Films you EXPECTED to be horrible...but weren't!

[Mike in Seattle]

I'm dying to watch that movie. I don't have HBO so I'm waiting for Netflix to have it.

Grey Gardens is out on DVD. I still think Drew Barrymore should've gotten the Emmy for it, but it went to Jessica Lange (playing Drew's mother in the same movie). Ah well...

 

[scottyrocks]

Keeping Up With the Steins. I fully expected this 'coming of age' bar-mitzvah story to be a parody, with every Jewish cliche dragged out and put into the obvious places, but there were none in sight, save for the occasional rich Hollywood cliche, which did not detract from the great story that was tastefully told. Its often difficult to get cultural details right, and they did in this movie. I was very impressed.

 

[Naphtali]

Driving Miss Daisy

Fried Green Tomatoes

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

As Tom Hanks said in Sleepless in Seattle, "These are chicks movies." I expected to be overwhelmed with feelings and angst. I was, but it didn't hurt.

 

[C-dot]

The Proposal, that new movie with Sandra Bullock. I normally hate modern movies (and for that matter, Bullock), but you know what? It was cute!

 

[guellimus]

The Mist- usually I can't stand anything done by Stephen King, but I actually liked this one, especially cause of the kick-in-gut ending. Not that I normally like endings like that all the time, but you don't see it that often.

 

[MisterCairo]

Detroit Rock City

Eyes Wide Shut - when it first came out, I really wanted to see it. Then it got panned, so I was worried when I saw it in a second run theater. I love it.

Detroit Rock City rocked!

Also, has anyone seen the film "Angus", other than myself and the four friends from law school I dragged along with me? Hilarious!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

"Fight Club"

I'd never heard of the book (dammit - wish I'd read it first) and the trailers for the film only seemed to emphasize basement brawling and bare-chested Brad. I thought that was all the movie was about and had zero interest in seeing it. Then I saw it. Wow, what a STORY. Very clever stuff. Gotta' read it next.

 

[Geronimo]

The Blues Brothers. I'd noticed it on a few times, clicked info, clicked off to another movie.
Then one day I left the TV on AMC. I was, for whatever reason, actually watching the movie when they jumped a bridge at the beginning. Then I was interested. Had to leave to pick up supper, came back to see them racing through a mall. I was hooked.

Gigi(notice, no 'L' in title) . A case of leaving TCM on all night. Very fun movie. And I tended to avoid musicals on principle before that.

 

[Scotus]

First, I never have to "drag" myself to a movie, since I'm open to seeing a movie that looks even slightly bearable. A couple that stand out in my mind that I thought would be so-so and turned out to be a couple of my favorite movies are:

10,000 B.C.

The Village

By the time The Village came around, M. Night had pretty much run out of ideas, IMO. This is one I often watch on DVD now; same with 10,000 B.C..

 

[Howard Hughes]

Good Film.

"HEAVEN CAN WAIT", with Don Aeche and Gene Tierney.

Very enjoyable.

HH

 

[Son_of_Atropos]

"How to Murder Your Wife"

 

[theinterchange]

I thought Cars would be an incredibly horrible affair, but watched it a while back when getting together with the family to have a movie night... and loved it!

Batman Begins also comes to mind, as I don't particularly like comic book movies.

Randy

 

[Lady Day]

Also, has anyone seen the film "Angus", other than myself and the four friends from law school I dragged along with me? Hilarious!

Love that movie!
Love Spit Love did a real good version of 'Am I Wrong' for the soundtrack too.

LD

 

[Naphtali]

I recently viewed a movie with no actors with whom I was familiar. I reserved it online through my library, so whatever it was, it was.

"Mumford" (1999) is a charming multifaceted character study. If I wanted to classify it, I would put it with "Being There" (1979: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine) and "The Ladykillers" (1955: Alec Guiness, Katie Johnson) - droll comedies that avoid the belly laugh and require the viewer to pay attention.

When I viewed the closing credits, I realized I recognized and appreciate the writer-director, Lawrence Kasdan.

Excellent!

 

[Lady Day]

*LOVE* Mumford!
So quirky and odd.

LD

 

[Professor]

Driving Miss Daisy

Fried Green Tomatoes

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

As Tom Hanks said in Sleepless in Seattle, "These are chicks movies." I expected to be overwhelmed with feelings and angst. I was, but it didn't hurt.

Three of my favorite movies! You shouldn't be scared of "chick flicks".

 

[Professor]

I thought Cars would be an incredibly horrible affair, but watched it a while back when getting together with the family to have a movie night... and loved it!

Batman Begins also comes to mind, as I don't particularly like comic book movies.

Randy

I wasn't expecting much of "Cars" either, but loved it! :eusa_clap

 

[Lady Day]

Jennifer's Body

I *love* bad teen horror movies, and I love rolling my eyes at them, but this one was actually pretty fun.

An 'indie' band makes a sacrifice to the devil for fame but they dont kill a virgin, so the girl has a demon inside of her.

The girl, Jennifer goes around killing all the teen boys at her school as her best friend figures out a way to stop her. It has real high production values and the writer was the same righter of Juno.

Its unapologetic at how silly and bad it is, and I think that is what makes it so fun.

There is this really funny joke from the band. They are in the forrest about to kill Jennifer and the lead singer says something along the lines of 'Do you know how many indie bands there are? We are all cute blah...you have to either be on Letterman or some silly movie sound track in order to make it.'

The soundtrack is filled with that crappy indie music, so I just thought that bit was hilarious.

LD

 

[442RCT]

The Great Raid--I expected a screwup mauling of this POW-rescue epic, but my only quibble was about the aircraft used in a key role's absence (which it helps to consider none are flying anymore, but if it were me I woulda used the bird they used as a filming stand-in and CGI-ed the correct P-61 in). Dale Dye, I thougtht, did a good job as General Walter Krueger--of course, it helped that the cast had been eating dirt on his command for a while in pre-shooting "Boot Camp"...

I gotta respectfully disagree...I was eagerly awaiting this movie after reading the book, "Ghost Soldiers" authored by Hampton Sides, maybe that was my problem...I was expecting too much and thought I got so little. [huh]

As for not seeing the P-61 Black Widow buzz the camp...for me it was a minor element.