Topic Question
Added 2024-05-29 17:00:06 +0000 UTCWhat movies do you love that everyone else seems to dislike, and why?
Comments
It’s more underrated/ overlooked than hated but I would say Ashes of time by Wong Kar Wai (talking about the redux version). I can’t explain how much I love this film. I did find it quite difficult on the first watch but on the second one something just clicked and it seriously felt like falling in love. The acting, the cinematography, the themes it all touched me in so many levels at once. Especially the part of Maggie Cheung at the end, it’s 6 minutes of one of her greatest performances. Every time I watch this scene I cry out of heartbreak. It seems like all everyone care about when it comes to this film is the ridiculous use of the budget but tbh I actually find it kinda adorable like giving Wong Kar wai insane budget to make an action movie is like letting the kid to watch after the cake like whose idea was it. Anyway I don’t care how much money is needed it is worth it. I truly see it as his forgotten masterpiece.
Dor Bekerman
2024-06-05 16:09:28 +0000 UTCMalibu’s most wanted. I know it’s cringe and B-rad doesn’t undergo any meaningful transformation, but I find it hilarious and low-key really Love all of the characters. It could also be seen as a scathing satire and the 8 mile parody we didn’t know we needed at the time. And remember….King Kong ain’t got shit on me!
Scott
2024-05-30 17:27:53 +0000 UTCThe rape sequence is haunting and hard to watch its definitely not intended to be voteristicly titillating
Patrick Miller
2024-05-30 11:27:47 +0000 UTCI'll check out ms. 45
Patrick Miller
2024-05-30 11:25:58 +0000 UTCJ. Edgar (2011) Despite the bad old age makeup, I actually find this to be a very good entry in Eastwood’s directing oeuvre. Hoover is an ideal Eastwood protagonist as a man with strict moral standards who wishes to have a grand public legacy but is ultimately blinded by his ego which leads him to do many unethical things as the head of the FBI. His denial of this along with his repressed homosexuality make for an intriguing character study as we see him grow over time and lead up to that brilliant twist ending. Dicaprio in “serious actor mode” is perfect casting given Hoover’s need to please at every turn. Armie Hammer also gives an excellent performance as Hoover’s lifelong companion, Clyde Tolson.
Stephen
2024-05-29 22:22:44 +0000 UTCProbably M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. Although I am really happy that in recent years it’s been going through a period of re-evaluation, and people are coming around to the fact that it’s actually pretty damn good. The biggest mistake against it was that it was mis-marketed as another Shyamalan scare-fest, when in reality it was a romantic drama, with some suspense thrown in. It’s not a perfect movie, particularly in the third act, but when you appreciate it for what it is, you recognize that the movie is actually really good, with very resonant emotional beats, and one of Shyamalan’s best films. I feel like if this were to come out today, as is, the Robert Eggers/Ari Aster crowd would be all over this thing.
Donoharm
2024-05-29 21:06:00 +0000 UTCI remember seeing The Last Jedi in theaters and enjoying it. I did not grow up with Star Wars and had only seen The Force Awakens at the time, so did not have much context or expectations, which probably worked in the films favor. Now having seen them all, I've grown a little sour to it, but still think it's way overhated. While I think there are definitely valid points of critique to be made, most of the hate I initially came across seemed exaggerated and driven by a resistance to change or nostalgia for the original films and their structure. I actually think some of the bold plot choices and taken risks were kind of refreshing and subverting the traditional tropes, like killing Snoke and totally shifting the narrative. Didn't think it was a masterpiece by any means (and the last movie made me uninterested in ever returning to this sequel-trilogy) but still..
Mees
2024-05-29 20:51:28 +0000 UTCIt's hard for me to get behind I Spit on Your Grave as a "feminist masterpiece" when it feels like the audience is offered the "rape" sequence as pure voyeuristic titilation and then the "revenge" sequence as a means to ethically purify/justify the earlier sexploitation. But then again, I feel the same moral queasiness whenever I watch a Quentin Tarantino or Park Chan-wook film exploring this same terrain with more finesse. (Don't get me wrong: all these films are fun to watch! Although I haven't really explored the genre, I suspect I could really get into mondo/grindhouse/giallo)
Matthew Ryder
2024-05-29 19:41:33 +0000 UTCSpeaking of an underrated Coen piece, I just watched their short-short film Tuileries (from the anthology film Paris Je T'aime) for the first time. A wonderful sendup of tourist culture that somehow simultaneously lampoons and celebrates Francophone stereotypes. It's only 7 minutes, but every moment is expertly crafted. These guys never fail to crack me up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKyCi5Io5VM
Matthew Ryder
2024-05-29 19:22:05 +0000 UTCJeepers Creepers 2. Proper silly good popcorn horror. Doesnt take itself too seriously and has all the pieces in place, Bunch of annoying teens (the sensitive one,the bully,the blonde virgins etc) and decent monster. I think it looks great and has some great jumps and false endings. Just a bit of fun x
Paul Duckitt
2024-05-29 19:21:34 +0000 UTCThe problem that critics had with it, and still do, is that it only does it for pure shock value and it's not well acted or directed either. A much better film from the same era with a similar premise and themes and has a positive cult following with cinephiles is Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45 which is smarter and more restrained with its heroine feeling more like a person than a sex object to be attacked and it's accomplished without her speaking a word. Let's not mention the poignancy of her party costume at the climax.
Wolfman Brandon
2024-05-29 19:19:47 +0000 UTCShowgirls was a good film. I don't get how people, including major film critics, can mistake a Paul Verhoven film full of satirical wit and goofy dialogue for a serious and sleazy drama. Sure it's not as smooth as RoboCop but it's not bad at all and Elizabeth Berkley is not a bad actress in it despite what people will tell you. Also, the dance choreography was excellent.
Wolfman Brandon
2024-05-29 19:03:14 +0000 UTCBad Boys II has a 23% score on rotten tomatoes, and like a lot of Michael Bay films, is generally hated by cinephile communities online. But I adore it. The chaotic editing and cinematography is vibrant and innovative, showcasing stunts and pyrotechnics that other directors fail to replicate today with CGI. These also enhance the story and the humor, which focus on Marcus’ struggles to reconcile his desire for inner piece with his loyalty to his partner Mike, a natural source of chaos. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus and Mike spectacularly, with a lot of improvised dialogue borne from authentic chemistry. It’s an action comedy that’s not for everyone, but it ignites the senses and reminds me why I love action movies. A lot of people severely underestimate the level of technical genius Michael Bay reached in the early 2000s.
Jared Angcanan
2024-05-29 18:58:47 +0000 UTCThe Coens' update of The Ladykillers. Most people seem to agree it's blasphemy to even attempt a remake of a sanctified Ealing Studios classic, and wring their hands at some of the crass IBS jokes and Marlon Wayans shtick. But they're simply missing the comedic point: the absurd contrast in linguistic styles between the high-falutin professor and his cretinous goons is downright hilarious. I'm not a Tom Hanks fan, but I absolutely adore his work in this one - he's every bit as sly and menacing and toothy and self-involved as Alec Guiness was in the original (and trust me, this is high praise indeed). Irma P. Hall is an unalloyed delight ("it don't make me want to go hippity hop, mmmnah huh!") and as usual with the Coens, there are multiple cinematic flourishes to enjoy, such as the soaring music (some standout gospel sequences) and literary references (E A Poe), as well as their trademark mordant humour. If you watch this as a double feature with the original (which I recommend), you'll notice that this actually functions as a rather faithful remake -- or at very least, there's a great deal of fidelity with Mackendrick's blackly comic tone.
Matthew Ryder
2024-05-29 18:51:12 +0000 UTCThe original ‘ I spit on your grave’ I generally don't understand why critics like Ebert bashed it so much. It has problems; all of its flaws are a problem of its time and resources, such as budget constraints; why isn't it a feminist masterpiece of sorts? It's super frustrating for some critics to look at some exploration movies and view the whole genre as trashy or ‘low art.’ Critics never contend with the film itself. They don't like what they think the genre represents. Especially compared to the objectively terrible remake. Sure, It paved the way for better movies like Promising Young Women and Revenge, but it should have a place somewhere in the cinematic history outside of “There was this sleazy exploration movie made in the 70s”. It deserves some credit for how it addresses toxic masculinity, sexual assault, and catharsis through violence, which is totally ok when it's Arnold or another action man does it, but when a woman wants to get even omg, it's disgusting and trashy.
Patrick Miller
2024-05-29 18:28:07 +0000 UTCWill Ferrell’s Semi-Pro. For whatever reason, this has been tagged as one of Ferrell’s most middling, mediocre films on his CV. But I think it’s one of his funniest films, as well as, outside of Elf, the best thing he’s done that wasn’t directed by Adam McKay. It helps that he’s got such a stacked cast to provide support, including Will Arnett, Tim Meadows, Matt Walsh, Andy Daly, Jackie Earle Haley, Kristen Wiig in a bit part, and Woody Harrelson (not particularly funny in this one, but he makes for a good straight man to all the craziness). There’s just scene after scene in it that I find to be hilarious. Yes, the film at times seems to be imitating the low-down ‘70s spirit of something like Slap Shot, but there are worse things to aspire to be. People can hate on it all they want, but I love it.
Bennett Oliver
2024-05-29 17:54:58 +0000 UTC
