"But it's just that the whole country is making generally lousy films these days and has been for quite a while. That's the big problem that we all have to think about"

Alexander Payne's quote talks to the existing state of the movie industry in the United States. He is recommending that the quality of films being produced in the country has been declining for a long time, and this is a trouble that needs to be dealt with. He is most likely describing the lack of creativity as well as imagination in a number of the films being launched, as well as the occurrence of sequels as well as remakes. He is also likely referring to the reality that a lot of the movies being released are not of the very same top quality as those launched in the past. Payne is recommending that the film industry needs to take a go back and think about just how to improve the high quality of movies being generated. He is likely asking for even more creativity and imagination in the films being released, in addition to a focus on high quality over amount.