Movie plots which were ahead of their time

[Alexander The So-so]

Inspired somewhat by the thread on (W)rest about wrestling storylines ahead of their time, what are some movies with plots which have aged really well, and come across in retrospect as really ahead of the curve?

I just finally got around to crossing a big one off my movie bucket list and watching The King of Comedy, and this one immediately comes to mind. Really seemed to predict modern-day celebrity worship and media saturation, and the ending only becomes more ambiguous, because you just know that chasing controversy like wouldn’t be out of society’s wheelhouse.

Tomorrow Never Dies, as well, to me. A James Bond flick revolving around the media manipulating political events for their own gain seems almost on-the-nose today, and yet it came out over 20 years ago.

[lemonyellowson]

Back to the future 2

[turkeysandwich]

Real Life directed by Albert Brooks. Made 20+ years before reality TV really took off and parodied it to a tee.

[arrogantmodel]

Jul 12, 2019 21:49:54 GMT -5 Alexander The So-so said:

Inspired somewhat by the thread on (W)rest about wrestling storylines ahead of their time, what are some movies with plots which have aged really well, and come across in retrospect as really ahead of the curve?

I just finally got around to crossing a big one off my movie bucket list and watching The King of Comedy, and this one immediately comes to mind. Really seemed to predict modern-day celebrity worship and media saturation, and the ending only becomes more ambiguous, because you just know that chasing controversy like wouldn’t be out of society’s wheelhouse.

Tomorrow Never Dies, as well, to me. A James Bond flick revolving around the media manipulating political events for their own gain seems almost on-the-nose today, and yet it came out over 20 years ago.

I wouldn't say Tomorrow Never Dies was ahead of its time. Yellow journalism has been around forever. Most famously, Hearst's supposed reaction to the Spanish-American War.

When his photographer telegraphed Hearst to tell him it was all quiet and that there would be no war, Hearst telegraphed back and told him to stay in Cuba and keep taking pictures. Hearst (allegedly) said, "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war."

But King of Comedy is spot on.

[The Thread Barbi]

They Live.

The socio-political and socio-economic commentary could be true today.

[Mozenrath]

I'd say Metropolis, but that's kinda because a shitload of things were either inspired by it, mostly with respect to the Maria bot's design, or outright just ripped it off.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

There were a few pro-lgbt films in Germany then, stuff like "Different from the others" in 1919, you could almost remake it today.

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd and Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole

[bitteroldman]

Idiocracy is rapidly shifting from satire to a documentary.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Jul 13, 2019 5:29:25 GMT -5 bitteroldman said:

Idiocracy is rapidly shifting from satire to a documentary.

I like money.

[realist]

Man of the Year with Robin Williams as a comedian who runs for president as a joke and to get some publicity, nut ends up winning the election.

[Prince Petty]

EDtv was a relatively early look at the phenomenon of "reality" television and the fact that people are considered special, simply because they're famous, and how eager some people were to get a touch of that fame. And it touched on the artificiality of reality television - the fact that much of what happens isn't real life at all.

[BorneAgain]

Network from 1976 feels so predictive of what was to come from television news and media in general that it gets uncomfortable to watch.

[BrodietheSlayer]

Phantom of the Paradise, as it relates to the music industry.

[SAJ Forth]

To some degree the subplot of Demolition Man with the civilized but controlled vs. precarious but free story seems to apply to each ideology more now in some way.