It’s not just CGI that looks fake...

No, CGI came from labs.

And dung ! Who makes things out of dung these days ?

not that you asked for my thoughts, but i watched sweet kill a little over two years ago, & remember finding it pretty dull.

however, it's notable for:

- starring tab hunter, post stardom, pre-john waters, &
- being directed by curtis hanson, who would go on to be a pretty big deal.

a bit more interesting for who's involved than what you see on the screen, maybe.

The infantilisation of entertainment is certainly an issue - when was the last time a Hollywood movie actually assumed that the audience was a free thinking adult? - but in this thread I wanted to focus on the synthetic aesthetics that spoil big budget movies.

Thinking about it, it’s the colour grading that really strips movies like Doctor Sleep of their realism. I saw a side-by-side comparison of the Overlook in The Shining and Dr Sleep, and the latter resembled teal and orange CGI, it lacked any sense of reality or real space, you just didn’t feel enveloped by the Colorado Lounge as you did in the original. Why meticulously reconstruct the entire set if you’re just going to make it look like a computer simulation in post..?

The original was obviously a far more sophisticated film - a horror set in a brightly lit hotel, most of which played out in daylight, which made it more uncanny and unnerving. Dr Sleep goes for typical shadow, darkness, loud boo-scares, and as result you pretty much know what lies behind every corner.