Most overrated movies?

[tonyb]

And then you have those movies that aren’t so fully appreciated until they get a few years on them.

“The Big Lebowski,” for instance. It played to generally positive but not raving reviews on its initial release. Now it’s on several short lists of all-time greats.

“American Graffiti” was very well received when it came out, but many reviewers suggested that it was a fun trip down Memory Lane but not much more than that. But on subsequent viewings it becomes a great deal more than that. As it turns out, a movie can be superficially light and fun while still conveying some of the depth of the human condition.

 

[Harp]

Ya, well, that's like your, opinion, man...

Peck's jury summation is superb.

 

[Frunobulax]

Peck's jury summation is superb.

And to think Tom Robinson bounced back from that accusation to become an Admiral in Starfleet!

 

[Trenchfriend]

Rewatching "Titanic 1958", right now. This version seems to be unpopular in old Germany.

 

[Edward]

At the risk of blasphemy my pick is "Maltese Falcon". overwrought dialogue, bad acting and overall just a bad film.

Heretic! Burn him!

It's one I enjoy very much of Bogie's noirs, though nothing can beat the chemistry he has on screen with Bacall in The Big Sleep. I kinda sorta a bit avoided Casablanca for many years, but when I eventually settled to watch it, the most unexpected bit was how funny it is. In a good way - there are some real corking one-liners in the dialogue.

In rough chronological order:

Gone With the Wind
Citizen Kane
Any 1950s and 60s sandal and sword flicks
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Godfather and sequels
Sophie's Choice
Forest Gump
Saving Private Ryan
Avatar

I definitely agree with Ryan... what a disappointment that was after it was so built up to be the ultimate in "realistic" war pictures... started well, but by the time it got to the "you were wrong not to shoot him in cold blood" bit... ugh. Not for me.

Avatar I honestly think only made any impact because it was the first big hype of the modern 3D phase. Not only do I think it would have been forgotten by now, but without the gimmick at the time a lot more people would have noticed it was basically a retread of Dances With Wolves. In space. With overgrown Smurfs with tails.

For the life of me, I just can’t understand why people put stock in entertainment industry awards, especially the “big ones” — Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, etc.

Some truly stellar efforts have been so awarded, but many a better effort has been disregarded. And really, some pretty darned forgettable movies have been awarded many an Oscar.

Hits are often like that — they have broad appeal, but that appeal is short-lived.

Whomever caught onto the notion of awards as marketing definitely was onto something! I agree it's no marker of quality, though were I a working actor in Hollywood I'd welcome the income boost that comes with one!

Less trash, more realism and it could have been a nice movie.

Indeed. Excellent productions values, stunning effects, great cast.... rubbish plot.

And that's everything that's wrong with it. Cameron admitted the only reason he wrote the phony baloney love story was to get women interested in seeing the movie. He couldn't think of any other way and couldn't imagine women wanting to see a completely factual movie about the sinking of Titanic, so... Lazy hack.

Lazy writer and sexist to boot!

And then you have those movies that aren’t so fully appreciated until they get a few years on them.

“The Big Lebowski,” for instance. It played to generally positive but not raving reviews on its initial release. Now it’s on several short lists of all-time greats.

“American Graffiti” was very well received when it came out, but many reviewers suggested that it was a fun trip down Memory Lane but not much more than that. But on subsequent viewings it becomes a great deal more than that. As it turns out, a movie can be superficially light and fun while still conveying some of the depth of the human condition.

Rocky Horror Picture Show , Dredd, and Cry Baby are all favourites of mine of which the same could be said. RHPS in particular bombed on release, but rapidly became one of the most successful films of all time in the long run, as well as probably the biggest film cult...

 

[Harp]

I definitely agree with Ryan... what a disappointment that was after it was so built up to be the ultimate in "realistic" war pictures... started well, but by the time it got to the "you were wrong not to shoot him in cold blood" bit... ugh. Not for me...

Although Spielberg erred with Ryan, his film raises moral issues inherent in war and combat pragmatism
which rank tactics and strategy along a philosophic spectrum most uninitiates have understandably
little to no real grasp; including Spielberg himself whom subsequently marred his own crown jewel production.

 

[tonyb]

…
Rocky Horror Picture Show , Dredd, and Cry Baby are all favourites of mine of which the same could be said. RHPS in particular bombed on release, but rapidly became one of the most successful films of all time in the long run, as well as probably the biggest film cult...

I’ve never seen it. I’m a bit too old to have been in its target audience when it was released, and by the time it achieved cult status the very idea of taking in a Friday midnight showing in the company of people dressed in costume and reciting dialogue in time with the characters on screen had very little appeal.

It ran on Friday nights for years at the Neptune in Seattle. A neighborhood movie house operator of my acquaintance in Tacoma was considering doing the same. I don’t know if anything came of that.

So it ain’t my cup o’ coffee. BFD, right? The people into it are reeaally into it, many of them, anyway. Here’s to them. I hope they’re having as much fun with it as it appears they are.

 

[belfastboy]

I’ve never seen it. I’m a bit too old to have been in its target audience when it was released, and by the time it achieved cult status the very idea of taking in a Friday midnight showing in the company of people dressed in costume and reciting dialogue in time with the characters on screen had very little appeal.

It ran on Friday nights for years at the Neptune in Seattle. A neighborhood movie house operator of my acquaintance in Tacoma was considering doing the same. I don’t know if anything came of that.

So it ain’t my cup o’ coffee. BFD, right? The people into it are reeaally into it, many of them, anyway. Here’s to them. I hope they’re having as much fun with it as it appears they are.

I am destined to miss everything that happens at midnight. By that witching hour I am usually two hours in to my nightly date with sleep.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
An overlap with the “You know you are getting old when … ” thread.

The lovely missus, 18 years my junior, has reached that point as well. Crowds? Noisy drinking establishments? Midnight showings?

No thanks. But you kids have a good time. And try not to wake the neighbors when you stumble back home.

 

[Zombie_61]

Rewatching "Titanic 1958", right now. This version seems to be unpopular in old Germany.

Is that the one that tried to suggest Titanic was actually sunk by a U-9 U-Boat captained by Commander Otto Weddigen as a "practice run" prior to WWI?

^ I'm kidding, of course. That never happened. Or...did it?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Is that the one that tried to suggest Titanic was actually sunk by a U-9 U-Boat captained by Commander Otto Weddigen as a "practice run" prior to WWI?

^ I'm kidding, of course. That never happened. Or...did it?

Nope.

 

[Fifty150]

The next Superman movie will be overrated.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Oops, I would nearly have said "all movies with Dennis Hopper appearing".

But Apocalpyse Now is still a psychedelic supermovie, in my opinion. And I think, Dennis Hopper played his role so good, as he would have never played anything other.

 

[Trenchfriend]

E.T.

Aside my hate of this disgusting gnome, I just never knew, what this movie wants to tell me.

Is it, that governments are highly interested in aliens, as we anyway all know? Or is it about the telepathic things between Elliot and E.T.? Or that we should give friendly aliens shelter?

Or what?? Any ideas?

 

[Bushman]

The thing about ET is that it's actually half a movie. It was trimmed off of an earlier story treatment that eventually became Poltergeist. If that gives any insight into why the two movies are the way they are.

I personally don't think it has any particular "message." There's too much focus on "message" in art, literature, and film theory these days. Sometimes a movie can just be entertaining for it's visuals and story as a photograph of a flower can be pretty for its own sake.

 

[Benny Holiday]

2001: A Space Odyssey.

zzzzzzzzz

In fact, I nearly fell asleep just typing the title.

 

[ChrisB]

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I made it through the first one, fell asleep during the second and never saw the third.

 

[Edward]

E.T.

Aside my hate of this disgusting gnome, I just never knew, what this movie wants to tell me.

Is it, that governments are highly interested in aliens, as we anyway all know? Or is it about the telepathic things between Elliot and E.T.? Or that we should give friendly aliens shelter?

Or what?? Any ideas?

I adored ET back in 1982 - but then I was seven! Not sure what I'd make of it now. I instinctively want to say I'd hate it because it'll be full of Spielberg's trademark saccharine schmaltz, but I suspect it'd probably be a touch darker than I'd remember (as were a fair few things from back then on a rewatch). The original, that is - Spielberg tampered with it later on and I hear that version is dreadful, though to his credit AFAIK he didn't respond to the backlash in a Lucasian way by having a strop and withdrawing the original version from sale out of spite.

There was a glorious conspiracy theory did the rounds back in the mid eighties that ET was part of a US government plan to soften us all up for first contact and make the aliens seem positive. Some variations on this had it the US government was already run by the aliens, a la They Live. Others have since claimed that it was in preparation for the end of the Cold War, giving us the aliens as - variously - "the other" to keep us afraid and in line, or at least to accept the former enemy as an ally against the aliens, should they turn out not to be so friendly after all (shades of Watchmen here).

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I made it through the first one, fell asleep during the second and never saw the third.

It seems to have been more one for fans of the books. Apart from the Bombadilists, that is. They're never happy with anything.

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I made it through the first one, fell asleep during the second and never saw the third.

Yes indeed. I gave Tolkein a go at Cambridge but the cudgel never took surprisingly. His story was done too,
so bell, book, and candle await me for the man himself. He and CS Lewis are cut Great War gen gold cloth book cover.
So I am the fool with need for amends.