What movie that has been deemed 'classic' were you disappointed with?

[boonanas]

I'd have to say I was disappointed with Gone With The Wind. I saw it on a big screen and everything. I just don't get why it's such a classic other than it's a 4 hour drama.

[MisterSmith]

Unfortunately, I found "Citizen Kane" to be a bore-fest. I guess trying to look at it from the perspective of 1941 it would be pretty impressive, but I don't think it holds up as well as one might hope.

[ZigZagBigBag]

i tried to watch 'the seven samurai' and just couldn't get into it.

[Thebazile78]

I didn't hate Gone With the Wind, but I was rather peeved that a character that so many girls I grew up with admired (Scarlett O'Hara) was such a spoiled, selfish, unredeeming, foul-tempered beast ... Vivien Leigh was amazing in the role.

And, in a "blink-and-you'll-miss-him" spot in the beginning, you'll see George Reeves, who played Superman on the radio and then on TV, as one of the twins "courting" Scarlett.

Olivia de Havilland was better in it ... her style is less flamboyant.

And maybe I have a weakness for Clark Gable, but I thought he was hilarious.

Overall, the film was ... OK. Maybe the book is better; I don't know.

As for Citizen Kane, well, maybe seeing a PBS "American Experience" documentary about it influenced my opinion of the film. If you think about it, a lot of the visuals, plot elements and lighting elements in Kane are referenced in films to this very day.

(Maybe I have a thing for film noir...)

[Thebazile78]

i tried to watch 'the seven samurai' and just couldn't get into it.

I think Kurosawa is an acquired taste; I happen to have acquired it. And most Americans have issues with subtitles. (I used to watch operas on PBS when I was a kid. Loved every minute of it.)

Could you handle The Magnificent Seven? (It's effectively the same film, but set in the Old West and in English.)

[boonanas]

Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Marnie (I believe it's called) are the only movies by Hitchcock that I've seen (I've seen most) that I dislike.

[Thebazile78]

Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Marnie (I believe it's called) are the only movies by Hitchcock that I've seen (I've seen most) that I dislike.

Yes, it's Marnie ... had Tippi Hedren in it and she plays a kleptomaniac or something, correct?

[boonanas]

Yes, it's Marnie ... had Tippi Hedren in it and she plays a kleptomaniac or something, correct?

Yeah. It had the Hitchcockian mommy issues as the central theme again, I thought Tippi Hedren was terrible and I just didn't like the overall movie.

[Thebazile78]

Yeah. It had the Hitchcockian mommy issues as the central theme again, I thought Tippi Hedren was terrible and I just didn't like the overall movie.

I'm not particularly fond of Tippi Hedren, so when it was on TV last, I didn't watch it. (TCM tends to run Hitchcock's films on his birthday ... I've tended to be busy.)

[K.C.]

Citizen Kane is still my favorite movie to this day.

I guess The Exorcist would be considered a classic at this point. Never thought that was too strong.

[cougarjake13]

dude wheres my car

[MisterSmith]

I also didn't like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." I just wasn't a fan of the story; Bogart was great and played the character to a T, but I didn't like the character so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could/should have been for me.

However, I can understand why some would love it (just not me).

[OGC]

I would have to say "Gone With The Wind" also. The first time I saw it all the way through was on the big screen at a local revival movie theater. Although I certainly done hate the movie, I think it just goes on way too long.

Citizen Kane is on my DVR right now and I will be watching it soon.

I'm sure as I think about the question, I'll come up with others.

[Thebazile78]

I also didn't like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." I just wasn't a fan of the story; Bogart was great and played the character to a T, but I didn't like the character so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could/should have been for me.

However, I can understand why some would love it (just not me).

Isn't that the one about greed? (Haven't seen it yet.)

I have a soft spot for Bogie, so I will watch nearly anything he's in. I especially like him in The African Queen, opposite Katharine Hepburn. Their pairing was genius, IMO, and had a whiff of the way she played off of Spencer Tracy, who I also have a soft spot for.

[badorties]

the exorcist - really dated
bonnie & clyde - painfully slow pacing
serpico - the 'undercover' costume changes were laughable, and it's the start of the overacting pacino
arsenic & old lace - dated
the rope - too pretentious
gone with the wind - just couldn't identify with confederate socialites
field of dreams - just hokey and excruciatingly long and boring
easy rider - dated, really needed some editing, and way too self-indulgent

[fezident]

I've never seen DR. ZHIVAGO.
I've also never seen THE GODFATHER trilogy.


I recently saw 2001 and hated it.

[boonanas]

easy rider - dated, really needed some editing, and way too self-indulgent

I fucking hated Easy Rider. But I wasn't disappointed with the rest of your choices, however. I thought the rest were all quality films (except GWTW).

[Thebazile78]

the exorcist - really dated
bonnie & clyde - painfully slow pacing
serpico - the 'undercover' costume changes were laughable, and it's the start of the overacting pacino
arsenic & old lace - dated
the rope - too pretentious
gone with the wind - just couldn't identify with confederate socialites
field of dreams - just hokey and excruciatingly long and boring
easy rider - dated, really needed some editing, and way too self-indulgent

If it's the film I think you mean, it's not The Rope, it's just Rope and was supposedly inspired by the Leopold & Loeb murder case from the '20s (http://www.leopoldandloeb.com/). (2 rich kids plan to commit the perfect crime ... and they'd have gotten away with it, too if they'd used a different typewriter to write their ransom note!!)

Did you realize that all but 4 of those movies were made in the 1970's? I've found that many '70s movies are crapfests because, for some reason, people forgot how to make movies. They also forgot how to make music. (Disco, ABBA and John Denver should be proof enough of that. Not to say that they haven't their place in someone's happy memories somewhere, but, for a great many of us, these are eminently cringeworthy.)

Of the 4 movies not made in the 70s, one has Kevin Costner in it. Kevin Costner makes his living doing "hokey, excruciatingly long & boring" films. (And this is coming from someone who kind of likes a few Kevin Costner films. Including Field of Dreams.)

Gone With the Wind was released in 1939. The same year as The Wizard of Oz. Both films were made (substantially) in Technicolor ... during the Depression ... and were directed by the same person (Victor Fleming.) Not many of us are going to relate to an epic story about Antebellum/Reconstruction-era rich people, so maybe that's part of why it's so hard to sit through. The fact that it's also 4 hours long is another part of it. You're watching the life story of a spoiled brat who doesn't learn anything from any of her trials ... ugh! (The only characters worth anything in the film are Rhett Butler and Melanie Hamilton ... and they're portrayed by world-class actors Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland, respectively. Of course, they're equally flat...you can't exactly reduce a 1500 page novel to a film script without losing something!)

Arsenic and Old Lace is dated, true. But part of that is because it's based on a stage play ... so it was old by the time Cary Grant helped to bring it to the screen. (It's one of my favorite movies, by the way, mostly for the offbeat references and crazy relations. And all the Boris Karloff references. I love Boris Karloff.)

I think a lot of this has to do with your perception of what a "classic" film is/should be. If it's something that maybe you think you ought to like, but you end up hating, it's not going to be a pleasurable experience. For a film to be "classic" I think that it needs to strike some emotional notes with you for years to come...and be something you still enjoy after multiple watchings.

[Thebazile78]

I've never seen DR. ZHIVAGO.
I've also never seen THE GODFATHER trilogy.


I recently saw 2001 and hated it.

2001: A Space Odyssey is, in my opinion, one of the single most pretentious films EVER made. And I've seen quite a few pretentious films in my time!

After seeing it once, as part of a class I took in college, I developed a hypothesis that it was brilliant if you were high.

I didn't get a chance to test this until after graduation. It's the most brilliant movie on the face of the planet ... as long as you pass out immediately after the ape takes the thighbone and smashes the skeleton and wake up in time for the HAL and Dave portion.

Everything else is butt-numbing crap.

[ToddEVF]

I think Kurosawa is an acquired taste

Excellent Point!!!

I was disappointed by these "classic" films

Arsenic and Old Lace
Ben-Hur
The Crying Game
It's a Wonderful Life
JFK
Rocky
Spartacus


I would have Titanic on there, but I have yet to pressured into watching it.

[boonanas]

2001: A Space Odyssey is, in my opinion, one of the single most pretentious films EVER made. And I've seen quite a few pretentious films in my time!

After seeing it once, as part of a class I took in college, I developed a hypothesis that it was brilliant if you were high.

I didn't get a chance to test this until after graduation. It's the most brilliant movie on the face of the planet ... as long as you pass out immediately after the ape takes the thighbone and smashes the skeleton and wake up in time for the HAL and Dave portion.

Everything else is butt-numbing crap.

I really liked the whole HAL and Dave thing as well, but the rest of the movie is a little too abstract for me.

[TooLowBrow]

Excellent Point!!!

I was disappointed by these "classic" films

Arsenic and Old Lace
Ben-Hur
The Crying Game
It's a Wonderful Life
JFK
Rocky
Spartacus


I would have Titanic on there, but I have yet to pressured into watching it.
way to slip 'the crying game' in there as a classic film.



weirdo

[dino_electropolis]

I think Kurosawa is an acquired taste; I happen to have acquired it. And most Americans have issues with subtitles. (I used to watch operas on PBS when I was a kid. Loved every minute of it.)

Could you handle The Magnificent Seven? (It's effectively the same film, but set in the Old West and in English.)

my fav kurosawa film was DREAMS.....visually stunning, with a poigniant story line....one of the best directors ever.

[MisterSmith]

Isn't that the one about greed? (Haven't seen it yet.)

I have a soft spot for Bogie, so I will watch nearly anything he's in. I especially like him in The African Queen, opposite Katharine Hepburn. Their pairing was genius, IMO, and had a whiff of the way she played off of Spencer Tracy, who I also have a soft spot for.

Yes, it is all about greed; and that is probably why I didn't like it that much. I have never really understood greed. I don't think there is a single redeemable character in the movie.

I may have to watch it again. I was pretty young the first time so I might like it more now.

[hedges]

I also didn't like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." I just wasn't a fan of the story; Bogart was great and played the character to a T, but I didn't like the character so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could/should have been for me.

However, I can understand why some would love it (just not me).

I bought this movie about a month ago. I loved it as a kid, but when I saw it again recently I was surprised, it lacked something for me.

[BalloonKnotB]

Just did a brief run through a couple of "classic" sci-fi films from the 70's: Silent Running and Omega Man. Very few things put me to sleep these days, but both movies did just that. Don't know if they'd be deemed classics, but I've heard of both of them refered to as such.

TheBazile was right -- the 70's were BRUTAL in terms of pacing. No wonder Star Wars took the box office by storm in '77 (and even it moves slow by today's standards).

Getting ready to watch Seven Samurai after just having seen The Magnificent Seven. Can't wait. I dig the Kurosawa.

Finally, the Good the Bad and the Ugly was GOOD but For a Few Dollars More is the best of the three classic Spaghetti Westerns.

[spankyfrank]

The last picture show, I thought it was a dumb movie about the south

[sailor]

caddyshack is just not funny on any level.

[MrPink]

The Godfather, it was watchable, but I can name a shitload of other movies better than it. There's no way it should be #1 on IMDB.

While not a classic, I didn't like Donnie Darko. I don't think that making a movie where nobody knows what's happening is brilliant, it's just poor writing.

[TheMojoPin]

I'm gonna say Easy Rider and then get the hell out of this thread before my head explodes.

[CofyCrakCocaine]

Fistful of Dollars sucked. Maybe because I saw the Kurosawa 'Yojimbo' that it was based upon first. I don't think many people are walking around saying how great that Leone film was...but I figure it's old enough for this thread.

If we're going by movies that aren't so old yet but got critical acclaim, the movie I hated the most has to be American Beauty

Oh and Seven Samurai= FTW.

[ChrisTheCop]

When I read this thread title, Gone With The Wind jumped right out at me.

I never watched it til just a few years back, I dated a girl named Tara,
which she told me was the name of the plantation in the movie. When I told her I had never
seen it... guess what we watched for movie night?

I've liked Clarke Gable in other stuff, but he was godawful here.
The lighting bothered me as well. And it was lonnnng.

When she asked what I thought, I said "Even when it's on fire, that Tara isnt as hot as you"
(or words to that effect). Then we had sex, so she'd be as disappointed in movie night as I was.

[TheMojoPin]

I wish to challenge the idea that GWtW has always been considered an "all around" classic like a lot of the other films being named. Yes, it's got clout due to its massive, unbeatable box office and some classic scenes and lines, but to me it's always seemed to have an aura of being a classic "chick flick" at best. It's rarely propped up there among critics and film historians and filmmakers and such as a readily and continually influential classic like most of the other films being brought up. It really is the Titanic of its time and nothing more.

[ChrisTheCop]

I wish to challenge the idea that GWtW has always been considered an "all around" classic like a lot of the other films being named. Yes, it's got clout due to its massive, unbeatable box office and some classic scenes and lines, but to me it's always seemed to have an aura of being a classic "chick flick" at best. It's rarely propped up there among critics and film historians and filmmakers and such as a readily and continually influential classic like most of the other films being brought up. It really is the Titanic of its time and nothing more.

AFI ranks it #4 in it's category (Epic).
Interestingly enough, Titanic is #6.

EPIC

1 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962
2 BEN-HUR 1959
3 SCHINDLER'S LIST 1993
4 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939
5 SPARTACUS 1960
6 TITANIC 1997
7 ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT 1930
8 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 1998
9 REDS 1981
10 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 1956


Personal note: I enjoyed every other movie on the above list, except old number 4.

[PapaBear]

When I was a little kid it was always talked about as being classic. Thing is, back then, a lot of people who called it classic actually saw it in the theaters. I'm sure it was a pretty big deal back then. There aren't a lot of those people left.

[TheMojoPin]

AFI ranks it #4 in it's category (Epic).
Interestingly enough, Titanic is #6.



Personal note: I enjoyed every other movie on the above list, except old number 4.

I'm not saying it's some kind of nothing picture, but I really don't think it's considered all that influenial or great because nobody is really "rating" it as anything except a hugely successful spectacle.

[boonanas]

I'm going to add another one for me to the list. I recorded a bunch of Jimmy Stewart movies from TCM. I was thoroughly disappointed with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (the whole moral conundrum of whether you should kill a rotten criminal or abide by the law killed it for me, Jimmy Stewart was just too over the top).

But I was surprised with Otto Preminger's courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder. Good movie all around (I have a soft spot for courtroom dramas).

[ChimneyFish]

I'm gonna say Easy Rider and then get the hell out of this thread before my head explodes.

I just watched it for the first time last night.

Good movie. I all around liked it, despite the ending.:huh:

"Classic" I can see only from a nostalgic point.

[A.J.]

caddyshack is just not funny on any level.

http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/attachments/month_0603/wtf_cat.jpg.w300h371_HeOTTJstzM5Z.jpg

[BeerBandit]

I only saw Blues Brothers about 10 years ago and didn't care for it. I just don't think it holds up. And I can't stand Field of Dreams. Baseball is a magical game, but it doesn't bring people back from the dead.

[Doctor Manhattan]

I like crime/mobster movies, I like Al Pacino, and I like some of Brian De Palma's films. But I am not a fan of Scarface. Well, maybe that's not a "classic". I am glad to have seen it so I can get the references O&A make.

[badorties]

I like crime/mobster movies, I like Al Pacino, and I like some of Brian De Palma's films. But I am not a fan of Scarface. Well, maybe that's not a "classic". I am glad to have seen it so I can get the references O&A make.

i never understood the draw of scarface ... the ridiculous accent and the horrible 80s score make the movie just unwatchable

[FunkyDrummer]

The Godfather, it was watchable, but I can name a shitload of other movies better than it. There's no way it should be #1 on IMDB.

While not a classic, I didn't like Donnie Darko. I don't think that making a movie where nobody knows what's happening is brilliant, it's just poor writing.

Dark Knight has bumped it to #2. What are these shitload of movies you are willing to name?

[foodcourtdruide]

I say Saving Private Ryan. I thought the first 15 minutes were exhilerating, but the rest kinda dragged and revolved around a poor story.

I also agree with 2001.

[foodcourtdruide]

i never understood the draw of scarface ... the ridiculous accent and the horrible 80s score make the movie just unwatchable

I agree and the mid-movie montage is beyond ridiculous.

[Willmore]

The Untouchables.

Maybe it's because I haven't seen it until this year, but other than De Niro, there is nothing in that movie worth watching. In fact, other than Scarface, I don't get the appeal of Brian De Palma.

[ANC]

Dr. Zhivago
Citizen Kane
Patton

Found them all to be really slow and bored the shit outta me.

[Thebazile78]

Dr. Zhivago
Citizen Kane
Patton

Found them all to be really slow and bored the shit outta me.

But Patton is one of my favorite movies! (I think that I'm one of a handful of straight females on the planet who enjoyed it.)

And I haven't seen Dr. Zhivago on principle.

[badorties]

But Patton is one of my favorite movies! (I think that I'm one of a handful of straight females on the planet who enjoyed it.)

And I haven't seen Dr. Zhivago on principle.

which principal is that -- did you love the book ...?

[MisterSmith]

which principal is that -- did you love the book ...?

No, she just hates Soviets and/or Russians. :tongue:













j/k of course.

[Thebazile78]

which principal is that -- did you love the book ...?

Nope.

The same principle that supports my lack of desire to see Love Story ... the one that says all women of a certain age have to not only see but also love a movie. (I knew a few girls in high school who'd loved Zhivago. They were typically the ones who reeked of "marry me" and therefore wouldn't get dates.)

Ew. Ew. Ew.

(I am not particularly interested in straight-out romantic movies. Romantic comedies, on the other hand, I have no problem with.)

I've seen plenty of films that I loved the book and hated the film ... or loved the film but hated the book ... or loved both. It depends on what I expected going into the film.

[Willmore]

Nope.

The same principle that supports my lack of desire to see Love Story ... the one that says all women of a certain age have to not only see but also love a movie. (I knew a few girls in high school who'd loved Zhivago. They were typically the ones who reeked of "marry me" and therefore wouldn't get dates.)

Ew. Ew. Ew.

(I am not particularly interested in straight-out romantic movies. Romantic comedies, on the other hand, I have no problem with.)

I've seen plenty of films that I loved the book and hated the film ... or loved the film but hated the book ... or loved both. It depends on what I expected going into the film.


I haven't seen the movie, but the book isn't about love as it is about the human condition. It's a very philosophical book with undercurrents that touch on just about everything from politics to religion.

[Thebazile78]

I haven't seen the movie, but the book isn't about love as it is about the human condition. It's a very philosophical book with undercurrents that touch on just about everything from politics to religion.


People tend to sigh and wheeze over it as a "forbidden love" type of story. I'm fully aware that the book likely isn't.

The one movie I refused to see when it first came out because I'd loved the book so much was Interview With the Vampire ... until Anne Rice gave it her OK.

I almost wrote her an ugly letter to let her know how disappointed I was in it. Then I decided it wasn't worth it.

[JimBeam]

I've also gotta go with any of the Godfather movies.

I'm not ant-ganster movies by any means but I don't see the big deal here.

I'd watch Goodfellas before any of the Godfather movies.

[jonyrotn]

I've had people laugh in my face and had others become violently angry when I tell them I've never been able to sit through an entire viewing of any of the "Stars Wars" movies..

I've probably seen most if not all of the original in pieces and mostly by accident over the years, but I've never seen it from title to credits, believe me I've tried..
I always feel like I'm missing out on some segment of pop culture that everyone else except me understands and identifies with but for what ever reason it bores me to tears.. :sad:

[Thebazile78]

Just did a brief run through a couple of "classic" sci-fi films from the 70's: Silent Running and Omega Man. Very few things put me to sleep these days, but both movies did just that. Don't know if they'd be deemed classics, but I've heard of both of them refered to as such.....

I disagree with films from the 70s being "classics" because a lot of them are so crappy and dated that they're nearly unwatchable today unless you're watching them MST3K-style with a bunch of buddies and a case of cheap beer.

(I mean, let's face it, I laughed my way through Jaws when I finally saw it ... and sharks scare the living Hell out of me ... but I'm glad I did if for no other reason than the pop-cultural references in other things, like the scallops episode of Good Eats.)

True, there were bright spots here and there. And there are movies that I happen to love, but I'll be the first to admit that they're not universally liked ... like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (no academy awards) or Patton (won the best picture Oscar for 1970.)

A lot of films carry this aura of authority because they've won Academy Awards, or grossed massive amounts of cash at the box office, or they're pop-cultural touchstones. I don't think that winning an Oscar automatically makes a film "good" or "classic" ... Titanic swept the Oscars in '98 and I still, to this day, LOATHE it. And I love Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Colm Meaney and Kathy Bates ... but the script was shit, the pacing was way too slow and the story was dopey. The visuals were impressive. So were the special effects.

But, come ON, the movie was crap. It made my butt go numb. This was the first time I'd ever had my butt go numb during a movie. Really.

A lot of the films that have been mentioned have at least one of the items I mentioned above:

Just using Gone With the Wind (1939) as an example - this film is consistently among the top box-office grossers OF ALL TIME, won Best Picture Oscar, Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel), best COLOR Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Director ... was nominated in 13 categories. People who love this film LOVE it, not just LIKE it, but LOVE it.

[ChimneyFish]

People tend to sigh and wheeze over it as a "forbidden love" type of story. I'm fully aware that the book likely isn't.

The one movie I refused to see when it first came out because I'd loved the book so much was Interview With the Vampire ... until Anne Rice gave it her OK.

I almost wrote her an ugly letter to let her know how disappointed I was in it. Then I decided it wasn't worth it.

Saw the movie before I read the book(s).
After I had read "Interview", I actually didn't mind Tom Cruise all that much as Lestat. As long as they weren't planning on making any sequels. Unfortunately........

[Furtherman]

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[TheMojoPin]

A lot of films carry this aura of authority because they've won Academy Awards, or grossed massive amounts of cash at the box office, or they're pop-cultural touchstones. I don't think that winning an Oscar automatically makes a film "good" or "classic" ... Titanic swept the Oscars in '98 and I still, to this day, LOATHE it. And I love Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Colm Meaney and Kathy Bates ... but the script was shit, the pacing was way too slow and the story was dopey. The visuals were impressive. So were the special effects.

But, come ON, the movie was crap. It made my butt go numb. This was the first time I'd ever had my butt go numb during a movie. Really.

A lot of the films that have been mentioned have at least one of the items I mentioned above:

Just using Gone With the Wind (1939) as an example - this film is consistently among the top box-office grossers OF ALL TIME, won Best Picture Oscar, Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel), best COLOR Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Director ... was nominated in 13 categories. People who love this film LOVE it, not just LIKE it, but LOVE it.

Like I said, GWtW was the Titanic of its day. It's a "classic" in how it was a giganic blockbuster and the ultimate chick flick with some Oscars tacked on.

[A.J.]

Fuck Titanic. Titanic is to A Night to Remember as Pearl Harbor is to Tora Tora Tora!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/Anighttoremember.jpg

[TooLowBrow]

The one movie I refused to see when it first came out because I'd loved the book so much was Interview With the Vampire ... until Anne Rice gave it her OK.

I almost wrote her an ugly letter to let her know how disappointed I was in it. Then I decided it wasn't worth it.

don't go by what anne rice says.
she is a born again catholic now and has denounced her vampire books
Rice declared that she will never again write another vampire novel, saying; "I would never go back, not even if they say, 'You will be financially ruined; you've got to write another vampire book.' I would say no. I have no choice. I would be a fool for all eternity to turn my back on God like that."

[Furtherman]

don't go by what anne rice says.
she is a born again catholic now and has denounced her vampire books
Rice declared that she will never again write another vampire novel, saying; "I would never go back, not even if they say, 'You will be financially ruined; you've got to write another vampire book.' I would say no. I have no choice. I would be a fool for all eternity to turn my back on God like that."

But Jesus was a vampire. Raised from the dead, drank blood. C'mon!

[Thebazile78]

I've had people laugh in my face and had others become violently angry when I tell them I've never been able to sit through an entire viewing of any of the "Stars Wars" movies..

I've probably seen most if not all of the original in pieces and mostly by accident over the years, but I've never seen it from title to credits, believe me I've tried..
I always feel like I'm missing out on some segment of pop culture that everyone else except me understands and identifies with but for what ever reason it bores me to tears.. :sad:

I was in college before I saw the original Star Wars. Most of my friends acted as though this was a massive omission in my cultural literacy.

For that particular group, at that particular time, it was.

But I can see how it's not some folks' cup of tea.

Saw the movie before I read the book(s).
After I had read "Interview", I actually didn't mind Tom Cruise all that much as Lestat. As long as they weren't planning on making any sequels. Unfortunately........

It was more than Tom Cruise as Lestat that bothered me.
The entire film, except for Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, was miscast IMO.

Tom Cruise's interviews on the press junket indicating that he thought the entire thing was silly also pissed me off.

Add to the fact that I thought of Lestat as a lot more "feline" than Tom Cruise can ever dream to be and, well, there you go. (I've read the first 3 Vampire books about a million times.)

I actually thought that the guy they had playing Lestat in that wretched QOTD film was the better looking Lestat. Too bad I couldn't sit through more than 10 seconds of the film!!!

Fuck Titanic. Titanic is to A Night to Remember as Pearl Harbor is to Tora Tora Tora!

I definitely prefer both A Night to Remember and Tora! Tora! Tora! to the two more recent flicks.

Even Kate Beckinsale couldn't save Pearl Harbor.

don't go by what anne rice says.
she is a born again catholic now and has denounced her vampire books
Rice declared that she will never again write another vampire novel, saying; "I would never go back, not even if they say, 'You will be financially ruined; you've got to write another vampire book.' I would say no. I have no choice. I would be a fool for all eternity to turn my back on God like that."

I agree that Anne Rice has gone off the deep end since she "got religion."

Which seems to have coincided with the death of her husband, Stan.

And if she never writes another Vampire novel, it's all for the best. I read Pandora and she completely destroyed the character the way she'd originally been presented in both The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned.

If she wants to write her Jesus novels now, God bless her.

Funny that she hasn't renounced her erotica, though. The Vampire novels were tame compared to that!!!

[danner1515]

caddyshack is just not funny on any level.

Completely agree. I didn't see it until I was 16 or 17, and I remember finally getting around to watching it and thinking, "This is supposed to be a classic in the same league as Animal House and the Blues Brothers?"

While we're talking comedies here, I'd throw Blazing Saddles in, but then again, I've never been a Mel Brooks fan. I think it had the potential to be a truly great movie, but Mel Brooks' way of delivering jokes just annoys the fuck out of me.

[RoseBlood]

I can't sit through any Star Wars or Star Trek movie without falling asleep. I just find them painfully boring.

[jonyrotn]

I've never been able to sit through an entire viewing of any of the "Stars Wars" movies..it bores me to tears.. :sad:

I can't sit through any Star Wars movie without falling asleep. I just find them painfully boring.

I guess we know what we won't be doing on our first date..

Oh yeah! Wanna have a first date? Tell your boyfriend we won't make out either.. :tongue:

[sailor]

Completely agree. I didn't see it until I was 16 or 17, and I remember finally getting around to watching it and thinking, "This is supposed to be a classic in the same league as Animal House and the Blues Brothers?"

While we're talking comedies here, I'd throw Blazing Saddles in, but then again, I've never been a Mel Brooks fan. I think it had the potential to be a truly great movie, but Mel Brooks' way of delivering jokes just annoys the fuck out of me.


exactly. i love those two movies (which people tend to lump caddyshack with) but find caddyshack painfully boring. i so tried to love it, because everyone else does, so i went back and watched it a 2nd time. it was even worse the 2nd time thru. people quoting the movie can be funny, but that's about it.





The same principle that supports my lack of desire to see Love Story ... the one that says all women of a certain age have to not only see but also love a movie. (I knew a few girls in high school who'd loved Zhivago. They were typically the ones who reeked of "marry me" and therefore wouldn't get dates.)

and now that you find yourself a married lady, maybe you should give it a chance?

[MrPink]

Dark Knight has bumped it to #2. What are these shitload of movies you are willing to name?

Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Night of the Living Dead, T2, No Country and a lot more movies are better than Godfather.

[Thebazile78]

....
and now that you find yourself a married lady, maybe you should give [Love Story] a chance?

Not on your life.

The kind of girl who reeks of "marry me" grows up into the same type of woman who's not offended that "television for women" is mostly made-for-cable weepfest/scarefest movies with lousy plots ... whose only redeeming quality is that they've kept Meredith Baxter working after Family Ties ended.

(In other words, they're my sister. I love my sister, but her undying love for Lifetime Original Movies is one of her greatest flaws.)

[TheMojoPin]

Love Story is a fucking farce.

"Love means never having to say you're sorry" is quite possibly the dumbest thing ever put to paper.

What an insipid film.

[A.J.]

Love Story is a fucking farce.

"Love means never having to say you're sorry" is quite possibly the dumbest thing ever put to paper.

What an insipid film.

Blame Al and Tipper Gore -- they were the inspiration for the film after all!

[Furtherman]

Love Story is a fucking farce.

"Love means never having to say you're sorry" is quite possibly the dumbest thing ever put to paper.

What an insipid film.

QFT.


One I just saw and mentioned in another thread, The Apartment. A corporate kiss ass and a naive bed-hopper. Yawn.

Bullit. Yea, it's got Steve McQueen, but another yawner.

[TheMojoPin]

Bullit. Yea, it's got Steve McQueen, but another yawner.

*PUNCH*

Bastard.

[A.J.]

Bullit. Yea, it's got Steve McQueen, but another yawner.

Yeah -- that car chase put me to sleep.

[Thebazile78]

Yeah -- that car chase put me to sleep.

I think that's the only part of Bullit that I've seen in its entirety.

Which is kind of sad because I love Steve McQueen.

[Furtherman]

Yes, it has a good car chase but I just remember the story as waaaaay slow.

[TheMojoPin]

There is no story. It's just Steve McQueen being insanely cool for 2 hours.

[boonanas]

The problem I have with Bullitt is that it attempted to be as real as possible, but during that car chase, Steve McQueen is as quiet as a mouse. Doesn't make a single sound or grunt. That's not real. I can guarantee that anyone chasing someone intensely in high speed cars will at least make a grunt.

[TheMojoPin]

The problem I have with Bullitt is that it attempted to be as real as possible, but during that car chase, Steve McQueen is as quiet as a mouse. Doesn't make a single sound or grunt. That's not real. I can guarantee that anyone chasing someone intensely in high speed cars will at least make a grunt.

*Ahem*

It's just Steve McQueen being insanely cool for 2 hours.

[boonanas]

*Ahem*

Yes I get it. But there's a special feature on the Bullitt DVD that chronicles the making of the movie and it's all about him trying to make it as real life as possible.

[TheMojoPin]

Yes I get it. But there's a special feature on the Bullitt DVD that chronicles the making of the movie and it's all about him trying to make it as real life as possible.

Yes, as real as Steve McQueen's life.

Which is much cooler than anyone else's.

The man couldn't help he knew nothing except being cool. That was his reality.

[boonanas]

Yes, as real as Steve McQueen's life.

Which is much cooler than anyon else's.

The man couldn't help he knew nothing except being cool. That was his reality.

Check mate.

[sailor]

Not on your life.

The kind of girl who reeks of "marry me" grows up into the same type of woman who's not offended that "television for women" is mostly made-for-cable weepfest/scarefest movies with lousy plots ... whose only redeeming quality is that they've kept Meredith Baxter working after Family Ties ended.

(In other words, they're my sister. I love my sister, but her undying love for Lifetime Original Movies is one of her greatest flaws.)

for what it's worth i meant dr z

and lifetime's a guilty pleasure for my wife as well. she knows they're crappy movies, but she has fun with them. it's the same as a guy enjoying watching bad sci-fi/horror/action flicks.

[Thebazile78]

for what it's worth i meant dr z

and lifetime's a guilty pleasure for my wife as well. she knows they're crappy movies, but she has fun with them. it's the same as a guy enjoying watching bad sci-fi/horror/action flicks.

So did I.

I guess I must be missing a part of my 2nd "X" chromosome because Lifetime movies and "romantic" films just make me sick. (This does NOT include "romantic comedies" which can be enjoyed on multiple levels ... see Some Like It Hot as an example of a very enjoyable romantic comedy.)

Honestly, I'd rather watch the crappy sci-fi flicks!!!!

[A.J.]

There is no story. It's just Steve McQueen being insanely cool for 2 hours.

As he was in every film he made.

[TheMojoPin]

As he was in every film he made.

It was the law.

[grlNIN]

caddyshack is just not funny on any level.

AGREED.

I have a very broad sense of humor and am easily able to find things funny BUT Caddyshack was the most boring piece of shit movie i have ever seen in my life. That also goes for Blues Brothers.

I don't think i ever found anything John Belushi or Chevy Chase has done funny. (and yes, i watched reruns of old SNL when they were still on Comedy Central).

[grlNIN]

Not on your life.

The kind of girl who reeks of "marry me" grows up into the same type of woman who's not offended that "television for women" is mostly made-for-cable weepfest/scarefest movies with lousy plots ... whose only redeeming quality is that they've kept Meredith Baxter working after Family Ties ended.

(In other words, they're my sister. I love my sister, but her undying love for Lifetime Original Movies is one of her greatest flaws.)

I think that's a little harsh and an exacerbated stereotype.

I liked Love Story a lot and i would not define myself as a typical girl who is looking to get married ASAP, i am also not offended by Lifetime's programming because i know it is catering to a specific breed of female, i don't let it bother me-instead i watch other things that suit my taste.

I also feel like you may have a very wrong impression of the type of movie Love Story is and is supposed to be. It's not overly dramatic or romantic, i kind of feel like it still holds up pretty well today, actually. I dont know if you've seen The Way We Were but it's almost in the same vein as that movie.



PS- The Natural was pretty bad. Not only was it long and really dull but i couldnt get over the ages they were attempting to have Redford pass as. Ech.

[JustJon]

I know it was said earlier, but Scarface. I thought it was a decent movie, but I don't see what the huge appeal of the movie is. Does everyone who lives by this movie turn off the last half hour or something?

[Thebazile78]

I think that's a little harsh and an exacerbated stereotype.

I liked Love Story a lot and i would not define myself as a typical girl who is looking to get married ASAP, i am also not offended by Lifetime's programming because i know it is catering to a specific breed of female, i don't let it bother me-instead i watch other things that suit my taste.

I also feel like you may have a very wrong impression of the type of movie Love Story is and is supposed to be. It's not overly dramatic or romantic, i kind of feel like it still holds up pretty well today, actually. I dont know if you've seen The Way We Were but it's almost in the same vein as that movie....

I admit it's a harsh stereotype; most stereotypes are harsh. I also know that I'm not being entirely fair.

I think it's also because my sister and I don't agree on movies or life goals, so I'm projecting a lot of that rage onto my overall assessment of films of that ilk. It's been my experience, and I'm older than you so maybe that's part of it, that the girls who like this kind of film are the kind of girl who grows into a woman who defines herself in terms of her relationship to a man. I'm also from a different part of the state, with different social experiences than yours ... all of those factors go into my assessment.

I never said I was offended by the programming on Lifetime. I am offended by their advertising slogan as being "television for women." As if all women were delighted by made-for-TV crapfests with soapy acting and worse writing.

I haven't seen either Love Story or The Way We Were... I'm not the biggest Barbra Streisand fan when she's not singing (I love her in Hello Dolly! and that's actually a kind of "romantic" film.)

Maybe I'll give them a shot ... if I do, I'll let you know if I've changed my conception of whether they're films I find enjoyable.

[AKA]

About the only two that I've seen on here that I agree with are CADDYSHACK and SCARFACE - I won't say I hate either of them, however, because I don't, but I never (even in The Day) "got" them. I'd put MEATBALLS, STRIPES, ANIMAL HOUSE and the BLUES BROTHERS (all brilliant fucking movies) ahead of the former, and THE GODFATHER 1 & 2 above the latter - not that everything has to be a competition.

Other recent ones that I throw into that pile include FERRIS BUELLER, THE GOONIES, and kind of THE PRINCESS BRIDE - movies I don't hate, but really don't get the big fucking deal about.

As far as real, supposed CLASSICS, however, I was never more disappointed in a film than I was when I finally saw NASHVILLE - a film I really ended up hating when I finally watched it - and the most ridiculous piece of shit GIANT with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. Oyghpfft

[boonanas]

I'd like to bump this thread since a similar topic was talked about on the show yesterday.

[Suspect Chin]

Dog Day Afternoon

[Slumbag]

Dog Day Afternoon

Are you NUTS!?
I just watched it for the first time and thought it was fantastic. Part way through the movie, it goes from a normal kidnapping story to some weird transsexual love story. It blew my mind.

I always though The Warriors was lame.

[PapaBear]

and the most ridiculous piece of shit GIANT with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. Oyghpfft
I think I might have made it through about a half hour of Giant. I found it totally unwatchable.

[Suspect Chin]

Are you NUTS!?
I just watched it for the first time and thought it was fantastic. Part way through the movie, it goes from a normal kidnapping story to some weird transsexual love story. It blew my mind.

I always though The Warriors was lame.

See everyone says that and give me a hard time, but it just didnt work for me. I was bored and unimpressed with his acting.

[Melk]

I liked Love Story a lot and i would not define myself as a typical girl who is looking to get married ASAP, i am also not offended by Lifetime's programming because i know it is catering to a specific breed of female, i don't let it bother me-instead i watch other things that suit my taste.
I have always wondered why, "Television for Men: SpikeTV" has never aired a pro-spousal abuse made-for-TV movie. Imagine a made for TV movie called, "The Fire Extinguisher Bed."

I am going to have to agree with the Caddyshack haters. I think a person's love or hate for that movie seems to be generational. I enjoy the movie for its contrived final competition, but I find the comedy to be a little lacking. Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield are hilarious in the movie for the same reasons they are funny in projects outside of Caddyshack. But Caddyshack is just not that funny.

The classic that disappointed me is Fellini's "8 1/2." In the 80s and 90s it was considered one of the ten best reviewed movies of all time. I have noticed that since the advent of the Internet, that movie has slowly slid into a more respectable "meh" ranking. I assume that the term Fellinesque is a synomym for overrated shit.

But until about 1995 movies like "8 1/2" and "La Cage aux Folles" were considered the pretentious benchmark of quality and must sees for film students and aficionados.

[Ritalin]

I have always wondered why, "Television for Men: SpikeTV" has never aired a pro-spousal abuse made-for-TV movie. Imagine a made for TV movie called, "The Fire Extinguisher Bed."

or "She deserved it."

[epo]

I'm so pissed at myself for clicking on this damned thread. Seriously, there is a list of people from this thread that I think much less of at this moment.

Needless to say here is my classic piece of shit.....The African Queen. Bogart is forced to dry out in a boat with this snarky bitch up a river? When she threw his booze out of the boat, he should have thrown her ass with it.

[burrben]

jean luc godard's breathless, what a piece of shit. worst film of the french new wave