movies you liked, and the critics hated [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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3LB
10-28-2009, 01:28 PM
I have in the past let critical opinion sway me from watching a movie when in fact, I liked it when I eventually got around to seeing it.

Starship Troopers - Paul Verhoven's movies always seem to be hit and miss when it comes to critics. Super graphic violence mixed with satire and social commentary regarding unwavering faith to a political system (with its allusions to fascism), it was sometimes hard to tell if it was just out and out parody, as there was no one editorializing or sermonizing the central theme. The special effects, which were state-of-the-art in '97, are still decent enough, and the battle sequences are stellar. Being that the enemy was a race of giant desert dwelling bugs, it had a very '50s sci-fi feel to it. The wartime propaganda segments were spot-on and like RoboCop from a decade before, really gave a sense looking into a distant culture. (How erie is it that our current culture resembles the decaying futuristic culture depicted in RoboCop? Anyone driving a vehicle that resembles a 6000SUX ?) This movie accurately fortells a society retrieving its news of the day via interactive computer network, before the word 'internet' was common or the proliferation of personal computers for that matter. Also chilling is the depiction of a war with a very unconventional enemy, on their soil, predicated by an attack presumed to have been carried out by a race of buglike creatures from a far away desertscape planet. No detailed reason is given for their attacks, no proof is offered either, the viewing audience is compelled to take the Federation's word for it. In one brief, fleeting moment, a news reporter poses the moral question of our attempting to adavnce our interests on other planets, but the question is quickly diffused by the adage, "the only good bug is a dead bug!" shouted by an infantryman. Only infantry and light arms are usued as the belief that a super 'brain bug' exists and no life or expense is spared trying to find it, presumably hidden in some cave deep within the desert floor. And no one character questions anything as both human and bug march dutifully to their doom.

Blast From The Past - another fish outta water type movie, it is at least an enticing premise. A highly intellectual but paranoid suburban husband and soon-to-be-dad bent on saving his family from an impending nuclear holocost at the hands of the USSR (circa 1960s) mistakingly retreats with his pregnant wife (invisibly acted by Sissy Spacek) into an elabotrate fallout shelter under his house when he mistakes an airplane crash for the "big one". The shelter is on a irreversable timed lockdown and life above moves on without them. 35 years later Brandon Frasier emerges, sent by his dad (Christopher Walkin) to scout the new surface terrain which they presume will be crawling with mutated humans (modern day Hollywood). So we have a guy raised on Perry Como records, Jackie Gleason reruns, and the conservative values of the early '60s, trying to make contact in a strange new world...you still reading? Anyway, this is the kinda movie that if it were made today would be so overwrought, but what this is, is a very understated movie, which doesn't try to be an action flick, nor does it attempt to editorialize, but rather just presents a story. It worked for me, but critics hated it. Sure, it could have used a little more of Walken and Spacek and their impressions of the surface dwellers, but thankfully this cliched movie premise did manage to avoid a few obvious cliches within its subplot, by not making the central character of the film a total moron just because he was sheltered for the first 35 years of his life (reaffirming the value of a nuclear family). The female interest (Alicia Silverstone) as gorgeous as she is, isn't a diva or a ditz (though she is somewhat socially inept). And it also depicts a gay character as her roomate (Dave Foley) in a sensible way - he makes it clear he's gay w/o resorting to overtly effeminate or flamboyant mannerisms, and is portrayed as the 'grounded one' of the two. Brendan Frasier is pitch perfect in that he is naturally understated and not animated (prolly just good casting) and plays down the leading man element. If only they could have spent a little more time on the actual premise and explored other ramifications instead of just making a light-hearted romantic comedy...anyway, its one of few date movies I don't regret. Of course this movie got crapped on, but in light of what passes for critical darlings today...remake the movie with Reese Witherspoon or Jennifer Aniston and Matthew McConauhey in the title roles and its an instant 4 star rating.

Troy
10-28-2009, 02:17 PM
I loved Starship Troopers. I totally got that it was 100% satire. Yes, many reviewers seemed to have missed that. Doogie Howser as teh tepepathic SS Officer (essentially) was hilarious casting.

Cast Away with Tom Hanks as the survivor of a FedEx plane crash on a desert island really tried most reviewers patience. I don't know anyone who liked it. I loved the deliberate pace and lack of dialog. I think it goes 20 minutes without a word being said. The 3rd act, about his difficult attempts are reassimilation back into modern society were heart wrenching. I loved this movie.

I loved the Coen Brothers remake of The Ladykillers too. Yes, yes, I've seen the original. Several times. The Coen's update of it is way better IMO because it's faster paced, funnier, more crass and infinitely more symbolic. The whole garbage scow under the bridge thing is brilliant. Hanks' Colonel Sanders schtick is a riot. This one's way better than people think it is.

And I got your 6000SUX right here:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lostamerica/1342928564/" title="The 6000 SUX by Lost America, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1195/1342928564_ff1c1541c7_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="The 6000 SUX" /></a>

dean_martin
10-29-2009, 07:25 AM
I have to admit I thoroughly enjoy watching The Sasquatch Gang. The critics were split, though none seemed to love it. The critics who didn't like it really hated and berated it. I don't think it played in a single theater in my area. Worse for me is that my family (wife and 2 boys) thinks it's stupid. I agree, but it's stupid in a funny way. To dust off Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed) and cast him as a sasquatch expert was pure genius in my book. Justin Long and Joey Kern pegged the dumbass meter in all their scenes. Justin Long should be inducted in the Dumbass Hall of Fame for trying to emulate a lizard running across water (and for betting $50 that he could do it).

3LB
10-29-2009, 08:24 AM
Cast Away with Tom Hanks as the survivor of a FedEx plane crash on a desert island really tried most reviewers patience. I don't know anyone who liked it. I loved the deliberate pace and lack of dialog. I think it goes 20 minutes without a word being said. The 3rd act, about his difficult attempts are reassimilation back into modern society were heart wrenching. I loved this movie. I liked it as well, but my wife didn't like it at all. She had the same problem a lot of viewers had with the ending, what with all this guy's trials and tribulations, he and the viewers deserved a happy ending (I disagree with this sentiment). It made sense that his showing up after 5 years would be awkward as hell and not fit into anyone's plans. I guess people wanted to see Hunt's character still a woman in mourning, dutifully waiting by the phone...and we all know better. In the movie, his ex-widow (Hunt) tells him that "we (Tennessee) have an NFL team now and they went to the superbowl and almost won it..." Somewhat appropriate to compare those two endings:


Funny thing is, the Titans came with 5 or 6 inches of tying that game and sending it into historical overtime. Considered one of the best games in Superbowl histroy at the time, that sentiment brings little to no consolation to Titans fans some 9 years later. A loss is still a loss.

I loved the Coen Brothers remake of The Ladykillers too.
always meant to see this movie, but just haven't



And I got your 6000SUX right here:is that really a 6000SUX? I brought that up because who would have believed after being shawshanked by OPEC in the '70s that we'd ever go back to driving V-8 powered dinosaur SUVs...Verhoven is wise (except for that Showgirls thing).

Troy
10-29-2009, 10:01 AM
Yes, that's really the last surviving SUX. Found in the desert compound of the Gene Winfield, a famous customizer and movie car-maker. Kind of a low rent George Barris. I almost crapped when I saw it. He was impressed that I knew what it was.

Yeah, see, that comparison of the Hanks character's life to the fate of the Titans is the kind of subtle writing that flies right past most reviewers and viewers of this movie. I'd made that connection already. It's a very good movie.

I liked the other Coens movie that was totally panned by the critics too, Intolerable Cruelty. It's an offbeat mix of Capra-esque sentimentality and the usual acid cynicism found in most Coen Brothers movies. It's way better than it's press.

ForeverAutumn
10-29-2009, 10:08 AM
I don't really pay much attention to what critics say. I listen more to friends and family's opinions.

But I love both Blast from the Past and Castaway.

3LB
10-29-2009, 11:30 AM
I'll add What Lies Beneath to the list. I've never been much of a Michelle Pfiefer fan, but she's actually beleivable here, and I do like that Harrison Ford takes a break from being the good guy for a change. Sure, it kinda does borrow from other ghost stories, but does have enough twists and turns in it to remain interesting. I read one review that accused it of looking like a Brian De Palma film, but I disagree. There might be some allusions to Hitchcock's style, but there no obvious retooled scenes ala De Palma either.

I also like Crossroads for some reason. Yes, its basically a retooling of the premise for The Karate Kid, with the old sage teaching the young guy 'the old way', but instead of karate, its blues guitar, or rather, an old blues tune in particular for which the old man tricks the boy into stealing him away from a nursing home, only to go on a road trip to Mississippi, full of biggotry, coming of age courtesy young female runaway (Jamie Gertz) and slide guitar courtesy Ry Cooder. I had just read a lengthy article in a guitar rag about the myth of Robert Johnson when this movie came out, so I was intrigued. It was panned for being a blatant ripoff of Karate Kid in that it borrows both storyline and lead actor (the menudoesque Ralph Machio), only that Miyagi is now a slightly older black man (Joe Seneca) was there any difference. I can't say I disagree, but I think its soundtrack stands up way better than numerous movie soundtracks from the '80s (and I do mean numerous). Yes, it takes some suspension of disbelief to see Machio playing slide guitar, and the first Karate Kid movie might seem more plausible, but if I have to spend a couple of hours looking at Machio, I'd rather it was Crossroads (I'd still choose Elisabeth Shue over Jamie Gertz, but that's another matter). The 'cutting heads' finale is worth the rental fee alone.

Troy
10-29-2009, 12:17 PM
Yeah, the "duel with the devil" (played by Steve Vai, no less!) at the end is the best part.

thekid
10-29-2009, 12:38 PM
Bladerunner-At the time of release..

More current and in a similar genre- Watchmen

3LB
10-29-2009, 12:50 PM
I see that some cable channel is showing Young Frankenstein on Halloween. That reminds me of another Mel Brooks movie I liked, History Of The World pt1, which is told via 4 or 5 different segments, one of them a rather funny, full-on musical number take on The Spanish Inquisition. Without going into detail about any of the segments, assuming you've all seen it anyway, I'll submit that these short segements don't suffer from onejoke-itus like most other Mel Brooks movie in the '80s and beyond, because presenting these multiple stories in shorter segments prevents them from wearing the viewers patience too thin. A lot of it is vaudvilean humor and double entendre, but thoroughly Mel Brooks. Had he stuck with shorter segments like the first two prehistory skits, it may have aged better, but there are some great moments in each segment. Setting a dark moment in history like The Inquisition to music is something that has to be seen and only Mel Brooks has the balls or talent to pull something like that off, though many critics pointed out that he'd milked the Jew jokes dry by the time this movie came out. One joke in particular involving Gregory Hines trying pass himself off as a eunuch brought Brooks some criticism, as well some christians for his Last Supper bit. And yes, some jokes get stretched too thin, like the final segment ("it's good to be the King") and one segment shoulda never made the final print (Hitler On Ice, Jews In Space) but this movie has some historical import to me in that it represents the last watchable movie he'd ever make, IMO of course (I can't stand Space Balls).

thekid
10-29-2009, 01:16 PM
see that some cable channel is showing Young Frankenstein on Halloween. That reminds me of another Mel Brooks movie I liked, History Of The World pt1, which is told via 4 or 5 different segments, one of them a rather funny, full-on musical number take on The Spanish Inquisition.

Best line in that movie IMO is the segment on the French Revolution. King Louie reprimands one of his nobles with the the line "Don't get saucy with me Count Bearnaise!"

canuckle
10-29-2009, 11:48 PM
While I agree with liking The Sasquatch Gang, every critic I heard review it had very positive things to say.

The one that I don't even really understand why I like is 10,000 BC. Big battles, good special effects, and the main (good) characters were all very pretty to look at. I wouldn't watch it over and over again, but i enjoyed it for a time or two.

RGA
10-31-2009, 10:53 AM
Cast Away was nominated best picture - did the critics hate it?

Looking at rotten tomatoes which polls all of the major film critics the movie got an 89% fresh rating - 150 critics reviewed it and 134 gave it a good to great review while only 16 gave it a thumbs down. I liked it but IMO it was a better performance than the movie itself. I would say it's slightly overrated not underrated. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cast_away/

RGA
10-31-2009, 10:55 AM
More critics liked Starship Troopers than didn't - it got a 60% fresh rating http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/starship_troopers/ meaning 60% of the critics who reviewed it liked it.

It was fun.