MovieChat Forums > Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1975) Discussion > could this be made today?

could this be made today?

posted 15 years ago by Dorian-Kellaway
21 replies | jump to latest

What has happened to the American film industry when movies of the style and nature of the seventies are nowhere to be seen anymore.

Alice Doesn’t live here anymore is by no means perfect but it is just another reminder of what the American film industry was at one point. No major films today seem to be character driven, real or at all risky. Films like; Alice, Midnight cowboy, Taxi driver, Badlands, Scarecrow etc just could not be made in today’s climate. Everything is concept/typecast based, everyone is outrageously good looking and real thematic content is disappearing.

Bring back the old days!

[–] R-W-Watkins 15 years ago

True, true.

If Jodie, Alan or even Kris were just getting started anytime during the last decade, they wouldn't get a look in the door. They're simply too intelligent, too talented, and not plastic enough.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

That's all too tragically true. We also live in a much different era, and people have much different priorities. They care more about cell phone reception than about finding their place in the world. We also live in an era of instant communication and fast thrills, so a film about a woman hitting the highway to discover herself would be filled with gimmicky adventures and a lot of "beautiful people" on the road.

[–] Tommen_Forever 7 years ago

so a film about a woman hitting the highway to discover herself would be filled with gimmicky adventures and a lot of "beautiful people" on the road.

You mean a movie like this?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3721936/

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[–] WarpedRecord 7 years ago

Possibly. I haven't seen that film.

[–] Tommen_Forever 7 years ago

I highly recommend it.

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[–] 5thHobbit 15 years ago

Maybe you're watching the wrong films.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

Care to provide some examples of the right films?

[–] 5thHobbit 15 years ago

Certainly! I don't know what the OP's tastes are, but he or she could start with Being John Malkovich or Synecdoche, New York. No ridiculously good looking people (Cameron Diaz and John Cusack are made to look much more ordinary, even dowdy, in BJM; the characters in Synecdoche age greatly, wrinkles, extra weight, grey hair, and all); no predictable, unoriginal plots; definitely risky.

Others that I feel would fall into this category: My Winnipeg; There Will Be Blood; The Royal Tenenbaums; Punch-Drunk Love; Rushmore; Shattered Glass; Adaptation.; Ghost World; Sweet and Lowdown. All American (with the exception of My Winnipeg, which I couldn't resist slipping in there); all made within the last ten years; all character-driven, for the most part; with few exceptions, no "outrageously good looking" leads; original plots (I know a couple are based off of books, but still); a number of risky concepts (particularly with Punch-Drunk Love and Adaptation., and maybe There Will Be Blood). And most of them aren't even particularly obscure.

There are good movies in every decade, you just have to look beyond the crap that Hollywood pushes on you (and Hollywood has always pushed crap on us; it gets forgotten in the end, which is why people are forever yearning for past decades of film).

(There are many more examples besides the ones I listed, but my viewing history is a little spotty; post the same question on the Film General board and you'll get about a hundred more suggestions.)

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

Thanks for the reply! Those are all excellent examples. I haven't seen "My Winnipeg," but I will based on your recommendation because obviously you have great taste.

I'm glad you included "Synecdoche, New York," which is extremely ambitious and requires quite a bit of the audience's attention but is very rewarding for those who see it through to the end. It seems like anything with Philip Seymour Hoffman is an excellent character-driven film, and I'd add "Love Liza" to "Synecdoche." I would also include the films of Darren Aronofsky (particularly "Requiem for a Dream") and Atom Egoyan (particularly "Exotica" and "The Sweet Hereafter"), plus Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights." Another excellent recent indie film is "Frozen River."

I still very much prefer the films of the '70s, when movies like "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" were considered mainstream, but there are still quality character-driven dramas made today if you seek them out.

[–] blooop 15 years ago

You guys have listed some great movies, and some movies that I will now plan on watching!
I wanted to add Penn's Into The Wild and, just to throw another Aronofsky flick in the mix, I thought that The Wrestler was phenomenal.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

"Into the Wild" and "The Wrestler" are both excellent character studies about unique free spirits who were isolated from mainstream society and paid the price.

Another superb recent drama that doesn't get enough attention: "The Upside of Anger," with Joan Allen as a drunken divorcee with a dysfunctional family. I don't normally care much for Kevin Costner, but he's terrific here. I think this film would appeal to fans of "Alice." Actually, many of Joan Allen's films would because she does domestic drama so well.

I love how these boards inspire recommendations of similar films, and as a result, I see a lot of films I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

[–] 5thHobbit 15 years ago

I haven't seen "My Winnipeg," but I will based on your recommendation because obviously you have great taste.

Why, thank you!

Yes, I was quite impressed by Synecdoche, New York; I hesitate to say that I adore it yet (it was a bit of an overwhelming experience to see it in the theatre, so I have trouble judging it), but I think that another viewing will bump it up even more in my eyes. At the moment I'd give it 9/10; it's an immense, ambitious, and fascinating film.

I think all of the ones you mentioned are on my to-see list, except for Love Liza, which I shall add now. Thanks for the suggestions!

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

You were lucky to have been one of the handful of people who actually saw "Synecdoche, New York" (I had typing that!) in the theater, but I could see it being a very overwhelming experience. I watched it on DVD and regret that I didn't give it the attention it deserved. Honestly, it wasn't until I watched the bonus features that I really appreciated the film. I wish I had watched those first, because then I'd have understood it better (though not completely, because that would take several viewings).

As for "Love Liza," it is a film for people with open minds, which I feel very safe in saying includes you. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives another wrenching and imaginative performance in a role that would probably freak a great many people out. I found myself laughing at "inappropriate" times until I let myself go without guilt. The film has been described as a comic tragedy, and I can think of no other that compares.

[–] cflr 15 years ago

As has been mentioned in this thread, there have always been more lousy movies than good ones, even in the 1970s (try watching Kris Kristofferson in "Convoy" for a truly lousy movie), but you just have to work and search a bit for the good ones. They are out there however.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

"Convoy" is lousy indeed, but somehow endearing – maybe because it's considered old now. The '70s certainly produced its share of cheese, but I'd still rather watch that than 90 percent of what's released now.

[–] intuitsteve 11 years ago

Hell no

[–] Devans00 8 years ago

The best thing I liked about the movie is how it showed real, blue collar working people. The kind who struggle, sweat and do physical jobs to make a living. Many times, these types of characters come off like a rich person's idea of what a working person is like. Not as authentic.

No two persons ever watch the same movie.

[–] OccasionalPoster 8 years ago

It's been a while since I saw this movie but I remember liking it a lot. I binge watched a ton of Martin Scorsese's films and this was one of them I happened to see. I like nice, solid character dramas so that is probably why I have a soft spot for this movie.

I do agree with the posters on this thread. There have always been crap made in American cinema but if you distinguish the good from the bad, you always find the true gems from each decade. However, I would say the 1970s (the time this film was released) and even the 1960s released some of the best films ever made in my opinion. It seemed back then movies were made not solely for box office grosses. Movies were made to connect and relate to the American moviegoer. Filmmakers could take risks to be artistic and edgy yet still manage to come up with a mainstream hit. Films seemed to have a heart and humanity to them.

Actors like Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Jodie Foster, Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Sissy Spacek, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Geraldine Page, Sandy Dennis, Liv Ullmann, and Max von Sydow may or may not have been the most conventionally attractive actors/actresses but they looked like and could pass for everyday people onscreen and offscreen (unlike the movie actors during the Golden Age of Hollywood). That is what I love about the cinema of that era. The people onscreen looked like people you could have known from your own life.

Now a days, most movie actors look like something out of a MTV music video or something out of Seventeen or Vogue with their nice hair, nice bodies, nice faces, nice clothing, etc. Mostly everyone in Hollywood has probably had plastic surgery even.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing movies coming out today. I like films from all different time periods. Some movies that came out in recent years I happen to enjoy include Weekend, Mud, Short Term 12, Birdman, Whiplash, The Revenant, and Room.

But yeah - there are some good movies out there today. You just got to look for them.

[–] Devans00 8 years ago

I agree with so many points you bring up bkoeberle2.

The Hollywoodification of so much mainstream entertainment makes it hard to enjoy. When the most insignificant background character looks like they could be on the cover of a fitness magazine, it kind of takes you out of the story, sometimes.

Today, independent movies are the best places to see good stories with unconventionally attractive actors/actresses who looked like and could pass for everyday people onscreen and offscreen. And comedies, of course.

No two persons ever watch the same movie.

[–] Tommen_Forever 7 years ago

Check out Mike Leigh, Andrea Arnold, Boys Don't Cry, and Coal Miner's Daughter. It's not hard to find films about blue collar individuals living from paycheck to paycheck if you know where to look for them. I strongly recommend Andrea Arnold's newest film, American Honey, for its probing look into an America that we rarely see in movies or on the news.

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[–] Tommen_Forever 7 years ago

What do you mean by "major films"? Character driver, real, and risky films are made every year. You can start with American Honey.

Everything is concept/typecast based, everyone is outrageously good looking and real thematic content is disappearing.

You're watching the wrong films if you think thematic content is disappearing. The best films today are being made by independent filmmakers, so it would be understandable if some of them have slipped under your radar. But make no mistake, these kinds of films are still being made.

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