Why are American movies the best?
Why are American movies the best (for English languaged movies).
I am South African and do not really watch any of the locally produced stuff except when it is something that is specific to our culture such as Leon Schuster making fool of locals ... other than that I find nothing really worth watching produced locally in SA or even from the UK.
I can admit that the UK movies sometimes have good stories but don't feel they do justice to the film.
Do other people feel the same as I do and if so, then what is this x-factor that surrounds American movies that lacks in other industries.
I am South African and do not really watch any of the locally produced stuff except when it is something that is specific to our culture such as Leon Schuster making fool of locals ... other than that I find nothing really worth watching produced locally in SA or even from the UK.
I can admit that the UK movies sometimes have good stories but don't feel they do justice to the film.
Do other people feel the same as I do and if so, then what is this x-factor that surrounds American movies that lacks in other industries.
| Why are American movies the best (for English languaged movies). |
Additionally in huge amount of movies released every year there would be at least some worth your time.
Third is that US has the most popular movie factory popular with those wanting to enter movie industry, so it gets many talented people.
I would not say American movies are <undisputable> the best. Hollywood is extremely good with action movies, but, for example, every single Sherlock Holmes adaptation by US sucked. Most attempts in Nero Wolfe adaptation failed too.
I think it depends on your taste in movies. If you like action movies, you would certainly prefer US as main creator. If you like Golden Age detective fiction, not much.
If you want movie adaptation which will require tons of special effects, then large US studios have largest chance to not screw up.
| Do other people feel the same as I do |
Not me. I generally hate Hollywood movies. They haven't had an original idea/plot in like 15 years. Nowadays it's just remakes, sequels, and comic book movies.
If you've seen one of them, you've seen all of them. And none of them are impressive.
| If you like action movies, you would certainly prefer US as main creator. If you like Golden Age detective fiction, not much |
I actually do like suspense and mystery over action and yet I still find the US movies far better than others.
In particular the US detective movies are nicer for me than an equivalent (detective type) movie created by UK.
Even when the UK detective movie have a better plot I still find their deliverance of it wasn't as good as the US does it.
I would also watch Ausie movies due to SA and Aus having certain common attributes .. but can never really rave about a good Ausie movie I've seen - to put it bluntley, they (UK, Aus and the rest) all seem to have these "flat" spots in their movies - not sure how else to describe it.
| Not me. I generally hate Hollywood movies. They haven't had an original idea/plot in like 15 years. |
I'm curious if you are unique in this regard, ie. Icould find a ton of South Africans claiming that they don't like their locally produced movies but would not imagine that to be true in your case.
I would also claim that all other movie industries besides Hollywood fall prey to not being original - however my question still persists - "why are Hollywood" non originals better favoured world wide?
It may also have to do with the fact that we spend hundreds of millions on a single movie.
Addressing this question here:
I think MiiNiPaa nailed it on the head with this:
Just look at how many American "A-list" actors are foreign born (especially from Canada, but other English speaking countries like the UK). Yet they came here because the world believes this is where movie stars go to make it big. That kid from the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" (Dev Patel, I had to look it up) is a prime example of this fact. He became an overnight rock-star in the UK and India, but look where his work is being done now. It's like he didn't even have to think about it because this was his life's plan all along.
If I had to name one indisputable 'X-Factor' that the US has over every other country in the world that attracts people here, oddly enough I would have to say that it's our weather. You say that you want to live someplace sunny? LA is literally in a freaking desert, you don't get much more sunshine then that. After that, money follows money.
WARNING, TANGENT AHEAD:
This status quo of Hollywood being the best is due to be shaken up quite a bit very soon by the way, at least in the US. If the public reactions to things like the new 'Doctor Who' series, 'Borat + Bruno', 'Sherlock' and 'Downton Abbey' are anything to go by then the US is well over due for a second (third?) cultural "British Invasion". The problem is with the cost barrier to entry in the US and this ridiculous idea of region specific DRM so that they don't get trounced by some local upstart. But that isn't going to last long against the jack-ass mistakes that they keep on making in the US (*cough* Firefly *cough*).
| Do other people feel the same as I do and if so, then what is this x-factor that surrounds American movies that lacks in other industries. |
I think MiiNiPaa nailed it on the head with this:
| ... so it gets many talented people. |
Just look at how many American "A-list" actors are foreign born (especially from Canada, but other English speaking countries like the UK). Yet they came here because the world believes this is where movie stars go to make it big. That kid from the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" (Dev Patel, I had to look it up) is a prime example of this fact. He became an overnight rock-star in the UK and India, but look where his work is being done now. It's like he didn't even have to think about it because this was his life's plan all along.
If I had to name one indisputable 'X-Factor' that the US has over every other country in the world that attracts people here, oddly enough I would have to say that it's our weather. You say that you want to live someplace sunny? LA is literally in a freaking desert, you don't get much more sunshine then that. After that, money follows money.
WARNING, TANGENT AHEAD:
This status quo of Hollywood being the best is due to be shaken up quite a bit very soon by the way, at least in the US. If the public reactions to things like the new 'Doctor Who' series, 'Borat + Bruno', 'Sherlock' and 'Downton Abbey' are anything to go by then the US is well over due for a second (third?) cultural "British Invasion". The problem is with the cost barrier to entry in the US and this ridiculous idea of region specific DRM so that they don't get trounced by some local upstart. But that isn't going to last long against the jack-ass mistakes that they keep on making in the US (*cough* Firefly *cough*).
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I watched a Norwegian movie called Headhunters recently and it was awesome. It's based on a novel by a pretty famous Norwegian author called Jo Nesbo. The French film Amelie is pretty good too, and Japanese and Korean horror movies are pretty based. American cinema is mostly pretty lame, it's about 90% uninspired comic book movies and romcoms. There are still exceptionally good movies coming out of Hollywood, like There Will Be Blood, but they are rare.
American TV seems to be popular in other countries too. I knew a guy from Finland who loved The Big Bang Theory.
| It kind of does though... |
Popularity is quantifiable, individual preference or opinion are not. This is the difference between me telling you how many people like something vs. me telling you definitively whether or not you will like it yourself.
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