We've all got them. Might be a standalone film, might be a series.
But we've all got our favourite movies of quite questionable taste. Usually panned by critics and public, on occasion inexplicable box office successes or predictable bombs.
For me, it's the Resident Evil series. Of their many sins, they bear pretty much no relation to the games, have questionable continuity with each other, and let's face it quite ropey acting.
But I love them. They're hokey, they're fun, and there's just a joyous energy to them. They don't pretend to be high class cinema, but don't ever feel like lazy 'we'll just trade off the name, yeah?' adaptations. When you consider most computer game cash ins, these ones are head and shoulders above most. Whilst that's not necessarily saying much (I mean....Uwe Boll makes too many), for me it's basically these and Silenf Hill which are any good.
Hudson Hawk, a cheesy 80s Bruce Willis vehicle. With singing cat burglars, a sexy nun spy, megalomanical yuppies and a Da Vinci's Secret plot years before Dan Brown.
It's objectively terrible. And so much fun.
I've got quite a few that might fit these criteria. In no particular order:
Krull
Battle Beyond the Stars
David Lynch's Dune
The Black Hole
All of the Tremors movies
World War Z
The Star Wars Prequels
Bran Dawri wrote: Hudson Hawk, a cheesy 80s Bruce Willis vehicle. With singing cat burglars, a sexy nun spy, megalomanical yuppies and a Da Vinci's Secret plot years before Dan Brown.
It's objectively terrible. And so much fun.
Also Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles.
Hudson Hawk was ahead of its time! Like Big Trouble in Little China and Last Action Hero. Movies that send up genre conventions while seemingly playing it straight confuse a lot of people, apparently?
I have so many guilty pleasure movies that I might almost prefer cheesy films. Krull, Night of the Creeps, Critters, Enemy Mine, Gremlins 2, and so on. I've really gotten into the YouTube channel Good Bad Flicks for ideas.
Meh, most of the movies listed so far are not the kinds of movies anyone should be guilty or ashamed of for liking. A "guilty secret movie" should be the kind of movie that you don't tell anyone that you like it, because of the weird looks you'll get and the need to explain yourself.
I have one, though. Xanadu. I love every gloriously cheesy minute of it, with music by Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John.
Guilty, eh? How about those old Andy Sedaris flicks, like Hard Target and The Dallas Connection. I couldn't tell you anything about the plot or characters,
Tannhauser42 wrote: Meh, most of the movies listed so far are not the kinds of movies anyone should be guilty or ashamed of for liking. A "guilty secret movie" should be the kind of movie that you don't tell anyone that you like it, because of the weird looks you'll get and the need to explain yourself.
I have one, though. Xanadu. I love every gloriously cheesy minute of it, with music by Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John.
Mine technically was, since one of my friends didn't speak to me for a whole year after I told them I liked it. Turns out it was a misunderstanding; I thought Bronys meant you just liked the show. She thought I was saying I'm a creepy pony pumper (if you catch my drift) and got weirded out.
Now I only bring up my interest with it sparingly.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: When you consider most computer game cash ins, ... for me it's basically these and Silenf Hill which are any good.
There is only one good video game movie, and it's name is Mortal Kombat.
I liked Doom. Not saying it was high cinema, but it held together well and had a number of nice references to the game itself. The FPS scene was classic and a nice touch.
I'm not sure if it's a guilty secret movie, or a polarizing movie, but Kung Pow Enter the Fist is one of my favorite movies. It is also one I will not mention or show to people unless they push for it. Then, they either stop talking to me for a while or go get themselves a copy and begin gleefully quoting it.
I also like the Doom movie.
I'm fond of the second Matrix movie too - It's not as strong story-wise as the first, but if nothing else it has some great fight scenes, and the freeway chase, which is cool.
Mine is also AVP, but the second one not the first. I've watched it more than the first movie, and I honestly couldn't tell you why I enjoy it. It's a horrid film. The screen is always too dark. One second the film will be too quiet and then it'll be too loud! gak just "happens" with little reason. It inserts shock value gore seemingly for the sole reason of one upping the rest of the franchise and the characters cater from understandable but dumb to inconceivable and dumb from scene to scene. And the whole thing just so unimaginative.
And I think this movie was in general bashed unfairly. Its not great, but its nowhere near the levels of bad people continually suggest. I've seen it regularly listed with Green Lantern as one of the two worst comic book movies and its nowhere near that bad as a film. I mean jesus there's that second Ghost Rider film around, and hardly anyone ever talks about how bad that movie was (presumably because almost no one has actually seen it...)
I like all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Seconded. I mean sure every one after the first one wasn't quite as good but I think as far as sequelized films go they weren't bad. Only Dead Men Tell No Tales I think was truly bad and I didn't enjoy it at all.
I also like the Doom movie.
I think the only real flaw with this movie was that it was called Doom. If they'd called it literally anything else I doubt anyone would have batted an eye at the sparse similarities to the games and it would probably have been better received. I mean it still would have been mediocre as a film, but it wouldn't have had to jumble all the confused people who went in expecting a film based on the game series.
I too prefer the second AvP movie. I think it's the presence of those shrieks as Xenomorphs get all shot up.
And it's really quite nihilistic ending - which lets face it was probably the only way to properly contain the issue at hand.
I'd argue it's main flaw is the flip-flopping between Teen Slasher Flick, and outright monster movie. Just pic a genre and run with it. Second main flaw? The idiot that's the jerk to the pizza guy didn't get Bumhugged off a Facehugger. That would've amused me.
and all the spoof movies
not another teen movie
the whole scary movie franchise
and what bigger guilty pleasure can there be than seeing the rocky horror picture show with a stage troupe
'Not another teen movie' was gold. One of the few parody movies about a particular genre that was perfect.
I already saw rocky horror picture show live. Was rather surprised how old it's supposed to be. I felt like the whole audience was going to go to hell after watching it live years back and i'm not even into religion. Go figure it's my half sister and brother in law (who are religious christians and old enough to be my parents) that take me to it.
Tannhauser42 wrote: Meh, most of the movies listed so far are not the kinds of movies anyone should be guilty or ashamed of for liking. A "guilty secret movie" should be the kind of movie that you don't tell anyone that you like it, because of the weird looks you'll get and the need to explain yourself.
I have one, though. Xanadu. I love every gloriously cheesy minute of it, with music by Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John.
I agree and I share mine all the time because Im really not ashamed of what I like though I do know when I like something crap.
Water World. I watch it at least once a year.
The Postman. That part where he recognized Tom Petty is great.
Mr.Brooks. I think I have a crush on Kevin Cosner
I really enjoy Trolls. When my daughter wants to watch it I feel like I have to make jokes that I'm just suffering through it for the 100th time, but truth is I'm happy when that's the movie she picks. The movie is hilarious and the songs are great, even when I'm watching it for the 100th time.
I really like the pretty much all the blood opera Hong Kong action movies. And not just the good ones like The Killer and Hard Boiled, but all of them. In fact those ones aren't as much fun because they're kind of a bit sensible (relatively speaking). In act, my enjoyment of these movies is directly tied to how many incompetent extras get riddled with bullets. Bullet in the Head might be favourite simply because I think it has the biggest body count.
Yeah, this has been my go to guilty pleasure for years. And not just in a critical way where I love the strengths like the design and the Toto soundtrack. I love all the bad bits as well, like the hammy, stupid Baron.
Sure, they're not up to Star Wars (let me finish!), but they're still very Star Trek, and bridge the gap stylistically and politically between TOS and TNG very nicely.
And I love how from Khan onwards, we've pretty much got a single timeline up to The Voyage Home - same crew, same ships. Lurching from one adventure to another.
Lovely stuff. Though frankly, First Contact remains the absolute greatest Star Trek film ever, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.
True, but sometimes we do like genuinely awful films.
For instance, the first two Fantastic Four films I thoroughly enjoyed.
I consider they captured the campy vibe of the comics very nicely. Though Jessica Alba did look very odd with the contacts. Not even sure why those were necessary.
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane - "Have a twinkie, snapperhead."
InnerSpace - "Well the medieval remedy was to flay the skin off your body with brands of fire. I have no idea what the current technique is."
Spaced Invaders - "I'm telling you that ship has got the flight potential of a cement truck."
UHF - "For those of you just joining us, today we're teaching poodles how to fly."
I like that movie a lot. Who cares about realism all the time? I go to movies to be entertained, and Battleship certainly did.
I have a feeling that the upcoming movie Geostorm is going to be a guilty secret movie for me.
Battleship gets a free pass. If only for that Broadside.
It's the montage set to AC/DC that works for me. That and the fact that they were totallay unashamed at crowbarring the board game secret grid and little pegs in. Well done.
I like that movie a lot. Who cares about realism all the time? I go to movies to be entertained, and Battleship certainly did.
I have a feeling that the upcoming movie Geostorm is going to be a guilty secret movie for me.
Battleship gets a free pass. If only for that Broadside.
It's the montage set to AC/DC that works for me. That and the fact that they were totallay unashamed at crowbarring the board game secret grid and little pegs in. Well done.
Some of the many good things in that film - It was interesting that the alien invaders avoided collaterol damage wherever possible - very unusual.
Every time it comes up in obscure movie discussions, folks raise an eyebrow or never know what it is. I then explain that its Forrest Whittaker as a gang hitman who lives by the code of the samurai and the reactions are generally "dafuq?".
I love it. Forrest gives it 100% and its pretty funny.
sebster wrote: I really enjoy Trolls. When my daughter wants to watch it I feel like I have to make jokes that I'm just suffering through it for the 100th time, but truth is I'm happy when that's the movie she picks. The movie is hilarious and the songs are great, even when I'm watching it for the 100th time.
I had a simular experience with my daughter and the Curious George Christmas special. My god she watched that no joke, probably 200 times. I loved that movie though it was just so stinking adorable and to this day Ill get the main song just pop into my head and its been....6 or 7 years now.
Christmas Monkey, Christmas Monkey.... Dammit. Better stop. And with Halloween, we get the No Noggin special again and again. City kids wouldn't understand.
As far as guilty secrets go, there was a period of about 10 years where Superman 4 was my favorite Superman movie. And I love Howard the Duck and the first four Ernest movies. I still quote parts of Police Academy three and four.
sebster wrote: The original Red Dawn. Sure it's a ridiculous military fantasy, but it's a ridiculous military fantasy that the creators respected and took seriously.
That shouldn't be a guilty secret favorite movie. Red Dawn (the original one) was awesome! The new one, not so much, although I didn't hate it as much as a lot of other people did.
I'm wondering if the live action movie of The Flintstones should count as a guilty secret for me. At the very least, I think John Goodman was born to play Fred Flintstone!
Doug McClure fantasy movies are others I have a soft spot for.
I guess it's due to films being a rarity as a child. We didn't have a VHS until around 1989, and at that time the UK only had four terrestrial channels.
Most of the films I'd catch were weekend matinee schedule fillers. And man, didn't Troy McClure's fantasy fare fit that description.
Lizards with unconvincing prosthetics! Stop motion puppet joy! Women in surprisingly revealing outfits! Just wonderful, wonderful stuff.
I would include Ray Harry Hausen, but this thread is about films you're not really supposed to like!
I guess it's due to films being a rarity as a child. We didn't have a VHS until around 1989, and at that time the UK only had four terrestrial channels.
Most of the films I'd catch were weekend matinee schedule fillers. And man, didn't Troy McClure's fantasy fare fit that description.
Lizards with unconvincing prosthetics! Stop motion puppet joy! Women in surprisingly revealing outfits! Just wonderful, wonderful stuff.
I would include Ray Harry Hausen, but this thread is about films you're not really supposed to like!
also:
DOA - all the womens! Awesome fight scenes!
Starship Troopers Invasion - I need to check out the new one too.
to a MUCH lesser extent, Starship Troopers 3.
I guess it's due to films being a rarity as a child. We didn't have a VHS until around 1989, and at that time the UK only had four terrestrial channels.
Most of the films I'd catch were weekend matinee schedule fillers. And man, didn't Troy McClure's fantasy fare fit that description.
Lizards with unconvincing prosthetics! Stop motion puppet joy! Women in surprisingly revealing outfits! Just wonderful, wonderful stuff.
I would include Ray Harry Hausen, but this thread is about films you're not really supposed to like!
All the Riddick films I file under the same heading as A Knight’s Tale.
And that heading is ‘Films With No Business Being Anywhere As Near As Good As They Actually Are’
Chronicles is a bizarre mash up of four or five films, yet it all comes together as a glorious whole. It should be a fractured narrative mess, but it isn’t. Vin Diesel should’ve turned in a wooden performance, instead we get a highly charismatic one.
I’d love to say it was luck over judgement, but I think we just have to admit the production crew couldn’t have made such a good film by accident. There’s genius at work there!
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: All the Riddick films I file under the same heading as A Knight’s Tale.
And that heading is ‘Films With No Business Being Anywhere As Near As Good As They Actually Are’
Chronicles is a bizarre mash up of four or five films, yet it all comes together as a glorious whole. It should be a fractured narrative mess, but it isn’t. Vin Diesel should’ve turned in a wooden performance, instead we get a highly charismatic one.
I’d love to say it was luck over judgement, but I think we just have to admit the production crew couldn’t have made such a good film by accident. There’s genius at work there!
Hmm. Pitch Black is excellent, but Chronicles of Riddick was merely ... OK. I never bothered with any subsequent ones.
Hmm. Pitch Black is excellent, but Chronicles of Riddick was merely ... OK. I never bothered with any subsequent ones.
I find no reason to be ashamed of liking Pitch Black or Riddick (the film that is). The later is a rehash but its at least a decent rehash where Vin remembered why people liked the character so much to begin with. Knight's Tale too honestly. That movie was fan and I can't think of ever meeting anyone who didn't like it. So it wasn't some critical smash hit. Whatever. It wasn't panned.
As ambitious as Chronicles was, I think that film was less genius and more someone letting Vin run wild when he really needed to be reigned in. As charming as he still managed to be in character that film was a chopped up mess of four or five different films and did not come together well.
I'm with AGP, Pitch Black was fun schlock B-movie, Chronicles was a gorgeous mess but Riddick was utter fan-toss, doubly disappointing as despite those Car-porn films I thought Mr D knew better
So I just saw Geostorm in the theater today, and while I liked it pretty well I can understand why some people and critics hate it. Probably going on my guilty secret list after all, like I thought it would.
Uuuuh, great idea for a thread^^
So, for one, definitely World Invasion: Los Angeles. I get it is rather crappy and got destroyed by critics, but one of my best friends and I regularily watch that movie and are having a bloody blast.
Alrighty, what's next... probably Meet the Spartans would qualify here as well. I absolutely love that movie, so I do not give a damn about that!
Oh, and for the german speaking gals and guys here... Kokowääh. Found it quite funny.
I think I like them so much because they are completely ridiculous, but the movies are played out as incredibly serious.
My best example of this is how Saw 6 is literally about how evil private health insurance companies are, and how they inadvertently created jigsaw. It prominently features a health insurance adjuster having to choose which of his co-workers will live or die, much how like his insurance company chooses who lives and dies en masse.
The movie came out about the same time as obamacare, and it's the most ridiculous political opinion ever put into a 'serious' movie.
I'd probably list the human centipede movies in my guilty secret list too. The first and third are actually kind of funny if you can get over the hump that is their core premise, but I would not recommend the second to ANYONE.
Pitch Perfect. That movie is fething hilarious. Every time I watch it I nearly pass out from laughing and I have seen that movie more times than I am comfortable admitting to.
Umm, for some reason, "Space Trucker Bruce", super cheap and really bad movie, but I quiet like it lol.
I also luckily enjoy moana and frozen, good thing when you have little girls
I have a weakness for cheesy adventure movies (Sahara, Scorpion King, etc) but the guilty pleasure has to be Sliver.
It's a relic from the golden age of erotic thrillers in the 90's, with Sharon Stone trying for another Basic Instinct, and she's torn between two guys, either of which might be a murderer, and there's something about the taboo thrill of voyeurism....it's pure schlock, but it has just the right level of cheese vs drama, has a great soundtrack including Massive Attack, and has the second best last line in movie history (after Sky Captain &The World of Tomorrow).
Elemental wrote: I have a weakness for cheesy adventure movies (Sahara, Scorpion King, etc) but the guilty pleasure has to be Sliver.
It's a relic from the golden age of erotic thrillers in the 90's, with Sharon Stone trying for another Basic Instinct, and she's torn between two guys, either of which might be a murderer, and there's something about the taboo thrill of voyeurism....it's pure schlock, but it has just the right level of cheese vs drama, has a great soundtrack including Massive Attack, and has the second best last line in movie history (after Sky Captain &The World of Tomorrow).
Sharon Stone is a very attractive lady and the film is kinda worth it for that aspect imo - she has made a number of good films including the highly under rated Quick and the Dead.
Transformers The Last Knight.
Not seen Last Knight - the first film was brilliant but it declined as it went on - although Leonard Nimoy was good fun.
The Scorpion KIng. Y'know, the Mummy spinoff with The Rock.
Watched it on a drunk saturday night with a friend and commentary from The Rock.
Absolutely hilarious.
"And you see there dancing in the background the girl with the fake breasts which were perfectly common in 4000BC."
I just watched Dude Bro Party Massacre III - I'd feel weird enthusing about it to someone who isn't a fan of slasher flicks; but for anyone who is, it's an absolutely brilliant send up of the genre.
Oh gods they’re mostly [i]terribad[/], and there’s one I refuse to watch ever again (Night Train Murders. Don’t go there. Just don’t. Worryingly plausible, and truly stomach churning in parts. Seriously, please don’t bother watching it. It’s grim).
But there’s just a certain dedication to crassness that keeps me coming back for more!
The Last Starfighter.
Flash Gordon.
Iron Eagle (The First One).
Ice Pirates.
Judge Dredd
Dredd
Note: Not that I consider these to be terrible movies. It's just the looks I get when explaining the plots of these movies to non-geeks makes me feel like a huge dork.
Oh gods they’re mostly [i]terribad[/], and there’s one I refuse to watch ever again (Night Train Murders. Don’t go there. Just don’t. Worryingly plausible, and truly stomach churning in parts. Seriously, please don’t bother watching it. It’s grim).
But there’s just a certain dedication to crassness that keeps me coming back for more!
Kudos to your tastes. Many people don't even know what a Giallo is, and should be feeling guilty about not knowing!
Oh gods they’re mostly [i]terribad[/], and there’s one I refuse to watch ever again (Night Train Murders. Don’t go there. Just don’t. Worryingly plausible, and truly stomach churning in parts. Seriously, please don’t bother watching it. It’s grim).
But there’s just a certain dedication to crassness that keeps me coming back for more!
Kudos to your tastes. Many people don't even know what a Giallo is, and should be feeling guilty about not knowing!
For me, the main attraction is that they could all have been genuinely good thrillers, had they focussed less on fleshy excess, and more on the plot. Most of them build it up, then blow it. Of course, the dodgy dubbing and low production values don’t help.
Superargo VS Dibolikus - A masked wrestler becomes a secret agent and fights a madman & his army of evil robots.
Santo VS The Vampire Women - A masked wrestler (Santo) is tasked with a rescue mission against an army of vampire women.
The Champion of Justice - A masked wrestler (Blue Demon) fights a mad scientist that can transform dwarves into an army of super strong assassins. Hmmmmm
Santo VS The She Wolves - A masked wrestler (Santo again) taking on the Queen of the werewolves & her army of werewolves.
I'm sorry but every action movie ever made would be vastly improved by having a masked Mexican wrestler brawling in it somewhere. Oh and a Samurai should show up too.
I'm sorry but every action movie ever made would be vastly improved by having a masked Mexican wrestler brawling in it somewhere. Oh and a Samurai should show up too.
Exalt, Sir. If only I could give you a movie studio, and watch your glorious productions.
DANGEROUS DICK LONGFELLOW wrote: Superargo VS Dibolikus - A masked wrestler becomes a secret agent and fights a madman & his army of evil robots.
Santo VS The Vampire Women - A masked wrestler (Santo) is tasked with a rescue mission against an army of vampire women.
The Champion of Justice - A masked wrestler (Blue Demon) fights a mad scientist that can transform dwarves into an army of super strong assassins. Hmmmmm
Santo VS The She Wolves - A masked wrestler (Santo again) taking on the Queen of the werewolves & her army of werewolves.
I'm sorry but every action movie ever made would be vastly improved by having a masked Mexican wrestler brawling in it somewhere. Oh and a Samurai should show up too.
Puts on monocle..... "Ahem, I believe he prefers to be called... EL Santo." Takes out monocle and looks down nose at poster.
Rambo,,, there I said it I can't help it, all four im not fussy which.
Starship troopers, the first one. Pure crap and cheese but god damn I wore out my copy on vhs back in the day.
True Lies, I mean why not.
While the first half is great fun full of action and humor, it really bogs down after Bill Paxton's departure and gives a modern audience time to realize that Schwarzenegger's character just tried to save his relationship built on lies by stalking his wife with taxpayer-funded security apparatuses, putting her in fear for her life, exposing her to real danger, and then making her think she is about to be sexually assaulted. Also, all the action is the second half is subpar for both Cameron and Schwarzenegger. It just didn't age well in my opinion.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Deathklaat, what do you think of the original Death Race 2000?
