What Esteemed or Hugely Popular Films Do You Hate?

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

There was some very dark humor in the film particualry with Hopkin's portrayal of Lecter..but for that genre of film it is a masterpiece.

It puts the lotion on it's skin

[Villavic]

I don't like the Harry Potter movies, but being popular is not a reason to hate them. It's just not my type of movies.
I fell asleep with ALL the Matrix movies, don't know why but found them very boring!!!

I did hate Hulk, another sleeping pills overdose

[HejiraNYC]

Lost in Translation

...and anything with the artsy-fartsy stench of Wes Anderson:

-The Royal Tenenbaums (quite possibly the worst movie EVER made that was a critical hit)
-The Life Aquatic
-The Darjeeling Express

Accordingly, I guess one could conclude that I think Bill Murray is the most over-hyped, overrated actor in history. He (along with the Wilson brothers) plays the same deadpan, snarky, sarcastic, jaded character in EVERY movie. Make him stop!

[Bella Figura]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

It puts the lotion on it's skin

yep, that exactly what I have to put up with!!!

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Bella Figura

yep, that exactly what I have to put up with!!!

I confess, I LOVE the movie and the book - as well as the other HL books. I saw it alone and was never so terrified running to my car in the movie parking lot after

[Sahara]

Pirates of the Caribbean (I'm sick of trying to spell that word right!) 2 and 3 were horrible ... well, 3 wasn't quite as bad as 2, but that's like saying Hitler wasn't quite as bad as Stalin, really.

Also, I rewatched Snow White recently and it was a major disappointment. Revisiting all the other Disneys has been wonderful, but Snow White was a real let down!

[trackaghost]

I'm totally confused. If you don't like Wes Anderson or Bill Murray why would you watch all those movies?

For me personally, I find some of the choices in this thread quite bizarre. I guess I'm quite easy going when it comes to movies.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by trackaghost

I'm totally confused. If you don't like Wes Anderson or Bill Murray why would you watch all those movies?

For me personally, I find some of the choices in this thread quite bizarre. I guess I'm quite easy going when it comes to movies.

I really tried to like those movies. One thing I could say positively about Wes Anderson's films is that they are visually quite stunning- saturated colors, large panning camera shots, interesting scenery, etc. And I appreciate some of the odd quirks- like the sailor who sings David Bowie songs throughout the movie, the Indian train conductor who speaks like a surfer dude, etc. But the scripts are just so unfunny, the pacing is dreadfully slow and he uses the same basic characters from one movie to the next. For example, the mother characters, in the "Royal Tenenbaums" and "Darjeeling Limited," both played by Anjelica Huston, are exactly the same- hyper, intellectual, emotionally distant, ironic, wry sense of humor. And there is at least one or two Wilson brothers, which is one or two Wilson brothers too many. There are too many deadpan one-liners. What is lacking in his movies is any sense of genuine emotion, humanity and empathy for the characters. Any sentiment comes across as saccharine, ironic or just campy. Throughout those movies I keep waiting for some kind of build up or big pay off at the end... but they just kind of peter out, exhausted by their own drollness. It's gotten to the point where I cannot wait for his next movie so I can continue to point out how terrible they are.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I really tried to like those movies. One thing I could say positively about Wes Anderson's films is that they are visually quite stunning-

Did you like Rushmore? I like Wes Anderson, but like Peter Greenaway, he needs to move away from his "style" and try other techniques in filmmaking.

I need to add the following revolting films to my list:
Top Gun
The Aviator (DeCaprio is completely over-rated)
Kill Bill
Juno

[rubytuesday]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I really tried to like those movies. One thing I could say positively about Wes Anderson's films is that they are visually quite stunning- saturated colors, large panning camera shots, interesting scenery, etc. And I appreciate some of the odd quirks- like the sailor who sings David Bowie songs throughout the movie, the Indian train conductor who speaks like a surfer dude, etc. But the scripts are just so unfunny, the pacing is dreadfully slow and he uses the same basic characters from one movie to the next. For example, the mother characters, in the "Royal Tenenbaums" and "Darjeeling Limited," both played by Anjelica Huston, are exactly the same- hyper, intellectual, emotionally distant, ironic, wry sense of humor. And there is at least one or two Wilson brothers, which is one or two Wilson brothers too many. There are too many deadpan one-liners. What is lacking in his movies is any sense of genuine emotion, humanity and empathy for the characters. Any sentiment comes across as saccharine, ironic or just campy. Throughout those movies I keep waiting for some kind of build up or big pay off at the end... but they just kind of peter out, exhausted by their own drollness. It's gotten to the point where I cannot wait for his next movie so I can continue to point out how terrible they are.

I could be wrong but it seems to me that he isn't really aiming for that. Most films give you that or want to give you that but he seems to be aiming to give a different experience. Also they don't follow that build up and pay off thing that people have become accustomed to in movies and I guess if you want the regular format, three stage thing then don't see his films.

I also don't think any of his films have been "hugely popular" and after Rushmore they've only been esteemed by half the audience/critics, I would say. I wouldn't say you're in a small minority.

[rubytuesday]

Originally Posted by LukeA

Most/all of mine have already been mentioned, but lets not forget the pile of excrement known as NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. And don't tell me that I "don't get it". I get the humor. It's still a piece of ****.

You're not alone there! It was the same joke stretched out for 2 hours and not really even much of a joke at that.

Originally Posted by Richard B

Revolting Films:

Pulp Fiction

Psycho

American Beauty

Yay someone else dislikes Pulp Fiction. It's like you're not cool if you don't say you loved it. First when it came out and now it's an old classic with younger people and I think most of them don't even know why it's supposed to be good but you just gotta say you loved it 'cause it's cool.

I really liked Psycho so I disagree there.

I thought American Beauty was ok. I found it reasonably interesting but totally not deserving of the complete hype around it. A few years before it there was the film The Ice Storm which seemed like a much more poignant and less in-your-face drama about a similar subject matter. It seemed to deal with it much more subliminally and not shove the "this is art, we're being clever" thing down your throat.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by rubytuesday

A few years before it there was the film The Ice Storm which seemed like a much more poignant and less in-your-face drama about a similar subject matter. It seemed to deal with it much more subliminally and not shove the "this is art, we're being clever" thing down your throat.

I agree 100%. I own Ice Storm on DVD and it is quite an exceptional film in many ways. My fave Ang Lee film.

I have tried and tried and tried to get into Psycho (I love horror), but I can't do it. I just end up laughing.

[rubytuesday]

Originally Posted by Richard B

I agree 100%. I own Ice Storm on DVD and it is quite an exceptional film in many ways. My fave Ang Lee film.

Some of my favourite bits are when the mother is at a book sale talking to that preacher and her daughter cycles by and just in the middle of the conversation she says something like "....my daughter". Where some films will go into a big monologue, just a few words (and that's just one specific example, the whole film is like that) successfully conveying the sense of.....I guess getting lost on the road to somewhere that never really existed anyway. And then at the end when Kevin Kline's character just breaks down and then that's it, it's so perfect, says so much more than words. I guess it assumes the audience has a brain and doesn't need all that expository, glossy language explaining what's going on, they can see for themselves. And the fact that in real life that's how it happens, people don't go into long speeches. Enough of that film though.

Originally Posted by Richard B

I have tried and tried and tried to get into Psycho (I love horror), but I can't do it. I just end up laughing.

Yeah it's not for everyone and I can see if you were coming into it with even slight cynicism then it could make you laugh, the mother bit in particular. Actually that did make me laugh. But for me it's the mise en scene (sp?) that's so clever and hinting at what's to come just by placing a stuffed preying bird above her head in the parlour scene. I love the shower scene for the at the time completely new to maintstream cinema techniques. There's so much crossing the line, you don't know where you are and where the knife is coming from 'cause it's not staged in the traditional sense like the girl is on that side and the killer is coming from the other side. It crosses the line so much that I felt like I was being stabbed at cause I had no sense of direction. Not just crossing the line but the continuously quick cutting in all directions, up at the shower head, down at the drain, it was all over the place and that's obviously why it was such a shock to viewers who've seen murder scenes before but had no experienced it like that. And lastly the bit I love is right at the end. He's so good, I forget the actor's name but when he's sitting in the cell, placed somewhat small in the frame but his eyes leaping out at you. And then jusst before they cut back to the hotel where the lift her car up, while still framed on his face, there's a subliminal dissolve to a skull over his face. It's really quick and often people don't realise that they're seen it but walk out feeling extra creeped out because of it. If you pause it on that frame it's kind of freaky. I just think it was a really clever way of him to leave the audience (of that time, perhaps not now as much) chilled and cheeky of him to have them not entirely sure why they feel extra chilled.

[Moz]

Originally Posted by darklinensuit

Off the top of my head...


And to hassle Jason: Audrey Roooose

The girl that played Audrey Rose has the worst case of crossed eyes.

[LukeA]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Accordingly, I guess one could conclude that I think Bill Murray is the most over-hyped, overrated actor in history. He (along with the Wilson brothers) plays the same deadpan, snarky, sarcastic, jaded character in EVERY movie. Make him stop!

"What About Bob?"