until maybe my mid-20s, i was a movie guy. i loved various cartoons, the jeffersons, the cosby show, cheers, and seinfeld during decades, but that was about it. i remember always agreeing with the saying, "a hundred channels and nothing's on." i went to movies all the time. i read magazines (no internet yet) and really anticipated summer releases. i think that began in the summer of 89 (batman, indy 3, lethal weapon 2, uhf, etc.) and ended with the last lord of the rings movie.

now i don't even like movies. i always have a dozen recorded on the dvr and never watch them. on the rare occasion that i do, i almost always feel like i've wasted my time. i subscribe to hbo, starz, and showtime, but i only ever watch their original programming. i'm in love with tv. my father in law is retired and he spends the winter months just watching series after series via netflix. i'm a little jealous of his life. but i'm fucking his daughter, so mine's not awful. anyway, my vote is for tyrion lannister, marty funkhouser, raylan givens and everyone else who makes tv tits.

used to be tv shows, but over the last few months it's become movies, though really it's about even these days. One thing that got me about movies was "character development." It often feels forced--mainly, from the standpoint of the movie reflecting reality in some sense, people don't fundamentally change too much over relatively short periods of time. The movie I always think of regarding this is Blade Runner. Development feels weak and forced in that movie, and that hurts the movie even though the setting and atmosphere are among the best. But a movie like Nolan's Insomnia does a more limited form of character development, and pursues it realistically (the development makes sense given the characters and the situation) alongside a great psychological adventure, and movies like this have turned me on to movies.

TV right now, or books. I can watch a whole season in one sitting and want more, but i'm looking at my watch at most movies.

I should probably look for more challenging fare with movies, I think I'm out of the target demographic these days.

But television is just as mainstream, yet its so much more interesting! Why are they allowed to take more risks?

honestly, i'd probably say tv if i hadn't watched through just about everything i'm interested in, except adventure time, the mentalist, and game of thrones (the first two i watch, and the latter i don't have access to), and also leaving out late night tv, which is a whole different beast.

Still havent seen Breaking Bad yet. I dont know why i keep putting it off.

yeah, that's one i need to watch. and sons of anarchy.

Do you really think this is true? What movies are you referring to?

Any time I see people complaining about how "safe" and "boring" movies are nowadays, they'll point to Hollywood. But there's an entire world of stuff out there.

TV shows big time. I devour tv series. It feels like most modern movies just drag on and on. Like Burt I find myself checking the time, waiting for them to hurry up and finish so I can do something else.

I think Hollywood is in a rut. Also I really don't care for action a whole lot. Drama and good writing is a lot more interesting to me and TV as a whole is where it's at these days.

I'm taking the pussy way out and saying both. There are so many good movies out there that I haven't seen yet. And, really, anyone bitching that there isn't any good TV is either full of shit or just lazy.
I do think "Hollywood" is getting a bad rap. For all the 'splosions and bad sci-fi movies out, there are tons of great smaller movies. Hell, just browsing through Netflix will result in a ton of good shit.
I think in general we are living in a great time for entertainment. And a great time to access all that entertainment.

sure, but TV is on par with Hollywood, yet they do so much more. The rest of the world has great stuff, as long as it stays within a small budget (though i dont have a lot of time to seek it out.). For ideas requiring a big budget, its become absurdly safe.

I fully agree with this.

I guess I'm not understanding what you're saying TV shows are doing more of. What TV shows are you talking about that are so bold and innovative? What am I missing?

SURE YOU DO.

I went through a Troma movie phase in the late 80s/early 90s. The fucking hoops I had to jump through to get bad VHS copies of those was unreal. I would guess most of those would be a 2-hour torrent download now.

sorry i'm arguing two different things (and doing two things at the same time). I dont even have time to post!



I'm wondering if the modern netflix/season box age has me moving towards TV. Its not that its bolder, its just that its, well, more effective for me lately. The character development you get over hours and hours and seasons and seasons just cant be topped by most films. Its why everyone always says the book is better.

A lot of it has to do with people's attention spans. I like both but my attention span has definitely waned over the years with Netflix streaming, so I try to watch movies pretty regularly to keep it up.

My take is that while there are a lot of TV shows nowadays, the best movies still hit me a little harder.

Others have said if for a while now, and I completely agree, that we've (at least in America) hit a true Golden Age of television. It's not that movies have gotten worse, it's that they've been so great for so long, there aren't as many places to go. TV is coming into its own. It's FINALLY interesting. So it's more exciting. That's my take anyway.

The best tv is hitting me harder right now. But it's because it can take it's time. When it does, it can be so satisfying.

Films have to work harder. However, I would say the best films of all time are probably better than the best tv shows of all time.

But I still haven't watched The Wire. So....

a great tv show lasts for hours upon hours.

movies are over in a flash.

really starting to get into some great tv shows of late.

Interesting point. Because it used to sort of be opposite. TV shows were like short stories and films more like novels. As shows become more and more complex and accessible we've seen that shift. Shows are taking their time and building their characters much like novels.

That's been the major shift for the better, I think. The move toward more serialized storytelling has ignited the new creative TV boom.

Right, it's hard to compare the two formats. TV is, by nature, episodic-- every installment needs to have its own self-contained three-act structure while continuing an overall narrative throughline. It's easier to digest, but there's also a risk of dramatic dilution and meandering. I think film, as a more compact medium, is more powerful overall.

I only really follow a couple TV shows currently. Maybe this is a good thread to get some recommendations.