Veteran director Ridley Scott didn't mince words when asked to describe the state of modern filmmaking. In fact, he needed just four letters: "s**t."

The ornery 87-year-old — the force behind iconic movies like "Alien," "Black Hawk Down," and "Gladiator" — brought down the hammer of justice during a public Q and A with his son Luke in London this week.

'I think a lot of films today are saved and made more expensive by digital effects, because what they haven't got is a great thing on paper first. Get it on paper.'

"Well, right now I'm finding mediocrity, we're drowning in mediocrity," he responded when asked about his own moviegoing habits, according to Yahoo .

Smurfy's law

Pretentious? Maybe, but it becomes more understandable if you consider the recent crop of multiplex mistakes f

See Full Page