Director Quentin Tarantino attends the photocall during the 16th Rome Film Fest 2021 on October 19, 2021 in Rome, Italy.

Jennifer Aniston made headlines earlier this month in her Allure cover issue when she declared: “There are no more movie stars.” It’s a statement that director Quentin Tarantino agrees with, echoing the sentiment in a recent interview on Monday (November 21). Tarantino attributed the loss of movie stars to the “Marvel-ization of Hollywood.”

“Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is… you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” the Pulp Fiction director said. “But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times… but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star. I’m not even putting them down frankly, to tell you the truth, but that is one of the — the legacy of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood movies.” Tarantino clarified in the interview that he doesn’t “hate” Marvel movies but dislikes them for being the only product Hollywood seems interested in making these days.

“Look, I used to collect Marvel comics like crazy when I was a kid,” Tarantino, 59, said. “If these movies were coming out when I was in my twenties, I would totally be f—king happy and totally love them. I mean, they wouldn’t be the only movies being made. They would be those movies amongst other movies. But, you know, I’m almost 60, so, no, I’m not quite as excited about them.”

“My only axe to grind against them is they’re the only things that seem to be made,” he added. “And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them. That’s what they’re excited about. And so it’s just the fact that they are the entire representation of this era of movies right now. There’s not really much room for anything else. That’s my problem.” Earlier this month he told the Los Angeles Times that he will never direct a Marvel movie because “you have to be a hired hand to do those things. I’m not a hired hand. I’m not looking for a job.”

Anthony Mackie, who plays The Falcon AKA Captain America’s replacement in the MCU said that he isn’t a movie star. “The Falcon is a movie star. And that’s what’s weird. It used to be Tom Cruise and Will Smith and [Sylvester] Stallone and [Arnold] Schwarzenegger. When you went to the movies you would go to see the Stallone movie. You went to go see the Schwarzenegger movie. Now, you go see X-Men. So the evolution of the superhero has meant the death of the movie star, and that’s the fear now. Because you’re now making movies for 16-year-olds and China — and that’s it. You think some of your favorite movies growing up, they wouldn’t get made today.”

In 2019, director Martin Scorses told the New York Times that “the sameness of today’s franchise pictures is something else again. Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes. They are sequels in name but they are remakes in spirit, and everything in them is officially sanctioned because it can’t really be any other way. That’s the nature of modern film franchises: market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted and remodified until they’re ready for consumption.”

The Goodfellas director added in the op-ed: “So, you might ask, what’s my problem? Why not just let superhero films and other franchise films be? The reason is simple. In many places around this country and around the world, franchise films are now your primary choice if you want to see something on the big screen. It’s a perilous time in film exhibition, and there are fewer independent theaters than ever. The equation has flipped and streaming has become the primary delivery system. Still, I don’t know a single filmmaker who doesn’t want to design films for the big screen, to be projected before audiences in theaters.”

The Best Movies To Watch When You're Sick

  • Action-Adventure Movies

    The Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games trilogy ranked highest in the survey for the best action-adventure film (36%). We’ve definitely watched the Sorcerer’s Stone over ten times since it came out in 2001.

  • Watching With Children

    When parents are sick with their children, the most popular movies to watch is, again, the Harry Potter series (32%). Harry Potter is tied with the Toy Story series. They also watch movies like Frozen (30%), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (28%) and Moana (25%).

  • Comfort Movie

    Comfort movies like School of Rock, The Devil Wears Prada and any Pixar-animated movie (let’s use Monsters Inc. as a great example the whole family can enjoy) are films that you’ve probably watched over and over and over again. And yet, they don’t get old. Of those surveyed, comfort movies have been respondents’ favorite movie for about six years because it reminds them of good times (61%) and makes them laugh (53%).

  • Favorites To Pass To Kids -- Movies

    Millennial parents grew up watching movies like Home Alone, Anastasia, Space Jam, Homeward Bound and The Road to El Dorado. 63% of parents agree that they’ve passed their love of their favorite movie along to their child.

  • Favorites To Pass To Kids -- TV Shows

    Growing up in the ’90s with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and basic cable gave millennial parents quite a LOT of television shows to choose from. Some of the best from the ’90s to early 2000s include Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Rolie Polie Olie, The Wild Thornberries and that freaky Zoboomafoo show about a lemur.

  • On Repeat -- Movies

    Some of our favorite movies that we can watch over and over again include The Big Lebowski, Kiki’s Delivery Service, the Rush Hour series (thanks Dad), True Grit and Mean Girls.

  • On Repeat -- TV Shows

    Some of our favorite shows that we can watch over and over again include Atlanta, Breaking Bad, True Detective and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

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