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forgotten movie genres in need of a comeback?


Which movie genres can you think of that were once popular and commonly produced, that have since fallen into obscurity?

For me, the biggest one I can think of is the high-concept sci-fi/fantasy comedy. This is a genre that was at its peak of popularity during the 80's and early 90's, thanks to movies like Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, The Witches of Eastwick, Groundhog Day, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

There was once a time when high-concept premises like these were used to create comedy, rather than just action. In recent years however, it's quite rare to find a film that uses such fantastical ideas purely for witticisms and humor. At most, they fall to the side of action comedies, but rarely do they thrive on clever setups and punchlines alone.

If done right, a film of this type could be greatly refreshing in the midst of our current overdose of action and spectacle. For me, Stardust is probably the closest thing we've got to one of those aforementioned films.

Any ideas?

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Teen sex comedies like Porky's or American Pie filled with lots of nudity.

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anything that makes you laugh

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Comedy is long gone. What passes for comedy nowadays is trying to ridicule or humiliate people for political reasons. It's not only scifi or fantasy comedy that disappeared. It's comedy, as a whole.

However, you still have those genres in non-western countries. In anime, for example, they're still quite alive. In fantasy comedy you have Gintama, or even better, Konosuba, which is pure comedy gold:
https://myanimelist.net/anime/30831/Kono_Subarashii_Sekai_ni_Shukufuku_wo

In high-concept sci-fi comedy I'd could point to Hinamatsuri, released a couple of years ago and which plays the top league when it comes to intelligent comedy.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/36296/Hinamatsuri_TV

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Most comedy in movies relies on F-bombs being dropped every 10 seconds and crude humor.

I'm certainly not a person who is easily offended, but if the material isn't funny without those things, then it really isn't very good.

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Most comedy in movies relies on F-bombs being dropped every 10 seconds and crude humor.

Like Woody Allen, for example? Because I'm not sure that describes his comedies.

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He's referring to modern mainstream comedies, stuff made by the likes of Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen.

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Melissa McCarthy movies also come to mind. I certainly don't care if F-bombs are dropped in a movie, it's when every other word is that - it ceases to be funny.

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Are any of these genres still made today? 😄

Biker films
Nunsploitation
Slashers
Martial Arts
Atmospheric horror
Vigilante films
Muscle car road films
Nazisploitation
Gialli
Blaxploitation
Spaghetti Westerns
Sexploitation
Eurocrime

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Adding women in prison films to the list.

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Laura Gemser Comes to mind.

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I knew her from a Emmanuelle movie but I saw she made 9 of that genre also did Women's Prison Massacre among others. My favorite Gemser IMDB credit is International Prostitution 1980, just a bad translation I guess. I was thinking of Anne Heche in a skinemax? Girls in Prison 1994 flic.

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I’ve seen a lot of her films but I’ve yet to watch international prostitution. I’ll add it to my list now though. 👍

My favorite of her’s is Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977). There’s just something about Gemser in the nude firing a 12 ha pump shotgun out the back of a fleeing boat at attacking natives that every man should enjoy.

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Great list
The 70s were golden years for fun movies

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“The 70s were golden years for fun movies”

I agree 100 %. I just got this DVD in off E Bay and it falls into that fun category. Rudy Ray Moore is the Disco Godfather who goes to war against Angel dust pushers who have infiltrated his club. Such a fun flick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M6KlOlLS5I

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"Eurocrime "

whats that then?
sounds interesting

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Eurocrime or poliziotteschi films were made in Italy after the US successes of films like Dirty Harry and The French Connection. Many of the same directors who did Spaghetti Westerns and all the other Italian exploitation films jumped into making poliziotteschi films throughout the 70's. They are pretty rough and gritty so its a bit of an acquired taste, but once you get the feel for them its easy to get hooked if you are ok with subs or dubbing.

For those wanting to get into the genre i usually recommend Street Law (1974) starring Franco Nero.

After that this a short list of some i really like that represent the genre pretty well:
Manhunt in the City (1975)
Caliber 9 (1972)
Violent Rome (1975)
Italian Connection (1972)
The Boss (1973)
Weapons of Death (1977)
The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist (1977)
Cry of a Prostitute (1974)
Almost Human (1974)
A Special Cop in Action (1976)
Rabid Dogs (1975)
Battle of the Godfathers (1973)
The Tough Ones (1976)

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Not so much forgotten but Good Westerns are few and far between

The Western is a fine genre to tell a grim and simple story of good guys and bad guys with plenty of room for 'grey area' morality

Think about Eastwood's Man With No Name, you could never tell if he was a hero or an angry armed lunatic, it was a great series because the protagonist was stoic and a hell of a lot more lethal than the violent creeps he went up against

They should make Westerns like this again

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I have always wondered why those type of westerns died out.

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I will therefore recommend The Mandalorian, which is basically Clint Eastwood meets Star Wars.

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Oh yeah, I saw it all

Great show, pretty good comparison👍

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Westerns is the first thing that came to my mind.

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Romantic Comedies that are actually funny? I mean, did Kate Hudson kill the genre? It was thriving as late as the 1990s, when Sandra Bullock was making fun movies like "Miss Congeniality"!

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Detective/PI stories still containing elements of film-noir. One of the most recent that comes to mind is Twilight (1998), starring Paul Newman. Unsurprisingly, he's good in the role, just as in his 1966 hit, Harper.

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That's a wonderful cast, toss in Susan Sarandon (a great beauty imo) and I'm in!

Hownos is a big film- noir fan, you guys should do a thread

I've always enjoyed Brian DePalma's movies, he did some Hitchcock inspired stuff that was really quite great

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It is a good cast. I also think it could be bumped up a bit as far as its rating.

I'm aware that hownos is also a film-noir fan. I think we've exchanged some comments about the genre before.

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LA Confidential is probably the best "modern day" film noir. It had all the elements. All it needed was Bogart and Edward G. Robinson.

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A great example and right behind Chinatown, imo. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) is considered by some to be neo-noir. It's even filmed in b&w but the kooky alien angle that's introduced seems to offset it. That's the Coen Brothers style of humor for you.

What got me onto this train of thought was watching an episode of Mike Hammer on tubi the other day, but it does appear to be a genre receding into the background.

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Buddy cop movies.

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