Yes, I have noted that many films of the past decade have incredibly incoherent plots. I would propose that where the author reigned supreme in the old days, today everything is a 'team effort', and even when there is a single writer on the script, they are besieged by outsiders with 'ideas'. The result is that most plots are not the product of a single imagination, but an ugly stew.
That said, I recently saw the movie 'Mud', which got limited run and attention, and thought it was one of the best plotted and acted movies I have seen in my entire life. So, it is still possible for excellent films to be made, but I bet few will see them.
There is also the question of sophistication of the audience. I was surprised at the negative reaction to Aronofsky's 'The Fountain'. Like it or hate it, what amazed me was that only a minority of critics understood what I thought was a pretty obvious (if unusual) plot device.
Randy
