Oliver Stone has unleashed a scathing tirade about the economics of indie filmmaking, writing that American audiences are “incredibly spoiled” and their collective “wait-for-Netflix” attitude is killing the magic of going to the movies.
The Oscar-winning director took to Facebook to rave about three high-profile indie releases — Sony Pictures Classics’ “Truth” starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford; Broad Green’s “99 Homes” starring Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon; and Bleecker Street’s “Pawn Sacrifice,” which stars Tobey Maguire as chess prodigy Bobby Fischer.
Stone said he felt like he had to rush to the theater to see those films because he believes they “will disappear soon” since they’re “doomed in this market.”
Stone also said that Shannon’s turn in “99 Homes” is “as exciting and visceral as Gordon Gekko in ‘Wall Street’” and called for the actor to receive an Oscar nomination for his work as a ruthless Florida real estate mogul.
Read Stone’s full Facebook post below and keep in mind that in order for high-quality indie dramas to continue being made, we have to make an effort to support them in theaters. The future of our multiplexes are at stake.
It’s been a brutal Fall for quality movies. Too 
much, too many. We’re cannibalizing ourselves. In New York I’ve rushed to 3 movies I feel will disappear soon. In the rest of the country, perhaps a few theaters are still showing them:
“Truth” – Opened just last week with Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett. A riveting, important story of Dan Rather being fired from CBS when he crossed the Bush Administation. How the corporate media game really works.
“99 Homes” – from young director Ramin Bahrani, with Michael Shannon as a ruthless Florida realtor. As exciting and visceral as Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street.”
“Pawn Sacrifice” – Chess master Bobby Fischer’s tortured life. Beautifully written and directed. Standout performances by Tobey Maguire and Liev Schreiber (also great in “Ray Donovan”).
Cate Blanchett, replete with her bag of neuroses, shines in “Truth” as investigative reporter Mary Mapes. A great actress in the 1930s tradition, it seems Blanchett needs to act first, breathe second. I imagine she lives in a sort of hell when she’s not acting. Shades of “Blue Jasmine.”
Michael Shannon is magnetic in “99 Homes” as a believable man who buys and sells homes by the thousands and is cruelly representative of a capitalism without heart. Oscar nomination here.
Yet all 3 films are doomed in this market. I know I can see “Martian,” “Bridge of Spies,” “The Intern,” “Steve Jobs,” etc. in a few weeks time if I can’t rush now. But American audiences, between TV and film, are incredibly spoiled. They can shrug and say, ‘I’ll see it soon on Netflix,’ etc. Why not?
Except the economics don’t work, and this attitude sadly kills off the magic of seeing intimate drama writ large on a screen, which used to propel filmmakers to make big stories to fit big screens. Fifty-inch beauty TVs can never give us that feeling of sharing, as it does with a theater audience.
On top of which, sports coverage in the U.S. has never been bigger or better. TV was made for 28 frames per second, high definition. Films on TV still play to the unaware at this appalling 28 FPS which feels off-speed in its motion, and far too contemporary for film, which, like history, is a past-tense experience. The mystery of it exists in a time and place all its own. A special universe we go to when we wish to retire from the tyranny of now-now-now.
Television, apart from subscription, is a rent-a-culture, including the news. It’s an advertising/shopping experience. It’s depressing beyond reason how we, especially in the United States, commodify the world, trample on our young people’s education. It’s not enough for young people to be so self-aware and ‘cool’ and funny. Everything’s funny, right? So’s the news, nothing’s serious, it’s just ‘entertainment.’ I’m sick of it, and the values it promotes.
What’s traditional and most important is the appreciation of fine things, among them good drama. “Truth,” “99 Homes,” and “Pawn Sacrifice” are such treasures. And though they will lose the footrace to the box office, time will– unlike the theatre where good plays can vanish– find them again.