I absolutely hated The Maltese Falcon. It is always given top ratings, but I thought it was just awful. I think American Beauty is nothing special. I can't believe Gladiator won anything at all. I think Shane is unbelievably overrated.
No they don't. They are one of America's great contributions to cinema. Furthermore, America's greatest popular composers have written for musicals, stage and screen. This isn't the forum to get into this, so I won't go on. Suffice it to say, you're wrong.
Traffic. I thought it was way overrated. It's very slow paced and acting is very ordinary. A lot of peple say someday when people look back, it will be as great as godfather. I dont think so. It is already forgotten. The picture wasn't so great either. All they did is making the picture look glossy. It doesn't deserve best picture award. I thought the first star war sucked. It's like a cartoon almost. Natalie Portman got the role because she is Jewish.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Great films that ain't so great Most Hollywood action directors have been familiar with the Hong Kong films for years. The only thing CTHD has perhaps influenced is the willingnes of U.S. distributors to pick up foreign films.
Some way-overated recent movies: Truman Show- Jim Carrey in an "important departure" role. He was even nominated for an oscar for this pap. Puh-lease. Punch Drunk Love- see above, but substitute Adam Sandler (minus the oscar nomination) for Jim Carrey. I'd rather watch "The Wedding Singer." Traffic- Mainly because of the second half of the movie (the American segment with Michael Douglas), which was smug, preachy, and heavy-handed, with nothing new to say. However, the first half of the movie, with Benicio del Toro in Mexico, was pretty good (and beautifully shot). Magnolia- tried to hit us over the head that all these seemingly unrelated things were tied together in some small way. -Whoa..! There were some good individual performances, though (especially John C. Reilly and William H. Macy). The Matrix- I know I'm in the minority for this, but I never got the appeal of this movie, and I never will. Gladiator- boring...
1.Deerhunter - I watched this for the first time the other night and I thought it was crap. The film takes a while to get going and there's no real dialogue. Just watch the crap wedding scene and try not to be pissed off with it. 2.Taxi driver - Might have been good when it was released but just seems shite now. 3.The sum o' all fears - I hated this film and ended up turning it off halfway through.
Matrix Reloaded - (or whatever you call it) is the only movie I 've seen when I left the cinema early. Pure shite. When I got home I checked the internet to see if I misread the reviews the first time.
I thought Matrix Reloaded was crap as well. Totally overated and the fight scenes are boring now. Just long winded special effects.
I've seen Taxi Driver mentioned a couple of times. I've seen it three or four times, once on a big screen, and I have had a different reaction each time. On the big screen the film is incredibly intoxicating. I had the legendary "out of body experience" while watching it --- basically that means I forgot that I was watching a movie. However, what kept bringing me back to earth was any moment that Cybill Shepherd walks onto the screen. The idea that a brainy poiltical operative that looks like Cybill Shepherd would have anything to do with Travis Bickle is such a stretch that it ruins the film. And it's hard for me ever to dislike a film because of one major error, but this is the case. Also agree on Gladiator, which is overly painstaking and obvious with everything it does and has perhaps the worst battle sequence ever filmed in a "serious" movie. It would have been one of my original selections if I had thought of it. Traffic also is on my list. You are supposed to want the daughter to be saved, but the only way to save her would be burning her at the stake to release the demons.
See I always thought Gladiator sucked but that's just cause Russle Crowe was in it. The guy's just awful Hell if I know if Gladiator was any good outside of him. I couldn't get passed his terribleness to tell. I can't judge movies with people that I really really hate (like him) in them cause it's already got one foot in the grave to begin with. So without the first scene ever appearing on screen, any movie with Russle Crowe, Whoopi Goldberg, Joey Lauren Adams/Renee Zelwegger, Ben Affleck, or Dirty Ethan Hawke are already pretty much preconcieved as suck to me.
Pulp Fiction, Not as good as Resevior Dogs, seemed like a film tailor made to be part of pop culture, good film but not great. Natural Born Killers, Nothing of redeeming value here, just Hollywood "Shock and Awe." Crouching Tiger, Same reason as everyone else. Apocalypse Now Redux, "When great films go bad." And whoever says the Deer Hunter isn't a great film needs to get thier head checked.
Oh yeah, West Side Story, the Jets and Sharks, rival gangbangers singing arm-in-arm...how realistic. I've never had a moment in my life when the world around me broke out in song and dance. All choreographed, of course. I repeat, musical are stupid.
Re: Re: Great films that ain't so great Okay, so musicals, according to you, are stupid. Some of the greatest musical geniuses of the 20th century, including Leonard Bernstein and Miles Davis, thought differently. No bets on which way the jury's leaning on this one.
What are Ghost, The Sum of All Fears, and The Matrix Reloaded doing on this thread? Has anyone ever heard a single person claim any of these movies were "great?" Note, this seems to have predictably transformed into a "Movies that suck, though people say they're great" thread, rather than what the original starter intended. In that vein, I'm partially with Ian (Satan just got shrinkage) on the Chicago call, though not against all musicals in general. I just never cared much about the characters in that one.
I agree on Chicago. And I don't hate musicals. But I thought it was horrid. I also agree about Traffic. Completely overrated, as is Soderbergh's direction of it.
While I enjoyed "Rocky," I don't think it was a great film nor should have won Best Picture. And as time goes on, it has aged poorly IMO. An example of a populist film, coming at the right time, and ridding this wave. Of the films nominated that year: All the President's Men Bound for Glory Network Rocky Taxi Driver "Rocky would rank near or at the bottom on my list.
Anyway, my own vote here goes to that Barney Gumble movie. Man Hit By Football was much much better. Re: the English Patient, a buddy of mine used to say they'll nominate any movie for an Oscar provided it's really long and full of English people.
At last, we agree on something Ian . I nominate the Matrix series of films. An interesting concept ruined by awful cod-philosophy. The special effects in the first one are over rated as well. I've seen the 'slow motion + swooping cameras' technique on many wildlife programmes before these came about.