Movies you aren't ashamed of liking
- Thread starter schrodinger
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If I started to list these movies, I'd be here all day. Fortunately for me (fortunately in the...context of this thread, I guess?), I lack a circle of friends of snobby movie fans, and I'm the kind of person who very often, and very effectively turns his brain off, and thus, I like more than generously a...half of the movies I watch that get critic ratings below 50 on a 100-point scale. A lot of these movies are, I admit, comedies. I don't know, I get suckered into the general cheerful and..."cool" attitude of a comedy movie probably way too easily. It's hard to explain.
If I had to pick some examples? Uhh...since my memory is horrible, I'll pick from among the movies I have on my computer. Let's see...21 and Over, R.I.P.D., The Hangover Part III, The Purge. Shockingly, I even enjoyed, and this might be a big one, Grown-Ups 2, and I'm not really ashamed of liking it, because I have accepted my extremely low threshold for comedy enjoyment a long time ago.
Surprisingly, I don't like a lot of stand-up comics, I don't watch all comedies. In large part I enjoy reasonably high-budget and mainstream comedies. I enjoy the congregation of certain kinds of mainstream, cheery music, famous actors in the main roles, dialogue and events dripped in satirical pop culture, I don't know. There's something very specific to me liking comedies (and some other movies from other genres) that get panned heavily by critics and regular viewers alike that I just...can't quite place.
Also, to anyone above who mentioned, and to anyone who will mention, Disney (or Pixar, or Dreamworks), I will only say this.
You need to stop.
The title of the thread implies there's reason to be ashamed of liking them. I don't care if you're 7 foot tall, hairy from head to toe, wrestle bears in your free time and crush puss on the daily more often than any of us inhale air in a day, they are awesome movies, and everyone knows they're awesome. If you feel there's a shade of a doubt regarding whether you should be ashamed over liking them or not, you are not my friend, and you are not invited to my tea party.
If I had to pick some examples? Uhh...since my memory is horrible, I'll pick from among the movies I have on my computer. Let's see...21 and Over, R.I.P.D., The Hangover Part III, The Purge. Shockingly, I even enjoyed, and this might be a big one, Grown-Ups 2, and I'm not really ashamed of liking it, because I have accepted my extremely low threshold for comedy enjoyment a long time ago.
Surprisingly, I don't like a lot of stand-up comics, I don't watch all comedies. In large part I enjoy reasonably high-budget and mainstream comedies. I enjoy the congregation of certain kinds of mainstream, cheery music, famous actors in the main roles, dialogue and events dripped in satirical pop culture, I don't know. There's something very specific to me liking comedies (and some other movies from other genres) that get panned heavily by critics and regular viewers alike that I just...can't quite place.
Also, to anyone above who mentioned, and to anyone who will mention, Disney (or Pixar, or Dreamworks), I will only say this.
You need to stop.
The title of the thread implies there's reason to be ashamed of liking them. I don't care if you're 7 foot tall, hairy from head to toe, wrestle bears in your free time and crush puss on the daily more often than any of us inhale air in a day, they are awesome movies, and everyone knows they're awesome. If you feel there's a shade of a doubt regarding whether you should be ashamed over liking them or not, you are not my friend, and you are not invited to my tea party.
I genuinely don't hate the Transformers movies.
I won't sit here and pretend that some (certainly not all) arguments against them aren't valid and I certainly would have preferred better adaptations than what we got but I can't manufacture the same level of impotent nerd rage about these flicks that other folks can.
Edit:
Also, I enjoyed Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Yes, Shaia LeBouf as Brando Jones was a mistake, but it seems like most of the outrage around this flick focuses on the last few minutes. To which I ask, if you're working in an established setting where three times now they have proven the existence of, if not God, than at least supernatural forces...why are Aliens suddenly just too outrageous?
I won't sit here and pretend that some (certainly not all) arguments against them aren't valid and I certainly would have preferred better adaptations than what we got but I can't manufacture the same level of impotent nerd rage about these flicks that other folks can.
Edit:
Also, I enjoyed Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Yes, Shaia LeBouf as Brando Jones was a mistake, but it seems like most of the outrage around this flick focuses on the last few minutes. To which I ask, if you're working in an established setting where three times now they have proven the existence of, if not God, than at least supernatural forces...why are Aliens suddenly just too outrageous?
I'm not sure if it's a movie to be ashamed of, but my favourite movie is Apocalypto. Okay, so the history is a little off, but I'm learning Yucatec Mayan so I picked a bit of it up. Pacal looked lovely, the whole thing made you feel like you were back in the 7th century and it was very well done.
I adore the Hellboy movies for much the same reasons, but I'm pretty sure they were generally well received so I'm not sure I'd count them in this thread.Zhukov said:
OT:
- The Star Wars prequels. I prefer them to the original trilogy. Come at me, bros.
- Bridget Jones' Diary, Love Actually and Mean Girls. These are the three "chick flicks" in existence that don't make me want to eat myself, and I actually really enjoy them.
But most of all... DOA: Dead or Alive. By every objective standard, it's a terrible, terrible film. I still genuinely love it, and not in a "so bad it's good" way. I think it's fun, and I watch it often.
Good choice! I read the book just prior to finding out that it was going to be a flick, and assumed it would be bad, but I loved it. But it is a horror movie, and in the end, I love horror movies, and am not ashamed.Casual Shinji said:
...
What I AM ashamed of would be a ridiculously soft spot for 'Land of The Lost', a Will Farrell vehicle- well, let's say 'car -crash' instead. I'm not allowed to watch it at home anymore, my better half has threatened me with the little AND the big D if I even put it in the queue.
Mind you, even I have to be drunk before it begins.
Pretty much anything by Disney. Also the A-Team movie, because I don't care what anyone says, it kicks ass.
Land of the Dead. It got a critical mauling when it came out for being 'preachy' and the general public apparently didn't like zombie that hadn't drank 15 cans of redbull, but it is without shame my fave of any of Romeros films. I wonder if all those critics who pissed and moaned about its message back then would be praising it now for it's portrayal of a world here there is nothing left to eat but the rich...
Also 'Stephen Kings Cats Eye'. Damn and balderdash to the haters, a cat fighting a goblin in a jester hat is one entertaining flick!
Also 'Stephen Kings Cats Eye'. Damn and balderdash to the haters, a cat fighting a goblin in a jester hat is one entertaining flick!
Disney films. I love them and I'm not ashamed of sitting and watching them when I want something that's going to make me smile. I'm also not ashamed of sitting and listening to disney music. Listening to "Under The Sea" makes me happy each time I listen to it. My boyfriend will protest watching one with me, but by the end he admits it was pretty good.
The Postman (the Kevin Costner one):
Along with Waterworld, it's an unconventional apocalypse-setting, with a real sense of scale and adventure to it. It has a lot of flaws, but a good message at heart. It even offers a more slightly more positive outlook on facing the apocalypse, and a sense of uprising. It's very patriotic, but I think it could apply to any country, not just the US. I was never bored watching it, surprising given the running time, and I always catch it on TV. It's just a very charming film, with a wonderful soundtrack and a memorable cast.
Also, it's based on one of my favourite books of all-time. The book is better, but I still think this one was quite underrated.
James Cameron's Avatar
This one is a little strange to me. On the big screen, this movie is incredible; a massive, colourful spectacle set in a fantastic world. It's pure, epic sci-fi-adventure in the purest form. The universe is incredibly immersive, and it's got more than enough eye-candy for a satisfying ride.
Watching it at home on the other hand, it's not really the same. The script and story are both a bit lackluster, and the characters are kind of flat. But it's definitely a film I enjoy watching, if only for the ride. It's FAR from perfect, but I had a good time.
Along with Waterworld, it's an unconventional apocalypse-setting, with a real sense of scale and adventure to it. It has a lot of flaws, but a good message at heart. It even offers a more slightly more positive outlook on facing the apocalypse, and a sense of uprising. It's very patriotic, but I think it could apply to any country, not just the US. I was never bored watching it, surprising given the running time, and I always catch it on TV. It's just a very charming film, with a wonderful soundtrack and a memorable cast.
Also, it's based on one of my favourite books of all-time. The book is better, but I still think this one was quite underrated.
James Cameron's Avatar
This one is a little strange to me. On the big screen, this movie is incredible; a massive, colourful spectacle set in a fantastic world. It's pure, epic sci-fi-adventure in the purest form. The universe is incredibly immersive, and it's got more than enough eye-candy for a satisfying ride.
Watching it at home on the other hand, it's not really the same. The script and story are both a bit lackluster, and the characters are kind of flat. But it's definitely a film I enjoy watching, if only for the ride. It's FAR from perfect, but I had a good time.
The Star Wars prequel trilogy.
So many Star Wars fans act like the prequel trilogy is an abomination that should never have been made and has absolutely no entertainment value whatsoever; I personally can't understand why so many people have such a huge stick up their asses about them.
Are they as good as the original trilogy? No, not in my opinion anyways, but that doesn't make them bad.
They might add some arbitrary bullshit that George Lucas thought was a good idea and they may create more questions than they deliver answers, but I still find them entertaining and; though I don't know about some people; I tend to think of movies such as Star Wars as something to watch for entertainment.
That said, at the end of the day it's all subjective anyways.
So many Star Wars fans act like the prequel trilogy is an abomination that should never have been made and has absolutely no entertainment value whatsoever; I personally can't understand why so many people have such a huge stick up their asses about them.
Are they as good as the original trilogy? No, not in my opinion anyways, but that doesn't make them bad.
They might add some arbitrary bullshit that George Lucas thought was a good idea and they may create more questions than they deliver answers, but I still find them entertaining and; though I don't know about some people; I tend to think of movies such as Star Wars as something to watch for entertainment.
That said, at the end of the day it's all subjective anyways.
I don't think I could ever be 'ashamed' of liking a movie.
I know certain movies I love, people try to attach a stigma to and for that they are idiots whom I disregard.
Memento would be an example. I remember someone saying "this movie is horrible, made for people who want to think they are smart!" I laughed in his dumb face and disregarded him. Reign of Fire is another movie that seems to get a lot of flak. I loved it for it's non-typical production values, its joyous non-american-ness. It had none of that ugly Hollywood taint and that's what made it better than other apocalypse movies. And Christian Bale was great in it.
I know certain movies I love, people try to attach a stigma to and for that they are idiots whom I disregard.
Memento would be an example. I remember someone saying "this movie is horrible, made for people who want to think they are smart!" I laughed in his dumb face and disregarded him. Reign of Fire is another movie that seems to get a lot of flak. I loved it for it's non-typical production values, its joyous non-american-ness. It had none of that ugly Hollywood taint and that's what made it better than other apocalypse movies. And Christian Bale was great in it.
I enjoyed the hell out of the first Transformers. It definitely felt like a fun action movie that would spawn sequels going deeper into characterizing the Autobots, with some more genuine species to species dialogue that would follow in sequels between Transformers and humans much like you would see in the cartoons.
Buuuut that didn't happen... still best of the 3 for its potential.
Spiderman 3, yes there were some crap decisions in this movie, but its soooo much fun to watch sometimes (especially the Sandman Subway fight). There was a genuine revenge plot to be had, and although the script was bad I could tell the actors still put a lot of heart into what was on the script. And another thing... the reason I harp on Amazing Spiderman so much is not just because it lacks the charm of the original Raimi films, but nothing memorable came from it. Spiderman 3 though...
Stupid? Yes.
Iconic? To this day!
Also people disliked The A-Team? That's a shocker, that movie had a ton of soul in my eyes.
Buuuut that didn't happen... still best of the 3 for its potential.
Spiderman 3, yes there were some crap decisions in this movie, but its soooo much fun to watch sometimes (especially the Sandman Subway fight). There was a genuine revenge plot to be had, and although the script was bad I could tell the actors still put a lot of heart into what was on the script. And another thing... the reason I harp on Amazing Spiderman so much is not just because it lacks the charm of the original Raimi films, but nothing memorable came from it. Spiderman 3 though...
Stupid? Yes.
Iconic? To this day!
Also people disliked The A-Team? That's a shocker, that movie had a ton of soul in my eyes.
A lot of good stuff being mentioned in this thread. Forgot in my first post to throw a thumbs up to all the people who beat me to Army of Darkness by the way.
Rutger Hauer is great. He always makes his performances entertaining whether he's giving one of the greatest monologues in film history in Bladerunner or playing in a low budget B-movie. Plus he was the model/inspiration for the appearance of Guts in Berserk, can't get much cooler than that.
Speaking of which Ladyhawk is a fantasy movie he's in that's worthy of this thread. One of those films that makes the odd choice of having the sidekick (Matthew Brodrick) be the focus rather than the hero (Hauer). But is still rather charming.
Same here. I think a lot of people just never give the movie a chance. I think the unfair criticism this movie got is what led Romero to say "screw it" and not try very hard in Diary and Survival. At least I think he wasn't trying very hard with those because they were both pretty darn bad.Nadia Castle said:
Station!The Wykydtron said:
Wow, I had no idea Split/Second was that rare on DVD. (My VHS copy cost me 99 cents lol.) Rule of thumb: Any 80s or 90s movie set "In the futuristic year of 2004" is probably worth a look, and I agree it's a very fun flick for the reasons mentioned.Kyrian007 said:
Rutger Hauer is great. He always makes his performances entertaining whether he's giving one of the greatest monologues in film history in Bladerunner or playing in a low budget B-movie. Plus he was the model/inspiration for the appearance of Guts in Berserk, can't get much cooler than that.
Speaking of which Ladyhawk is a fantasy movie he's in that's worthy of this thread. One of those films that makes the odd choice of having the sidekick (Matthew Brodrick) be the focus rather than the hero (Hauer). But is still rather charming.
"Spiderman 3, yes there were some crap decisions in this movie, but its soooo much fun to watch sometimes (especially the Sandman Subway fight). There was a genuine revenge plot to be had, and although the script was bad I could tell the actors still put a lot of heart into what was on the script. "
So much yes! Spiderman 3 was an absolute production nightmare! The fact they managed to put together a competent and actually perfectly good movie is a testimony to how much Sam Rami and company put their all into it. Yeah it's bloated with excessive plot threads and characters, but I'm sorry, bits like the Jazz dance and cooking scene weren't anymore out of place than 'raindrops keep falling on my head' in Spiderman 2. If there was a major problem with the film it was throwing in Venom at the last minuet instead of setting him up as the villain for the next film.
'Babylon A.D' had a lot of the same problems that Spiderman 3 suffered from (studio meddling and awful edits to the max), but I still think it's a pretty entertaining film. Just ignore the awful tacked on ending and enjoy the gorgeous set pieces and surprisingly good acting from Vin Desil.
So much yes! Spiderman 3 was an absolute production nightmare! The fact they managed to put together a competent and actually perfectly good movie is a testimony to how much Sam Rami and company put their all into it. Yeah it's bloated with excessive plot threads and characters, but I'm sorry, bits like the Jazz dance and cooking scene weren't anymore out of place than 'raindrops keep falling on my head' in Spiderman 2. If there was a major problem with the film it was throwing in Venom at the last minuet instead of setting him up as the villain for the next film.
'Babylon A.D' had a lot of the same problems that Spiderman 3 suffered from (studio meddling and awful edits to the max), but I still think it's a pretty entertaining film. Just ignore the awful tacked on ending and enjoy the gorgeous set pieces and surprisingly good acting from Vin Desil.