Space Jam 2

[Plastic Bateman]

I forgot about those "great" films.


You know, the 90's had to be the worst decade ever for good movies. There's so few.

You have 10 seconds to name a truly great film from the 2000's that wasn't Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Incredibles, a small arthouse release nobody's ever heard of, or starring Jackie Chan.

Spoiler:

You can't.

 

[EVILFACE]

Apocalypto and The Departed

 

[fosing]

 

[DiFabio]

You have 10 seconds to name a truly great film from the 2000's that wasn't Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Incredibles, a small arthouse release nobody's ever heard of, or starring Jackie Chan.

Spoiler:

You can't.

Lord of the Rings trilogy, There Will Be Blood, the first two Spider-Man films, Inglorious Bastards, Memento, X2, Departed, Up

That's 10 seconds off the top of my head.

 

[karamazov80]

Yeah, first decade of the 2000s had lots of great films, too. A History of Violence and Eastern Promises are a couple of is my favorites (aka the good movies starring Viggo Mortenson from the 2000s ). But I think most decades really only have a relative handful of really great, and well known films. '70s may have had a disproportionate amount (I would say '70s and '40s, actually), simply because that was a time when mass moviegoers wanted to see real quality films like Godfathers, the Exorcist, Network, etc.

Thinking of the '90s, there are a fair amount of really good films here:

IMDb: Most Popular Feature Films Released 1990 to 1999

Matrix, Silence of the Lambs, Braveheart, Heat.

As for Space Jam 2, if it happens, I bet it will be successful. Lebron is huge with kids, and kids do still go to see movies. Add in the fact that there are cartoon characters, and it would be marketed out the wazoo, and that's a formula for much success.

 

[Chapter 2099]

Time to break out the OG soundtrack!

 

[Plastic Bateman]

Lord of the Rings trilogy, There Will Be Blood, the first two Spider-Man films, Inglorious Bastards, Memento, X2, Departed, Up

That's 10 seconds off the top of my head.

Inglourious Basterds was 2009? Jesus, where does the time go?

My point being, I'd say the 00's were as much of a dead zone as the 90's. There's a few gems in there like Gladiator but then again there's also Terminator 3, the first two Transformers films, etc - very little that left any kind of lasting cultural footprint in the same way the films of the 70's and 80's did. Avatar would be the poster child for that, I'm not saying Avatar was a terrible film but it left absolutely no trace of itself on the collective consciousness like Aliens, Terminator or even Titanic did.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Inglourious Basterds was 2009? Jesus, where does the time go?

My point being, I'd say the 00's were as much of a dead zone as the 90's. There's a few gems in there like Gladiator but then again there's also Terminator 3, the first two Transformers films, etc - very little that left any kind of lasting cultural footprint in the same way the films of the 70's and 80's did. Avatar would be the poster child for that, I'm not saying Avatar was a terrible film but it left absolutely no trace of itself on the collective consciousness like Aliens, Terminator or even Titanic did.

What? The Harry Potter film series, Shrek, The Jason Bourne trilogy, Casino Royale, Pirates of the Caribbean, No Country for Old Men, Kill Bill, wALL e, the incredibles, Hellboy 1 and 2, Sin City, 300, District 9, V for Vendetta, Star Trek, and those are just a few from the 2000's decade.

The 2000's gave us a plethora of iconic characters, both heroes and villains.

 

[karamazov80]

I think Bateman makes a good point though, about genuinely original films leaving some legacy behind them. From your list, Bourne was just an updated Bond, the Bond movie was. . .just an updated Bond, Pirates was based on a ride and hasn't exactly spawned a sub-genre of pirate movies, Kill Bill was extremely derivative, primarily of Spaghetti westerns, Sin City was a note for note adaptation of the comic, V was also a close adaptation (though where it wasn't, it wasn't an improvement), Star Trek was obviously an updated spin-off, etc. Some of those were very good, but they weren't very original, which is something you saw more of in previous decades. I'm guessing the 2010s will almost exclusively be known for the derivative, comic book and sequel-fueled movies that plague the theaters at every turn.

 

[Pineapple]

Space Jam was awesome when I saw it as a kid. Michael Jordan was untouchable back then and anything he was involved in was awesome. Lebron James is NOT awesome, and this movie will fail.

The only way I can think of that'll make this movie good is if the monsters came back and stole the "skills" or current NBA players and the Looney Toons had to get Mike back to play and coach again, and sure they can have Lebron as the lead bad guy, but Mike will beat him in the end, 1 on 1. That would be a great movie.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

I think Bateman makes a good point though, about genuinely original films leaving some legacy behind them. From your list, Bourne was just an updated Bond, the Bond movie was. . .just an updated Bond, Pirates was based on a ride and hasn't exactly spawned a sub-genre of pirate movies, Kill Bill was extremely derivative, primarily of Spaghetti westerns, Sin City was a note for note adaptation of the comic, V was also a close adaptation (though where it wasn't, it wasn't an improvement), Star Trek was obviously an updated spin-off, etc. Some of those were very good, but they weren't very original, which is something you saw more of in previous decades. .

But previous decades did the same thing, just not with comics. Instead, they used novels and plays. The Bourne films almost made Bond obsolete and the films are very different. POTC is barely based on the ride, and Sparrow has become iconic. Not counting Kill Bill because it's derivative of Spaghetti westerns is like saying Indiana Jones doesn't count because it's a ripoff of other films, which is actually true.

 

[Solidus]

Space Jam was awesome when I saw it as a kid. Michael Jordan was untouchable back then and anything he was involved in was awesome. Lebron James is NOT awesome, and this movie will fail.

The only way I can think of that'll make this movie good is if the monsters came back and stole the "skills" or current NBA players and the Looney Toons had to get Mike back to play and coach again, and sure they can have Lebron as the lead bad guy, but Mike will beat him in the end, 1 on 1. That would be a great movie.

Lebron isn't even in the same league as MJ. Everyone wanted to be "like Mike". MJ had his own song, he even had his own shoe line with Air Jordans, and there were ads with him all over the place. Lebron's made some achievements with his MVP awards and two NBA championships. But, aside from that, he's not even as popular in comparison to how Jordan was back in 90s. He's pretty villainous on and off the court, too... it would've been a better decision to cast him as the bad guy, for sure.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Lebron isn't even in the same league as MJ. Everyone wanted to be "like Mike". MJ had his own song, he even had his own shoe line with Air Jordans, and there were ads with him all over the place. Lebron's made some achievements with his MVP awards and two NBA championships. But, aside from that, he's not even as popular in comparison to how Jordan was back in 90s. He's pretty villainous on and off the court, too... it would've been a better decision to cast him as the bad guy, for sure.

But Lebron had his own song, his own shoe line, and there are ads of him all over the place. He even had his own film already And how is he villainous on and off the court? The guy has a perfect track record on and off the court Unlike Jordan, who was a gambler and a jerk on and off the court

 

[Plastic Bateman]

I think Bateman makes a good point though, about genuinely original films leaving some legacy behind them. From your list, Bourne was just an updated Bond, the Bond movie was. . .just an updated Bond, Pirates was based on a ride and hasn't exactly spawned a sub-genre of pirate movies, Kill Bill was extremely derivative, primarily of Spaghetti westerns, Sin City was a note for note adaptation of the comic, V was also a close adaptation (though where it wasn't, it wasn't an improvement), Star Trek was obviously an updated spin-off, etc. Some of those were very good, but they weren't very original, which is something you saw more of in previous decades. I'm guessing the 2010s will almost exclusively be known for the derivative, comic book and sequel-fueled movies that plague the theaters at every turn.

I'm genuinely hard-pressed to think of many films from the 00's and 10's that are likely to be as enduring as something like Robocop, for example. The problem is Hollywood's so fixated on repackaging nostalgia,exploiting recognisable brand names and not taking risks, movies that are true originals and leave a mark are just going to become more and more of a rarity. District 9, Hobo With A Shotgun, Iron Man, Pacific Rim and Drive are among the handful of films that spring to mind for me as things that'll be remembered fondly twenty years from now.

It probably doesn't help that more original or lesser-known properties making the leap to film have either performed badly or flat-out been bad films recently, like Elysium, John Carter and Jupiter Ascending.

 

[Solidus]

But Lebron had his own song, his own shoe line, and there are ads of him all over the place. He even had his own film already And how is he villainous on and off the court? The guy has a perfect track record on and off the court Unlike Jordan, who was a gambler and a jerk on and off the court

Well, what I meant was, Jordan owns his own shoe company. And no, I don't see ads with Lebron around NYC, or commercials with him bombing the air waves . Lebron's just not as popular, in comparison, and I'm guessing you must be very young to think that. He's pretty pompous and full of himself, and if you don't watch the NBA, you only have to google his name to find entire sites and blogs dedicated to his attitude problems.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Well, what I meant was, Jordan owns his own shoe company. And no, I don't see ads with Lebron around NYC, or commercials with him bombing the air waves . Lebron's just not as popular, in comparison, and I'm guessing you must be very young to think that. He's pretty pompous and full of himself, and if you don't watch the NBA, you only have to google his name to find entire sites and blogs dedicated to his attitude problems.

Nah, I grew up watching Jordan. Lebron might not be as popular, but I've never heard of anyone complaining about him. He has a lot of haters though, especially Jordan fanboys, so it wouldn't surprise me if those blogs are run by MJ fanboys.

 

[Solidus]

Nah, I grew up watching Jordan. Lebron might not be as popular, but I've never heard of anyone complaining about him. He has a lot of haters though, especially Jordan fanboys, so it wouldn't surprise me if those blogs are run by MJ fanboys.

I did too, man. But, I don't think it's just MJ fanboys. In any case, you can see Lebron's popularity chart here from some (what I'd assume) was broad polling by ESPN, from last year. Although, I'm not sure why they had to they had to split it into race categories...

Mind of the Fan: How fans see LeBron James

 

[karamazov80]

[/B]

But previous decades did the same thing, just not with comics. Instead, they used novels and plays. The Bourne films almost made Bond obsolete and the films are very different. POTC is barely based on the ride, and Sparrow has become iconic. Not counting Kill Bill because it's derivative of Spaghetti westerns is like saying Indiana Jones doesn't count because it's a ripoff of other films, which is actually true.

I certainly would not say that Bourne made Bond obsolete. Bourne is simply the "modern" era Bond, but Bond had been evolving over the decades. In 10 years, we'll have another Bond to make Bourne "obsolete" if you're only considering the most current version worthwhile (many would disagree).

As for previous decades, we did have lots of movies based on existing material, and though nothing is totally original, many of the great films were more original, and this was far more frequent in the past. The Leone films, Kurosawa's films, many of Kubrick's films and Hitchcock's films, Peckinpah's films, Woody Allen's films, Citizen Kane, Network, Chinatown, the Apartment, etc. We see some of that now, but it's not in the pubic consciousness like it used to be. Instead, movies based on theme park rides, comics, toys, older movies and TV shows, etc. dominate everything.

 

[Plastic Bateman]

I certainly would not say that Bourne made Bond obsolete. Bourne is simply the "modern" era Bond, but Bond had been evolving over the decades. In 10 years, we'll have another Bond to make Bourne "obsolete" if you're only considering the most current version worthwhile (many would disagree).

As for previous decades, we did have lots of movies based on existing material, and though nothing is totally original, many of the great films were more original, and this was far more frequent in the past. The Leone films, Kurosawa's films, many of Kubrick's films and Hitchcock's films, Peckinpah's films, Woody Allen's films, Citizen Kane, Network, Chinatown, the Apartment, etc. We see some of that now, but it's not in the pubic consciousness like it used to be. Instead, movies based on theme park rides, comics, toys, older movies and TV shows, etc. dominate everything.

The thing is though, in the case of the films and directors you're listing, they were influenced by other works but their output wasn't wholly derivative of those works. Spielberg, Lucas and Coppola may have been influenced by Kurosawa, for example - his cinematography, pacing, use of light and colour, etc - but they weren't simply remaking Ran or Kagemusha, rather taking those influences and channeling them into their own creations. If they adapted or borrowed from something pre-existing, they'd put quite clearly their authorial stamp on it and make it their own (Ridley Scott's Blade Runner vs Philip K ****'s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, for example).

 

[YankeesFanboy]

It's lucky for the 90's that the best 90's movies are really damn good.

T2, JP, Pulp Fiction, The Matrix and Fight Club are damn good. Just not good enough to overcome The Phantom Menace and Armageddon.