Screenwriting : What do you want to see in a movie these days? by Ingrid Wren

Ingrid Wren while I've not seen it yet, I concur with your closing thought to a great extent.

Absolutely. "We really need to see some stories that are light, bright, and uplifting. Pure fun." This is a major missing component from so much that has pervaded mainstream movies during the past decade.

Subjective analysis of course, but I think the long-term trend of film studio productions being developed with such great emphasis on "conflict" has brought these stories to a dark place, it's a ton of melodrama propagated by Hollywood money culture and making movies that are so top-heavy, dumping money into these dark stories that are heavy on relentless violent punishment and really lean on actual entertainment.

I've made the personal journey from writing dark crime drama to light-hearted family-friendly comedy perhaps partly in response to this trend, it's a lot of psychological and philosophical work, perhaps it's also a personal challenge for the dominant control freaks who seem so fixated on dark violent stories and characters, a kind of sadistic and masochistic preoccupation with suffering and punishment. And violence evidently is pleasing to a wide audience who will pay money for it, which is tragic, but change can come.

Seems like there could be plenty of psychological, demographic and cultural baggage that continues to fuel this trend, maybe it's simply filmmaking by committee where producers' main incentives are to escalate budgets and to collaborate within the same narrow system, it's gone way off the rails and I believe that emergent stories will come to light that will provide alternatives for satisfying comedy and real stories of adventure, romance and joyful expansion without all the angst-ridden, sausage-fest nonsense.

Takes time but there are new and brighter stars on the horizon!

A- List Stars, big name talent behind camera, big explosions, big sets, real locations than soundstage interiors, real stunts, amazing vfx.

Excited to see Top Gun Maverick. A movie that was primary shot 4 years ago and finished/sat for two years due to covid.

I saw Strange --enjoyed it but not my fav (can't share why without spoilers so I'll leave that out hahah but I don't like horror and I wanted it to be darker surprisingly), I do think you can watch most Marvel movies without seeing the others and still enjoy it, but I think you need to at least have seen the first Strange movie and it's helpful to have seen the last Spider-Man film and a few other titles I won't list ahaha

In terms of what I want to see in theatres... I STILL need to see "Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" and I want to re-see "Everything Everywhere" (I want it to decimate during awards season lol) and I'm counting the days til "Thor Love and Thunder", Taika Waititi is one of my fav creatives ever

Hi Ingrid. It's dark with horror because Sam Raimi directed it. (Evil Dead, etc) BUT, If you want fun, action, and enlightening Marvel movies, "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Captain America", would fill the palette.

I'm with you. I'm always on the lookout for fun movies. Particularly ones that I can suggest to family members.

I enjoyed “good liar”. I would like to see complex story. Which is around. Perhaps something with strong theme.

I look for intelligent entertainment.

So here's the challenge for us writers: a movie that has "A" list stars with massive talent in a complex story which is intelligent entertainment, uplifting, and fun. Anyone?

Flat out action a 'la "Heat", "Die Hard", "Sudden Death"...

It depends on what type of "fun", It can be subjective to the beholder. Hmm, the Mission Impossible franchise is a good one that checks most boxes. Fast and Furious is another!

I miss heart and creativity, It's what the movies from the 90's to the 2000's were all about. People willing to take risks. Making movies the way they wanted them made. Sadly those days are long and gone. You now have to make sure you follow the checkbox of what someone else wants. Not your vision of what you want it to be.

Ingrid Wren Everything you just listed is in "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and (from what my friends tell me) "Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent."

I fully understand why people feel like movies "aren't what they used to be." But I would also challenge us all to branch out more. I get that not everywhere has an independent theater, in which case, you're watching more stuff at home. But there are amazing films being made every day and I genuinely believe that in the last five or so years we've seen a great upswing in the stories being told in feature format, and in many ways, I've been preferring film to TV. And I truly think that thanks to new ways of distribution we're about to enter an era of independent film that rivals the 90s

Originality, soul, spirit, and everyone getting a piece of the pie instead of singular focus on one or two characters... and maybe characters speaking their own languages at certain points.

do a gram of shrooms then watch a movie youll find it a lot more interesting

I think you may be right Emily J Some of the more interesting films I've seen in last few years are small indie films that I've watched after reading about it in a magazine (Booksmart) seeing an interview with the writer or director (JoJo Rabbit), or following a discussion here on Stage 32 (Brittney runs a marathon). I'm looking forward to watching "Everything Everywhere All at Once" when I can access it here in Australia... I loved MIchelle Yeoh in "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and more recently in Star Trek Discovery.

Ingrid Wren LOVED Booksmart and JoJo Rabbit, oddly, I think Booksmart was actually a wider release. I remember it was like a weird conversation if they should follow the SUPERBAD path (cuz that's what it was being compared to) or the LADYBIRD path (since it was female-driven and visually "looked" more indie). But I don't know how things roll out in Australia vs. the US with stuff like that, especially comedies. I find it so fascinating how we perceive things and it impacts our response. Because the look of that film, I've had multiple people tell me they thought it was a drama... which it definitely is not hahah. As for Michelle Yeoh, I know it's early but she needs to be nominated for everything. She's INCREDIBLY in "Everything Everywhere"

I agree Derek. I've become very choosy about what I watch... and I'm still looking for the fun. "The Greatest Showman" was onto something just before the theatres closed back in 2020.

Light, bright and uplifting sounds like just what the doctor ordered. But i think it's more than just for the movies.

I agree Amman. We might have to start looking at life and our wider environment differently. Having just read La Rae Que's blog about courage and fear, and how ignoring the negative and being relentlessly positive won't make the negative go away, I think it's far more subtle than that.

Here's the link to the blog if you are interested: Why courage is essential

Pretty simple...

Seamlessness..

What seamlesslessness is I cannot divulge

What unparalleled is... Another secret.

Seamlessness is.... More than likely what you watched.

Saturated with darkness...makes the Light stand out! Nice to be see something different...!! :-)

Count me in, Ingrid! It's a good thing that I've been doing it for the past four years - working with "A" list stars with massive talent in a complex story which is intelligent entertainment, uplifting, and fun. ;)))

A LISTER.