The reverse of that post I’ve made a week ago…
Rules: pick one movie or series and explain why you actually enjoyed it despite the criticism.
For me: The JJ Abrams Star Trek movies, by far the best ST stuff ever made, I couldn’t take seriously the original universe with the dated effects and stiff acting, same goes for NG… These movies did ST actually great looking and much more believable, not just the effects.
Wild Wild West has a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes but I genuinely enjoy that film. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen also at 16% and also a movie I enjoyed
For me, it’s the movie Waterworld. I cannot get enough of that movie. So many people hated it. 🤣
Haters: it’s just Mad Max on water
Me: that’s awesome
I like Waterworld, and I like The Postman.
Postman was great! The book is worth a read, too.
The joke in my friend group was that Waterworld was Dances with Wolves on water. The Postman was Waterworld on land. Dances with Wolves was the Postman with Native Americans. Toss in whichever parallel you feel works best to not actually say the movie you’re putting on.
DRY LAND!!!
I dont understand the hate other than cosner was the guy to hate in that era.
I’ve never understood Costner hate. He’s a good actor who stars in a lot of good movies.
If paper is the most valuable substance in the entire world, then why are they continuously smoking cigarettes that are rolled in paper? That would be like eating a chunk of gold every hour.
Have you ever smoked? When you’re addicted you’d trade in a chunk of gold for a cigarette if necessary.
I once walked 10 miles to get cigarettes, so yeah, I guess I get that.
In my headcanon it’s some kind of smokable kelp wrapped in different kelp.
Pretty sure when I went to WB world or whatever as a kid they had one of those 15min live shows of it. Jestskis and a few explosions. Surly it can’t be thst unpopular.
Solid Film. Quirky characters. Everyone seems to be having fun.
It inspired me to buy a kayak a few years back to have my Autistic Fish Man Summer.
Not sure if it was HATED, but Hook if we’re going by reviews. I can’t imagine any kid seeing that movie and not loving it though.
I wore that tape out as a kid!
Hook! Hook! Where’s the Hook!?!
“Hey Rufio… Why don’t you go suck on a dead dog’s nose.”
A line I quote often.
Hook got critically panned??? Have critics ever known what they’re talking about???
Super Mario Bros. with Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. I don’t care how bad it is. It’s in the campy so-bad it’s good pool of movies and nothing anyone says can change my mind. The fact that they were drunk off their asses just makes it even funnier in my opinion.
I saw that shit in theaters. Also Final Fantasy Spirits Within.
Neither time did I fully comprehend what I had just witnessed.
Specifically because the directors had no idea what they were doing, the whole thing ended up being wildly creative. I’ve always unironically enjoyed it.
Seeing it in the theater as a kid was wild. I was confused but I loved it. I could tell it wasn’t Nintendos Mario Bros but it definitely has its own charm.
Johnny Mnemonic. Keanu cannot act for shit in it, the story isn’t exactly gripping, hell the action in it is somewhere in the shitter. Oh, and Henry Rollins is a nerdy doctor. All if it adds up to a campy trip of slop that triggers my guilty pleasure.
People consider it a bad movie? News to me
Watching this as a kid that scene where he puts on cyber gloves and hacks his own brain was a wild ride. It’s so ridiculous but still better than much of the “hacking” Hollywood depicts as far as entertainment goes.
SOLO - I know everyone hated on this film, but we get a space western mixed with a heist movie. Woody Harrelson and Donald Glover are icing on the cake. Plus we get a robot uprising. 5 bags of popcorn and throw in a couple of those Darth Vader cups.
For some reason I was thinking you were talking about that Mario Van Peebles movie
Yea I enjoyed Solo, good popcorn flick
I did not enjoy the sequels, but Solo? Yeah, that is a solid fun time. I even have a Solo T-shirt that I still wear on occasion.
It’s easily the best Star Wars movie in the last 30 years. Its only major faults are some bits of bad cinematography and a bit of cringey fan service.
That’s Rogue One.
I did like Solo, but can’t but feel it would have been better had the main character not been Han Solo, because nobody was really going to live up to Harrison Ford in the originals.
Its easily Roque One, Theres just no competition movie wise. In general its Andor, that show was just peak Star Wars
Nah, Rogue One is as bad as the other sequels. The main character is about as interesting as a wet dish rag. Several of the side characters are annoying. Zombie Tarkin. There’s no story arc or characters that are worth caring about and the entire plot is just a thin excuse to have cringey fan service and CG action scenes.
I don’t think this is really a hot take. I know quite a few star wars fans and most of them (including me) love Solo, even those who can’t stand any of the other new movies.
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Waterworld is Mad Max on a boat
The pitch was probably something like “What if Mad Max but instead of sand we have water?” And the producer guy would be something like “Will the people still be dirty even with all that water?” And the screen writer guy: “Wouldn’t be an post apocalyptic world if the people is not dirty”
I grew up with Men in Tights. My room mate grew up with Spaceballs. It was really fun to swap movies and show each other another Mel Brooks movie.
(If you dont treat those titles and movies, that sentence has a very different meaning)
Both feature Kevin Costner’s ass
Star Wars Ep 1 gets more hate than it deserves. It’s not a masterpiece by any means, but it’s enjoyable.
I feel this way about TFA but the next two deserve the hate
The prequel trilogy at least had a singular vision, even if it probably got diverted at times. TFA started a new trilogy, but got derailed. TLJ had some interesting ideas, but not ideas for the second part of a trilogy.
TFA and ROS are pretty good, but TLJ is a film where you keep waiting for something to happen, and when it finally does (Canto Bight) it has not a god damn thing to do with anything else.
TFA and ROS are fine pieces of Star Wars media in a wonderful trilogy, that’s missing a second movie…
I changed my tune on the prequels, after seeing some fan edits. And especially seeing some of the original cuts of A New Hope, before Marcia Lucas fixed it, I’m convinced the prequels just need a solid re-edit to make them amazing.
The original super Mario bros movie from the 90s. If I come across it I always get the urge to watch it. Its so weird and interesting, love it. Noone in my family will watch it though they hate it :(
This is mine too. If you haven’t, look up the drama on set! The crew wore shirts stating they hate the directors, the actors were drunk, Haskins broke his leg and was in a cast most of the time (rumored to have been run over on set by another drunk actor, lol).
It’s insane and crazy that we got a movie so fun (seriously, it’s just so fun even if it doesn’t adhere to the source material).
I didnt know about any of that, thanks for the tip!
Your family are weird then, that movie is cinematic gold.
They say its too weird :(
Got bust out the ol reliable “no u”
Way better than the recent animated movie IMO
Also the new movie basically ripped the exact premise from the OG
For me: The JJ Abrams Star Trek movies, by far the best ST stuff ever made, I couldn’t take seriously the original universe with the dated effects and stiff acting, same goes for NG… These movies did ST actually great looking and much more believable, not just the effects.
Just kidding… but not really.
Yeah, to each their own, but if you think this, you don’t understand why people like Star Trek.
Maybe I do understand why people like Star Trek, but I just don’t like that myself?
Dude if in universe they talk about hyper advanced races or warlords without mercy or AI and all the have is actors in shitty make up or awful “martial arts” and sword fighting, then the new movies are better by default. It’s about immersion
This is a bit right? You’re doing a bit? …right?
What are you talking about?
I’m with you. Both that I enjoyed the movie and don’t understand the point this guy trying to make.
Yeah, those crappy TV shows had brainwashed him
I say this purely tongue in cheek.
Enjoy your polished turd. But don’t look directly at it. It will blind you with lens flare.
Funny thing, I didn’t even really notice the lense flares until people started complaining about it… I guess when you live with something like that all the time (thanks, astigmatism), seeing it on screen just doesn’t have the same effect on you
Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with this confusing of an opinion. And I’ve met Trump supporters that love Star Trek.
The new movies are more credible and feel more real for a sci fi movie, is that hard to understand?
You… You are aware just how much tech and effects have progressed in the last sixty years… Right? What they were doing was groundbreaking for the time, pretty much every time.
It was not great even for it’s time. It was passable and I’m also talking about the movie version of those old series with Kirk and Picard. Star wars came like what… A couple of years after? And looked much better, the next gen movies came after the old trilogy and still couldn’t look better…
The final results are what matter. With sci-fi, the special effects are a primordial part. Also I’m not just talking about effects. Old material was acted like a radio play or theatre… Not a fan. That slowly changed with next generation but still wasn’t enough.
JJ Abrams movies are “ST if it was actually on our world”. And the actors are EXCELLENT, even the haters admit all of them did excellent evocations of the old actors, some of them actually felt like the same actor but younger, which wasn’t necessary since that could alienate the viewer but whatever, it worked.
I don’t have any strong feelings about Star Trek. But I know enough to treat it as a piece of philosophy. It was never about the most advanced visual effects possible (although some of the effects and makeup are quite impressive imo). Star Trek was an investigation into what it means to be human, and the morality behind that. If there was cool tech stuff, that was bonus.
It’s hard to compare the two (original series vs. JJ Abrams), being across such vast differences in time (relative to the progress of technology and style in filmmaking) but its impossible if you’re just going to outright denounce all the qualities the original had for its time.
Star wars came like what… A couple of years after? And looked much better
Star Trek (1966-1969)
Star Wars (1977)
You do the math.
It was not great even for it’s time. It was passable… With sci-fi, the special effects are a primordial part.
What are you comparing it to? The progress in filmmaking during that time was ridiculous. The steadicam hadn’t even been invented yet so shots were much more static. For the time, people were blown away by the sets and effects.
Also I’m not just talking about effects. Old material was acted like a radio play or theatre… Not a fan.
All the acting and direction in every show and movie at that time was stilted and stiff and yes, very akin to a play. That was the time of Adam West Batman. You don’t have to be a fan. But your statements about it not being good for its time are… Ignorant? At best.
JJ Abrams movies are “ST if it was actually on our world”.
You’re delusional is you think “actually in our world” is measured by the visual effects technology and the progress of film/TV acting and direction of the time. Connection with the real world is quite literally what set Star Trek apart and made it change the course of sci fi film and television. It took real world politics and social issues and made them part of a sci fi story.
But if epic CGI space battles and intrusive lens flare from non-existent lights is your definition of reality, there’s not much else we can say.
actually, it’s about imagination
No is not. These aren’t books, it’s an audio visual media. Seeing Kirk in a bad looking cardboard looking set pretending to be another planet with soap opera acting won’t sell the idea
Ngl, I’m with you, holy crap they seem absolutely miserable.
@Platypus@lemmings.world I say this with all the love for a stranger I can have in my heart:
Lots of people love to hate Cloud Atlas. I see it as flawed work of art with a good message and an amazing cast, produced under such nearly impossible circumstances that we are more than lucky it ever saw the light of day.
I can watch really bad movies as long as the score is good, and cloud atlas has a banger score. How they weave the different timelines while playing that music really does it for me. I’ve watched it a few times and now that you reminded me I’ll probably watch it again soon.
I absolutely loved Cloud Atlas and I was crying at the end. I didn’t know anything about it, didn’t know about the book, didn’t know it was hated until now. Just a movie that I liked the trailer for, so I watched it and I’m glad I did.
Not universally hated by any means. But there are plenty of people that expect a movie to fit a certain Hollywood formula, which includes not challenging your audience too much. And so they judge movies by standards that an epic artistic endeavor like Cloud Atlas was never trying to meet.
Also the whole “gender- and race-bending” made some people uncomfortable, even though it’s merely the same actors portraying completely different characters.
Add to this that certain influential studio voices in Hollywood had previously rejected the project outright when they were first approached by the Wachowskis. So it was clear they would never give it a fair shake after it was produced in Europe, against their judgment and without their blessing, and under such unconventional circumstances.
Ain’t that the tru-tru.
It has one of the coolest trailers ever
Check out Mr. Nobody (2009) if you liked Cloud Atlas.
The concept behind Cloud Atlas made for a much better movie than book, IMHO.
Having the same actor play the same part in each time made following the plot easier, at least for me. The book was a bit of a slog at times and following each characterization was confusing.
Plus some of the casting in the movie was really good. Jim Brodbent in particular, I thought, delivered a spectacularly good performance.
You’re probably right. I’ve never read the book.
Having the same actor play the same part in each time made following the plot easier, at least for me.
This is what I expected to see on first watch, and was a bit confused that at least some actors did actually “switch sides” between timelines. Going by interviews, it seems this was possibly meant to reflect an evolution of souls. But to me the message of the movie works just as well, if not better, if you leave out the concept of persistence of souls or individuals altogether, accept that some of them just look similar, and think more in terms of repeating patterns and ideas across eras.
Jim Brodbent in particular, I thought, delivered a spectacularly good performance.
Hard agree. His contemporary and light-hearted “shady publicist to nursing home jail break” plotline also really worked well to ground the movie in between epic-dramatic segments.
What’s the message? I didn’t really catch any, besides some notions about souls, reincarnation and sex not being fixed.
The things you mention are narrative elements. The message is repeated almost like a mantra throughout the movie, and later revealed or summarized as the ‘prophetic’ words of Son-Mi:
Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.
This is the core thesis of the movie, standing in direct opposition to the various antagonists’ ideology, which can be summed up as self-serving nihilism and upholding the status quo of might makes right / the natural order by any means.
Thanks. That completely slipped from my memory.
Reminds me of The Egg short story I’ve reread yesterday.
It spoke to me when I watched it at the right point in my personal development. As is often the case with movies or experiences that try to convey something meaningful, whether the message lands depends just as much on the watcher. I honestly don’t blame anyone for whom it was a lengthy and confusing blurb. The narrative structure and casting choices are so far outside what audiences are used to, that the script was thrown out by every major Hollywood studio at the time despite the prestigious names behind it. I myself was quite confused on some of the timelines and characters until my 2nd rewatch, and that’s a lot to ask for a movie of this length. It really never had a shot at mass appeal, so in an economic sense those studios were right. I’m just fascinated and grateful it ever got made. It truly was a leap of faith and a labor of love for many, the Wachowskis and Tom Hanks in particular. And I feel like this shines through in the final release, rough edges and all.
I read the story you linked and I absolutely see the parallels. I feel like I may have read it once already years ago. It’s quite the philosophically intriguing concept.
Kurzgesagt has also arranged it in short film form if that’s your thing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6fcK_fRYaI Personally, it’s one of the most impactful stories I’ve read.
Man, I love that movie totally unironically. Cannibal Hugh Grant, dude.
It needed to be like 4 hours longer to capture the feel of the book. Some of the actors didn’t have the range to pull off all their parts which caused some sequences to fall flat. It’s still good though, I remember hearing a lot of positive things about it.
Tank Girl, it got shit reviews when it came out, but has grown a cult following since then, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tank_girl
I am also partial to Dude Where’s My Car
I made the mistake of watching dude wheres my car again recently. I enjoyed it as a kid, but the way that trans charcter was done really upset me. I entirely forgot she existed in the movie, but a cis actress who was dubbed with a cis man voice was used to trick the main charcters into making out and then played as gross out humor. Her whole storyline was just flat out upsetting stereotypes.
The tattoo scene is still a total gem, but the rest of it aged so poorly.
The 90s in general were pretty bad for portrayal of trans and lgb+ characters. Remember Ace Ventura, first one?
I agree, though, close minded people ruin everything.
Pet detective was my favorite movie growing up, now I try to forget it exists. Most movies haven’t aged well in terms of casual bigotry of all flavors. Yet they still hold value, some more than others. It’s just important to remember they were products of their time. Which makes them good measuring sticks for how audiences have changed. Sometimes the real joke is what I used to find funny as a kid.
Tbh, some of these scenes were pretty mind boggling to me even as a kid. Never understood what people have against different bodies.
both awesome movies. don’t trust “experts”, siskel and ebert rated Tommy Boy the worst comedy they’d ever seen. fuck them lol
I don’t hate Tank Girl for what it is but for what it could have been. Like that was the greatest casting imaginable for Tank Girl in any era of film and the soundtrack was magical at the time. It had so much potential but got lost due to budget and film industry input
I think the set and costumes are on point for a satirical punk comedy.
Zoltan!
John Carter
The mid-2000s A-Team movie comes to mind. It was terrible. The casting was off and there was no real plot to speak of. However, it was so much over the top that it turned pretty funny actually. I probably won’t be watching it a second time though.
Green Lantern. I went in expecting cartoony quips and got what I expected. Everyone calls it a stupid movie like they went in expecting Shakespeare and found the Muppets. I went in expecting a live action comic book, and yeah that’s pretty much what I got. Fun show, watched it a few times now.
I would 100% watch Muppets doing Shakespeare. That’s basically what the comedies were in those days anyway.
No matter how nice you are about Green Lantern, Ryan Reynolds still won’t call you. Don’t ask how I know, it’s a touchy subject.
I know why he’s mad, it was a box office disaster. Nothing can fix that short of a time machine.