Not one positively reviewed film in the US Top 10

Rabidlamb

If you go by rottentomatoes Fresh Rating of 60%+ positive reviews.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

That's very sad for films & maybe a sign of the times.
I understand post award season is a time to dump some dross but this is very depressing.

Skinfull

Well out of those top ten movies, is there any score that you disagree with? Or maybe there is a better movie that you think should be in that to 10?

Its just one of those periods when there is no great movie out in the cinema. It happens.

Duggy747

This period is always a wasteland for crap mainstream movies. Just have to ride it out until the summer folly rolls in.

Mickeroo

Wanderlust and Lorax are only missing out on technically being "fresh" by a percent or two. Wouldn't consider them badly reviewed movies in general really and will probably go see Wanderlust at some point. Its only a meaningless statistic really, although I'm guilty of pre-judging movies on the same system myself. I generally only go see movies in the cinema if they have a fresh rating(or are close). Pretty ridiculous in some ways, plenty of movies I like that are "rotten". i guess I'm just a slave to the system.

Sad Professor

Hopefully this one is better, but the summer can be potentially far worse. Comic book movies and teen comedies galore and nary a decent adult thriller or drama in sight.

The last two months for Irish cinemas has been great. Loads of good American films. This is a good time of the year for us as we get all the award consideration films that have already been released in the US.

Renn

Has the potential to be a ridiculously good year for film yet again.

The Master
More Malick stuff
Cogan's Trade
The End
The Grandmasters
Room 237
Lincoln

etc

e_e

But look at the movies just bubbling under the top 10. A Separation, Hugo, The Artist, The Descendants, The Grey, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Tinker Tailor, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Arrietty.

A bad time for movies? Hardly. :rolleyes:

johnny_ultimate

Meawhile the music charts are bursting with original and exciting content. Oh wait...

**** is always popular. Ignore it and you'll be much happier.

Galvasean

If you look below the top 10 to the 'Opening' bit there are some very fresh movies. Hope for the future

S.M.B.

I can only view the UK box office and nearly half of them have favourable scores.

Voodu Child

A RT critic could look at the top 10 box-office films and bemoan how it was a terrible time for movies. It's mostly 'mass-market crap' in the top 10.

A regular Joe Soap could look at the RT top 10 certified fresh and bemoan how it was a terrible time for movies. It's mostly 'boring pretentious foreign crap' on their fresh list.

Two different viewpoints from two different audiences. I would not expect them to agree. If RT was around in any 'golden era' of cinema they still would not agree.

Don't worry about 'best of' lists, just watch the movies you like.

Rabidlamb

Renn wrote: »

Has the potential to be a ridiculously good year for film yet again.

The Master
More Malick stuff
Cogan's Trade
The End
The Grandmasters
Room 237
Lincoln

etc

Bolded the ones I'm really up for, high high hopes for PTA & really looking forward to seeing what DDL delivers with Lincoln.
Wonder how his accent will change compared to Planview & Bill the Butcher.

Skinfull

e_e wrote: »

But look at the movies just bubbling under the top 10. A Separation, Hugo, The Artist, The Descendants, The Grey, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Tinker Tailor, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Arrietty.

A bad time for movies? Hardly. :rolleyes:

Yes, it is a bad period. Some of those movies you mentioned have been out for months... so they don't really count. They've had their run. Right now the listing is pretty bare for anyone looking for something other than mass market, name dropper movies.

johnny_ultimate

Margaret, Tiny Furniture, The Raid, Into the Abyss, Jeff Who Lives at Home, The Kid With the Bike, Once Upon A Time in Antolina...

All out in the coming weeks, and all well worth a watch. The first three are all various levels of excellent. Haven't seen the latter few, but am looking forward to em.

S.M.B.

Is Tiny Furniture only getting an UK/Ireland release now? Madness!

johnny_ultimate

S.M.B. wrote: »

Is Tiny Furniture only getting an UK/Ireland release now? Madness!

Yeah end of March. Amazed it's getting a theatrical release at all!

Skinfull

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Margaret, Tiny Furniture, The Raid, Into the Abyss, Jeff Who Lives at Home, The Kid With the Bike, Once Upon A Time in Antolina...

All out in the coming weeks, and all well worth a watch. The first three are all various levels of excellent. Haven't seen the latter few, but am looking forward to em.

I can vouch for Jeff Who Lives at Home. Caught it during JDIFF and for sure will catch it again when its on general release.

March is looking a little bare but there are movies on the horizon to get excited for.

Oafley Jones

Duggy747 wrote: »

This period is always a wasteland for crap mainstream movies. Just have to ride it out until the summer folly rolls in.

Precisely, February March is the traditional dumping ground for studios.

mikhail

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Margaret, Tiny Furniture, The Raid, Into the Abyss, Jeff Who Lives at Home, The Kid With the Bike, Once Upon A Time in Antolina...

All out in the coming weeks, and all well worth a watch. The first three are all various levels of excellent. Haven't seen the latter few, but am looking forward to em.

And I can vouch for Into the Abyss. Not Herzog's nuttiest documentary, but an interesting watch.

johnny_ultimate

Yeah it's good if somewhat lacking. Just pointing out there's anything but a lack of interesting films this month and beyond I just don't think the accusation that 'cinema is dead' is a fair one at all.

Unless you live outside Dublin

WatchWolf

That's because Spring is pretty much a dumping ground for bad movies.

bnt

I suppose this is a post-Oscars slump. The big winners this year (The Artist, Hugo) came from late in 2011, so there's not much call for re-releases.

Galvasean

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I just don't think the accusation that 'cinema is dead' is a fair one at all.

Surely from modding here for so long you've seen the pattern? Every couple of months cinema dies only to die again at a later date despite never being resurrected oddly enough.
People are quick to post complaining about a lack of good movies but the same people don't seem to wax lyrical when there's lots of good stuff out.

johnny_ultimate

Complaining? On the Interweb? Never!

Considering there's at least three or four interesting films in the cinema right now, it's once again a case of looking a little outside the box to find riches a plenty.

e_e

Skinfull wrote: »

Yes, it is a bad period. Some of those movies you mentioned have been out for months... so they don't really count. They've had their run. Right now the listing is pretty bare for anyone looking for something other than mass market, name dropper movies.

Well they count by virtue of the fact that they're still generating mainstream buzz (even despite being released here months ago). If somebody last year had told me that A Separation would have ended up in the US top 20 I'd have laughed at them).

Let's say there's somebody living in a big city in the US who had not been to the cinema for months, there'd be some absolute quality to pick from there. We're only 3 months into the year and I've already seen about a dozen films that I'd rate 4 stars and above, and I've by no means seen everything.

constitutionus

jaysus who cares what the critics think ?

if they actually mattered micheal bay would be working in piza hut !

alot of the stuff they trash i enjoyed the hell out of- ghost rider 2 being the latest.

its the popular "crap" the pays for the "quality" as cinema couldnt survive without it.

Skinfull

constitutionus wrote: »

jaysus who cares what the critics think ?

if they actually mattered micheal bay would be working in piza hut !

alot of the stuff they trash i enjoyed the hell out of- ghost rider 2 being the latest.

its the popular "crap" the pays for the "quality" as cinema couldnt survive without it.

Wait I *think* I agree with you... except.. .Ghost Rider 2 WAS crap! Sure it was mindless and yes I laughed but to say I enjoyed it would be a stretch.

Zubeneschamali

constitutionus wrote: »

jaysus who cares what the critics think ?

if they actually mattered micheal bay would be working in piza hut !

Yes, and the world would be a better place.

e_e

constitutionus wrote: »

jaysus who cares what the critics think ?

Well I highly doubt that something like The Artist would've grossed 100 million+ worldwide had critics not existed.

Their negative reviews don't badly affect the box office at large (in fact they might even generate more curiosity about a bad movie), but their positive reviews sometimes do bring more interesting fare to a wider audience. They serve a purpose.

me-skywalker

I like Saw, Heat, Harry Potter, Ghostbusters, The Hangover, Tree of Life, TDK, American Beauty, Casino, Moon, A Clockwork Orange, K-Pax, A Bronx Tale, City of God. Who knows what critics thought of them, I don't. I'll read a preview and make up my own mind whether I like a film or not. I barely ever read reviews and try to avoid most trailers. I'll talk about it with my friends etc etc but each to their own and all.

Sad Professor

Tbh I'd pay more attention to reviews than I would to trailers or official synopses, both of which can be incredibly misleading. At least the critic has seen the film, and a good one will always give you a sense of what the film is trying to achieve so that you can make your own mind up about whether it's your kind of film or not.

Mickeroo

Agreed, some critics are better than others obviously but I'd rather have some indication a film is not going to be a waste of money before i go and see it. also if a film defies expectations with the critics it can also give you a reason to go see it, The Grey would be a recent example of that. There was no way i would have gone to see it if some of the reviews hadn't piqued my interest.