I assume you're talking about the Tim Burton version of Apes! (The only Burton movie I don't like.)

I have to agree and I'm buying much less new releases than I used to – I think the last ones I bought were from two years ago: Zodiac and Sweeney Todd. I've mostly been buying catalog titles and upgrading certain DVDs to Blu-Ray. What's weird is that there are several movies that come out today that, ten years ago, I probably would've purchased on DVD (Judd Apatow's movies come to mind) but today, I'm content to Netflix.

"well, maybe 'Planet of the Apes' — but I keep watching thinking it will get better"

I hope you mean the Marky-Mark version, because the original was the zenith of Charlton Heston's campy late sci-fi action period, which is among the top 3 or 4 Heston periods.

I agree… only it's blockbuster online.

I think it's the cost vs. how many times do you intend to watch that over and over again factor. DVDs also sit on shelves after the initial viewings are over. It's cheaper to either rent them or down load them watch them, then return to the rental store or delete them, as the case may be. Parents who buy a lot of DVDs for their young children to watch over and over again find out soon that these things can accumulate, and with changing technologies can be hard to re-sell or donate later.

My reluctance to buy movies has more to do with the actors than the actual movies. I mean, I absolutely loved the old Mission:Impossible TV show, but how can I buy a movie with Tom Cruise in it?

The same goes for John Travolta. I enjoyed Pulp Fiction, but I simply won't buy a movie with an avowed Scientologist in it.

Left-wing loon or Scientologist loon, all the same to me. I don't want to support them.

Whenever I think about why Hollywood sucks, I start thinking about shows like Lost.

Lost isn't a great show by any means. It has no real over-arching story (no matter what anybody says, they had no plan when they started and have been figuring it out as they go along) and doesn't make a whole heck of a lot of sense. But the reason I watch it is because the characters and dialog simply work. Even if, at the end of the hour, you're back where you started or have no idea what happened it was still a fun journey.

If you look back at the 60's, 70's, 80's and so on, a lot of movies were like this. There were tons of 'cannon fodder' movies that didn't have the most amazing premises but gave you an enjoyable ride. Many of them are forgotten (those that made any mark whatsoever have either already been remade or are in process). But there were so many everyone has their favorite in each genre.

It seems like this is what we've lost in Hollywood: the ability to make something good out of known material. The quality of the movies seems to have gone so far downhill. Think of the last 'comedy' you went to – how much did you actually laugh? If it was like most of the comedies I've seen recently you probably got one or two good laughs and were looking at your watch the rest of the way through. Writers just don't know how to do the guts of a story anymore, so they either overshoot on concept or use some rickety old cliche skeleton and fill it with bathroom jokes, lame pop culture references, dumb film tricks, or – worst of all – agitprop. Or, with a film like Zombieland, all the above.

I think it's more a matter of the following:

1. See the film in theatres ($10)
2. See the film in theatres and purchase the DVD ($30)
3. See the film in theatres and rent the DVD 5 times ($20)
4. See the flim in theatres and Netflix/Roku/Amazon the DVD 5 times ($20)

I always choose option 4 because I almost never watch a movie I bought more than 5 times (with the exception of all time classics, like The Big Lebowski). Why purchase a DVD you are going to watch only a few times when you have such easy access to the content for only $1.99 per view?

John, thanks for this. I'm a lifelong movie fanatic who hasn't been going to the movies, renting the movies, or buying the movies. Well, I take that back — if it's on TCM I'll watch it; if it's on their website, I'll buy it. (but only because they have Robert Osborne deliver it in person)
Other than that…

My lifetime purchase of DVD's, 0 out of all the Top whatever list.

Now I hardly buy any DVD's. I am now on a fixed income and cannot afford it as much and no longer have the secondary need to provide entertainment to my crew. It is nice to go through the collection now and then, I still have several unwatched DVD's from when I was purchasing about 2 or more a week. I have found a few gems but mostly they are only mildly entertaining.

I now use Netflix and Hulu to watch a lot of programming on line. I have discovered many movies and programs I was unaware of. One of my favorites is "Kingdom" from the BBC. I have seen two seasons of it so far and it has all the things you would want from a TV program. People will still seek out good entertainment but the method of delivery has changed and will contimue to change. It is the fact that not only has Hollywood been producing content that does not attarct as customers as before but they do not understand the changing delivery systems.

I haven't even read the column, I'm too busy cleaning up the wine that just came out my nose reading the head line.

I agree with AtheistCon. I watch a lot less movies now (except when I rent old ones that Nolte recommends) and I DVR a bunch of shows.
10 years ago, I didn't follow any TV shows because the were too predictable and brainless. Now, I get that feeling most times I go to the theater. I have a permanently broken rib from the many times that my wife has elbowed me for predicting the entire plot of a new movie based solely on the first 10 minutes.
On TV, however, the writing is MUCH better, the plots are more unique, there is less stereotyping to fit the political narrative (unless you still watch Law & Order), and the characters are more empathetic to those of us in Flyover Country..
I base this on the shows I currently like, i.e.: Dexter, Psych, Burn Notice, and Sons of Anarchy. Deadwood was also a modern classic. Even shows that have lost their fastball, like House, are better than any of the New Releases I've seen in the past year.

I love movies and have bought several DVDs in the past. But not now.

While the general quality of movies have fallen in the past few years (except for some great exceptions), I believe this is more to the point:

THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF MY WALLET

http://naturalfake.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/the-u...

Agree 100%. I use to keep up with "new releases". Tuesdays were important. Now, who cares? Movies are just not that interesting anymore and they should be. Blueray is awsome. Movies are much more fun to watch without commercials on BlueRay. This past year I have probably purchased 3-4 blue rays and see nothing about to be released that has any real interest for me.

Yeah, I totally agree with this.

The movies just aren't that good these days.

I find myself these days browsing the DVD stores looking for older movies. I've got my eye on a Buster Keaton DVD compilation that was released this year( also recently bought Murphy's Law, Bruce Lee's Game of Death and It's a Wonderful Life).

But even that, last year the only movie I considered buying last year was The Dark Knight(which I own), Gone Baby Gone and Prince Caspian, though I haven't picked up the latter yet.
I also got 3:10 to Yuma, which now I understand why my dad loves westerns so much.
And the Forbidden Kingdom, which came free with the newspaper Correio da Manhã(translation The Early Mail).

And even the good movies, I honestly can't say they are worth paying full price for the DVD. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a great film, but I'm not picking that DVD till the price drops.

I might pick up UP but again only if there's a price cut.

This year's been pretty bleak for Summer movies. I liked District 9, but there's no way I'm buying the DVD.

Damn! You beat me to it. They just ruin it when they start talking politics and clearly have no idea what they are saying. I used to like the Bourne movies but I can't stand looking at that blonde headed turd anymore. On the bright side, I have a new appreciation for Team America.

Perhaps Hollywood should get back to entertainment and stay the hell out of other peoples lives. My wife and I went to movies for the hell of doing it. Not any more, either the movies are crap, or the actors are on the liberal no watch list. Either way perhaps when Hollywood lifestyles get altered a bit, they’ll quit crapping in their beds?

"Inglorious Basturds" was a bore. My daughter and I left before it was over. Chris Rock's documentary, "Good Hair" was outstanding — definitely worth buying.

I've blogged about this a lot. It happened to Music (peak year for sales was 1999, it's now half of that), Newspapers (LAT circulation peaked in 1988, declined thereafter), Magazines, and TV (audiences combined a fraction of what they were in 1968).

In all cases, an elite, often hereditary, gained control over media, and turned it into a PC wonderland that is often a gay-female ghetto, of little interest to men. The content creators have no real craft honed by apprenticeship and little understanding of the audience desires/wants, with nothing in the executive level to match Otis Chandler or Samuel Goldwyn. Let alone Louis B. Mayer.

Existing DVD purchases compete for new ones, and classic DVDs such as Die Hard, or Star Wars compete at lower price-points than new releases with higher quality. There HAS been a shift in rentals, see my latest post, along with piracy and Redbox. This is in line with how streaming music and cheap piracy and Itunes changed the Music business. Hulu is part of this as well.

But Nolte is correct, content being poor is a huge driver in hard times. Box office HAS declined in tickets sold, and relies on increasing ticket prices, of which there is a natural ceiling. Date Night can sustain only so many ticket sales. What can work is broadly appealing, non-message, middle brow middle class entertainment. Unfortunately, not even Spielberg can make those anymore, much less anyone who signed "Free Roman" petitions. Would you part with even a dollar to see "Land of the Lost" or some of the other really bad films this year? There were more entertaining videos of the "remixes" of "Downfall" where the Fuhrer rants about Michael Jackson or Cameron's Avatar ("I waited ten years for Captain Planet with cats!") on Youtube than what was in theaters or DVD rental/purchase options.

In the case of Tom Cruise you get the best of both worlds-a left wing loon AND a Scientologist.

Trek was pretty good, especially when compared to the last few films. Wolverine was good, probably better if they stuck to the origin storyline. I'm looking forward to the sequel and the deadpool spin-off. And Iron Man 2.
My reason for not buying movies on DVD/Blu-ray, the economy, I've got no extra money to spend.

I'm just rephrasing Nolte because it makes me feel self-important.

John's right – quit blaming piracy, downloads, etc. Sales are down because quality is down. Case in point? For the first time, I am NOT buying the DVD of the latest Harry Potter. Why? Because 'Half Blood Prince' sucked! And folks, this comes from a Potter fanatic who flew to Edinburgh, Scotland for the release of the final Potter book and stood on the sidewalk outside Waterstones for 14 hours in full Gryffindor Quidditch outfit. Man, after I watched "HBP", I nearly had to bend over a toilet afterwards to hork out the bad taste in my mouth. That movie stank to high heaven. Hollywood? Like the man said, if you do not build a good film, we will not buy it.

I love movies, always have. That being said, I spend time at home watching TCM, even though it is owned by Ted Turner. The last time I went to the movies was to see a preview of "LA Confidential", which I loved by the way. No movie even interests me. My co-workers say I remind them of the old man in "Up", so I'll watch it at some time, even though that leftie idiot Ed Asner does the voice. And DVD's are way overpriced, not to mention the legal robbery that is blu-ray. This I know, because I work at Wal-Mart, in electronics, and sell the crude that goes out today.

It's strictly financial for me. I've been out of work for 7 months (well, I have my own business and do side jobs to get by), so I'll only buy a DVD if it's something amazing, and probably something my daughter would want to watch over and over (Up will probably get purchased for Christmas). If I get a decent job soon I'll still be stingy with my purchases. After living on the brink for so long, I have no taste for spending money capriciously. Netflix, Red Box and On Demand movies are cheaper and convenient.

Watch any classic movie, and then take a gander at the L.A. Times Calendar section. Wow, how far we've come. Maybe Bill Maher's right, people are stupid. The writing, the acting, the performers are all subpar, why toil to elevate all of those when they still get the big bucks and all the fame? People want to be entertained..

The new Vince Vaughn movie has gotten skewered by critics, but I've read that it's doing well because.. 'people are in the mood for Vince Vaughn.' Is that all it takes now? I'm in the mood for a great, enjoyable movie. I have been for years now. Still waiting..

Me too! I think if I look hard enough I'll spot a gem that I've missed.
Nope. Wishful thinking.
Gotta love non-union Walmart bargain bin. LOL.

Generally speaking, the films produced over the past few years have been poor. The story lines are recycled or predictable. The subject matter appeals to a junior high school intellect. The actors are typically untalented and offscreen are generally dislikeable. The characters are typically one dimensional caricatures. Special effects are presumed to make up for absence of plot or interest. There hasn't been a movie in the past three years that I have wanted to pay money to see. Hollywood caters to an audience with extremely low expectations.

Hear, Hear. Once the mystique is gone, we are left with the ugly truth.

Conservatives need to patronize people and businesses who believe in this country and the concepts upon which it was founded. I refuse to give money to those who don't.

I am legion.

Not sure anyone's hit on this, but one reason we don't go to the movies is we have a plasma tv (after our trusty Sony 27" finally died). Even non-blu-ray films look great on it! And the football. And the basketball. And Chuck, Monk, Psych, Closer…we even watch CSI Miami (with the sound off, of course) just because it looks so darned good (makes a great screen saver).

I'm sure you can add hi-def TV to one of the very many reasons folks aren't going to the flicks.

New love: The Middle (with Patricia Heaton).

could not agree more. So many great stories out there, stories that could inspire but they (libs in Hollywood) continue to spew this PC crap movies always wanting to make the US look like the worst country on the planet. It is a crying shame these entitled aholes don't have to live as most in the world do.

Absolutely!!! I haven't been to a movie since the last Indiana Jones movie and I only went to it because I loved the series and I wanted to see it on the big screen. Now I live on Netflix — old movies and old series. I can't even look at some of these actors and seeing them as acting. I just see that I can't stand them personally or politically. Completely ruins any chance at making a movie seem real. Do they not realize they have picked up a razor and cut their own throat? I never realized how stupid or arrogant (or both) actors are….I would have rather have been able to keep the mystique. I am sure many of the old movie star actors were morons, but they kept it quiet. I still have a VERY few movies I still buy, but not many.

Why buy or rent a movie when you can see it theaters in digital projection and surround sound, or order it on demand in hi-def or on Itunes or just wait until it's on HBO HD. That seems to be where the home market is heading. The future of movies at home is instant access, not fumbling for tapes or dvds.

Yeah, there's a lot of bad movies, but to be fair, there's just as much bad music, bad television and bad books as their are bad movies.

I'm just upset that people flock to garbage like Friday the 13th and Transformers 2 while there are great films out there nobody's seeing like Moon and Bright Star.

Hollywood's too busy aweing the global community (and each other) with their knowledge of politics, climate change and how to avoid it, saving the fishies and attempting to convince the entire human race that the is no God to take the time to work on a decent film.

What makes you think you have a right to purchase a DVD and watch it "again and again"? They intend for those to be a one-time viewing. And they expect you to send them the appropriate fees if anyone else watches it with you that one time.

I love this thread. I used to buy a lot of dvds but now I buy just a few and I rarely go to the movies. I can't stand paying so much (I am not so dumb as to buy anything) and sit there while the dumpster family comes in and gives you the pleasure of listening to them feed their faces with $50 of popcorn and crap in surround sound. There are still some good movies being made, I thought Benjamin Button was great and I keep watching the recent Pride and Prejudice because it makes me happy. I still rent a lot because I just like movies but most I can hardly remember watching as they made absolutely no impression. Not to mention the dvds I just stopped watching because they were so self-indulgent or just plain dull.

I have access to a blu-ray and HD TV at work and I bought, probably my favorite ever, Band of Brothers in blu-ray for $40 at Amazon, to watch at lunch time. Amazing. But there are so few movies that even deserve HD let alone forking out $30. No thanks. (OK, I might get Top Gun just because it is the best worst movie ever).

Then there is the list of actors who have so pissed me off that I will never see, rent, buy or suffer any of their movies (shut up and act). OK, if I was able to see a pirate copy I might watch. I can't believe the producers don't shut the idiots up because I imagine they lose 30% or more from people just like me. Of course for them, already rich from Daddy's money or sucking from the government art tit or in bed with the global warming money machine, they could care less–they are being socially responsible (also known as having no clue how people outside of NYC, DC or LA, or make less than 250K actually live). Life is very good thank you.

Will they ever get it? Probably not but that is OK. Technology is getting so good that passionate people just wanting to tell a good story without preaching or saving the world can begin to make films we will want to watch over and over again and even buy.

I've been saying for years that the best stuff is on television. I'd also add NCIS, The Office, Chuck, 30 Rock (I know, I know), and Lost to your list.

I watch TCM every morning for a little while before work, and I find it at once wonderful and depressing. There's nothing like getting lost in an old film, rediscovering a movie you loved when you were a kid, and watching great stories come alive. But then the movie ends, and I drive to work bummed that movies just aren't like that anymore. I used to go see everything, and I've spent years giving my kids an appreciation for great films, but now there is just so little to see that is worthwhile.

I had to give up on Blockbuster. I get so angry when I see that whoever does their ordering apparently isn't aware that movies were made before 2000. And then I see that they carry Pumpkinhead and all of its sequels, and it just about sends me over the edge.

The curious crop of filmmakers and studio people in Hollywood for the past ten years has been the kind who grew up watching movies and TVs and never really experience real life or adventure (like fighting in a war, etc.) or school of hard knocks. The recent batch of comedy and horror movies are no longer entertaining or shocking, just for the shock or juvenile-cartoonish value.

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[...] “Maybe DVD Sales Collapsed Because Movies Suck” [...]

Perusing through the Top 20 Money Makers of each year featured has confirmed my suspicion that the big money-makers have always sucked. There are a few good movies in there, but from 1998 to 2008 there hasn't been a year where I've owned more than 12 movies from the top 20 (and that was an outlier; the average was hovering around 5). They are predominantly sequels, remakes or TV-adaptations; great for raking in the dough, but never the best indicator of the quality of any given year.

There are still great movies coming out, but they are not the hundred-million-dollar grossers. Moon, The Hurt Locker, Coraline,and Public Enemies (although fairly close to cracking the $100 million mark) were all amazing movies. As usual, they were for the most part ignored. However, I don't know if I will indeed pick any up on DVD new. Blockbuster sells used copies about one month after their release for half-price. They have effectively eliminated most reasons to purchase a DVD brand-new.

For me I got into the ground floor when it came to DVD's. I had missed the initial launch of laser discs so at the time DVD's was marketed as the replacement for Laserdiscs, the high end so to speak of movie watching. So I jumped on board buying DVD's when Tower Records had maybe a small display case with a couple dozen movies to chose from and none of them I wanted to buy just yet. So I re-bought all my favorite movies on DVD's when they came out, and re-bought with each new special edition or new directors commentary. When they announced the new HD-DVD and Blu-Ray format – and the ensuing long drawn out fight – that's exactly when I gave up on DVD's and movie buying. Okay so Blu-Ray finally won – I just didn't care any more. I had all my all-time favorite movies on DVD – I had invested thousands and thousands of dollars on DVD's – let alone the thousands of dollars I had invested on VHS movies. I was done feeding the Hollywood machine. The last three DVD's I have bought were 300, Watchmen, and The Dark Knight – each on the day they were released, that's it. As it was 10 years ago I was buying 10 or more DVD's a month at times if not more because when a new DVD came out the studios were great in releasing older movies of a similar nature with the new releases.

It's not like I'm 60 years old, I'm 42, but just for the record, how many times do we need to re-buy the Star Wars Trilogy – as an example – I bought the original VHS mass release, I bought the 'digital' remastered VHS set – then stupid Lucas refused to bring out the Special Edition set on DVD right away mumbling something about not being the one to "promote a new format like I did with VHS" blah blah blah – so he brought the set out on laser disc of all things – bah – so he finally brings out the set on DVD – but just the Special Editions – and then he brings out the set that has both the Special Edition and the Original on DVD. Now who in their right mind is once again going to re-buy another Star Wars set on Blu-Ray. Are you kidding me? Seriously. If you got into DVD's near the start – you were mostly buying to replace VHS or Laser Discs thinking that "Sweet DVD's are going to be around for a long long time – I'm rebuying everything I had on VHS and buying stuff I had always wanted to but never did." – and now they want me to start over with Blu-Ray. Not going to happen, no more money for a morally bankrupt Hollywood and their crappy new movies.

Am I bitter? Yes sir.

I am still as passionate about movies as I ever have been. Unfortunately that passion is for good movies which means most of the crap pooped out of Hollywood today makes me ill.

Why DVD sales are falling?

Two words.

Lime. Wire.

I can't believe you bought as many as you did. I went through the years and came up with about half as many that I could see myself spending any money on. You many be a movie lover, but you are certainly not a lover of great movies… and if by chance you are and I am wrong you do have an extremely large range for what constitutes watchability… and I am no elitist when it comes to film.

Jesus. I love Breitbart but wish this site was not attached to his others. There is no way this is set up for people who love art, cinema, acting, etc. If you dismiss all art associated with liberals, idiots, radicals, people of questionable morals, etc you would end up with nothing. You would not be able to watch a Brando film, read a Hemingway novel, a Ftizgerald novel, Shakespeare, watch a Muhammed Ali fight, watch Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, anything Hitchcock, any Marx Bros. Film, Chaplin film, Reagan film when he was a liberal democrat, Kubrick, etc etc etc. Separate the art from it all. The films, works, art, books are bigger than the individuals involved. Live in your closed mind and sacrifice some of the greatest art men have ever known. Why can you not separate? I for one will stop writing and watch Chinatown for the 79th time.

Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes… the only Burton movie I don't like.

I have to agree and I'm buying much less new releases than I used to – I think the last ones I bought were from two years ago: Zodiac and Sweeney Todd. (Also The Dark Knight.)

I've mostly been buying catalog titles, cancelled TV shows (The Middleman, The Dana Carvey Show, etc.) and upgrading certain DVDs to Blu-Ray. What's weird is that there are several movies that come out today that, ten years ago, I probably would've purchased on DVD (Judd Apatow's movies come to mind) but now, I'm simply content to Netflix.

I don't know how many movies my husband and I have gone into the past couple of years and either left half way through the movie… or after forcing him to watch the rest of the movie because I am HOPING that it will get better by the end, but usually doesn't we come out saying how much the movie sucked… I love comedies of all kinds… but I don't watch any with Seth Rogan (because time after time they prove to suck majorly even if my sides are spliting at the previews)… I remember even just a few years ago when movies would come out I would want to see a good lot of them… Now, every friday when my husband and I have to decide what movie to see it seems more like a chore than planning a fun outing… :/

Oh please most of the crap made now is just that. If it hasn't sold what little soul it had to the godz of CGI then its a political piece of absolute garbage made solely for the moron sect. Good luck if Hollywood's vector takes it full on into the idiocy of the politico forever. I'll stick to purchasing the blu ray editions of my old favorites (just past 60 last month), all the damned pre-orders I've made (should top 80 by Christmas)and get used to hunting down foreign blu rays managing to steer clear of preaching global warming to me or the nastiness of that same capitalism which affords me the purchasing of my entire DVD collection on blu ray.

Funny how Hollywood always ignores the obvious.

I won't go to a movie that has Movie stars who make fun of people who are Moderates or Conservatives. Movie Stars and directors who openly attack others in politics and also expose their politics that I disagree with I won't go see. Especially when they are mouth pieces for people on the far left.

I will not give money to people who then turn around and give millions to elect far left politicians. It's like shooting yourself in the foot.

My friend is really into Barbara Streisend, but after she came out and called people on the right names and openly came out for a leftist president my friend won't even buy her cds. Why would you.

John, I've been reading up on this lately, and have come to two hypotheses that have contributed to this predicament. First, the Internet download market. Can't be denied. Second, the fact that far too may producers and players inject bitter political slurs and backhands into modern films that were never there before. Total turnoff. Ruins otherwise great films, particularly comedies. Who wants to be insulted?

But the last and most important, I believe, is that Hollywood is making FAR too many films for itself and not its market audiences. Very limited and narrow themes with no universal and even biased appeal. In other words, like you said. They just plain suck. The stories have been sacrificed upon the altar of political correctness, and without story, you have no film. As I stated in my 'Conservative Themes' piece here, putting petty self-interests above the story is putting the cart before the horse. And that combo goes nowhere. IMHO.

so if some great film is not art, what is? and don't say the bible or shakespeare. too easy.
and I'm not talking about crap Hollywood films. many people here are arguing against film and acting in general. on a completely related subject I GUARANTEE more people in the "flyover states" paid to see the 2 Transformer films.

IMHO, there was only ONE game based movie that was any good – Mortal Kombat.

Right on all three counts.

I have no idea how Gene Kelly or Tony Randall voted, and I never want to know! But, when I left the theater after watching one of their films, I usually felt happy! And I watched their next films.

These actors and directors today just don't get it.

Well my irk is that they insist on using Uwel Boll to direct movies based on games despite the fact that they are all horrible, and that they seem to go "Well we used Uwe Boll to make a movie based on a fighting game and it didn't work out, so scrap that idea to make an actually good shooter into a movie and let's make another cookie-cutter teen-getting-laid comedy."

Between the low quality of the movies being offered today and the rabid political activism of many in Hollywood, I rarely watch regular television anymore yet alone pay money to go to a movie or buy a current movie.

Both factors have turned me off to wanting to see what Hollywood is putting out so I just save my money for things I will better enjoy.

Chinatown is an absolutely perfect story. if you hate Polanski at least give Towne the credit for the screenplay. if you fail to do that, you can not say any great story executed to perfection is art. Murder She Wrote has "clever whodunits"… Chinatown is a bit more. If you can not agree, I feel you have no place in this discussion.

The Hurt Locker is a great film. It could play in the reddest area of the reddest state and would not make 1/10th the money the newest Fast and Furious or Kate Hudson romantic comedy would make. Politics is not everything. People being dumb has a lot to do with it. Whether they end up buying the dvd is a whole other issue. But the public does dictate the theatrical market. and ticket sales are up, and they are not just going to the movies on the coasts.

Why not put the blame on the American consumer? When a crapfest like Tranformers 2 makes $450 million and A
Serious Man can't find an audience, who is to blame? both got put out by Hollywood. Do we believe in a consumer/capitalist society or not? We should be blaming ourselves, our friends and our neighbors.

I don't believe, Bryan, that you were appointed Moderator of this thread! If I had to hazard a guess, I would say you are part of the problem with Hollywood today.

You have absolutely no right telling other posters that they have no place in this discussion. What Liberals can't stand is that people still have the ability to vote with their wallets, and they are doing it! They are not casting as many dollars to those who seem determined to insult them and tread on their values.

And you can't change that.

not only am i not purchasing dvds lately, i can't even find anything to add to my netflix queue. i have no interest in any of the new releases…and i'm not seeing ads for anything that would get me into a theater. i thought maybe it was just me, but no…. it's that movie quality has taken a nosedive.

Texas Rancher, believe you me, I am not part of the problem. I was calling out a certain few for saying ALL film is not art. if you want to intelligently look at my posts and what I was responding to, you would see that. However, if you just want to believe what you believe and be as dogmatic as the liberals go ahead and disregard my arguments.
forgive me for saying that someone that cannot see the art in Chinatown has no business discussing art in film. it was part of a much larger argument that was not remotely addressed by the original poster.
and by the way, we art not voting with our wallets. crap plays in the red states just as much as it plays in the blue. Probably does better in the red. at least I can see the newest Coens in a blue state. ask your local theater how well Transformers 2 did, the American consumer theatrically is not voting with their wallet whether they be red or blue.
My issue is with film as art. if someone can come up with a concrete rebuttal I will gladly debate, but I assure you I am not part of the problem. I pay to see quality not crap. That means no Michael Bay and no big budget Romantic Comedies. can anyone else here say the same? the discussion is about the quality of film, NOT ABOUT THE IDEAOLOGY!!!!!!!

I did not pay to see Redacted or Lions for Lambs, but I did see Hurt Locker 3 times. anyone else here supporting good American pro-military film like that? if not, why did you not demand it come to your local cinema? if you want to take a stand, TAKE A STAND! there are good films, you just have to demand, and pay, to see them. don't just bitch about Sean F'ing Penn!!! go out of your way to see the good.
I love film. I am happy when Redacted or Lions for LAmbs tanks. But I am equally dismayed when the same people that refuse to see anti-Christian or anti-American film pay to see Transformers or some Matthew McConaughy (sp) rom-com, or some non-Pixar childrens film that uses poop jokes as the basis for comedy for kids. BE SMART NOT JUST IDEALOGICAL!

The article is about the quality of film. Idealogically we can say that PAssion of Christ did great and Redacted failed, but neither explains why Transformers 2 is the 3rd biggest film of all time. (unajusted numbers). If you or your kids saw that pile of crap you are part of the problem. If you went to see Ice AGe 3 instead of Pixar's UP, you are part of the problem. If you settle for Couples Retreat at your local cinema instead of demanding A SErious Man, you are part of the problem. And sorry Mt. Nolte, but if you bought as many of the top 20 films on dvd each year as you did, you art part of the problem. you do not demand quality. escapist crap. save it for reality tv, which if you watch, yes, you are part of the problem.

Perhaps your specific posts had to do with art in films. But, technically, the title of this piece makes the supposition that DVDs of movies may not be selling because the movies "suck," which I will interpret as not being good or enjoyable. I don't believe art specifically came into the scene. You seem to be getting all riled up needlessly.

If you ask me if most of the films released in the past few years stand a snowball's chance of holding their own against the films of the 30's and 40's…no way, with the occasional exception.

As to the theater receipts, unless the dollar continues to fall, and the economy totally tanks, there will always be date nights and adolescent theater attendance. But, will those attendees be buying DVDs?

When actors, etc. "put it all out there" regarding their personal views, those of opposing views do take note. In today's climate, that might be influencing DVD sales.

By the way, I have no idea how Gene Kelly or Tony Randall voted, and I never want to know! I do know, however, that I enjoy watching their films, and I own a whole lot of them.

Perhaps your specific posts had to do with art in films. But, technically, the title of this piece makes the supposition that DVDs of movies may not be selling because the movies "suck," which I will interpret as not being good or enjoyable. I don't believe art specifically came into the scene. You seem to be getting all riled up needlessly.

If you ask me if most of the films released in the past few years stand a snowball's chance of holding their own against the films of the 30's and 40's…no way, with the occasional exception.

As to the theater receipts, unless the dollar continues to fall, and the economy totally tanks, there will always be date nights and adolescent theater attendance. But, will those attendees be buying DVDs?

When actors, etc. "put it all out there" regarding their personal views, those of opposing views do take note. In today's climate, that might be influencing DVD sales.

By the way, I have no idea how Gene Kelly or Tony Randall voted, and I never want to know! I do know, however, that I enjoy watching their films, and I own a whole lot of them.

Texas Rancher, but you could guess the way Marlon Brando voted… would that keep you from seeing his masterpieces? what about the gay James Dean? would you see a production of Death of a Salesman? would you deny yourself that? Eugene O'neil flirted with communism in the late 20s.. would you deny yourself Long Days Journey Into Night? Iceman Cometh?

I remember watching Dark knight and it ocurred to me that I was watching Law and Order but with Batman and the Joker in it. Where are the risky actors? There have been a few (Philip Seymour Hoffman comes to mind) but it feels like tv and movies are blurring together, stylistically speaking. And tv is rarely good. It also seems that a week after a film opens it's forgotten by most of the public no matter how much it's hyped as the next Godfather, Star Wars, blah blah).

I don't pay $10 to see a movie unless everyone I know loved it, and the reviews hated it.
Then if I really love it, and want to see it again, I consider waiting until it's in the bargain bin and get it for cheap. But like other posters, I won't spend a dime if it has certain actors are in the movie. Jane Fonda? Not one red cent.

Maybe it was a good film But I didn't go see it. I won't rent it and frankly don't care about what I'm missing.

I sat with my niece and watched an ancient black and white film with Betty Davis. When they make movies like that, I'll start thinking about it again. This is not about special effects. This is about content. Dialogue, character development, good writing. Good settings that make sense with the characters, and plots that capture the imagination. I don't go do movies to get indoctrinated. I won't pay them to preach to me. I want to be entertained and escape the real world. They have lost sight of that. And after reading the posts here, I think I'm not the only one that is voting with my feet and wallet.

Why couldn't "Master and Commander" become the Age of Sail series; instead dreck based on a carnival ride…"Pirates of the …."? Sales would have been up in my household.

HumanPersonJr
The only thing I have seen Tom Cruise in, where he seemed to turn in a good performance, was 'War of the Worlds', he really looked scared in one scene, but then again maybe he was.
I bought 'Rain Man' from the cheap bin–but Dustin Hoffman carries that movie.

I am usually 2 years behind everyone else, because I get my movies from the library now a-days.
The last movie I saw in a theater was 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'.
I intend to buy the extended version of the "LOR' trilogy, but that's all I will pay full price for.

When actors attempt to 'shove' their point of view down my throat, I in return vote to not support them.
This leaves me with somewhat limited options for entertainment, but hey, I can read.

When did "Suck" become acceptable in the public vernacular? I was driving to work today and pulled into a QT convenience store and they had an advertisement saying "Bosses love suck-ups" encouraging you to buy them a donut. I pulled behind someone to gas up and they have "Mean People Suck" on the back of their car. The guy in front of me inside had a knit cap on with "Eat Me" in mock Greek letters. And now the title of this article all before 8:15 am. Strange.

Most movies are awful. But I think sales have collapsed because of Netflix. I love Netflix. What a great company. We just saw "Regarding Henry" last night. I can't believe I've never heard of it. Very enjoyable.

Only a heretic would remake True Grit.

The only DVDs I buy are classic films that I like to revisit on occasion, like the Last Starfighter and the Goonies.
My main problem is with the actors who open their mouths and spew anti American vomit. Once I hear and see that I just can't watch them anymore. I haven't seen a Sean Penn movie in years. Same with Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, George Clooney, among others.
I get more enjoyment these days watching classic movies on Turner from back when men were men and women wept.

I watched Salvation, a good movie despite the bad reviews it was given. It was much better than T3, and more realistic than T2. I will purchase that one the moment it comes out, but the one I will not touch is coming out soon, Transformers 2. Most of the other releases aren't worth buying straight out, I will wait till they come down to the $12 to $14 bins.

There is part of the rub too… we are in the midst of a platform change from DVD to Blu Ray. For all the millions (like me) who haven't yet gotten an HD TV blu ray is not an option. But why buy a DVD now when in a few months or years I will own an HD TV and will want the movie on Blu ray?

In the meantime I buy nothing.

District 9 was a really good movie – great summer fare.

I predict Blu-Ray will go the way of another alternate format from the 70s. Never seen anyone own them, much less buy them.

Is it asking too much for Nolte to write an annual column listing the DVD purchases he made (or plan to make) for that year? The suspense is killing me!

(And is it correct to assume that a purchase must come from the top 20 list? One of my latest purchases was for indie musical _Once_, which hardly made a dent on such lists).

Oh, I am a huge fan of the Firefly/Serenity series. In fact, when Adam Baldwin submitted his articles to BH.com, I asked him if they were continuing the series, but I got no response.

Love love love Taken. There is nothing better than watching Liam Neeson go on a rampage. You called it on the feel-good part. Another surprising thing was the main bad guys were Albanian muslims (the M word was not used in the movie, but it was implied) which is true to life. They are a huge trafficker of human misery in Europe. The Sicilian Mafia has been having quite a time dealing with them in fact.

Exactly.

The age of the average gamer is steadily increasing.

However it is true that a lot of kids play video games. And they learn morals and values at that age. So, it follows the theme for this site to help try to fight the culture war by making sure our message and values are also represented in the media, of which the video game industry is a large part now.

We don't want to surrender any portion of media to strictly left-wing, socialistic or marxist messages. So I think talking about how the medium can be used to help instill common values is a worthy endeavor.

I stopped supporting Follywood, when they thought their opinions mattered about politics. I stopped going to the movies, stopped buying and canceled all pay channels. I took it one step further. I bought my wife a Hyundai Sante Fe. The FIRST foreign car I ever bought. when I walked into the showroom, a salesman approached. The first question I asked is who they voted for. The first guy said Obama and I dismissed them explaining elections have consequences. I confirmed his position with questions that he passed. I vote every single day with my money.

I can't remember the last time we went to the movies, too expensive. But over all I do have a critical eye when watching movies because of my daughter who is a writer. She has introduced me to the world of independent films for the most part I like. We don't always agree on movies, we are of different generations. But because of her I do look at films differently, I catch myself analyzing them. First I am a conservative Christian and one of my biggest beefs coming out of Hollywood is the terrible abuse of God's holy name. When a group of Christians wanted to get scrubbed movies, taking out abuse of God's name and so many sexual situations, Hollywood went nuts. Too many times a movie will have sexual content and then pretty much build a story around it. The constant remakes gets very very old and it shows lack of creativity and laziness. For those celebrities who have blasted consumers for being conservatives well that is bad pr because we as consumers choose what we like or not like. As far as art can't say everything is considered art, like the Art of the blessed Virgin Mary in cow dung was considered art? Anything creative is subjective to the one's opinion. My favorite movie Pride and Prejudice also love the Medea movies. Liked the Godfather. Loved Slumdog Millionaire. But anymore Hollywood cannot connect with a lot of consumers, it's that simple. For the most part the money spent on a movie could be used for a hundred different things, like reading!

Piracy and New technologies and media surely have hurt DVD sales and network ratings,but not to the degree they would have u believe.
They literally cannot make a movie,sitcom,or mini series anymore without it being politicized.That's the problem.They are just too dense to figure it out.EVERYTHING has to have it's hidden messages in it.Now they don't even try to hide it.Perhaps the first episode or two is fairly neutral,but within a few episodes they are showing u sad health care stories,how our military is hurting innocent people around the world for fun,business and capitalism is evil-blah,blah,etc.

Also much of Hollywood is showing their true colors now and I think many Americans are beginning to realize what side Hollywood is on and how their media is directly influencing the culture for the worse.

What is going on in our schools is what they are trying to do with movies and TV shows.Now more than ever I do consider it an idiot box for the most part because it's predominantly agenda based and littered with political correctness.

It doesnt matter that they are tanking.Im sure we will bailout all forms of media that have sold their soul to the liberalism movement.Newspapers,Networks,and Hollywood are too big too fail so lets cut the quality of life for future generations so already rich lunatics can have more now.

Do not give Hollywood your money.You are paying for your own demise.Not all of them are USA hating crazies,but most seem to be imo.

Sales could have something to do with the fact that if you buy a movie, at some point you will have to buy it again in some new format. UGH!!! I'm speaking as someone who now has complete film libraries in CED, laser, VHS and DVD formats and who is REFUSING to buy another pale remake of some poorly performing "hit" until Hollywood stops threatening me with HD and Blu-Ray!!!

Do you hear me Universal and Bob Iger???!!!

Still, as far as the causes for DVDs to fall, video games do enough damage.
These days, I'll glady pay 40 bucks for a game, to which the entertainment value is totally worth the price you pay for it.

And even if you wait long enough, there's always price cuts for games too.

Ironically, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the sucessful pro-war movie that Hollywood didn't make, sold millions. It's sequel will likely perform well.

Mario&Sonic was also one very sucessful cartoon movie with little or no hidden message.

I obviously don't live in your alternate universe, moonpie. Did I touch a nerve? Are you one of those hack writers that hasn't had an original idea since your first English class creative writing adventure, "What I did on my Vacation"?

I disagree with many posters here. The movies aren't much different than they have always been. There are enough options out there in the non-mainstream movie market and independent film that can appeal to everyones tastes. The same goes for TV, from the major networks to FX to History channel ect. The problem is when the technology was new people bought, I could drop $10 on a DVD purchase or pay almost $5 at blockbuster AND have to return it. Then came netflix, then came blockbuster online, pay a montly fee and you can rent and hold films as long as you want. Next is the Roku, Redbox, Amazon, Hulu, plus the online sites of the major networks. There are just so many options to receive entertainment now and so many things to see, who wants to pay $10 for a DVD that will just sit there with all the other DVDs taking up precious space in my man cave. Games are different because in some cases you can get weeks and months of entertainment out of a single game. Childrens films are also good because kids will watch the same thing over and over. I see DVD sales going going gone forever simply because there is no value in owning a $10 film I can rent for a buck.

Lately I've been Netflixing good movies from the past — most recently, "Patton" and "Chinatown" — simply because I cannot find *anything* new that appeals to me.

I suspect I'm not alone.

Last year, for the first time in many years, my spouse and I began watching a few network series dramas. We chose the ones to "try out" based on an article rating the new upcoming shows. One by one, we eliminated the ones we didn't like, and were left with what we considered extremely good shows – shows that we faithfully either watched or DVRed every week. "Life" and "Life on Mars."

When we interacted with others, we found they were watching the same programs. Then, low and behold – they were either cancelled or just not brought back. We had been willing to overlook the blatant Obama campaigning in at least one of the shows, because the quality was so good.

Then….pffffftttttt – gone. We enjoyed them while they lasted, but we have been extremely hesitant to get interested in another series to the extent that we did last year. There are a few that we are "trying out" again, but one bit the dust for us this week.

Fact is, I do not buy a enormous number of movies, I rent some once or twice or buy them used if I haven't seen them in theaters already. But quality draws me, I happily forked over $35 for the Blu Ray release of Blade Runner… same went for the The Matrix. These movies always blew me away, and I watch them repeatedly.

For me I am more likely to buy a blu ray movie for $30 than a new DVD for $20, simply because with a blu ray movie I can get so much more out of the little things in teh picture and the sounds I never quite heard before, and that makes all the difference.

Simply put, if a movie is not worth $30, it is not worth anything to me.

What I don't understand is why the Sci-Fi channel didn't pick it up. You would think they would be frothing at the mouth for that series. Plus, it comes with a dedicated fan base and a whole new Serenity fan base (which is where I came from). WTF?

I mean, I would get cable just so I could see that show. How can TV types cancel a show like Firefly and allow the "WE" channel to exist? It's proof of Satan, I tell you.

Or better yet, get a library card and read a book.

Maybe we could do one or two entries in here about what games they've made into movies, why they were bad, and it's about why bad source material will lead to a bad product, or what games would make great movies? I heard they signed to do a Call of Duty movie and as far as I'm concerned it can go either way.

Yes. Studios need to know that if they produce a film that isn't garbage, there is a good chance people will see it in theatres before piracy can take its hold. I saw The Hangover twice, both with packed theatres, even though they were both seperated by a couple weeks.

Mass Effect is a good example of what I am talking about.

I remember that Fox News (Or maybe it was only Bill O'Reilly) took exception to it because the game has a sex scene in it. There are many television programs that have much racier scenes in it than was shown in the game, and it was no where near as graphic as movies with an equivalent rating, but that is besides the point.

Mass Effect was designed for the player to make choices during the game, usually along the lines of Good/Moral, Neutral/Indifferent, or Evil/Immoral.

More importantly than having to choose between certain ethical decisions, in a limited sense, the game also showed the player the consequence of making those decisions.

Mass Effect was designed for an older audience (Rated M for ages 17+) but the design aspects could be used for games targeted at a younger audience to teach kids that actions have consequences.

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