre deep.
So many things that hint at depth: space ship models that are dirty, droids that are both futuristic but also somehow junky. Quick turns of phrase that make something seem both alien and familiar, like "moisture farming". But, it seems like in all his world building he's never once asked himself "Why?"
I have never been able to set the brightness high enough to see them though.
The movie itself doesn't even have to be aware of it. You just need some link back to it.
Take Street Fighter, The Three Musketeers, or Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Absolute dog shit, all three of them. But then an actor appears who knows exactly what he's in. All villains in these cases. They know it's bad. It's a pantomime. Amateur hour all over the place. The script is awful, the leads can't act, half of them are snorting coke between takes, or getting drunk. They've been here before.
But they've decided that they're going to enjoy it anyway, and now, so can you.
Hey! I'll have you know that Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (better known as Jean-Claude Van Damme) CAN act!
He was just too humble to show anyone until 2008!
That's absolutely true.
And one of the many reasons Hotel was the greatest season of American Horror Story. Everyone, but especially Evan Peters, seems to be having the best time. It felt like good theater.
And of course, every muppet movie.