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Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 17:05:44


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


How do!

So this thread is intended for us to be loud, proud and unashamed of enjoying movies which, at best, got a mixed reaction. Because we all consume vast quantities of media. Every now and then, we watch something often derided, and just don’t get the poor reputation.

Now I’m opening this to the whole gamut of “universally slated” to “rather mixed reviews”. And I would ask folk to refrain from dunking on the films which pop up. The dunking may or may not be justified, but it’s not for this thread.

As ever, I’ll kick off.

Terminator Dark Fate

I effing love this film. It’s a proper, honest to goodness sequel to the first two. And frankly it’s got a lot going for it. Excellent performances by the cast, interesting takes on the wider trope, whilst doing something kinda new.

It doesn’t exactly reinvent its wheel, but it’s bloody good fun all along. Sure some bits remain cringeworthy (Carl the Draper), but overall it’s still easily the third best Terminator movie, and by a decent furlong (do you see what I did there?).

If you’ve not watched it? I urge you to set aside your prejudices as best you can, and just watch it for what it is. It doesn’t detract from the first two movies, and follows them up nicely.

Ghostbusters 2016

I really, really enjoy this movie. Sure it’s missing something the originals had, but it’s still a fun watch. I again challenge people to set aside their prejudices and just watch the movie. I can’t guarantee you’ll have as positive an opinion as I? But I suspect most will enjoy it all the same.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 17:25:23


Post by: Turnip Jedi


Daredevil

The Bennifer one, yeah it has its problems even with the directors cut but I still enjoy it, plus the Good Jen of the South saved Ben from playing with Kev and his batting average went way up under her stern wifeying, tragically no Jen rules forever...

Dark City

Got squashed under the Matrix bullet-time train but its on par and has a much better cast, nudges ahead if you include the Matrix sequels

Master and Commander

A Trek film but on water with the French as the Klingons


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 17:34:27


Post by: Pyroalchi


As a teenager I watched conan the barbarian once or twice every year and found it quite hilarious and enjoyable. It's been quite a while... maybe it's time again


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 17:40:21


Post by: LordofHats


Battle Los Angeles

This is one of the greatest satires ever made. It's the encapsulation of every film ever made to blow the American military before the public and anyone who isn't laughing at how stupid and dumb this movie, its characters, and everything about it is, has missed the only thing worthwhile about watching it.

The fact that the people making it didn't intend it to be a satire is irrelevant.Even hacks can make a masterpiece if they hate what they're doing enough to make an entire military porn flick that provides every reason we should hate military porn flicks.

I'd actually list the Red Dawn Remake, virtually everything made by Michael Bay, and Battleship as the same kind of movies. They're most enjoyable when you accept then as nothing more than ego trips showcasing all the things wrong with the military-entertainment complex.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 17:43:19


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


Gremlins 2 is better than Gremlins.

Short Circuit 2 is better than Short Circuit.

Hudson Hawk and The Last Action Hero are both brilliant.

The Blair Witch Project as a fantastic horror movie.

Godzilla Final Wars is one of the best/most fun Godzilla movies, if not the most.

Space Cop is actually pretty good.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Pyroalchi wrote:
As a teenager I watched conan the barbarian once or twice every year and found it quite hilarious and enjoyable. It's been quite a while... maybe it's time again


Check out Conan the Destroyer. It’s hilarious and enjoyable for different reasons.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 17:45:06


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Battleship is a supreme slice of nonsense.

But for all it’s abject nonsense and dodgy acting? You simply cannot whack The Old Boys having a great time in getting the USS Missouri ready for combat. And….when the Big Guns give it some dakka? Just….just *Chef’s Kiss.

I think I’d rate it above Independence Day in terms of overall cool silliness.

I mean….come on. If this isn’t the Largest Richard’d Scene in all of cinema, you’re just plain old wrong! It’s like a scene almost entirely comprised of Stan Lee cameos of awesome. And a bit of AC/DC rarely hurts.

There’s a proper “you’re going home in a space aged ambulance” feel.

Sorry for the multiple edits, but I’d forgotten how much I love this scene. It’s basically the cinema equivalent of Thunderchild from Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds.




Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 18:29:39


Post by: MDSW


I too thoroughly enjoyed 'Battleship' and I will even suspend every nugget I belief I own to accept they still had the 200lb silk bags of gunpowder and shells just sitting in the armory to fire the guns of a decommissioned museum piece...

My guilty movie...STARSHIP TROOPERS!!

I had not heard of it much when it was in the theaters, but rented one night and after it was over, I pushed back up my jaw to close my awe-inspired gaping mouth and immediately rewound the VHS tape and watched it again!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 18:33:28


Post by: hotsauceman1


Predator 1 is boring and predator 2 is infinitly better and has better humor, characters and action


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 19:38:42


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


Starship Troopers is (now) a highly regarded satire, a “perfect” film that achieves what it sets out to without any obvious flaws. When it came out, a surprising number of critics just didn’t get it.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Predator 1 is boring and predator 2 is infinitly better and has better humor, characters and action


But Predator 1 is so much more quotable.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 19:39:08


Post by: Pyroalchi


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:



Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Pyroalchi wrote:
As a teenager I watched conan the barbarian once or twice every year and found it quite hilarious and enjoyable. It's been quite a while... maybe it's time again


Check out Conan the Destroyer. It’s hilarious and enjoyable for different reasons.


Sounds fun, thanks for the tip


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/19 19:45:29


Post by: Overread


Cowboys and Aliens - one of those films that came and went and no one seems to remember it, yet its a great bit of western alien action!

 Pyroalchi wrote:
 BobtheInquisitor wrote:



Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Pyroalchi wrote:
As a teenager I watched conan the barbarian once or twice every year and found it quite hilarious and enjoyable. It's been quite a while... maybe it's time again


Check out Conan the Destroyer. It’s hilarious and enjoyable for different reasons.


Sounds fun, thanks for the tip






Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 00:14:03


Post by: insaniak


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Starship Troopers is (now) a highly regarded satire, a “perfect” film that achieves what it sets out to without any obvious flaws. When it came out, a surprising number of critics just didn’t get it.

A lot of the criticism also centered around the fact that it was nothing at all like the book. But taken as a completely separate thing, it's a fantastic movie, and was amazing at the cinema.


I'll second Dark City as an under-regarded gem.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 00:21:33


Post by: Voss


 Overread wrote:
Cowboys and Aliens - one of those films that came and went and no one seems to remember it, yet its a great bit of western alien action!

 Pyroalchi wrote:
 BobtheInquisitor wrote:



Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Pyroalchi wrote:
As a teenager I watched conan the barbarian once or twice every year and found it quite hilarious and enjoyable. It's been quite a while... maybe it's time again


Check out Conan the Destroyer. It’s hilarious and enjoyable for different reasons.


Sounds fun, thanks for the tip






Its odd, but after all these years, that's the first time I've ever seen or known the princess' name.

It was simply never relevant. Most of the other's I can vaguely remember from dialogue, but not her. Though I admittedly still mostly think of Zula as Grace Jones (and vaguely suspect she isn't really acting, just having a good time doing the sort of things she just does in her down time).


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 00:24:03


Post by: Ghool


Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

My son just loves it, and after watching it with him so many times, I get it.

Pacific Rim: Uprising

See above.

These are both movies that are made for the 12 year old in us, and out there. These are both under rated and really fun films.

I’ll also second Cowboys and Aliens as another good popcorn flick.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 00:26:51


Post by: Overread


 Ghool wrote:
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army


Hellboy 1 and 2 under Del Toro are 100% fun films. He's also great are mixing in some darker themes and serious bits and at making some very beautiful elements. If you watch Pan's Labyrinth you can even see some subtle connections and similar underlaying story themes in the 2nd Hellboy.



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 00:45:40


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


I will third Dark City. It would be great even without the twist, but it really sticks the landing at the end.

 Ghool wrote:
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

My son just loves it, and after watching it with him so many times, I get it.

Pacific Rim: Uprising

See above.

These are both movies that are made for the 12 year old in us, and out there. These are both under rated and really fun films.

I’ll also second Cowboys and Aliens as another good popcorn flick.


I will also second Pacific Rim Uprising. It had the goofy fun feeling of Showa era 2nd rate Kaiju show.

The Hellboy movies are worth it just for the art direction/production value.

I do not third Cowboys and Aliens.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 02:34:29


Post by: Ork-en Man


Almost Heroes
Chris Farley's last movie. IMHO, I put this above Black Sheep and below Tommy Boy. This movie makes me laugh every time I watch it.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 05:00:08


Post by: chromedog


 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Predator 1 is boring and predator 2 is infinitly better and has better humor, characters and action


Predator 2 has one of the greatest tag-lines on the posters ...

" ... He's in town, with a few days to kill ... "


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 05:22:38


Post by: H.B.M.C.


Last Action Hero - Remains my fav Arnold film to this day.

Starship Troopers - Reasons already discussed above.

Sucker Punch - Yes. I really like Sucker Punch. It has an outrageously incredible soundtrack (the song mixes are phenomenal), great action, and tells a very interesting story.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 06:53:36


Post by: Jadenim


I get the impression that Starship Troopers was better received here in the UK, apart from the (valid) “nothing like the book” criticism. Still, probably one of my most watched films of all time, Clancy Brown being the best on screen drill instructor after R Lee Emery

Battle Los Angeles is one of my guilty pleasure films; it’s an achievement being able to construct a script entirely from other military film tropes, but they managed it?! One of the things I genuinely give it credit for is at the start, when the officers and NCOs get brought in for their field briefing, there’s no confusion or “what could it be”, it’s “these objects are manoeuvring, therefore aliens and the only reason to land all along our coastline near major cities is invasion. Get to it.” Also, from a 40K point of view, it always makes me think of something somewhere between a Marine drop-pod assault and a Tau invasion.

Hellboy 2 is a wonderful demonstration of how Guillermo Del Toro really gets old world fairy tales, how they were before Disney cutesification. Prince Nuada is a great character, brilliantly executed.

For my own suggestion, John Carter of Mars; it seemed to be fashionable for critics to absolutely slate it and I have no idea why. It’s not perfect; it relies too heavily on exposition and gets a bit bogged down in world building for (never made) future films, rather than concentrating on it’s own plot, but it has a good cast (some great supporting actors) great production design and effects and it has some really fun scenes. I’d give it a solid 6/10 and recommend anyone who skipped because of the critics give it a try.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 06:59:01


Post by: Blackie


Terminator Salvation: I like it more than T2, which I know it sound heresy for many people But I've always wanted to see a Terminator which is entirely set into the future and that's the only movie in which the protagonist isn't Sarah or John. Honestly I love everything about Terminator Salvation.

Starship Troopers is a masterpiece! I love both the movie and the novel.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 07:32:01


Post by: ZergSmasher


I too love Battle: Los Angeles. And not because it "showcases everything wrong with the military-entertainment complex" or any gak like that, but rather because instead of being like Independence Day where we see the overall situation and know the aliens' likely end goal, we are seeing the invasion from the POV of the grunts on the ground. We know what they know, etc. That's kind of an interesting perspective for an alien invasion movie, a trope which has been done to death by Hollywood (with varying degrees of success).

Someone mentioned John Carter; that is an amazing movie, for the visuals if nothing else. Of course the best visuals were any scenes with Lynn Collins in them.

Another one mentioned was Conan the Destroyer; while it doesn't hold a candle to the first one it's still a fun adventure movie if you're willing to just switch your brain off and be entertained.

Heck, a lot of the movies mentioned in here are ones I truly love. I'll go ahead and add a couple that nobody has mentioned yet.

-Street Fighter. Yes, it's a dumb B-grade action movie tangentially related to a beat-em-up video game. But honestly it's one of my favorite stupid movies of all time, and my brother and I quote it to each other all the time.

-Avatar. Seems like this is the movie everyone's hobby is to rip on, saying how it's just Dances With Wolves in space, etc. But it's actually one of my favorite movies, for the visual effects and the cool vehicle designs if nothing else. Seeing it in theaters in full 3D blew my mind at the time; so much so that I actually went to see it like three times, which is something I almost never do for any movie.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 10:46:08


Post by: Henry


Godzilla (1998), The Mummy (2017), John Carter

None of these movies are great, but they're perfectly satisfactory and I do not understand the universal slating they receive.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 10:51:25


Post by: aku-chan


Worryingly, a lot of films I really like have already been mentioned.

But here's one that hasn't, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It's just a fun little adventure movie and (IMO) better than the source material.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 11:51:29


Post by: StraightSilver


Doomsday 2008 starring Rhona Mitra and Bob Hoskins. I love this movie, and I watched it again during COVID lockdown and it doesn't seem quite so silly any more.....


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 11:59:04


Post by: bbb


Dark City is a masterpiece. It is made even more spectacular by the fact that everything Alex Proyas made after it has been extremely unspectacular.

Ernest Saves Christmas is a phenomenal Christmas movie.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 12:12:34


Post by: Overread


 aku-chan wrote:
Worryingly, a lot of films I really like have already been mentioned.



A good many of them are big popular films from their day, even if niche in their day, but just not put on the christmas film listings or just aren't really talked about much outside of geeky groups today.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 12:35:21


Post by: The_Real_Chris


Dark City - at least one other person loves the film - the guy making Delaque for GW!

Labyrinth - my extended families number one film by consensus (followed by Dark Crystal and then Stardust), I was shocked to discover it was a flop and unpopular in the US. What is wrong with you all! And while I am at it, Flash Gordan as well? You lot have no taste. Those two don't belong on this list clearly because they are legends in the UK. Like Legend. Tim Curry I sincerely hope is the Devil in real life and was trolling us all by showing how we will get to meet him after we pop our clogs...

John Carter of Mars - Brilliant film, don't understand why it wasn't liked...

Starship troopers - we loved it in the UK. But I guess in the US the book is more revered and is on the reading list of the US Army, Navy and Marines (plus I guess cost guard?) and is the only science fiction novel on the reading list at four of the five United States military academies. Though really they should have added the forever war back in the 90's. I and my friends immediately appreciated it as a faithful reproduction of a fascist propaganda film. Online it seems reviled as being nothing like the book.

Ghostbusters remake - I wanted to like it, but I think one comedian friend identified the main problem - all 4 leads were the funny one. In the original the straight characters to play the jokes off were vital.

Ator the invincible (unwatchable)/The Blade Master in the US. Truly truly awful. All film students should have to watch it. Also the credits hint at another entirely separate film that doesn't seem to exist! Must have watched it half a dozen times over the years... "Thong, the fish is ready!"


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 12:41:12


Post by: Jadenim


There’s a few things I like in Ghostbusters 2016, particularly the role reversal of Chris Hemsworth playing the stereotypical hot, dumb, blonde receptionist. The biggest problem from my point of view was they couldn’t seem to decide whether they were doing a sequel, a remake or a homage. If they’d picked one and stuck to it it probably would have worked better.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 12:42:32


Post by: Jammer87


The Nightmare Before Christmas! I've watched it every year since it came out. Everyone I've talked to thinks I'm a weirdo and it's a "creepy" movie.

I'll 10th or whatever number we're at Starship Troopers. I'd argue the movie nailed the theme of the book and I don't know how much the gorilla jumping suits would have drastically changed the plot of the movie. I need to go back and reread the book and rewatch the movie.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 12:53:43


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


StraightSilver wrote:
Doomsday 2008 starring Rhona Mitra and Bob Hoskins. I love this movie, and I watched it again during COVID lockdown and it doesn't seem quite so silly any more.....


A cracking and thoroughly mental movie. Very inventive.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 13:04:35


Post by: scarletsquig


Chappie, didn't get great ratings and flopped, but I love it.

Very good depiction of machine consciousness and learning, and also some deeper themes like the nature of consciousness / transhumanism.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 13:13:50


Post by: Blackie


StraightSilver wrote:
Doomsday 2008 starring Rhona Mitra and Bob Hoskins. I love this movie, and I watched it again during COVID lockdown and it doesn't seem quite so silly any more.....


Did the same thing, lol. I love that movie as well .


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 13:18:25


Post by: Frazzled


Ice Pirates. Kung Fu Robots in space!
Speaking of: Bruce Leroy in Last Dragon.
Race the Devil, kind of Deliverance but in an RV chased by a cult.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 13:21:28


Post by: Polonius


I was going to push back on Starship Troopers receiving such bad reviews, but a look over the old wikipedia page showed that neither critics nor audiences really enjoyed it at the time.

I saw it in the theaters, but I was in high school, so I think I just enjoyed the blend of action, humor, and casual nudity.

Looking back, it's interesting because it's clearly a satire of the book it's based on, which is just fantastic. As time went on, I think it got a lot of credit for satirizing jingoism and fear of the other (themes that unfortunately became far more common a few years after it was released). It also benefits from the NPH glow up. Where it get into murky, "was this a joke or was this just bad" territory is the acting of main characters. I've seen people try to argue that NPH and Michael Ironside were "in on the joke" while Van Dien and Denise Richards were not, leaving them to play this farce completely straight (like Dusty Bottoms in Dr. Strangelove). I don't buy it. Van Dien and Richards weren't being earnest, they were limited actors. The rest of the cast managers to vary from competent to actually pretty decent (shout out to Jake Busey), so claiming that the leads were bad actors as part of the gag seems like when a troll tries to say they were just "running a social experiment"

I'm also proud of Dakka for not flooding this thread with highly regarded but simply less mainstream movies.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 14:05:10


Post by: Easy E


David Lynch's Dune is an amazing film. I love it, all of it, and every cut of it.

Flash Gordon and Highlander which both feature Queen sound tracks, even though I am not a huge Queen fan. I was so pumped when they used the Flash Gordon theme for a phone cam commercial in the last couple years.

Double impact with twice the Van Damage! You know an action star is reaching the end when they star in a movie that has two of them!

Any version of a Mortal Kombat movie..... any of them!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 14:09:24


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Speaking of Van Damme? I’ve got a massive soft spot for Time Cop.

Actually, I’ve got a massive soft spot for most SciFi action movies of that era. I’m particularly desperate to see Fortress and No Escape again.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 14:13:09


Post by: LunarSol


 Polonius wrote:
I was going to push back on Starship Troopers receiving such bad reviews, but a look over the old wikipedia page showed that neither critics nor audiences really enjoyed it at the time.


This always surprises me because it was a film I watched with my friends almost weekly for a while. I didn't realize that people didn't like it until I started hearing people trying to defend it online literally decades later.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 14:25:07


Post by: SkavenLord


Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is a joy if you want a dumb popcorn action flick. The whole thing is bonkers, but in that cool b-movie sort of way.

Alien 3, Ressurection, and Covenant are just as good as the first two. To paraphrase a certain YouTube video on the series, it seems each movie covers a different kind of horror subgenre. While not always horror, each of the three movies take their own spin on the synopsis.

The Sweeney Todd movie is a good rendition. There have been a myriad of Sweeneys now, and each seems to help set a tone for the performance. If you check the performances of Lou Cariou and George Hearn, you get hammier and angrier performances. Johnny Depp doesn’t quite use the vocal range, but he does carry a more subdued tone to his singing that contrasts with the others in an interesting way. You can’t beat Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett, but Helena Bonham Carter does a reasonably good job.

 Jammer87 wrote:
The Nightmare Before Christmas! I've watched it every year since it came out. Everyone I've talked to thinks I'm a weirdo and it's a "creepy" movie.


If I recall correctly, that movie was kind of absorbed into the whole “emo outcast” phase of the 2000s/early 2010s. I wonder if that association brought it closer to being perceived as a “weird and creepy” movie. Agreed though, it’s a great film.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 14:29:49


Post by: jaredb


 LordofHats wrote:
Battle Los Angeles

This is one of the greatest satires ever made. It's the encapsulation of every film ever made to blow the American military before the public and anyone who isn't laughing at how stupid and dumb this movie, its characters, and everything about it is, has missed the only thing worthwhile about watching it.

The fact that the people making it didn't intend it to be a satire is irrelevant.Even hacks can make a masterpiece if they hate what they're doing enough to make an entire military porn flick that provides every reason we should hate military porn flicks.

I'd actually list the Red Dawn Remake, virtually everything made by Michael Bay, and Battleship as the same kind of movies. They're most enjoyable when you accept then as nothing more than ego trips showcasing all the things wrong with the military-entertainment complex.


I love the combat scenes in this movie, especially the first half of the movie. It sets the tone really well with the sense of unknown and claustrophobia in the house-house fighting. I find it's the end where it falls apart in the final set-piece. Until then, it has a real 'Black Hawk Down' vibe.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 14:30:20


Post by: Polonius


A movie that everybody I know who has watched it loved it, but sports a 12% Rotten Tomatos score is the Kelsey Grammar submarine comedy Down Periscope.

If you approach Down Periscope as either a gag a minute comedy or a tense submarine movie, you'll probably be disappointed. If you approach it as a perfectly good submarine move about goofy, but not strictly cartoonish, group of rejects, it holds up. In a bizarre bit of foreshadowing, Kelsey Grammar plays an almost washed up submarine officer, denied promotion due to some personal and professional mishaps. He's given the role of captain in a wargame meant to see how well a rogue diesel submarine could perform against the nuclear navy. His crew, picked by an admiral so openly villainous he could be from Star Fleet, are the sorts of colorful but secretly talented characters that 90s movies loved. In practice, that basically meant giving a slate of talented dudes a job and a quirk, and letting them riff on it. If you like material that, even if not improved, seems like it is, you'll enjoy big chunks of this flick.

Outside of the protagonists, you have a murderers row of talent: rip Torn, Bruce Dern, and William H Macy.

One final note: my friends who have served on submarines LOVE this movie, as they always say that comedies match the day to day experience in most militaries more than action or war movies. So, take that with a grain of salt.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 14:59:33


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Wishmaster

It’s just fun. Sure the sequels get increasingly worse, but they’re still a decent laugh.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 15:20:49


Post by: LunarSol


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Battleship is a supreme slice of nonsense.

But for all it’s abject nonsense and dodgy acting? You simply cannot whack The Old Boys having a great time in getting the USS Missouri ready for combat. And….when the Big Guns give it some dakka? Just….just *Chef’s Kiss


Every once in a while someone hits this perfect moment where the emotional investment is just right and something mind blistering dumb is so engaging that you're on your feet cheering regardless. Drifting the Battleship definitely ranks high on my list for those moments.

Another good one is the final race in Speed Racer.

Also I love how the aliens in Battleship explicitly only attack military complexes, avoid harming any civilians and only fire after being fired upon.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 LordofHats wrote:
Battle Los Angeles

This is one of the greatest satires ever made. It's the encapsulation of every film ever made to blow the American military before the public and anyone who isn't laughing at how stupid and dumb this movie, its characters, and everything about it is, has missed the only thing worthwhile about watching it.


It's basically a videogame movie, right down to a complete nonsense timed arena fight to revel the last boss's final form.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 15:24:49


Post by: H.B.M.C.


 Polonius wrote:
A movie that everybody I know who has watched it loved it, but sports a 12% Rotten Tomatos score is the Kelsey Grammar submarine comedy Down Periscope.
"Balls to the wall, boys!"

Saw that on a bus ride for a school trip... God... 25 years ago? 24? I thought it was great fun.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 15:26:49


Post by: LunarSol


 Jammer87 wrote:
The Nightmare Before Christmas! I've watched it every year since it came out. Everyone I've talked to thinks I'm a weirdo and it's a "creepy" movie.


This is a beloved classic. I just watched it last week. Make them watch Coraline next.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 15:33:04


Post by: Easy E


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Speaking of Van Damme? I’ve got a massive soft spot for Time Cop.

Actually, I’ve got a massive soft spot for most SciFi action movies of that era. I’m particularly desperate to see Fortress and No Escape again.


No Escape...... that was surprisingly good! I have based an RPG campaign on that one.


I also really, really, really love the Speed Racer movie. The cuts and transitions are so good. The plot makes almost no sense, but somehow the cast carry it off in a sincere yet cartoony way. Sooooo goooood. I think the reason it is not more popular is because it is too long.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 17:58:32


Post by: ScarletRose


 Blackie wrote:
Terminator Salvation: I like it more than T2, which I know it sound heresy for many people But I've always wanted to see a Terminator which is entirely set into the future and that's the only movie in which the protagonist isn't Sarah or John. Honestly I love everything about Terminator Salvation.

Starship Troopers is a masterpiece! I love both the movie and the novel.


I wouldn't put it above T2 but Salvation and Sarah Connor Chronicles definitely showed that a future timeline story could work, and has a lot of potential.

Two novels with tie in plots were actually published with Salvation and while they're not high literature they're pretty decent.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 20:19:24


Post by: gorgon


Well, veteran Dakkaites know I'd die on the hill called Man of Steel (although not what came after). But reviews were really more mixed, and I'm convinced it would fare a little better review-wise if released today.

So let's really go for it. How about Cabin Boy? That movie got eviscerated on release...but I found it pretty funny when I finally saw it years later. It was in the vein of Anchorman before Anchorman. It's even kinda quotable like Anchorman.

"We're just here to catch fish and stink. Mostly the latter."

"Heh. Purple Lightning. That's always a good sign."

"Paps, you've been like the drunken, abusive grandfather I never had."
"Ah stop that. You'll have my glass eye fogging over."

"I'm sorry, sir. I was just pondering what drifter's corpse you stole those shoes from."

"THESE PIPES...ARE CLEEEEAAN!"


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 20:36:04


Post by: Easy E


I almost forgot, I would die on the hill for a little film called......

Circle of Iron

.... I was actually forced to watch this in school, and I love it now!



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 21:29:38


Post by: LordofHats


 jaredb wrote:

I love the combat scenes in this movie, especially the first half of the movie. It sets the tone really well with the sense of unknown and claustrophobia in the house-house fighting. I find it's the end where it falls apart in the final set-piece. Until then, it has a real 'Black Hawk Down' vibe.


I suspect few, if any, people will ever share my opinion that Battle LA is so bad it's good but that seems like it's what the thread is for

Kind of funny to mention it (Battle LA) and Starship Troopers at the same time though. There's probably some parallels in what the movies are "films about grunts on the ground" and how they went about that POV and what it meant. I think back when Starship Troopers hit people were hoping for a more serious movie that more closely adapted the book. The Cold War was over but people were still in that mindset a bit in the mid-90s I think. Because of that, Starship Troopers came off as bizarre and 'wtf' with how much tongue it was jamming into its cheek. It's really only in the post-Bush era where I feel like the general audience, myself included, is really coming around to what the movie is and that it's actually a really good movie if you just take it for what it is.

In comparison, I feel like Battle LA is kind of the reverse. If you just take Battle LA for what it is, it's a god awful film. Nothing but old cliches and wtf scenes that barely make any sense in context and make even less out. I definitely agree that the start of the film is much better conceived. Honestly, everything up to their arrival at the police state/school (I forget what the building was) it was a pretty solid film in the vein of Blackhawk Down but with aliens. After that though, the movie nosedives hard like all the original ideas had been used up, no one really wanted to be there anymore, but they needed to fit the runtime so everyone from the actors to the writers to the directors just started phoning it in and the movie became atrocious, but atrocious in a way that I can laugh at.

I suspect there's not enough meme fodder in Battle LA to keep it going for 20 years to see if it ends up like Starship Troopers and people come around to different opinions on it unfortunately. Starship Troopers really survived because almost every scene contains at least one meme worthy gif and it came out at just the right time in the development of the internet to endure despite being a movie everyone hated at the time.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 21:30:38


Post by: Gitzbitah


Tank Girl definitely belongs on here. A massive flop for the studio, and something that everyone involved in the film clearly loved, it costs 25 million to make, and pulled in 5 million. If it were remade today, in the hands of one of the unhinged creative lunatics (like Taika Waititi or James Gunn) with minimal studio interference, it would be a stunning masterpiece.

As it is, it is one of those wonderful 90s films that tried so, so hard to be different, despite the studio wanting it so badly to be generic. The result is strange and weird, and tremendously entertaining. Some films can be saved purely by how much the actors and actresses enjoy them- and Lori Petty carries this one.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 21:44:51


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Yeah Tank Girl is brilliant. Almost ahead of it’s time.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
AvP Requiem.

I love that movie, and rate it above the original. There’s just something about it.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 21:51:57


Post by: LordofHats


Oh, speaking of films that got a totally different reception years later; Contagion. I remember when the film came out when it was new but that's all I remember about it. I didn't go see it and I never heard anyone talking about it. It's actually not a bad movie. Not great, but not bad. It might be a purely situational thing, but watching the movie and compare/constrasting its events with real life is a surreal experience that I'm betting the people who made it never intended to happen.

A similar experience might be the film Outbreak from 1995 and the Ebola scare in the mid-2010s.

Movies + time = newfound entertainment/horror value

AvP Requiem.

I love that movie, and rate it above the original. There’s just something about it.


I've watched the movie more than the first AVP or Predators. I agree. The movie's nowhere near as bad as people think it is. Some of the best alien and predator action in either franchises. If this movie commits a grave sin, it's that the film is constantly too dark. Even in a dark room with contrast turned up, it's amazing how hard it can be to make things out (contrast hardly helps at all since everything is so damn dark turning it up just makes everything gray). There's a few scenes too that feel like they're needlessly gratuitous in a 'wow really you're gonna slap that on the screen guys' sort of way but I feel like most of this movies flaws are forgivable for a popcorn flick and it's the piss poor lighting that really brings it down.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/20 22:09:16


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Requiem also does some patch work on the first AvP, by showing us what an experienced Predator can do, compared to the newbies in the first movie, who came across as embarrassingly crap.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 11:45:55


Post by: AndrewGPaul


The message I took from AvP was that you shouldn't bother kicking the heroin and getting a doctorate in geology, because you'll just get killed by an alien under Antarctica. Should've stayed on the smack in Leith, Spud.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
For me, Ang Lee's Hulk was a better film than the sequel/reboot The Incredible Hulk. The latter just devolves into two green cartoons hitting each other, I thought Hulk did more interesting things with the character.

And I remember being a little disappointed in the 2012 Avengers film, because it relied fairly heavily on having seen Thor first - which I think is one of the weaker of the films that led up to Avengers - down there with Iron Man 2.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 11:57:45


Post by: the_scotsman


scarletsquig wrote:
Chappie, didn't get great ratings and flopped, but I love it.

Very good depiction of machine consciousness and learning, and also some deeper themes like the nature of consciousness / transhumanism.


And also one of the best drinking games in cinema if you're familiar with the work of Die Antwerd, who I can only describe persona-wise as a south african combination of Insane Clown Posse and Pit Bull.

The drinking game is "drink every time a plot element, prop or scene element is clearly in the film because it was demanded to be there by Ninja and Yolandi."


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 12:05:10


Post by: jeff white


Tankgirl was definitely ahead of its time. Lori Petty was the thinking man’s dream girl for a short time.

Dark City, brilliant.

Starship Troopers, also ahead of its time. I think that it plays better in this era than that, so obvious are the social parallels. Indeed, the same can be said of both of those above.

The Outlaw Josie Wales… not supposed to be so great, but my favorite western and maybe one of my favorite movies of all time.



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 12:10:09


Post by: Overread


My take away from this thread is that I really need to go see Dark City


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 12:11:33


Post by: Flinty


Yes, yes you do.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 12:16:50


Post by: the_scotsman


For my film i'm going to put out Annihilation.

In my eyes, that movie hit the perfect mark of "enough women in the movie for the gakky nerdbros that didnt actually watch it to decry it as feminist" and "too weird/horrific for the feminists to fully embrace it" and it flopped HARD.

but what you've actually got is one of the very best examples of a movie with more than one good, strong female character who have agency and drive the plot of the movie forward in any movie I've seen since. Granted, you are starting from a point of 'the whole film is an allegory for how different types of people choose to deal with cancer' so a lot of that agency is based around what choice you make as a person when you've got extremely good odds of losing control of your body and it killing you, but what you've got is a classic horror movie setup of 'introduce cast of characters, only one survives to the end' and to my memory, there is only one single person among that cast who dies without making the choice to do so.

To me, that's the real essence of what a "feminist female character" ought to be. She doesn't have to be an emotionless, fearless, omnicompetent ultrabadass - she can be, that works in the context of stuff like action movies and superhero movies where that's what the fantasy is supposed to be - but that doesnt make for any more of a realistic character portrayal than the traditional damsel in distress who can't do anything.

Annihilation does this absolutely perfectly. The characters are competent - in the fields where they're supposed to be competent. The protagonist is a competent soldier who's cool under fire and good in a fight. The scientist is a competent scientist, who is understandably far less competent when it comes to being attacked by terrifying mutated animals. And as the squad falls apart, we as an audience understand that they're falling apart not 'because they're wimminz' because we know that they're following in the tracks of a group of male soldiers who also fell apart in this situation.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 12:22:41


Post by: jeff white


To add an SF flick to the mix, I thought that Imposter was pretty cool, from 2001, but I have a (semi-soft)spot for Madeline Stowe and always liked Gary Sinise… Rotten Tomatoes only 41% audience score, 24% critics. I think that it deserves better than that!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 12:37:46


Post by: GoldenHorde


The original Mad Max was THE BEST MAD MAX. Quality of MM films subsequently dropped becoming more and more cartoony. MM2 Road warrior was good but not as good as the first film. Fury road IS absolute non narrative trash. At least beyond thunderdome had Tina Turner, and actual story, despite its shortcomings.

The original Terminator is far better than T2 Judgement day.

LEXX was the most hardcore cult scifi series and way ahead of its time. Far more interesting than its style-over-substance and pander-to-the-mainstream imitator, Farscape.


Blade Runner is a boring and disappointing style-over-substance film, with its only redeeming part being Rutger Hauer's inspired performance in particular, the "tears in the rain" monologue which was a complete improvisation. Furthermore, the film just ponders on its own tangents and has little to nothing to do with the emotional depth of Phillip K Dick's brilliant novel


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 12:56:25


Post by: Blackie


Fury Road is my favorite movie, along with La La Land and Inglorious Basterds, among those that have been released in the last 20 years, lol. I always wish the Marvel/Disney blockbusters had a fraction of that quality, and I always get disappointed . First Mad Max is close to terrible IMHO, just another typical and stereothyped violent revenge movie from the 70s.

But I agree about Terminator, also in my opionion is far better than the sequel (which I admit, I've always considered it good but very overrated).

I second Annihilation! Loved it as any other movie/tv series directed or just written by Alex Garland.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 13:11:43


Post by: MDSW


 Polonius wrote:
A movie that everybody I know who has watched it loved it, but sports a 12% Rotten Tomatos score is the Kelsey Grammar submarine comedy Down Periscope.

If you approach Down Periscope as either a gag a minute comedy or a tense submarine movie, you'll probably be disappointed. If you approach it as a perfectly good submarine move about goofy, but not strictly cartoonish, group of rejects, it holds up. In a bizarre bit of foreshadowing, Kelsey Grammar plays an almost washed up submarine officer, denied promotion due to some personal and professional mishaps. He's given the role of captain in a wargame meant to see how well a rogue diesel submarine could perform against the nuclear navy. His crew, picked by an admiral so openly villainous he could be from Star Fleet, are the sorts of colorful but secretly talented characters that 90s movies loved. In practice, that basically meant giving a slate of talented dudes a job and a quirk, and letting them riff on it. If you like material that, even if not improved, seems like it is, you'll enjoy big chunks of this flick.

Outside of the protagonists, you have a murderers row of talent: rip Torn, Bruce Dern, and William H Macy.

One final note: my friends who have served on submarines LOVE this movie, as they always say that comedies match the day to day experience in most militaries more than action or war movies. So, take that with a grain of salt.


Being a former Navy fellow, yeah, anything to do with that stuff ranks high with me and 'Down Periscope' was very enjoyable. But, it makes me think of another that has stellar performances just about by all (if you are not bothered by Harvey Keitel's drama): U-571


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 13:15:33


Post by: GoldenHorde


 Blackie wrote:
Fury Road is my favorite movie,







Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 13:24:44


Post by: the_scotsman


 GoldenHorde wrote:
 Blackie wrote:
Fury Road is my favorite movie,





Yeah, I can't imagine why a macho dictator strongman warlord type character like that would be portrayed as anything except for a brilliant genius, like all the historical examples of people like that have turned out to be - Mussolini, Kim Jong Il, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Adolf Hitler et all are almost always looked back on as incredibly smart and competent military commanders and they basically never turn out to be self-sabotaging idiots who die in ignominous pathetic ways.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 15:23:43


Post by: bbb


 Overread wrote:
My take away from this thread is that I really need to go see Dark City


Your take away should be that EVERYONE really needs to go see Dark City.

I saw it in the theater in 1998 and loved it. When The Matrix came out in 1999 I was like, "This is great, but didn't anyone else see Dark City last year?! Does no one else see the similarities?"

Okay, for everyone else who has seen Dark City, I've only seen the original, not the director's cut. Which do you recommend or does it not make a big difference to you? Let's keep spoilers in the spoiler tag for those who haven't witnessed it's glory yet.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 15:34:33


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity and Insidious film series.

I love them. They’re hokey nonsense and all kinda samey, but compared to horror movies the era before, they’re immensely satisfying all the same.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 15:39:49


Post by: Easy E


 the_scotsman wrote:
 GoldenHorde wrote:
 Blackie wrote:
Fury Road is my favorite movie,





Yeah, I can't imagine why a macho dictator strongman warlord type character like that would be portrayed as anything except for a brilliant genius, like all the historical examples of people like that have turned out to be - Mussolini, Kim Jong Il, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Adolf Hitler et all are almost always looked back on as incredibly smart and competent military commanders and they basically never turn out to be self-sabotaging idiots who die in ignominous pathetic ways.


The self-sabotaging is actually part of the Fascism!

Per Ecco:


The cult of action for action’s sake. “Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or without, any previous reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation.”

Everybody is educated to become a hero. “In Ur-Fascist ideology, heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death.”




Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 15:54:48


Post by: Turnip Jedi


 bbb wrote:
 Overread wrote:
My take away from this thread is that I really need to go see Dark City


Your take away should be that EVERYONE really needs to go see Dark City.

I saw it in the theater in 1998 and loved it. When The Matrix came out in 1999 I was like, "This is great, but didn't anyone else see Dark City last year?! Does no one else see the similarities?"

Okay, for everyone else who has seen Dark City, I've only seen the original, not the director's cut. Which do you recommend or does it not make a big difference to you? Let's keep spoilers in the spoiler tag for those who haven't witnessed it's glory yet.


Moar Jenny C is always betterer


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 16:05:18


Post by: Captain Joystick


A lot of these movies are well regarded classics (cult or otherwise!) but I'll stand up and say I loved Battle: LA, with just a little irony.

I've mentioned Pontypool but I feel it bears repeating, since it's brilliantly weird and less people have seen it than have seen, read, and been confused by its poster appearing in the background of one of the twilight movies.

Dark City deserves all the love that it gets (though I warn anybody who does watch it to keep in mind that it came out before the Matrix.)

Speaking of, I can't say the Matrix sequels are good, but I enjoyed the action pieces and had fun thinking about their philosophical arguments back in high school when they came out.

Gosh, there's a bunch of movies I give a pass from my childhood but can come back to and still love: Ninja Turtles, Neverending Story, Homeward Bound, Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Return of the Jedi.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 bbb wrote:
Okay, for everyone else who has seen Dark City, I've only seen the original, not the director's cut. Which do you recommend or does it not make a big difference to you? Let's keep spoilers in the spoiler tag for those who haven't witnessed it's glory yet.


I would recommend the director's cut enthusiastically.

Spoiler:
It doesn't have the opening narration that gives away the plot.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 16:09:43


Post by: StraightSilver


I forgot to mention Iron Sky in my last post.

I love this movie, hate the sequel but the first is still a classic.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 16:33:34


Post by: Overread


StraightSilver wrote:
I forgot to mention Iron Sky in my last post.

I love this movie, hate the sequel but the first is still a classic.


Iron Sky is fantastic!

And yeah the Sequel started out ok but the whole "cult of apple" stuff just became annoying. Backward thinking Nazi's who'd been isolated on the moon for a very very long time made sense. Modern people suddenly blowing each other up over apple apps and such - eh - it would have made more sense if it was set 1000s of years in the future for the setting but not a few decades.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 16:57:14


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


 bbb wrote:
 Overread wrote:
My take away from this thread is that I really need to go see Dark City


Your take away should be that EVERYONE really needs to go see Dark City.

I saw it in the theater in 1998 and loved it. When The Matrix came out in 1999 I was like, "This is great, but didn't anyone else see Dark City last year?! Does no one else see the similarities?"

Okay, for everyone else who has seen Dark City, I've only seen the original, not the director's cut. Which do you recommend or does it not make a big difference to you? Let's keep spoilers in the spoiler tag for those who haven't witnessed it's glory yet.


Not only Dark City, but The 13th Floor was a pretty good Matrix-before-The-Matrix movie.

I believe I’ve seen both versions of Dark City, but I honestly don’t remember much of a difference. One viewing was when the movie came out and the other was about a decade later when the Blu Ray (?) came out.

I also want to give a huge second to The Last Dragon. While I don’t think liking that film counts as picking a hill to die on because it is so well beloved, it seems to have been more or less forgotten by modern movie audiences.

Cabin Boy is a must for anyone who loved comedy in the 90’s. Almost every cast member in the movie is a “that guy” you’ll recognize and love. This movie single-handed my changed the way I listen to Alley Cat.

The Terminator is a better film than Terminator 2, yes, but perhaps not as fun.

Fury Road is fantastic, but if your hill is hating it that’s fine.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 16:58:28


Post by: The_Real_Chris


 Easy E wrote:
David Lynch's Dune

Any version of a Mortal Kombat movie..... any of them!


Off topic as its films, but I loved the weird live action TV series. Terrible tripe but I bought the DVDs!



 bbb wrote:
Your take away should be that EVERYONE really needs to go see Dark City.


Showed it to my daughter 2 weekends back, she was bored and critical. I have failed as a father.

And hating Fury Road? I didn't say it because I thought it was a well regarded success. But for me its the best societal insanity I have ever seen committed to celluloid! (Or whatever we put it on now.) I saw it 6 times at the cinema (to be fair I was in Tanzania and there was nothing else to do). I was just showing it to one bemused native after another.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 17:53:31


Post by: bbb


The_Real_Chris wrote:
 bbb wrote:
Your take away should be that EVERYONE really needs to go see Dark City.


Showed it to my daughter 2 weekends back, she was bored and critical. I have failed as a father.


The only movie my wife ever walked out of was Dark City (we didn't know each other at the time and she still doesn't like it), but I married her anyway and we're still going strong after 17 years. It's possible to love extremely flawed people. Stay strong.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 18:18:23


Post by: gorgon


Dark City was interesting, although it wasn't a wholly original concept. I was always hopeful for a big-screen adaptation of Matt Wagner's Mage comics -- and at one point there were scripts kicking around in Hollywood -- but Dark City and the Matrix beat it to the punch with the hero's journey + world-behind-the-world concept even if the particulars were quite different.

And on a very similar note, I saw HBMC mentioned Sucker Punch. I did think it was a lot better -- purely in terms of entertainment value -- than the critics had led me to believe. They really savaged it, and I think that was when Zack Snyder really got on some critics' gak lists. But wow, only Snyder could create something so divisive. Is it feminist...or something terribly misogynistic? Is it in some *weird* way...both? I'm sure there were scholarly papers written about that one, as insane as that sounds. The one thing I do find interesting about it is how many people didn't get it. I don't mean the message -- again, that was confusing as heck -- but instead what was going on with the story and its three levels of reality and all their implications.

I agree that John Carter deserved better from the critics. It's always interesting to me how critics pile on certain movies and not others (JC was more of a mixed response, but still). It was at least as good of a dumb fun adventure film as most Marvel movies from the same studio that rack up RT scores 30 points higher. I don't get it.

Oblivion isn't a hill I'd die on, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Was super stylish with great production design, photography, and soundtrack from M83. I found it easy to just soak all that stuff in and willingly overlook some aspects of the story.



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 18:37:06


Post by: Captain Joystick


Is it safe to say I love Scott Pilgrim vs The World yet?


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 18:42:22


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


No. It’s never safe


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 18:45:14


Post by: JNAProductions


 Captain Joystick wrote:
Is it safe to say I love Scott Pilgrim vs The World yet?
Is that considered bad? Niche, maybe, but in its niche, I thought it was pretty well-liked.

I enjoy it too.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 19:20:14


Post by: Turnip Jedi


 Captain Joystick wrote:
Is it safe to say I love Scott Pilgrim vs The World yet?


only if you follow it up with "but Babydriver was even better" wherein Mr Wright totally melvins QT and runs off giggling, your mileage may vary depending on one's tolerance for Baron Greenback

I'll second Pontypool mind, splendid creepy film


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 19:27:12


Post by: LunarSol


 Captain Joystick wrote:
Is it safe to say I love Scott Pilgrim vs The World yet?


I love it, but I am deeply disappointed it was done before the comic and didn't adapt the ending. Ramona being the one to defeat Gideon feels really important to making them work as a couple and as much as I like what Nega-Scott represents, I don't feel like the movie adequately built up Scott's delusion to make him a satisfying wrap up to Scott's arc. Basically, I got left feeling like the two main characters got their most significant moments of development cut.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 19:32:00


Post by: Ohman


 Pyroalchi wrote:
As a teenager I watched conan the barbarian once or twice every year and found it quite hilarious and enjoyable. It's been quite a while... maybe it's time again


I would go so far as to say that Conan The Barbarian is the best fantasy movie ever made. Better than Excalibur, The LOTR Trilogy, The Harry Potter movies, The Neverending Story, Willow, Narnia, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Jason And The Argonauts or any other movie you can think of.

It's not a better MOVIE than all of the above (or perhaps any of the above), just a better FANTASY movie. My love for this movie stems from my love for old eighties and nineties fantasy RPGs like D&D, AD&D and the swedish Drakar & Demoner. Conan The Barbarian is a like an old RPG adventure in movie form.

It is a perfect movie representation of my own fantasy ideal of dusty deserts, thiefs, evil cults, magic, gods, anti-heroes and adventure. It will never be surpassed because the fantasy genre has moved on and matured. But it will remain the gold standard of fantasy against which all present and future movies of the genre will be measured.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 19:45:18


Post by: gorgon


 JNAProductions wrote:
 Captain Joystick wrote:
Is it safe to say I love Scott Pilgrim vs The World yet?
Is that considered bad? Niche, maybe, but in its niche, I thought it was pretty well-liked.

I enjoy it too.


It's 82% fresh on RT. So it doesn't really fit the thread, although we crossed that Rubicon a while ago with movies like Fury Road (97% fresh) and either of the first Terminator films.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 19:53:51


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


To be honest, Fury Road came up when someone entirely missed the point of this thread.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 20:02:18


Post by: Henry


 Captain Joystick wrote:
Is it safe to say I love Scott Pilgrim vs The World yet?

I wasn't aware that anyone didn't think it was good. It's got its problems (the target girl is an empty shell and the movie should have never ended the way it did), but I thought it was a well regarded movie.

Other stuff I like that doesn't get much love:
Iron Man 3, Real Steel, Rampage, Mean Machine (Adam Sandler version)


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/21 21:06:35


Post by: GoldenHorde


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
To be honest, Fury Road came up when someone entirely missed the point of this thread.


oh noes, comparing franchise films in a controversial way


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 the_scotsman wrote:
 GoldenHorde wrote:
 Blackie wrote:
Fury Road is my favorite movie,





Yeah, I can't imagine why a macho dictator strongman warlord type character like that would be portrayed as anything except for a brilliant genius, like all the historical examples of people like that have turned out to be - Mussolini, Kim Jong Il, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Adolf Hitler et all are almost always looked back on as incredibly smart and competent military commanders and they basically never turn out to be self-sabotaging idiots who die in ignominous pathetic ways.


That's neither here nor there and shows your trope like grasp of history falls way short of anything even approaching the reasonable. They could have based him off of the greatest 'macho dictator strongman warlord type character' of all time Cengiz Han who also happened to be the greatest conqueror of all time. Or Alexander the great, or Napoleon, or ...

Fury road is dumb and uninspiring. It's basically a saturday morning cartoon version of mad max. Actually its dumber than that


To show how idiotic and universe breaking the character is we could just compare to in-universe characters

Put cartoon Joe up against Lord Humungus or Aunty entity. You know villians with actual leadership qualities ....He wouldn't stand a chance against either.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 00:55:04


Post by: nels1031


The hills that I will die on :

The Snyder Cut beats the brakes off of all but 2, maybe 3 of the entire MCU films.

Ang Lee’s Hulk doesn’t get the respect it deserves.











Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 01:10:23


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


Well, if we’re going to get spicy…

Batman The Movie (Adam West) is better than any Batman movie except The Dark Knight and Lego Batman.

Meteor Man is a better superhero movie than Batman Begins.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 01:53:38


Post by: LordofHats


I also feel like Ang Lee's Hulk (the one before it too I think, Lee's was the second one right?) wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. They weren't great but they did what they set out to do and were about as good as I think can be expected. Hulk as a character just doesn't work so well solo anymore imo. The character's best as part of an ensemble and that's been the case for a long time.



I don't think that's a fair comparison.

For being product placement, Lego Batman had no real right to be nearly as good as it ultimately was. It was clever, heartfelt, and the most original take on Batman since HISHE


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 02:03:45


Post by: Vulcan


Here's one for debate.

Batman and Robin.

As a follow-up to Batman/Batman Returns, they're pretty meh. Much too silly and bright.

But if you look at them more as a follow up to the Adam West Batman it takes on a whole new life as something of a tribute to that interpretation of the character.

Hudson Hawk suffered from a terrible, terrible ad campaign, leading to a very similar problem in expectations. Coming just after Die Hard as it did, the ads painted Hudson Hawk as a serious action film in the same style.... which it most definitely is not!

More than anything else, I'd call Hudson Hawk a live-action cartoon in the Looney Toons style. And watching it with that in mind, the movie is HILARIOUS!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 03:08:35


Post by: Veldrain


I will add yet another count for Dark City.

For one of my favorites that no one else ever gets - Mean Guns. It has one of the best 90's casts for not taking anything seriously and it still works out. I have managed to turn it into a Shadowrun game a few times.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 06:36:35


Post by: Blackie


 Vulcan wrote:
Here's one for debate.

Batman and Robin.

As a follow-up to Batman/Batman Returns, they're pretty meh. Much too silly and bright.

But if you look at them more as a follow up to the Adam West Batman it takes on a whole new life as something of a tribute to that interpretation of the character.



I'd rate Batman and Robin over any Nolan's episode anytime! That movie was so terrible but to the point that it's actually hilarious, Batman should always be portrayed as a silly cartoon. Nolan's movies are too serious .

Among all the SW trash, my favorite episode is The Phantom Menace: mostly because of Liam Neeson's character and the duel between the two jedi and Darth Maul, IMHO still the best duel in the entire SW franchise. I also love the orky Kustom Force Field that Jar Jar's army brings to the final battle .


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 07:17:50


Post by: posermcbogus


You fellas want a real unpopular hill to die on?

I'll give you unpopular.

The Phantom Menace.
I fething love the Phantom Menace. I love it more than all the other Star Warses, and at this point I don't care who knows.
Is this massively subjective?
Yes.
Is it also kind of a trash movie?
Even more yes.

But hear me out.
The Phantom Menace, even with all of the senate scenes, trade federation talk, podracing and the gungans, still clocks some of the most, and some of the BEST lightsaber action Lucas ever blessed us with.
At the very core of it, Lucas takes his space samurai epic, and sends them on a buddy cop detective mission.
McGregor and Neeson absolutely kill it. The chemistry there is fantastic. Neeson nails older, more professional spiritual warrior, while McGregor's scampish-yet-aspiringly-sincere performance is genuinely one of the best in the whole saga. He simply outclasses SO MANY actors who've been in Star Wars before or since, all the while trying to transplant Alec McGuiness' style into this younger universe. As a kid, I was totally enamored with the core story of the two Jedi finding themselves embroiled in this war, cutting a swathe through a horde of droids that they are only able to best because of their lightsabers and force powers. Lucas totally throws out the OT fighting styles, and invents a gorgeous combat choreography that fuelled many saber duels on the playground all throughout my elementary school years. Where Luke Skywalker feels like a rookie of a long-lost fighting style, the prequel universe felt like it was steeped in tradition, actively being taught.

All of this leads to the absolutely magnificent climax of the film. Duel of the Fates soars as Darth Maul, probably second only to vader in his raw sinister aura, finally ignites both saber blades for the first time. The whole final duel is a feast for the senses, and at probably 6 ish years old, I think it probably left my brains dribbling out of my nose watching it on the big screen.
So many of the designs are absolutely brilliant, too. The organic masonry, technology and machines of Ota-Gunga. The flamboyant painjobs and engine setups on the pod racers (yeah I said the p-word, feth you), the classical mediterranean opulence of Naboo, the austere grey blue of the senate, the skeletal, inhuman look of the battle droids, the jedi robes, the costuming of the Naboo court, those lil yellow naboo starfighters that look like sports cars stuck in a wind tunnel too long then dipped in chrome just a lil bit, LITERALLY EVERY COSTUME QUEEN AMIDALA WEARS DARTH MAUL a character so good they keep bringing him back from the dead because we only got a brief, intoxicating, perfect glimpse of him on the screen.
Spoiler:
He should have stayed dead. That mystery was delicious. Unanswered questions in sci-fi are some of the best ones.


I have this real warm, comfy feel whenever I see old promo stuff for Phantom. Something about those reds, blacks and pale golds just feels like it belongs in a place of innocence, at the very tail end of the 90s. I used to have this movie on DVD, and I'd play it on my PS2, lying on the big sofa in my living room whenever I was sick as a kid.

Does the movie have some kinda questionable plot points? Sure. Does it really drag it's heels and plod along at other points? Yeah. Are Jar-Jar, the Nemoydians and Watto a bit much? Yeah, probably (though silly alien with a frog tounge? When I was 6 I could think of fewer funnier things).
But as a sci-fi action movie? It kicks more ass than people are willing to admit, and gives a lot more than you would expect from a movie that is really for kids, at its heart. It's popcorn cinema at it's most outrageously, deliciously kitsch, trying vainly to be more high-brow than it is, and yet at the same time with clearly so much work put into the setting, for what at it's core is just the story of two cops shooting their way to the heart of a crime ring and I love it for all of that.

This is my hill.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 07:42:45


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


TPM does have some good bits, undermined by a poor choice of child actor, Jar Jar being insufferable, and….that’s about it for me.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 10:42:49


Post by: bbb


I think in 20-50 years Disney will start to remake the entire SW series. Hopefully they will have learned from Kennedy's awful mismanagement of the sequels and go in with a plan and not be afraid to change things. It will probably happen after Lucas is dead, and maybe even several more of the original cast.

George Lucas - 77
Harrison Ford - 79
Mark Hamill - 69
Anthony Daniels - 75

--------
Batman (1966) is the best Batman film
Lego Batman (2017) is the second best Batman film

All Batman films pale in comparison to Batman: The Animated Series

The Christopher Nolan Batman films are the worst because they fundamentally get the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman wrong on every level.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 13:08:49


Post by: MDSW


The only concept that 100% totally worked for me was the Nolan Bruce Wayne getting all his tech from Wayne Industries R&D. It is pretty ludicris to ever think, no matter how rich you are, that you can invent and manufature all of 'those wonderful toys.'


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 13:29:50


Post by: Jadenim


Add me to the “I like The Phantom Menace” category; despite it’s flaws, I still think it is the best film in the prequel trilogy.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 13:36:59


Post by: some bloke


I'm a big fan of Death Race (the Jason Statham one). Most people say it's terrible, but I think it's great. Plus, they actually crash a lorry at 70mph and filmed it, just to see what happened.

Cutthroat Island - a brilliant swashbuckling pirate film, sadly let down in a couple of places (no recoil on the cannons, for example) but with a truly evil villain and a scene in which they actually blow up a full sized pirate ship. No CGI, they filled it with boom-juice and exploded it. Well worth a watch!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 13:58:36


Post by: Hulksmash


Unmentions I'd die on a hill for;

-John Carter (ok, one that's mentioned)

-Eurotrip: This movie is just one ridiculous running joke after another but in some ways encapsulates traveling with friends abroad in truly amazing ways. And Scotty will never truly "know".

-Ghost Ship: I don't care what people say. This was an absolutely amazing horror movie with a great cast.

-Alien Resurrection: feth you, this is the best aliens movie that isn't Aliens. I never enjoyed the alien slasher hunting individuals so that definitely influences. Give me a brawl against the actual aliens with people who don't have to make spears out of plastic forks to try and kill one.

-Conan (most recent one): This is just plain a good time. Buncha haters overrating Arnold and not appreciating the greatness of Momoa and Lang as a baller villain.

Movies I find way overrated;

-All Madmax films
-Both Bladerunners - Slow, not visually appealing. Bogged down by their own pretentiousness.
-Original Dune film

Seconds previously mentioned;

-Down Periscope is amazing
-Battle for LA just for the relatively novel at the time ground level alien invasion movie.
-Hudson Hawk because Hudson Hawk


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 14:07:17


Post by: LunarSol


I don't think its considered bad, but I think Commando is probably the overall best film of its genre. I'm not entirely sure what that genre is, but Commando is the best of it.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 14:09:22


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Alien Ressurection is definitely underrated.

It brought some cool new stuff to the table, answered “what would they try to do if they captured an Alien”, and didn’t fall back on this time….instead of a face, the Aliens have four arses…and a retractable leg….and a terrible fear of Stamps”, which is so often the downfall of sequels.

It also makes decent use of CGI to show swimming Aliens, without really using CGI elsewhere to the best of my knowledge. That gets a cap tip from me every time, because if you have the tech and budget to do prop effects, do them. Don’t just fall back on CGI, especially that relatively early in terms of CGI’s capabilities.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 14:14:48


Post by: SkavenLord


 some bloke wrote:
I'm a big fan of Death Race (the Jason Statham one). Most people say it's terrible, but I think it's great. Plus, they actually crash a lorry at 70mph and filmed it, just to see what happened.

Cutthroat Island - a brilliant swashbuckling pirate film, sadly let down in a couple of places (no recoil on the cannons, for example) but with a truly evil villain and a scene in which they actually blow up a full sized pirate ship. No CGI, they filled it with boom-juice and exploded it. Well worth a watch!


Ooh. I remember watching Death Race 2000 a couple years back. It was absolutely bonkers, and I could barely stop laughing throughout the film. Is the Statham one just as ridiculous, or is it toned down a bit?


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 14:15:52


Post by: Easy E


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Well, if we’re going to get spicy…

Batman The Movie (Adam West) is better than any Batman movie except The Dark Knight and Lego Batman.



100% agree. Still watch it and enjoy a lot.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 14:17:46


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


 SkavenLord wrote:
 some bloke wrote:
I'm a big fan of Death Race (the Jason Statham one). Most people say it's terrible, but I think it's great. Plus, they actually crash a lorry at 70mph and filmed it, just to see what happened.

Cutthroat Island - a brilliant swashbuckling pirate film, sadly let down in a couple of places (no recoil on the cannons, for example) but with a truly evil villain and a scene in which they actually blow up a full sized pirate ship. No CGI, they filled it with boom-juice and exploded it. Well worth a watch!


Ooh. I remember watching Death Race 2000 a couple years back. It was absolutely bonkers, and I could barely stop laughing throughout the film. Is the Statham one just as ridiculous, or is it toned down a bit?


The Statham one is different. Still campy, but not to the same degree. It also has at least one sequel with Him Out Of Bros, which is also pretty good fun,


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 14:28:32


Post by: SkavenLord


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
 SkavenLord wrote:
 some bloke wrote:
I'm a big fan of Death Race (the Jason Statham one). Most people say it's terrible, but I think it's great. Plus, they actually crash a lorry at 70mph and filmed it, just to see what happened.

Cutthroat Island - a brilliant swashbuckling pirate film, sadly let down in a couple of places (no recoil on the cannons, for example) but with a truly evil villain and a scene in which they actually blow up a full sized pirate ship. No CGI, they filled it with boom-juice and exploded it. Well worth a watch!


Ooh. I remember watching Death Race 2000 a couple years back. It was absolutely bonkers, and I could barely stop laughing throughout the film. Is the Statham one just as ridiculous, or is it toned down a bit?


The Statham one is different. Still campy, but not to the same degree. It also has at least one sequel with Him Out Of Bros, which is also pretty good fun,


Well, it was the late 2000s. Some camp is probably still much more compared to the other movies of that time.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 15:12:28


Post by: Overread


The only really janky part of Alien 4 is the way they put Ripley back into the story and the Aliens as well. The whole "cloned from a drop of mixed blood" with "genetic memories" was a huge huge huge stretch.

That said it gave us something we had indeed not seen before which was Aliens being fare more mobile and active. These ones didn't have to rush machine guns to choke them; or only hide in the vents. These were Aliens fighting, swimming and moving with a lot of speed.


As I recall CGI got used throughout the film in small and big bits - swimming was one scene, but there's also one near the start where the Alien leaps around an escape pod and then into it.

I see it as a film that aimed ot give fans a lot of things. Heck its even one of the few that touches on the sexualised/sensual side of the Aliens; as well as a different take on the horror (the experiments room).


I feel like its one big plot stretch and then everything else settles into place. A lot of the more recent ones its a lot of plot holes or odd behaviours "just cause".


Whta baffles me is that the action heavy Hollywood machine never did anything that the comics did with the storylines. Doing the War on Earth or the War on the Alien hive world and such would be great "no brains action" type films alongside "scary alien on the ship hunting us" horror ones.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/22 15:20:57


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


True, they do use CGI in more than just the swimming scenes - but at least they feel kind of justified. A way to show Aliens doing something you can’t really pull off any other way. Keeping the rest practical effects is still very welcome, as it adds impressive realism.

For example, the breakout scene, where they turn on the weakest in the cell. The subtlety of body movement would be very difficult even today to do purely CGI, let alone 24 years ago!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/23 05:51:38


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


Someone said Eurotrip, and I have to agree it’s worth watching for three reasons: 1. it has The best Matt Damon cameo, 2. the running gag, 3. Robot Mime Fight.


 LunarSol wrote:
I don't think its considered bad, but I think Commando is probably the overall best film of its genre. I'm not entirely sure what that genre is, but Commando is the best of it.


It feels like they just took the schlockiest scene from Predator and extended it into a whole movie. I guess the genre would be “vanity action project”, like a Segal or Norris film, but maybe some of the creators of Commando were in on the joke. And the one liners all land.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/23 14:05:12


Post by: LunarSol


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 LunarSol wrote:
I don't think its considered bad, but I think Commando is probably the overall best film of its genre. I'm not entirely sure what that genre is, but Commando is the best of it.


It feels like they just took the schlockiest scene from Predator and extended it into a whole movie. I guess the genre would be “vanity action project”, like a Segal or Norris film, but maybe some of the creators of Commando were in on the joke. And the one liners all land.


It predates Predator by a couple of years. One of his earlier movies, hot on the heels of Terminator and Connan.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/23 14:29:54


Post by: H.B.M.C.


 Jadenim wrote:
Add me to the “I like The Phantom Menace” category; despite it’s flaws, I still think it is the best film in the prequel trilogy.
I'm with you there. Outside of the Jango stuff, AOTC only gets interesting once the characters get to the arena. And ROTS... well... that movie promises so much and delivers so little.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/23 15:49:19


Post by: nels1031


 Hulksmash wrote:

-Ghost Ship: I don't care what people say. This was an absolutely amazing horror movie with a great cast.


-Conan (most recent one): This is just plain a good time. Buncha haters overrating Arnold and not appreciating the greatness of Momoa and Lang as a baller villain.



I can get behind these.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/23 17:52:07


Post by: SkavenLord


 H.B.M.C. wrote:
 Jadenim wrote:
Add me to the “I like The Phantom Menace” category; despite it’s flaws, I still think it is the best film in the prequel trilogy.
I'm with you there. Outside of the Jango stuff, AOTC only gets interesting once the characters get to the arena. And ROTS... well... that movie promises so much and delivers so little.


The entire pre-Empire setup has some interesting ideas, when the peripheral media surrounding the movies is used to supplement it. I won’t go into details for fear of derailing the conversation into politics, but it’s interesting to see how the mechanics of the republic seem to seem to have contributed to its downfall just as much as Palpatine had.

I like the movies on their own. With these kinds of ideas incorporated into the downfall of the republic though, I find them even more fascinating.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/23 18:03:38


Post by: Ahtman


 Hulksmash wrote:
-Both Bladerunners - Slow, not visually appealing. Bogged down by their own pretentiousness.


Would you say they insist upon themselves?


Can we rename this thread to "Find Out Who You THought Was Cool But Actually Has Terrible Taste"?


MDG I thought you were cool.

H.B.M.C Why must you disappoint me?


Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to watch the greatest comedy ever: Balls of Fury.


Also: I saw Down Periscope in the theater when it came out. My brother and I might have been the only ones there. I've never been able to hear/see "Welcome Aboard" right ever since.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/23 18:17:19


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


I never said I was cool.

Nor has anyone else to the best of my knowledge


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Burnt Offerings 1976

A suitably creepy supernatural thriller starring Dear Old Oliver Reed and Karen Black.

It’s not necessarily original, but it is very cool, with some interesting concepts and effects.

Currently on Prime in the U.K. Definitely worth checking out, but one to watch rather than just have on in the background.

Crank 2 - High Voltage

I mean….it’s a Jason Statham movie. And being a Jason Statham movie, it’s silly willy fun fun fun!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 07:07:32


Post by: jeff white


Crank was great, Crank 2 also…

Reading the thread, I was reminded of how poorly Bladerunner was originally received. Personally, I disliked the second one, a lot. But the first one, I loved it and still do.

Yeah, that is a hard point, civil war magnitude misjudgment there, to malign the original Bladerunner film(S) (added S given different versions since released).


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 10:35:40


Post by: Blackie


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Someone said Eurotrip, and I have to agree it’s worth watching for three reasons: 1. it has The best Matt Damon cameo, 2. the running gag, 3. Robot Mime Fight.



I love the original, Road Trip. Watched a hundred times. Unfortunately Eurotrip is full of prejudice and stereotypes against europeans, on a level that is hard to appreciate that kind of humor if you are european.

Commando is one of the best comedies in history, nothing made me laugh more than that movie, I adore it .

The Great Wall: it was poorly reviewed but I absolutely loved it and watched it several times, IMHO one of the best blockbusters of the last two decades.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 15:37:50


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


I think Eurotrip makes more sense in the context of the time. It came out when shock humor was at its height. Comedians were telling jokes full of misogyny and bigotry where the actual “joke” was the things they were saying were so exaggerated no one could *really* believe them. (It was a simpler time when we just didn’t know.) Along those lines, the stereotypes in Eurotrip are exaggerated to the point where the joke is on Americans who believe these stereotypes. For example, the Italian guy on the train, or the bellhop who gets a nickel tip and declares “I buy my own hotel!” Are so over the top ridiculous that they feel like they’re making fun of American perceptions of foreigners than pandering to them, at least that was the impression I got at the time.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 16:59:55


Post by: Gitzbitah


Speaking of comedies of the times- I give you the greatest sports comedy ever made. Blades of Glory! It's got everything- Will Ferrell as an over the hill sleazy rockstar figure skater sex addict, Napoleon dynamite as his squeaky clean rival, and Amy Poehler and Will Arnett as their incestuous villians. It is whirlwind of pageantry, wit and idiocy.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 19:53:59


Post by: Ahtman


Eurotrip sort of came and went from the theaters but it must have struck a chord in some capacity as every few months I'll see a reference to it. Usually it is something about "Scotty doesn't know", or to the safe word.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 20:02:52


Post by: LordofHats


 Ahtman wrote:
Eurotrip sort of came and went from the theaters but it must have struck a chord in some capacity as every few months I'll see a reference to it. Usually it is something about "Scotty doesn't know", or to the safe word.


I imagine it's a bit like Super Toopers. The movie was popular with college students when it came out. A lot of people watched it at parties and get-togethers. The references and memes have since propagated well past the films apparent popularity or success.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 20:06:09


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


Sounds a lot like the Big Lebowski, which is quoted well more often than warranted by the amount it is watched.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/26 21:31:07


Post by: Turnip Jedi


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Sounds a lot like the Big Lebowski, which is quoted well more often than warranted by the amount it is watched.


Well, that's, just, like your opinion man

Withnail and I is still betterer mind. but it's very British and doesn't travel quite so well


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 04:10:16


Post by: The_Real_Chris


Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Is that considered bad? My siblings and I love it.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 04:19:02


Post by: Grimskul


The_Real_Chris wrote:
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Is that considered bad? My siblings and I love it.


I've always thought that was one of Will Ferrell's better movies tbh. Holds up pretty well and I found it pretty funny. I still quote some of the lines from the movie with friends and family.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 04:21:57


Post by: LordofHats


I'd say it's a lot like Eurotrip, Super Troopers, and Big Lewboski too. These were the movies I saw everyone watching when I was in college and they all fall into the category of what I call 'frat boy' humor. They're all pretty stupid movies in one sense, and every single one of them was a meme machine that became a cult classic.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 04:38:11


Post by: Flipsiders


All of you are underselling The Big Lebowski. That is a genuinely intelligent movie.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 13:10:15


Post by: Flinty


What are your feelings exactly about the rules?


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 13:16:56


Post by: bbb


 Gitzbitah wrote:
Speaking of comedies of the times- I give you the greatest sports comedy ever made. Blades of Glory! It's got everything- Will Ferrell as an over the hill sleazy rockstar figure skater sex addict, Napoleon dynamite as his squeaky clean rival, and Amy Poehler and Will Arnett as their incestuous villians. It is whirlwind of pageantry, wit and idiocy.


I dont remember much about blades of glory, but I did love how it went so over-the-top ridiculous at the end.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 16:59:33


Post by: gorgon


I'd have to put the original The Longest Yard up as the greatest sports comedy ever. I think it kinda created the template. But it probably got decent reviews at the time.

FWIW, Blades of Glory got good reviews overall, so it's also not really adhering to the OP's parameters (again, not that we didn't start ignoring that a few pages ago).



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 17:12:57


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Good reviews don’t necessarily make for a good movie though.

But hey, at least no-one has tried to champion Cats. Mr Chainsaw O’Brickbat (the ultimate home defence) is therefore yet to become an instrument of education


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 17:21:14


Post by: Turnip Jedi


Two of my picks got okayish reveiws (Dark City and Crowe on a Boat) but got squished under hype trains (Matrix and LoTR)

I'll chuck in Josie and the Pussy Cats, mostly for Ms Dawson and totally wrongfooting Ebert


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 17:41:29


Post by: Easy E


Love Josie and the Pussycats. Great flick.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 17:59:43


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Good reviews don’t necessarily make for a good movie though.

But hey, at least no-one has tried to champion Cats. Mr Chainsaw O’Brickbat (the ultimate home defence) is therefore yet to become an instrument of education


I saw Cats in the theater with my brother and our wives, and I hadn’t laughed that hard in years. Cats is a great movie to watch with the right kind of audience.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 18:17:34


Post by: privateer4hire


The_Real_Chris wrote:
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Is that considered bad? My siblings and I love it.


Only because it had Ferrell in it.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 18:30:31


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Good reviews don’t necessarily make for a good movie though.

But hey, at least no-one has tried to champion Cats. Mr Chainsaw O’Brickbat (the ultimate home defence) is therefore yet to become an instrument of education


I saw Cats in the theater with my brother and our wives, and I hadn’t laughed that hard in years. Cats is a great movie to watch with the right kind of audience.


Stay where you are. Mr Chainsaw O’Brickbat will be along promptly to examine your cerebellum, if only because yet again James Sodding Corden turned up in a film when I’m pretty sure nobody actually hired him. Because why would you?


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 18:50:29


Post by: Flipsiders


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Good reviews don’t necessarily make for a good movie though.

But hey, at least no-one has tried to champion Cats. Mr Chainsaw O’Brickbat (the ultimate home defence) is therefore yet to become an instrument of education


I'm pretty sure Mr. Chainsaw O'Brickbat was in fact the name of one of that movie's protagonists.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 18:55:19


Post by: AnomanderRake


Star Trek: Nemesis. Often held up as the worst Star Trek movie, and I know bad reviews killed the franchise for a while. I know they killed Data, I know they forgot about the transporters in the shuttlecraft, but the music's top-notch, the acting and the story are in the finest traditions of the franchise, the effects in general and the climactic space battle particularly are gorgeous, and to me it made a far better actionized interpretation of Star Trek than any of the reboots.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 19:03:55


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


And…it launched Tom Harry’s career.

Dark Knight Rises aside, he’s ace.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Flipsiders wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Good reviews don’t necessarily make for a good movie though.

But hey, at least no-one has tried to champion Cats. Mr Chainsaw O’Brickbat (the ultimate home defence) is therefore yet to become an instrument of education


I'm pretty sure Mr. Chainsaw O'Brickbat was in fact the name of one of that movie's protagonists.


Right! I’ll do you for that!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 19:06:22


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


Nemesis was pretty bad except for the moments of the crew doing their crew thing (like the wedding) and the big space battle. Insurrection was far worse, in my eyes, with the only redeeming feature being that scene where we all get to see Riker playing with the ship’s joystick.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 19:11:19


Post by: gorgon


 Turnip Jedi wrote:
Two of my picks got okayish reveiws (Dark City and Crowe on a Boat) but got squished under hype trains (Matrix and LoTR)

I'll chuck in Josie and the Pussy Cats, mostly for Ms Dawson and totally wrongfooting Ebert


Fantastic pick. It was overlooked because it was ahead of its time. A lot of the jokes and messages land better now than 20 years ago.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 19:11:47


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Whilst this thread isn’t about dunking on films but championing lesser thought of films….

Insurrection will always feel like a series two parter. It is very TNG. Its by no means awful in any particular area. But it does strongly feel like the waste of a two hour movie.

Right. Back on topic!

I love 70’s/80’s era slasher flicks. Some are bloody awful. Some are surprisingly deep. Most are just horrible fun. And in being horrible fun, massively entertaining.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 gorgon wrote:
 Turnip Jedi wrote:
Two of my picks got okayish reveiws (Dark City and Crowe on a Boat) but got squished under hype trains (Matrix and LoTR)

I'll chuck in Josie and the Pussy Cats, mostly for Ms Dawson and totally wrongfooting Ebert


Fantastic pick. It was overlooked because it was ahead of its time. A lot of the jokes and messages land better now than 20 years ago.


Wait….Josie and the Pussycats is 20 years old?


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 20:06:02


Post by: Dysartes


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Insurrection was far worse, in my eyes, with the only redeeming feature being that scene where we all get to see Riker playing with the ship’s joystick.

It is sentences like this that make me glad that, unlike Data, the ships aren't sentient...


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/27 23:50:12


Post by: ZergSmasher


Easy E wrote:
 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Well, if we’re going to get spicy…

Batman The Movie (Adam West) is better than any Batman movie except The Dark Knight and Lego Batman.



100% agree. Still watch it and enjoy a lot.

Adam West is the best Batman, you can't change my mind! The villain cast were all really great in the movie (and in the series of course) as well. I prefer silly nonsense fun Batman to the grim, brooding, depressing version from the later movies (although those have their merits as well).

Blackie wrote:The Great Wall: it was poorly reviewed but I absolutely loved it and watched it several times, IMHO one of the best blockbusters of the last two decades.

I freaking love this movie! Everything about it was enjoyable, even the somewhat ropy plot. I mean, it's basically an alien invasion movie set in medieval times, so it's not gonna be super realistic. But it's no less enjoyable for that. I'm also glad they didn't shove a cheesy romance plotline into the story, as some of these types of movie do. Although I definitely thought at the time that Tian Jing (the Chinese commander lady) was about the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in a movie. Definitely some happy male noises in the theater (no, not just me) when she first appeared on screen. And she wasn't just eye candy either; her character was a great example of a strong female lead; one of the better ones I've seen.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/28 00:51:43


Post by: gorgon


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Wait….Josie and the Pussycats is 20 years old?




Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/28 04:05:12


Post by: LordofHats


Me when I realized I saw Jurassic Park in theatre the day it came out. A few more years though and I can start complaining about the young people today and all their young people problems!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/28 10:31:48


Post by: Turnip Jedi


 gorgon wrote:
 Turnip Jedi wrote:
Two of my picks got okayish reveiws (Dark City and Crowe on a Boat) but got squished under hype trains (Matrix and LoTR)

I'll chuck in Josie and the Pussy Cats, mostly for Ms Dawson and totally wrongfooting Ebert


Fantastic pick. It was overlooked because it was ahead of its time. A lot of the jokes and messages land better now than 20 years ago.


I'll chuck To Die For onto the ahead of its time and sort of forgotten pile (and thats 25 years old to add to Doc's too old for this gak worries)


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/28 10:56:53


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


 gorgon wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Wait….Josie and the Pussycats is 20 years old?




Well I know that! But I could’ve sworn Josie was a good deal more modern than that. Like 2011ish!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/28 13:04:31


Post by: MarkNorfolk


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
 gorgon wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Wait….Josie and the Pussycats is 20 years old?




Well I know that! But I could’ve sworn Josie was a good deal more modern than that. Like 2011ish!


Gladiator, Harry Potter, Jackson's Lord of the Rings,.. nothing is as callous nor as destructive to body and soul than the ceaseless march of time.

Most of the movies I like seem to have done average or better on Rotten Tomatoes and a quick scan of RTs 'worst 100' didn't show up anything I liked - so I'll just plant my flag on The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. I know it's not a great movie - but I just find it very entertaining. The punnish jokes, the digs at Hollywood, some great cameos, Quaid in full 'FBI archetype', Alexander and Russo as the henchmen....

..so, no hidden meaning, I just find it fun to watch.



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/28 15:43:52


Post by: gorgon


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
 gorgon wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Wait….Josie and the Pussycats is 20 years old?




Well I know that! But I could’ve sworn Josie was a good deal more modern than that. Like 2011ish!


Like I said, it was ahead of its time and plays better now.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/29 20:00:24


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Weird Science

The best John Hughes film, hands down.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/29 20:25:30


Post by: Turnip Jedi


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Planes, Trains and Automobiles

The best John Hughes film, hands down.


fixed that for you


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/09/29 21:20:41


Post by: Casualty


I also love Dark Fate. Flawed middle bit, but I think it does some really interesting things that were very refreshing in the post MCU-isized movie landscape. I'd give any amount of money to see a slightly gutsier director's cut.

I think the first Austin Powers movie deserves a place in the pantheon right next to Naked Gun. I know it's well loved enough, but the characters catchphrases getting beaten to death around the time means it doesn't get full credit for how well written it is. I also think Austin's speech to Dr Evil about finding his place in the modern world as good a love letter to old vs new James Bond movies as you will find.

 Gitzbitah wrote:
Speaking of comedies of the times- I give you the greatest sports comedy ever made. Blades of Glory! It's got everything- Will Ferrell as an over the hill sleazy rockstar figure skater sex addict, Napoleon dynamite as his squeaky clean rival, and Amy Poehler and Will Arnett as their incestuous villians. It is whirlwind of pageantry, wit and idiocy.


Even some of the throwaway sight gags are terrific, like the JFK/Monroe skate routine.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 09:54:58


Post by: H.B.M.C.


I thought of another one. This movie bombed at the box office big time, but I absolute love Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Yes, I get that the Lonely Island and Andy Samberg are an acquired taste, but that movie was fething hilarious.

And I just bought the 9th Fast & Furious film on Blu-Ray. Come at me!!!

 Ahtman wrote:
H.B.M.C Why must you disappoint me?
It was made very clear in the OP that this thread was not to be used to gak on the things people like. It's very. Very. Very. Very. Hard not to immediately go "But that suuuuuuuuuuucks!" to what some people are saying here, but I'm sticking to it.

Of course if someone attempts to defend Dumb & Dumber 2 I won't be able to control myself. Only one of two movies I've ever just stopped watching before I got even half-way through.

 gorgon wrote:
I'd have to put the original The Longest Yard up as the greatest sports comedy ever. I think it kinda created the template.
Never seen The Longest Yard, but I have seen the British soccer remake with Vinnie Jones, Mean Machine. I thought that was fun.

Ohman wrote:
I would go so far as to say that Conan The Barbarian is the best fantasy movie ever made. Better than Excalibur, The LOTR Trilogy, The Harry Potter movies, The Neverending Story, Willow, Narnia, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Jason And The Argonauts or any other movie you can think of.
I'm not going to go so far as to say it's better than LOTR, but Conan does have the benefit of possessing one the greatest movie soundtracks every put in a film.

And written by same guy who would go on to make the simply outstanding soundtrack to Starship Troopers.

 gorgon wrote:
But wow, only Snyder could create something so divisive. Is it feminist...or something terribly misogynistic? Is it in some *weird* way...both? I'm sure there were scholarly papers written about that one, as insane as that sounds. The one thing I do find interesting about it is how many people didn't get it. I don't mean the message -- again, that was confusing as heck -- but instead what was going on with the story and its three levels of reality and all their implications.
That's what I mean when I say that there's so much going on in that film, and the different levels of reality all playing out, and the character archetypes, and the mixed fantasy, sci-fi, anime, steam punk and WWI/WWII aesthetics... and the mixed music tracks (I know I've said it before, but that movie's soundtrack is just incredible - it made a Bjork song cool! Who does that???). The film has so much stuff in it, and I felt like so many people just engaged with it on a purely surface level, and that's why it gets a bad rap.

 LordofHats wrote:
Me when I realized I saw Jurassic Park in theatre the day it came out. A few more years though and I can start complaining about the young people today and all their young people problems!
I saw it in the theatre for my 10th Birthday.

Get off my lawn, yer damned kids!




Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 10:15:05


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


GI Joe, Rise of Cobra

Destro’s dodgy “Scohttish” accent aside (do better, Eccleston, I know you can), it’s daft fun. Granted as the cartoon never aired in the U.K., at least not to the best of my knowledge, I’m perhaps not as invested as an American chum might be. But remains a fun film.

I mean, it’s based on a long running toy line, and stays, well…kinda grounded in its own way. I’d certainly argue it hits nearer the mark than the Transformers movies. As some brain bubble gum it’s perfectly competent.

Oh, apart from “he’s Scottish, so it must be Celtic”. There is no Celtic language. You’re thinking of Gaelic. Irksome.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 10:36:01


Post by: Blackie


 H.B.M.C. wrote:

Never seen The Longest Yard, but I have seen the British soccer remake with Vinnie Jones, Mean Machine. I thought that was fun.


I liked it too. Just for the idea of making Jason Statham a goalkeeper it deserves to be watched .

I actually saw them all, the original movie was nice while the remake starring Adam Sandler was terrible. But maybe it's me as I can't stand Adam Sandler.



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 12:14:09


Post by: Dysartes


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
GI Joe, Rise of Cobra

Destro’s dodgy “Scohttish” accent aside (do better, Eccleston, I know you can), it’s daft fun.

The sequence in Paris makes it worth the price of admission alone...


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 15:09:10


Post by: Hulksmash


I can get behind Sucker Punch. Outside of pretty I generally pick up on different themes when I watch it which probably have to do with watching it once every 5+ years or so. I've been in a different place in my life each time and each time it's interesting in that span. Pretty neat actually looking back at it. And it's been like 4ish years so maybe time for a rewatch.

I'll also accept GI Joe Rise of Cobra. It was actually really fun. To bad they totally bombed out the second one.

Also in response to someone saying that the stereotypes in Eurotrip were offensive to Europeons the point was missed. I agree that they're egregious but like another poster pointed out it's a play on how non-travelling AMERICANS see Euro's and it's a laugh at americans, not europe. Even down to making fun of the one person in the group who is constantly trying to NOT have a stereotypical view of europe.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 15:41:00


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Sucker Punch is one I admire the cinematics on, but will freely admit to just not getting it.

But hey, it’s got Emily Browning in it, so it definitely can’t be all bad.

Yes I have seen Sleeping Beauty.

Might give it another spin. Sucker Punch I mean.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 17:14:46


Post by: Jadenim


I remember a reviewer speculating that the script writing for GI Joe consisted of giving a bunch of the action figures to a room full of 8-year olds and just writing down what they did. This was not a criticism.

Normally I hate stupid movie physics, but GI Joe just blasts right through to the other side and is just stupidly, ridiculously awesome.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 17:36:54


Post by: Overread


I mean that's basically how the script for Lego Move 1 and 2 were made right?


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/01 17:39:26


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


I’ll allow it! Especially for movies based on toy lines!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/02 00:29:30


Post by: H.B.M.C.


Yeah, that first GI Joe movie was tons of fun.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/02 06:53:00


Post by: Ahtman


It wasn't great but it wasn't that bad. It was what a kid would think of the military: secret underground (or underwater) bases, code names, cool vehicles, one man army attitudes, ect.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/02 08:27:55


Post by: H.B.M.C.


Best part of a review I saw for that film was basically "If you take your kids to see this, do not go home afterwards. Take them to a park or something and let them get all their excited energy out on some climbing equipment before going home!".


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/04 14:36:01


Post by: Ensis Ferrae


 H.B.M.C. wrote:


Sucker Punch - Yes. I really like Sucker Punch. It has an outrageously incredible soundtrack (the song mixes are phenomenal), great action, and tells a very interesting story.



I will second this one. And I'll add that it tells this interesting story in an interesting (to me) way.


I'll add The Fifth Element, and the Blade Runner films.

Fifth Element is, as most of us nerdy types know, a pretty heavy story that's told in a fairly light and almost whimsical way (I mean c'mon, the cutsey elephant thing in Gary Oldman's office??, the priests assistant dude?). It's got good dialogue, action sequences, and the story is pretty well self-coherent all the way through.

The first Blade Runner film, from what I've read was not well reviewed when it came out in the early 80s. It has since become regarded as a sci fi masterpiece. That it was panned by reviewers is mostly why I'm putting it on the list, as I'm sure most of us have seen it. . . . a few times.

Blade Runner 2049, I dont care what anyone else says, its an excellent film and it carries on the tradition of the first film, without trying "too hard". It doesn't act like a reboot, nor does it insult old-timers intelligence by over explaining every little thing for new audiences. Visually it works as well as the first film does, while also adding a bit more depth to the world.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/05 11:58:22


Post by: Crispy78


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
GI Joe, Rise of Cobra


That's the one with the sinking ice, isn't it?

Mmm, when your movie science is so bad that anyone who's had a cold drink can refute it...


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/05 12:54:50


Post by: H.B.M.C.


It was heavy water ice. Yeah. Good ol' naturally occurring heavy water ice...



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/05 22:37:00


Post by: Ahtman


 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I'll add The Fifth Element, and the Blade Runner films.


That isn't a hill: you're on flat ground; you're surrounded by people supporting you.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/06 00:16:41


Post by: Ensis Ferrae


 Ahtman wrote:
 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I'll add The Fifth Element, and the Blade Runner films.


That isn't a hill: you're on flat ground; you're surrounded by people supporting you.


may be. . . but the OP mentioned films that were panned/reviewed poorly, or maybe didn't do well in the box office. Which applies here.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 H.B.M.C. wrote:

And I just bought the 9th Fast & Furious film on Blu-Ray. Come at me!!!




Lol, there's liking "bad" movies, and then there's encouraging the poor behavior at studios. You're feeding their habit and you should feel ashamed


I gave up on that franchise when they had an airplane taking off on the same runway for like 45 minutes, or however long that interminably long scene is. I did enjoy the first 3 well enough for what they were tho


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/06 00:48:21


Post by: Ahtman


 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
 Ahtman wrote:
 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I'll add The Fifth Element, and the Blade Runner films.


That isn't a hill: you're on flat ground; you're surrounded by people supporting you.


may be. . . but the OP mentioned films that were panned/reviewed poorly, or maybe didn't do well in the box office. Which applies here.


If you want to try and travel back in time several decades and argue with people in the past that go for it but in the moment we are currently in and can have the discussion they are not remotely hated or disliked (in general). It really isn't a "hill to die on" so much as disagreeing with critics from so long ago many have passed away. When you have people arguing the merits of honest-to-god POS films (and I mean that in the best way) coming in with "I like [universally loved thing]" doesn't really fit just because it wasn't as loved in the past.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/06 01:07:25


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


Speaking of genuine POS films, Super Mario Brothers. I can’t even rate it on a good/bad scale—if it’s on I will watch it. Every scene is a treasure.

Similarly, the Masters of the Universe live action film is pretty great as a collection of sci-fantasy spectacle and scenery chewing scenes. As a film or He-Man adaptation? Probably not so great.

Is Flash Gordon widely beloved or just so well known a cult/so-bad-it’s-good film that it feels widely beloved?

I’ll also die on the hill that Krull is a fun, imaginative fantasy (sci-fantasy?) film, and more fantasy films should try to emulate it rather than Lord of the Rings. Adventure is easier to achieve than epic.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and Superman 4. I don’t care how cheap the effects or silly the choreography; give me more Nuclear Man on a rampage and terribad humor.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the most rewatchable Star Trek movie. It’s so flawed yet so ambitious, so different from what came after it, and so rooted in its time, that it transports me every time I watch it. I love Wrath of Khan for being better written, deeper and more exciting, but I will sit there and think about the TMP or Phase 2 that could have been an hour after that film has ended.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/06 13:06:30


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


I think I need to rule out Cult Movies, as they already have their exponents, usually for good reason.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/06 14:13:15


Post by: LunarSol


Has anyone seen Intacto? I think it got dubbed as Intact at some point, but it's just one of those movies I thought was fantastic that every time I bring up I have to convince people I didn't make up.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 04:45:55


Post by: cuda1179


Toy Soldiers, a movie staring Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, and Louis Gossett Jr.


A movie where a hobbit, Wessley Crusher, and the guy from the Iron Eagle movies take on a Die Hard like situation at an all-boys private school.

Really good movie for 1991, and one I recommend.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 08:17:00


Post by: Overread


I was always surprised at the time that Toy Soldiers never got a sequel or anything as, from what I recall, it did really well at the time. It's just one of those films that, for whatever reason, never made it into a regular Christmas re-run slot and so has steadily vanished from memory.

It didn't do anything wrong, it just wasn't stand-out-enough or franchised enough or just didn't get lucky enough.
Heck the other approach is something like Land Before Time films that steadily led into a TV series that then just went quiet. Though I'm led to understand it never fully died, it just stopped being a "Top" shop and slipped into the background, but did keep going for quite a long time.


Heck the intro with the laser 3D printer took me years to really understand what's going on with it (now that I own a 3D printer and all - but it doesn't have lasers....)


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 08:24:29


Post by: Turnip Jedi


I think it got trumped by Class of 99 (?), killer robot teachers and Malcolm McDowell > Wil and Co


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 09:41:30


Post by: Elemental


 AnomanderRake wrote:
Star Trek: Nemesis. Often held up as the worst Star Trek movie, and I know bad reviews killed the franchise for a while. I know they killed Data, I know they forgot about the transporters in the shuttlecraft, but the music's top-notch, the acting and the story are in the finest traditions of the franchise, the effects in general and the climactic space battle particularly are gorgeous, and to me it made a far better actionized interpretation of Star Trek than any of the reboots.


One comment I saw on Nemesis that always stuck in my mind (no idea how accurate it is) was "By all means go see Nemesis, just bear in mind that this is a movie written by and for fifteen year old boys...every scene is written on the principle of "Wouldn't it be SO COOL if THIS happened?!""

My own nomination is the two Charlies Angels movies with Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore. Totally nonsensical, the whole thing runs on rule of cool...but it's just plain fun. The sequel is a bit weaker, but benefits from Demi Moore munching the scenery as the villain.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 16:14:39


Post by: Ahtman


 Turnip Jedi wrote:
I think it got trumped by Class of 99 (?), killer robot teachers and Malcolm McDowell > Wil and Co


Ah Class of 1999. Pam Grier as as a cyborg killer. Ir also had Stacey Keach iirc.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 18:40:02


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Constantine

A genuinely awful interpretation of the source material.

But…push past it and you have a genuinely decent movie with a pretty solid story. Good SFX for its era, slightly ropey but still enjoyable acting from the two leads, with The Baddies effortlessly upstaging them - though admittedly that is totally bonus points in my Idiot’s Book Of Scoring Movies.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 18:51:55


Post by: MarkNorfolk


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Constantine

A genuinely awful interpretation of the source material.

But…push past it and you have a genuinely decent movie with a pretty solid story. Good SFX for its era, slightly ropey but still enjoyable acting from the two leads, with The Baddies effortlessly upstaging them - though admittedly that is totally bonus points in my Idiot’s Book Of Scoring Movies.


I really enjoyed that Constantine movie. I never read the original comic books, so not wedded to the canon, but was dimly aware of them.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 19:02:07


Post by: Overread


MarkNorfolk wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Constantine

A genuinely awful interpretation of the source material.

But…push past it and you have a genuinely decent movie with a pretty solid story. Good SFX for its era, slightly ropey but still enjoyable acting from the two leads, with The Baddies effortlessly upstaging them - though admittedly that is totally bonus points in my Idiot’s Book Of Scoring Movies.


I really enjoyed that Constantine movie. I never read the original comic books, so not wedded to the canon, but was dimly aware of them.


Same here!
Sometimes adaptations like that work for new customers because we have no concept of the character beyond "oh hey he's some comic character who fights the devil and demons".


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 19:05:32


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


I’d wasn’t familiar with the source at the time myself.

I’ve since read some, and get the criticism. Movie is still pretty decent. Even like Judge Dredd it’s kinda mislabelled.

Though I will still defend Judge Dredd!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 19:46:27


Post by: Tawnis


This is a fun thread, a lot of what I wanted to touch on has been already said, but I've got plenty more.

Someone mentioned Hudson Hawk a while back, I love that movie. It's so fast pasted and zany that it was super hard to follow on the first watch, but I've really gained an appreciation for how funny, silly, and creative it is over multiple viewings.

I like Star Trek Inssurection, but not as a Trek film. I think if it has been it's own thing, it would have been great, but in that specific time in the Trek universe as part of the broader lore, it doesn't work at all.

Demolition Man: I freaking love this movie, just the right about of ridiculous, with plenty of action, jokes, and a mountain of quotable lines.

Daybreakers: Everyone seems to have forgotten about this movie, but I really liked it. The opening scene was super chilling and really set the tone for the whole film. Great idea, the world is taken over by Vampires and humans are endangered basically being farmed for blood, but there isn't enough to go around and everyone is starving.

I imagine this is going to be super unpopular, but I really like the Doom movie: Okay so hear me out, I never played the original 2 Doom games, only the 3rd, and I really liked it. I think the tone and feel of the story really matches THAT game, but I totally see why fans of the other games dislike this take on the story. (Yeah I was kinda sad they weren't actually demons from the teleporter, but I still liked it).


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 20:02:31


Post by: Turnip Jedi


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Constantine

A genuinely awful interpretation of the source material.

But…push past it and you have a genuinely decent movie with a pretty solid story. Good SFX for its era, slightly ropey but still enjoyable acting from the two leads, with The Baddies effortlessly upstaging them - though admittedly that is totally bonus points in my Idiot’s Book Of Scoring Movies.


I think my fanboyism for John has been firmly established and at first movie made me grumpier than the fumble that was Tank Girl, but given just how British, and of a certain time period, the comic was it was always going to suffer in the sausage machine, along with the twitchy handling of anything celestial/infernal over the pond, now I just file it under "oh well" Ms Swinton was spot on mind as the book Gabriel was kind of a donk too


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 20:06:42


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I’d wasn’t familiar with the source at the time myself.

I’ve since read some, and get the criticism. Movie is still pretty decent. Even like Judge Dredd it’s kinda mislabelled.

Though I will still defend Judge Dredd!


Stallone Dredd is a legit good time.

“Laaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww!”


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and another hill: Crocodile Dundee 2 is better than the first one.

It might just be because of one scene.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 22:40:21


Post by: Hoitash


Speaking of movies you enjoy because you aren't familiar with the source, I rather enjoyed the Wing Commander movie.Was a fun little sci-fi action/drama romp.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/08 22:45:50


Post by: gorgon


 Overread wrote:
MarkNorfolk wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Constantine

A genuinely awful interpretation of the source material.

But…push past it and you have a genuinely decent movie with a pretty solid story. Good SFX for its era, slightly ropey but still enjoyable acting from the two leads, with The Baddies effortlessly upstaging them - though admittedly that is totally bonus points in my Idiot’s Book Of Scoring Movies.


I really enjoyed that Constantine movie. I never read the original comic books, so not wedded to the canon, but was dimly aware of them.


Same here!
Sometimes adaptations like that work for new customers because we have no concept of the character beyond "oh hey he's some comic character who fights the devil and demons".


Basically the MCU. Go back 15 years in time and ask people on the street about Iron Man, Hawkeye or even Captain America and you'll get blank looks. Part of the success of the MCU was that the B-list characters Marvel could use had no live-action baggage.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/09 00:19:17


Post by: Ensis Ferrae


 Hoitash wrote:
Speaking of movies you enjoy because you aren't familiar with the source, I rather enjoyed the Wing Commander movie.Was a fun little sci-fi action/drama romp.


dunno if this will necessarily top it, but Last Starfighter. To this day, my wife has never made it through this movie, but I'd say it ticks all the boxes here: Its terrible, but for whatever reason I just love it.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/09 00:23:03


Post by: Flinty


Last Starfighter! Surely that’s cult by this point, or is it just me? My 9-14 year old self couldn’t get enough of it. Pretty sure I wore the VHS tape out.

Welcome starfighter. You have been recruited by the star league to defend the frontier against Xur and the Kodan armada!

“What do we do?”

“We die!”


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/09 01:14:08


Post by: Voss


 gorgon wrote:
 Overread wrote:
MarkNorfolk wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Constantine

A genuinely awful interpretation of the source material.

But…push past it and you have a genuinely decent movie with a pretty solid story. Good SFX for its era, slightly ropey but still enjoyable acting from the two leads, with The Baddies effortlessly upstaging them - though admittedly that is totally bonus points in my Idiot’s Book Of Scoring Movies.


I really enjoyed that Constantine movie. I never read the original comic books, so not wedded to the canon, but was dimly aware of them.


Same here!
Sometimes adaptations like that work for new customers because we have no concept of the character beyond "oh hey he's some comic character who fights the devil and demons".


Basically the MCU. Go back 15 years in time and ask people on the street about Iron Man, Hawkeye or even Captain America and you'll get blank looks. Part of the success of the MCU was that the B-list characters Marvel could use had no live-action baggage.


Eh? Cap had quite a bit of live-action baggage. The truly, utterly terrible stuff that wasn't even that old.

Adaptations of Captain America in other media
Film(s) Captain America (1944) Captain America (1979) Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979) Captain America (1990) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Captain America: Civil War (2016_


Hawkeye is of course at the opposite end of things, where they took the gimmick (man uses bow) and just literally tossed everything else out for 'generic secret agent man... but with a bow'



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/09 01:18:10


Post by: cuda1179


 Elemental wrote:
 AnomanderRake wrote:
Star Trek: Nemesis. Often held up as the worst Star Trek movie, and I know bad reviews killed the franchise for a while. I know they killed Data, I know they forgot about the transporters in the shuttlecraft, but the music's top-notch, the acting and the story are in the finest traditions of the franchise, the effects in general and the climactic space battle particularly are gorgeous, and to me it made a far better actionized interpretation of Star Trek than any of the reboots.


One comment I saw on Nemesis that always stuck in my mind (no idea how accurate it is) was "By all means go see Nemesis, just bear in mind that this is a movie written by and for fifteen year old boys...every scene is written on the principle of "Wouldn't it be SO COOL if THIS happened?!""

My own nomination is the two Charlies Angels movies with Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore. Totally nonsensical, the whole thing runs on rule of cool...but it's just plain fun. The sequel is a bit weaker, but benefits from Demi Moore munching the scenery as the villain.


I will agree that THOSE Charlies Angels movies were pretty fun. However, if anyone dares to defend the most recent Charlies Angels movie as anything greater than sub-average (and that's being generous), they are just wrong, period.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/09 10:43:27


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


 Flinty wrote:
Last Starfighter! Surely that’s cult by this point, or is it just me? My 9-14 year old self couldn’t get enough of it. Pretty sure I wore the VHS tape out.

Welcome starfighter. You have been recruited by the star league to defend the frontier against Xur and the Kodan armada!

“What do we do?”

“We die!”


The head melting scene is pretty rad!


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/10 01:00:58


Post by: cuda1179


Oscar, staring Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, and Tim Curry.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/10 01:55:05


Post by: Casualty


Constantine has some especially stunning production design that does a lot of heavy lifting. It's got fabulous style, and the little touches like gender ambiguous Gabriel (a nod to renaissance art I think?) or Satan's filthy feet are just so cleverly thought out it elevates everything else. The script can afford to be a little thinner than it would otherwise because so much of the set dressing, costuming and general aesthetic is all doing plenty of storytelling already.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/10 03:23:16


Post by: Ork-en Man


 cuda1179 wrote:
Oscar, staring Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, and Tim Curry.

Money, more money. What's this? A crisp, new $20 bill?


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/10 04:09:53


Post by: BobtheInquisitor


I’m really fond of the Golden Child, and I’m not sure why. I can’t think of any singular aspect of the film I can point to and say, “That was well executed.”


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/10 07:31:26


Post by: privateer4hire


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I’m really fond of the Golden Child, and I’m not sure why. I can’t think of any singular aspect of the film I can point to and say, “That was well executed.”


I,I,I,I want the kniiiiife. Pleeeeease.
That's pretty well executed.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ork-en Man wrote:
 cuda1179 wrote:
Oscar, staring Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, and Tim Curry.

Money, more money. What's this? A crisp, new $20 bill?


Expeditious.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
 Flinty wrote:
Last Starfighter! Surely that’s cult by this point, or is it just me? My 9-14 year old self couldn’t get enough of it. Pretty sure I wore the VHS tape out.

Welcome starfighter. You have been recruited by the star league to defend the frontier against Xur and the Kodan armada!

“What do we do?”

“We die!”


The head melting scene is pretty rad!


That clip, it was later found, greatly reduced applications for the master spy position with the Rylan intelligence service.


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/11 01:31:25


Post by: ZergSmasher


It truly warms this not-terribly-old gamer's heart to see people quoting the movie Oscar. One of my favorite comedy movies of all time!

"You have a daughter by the new maid?!"


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/11 03:44:58


Post by: Vulcan


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I’m really fond of the Golden Child, and I’m not sure why. I can’t think of any singular aspect of the film I can point to and say, “That was well executed.”


Right there with you. As best I can tell it's the one-liners from Eddie Murphy and his interaction with Victor Wong.

"Well this water ain't that pure, Monty."

"Neither are you!"



Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/11 10:12:58


Post by: Just Tony


 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I’d wasn’t familiar with the source at the time myself.

I’ve since read some, and get the criticism. Movie is still pretty decent. Even like Judge Dredd it’s kinda mislabelled.

Though I will still defend Judge Dredd!


Stallone Dredd is a legit good time.

“Laaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww!”


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and another hill: Crocodile Dundee 2 is better than the first one.

It might just be because of one scene.


"Bala de bala?"

"No, mate. We're just supposed to hold 'em."


Movies, and the hills you will die on. @ 2021/10/16 15:50:41


Post by: AndrewGPaul


 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Constantine

A genuinely awful interpretation of the source material.

But…push past it and you have a genuinely decent movie with a pretty solid story. Good SFX for its era, slightly ropey but still enjoyable acting from the two leads, with The Baddies effortlessly upstaging them - though admittedly that is totally bonus points in my Idiot’s Book Of Scoring Movies.


I quite enjoyed that film. Probably because I've never read the comics, so I wasn't comparing it to anything. Well, apart from his cameos in early Sandman and The Books of Magic.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I’d wasn’t familiar with the source at the time myself.

I’ve since read some, and get the criticism. Movie is still pretty decent. Even like Judge Dredd it’s kinda mislabelled.

Though I will still defend Judge Dredd!


Judge Dredd looks like the comic, which doesn't always work, but Dredd feels more like it. If we'd got Dredd with Judge Dredd's budget, I'd have been happy all round. Although I did read that Stallone wasn't aware of Dredd's thing of never showing his face, and that if he'd known it was so important to the fanbase he may well have left the helmet on.