I recently saw Barry Lyndon and Blazing Saddles in HD. As different as they may be, there's just something about those 70s films. You know the camera it just won't move. It just sits there, taking one long shot, the picture is just so rich of detail, and you know what? I'm not bored, I'm in complete awe. Then I look at the new Star Trek reboot and wonder what the fuck happened.
And it's not just in films, it's everywhere. I went back and rewatched the first season of Battlestar Galactica, which I love somewhat immensely, but the camerawork is just terrible. It's neat when they zoom in on the ships but god they completely overdid it during the live-action parts. They should've just called it "Earthquake in SPACE!".
I heard some professional editors talk about it and they said something like "everyone has gotten used to the language of film, we can push cinematography and editing even further, and people will still get it". That's the most bullshit excuse I've ever heard for shakey cams. I just don't get that flashy kind of editing, it doesn't come off as intense it's just distracting and amateurish. If you're gonna use it, use it when it's needed, not throughout the whole damn movie. It makes those shaking bridge scenes in Star Trek look completely redundant, because the richter scale is already over 10+ before they're attacked.
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