Ex-Hollywood Writer: Why Modern Movies Suck

[@triggerpod]

Click the SUBSCRIBE button 👆 to support TRIGGERnometry Watch the FULL interview: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqSyc3mMr8t5aKc/

[@LORDENGLISHVETERAN-nx6rk]

🤔🤔 WOKE has taught us something...that ALL religions are just ancient WOKE...we havent shaken off yet.. sorry to burst your bubble... I THINK, THEREFORE I AM . GOD... and I wrote it down and called it " the bible "....then some other guy edited it...

[@tupisamba211]

This guy Andrew was great. Spot on, on everything.

[@scottdoesntmatter4409]

Andrew Klavan, Donald Trump espouses the polar opposite of your values. The man really IS all for himself every second of the day. Thumbs down for your delusion.

[@CIA.2024-u9b]

Wokeness is the materialised atheist culture because it really is marxist and Marxism ia atheist as well.

[@cagneybillingsley2165]

watch some of edward dutton's discussion on religion and its relationship to trust in society, and the mechanism it plays in raising iq, innovation, and breeding genius. it parallels some of the things klavan mentioned about the lack of religiosity and trust in modern american civics, media, arts and entertainment. these positions of power and influence are only interested in the accumulation of power for the purpose of entrenchment. i'm an atheist possibly a doubtful agnostic, but religiosity seems to be a highly moderating influence on selfish human behavior possibly something our brains evolved to co-operate and function under. the new pseudo religion of the woke elites is something that might be naturally selected in a short while as being maladaptive and malignant, at least i hope so.

[@SuperLloyd84]

So I watched Rambo for the first time about two days ago. All I'd ever heard about it was "war movie" so I avoided it for 40 something years. What a revelation it was. Here was a man who had been willing to fight, and die, for something bigger than himself. He loved his country and wanted to keep it safe. That rawness at the end when he finally lets go of the grief and horror hes been carrying... I'm not ashamed to admit it made me cry. Now that's some god damn storytelling. You want to copy something, Hollywood? Go find something real, something that matters, and then write a character that cares about it.

[@ralffig3297]

I show my kids all good 80s movies and they love it. First blood is one of their favourites.

[@Orson2u]

Yes. Vivid. Raw. Deep and complex. And if you unroll the plot-line in your mind or words, years later, its impact will still be summoned.

[@malloot9224]

That's not relatable anymore because no one cares about anything anymore

[@Whatreally123]

What? But better late than never i guess.

[@nickhanlon9331]

Yep. And Richard Creena learnt the script the day before the shoot.

[@sgray001]

I finally figured out why Hollywood can _only_ copy now. Because the writers now, are the first adults that don't know anything other than the internet. None of them have experienced anything real. None of them have confronted anything that matters. They've seen the world through a screen. That's also why there are so many movies that deconstruct something. Because the writers now have no experiences of their own, they only have the experiences of others. And the only thing you can do with that is to analyze what you've seen. We're not just coming to the end of movies, but the end of our society.

[@Blazee2897]

Deep

[@Animal_lives_matter]

You're probably thinking that comment was some pretty deep stuff, and you'd be right.

[@timmholl9238]

Brilliant analysis. And succinct.

[@Soxfandan]

Progressives are totally devoid of talent. They can’t create anything new that speaks to anyone and are too lazy to build something from the ground up. All they can do is hijack properties some white guy made popular decades ago and try to infuse it with their BS, but no one but blue city idiots will buy it.

[@sharlonbarnes8977]

i think it is the absence of true boredom as children. boredom will unlock imagination and creation. since television, video games, etc. the mind is entertained constantly now.

[@aituk]

Wokeness ruins everything

[@freddieoblivion6122]

UUGGHH Saaame oooold stooory - you'd think the smart ppl with money to make movies would've learned this by now. Almost as if they're sticking to the indoctrinating nonsense on purpose... hmmmmmm

[@mrsteve170]

And that is the entire point.

[@CornerTalker]

@@mrsteve170 Destroy Western Civilization.

[@gabriel7664]

Everything and then some. These people cry about not being able to use their preferred bathroom. I cry when I lose a loved one. Their emotional intelligence level is in the negative.

[@ReasonAboveEverything]

@@gabriel7664 They are bunch of losers. That's why they want to destroy everything.

[@MFK1967]

I have been a Hollywood screenwriter for 30 years and both TV and film have never been worse - it’s a total collapse

[@thefamousjmc]

Oh yeah, what did you write?

[@JonnyRecaps]

And how have you not mastered grammar yet?

[@Mng421]

The story Andrew describes feels like Baby Boom with Dianne Keaton. She starts out as a powerful business woman, inherits a baby from her distant cousin who dies and tries to give it up for adoption but realizes she can’t do it. It’s all about a career woman who never wanted kids becoming a mom, if you like feel good 90s films it’s a good one.

[@deanfirnatine7814]

Yep, its a touching film that NO ONE in Hollywood would green light today because the woke Twitter mob would freak out.

[@Maxmellow94]

Yeah it’s a great movie and it’s from the 80s

[@Sunniekey]

A really good movie

[@francescaderimini4422]

I was thinking the same thing except in the movie she creates her own company which competes with her own! Etc!

[@Bloodsport1]

87 film

[@BrockLanders]

I’ve been going back and watching movies from the 1990’s that I never saw. What an incredible decade for quality dramas. Probably the last great decade for films.

[@supertrendymoneymaker0722]

Early 2000s was awesome as well. It was the last great one.

[@jellyrolly]

Even films with bad cgi back in the 70-80s are better

[@coffeebean_tamer]

I watch Scream 6 then I decided to watch the medicore or so I thought I still know what you did last summer it was so much fun

[@Tom-kt8lu]

Now do the 1960s and 1970s.

[@abisspassenger]

I know the feeling. I keep watching 90's movies, they're so nostalgic to me, a kid back then. But the 80's were so awesome. The movies feel so interesting, the music so much more melodic. Even the clothes, weird as they looked, still had their charm.

[@bajoyf]

I watch Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dramas. There is no wokeness and no political correctness.

[@mosibyl779]

I enjoy watching Kdramas as well, and considering the influence of Netflix, I have some concerns about the potential overwhelming impact of "wokeness." Netflix recently announced a $2.5 billion investment in South Korea to produce Korean TV series over the next four years. Although there are certainly benefits to this collaboration, it also raises valid points for concern. Over the years, I've observed a noticeable shift in the storytelling of Netflix Kdramas, with the increasing presence of "wokeness" in recent times. Having started watching Kdramas over a decade ago, I have witnessed this evolving trend.

[@tulip5210]

@@mosibyl779 I’ve had that concern too

[@bajoyf]

@@mosibyl779 I primarily am streaming on Viki Rakutan an Asian channel. The series I watch are not made for Netflix, though some are also broadcast on Netflix.

[@I9s7lam5is-S3tu1pid]

It’s starting to filter in slowly and almost undetectable due to the cultural lens.

[@lamrof]

Don't know about the dramas but those fight scenes are tired, or I am getting too old.

[@anthonymorris5084]

Modern movies suck, because they all come with a Left wing lecture. They are also completely devoid of new and creative ideas.

[@paulosbornept7523]

The writers guild is on strike. Best gift they could give the world.

[@josemaricortes4138]

Also, another factor adding to the worsening of the movie industry is the need to create FRANCHISES of movies. It isn't enough to make a movie, there has to be a sequel, a prequel, the second sequel, a tie-in, and a tie-in to the tie-in. So much so that the originality of creating a movie is gone -- as long as it makes money.

[@lamrof]

We would think things should evolve but currently things are bad.

[@lamrof]

I just went thought he pain of watching the 3rd part of that Planet of Apes sequel. They have run of ideas.

[@Soupie62]

It's SYNERGY aka Merchandising. Movie + Soundtrack + book + collectible Popcorn cup = greater sales, more profit. (Sigh - those Dune sandworm popcorn cups DID look cool)

[@nothanks3236]

Writers back in the day used to have to have some life experience they could draw on to write good stories. Today most Hollywood writers come into the business directly from liberal universities without having any life experience, and their writing demonstrates that lack of lived experience.

[@beingsshepherd]

Reminds me of that _Simpsons_ joke in which a young writer retorts that he wrote his thesis on life experience.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

"Reflect upon the Past. Embrace your Present. Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@keyboardwarrior6786]

Nepo products

[@Mouse_Metal]

They are entitled narcs and their "heroes" are also entitled narcs.

[@nickbree1959]

Thank you!

[@kennethng8346]

I grew up on Star Trek and fell in love with the duty, honor, integrity, sacrifice yourself to protect others, taking risks, etc.

[@JohnJ469]

Sacrificing love for the sake of the future "City on the edge of Forever". Or the change and honesty of the officer in "The Corbomite Manoeuvre".

[@peterfmodel]

This still exists, especially in anime. In The Eminence in Shadow, episode 17, Moonlight That Pierces the Darkness, one of the characters, Rose, has discovered her father, the leader of a peaceful country, is drugged and forced to obey an evil cult. Rose attempts to kill the cult leader, but fails and instead the cult leader claims she has gone mad and she is forced to run and hide in the sewers. To make matters worse she is dying of a disease which the cult has encouraged to spread, so alone, dying, with her family either drugged or convinced she is mad she considers what to do. At that moment in the sewers she hears someone playing moonlight sonata on a piano and she finds this so unusual she follows it to its source. There she sees the main protagonist, the shadow, who is himself a deeply flawed character, playing the piano. When the shadow finished he then faces Rose and asked her if she is going to give up, or is willing to fight until her last breath. Confused, Rose states she is helpless and doomed and she cannot do anything. Then the shadow offers her power to achieve what she wants, if she is willing to fight. Rose accepts and is cured by the shadow. She realises she must free her father by killing him, before she ends her own life. It’s a really deep and moving scene. The closest analogy to the cult is the woke establishment, if you really think about it carefully enough.

[@cedarbay3994]

You would make a great soldier to die for America’s politicians. There is a machine gun nest that needs to be charged somewhere with your name on it, hero.

[@Kwolfx]

Also, inherent in Star Trek is the belief that the future can be a better place. You sure as hell don't see that in current abomination that is called Star Trek; particularly in Discovery and Picard (The first two seasons). The Federation is corrupt and no longer lives up to its ideals. A Federation starship captain can also be a sadistic monster. The people who write this garbage don't have the talent to create anything of quality that's original, they can only take and deform someone else's creation with the excuse that they are writing for a "modern audience."

[@thenewvoice8]

I think my life long love of Trek also is a reason I see people as Humans (Terrans if im looking in a mirror darkly) and not as Brits, Aussies, Yanks etc - basically the human race and not any of these other nonsense labels that try and differentiate us.

[@intigeral727]

Movies today are not inspirational, they are desperational.

[@erik1836]

Excellent play on words and true too.

[@lgude]

I’m 80 and encountered my first screen in 1948. My grandfather’s 12 inch Dumont B&W TV. I can still remember watching the Republican convention that nominated Dewey and how it reworked my brain. Everything on the TV was more exciting, more involving than real life. I can remember telling my mother, beside myself with excitement, about the cowboy in a western: “He had two guns!” I have since adapted to computer screens, this iPad screen, and the phone screen. Become used to being able to look up just about anything on line and be reading an e-book about it 5 minutes later. But the loss of meaning you talk about is a positive thing to me as I approach death. The last time I do this or that no longer holds me. That part of me hasn’t died, I have died to it. I have come some fair way to dying to myself. Come to see and accept my insignificance and the insignificance of my end. I call it Holy Indifference. Some things still compel my attention. Certain forms of prayer and meditation, art projects, and intellectual understandings that are still possible. But all those must go in the end and I’m increasingly ok with that. Anyhow that my view from 80.

[@naturalbornchiller158]

Thank you mate

[@nc8982]

That was beautiful and sad to read

[@showdodoc]

Thank you for sharing this perspective with us

[@florin604]

Read every word

[@southlondon86]

Thank you for this, sir.

[@blumars8000]

Everyone just want to be a victim and pleasing others today. Modern Movies gotten too real world political, trash and boring.

[@gdr1174]

We're either bereft of talented writers, or talented writers are not being given opportunities or the creative space to write without outside interference

[@muffinman5741]

I think talented simply ignore their talent for the sake of woke signaling. That's why even once great filmmakers now suck cause they sold out to the woke crowd. Talented people enter the industry and then get brainwashed into ignoring all their innovative ideas forbthe sake of "the message".

[@delta-9969]

how the hell you can write or do anything creative when you have a blue-haired ghoul standing over your shoulder making sure everything conforms to her social justice vision of the world? edit: worse, these people get into HR first, and take control of the hiring process. You don't even get the job unless you signal the correct ideological commitments. That's why there's so much "BLM flag, trans flag, ukraine flag, pronouns in the bio" conformist cronyism in the linkedin corporate world.

[@annabell3385]

They aren't being given opportunities.

[@shyrose720]

Combo of both I think. The talented writers aren't allowed to do their best because of woke policies. And, fewer people are being taught how to be good writer's. That takes both a motivated person to learn, and a motivated person to teach. So the wokeness take the motivation away. Leaving hallow people in need of something to feel connected to. Then the woke swoop in and save them from their emptiness. See the narsasitic circle?

[@spacedinosaur8733]

@@shyrose720 Yep, and being told you can't write outside of your own experience. I remember seeing something for YA novelists a while back. "If your character is not your ethnicity/sex than you'd better not write them. If you do feel they should be included than you need to get an "appropriate reviewer" to make sure the character is" ...I was going to say authentic, but they don't care about that..."shown in the best light."

[@patriciachadwick5658]

My brother-in-law is a screenwriter who finds himself constantly unable to participate in the utter rubbish they're putting on screens today.

[@lesslycarthan956]

I'll tell him once it's out his hands and if you want the real download the script or book

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

I'm an award-winning author and I absolutely loathe the uninspired gutter trash Hollywon't is plopping out from its cantankerous, cancerous colon. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158]

Self censorship is the death of art.

[@joseph6243]

Same here

[@jmcnally647]

I really hope creative talents will forge new alliances and business ventures and let the studios whom cannot produce good quality anymore fail out and fade away.

[@donna-mariebroomfield4584]

My husband and I were saying the other day how movies have changed. When I was growing up I watched movies like “The Secret of my Success”, “Working Girl”, “Trading Places”, “Karate Kid”, “Rocky” etc. ie empowering movies that made me feel motivated- like I could achieve anything if I focused and worked hard.

[@beingsshepherd]

But not to be careful what you wish for. We're seldom shown what happens after the spoils of victory.

[@donna-mariebroomfield4584]

@@beingsshepherd so what you are saying is “don’t even try because it might go wrong”. I would rather try than spend my whole life thinking “what if”.

[@beingsshepherd]

@@donna-mariebroomfield4584 Those protagonists had trifling worldly ambitions and achieved them by bringing down others. Rat race propaganda dressed up as epic David vs Goliath battles.

[@SamBrickell]

Hollywood doesn't believe in America or Americans any more, so they are incapable of writing and producing empowering movies.

[@MijoShrek]

​@@beingsshepherdoh gawed what unoriginal deconstructionist BS NPC comment about those classics.Karate Kid, wax on, wax off. GTFOH 😂

[@daviddamasceno6063]

There has been many moments in my life where a memory of a good movie or story has helped me carry on. I can only imagine kids growing up with movies and shows we have today, if there will be a single life lesson they'll remember when things get hard.

[@mcren6781]

Exactly! I feel so bad for kids they will never experience the joy of finding inspiration in a film! I used to be so moved by kids movies as a kid. The under dog story. It inspired me to fight hard in life.

[@kthx1138]

Yes! A character in a story needs an arc where the character learns something and grows. The problem of a character going from being a bubble of power to a bubble of power is there's no growth, the character is just always perfectly complete. What is required is an experience that humbles the character, where they need to come back from, triumph.

[@ddsjgvk]

Scarface. Tony didn't learn a thing.

[@Slav4o911]

The problem is, they are not only overpowered, but they never abuse their power and they never make mistakes. I like to watch Anime series and movies and sometimes there are characters ridiculously overpowered, but they are not perfect, they can't always protect the weak or even care to protect them, they sometimes abuse their power and so on.... but a woke overpowered character is actually a being without soul, they never make mistakes, they never abuses their power.... also that being has plot armor in addition to their power.... i.e. even when they appear weak their enemies can't do anything, because it has plot armor. Being overpowered doesn't mean you'll always going to make "the right decision" sometimes you make mistakes... but not in the woke movies. There they are always right and always stronger and don't have any flaws or their flaws are superficial i.e. even if they have some "flaw" it's not a "real flaw" and it actually doesn't matter.

[@0tt0z]

​@ddsjgvk he was written that way and he paid the price.

[@lukayaroslav9914]

Static character can work just fine because they influenced the world around them instead of other way around. Superman and Giorno from JJBA part 5 are great examples of this

[@Stalemarshmallow]

I just want to enjoy a story. I don’t want an agenda or theme pushed on me. Let me just watch and enjoy a story.

[@Dancestar1981]

And a well written one at that

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

Thank you.

[@Hitchens-t5c]

What about originality. Movies these days are copied one after another. Imagine whites creating a movie where Martin Luther King is white? Everyone will be outraged then.

[@macmachine]

There's always an agenda. It's just how subtly you hide it.

[@purpurina5663]

The story does need substance though. Substance that, as he says, is not just about who oppresses whom. And I'm not sure the industry is able to deliver that.

[@gbalfour9618]

All Trump was, he was symptom of a deeper issue; not the issue as many were telling people. 100% agree

[@biancaenera2500]

Do you understand he is one of the daily wire and they are all in for DeSantis? That's not rational thinking about Trump! Lol 😂😂😂

[@chet9128]

@@biancaenera2500Yes, the softer side of elitism . He said average people are so demoralized and/or revenge driven they voted for the likes of DJT. Disgusting

[@Winterascent]

@@chet9128 It's time for Caesar against the Pompey that is the "Elite". Murder Caesar, we will give you Octavian. Think they'll keep it from occurring and if you're lucky you'll get a Robespierre. Unlucky: Stalin or Hitler, and not just someone they screech about and call that, a real one. Sure, many are demoralized. I simply see it as the time for revenge so severe that show trials for "Elites" are generally acceptable.

[@Photoshop729]

Even Maverick would have been an average movie in the 80s or 90s but was a huge success due to such a lack of other compelling stories. This happened even when they couldn’t even say who the enemy country was in the movie.

[@Dtown3]

Nah Maverick would be good in any era. Few modern action movies have hit like that period.

[@JanVerny]

@@IntergalacticDustBunny The whole time I watched Maverick, I couldn't help but think this is SW: A New Hope, but now that you started talking about his character, I also realized it's 90% of The Last Jedi as well, we watch an old washed up hero, who made some horrible mistakes in his past try to correct them, train the next generation and then go on one last adventure.

[@moralityisnotsubjective5]

@@IntergalacticDustBunny "They got to do a Star Wars." -Ryan, Pitch Meeting

[@sonicstar917]

@@JanVernyI'd say _Maverick_ is _The Last Jedi_ done right. Disney-era _Star Wars_ was spiteful.

[@benahern7410]

Photoshop I know it's a year later, but I disagree. Maverick in my opinion, is a great movie. Great cast. Pretty damn good story and great action flight scenes. I don't watch a lot of new movies anymore but Maverick is one of the best movies I've seen in years.

[@nyjilthebird]

I started watching older films such as “Night of the Living Dead”, “Indiana Jones”, even Sam Raimi’s Spider-man trilogy. I swear, the 90s to the late 2000s had the best films!

[@GamerDude-xz8up]

80’s-2000’s for me.

[@CaptainTae]

Destroying the studio system gave us the greatest era of movies in the 70s.

[@purpurina5663]

How right he is! To me the root of the cause is the lack of culture in the industry. They only care about money but especially they know nothing of philosophy, the arts, the classics. Those are not just "knowledge", those are formative works that give you perspective into the human history and psyche. That's why they take themselves sooo seriously -nothing has a real sense of humor anymore.

[@ThomasWong54]

That's because America has no culture. It's a piece of colonised land LMAO

[@rayboish]

The film industry is now more interested in Box ticking than Box office !!

[@jamesmcinnis208]

I reject your comment because it does not contain a deaf black lesbian in a wheelchair.

[@rayboish]

@@jamesmcinnis208 🤣 I will bear it in mind for next time !!

[@Wishmaster787]

​@@rayboishno vegan option either

[@alanski2005]

What a breath of fresh air to watch this sensible lucid conversation. The sooner wokeness is crushed to a pulp and completely obliterated the better. Hollywood has become a basket case, a complete disaster.

[@cindysmale9290]

Hoorah! Touche! You hit the target in your comment!

[@tryingbutfailing]

I hope you're right, but I think it will get worse. Woke is the new Notsee flag. Fly it outside your house or else.

[@joseph6243]

​@@tryingbutfailingIt's incumbent to redpill the intelligent/open minded people in your life. I've helped several people open their eyes to what wokeness is really about and now they see it for what it is.

[@ChristopherCopeland]

Absolutely. That was my feeling as well. Literally a sigh of relief hearing people speak coherently and intelligently and seeing the relationship between these topics.

[@donaldpratt2296]

The “powerful businesswoman decides to quit doing that and have a man take care of her while she starts a family” movie is made a dozen times every year by Hallmark.

[@Kane-yl7wx]

Hallmark - not Hollywood

[@kevinhealey6540]

The main reason why people don't go to films anymore is the actors in films nowadays don't like people. For that business, one needs affinity.

[@WarDog793]

Thank YOU, Mr. Klavan. You pretty much said it all in this interview. The one beneficial thing about all these woke films is that it gives me more time to READ books.

[@jamesbrice6619]

I just watch old TV series and old movies. I rarely watch a movie that came out after the 90s

[@Bob-qk2zg]

Art without aesthetics is merely politics. Disney's art is to tell a good story. Budweiser's art is to make a good beer. Target's art is to make a deal. They are all utter failures.

[@beenright5115]

Budweiser's beer production hasn't changed

[@delta-9969]

I wouldn't call anything those 3 corporations are engaged in "art." It's business, pure and simple. Their "business" is slinging mass-produced entertainment, metallic swill beer, and cheap chinese goods respectively. And they can't even do that because they are too busy evangelizing on behalf of identity politics to turn a profit.

[@fibessnaredrum2775]

​@@beenright5115 yea it's still awful warm piss.. I wouldn't call it beer 😂

[@jamesbrice6619]

@@beenright5115 but their sales are way down🤣😆😂😅

[@thinkforyourself-j5v]

​@@jamesbrice6619I had to laugh silently to myself as I watched their latest beer commercial trying to Rebrand themselves. Oh no no no forget that whole trans thing. You never saw that😂.

[@BarryButtersDoes]

You can see the ideology most clearly if you compare the old James Bond movies with the new James Bond movies.

[@mrsuccorso]

You'll see it even more clearly when the old Bond books (which I'm presently chewing through) are rewritten by sensitivity readers and published for a "modern audience".

[@etsequentia6765]

There are no "new James Bond movies". There are movies with James Bond in the title and some violent goof trying to convince us he's the character. The actual character was successfully assassinated decades ago. If you're watching one of the "new" movies now you're watching an animated rotting corpse.

[@michaelxz1305]

Honestly, I know people don't agree . But I've always thought Timothy Dalton played the best bond. Sean Connery a d Roger Moore were maybe a bit more light hearted but Timothy Dalton was great.. but who knows..maybe his movies were some of the better ones in general, so that might be affecting my opinion.

[@Treblaine]

I cannot watch the new Bond movies from start to finish without having to stop and take a break. I'm not a masochist. The movies are bait for people who care but it punishes you for caring.

[@supertrendymoneymaker0722]

Goldeneye to this day was my favorite Bond movie of all time.

[@meditationmountainbyrishab919]

Andrew is spot on! Movies is a business of emotions, but there is little emotional depth left in the world anymore, our movies reflect our spiritual drought. I don't ever see any celeb show gratitude to God in his oscar speech. There was a time the good guy was Benhur and his virtues were inspiring, but then he slowly became Scarface, there has been a gradual swift in ethics for the worst, for mankind and movies.

[@kelvinreins6290]

The term 'aging out' is a platitude for ignoring historical courage, morals and values. The Casablanca screenplay was written on set, one day at a time while shooting, as was how Jaws was written. These productions had no idea where they were going with their story. It's a miracle that they turned out any good at all! Today's films in American is going the way of its music...right into the bank accounts of a few which is a metaphor for an artistic trash can. The less we say, the less we can offend the audience, but the more forgettable the work. Thanks for the video!

[@jimluebke3869]

"All these people in the media said, 'no no no you must be afraid!'" Yes. Their ability to direct the fears of their audience has been the conscious source of the media's power for decades now.

[@randycliff4045]

Here's something else to consider -- young people have no sense of history, whether practical history of the world, or of their own country, or in movies, the young constantly suffer from a depths of only 3-5yrs. Pretty sad!

[@aaronfagerstrom34]

I'd agree but change yrs to months...

[@badunius_code]

​@@aaronfagerstrom34 change months to tik-toks

[@aaronfagerstrom34]

@@badunius_code hahaha. Is it really that bad?

[@josephbrown9685]

It’s crazy that there are young people who seem to believe that society didn’t exist before they were born. It’s as if some of them haven’t even seen movies nor listened to music prior to 2000.

[@badunius_code]

@@aaronfagerstrom34 obviously I do not possess the hard data to back it up, but that is the vibe I get from my own observations of the current generation. There are people who remember and still refer to memes from a decade ago, but is there a person who still remembers previous tik-tok trend?

[@erlstone]

we live in the rise and power of the "mediocre"... and they hate true talent or hard work.. so they protect each other, hire each other and keep the doors closed to those that could prove them to be talentless hacks that they are... we once lived in the world of merit, sadly no more

[@ianboard544]

Ayn Rand said that the way to bring people down was not to go after merit, but to elevate mediocrity.

[@I9s7lam5is-S3tu1pid]

Exactly

[@thomasfairfax4956]

There never was a world of merit.

[@ianboard544]

@@thomasfairfax4956 That's utter baloney. Tell yourself that the next time you ride in an airplane, or are about the go under anesthesia for an operation.

[@erlstone]

@@ianboard544 .. re read my comment... "in the rise"... I did not say in total.... and yes, some areas are advancing.. but in many, they are regressing...creativity, media, arts, university, government etc etc... so only partly baloney... anyway, u know what I mean, u seem smart enough

[@Cygnus75]

What a great interview! Mr. Klavan is very clear and direct and he knows the movies and their history. We need more thinking people like him and you guys.

[@44excalibur]

The problem with the Marvel movies is that they're not being made correctly. They're straying too far from the source material and the essence of the characterization and narratives are being lost in favor of woke ideology, and and they're not following the structure of the comics, which is based on classic literature and 20th century science fiction writing.

[@dathorndike4908]

The problem with Marvel movies is that they should be shown on Saturday mornings with the Looney Tunes cartoons- not on a big screen in a movie theater.

[@tonymaiorano2749]

The last 2 movies I saw and enjoyed were ' 1917 ' and Dunkirk. OK, no women, but I also loved ' Thelma and Louise ", and ' Alien ', starring women. Just give us entertaining movies, well written, directed and acted.

[@Jessica_Jones]

Exactly. My husband and I recently watched The Hunt for Red October and because of modern society I noticed there were pretty much no women and guess what? I didn't care lol! It was honestly refreshing seeing a bunch of men just being men.

[@ryanhogge8]

WHY exactly were there no trans women of color starring in those movies??? This is an outrage, and they can't keep getting away with it!

[@TheThinker-ce5kq]

We need more storytelling.

[@adriennebell1735]

Wonderful discussion!What I really miss in modern films is romance and love, softness and tenderness. The sex depicted in the most popular US series from the past 15 years disgusts me; It's always ugly, violent and unloving.

[@LostInOldMovies]

I fully agree, this is why I only watch old movies from the 1930s to 50s with some 80s too, not only were the films all clean but they used to value romance and love and knew how important it was, the most important bond that is the beginning of all other bonds, this is why 90% of 1920-50s movies have romance in them no matter what genre and I love it. Far better romances than will ever come out today, and the kiss scenes in old movies are more romantic and passionate than any of these disgusting scenes today.

[@jamesbrice6619]

@LostInOldMovies even if old movies covered a topic like adultery, such as Intermezzo, they always showed it to be bad and a huge mistake at the end. It also expressed forgiveness and Repentance

[@elenabob4953]

Did you notice that modern movies don't know how to write love? It is just something that it happened and if they put something is shallow or extremely toxic.

[@jamesbrice6619]

@@elenabob4953 very rarely do you see anything in modern movies expressing true love, honor, nobility, sacrifice, selflessness, etc...

[@LostInOldMovies]

@seanolaocha940 Yea that is clean lol, almost all films were G rated or PG, as if innuendos compares to post hays code films. Even Some Like it hot, one of the more daring films shall we say, is still clean, it's just more raunchy but a 10 year old could still watch it. Also in most old movies they were married before anything was implied, or the implied scenes were actually relevant to the plot, unlike today, I also don't see what's unclean about implied sex especially between married couples, it's the reason we are all here. Even the pre code films that everyone always goes on about are still usually PG by today's standards.

[@langleyj8199]

Really, normal people must stop supporting woke tv shows, movies, Disney etc. I watch many of the thousands of fantastic movies made between 1935 and 1960. There are also some classics in 1960 to 1970.

[@dumbunny7986]

Don't limit yourself. There's plenty of wonderful movies made prior to 1935 including silents.

[@gipgap4]

I don’t see why not either. Bud light being a prime example of what can happen when consumers take action or a lack of action.

[@CornerTalker]

With today's technology, they not only know how many people watch, they know when they tuned out. "Hey look - we lost 24% of our viewers twenty-two minutes into the show. What was happening then?"

[@CornerTalker]

@@dumbunny7986 If you can handle the subtitles, try "M" starring Peter Lorre. "The Kid" with Charlie Chaplin is a good introduction to silent.

[@dumbunny7986]

@@CornerTalker Thank you. I've seen M with Peter Lorre. Much superior to the American version. Tho famously funny many of Chaplin's pictures had a touch of pathos and The Kid had that in spades.

[@morpheuslaughing]

Hollywood is catering to younger audineces and now we have Gen Z, the Christopher Columbus generation that just renames stuff that already exists as if they discovered it. They are going to make awful directors just plagiarizing what came before

[@kim-jong-poon]

When i was a teenager in the late 90s early 2000s often times when me and my friends would get bored we would randomly decide to go see a movie and we wouldn't even bother looking to see what movies were playing because we knew that one of the eight screens would be playing at least one movie we'd want to see, many there would be multiple good movies playing and we'd make a decision on which one to watch. And it was extremely rare that would leave a movie disappointed. I wouldn't dream of doing that today with the crap Hollywood has been putting out recently.

[@toureharris3489]

What are some crap movies ? & how can the film industry improve ?

[@jennycaneen]

Years ago I began noticing how many tv shows ( in particular) featured protagonists - the character we invest in and root for - who are literally bad guys. Vigilantes and outright criminals. I’d ask my students about tv characters they liked and ask “would you want this person as a neighbor? Would you want your future kids around him or her? If they asked for a loan, would you feel you could date no?” I’d get a conversation going about why so often we valorize characters in our entertainment who are literally anti-social! This is an interesting take on that question.

[@ernestcolemantheking]

nah, its actually a fucking stupid question .

[@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564]

For some reason we seemm to favour sociopathic traits, probably mistaking them for leadership? With "deconstruction" I've also noticed that our collective notion of heroism and leadership are being eroded. You have to get back to books and films that are sometimes over 70 years of age to find a healthy role model in that sense.

[@ernestcolemantheking]

@@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564 Nah fam, I don't look to fiction for Role models 😂 it's just entertainment. Most "Positive role models are boring as fuck.

[@yaantsudnbesdai972]

The lack of clear cut protaganists in movies is a microcosm of all of society. A wicket perverse and corrupt society doesn't produce heroes and protaganists nor does it portray right and wrong on screen nor does it want the good guy to win. A stupid society as America doesn't like heroes; it likes villains more; it now has no concept of right and wrong. A very stupid country that seems to be well past the point of no return. One of many things I miss about 'older movies' are clear cut protaganists who put villains in their proper place and always come out on top in the end. Seeing bad guys get their comeuppance, etc. Also portraying men in men's roles and women and women's roles and there's never any confusion between the two roles: They are as opposite as night and day. An ugly stupid felonious trailer trash manly quasi-transgender female covered in tattoos with an uber-unlikeable personality beating up men is reprehensibly-pathetic and a trillion percent the opposite of a 'MODESTLY-CLAD' morally clean and very effeminate and intelligent Shirley Temple or Grace Kelly who doesn't use profanity and is truly attractive and has great civilized mannerisms. Aren't these many proofs that America is a stupid worthless degraded 3rd world country?

[@pendorran]

Examples? In particular of series your students would be likely to see.

[@amyakins6752]

Thank you SO MUCH for this! This man is so wonderful, and he knows his movie history and how they shaped our culture and our country. I was born in 1971, and my grandparents were the greatest generation. They raised me on classic Hollywood films, stars, and the studio system. I would rather watch any film from before 1970 than anything after. I'm so glad this was in my feed this morning!

[@jueshihuanggua3162]

what's he talking about? stars have no power today, Cruise is the last movie star that draws an audience. He put too much emphasis on religion, Japan is not religious, their anime is art. the problem with hollywood is there's too many agenda driven movies, too many remakes, there's little room for risky projects

[@leepretorius4869]

It’s not necessarily about religious or not religious, it’s about worldview. In anime their worldview is not naturalistic or materialistic, it has a spiritual underpinning due to their core beliefs. Miyazakis movies don’t need to be religious but you can’t deny they’re deeply spiritual.

[@damin9913]

Everything sucks in this generation anything they make its always trying to copy the 80s and 90s stuff it doesn't work in todays modern days its just suck!

[@1969cmp]

The Jesus Revolution was a breathe of fresh air. It completely bucked the current trend in Hollywood and was well received by movie goers regardless of worldveiw. It was simple but deep.

[@joseph6243]

It's a good film, but it still followed a lot of the standard cliche Hollywood story and character tropes.

[@5thLegion]

I don’t go to the movies anymore and I barely watch TV. My only regret is that I didn’t ditch hollyweird sooner

[@ACollectorNotAHoarder]

I'm so tired of every movie being a superhero movie or comic book movie. I want to see movies about normal people with good writing and no special effects.

[@RonaldReaganRocks1]

YES!

[@arielgoldfarb4118]

Yes ... nornal regular average people not about some guy who was amazingly succesfull or invented some crap or something like that. Just normal people who can relate to you or your life.

[@rupertsmith5815]

Road to perdition, Oldboy , A history of violence, the death of Stalin are all comic book movies comics aren’t just about superheroes There are plenty especially in France and Belgium with a lot more down to earth stories

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

He’s a bright man…and that’s different than being right. And the goal has never been to be right…it’s been to think and to express one’s thoughts respectfully and to list others’ ideas. I can’t imagine someone would have a problem with these three. Not once did they tell people what to think, nor did they harass their audience for seeing the world as they do. The other side (not represented here) are bullies…bullying others because they don’t see things their way. So, their methods suck and yet their methods are separate from the topics they speak on which may indeed have merit. It is some pretty sick nonsense to for anyone to believe that their opinion or point of view should become someone else’s point of you - that’s a dictator in the literal sense of that word…’to follow someone’s word (speech).

[@NorthernRealmJackal]

2:37 Describing wokeness as "the bottom of atheistic philosophy" is certainly..... interesting. The notion that "inner life" should equate "spiritual life" and that both are juxtaposed by power sounds very new-agey and American-christian-brain-wormy to me. I think wokenss is much more of a political -ism than a religious one: individuality (I, as an individual) vs. hierarchical identity politics (I, as an oppressor or victim in society). It's not religious people vs. atheists - it's individualists vs. left-authoritarians.

[@jeffdurall8353]

At one point in my life I was a huge movie buff. So many movies, so little time. Fast forward to 2020 and beyond, I could care less. Movies like Shawshank Redemption and movies of that caliber will never be seen again. Hollyweird is content just throwing super hero shit at everyone and calling it good.

[@GosiaOver]

Very good conversation and spot on conclusions. Thank you for saying it out loud ❤🎉🙏🏼

[@LaOwlett]

When I want to watch a movie, it's to escape the daily grind, escape politics, take a break from reality. I don't watch movies anymore. I watch critics and commentators takes on the garbage currently in the theatres instead.

[@rol579]

There are also great movies which are not meant to be an escape. As long as they dont try to push an agenda on you, as long as they leave space for thinking, they can be great aswell

[@SabineWald_NowHere]

Short, sweet and spot on. What a brilliant man. I thought I was the only one who cannot watch Hollywood c*ap for the past few years. I watch Euro movies instead or KZbin. Truly enjoyed this interview.

[@chamboyette853]

I would say it has gone way downhill. I am very much into cinema, and almost refuse to see any hollywood movie done after 2015, and hesitate when it is between 2011 and 2015 (although there are some good ones during that period I have seen). I feel very safe seeing stuff before 2011, because even with those earlier movies that are bad, there is not this sickening propaganda or overdoing the dopamine like after 2015.

[@annetteringo6544]

It's about people being fed up with the horse manure called Wokism.

[@ethanpoints8735]

11:37 I had that exact take. This is the 1st time I have ever heard anyone else describe that moment for the truth of it and how the media took the opportunity to set America back. Thanks for drawing attention to it and framing it so well.

[@mzungumzungu336]

Triggernometry is a blog for the thinker, ... for the one who reflects, ponders,... for someone who lives at the intersection of politics, culture & natural law. Thank you for bringing Klavan to your podcast!

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

"Reflect upon the Past. Embrace your Present. Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@ThatNorwegianGuy-]

I've never really liked Andrew all too much, maybe it's his cadence, his tone or overall presentation that hasn't quite intrigued me.. But I can't deny that he is a very intelligent human being, and his analysis is spot on.

[@shevawnprather7162]

Blessings to Mr. Andrew Klavan for his wisdom and speaking the truth. All one has to do is stop and take a long look to see where this world is headed and at full speed. God bless you. 🙏❤️

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Absolutely true. The same with modern music. It was good till around 2000. I haven't seen a new release movie in years.

[@outlawfly664]

Same with modern video games to, the last golden age was the 2000s. Literally every entertainment medium has declined rapidly since 2010.

[@talaniel]

IDK, I still keep discovering great new music :-)

[@_BiologyMatters_]

"Nothing really compels me like it used to." Francis stated what I've been feeling for years now. The last movie I was excited about was the first Jurassic World movie and that sucked.

[@HeyMykee]

The last time I felt excited about going to see a movie in a theater was when the first Resident Evil movie came out. It was a huge disappointment. That's when I realized the great era of the 60's, 70's and 80's movies was over.

[@RichardBurch]

Hollywood walks around the graveyard of past blockbusters, wielding a shovel and digging up what worked 20= years ago. Then, phone the whole thing in with gender/race swapping as the only spin. I can't watch Netflix without foreign subtitles on. That's why it's costing more, it's all imported.

[@freddieoblivion6122]

On peacock, there's actually this new feature for the somehow disabled (I presume) where they actually describe what's happening on the screen DURING the show - shot - for - shot... WHAT IS THAT???

[@beenright5115]

Umm, wouldn't much of the imported stuff be cheaper? Which is partly why it's imported?

[@pamelaroyce5285]

@@freddieoblivion6122 that’s descriptive assistance for people with vision impairments. It’s a vision counterpart to closed captions for hearing impairment.

[@Bytheirfruitsshall]

@@freddieoblivion6122 It's for blind and partially sighted.

[@marisolmagana9644]

I worked in LA at a very important channel and at first I wanted to stay, but then I saw everything that Hollywood is and I was so disappointed about it. It is an awful industry. Everything is a lie. It keeps going in a huge decline!!

[@etaylor8028]

The reason why we don’t need a movie about a woman who came from a successful career but then chose to be a housewife, is because women already do that all the time. There’s nothing interesting in that, no heroes journey. It happens literally all the time with women in their 30s. Sure plenty of women want to be housewives, but they know this since young, it’s rare that a career woman will be like “ya know, it would be so much less stressful to spend my time doing chores and cooking dinner whilst holding a screaming toddler”. Motherhood takes *everything* from a woman (her time, her youth, her money, oftentimes her health/looks) so it’s not a more peaceful existence than her just having a job and having the maid/nanny do chores. The amount of single moms who believed that their baby daddies would stick around, only for him to abandon her after she’s given birth, is staggering. That’s why we don’t need a movie about it.

[@etaylor8028]

The little mermaid remake was a good film. Hollywood is not making great movies lately because movies that would’ve started production (and released today) in 2020 and 2021 were halted due to the pandemic. And since then we’re experiencing crazy inflation, and writers strike due to AI. Blaming everything on wokeism to me is clear dog whistling that this “expert” in the video just feels threatened by female empowerment. “Why don’t we have movies about a working woman who chose to become a housewife?” Ummm because that’s most couples today who can’t afford daycare. The only women for whom being a housewife would be better, are women that come from very stressful former jobs, and who marry rich.

[@julieginn2822]

I watch Chinese historical shows now. Great storytelling per Joseph Campbell's heros journey, deep human nature and reflection, women who are strong yet engaging and feminine, lots of high values like loyalty, honor, eternal love, also clean without sex or nudity. The Legend of Fua Yao is amazing example. Seen by 2 billion people worldwide.

[@I9s7lam5is-S3tu1pid]

More than half of whom are of Chinese descent

[@davidschmitz4300]

I've watched a couple of those as well -- Qin Dynasty Epic and Three Kingdoms (2010) are amazingly well done.

[@julieginn2822]

@JadeOhara hello to a fellow fan. That was a truly wonderful series and so glad you mentioned it. Loved her perfect husband too. It was really cute. I find these dramas can really delve into human nature. The heights and the depths.

[@sc3304]

I enjoy a good wuxia or xinxia- the top ones are just as impactful as anytging western. . But at at least 40 episodes plus, I find it hard to commit to them. Also the dubbing, wooden acting and the child-like female leads with high squeaky voices put me off a bit.

[@Sidera17]

I loved his take on art, art life cycles historically, and on Wokeism. We come from two very different places when it comes to how to live, though. I think people who have always been historically more physically vulnerable have relied on those who were not. They relied on the physically healthier individuals to behave responsibly and heroically like the old heroes did. In a story archetype, their role was to defend the other aspects of life worth fighting for, like freedom, integrity, honor, etc. People like me (medically fragile) existed to provide the archetype as to why survival, life itself, and the act of living should not be taken for granted. The two ideas worked in a mutually beneficial way. Now everyone is out for themselves-- it's not about preserving the idea of the value of an individual human's life-- it's about feeding or preserving one's individual sense of self and importance. This looks like a great interview and I'm going to watch the whole segment.

[@dr.juerdotitsgo5119]

To pick two relatable examples, both the Star Trek TNG episode "Brothers" and the Twilight Zone episode "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" discuss why people need to create things of transcendent value regardless of their own life spam. This notion is completely gone now.

[@Sidera17]

@@dr.juerdotitsgo5119 I am not familiar with either episode so I will have to check them out. Thank you for the recommedations!

[@dr.juerdotitsgo5119]

@@Sidera17 Actually, aside from the subject, the Star Trek episode is not that good lol. Twilight Zone (1959-1964) however I would recommend to anyone who likes great storytelling.

[@Sidera17]

@@dr.juerdotitsgo5119 I ended up just finishing the episode. Yes, it's exactly the idea I was trying to lay out about the characters and archetype roles! Thank you for this, I'm going to refer to it in the future.

[@beingsshepherd]

Sounds like the frail old mentor figures in: Star Wars, Karate Kid, Dungeons and Dragons, Rocky, TMNT ...

[@avisnubia]

I think he missed a point in that movies and TV were often about being a good person or a good "American", as a collective, based in spirituality or a belief in a purpose higher than yourself. Wokeness is also very selfish and narcissistic so movies today, I find are mostly look at me, feel for me or I am the only one who can "save" the world. That's why we have representation instead of storytelling.

[@jonathanwhite8904]

A woman starts off as a high power business woman and gives it up to raise a family? So, every Hallmark channel movie ever?

[@AbsentMinded619]

They’re extremely popular but they’re relegated to a cheap TV movies because Hollywood won’t touch it. Kinda proves his point.

[@Dunbar0740]

"Identity politics" is the logical conclusion of radical individualism. This is a problem for any cultural endeavour; anything can now be perceived as an "aggression", that demands to be heeded, regardless of "facts" and "intention".

[@hiu83d]

There is a film called - 'In Her Shoes' which came out in 2005 not that long ago but also before the woke storm in which a successful lawyer leaves her job to become a dog walker, re-bonds with her sister and ends up meeting the love her life and gets married in the end, sorry for spoilers!! It has Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz in it and it's one of my favourite films.

[@madhusudan]

Added to my list to view with my family. Thanks.

[@whaaat3632]

Just watched it again on Hulu a couple of months ago. Love it!

[@ClarisseRockinThatBow]

You're right - In Her Shoes was a great movie.

[@TonyBongo869]

When the Oscars give you a menu of what needs to be in your movie before you’ll be considered for an award, no wonder that everything that comes out of the kitchen tastes bland

[@jimmycrack-corn9872]

I’ve been building up a large library of old DVDs of 1980s - 2010 movies. 2 reasons really: More and more streamers charge for anything decent so it makes good sense to buy them for a pound or 2 on EBay or in charity shops. Also if they start censoring them by no longer makng them available or cutting scenes I will have access.

[@edwinamendelssohn5129]

I was just thinking about doing that.

[@eeddieedwards3890]

And the old DVDs don't include TRIGGER WARNINGS!

[@7yorker7]

That's an interview worth watching. Good job.

[@hagakure81]

Modern movies already started to suck when directors started realizing (incorrectly) that they could replace good scripts and good acting with better and bigger CGI. They started to suck more when the budgets started bloating and bloating and bloating BECAUSE more of said CGI was being used. The budgets got so big that movies started becoming huge risks. Because they became huge risks, studios started focusing on "safer" bets. Thus more and more marvel movies, more and more remakes, reboots, reimaginings, recastings of formerly beloved and successful movies. THEN you add in NETFLIX and the like, then you add in a forced staying at home and peoples movie watching habits changing. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, you throw in wokeness. No wonder Hollywood is collapsing. And we will all be better off for it. I hope honestly we will see the return of a lot of movies that cost something like $10-20m to produce and focus on story and acting and great cinematography, over the bloated $300m recycled garbage we are getting now.

[@MsDY45]

When I was a child I went to the movie on either a Wednesday or Saturday matinee. And even as a young adult I went regularly. Now in my old age I never find any film I really like, so I am reassured that it may be the film making rather than just my taste that has changed.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

"Reflect upon the Past. Embrace your Present. Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@MJ-tn5qp]

The same is true in Bollywood. They are just making absolute woke crap.

[@rousbagaming]

True. Hindi films are just copy paste today. No original scripts anymore.

[@mlovmo]

NO... Really? Even in India???

[@MillywiggZ]

It’s happening in Bollywood too? No more wet sarees then I’m guessing? Hahaa!

[@lullaby218]

Their culture is under attack just like ours.

[@tris421]

So can we blame athiesm there too?

[@patriciachadwick5658]

Thank you, for your wonderful guest...an extremely wise man.

[@s.n.a.k.e.o.i.l.e.r]

Andrew Klavan has his own YT channel if you are interested👍

[@maxiculture]

Wise man.... now there's an interesting concept, not much discussed these days.

[@MauriceCharles]

0:21 It’s called Elizabeth Holmes (Sherlock)

[@0x0abb]

13:21 I disagree with the idea of that, not believing in a God, will ultimately make you feel your life is useless, but rather, if you realize that you can use logic to prove or understand yourself and humanity and the relationship that humanity has for the world, you can find new meanings in life which actually that is the truth. There is no meaning in life and that’s the beauty. Because you can find your own meaning in life.

[@B-Nice]

Being Woke is being aware of the Spirit and being aware of those who try to manipulate us all. It's beyond sad that this term has been hijacked to mean something completely different. 😢

[@HeyMykee]

I call that being Awake. Let them have all the terms they've destroyed.

[@B-Nice]

@@HeyMykee it might not be the best idea to enjoy the fact that definitions of words are being eroded. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@HeyMykee]

@@B-Nice Oh I definitely care about the definitions of words. But honestly I never heard the term woke being used like that until the left started using it. It was always just a verb-"He woke with a taste in his mouth like stale cigarettes and rancid beer." Let them have their version of it. We need to choose our fights, and I think definitions of words like woman and man are far more important.

[@B-Nice]

@@HeyMykee "What good do your words do, if they can't understand you" - E. Badu

[@HeyMykee]

@@B-Nice Yeah, just give up if you want to, whatever. I'll stay in the fight. But stop pestering me with your ridiculus nonsense.

[@lonzo61]

I disagree with Klavan on his "requiremnet" that there be a belief in god for there to be any reason or foundation for fighting for something, for courage, morality, mythology and archetypes, etc. I'm a longtime non-believer who also recognizes how awful WOKEness is and Hollywood movies have become. What he completely fails to recognize, in fact, is that WOKE is itself a religion! Religion often is the problem. But religion can offer benefits to people, too. My point is that there are bad religions, perhaps benign religions, and maybe a few good ones. WOKE is among the worst of them. I'd put Islam up there, too. Atheism is not the problem, I feel. It could be that in the absence of traditional religions, some people might become nihilistic. So, that might be an issue. How to find meaning and a substitute for traditional religion is a sticky wicket. But there are many nonbelievers who still are spiritual people and find meaning in life absent an invisible man in the clouds. For the record, I am a left-leaning centrist who does accept why people are religious, and that they NEED it. But I am deeply anti-WOKE because it is a deeply flawed religion that harms society and the people it alleges to serve, more than it helps. We were making steady progress as a society on issues of race and gay rights (to include the other iterations of nonhetero), but what the WOKE are doing is actually worsening conversation. It is leading us down some version of a Marxist/Utopian hell.

[@DieFlabbergast]

There is something beyond yourself, but it isn't necessarily "God." It's your nation, your community, your family. It's Truth, Beauty, and Science. All those things. There lots of atheists out there who live meaningful, morally upright lives without needing the crutch of a book written by Middle Eastern scribes thousands of years ago. My culture is based partly on the Bible, but it's also based on Greek and Roman literature and the age-old wisdom of my Germanic and Celtic ancestors.

[@beingsshepherd]

Is it set in stone, or cherry-picked as needed?

[@harsh3948]

@@beingsshepherd Well the bible also doesn't have a lot of things set in stone, going by the testaments

[@beingsshepherd]

@@harsh3948 Two wrongs make a right?

[@harsh3948]

@@beingsshepherd The point is what is wrong is not set in stone lmao

[@ravenonthewindow]

You all blame writers and attack the wokism, but you don’t consider why it’s bad. Millenials aren’t paid enough to sustain a life where they don’t have to overwork to barely survive. They don’t get the chance to meet new people, travel around as much as previous gens did, resulting in a lack of perspective. I bet probably the best paid writers don’t want to be in the industry so they just take off to do something else, because the hustle isn’t worth it. Secondly, movie industry made great films because it hasn’t been done before. Whatever you did was an original idea, or the story line was original to keep the audience engaged. It is much harder to find a story that is not untold. Finally, world has changed. When I watch old movies, and I don’t want to trash them because most of them are great actually, they have badly aged jokes. I can’t stand an early Bond movie for example because he treats women like disposible items at hand, moreover r*ping a girl in one of the movies. Call me woke I don’t care but sexist jokes aren’t funny anymore, it’s unsettling to watch. It would be interesting to see the aftermath of achieving something. Yeah the main character had their goal, what about their life after that achievement? It would be nice to see what happens to an avenger to quit and go back to their old boring lifestyle.

[@johnnybutler4465]

This gentlemen knows nothing about Atheism.

[@knownonsenseman8283]

Indeed. I will never be able to understand how atheists are the eternal whipping boy of the american religious right and all that's wrong with the world. I've been an atheist my whole 42 year life yet I think modern movie suck.

[@reginaphalange9417]

another revealing thing to do is to watch "old" movies or just those made 10-15 years before and noticing everything that wouldn't be allowed now, not by usual censors (level of sex or violence used to determine the age of viewing), but by woke producers because now they would be labelled "offensive" or they would just say "this storyline / this character doing this is not sending the good message (because of their color, gender, sexual orientation)".etc. and we must also add the different but even more extreme censorship made by China, country that these same producers hypocritically bow to.

[@erinavery4577]

I call it the 2015 rule, anything prior to that is generally safe

[@Lycurgus1982]

As me and my girl were watching Tim Burton's batman the other night I explained to her the reason Michael Keaton was picked for the roll and not some chiseled action hero like Christian Bale. It is because he is much more relatable. Super heroes were originally written to have a moral to their story and that story could translate to something meaningful to the reader or watcher. I still get thrills from watching CGI action movies, but that shock value wears thin without a well written story. We need the stories to resonate with us and make us think about them long after they are over.

[@guyverjay1289]

Micheal Keaton not working out doesn't make Batman more relatable just less believable. Batman isnt supposed to be an "everyman" character. That is Spider-Man

[@Lycurgus1982]

@@guyverjay1289 we do not have to see batman working out to believe in that he does. It is in fact beside the point. Movies today seem to predominantly delude their messages with sensationalizism and these are the things that don't last long in our memories.

[@guyverjay1289]

@@Lycurgus1982 - nobody mentioned anything about *seeing Batman* do anything. I said KEATON not Bruce Wayne, not Batman. You can literally just look at Keaton the ACTOR and and see he is physically unimpressive. You missed the point I was making

[@Lycurgus1982]

@@guyverjay1289 then we both have something in common. Thanks for the highjacking. Now it's your point instead of mine. Lol, literally.

[@Lycurgus1982]

@@guyverjay1289 I am speaking of the meaning behind the hero and what they are written for. That moral purpose seems to be drowned out in this day in age by sensationalism. Tim Burton's version of batman was focused on theatrics as opposed to realism which leaves room to charm the audience and pick the obviously unimposing Michael Keaton for the roll.

[@lodrezzon]

The trajectory of film has gone from inspirational to re-educational. In the 30s, heroes / protagonists weren't direct representations of their audience; they were ideals to be aspired to, or to express a desirable human trait - usually at their own detriment. And they weren't real people - they were idealizations of the writers. Nowadays, all characters have to represent the social group they are portraying, right down to the ethnicity of the actor portraying the character - be they real or fictional. There is no symbolism, nothing aspirational, and nothing enjoyable in film. It has become an extension of the oppression Olympics, the stuff of everyday American culture. Children and adults alive today have been deprived of their heroes, replaced by superheroes which can NEVER be aspired to, thus making their enjoyment a mental thing, but not heartwarming (except in exceptional cases - which are rare to be sure). The stories of humanity overcoming diversity ( at any level) are gone, or if they are portrayed, are usually bashed for portraying white supremacy, not enough social justice, too much masculinity, or not enough farce. We live in desperate times, but truth is eternal, so the essence of good film and story writing will always be there - and will always come back. It is just that today, the powers in charge are only interested in re-educating people to communist doctrine - even Disney - so American culture has to take back the centers of film and television before media can return to it's rightful place in society,

[@jakobdonskov]

Seems implausible that the reason modern movies suck has to do with atheism. This is just an intelligent sounding version of boomer rambling.

[@teamphashash]

He's nice to listen to. Good at telling his story.

[@samuraijaydee]

This is brilliant. Feel like this whole mess is coming into focus as time goes on.

[@timjay1859]

brillant. and ya can feel the effect of soulnessness in a lot of new movies and wokeness

[@Arielle1Celeste]

Has he not seen any Hallmark movies? Especially, the Christmas movies? They are all about lonely, single women in demanding corporate jobs who go home to their little towns for Christmas, fall in love with some guy from the town, & quit their jobs so they can marry the guy & start a family in the little town. I've watched a tonne of those types of movies.

[@puzzled012]

Hallmark?!

[@garyb2392]

“There are more important things than dying “…so awesome !

[@moralityisnotsubjective5]

Everyone dies. It's how we live that matters.

[@williamjamesayers7719]

SCHINDLER'S LIST is one of the BEST films ever made. One that should be watched.

[@williamjamesayers7719]

@Jamie_A1 which shows how far many people have fallen and how many people let the littlest thing unnerve them. Too many people today don't have a backbone.