Entertainment Forum General Chat Thread • Page 614

Thanks Tetra, but like others said I just only saw an ad from A24 on Twitter about it. Then after I posted saw it was Joel Coen.

 

Yes, but you don't really see anyone say "hey that's a Neon film" or "what is Magnolia working on?". It is a deference that is only given to this one independent distribution company.

 

That's fine when you're talking about these franchises where you can plug anyone who has made a student film into the director's chair, but A24 got this reputation off the backs of incredible filmmakers, both old and new.

I've seen people refer to a trailer as looking like an A24 film, but what does that even mean? I can't see any similarities between Lamb and Moonlight other than they are both movies. Longterm you risk it being used in the dismissive, like when people can sense an awful "Sundance movie" coming a mile away.

 

To be fair the two ads I saw didn’t mention Joel. Though now going through their timeline they mention him in almost every tweet.

 

People identify films with studios (or albums with labels, or comics with publishers, etc.) whenever those studios successfully create a brand and/or following for themselves. And, A24 happens to be the independent studio that's currently doing so the most successfully.

The same thing exists for Studio Ghibli, Pixar, Marvel Studios... maybe Blumhouse? And, on the home release front, you have Criterion Collection and Vinegar Syndrome. I know it's easy to look at the Disney/Marvel behemoth and think it's just about films where the filmmaker doesn't matter, but it's way more nuanced than that.

 

It isn't on you. They have been very deliberate about building up a brand identity. That makes it easier to release duds like Lamb.

 

Pixar is an example I almost used because their films feel mostly similar, regardless of who is director. Same goes for Marvel. You can get anyone to make these films because there is a style guide with producers overseeing it. A24, like most indie distributors, is buying the films at festivals, not making them.

Criterion is at an even further extreme; they are responsible for remastering and releasing prestige versions of already released films.

 

Ok, sure, but that's why I said it's "nuanced."

Whether the *brand* we're talking about is on the end of the spectrum where they're basically the primary filmmakers, the other end where they're purely a middleman, or somewhere inbetween, one role they're able to serve is one of tastemaker. And, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. There's value in having studios, producers, writers, directors, actors, reviewers, publications, etc., that you know you can trust on average to provide you with something you'll enjoy.

I know it's a bummer (to put it mildly!) that we live in a corporate climate that prioritizes brands and intellectual properties over creative voices. And, I know that it's easy to see someone in an online forum notice the studio behind a particular film before the veteran filmmaker and associate that with this trend. But, I personally think it's really cool that A24 exists as it does and is able to serve its role in the current film industry.

 

The MCU makes a billion dollars every movie and is well liked by audiences and most critics but they can’t stop defending themselves against comments from one guy two years ago

 

I really love the superhero genre, and also really love a ton of the characters that have been created over the years at Marvel, and also really wish it could be just one of the things people like instead of the nucleus by which the rest of the current film and entertainment industries must be defined by.

 

They want it all. The older generation of blockbuster filmmakers were content sleeping on a pile of money.

 

Yeah, unfortunately Disney is shaping a large portion of the landscape in their image and the rest of the film and entertainment industries are defined by it to an extent. Licorice Pizza screenings are being pulled for more Spider-Man after the success it’s had.

 

Can’t wait to see Scorsese direct Spider-Man 4 where Peter has to take down the Kingpin and his crime organization.

 

My local theaters all pulled Licorice Pizza. I have to plan a trip now.

 

The full quote makes more sense because he is comparing his time on superhero movies to The Impossible, a movie which is so much worse than any superhero movie could ever be.

 

It’s gonna rule when Killers of the Flower Moon comes out and all any of these hack “journalists” want to ask Scorsese about is the fucking MCU instead of the movie he made

 

It sucks because no one ever engages with all the things Scorsese actually said, it’s always just “our movies are real!”

 

Holland doing blockbuster identity politics

also lol at “movies that have been in conversation for Oscars”

 

It's worth remembering that Scorsese made his comments in September 2019. It's been over two years and Hollywood is still lighting itself on fire over it. What a bunch of babies.

 

They are going to review bomb his movies for the rest of his life.

 

Who gives a shit. Marty definitely didn’t.

 

I think it’s such a sticking point because somewhere inside themselves they know he’s right

 

regarding the ~best picture nom~ its funny how night and day the reactions are on the regular marvel reddit versus the marvel spoilers reddit.