Dr. DVD

I must say that my idea was inspired by this thread, http://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/...-out-love.html , so it will seem somewhat similar.

Instead of directors, I am curious as to how fellow members' tastes in movies have changed over time. The aforementioned thread above alludes to the fact that the reason some have fallen out of love or no longer admire certain directors is the fact that they simply no longer care for the kind of movies they make, not necessarily any distaste for the director.
I will admit that I used to be more into the low-budget/indy/artsy movie scene when I was in college and up into my late 20s. Everything by Quentin Tarantino was without flaw, and Kevin Smith was a "genius." Hell, I would actually drive over an hour to the nearest large city to view certain movies that wouldn't come to the small city where I lived (Magnolia, The Boxer, Two Girls and Guy). I also got big into the Criterion Collection scene when I got a DVD player and really sought out movies that were viewed as art made by Godard and Kurosawa. I will say that I enjoyed what I viewed and still think the movies that I saw worthwhile.

However, as I have gotten older my tastes have changed, particularly in terms of what I want to go see at a theater. I no longer make long trips to see artsy movies, though if one might be playing at a theater where I am also taking in an IMAX showing, I will try to partake. Or, if one is at my theater, as what happened with The Artist, I will make it a point to see it. I really no longer actively seek out the hot new indy material at all. If someone mentions something is good, I'll put it in my netflix queue.
Overall, it seems that as I have gotten older, I only go to the theater if I want to see something purely for entertainment purposes, and while I still like the low budget movies, I find I prefer the fluff moreso than I did when I was younger. Not that I think Michael Bay is a great director, his stuff still gives me a headache, but I also no longer have the craving for the polar opposite of his work either.

islandclaws

I no longer feel like I need to go see every horror film that hits theaters, something I often did without question when I was younger.

I never really watched arthouse/classic films growing up, but now they're among my favorites.

Goat3001

I'm exactly the same way as the OP. I've stopped watching movies that I "should" see and now just see movies that I "want" to see. While I respect film as an art form, I'd rather see something that is just meant to entertain. However, I don't automatically dismiss these art house films, if the trailer/reviews grab me I'll go see it (I really want to see Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)... I just don't seek it out anymore.

I've just lost interest, I guess.

Osiris3657

I don't watch any animated stuff aimed for children anymore. Ratatouille, Shrek, The Incredibles, Wall E, Finding Nemo, Up, Cars, Rango, etc...have absolutely no interest in those.

I seek out more foreign and independent fare than I used to.

Ash Ketchum

This is a good topic and it reflects an ongoing debate I've been having with myself as I've plunged into middle age. What gives me the most satisfaction these days? What do I most want to watch? What do I most need to watch? I see fewer action movies than I used to. I no longer feel a need to catch every action movie that comes out. I still go to the more high-profile ones, e.g. HAYWIRE, which sounded more interesting than it actually was, but I no longer feel the need to see every heist movie that comes along (e.g. I've skipped THE LOSERS, TAKERS, TOWER HEIST and a couple of others like them). I already have hundreds of kung fu movies on DVD and no longer feel the need or desire to seek out new releases in that genre, unless it's something with historical value, like IP MAN and its sequel.

The regular challenges over on the DVD Talk forum give me opportunities to dive into my collection and work through my various viewing piles. Among the most satisfying things I've watched recently were VHS tapes with episodes from two Japanese animated TV series from the 1970s, both in Japanese with no subtitles: HEIDI, GIRL OF THE ALPS and DOG OF FLANDERS. They were just absolutely beautiful works of art. I have more such tapes from similar series and I hope to take the time, when possible, to get through those.

I don't see a lot of mainstream Hollywood movies anymore, nor even many indie films. I don't like going to multiplexes. I find them uncomfortable. When more theaters were open in Manhattan and I worked near those theaters, I went to the movies more often. From 1985-1999, I worked two blocks from Times Square and there were lots of theaters nearby including two big single screens (Loew's Astor Plaza and the Ziegfeld) and a few smaller single screens (the Embassy and the Guild), so I went after work quite often. I remember seeing TRESPASS and THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN at two theaters on Broadway three blocks apart on the same evening. Nowadays, the theaters are few and far between and they're mostly multiplexes. (One of the few single screens left in Manhattan, the Paris, is showing THE ARTIST right now and I went to see it there a couple of weeks ago.) It's a much longer walk or a subway ride to get to the theaters now and there are few movies now that strike me as worthy of the effort.

I have so much unwatched stuff at home--anime series, classic Japanese films, old Hollywood films, Shaw Bros. DVDs, etc.--that I don't really need to seek out new movies. Plus, I develop new obsessions from time to time, like Japanese samurai/ninja TV series from the 1970s and '80s. SHADOW WARRIORS, anyone?

Hokeyboy

I think I went to the movies... five times last year? That's an all-time low. I used to go almost every week. Much of that has to do with how my movie preferences have changed. Over time you generate the ability to filter out the crap you know you won't enjoy, and the big-release movies over the past several years have been anemic at best.

Ash's comment about "unwatched stuff at home" is spot-on for me. While I still watch new movies at home, I get new film obsessions all the time. There's so much great material out there that I find it a quizzical waste of time to blow it on shit like Transformers, Pirates, Twilight, Cars 2, Green Lantern, Your Highness, etc. Not that I *don't* watch some of those movies, but I'd much rather search out some classic forgotten film noirs or something.

Numanoid

^ I'm more like Hokeyboy and the opposite of the OP. When I was younger, I was definitely more into going to the theater and seeing "event" movies...typically the big-name blockbusters. Nowadays, I'm much more prone to watching lesser-known, but more highly rated and regarded films.

And I barely ever make it to the theater, maybe twice a year. My 125" projection and 7.1 surround home theater makes dealing with cellphone-using teens, crying babies, and chatty idiots, a completely undesirable alternative to watching a blu-ray at home.

PopcornTreeCt

I've pretty much grown intolerant to mediocre movies. I can't just "turn my brain off" or whatever. People go to the movies to be entertained and I get that but to me a movie like Take Shelter is far more entertaining than Captain America. Actors acting is entertaining. That's just my view.

Solid Snake

I watch a lot of movies. Moreso now as an adult than as a younger guy. Growing up w/ action movies was my thing. HK, Arnold, etc etc. As long as it looked like it had good action....I was there. Now...I don't give a shit what the fuck it's about as long as it looks good. Drama, comedy, sci fi, etc. I go a lot to the theater a lot. Sometimes alone, sometimes w/ a friend. Doesn't matter...it looks good or gets some unique level of interest in me?...I'm there.

Dr. DVD

I used to only go to event movies when I was a kid and teen, but mainly because I grew up in rural KY and those were all that came to our theaters. When I did develop a taste for artsy or foreign movies, I was in college and able to travel to both a larger city and, more easily, to video stores with large inventories. What was more interesting was the fact that if I really wanted to see certain movies, and they were not for rental, I would blind buy them. This was the case with Hard Boiled and Blue Velvet, both good decisions I might add.

Rival11

I really dig these types of threads because it shows how long I have been posting here for (and still the only forum I am a member of) and while I obviously have nowhere near the amount of posts a lot of people do...I'm still around just enough to know who's who to an extent.

On topic, I am now all over the damn place with my movies....I have really found a groove with "If it entertains me to the point that I really want to see it again, then that's enough" but I still hold a lot of films to high standards but I guess just not in the same way anymore.

I can honestly picture us needing to sit at a table to go into more detail on this subject for now, I just don't have it in me to type it all out.

Dr. DVD

^ I remember the early year when members used to have get togethers. So spread out now it would be impossible.

clckworang

I hardly ever go to the movie anymore. About the only time I do now is during the October Horror Challenge. Otherwise, I'm content with my outdoor setup. It has to be something really big or someone has to catch me at the right time to go to the theater.

As for my overall movie tastes, I think I was more of a movie snob when I was younger. I shunned a lot of genre films and sought out more of the current indie films and Hollywood classics while still sprinkling a fair amount of artsy foreign films as well. Now, I call myself more of a movie enthusiast. I still have what some might consider movie snob tastes, but I have embraced genre films a whole lot more.

I look at my Blu-ray collection in comparison to my overall DVD collection to gauge how I've changed. I have a much higher percentage of horror and exploitation-type movies, but you will still find lots of Criterions, Hollywood classics and current films. I still consider myself to be very picky in my film choices (others could disagree, of course), but I do watch - and love - a lot of things now that I would have turned my nose at before.

Ash Ketchum

One of the problems for me has been the sudden availability of tons of releases of stuff I used to clamor for. E.g., classic American animation. Once upon a time I ate this stuff up and went to every animation festival I could--and there were a lot of them back in the day at New York repertory theaters. Now all this stuff is coming out on DVD and I buy the sets--Walt Disney Treasures, Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Woody Woodpecker and Friends--only to have them just sit on the shelves. Most times when I've tried to sit and watch them, I find I just don't have the interest in these things anymore and can only watch one or two cartoons at a time. Thankfully, the August 2010 Animation Challenge over on DVD Talk gave me the incentive to get through some of the discs, but I avoided them during the last one (Aug. 2011), preferring to concentrate on anime.

Why So Blu?

I don't see animation or comedies at the theater as much. They don't translate well for me on the big screen. Only action, horror, drama, etc.

I am braking my own rule by actually going to go see Project X on Friday. I like a good party and trance music, so there you go.

mcnabb

I have never really changed, as my movie tastes have stayed the same. There is a simple formula to get me to see a movie: Have a interesting story and good characters when it comes to drama/thriller, and I'll give it a shot. I am more lenient on comedies, as they are usually hit or miss so sometimes you have to roll the dice. As for horror movies, I never liked them, and never will. The one thing I have learned as I have gotten older is certain directors will always put out shit as I try to stay away from d-bags like McG and Michael Bay.