this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2024
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“It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made — and it’s even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out — decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee,” she added. “Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullshit. Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to fucking want to see those.”

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[–] givesomefucks 176 points 8 months ago (4 children)

I don't know why studios keep meddling.

She said the script she signed up for was way better, and what got released is completely different

Like, I know some stuff will always change. But this comes up so often and it's just producers fiddling with shit

[–] [email protected] 80 points 8 months ago (15 children)

This is often over looked when people wonder why someone might sign up to something that is a trainwreck, and it usually comes down to the final film being far different than the original vision. Hell, a movie can be destroyed during script rewrites, bad scenes, and even during the editing process! Bladerunner has multiple versions based on editing the same filmed scenes. The theatrical version was ruined by insistence on a voiceover and the final cut is the best version due to what they cut out or left in.

This one sounds like the Bladerunner theatrical cut being ruined by execs, and that does suck.

[–] [email protected] 92 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The best known opposite example is Star Wars (A New Hope). When George Lucas screened it for Spielberg, Spielberg didn't know how to tell George how terrible it was without ruining their friendship. George gave his steaming pile of shit to his wife and she and her editing partner literally built the classic we know today from it. George learned his lesson and gave Empire to someone else to direct and his wife to edit.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 8 months ago (2 children)

George is the most overrated director of all time.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 8 months ago (1 children)

One hit wonder as a director. And that hit is American Graffiti, not Star Wars.

[–] cmbabul 12 points 8 months ago

I don’t disagree but THX1138 is pretty alright too

[–] dantheclamman 16 points 8 months ago

He's an ideas man, maybe one of the best ever. Ideas are important for a director, but execution is arguably more important, which requires the ability to listen to others

[–] [email protected] 27 points 8 months ago

After seeing what Disney did to Star Wars, George Lucas at least produced something decent with the prequels.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I don’t know why studios keep meddling.

Movies get expensive. Studios are afraid of the risk and want to play it safe. They start meddling.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 8 months ago (7 children)

And then they ruin it. They should understand their limits and realize they're hurting the bottom line by not trusting the people who know this stuff better than them.

[–] psycho_driver 25 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Having spent way too long in corporate middle management, I can tell you that there are a lot of people in corporate offices who think they're geniuses when they are, in fact, fucking morons.

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[–] negativeyoda 8 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Conversely, how many times have we all heard people talk about the latest Star Wars movies with the, "how the fuck did they green light the trilogy with no structure" argument?

I'm not advocating for studio meddling, but this is the highest of profile projects where it arguably would have helped. JJ Abrams set that clock back to zero

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I attended a conference where a former 20th Century-Fox executive talked about the way she meddled in the trailer process with technology. It's all about numbers and metrics -- if enough people, in the right demographics, didn't watch the whole trailer on YouTube, they'd cut the next trailer to cater to that group. Even if it wasn't a great representation of the movie; her bonus depended on people watching the trailer.

[–] whotookkarl 8 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I can't remember the last time I saw a movie trailer that made me more excited to see a movie than less, I generally try to avoid them at this point like most advertising and feel better for it.

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[–] Illuminostro 159 points 8 months ago (3 children)

The real lesson here is never be in a Sony superhero movie. 9 times out of 10 they fuck it up.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Is it some sort of scam where they have to make the movie or they lose the rights to them? I can't think of any other reason for shit like Morbius.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Yep. If you watched madam web you will clearly know how bad the movie looks. The spider lotus fan film is better than madam web. That's how bad it is. Morbius atleast had decent visuals.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA 10 points 8 months ago (2 children)

How long will I have to wait before someone says "it's webbin time" cause i don't think I can handle that kind of disappointment

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[–] Crack0n7uesday 30 points 8 months ago (6 children)

But when they get it right they really get it right. The whole Miles Morales storyline came out of no where and fucking exploded.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 8 months ago (2 children)

In my mind it was great because it was an animation and execs think anime is dumb, so they won't meddle with it. If they ever make a live action Miles Morales story it's going to suck.

[–] CitizenKong 8 points 8 months ago

It's also by the Lego Movie guys who Sony doesn't want to piss off because they really don't have any other hot creators in their corner anymore.

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[–] Potatos_are_not_friends 17 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I was originally thinking about this while looking up some background actor.

Like, for many of these folks, these shitty movies pay bills. Many aren't living a life of luxury. And if you get chosen for a Sony superhero film, And the pay is good, why not take it?

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[–] [email protected] 92 points 8 months ago (7 children)

Well, making a good superhero movie is harder than people think. At the end of the day, studios are risk adverse, and making a woman focused superhero movie is seen as riskier as it is more niche, which means they are more prone to interventions and design by committee, so it is a self perpetuating problem.

Speaking of which, Lemmy plug "Birds of Prey" (also starring some crazy clown woman) here today, in my humble and totally unbiased opinion, it's a pretty fun superhero movie that more people should watch.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (5 children)

Birds of Prey remains the best film to come out of the DCEU and it's a damn shame it's been slept on.

[–] CitizenKong 27 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Nah, James Gunn's Suicide Squad blows it out of the water. It's definitely one of the better ones though.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 8 months ago

Birds of Prey remains the best film to come out of the DCEU

Starring the best (and also the most humble) actress in the DCEU, too.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

That's an insanely low bar though.

[–] TheControlled 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I thought it was insultingly boring. Sometimes very bad. None of it made sense and the editing/pacing was trash. HQ had some good moments though, and her performance was fun-ish. The Suicide Squad was better by a country mile IMO.

乁⁠༼⁠☯⁠‿⁠☯⁠✿⁠༽⁠ㄏ

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

https://youtu.be/0Uq_5bYGYoY

While we're on the topic of female driven action movies. This one got lost at the box office because it was released in early 2020. Shame, because it's smart and exciting and doesn't follow all the 'revenge' tropes people are used to.

[–] SupraMario 11 points 8 months ago (4 children)

This reminds me of SALT and The long kiss goodnight, both excellent female lead films.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Cassie died on the way back to her home planet.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I worked on that movie. I can tell you that the crew knew it was going to be a stinker for the entire time it was being made.

It was GREAT money while it lasted even though Sony was unbelievably stingy at times. We (the crew) quickly came to look at it as a box office writeoff.

As we always say,

I don't write em. I just light em.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (9 children)

Well, this is the second bad franchise she has been in.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


As she’s previously hinted during the movie’s publicity tour, Johnson said the project’s script about a paramedic with psychic powers was radically changed from what she originally read.

But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand.

My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not.

Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to fucking want to see those.”

“Like, ‘Dakota Johnson Breaks Her Silence On Madame Web’s Fucking Box Office Failure,’” the actress said with a laugh.

Over the weekend, Johnson’s co-star Sydney Sweeney likewise commented about the film’s reaction while hosting NBC’s Saturday Night Live, quipping in her monologue, “You have seen me in Anyone but You and Euphoria.


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