Supposedly terrific movies that just didn't do it for you... and why. (1 Viewer)

[Holadem]

The only thing about FC that bothered me was the audience members who left thinking Tyler was the hero and agreed with his approach to life, rather than recognizing that it only sounds good when you discount many important factors that should not be overlooked...

Eh eh... I used to be one of them... after several viewings (eh, I am slow...), I realized that I was being mocked!

The very passage which made that point click for me on subsequent viewings is the first conversation in the bar, where Tyler says something like "Do you need your khakis, your furniture in the hunter-gatherer sense of the word?". I though "Huh... so... are we supposed to limit ourselves to our most basic needs? Materialism and consumerism might be evil, but let's no go back to living like animals either...". If there was any doubt, Tyler's facial expression during that scene (that of one who is trying not to laugh) says it all.

--
H

 

[Nick Sievers]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake)

Neither of those films have been referred to as 'Supposedly Terrific Movies'

 

[JamesDrake]

You are probably correct, Nick. However, they were hyped as such. Or they appeared to have been advertised as really good movies.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Moulin Rouge - I just did not get it, I was so bored!

The Deer Hunter - Another movie that I thought was pretty boring.

Deliverance - It was okay,very weird though.

Run Lola Run - Did nothing for me

28 Days Later - Hated it!

 

[Nick Totoro]

I hate to add another "me, too" to the party, but I didn't quite get Chicago. It kinda' left me feeling like "Did I just watch the right movie... ?"

That's the best I can explain it. I couldn't believe I just watched this film that was so praised. Maybe I had my expectations up too high. It didn't touch me at all or even hit me.

Blair Witch falls in there for me, too. The group of friends with whom I was walked out of the theater saying "Dude... I'm so never going into the woods again... " and I'm there thinking "Hunh?"

That was another case of having to make sure I actually saw the right film because I felt nothing.

I'm sure more will pop up later...

Nick

 

[Gary Seven]

Well it's interesting to read all the replies and see the variety of tastes, interpretations and such. It tempts one to rebut to several I found but I will refrain.

I must add my voice to The English Patient. While it's filming may be artistic and framed well, the story, the characters were dreadful. The lead was an asshole and remained such to the end. The story was about an adulterous love affair. WHO CARES!!!! I actually watched this thing till the end in hopes it would improve but found my 2-3 hours were wasted.

Love the Seinfeld episode that takes a jab at this "award winning movie".

 

[Mick Wright]

The Stunt Man. Peter O' Toole's tour-de-force performance has to be the only reason this has the rep it does. Steve Railsback is a pretty creepy screen presence and the way the film jumps back and forth between his paranoid pov and reality never seemed convincing to me.

Magnolia. Kevin Smith said it best, "I keep the Magnolia screener on my desk as a reminder not to make self-indulgent crap."

Barry Lyndon. I've purchased this twice (in each Kubrick box) and I've still never been able to watch it. I've tried at least ten times. It bores me to tears.

Blood Simple. The mis-communication between the characters that allows the plot to unfold is absolutely phony. They act that way because the script requires it.

Femme Fatale. I've seen it twice and I still have no idea why critics flipped for it. Visually it's great, but the plot lost me. I'm a huge De Palma fan so I really wish it worked for me.

 

[Richard Kim]

Magnolia. Kevin Smith said it best, "I keep the Magnolia screener on my desk as a reminder not to make self-indulgent crap."

This coming from the guy who made Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back.

 

[Geoffrey_A]

Spider-Man
Liquid Sky
Gladiator
A Beautiful Mind
Chicago
Sleepers

 

[AlexanderS]

A few from my list:

Brazil - WTF!
Rashoman - I literally fell asleep @ 3 in the afternoon watching this one
Batman 3 and 4 - Exponentially worse each time.
Moulin Rouge - I think everyone else covered this one.
The English Patient - Almost as boring as Rashoman!
Gangs of New York - Thank god for Daniel Day Lewis
Vanilla Sky - No comment
28 Days Later - Wasn't this supposed to be scary?
Charlies Angels 2 - God this sucked.
The Cat in the Hat - I laughed until I stopped.

 

[Hartwig Hanser]

Seven: boring, predictable and just bad taste

 

[MartinTeller]

In what friggin' universe are Batman 3 and 4, Charlie's Angels 2 and The Cat in the Hat "supposedly terrific"???

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Seven: boring, predictable and just bad taste

PREDICTABLE??? I'm sorry, but I find it incredibly hard to believe anyone can claim they saw that ending coming in advance, or at least not MUCH in advance. Figure it out five minutes early? Maybe, but to me "predictable" means you knew exactly where the movie would go from its very early stages, and I think that's simply impossible in the case of Se7en.

(Which I happen to think is the best movie of the Nineties - so there!)

 

[Hartwig Hanser]

of course I did not guess the ending of Seven from the beginning, since I had no idea what the movie was about when I was watching it (it was an invitation to friends to watch "a video"). But the generell turn of events grew very obvious from quite early on. Except the ending itself, but by then I was already fed up, disgusted and bored to death, so that didn´t matter anymore. Apart from that, I found the "Surprise" at the ending not particularly enlightening, more like a mean slap in the face of the watcher without any value to the story.
I must add that after this experience with David Fincher I found The Game a surprisingly good movie.

 

[Matt Stone]

You are probably correct, Nick. However, they were hyped as such. Or they appeared to have been advertised as really good movies.

As opposed to all those films that are advertised as worthless crap?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - I didn't care a bit about the goings on in this "holiday" film which is more of a "how to (not) succeed in business" lesson than anything else. A 40 minute film with a 90 minute setup.

VERTIGO - Convoluted and dull

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY - Way too long and plodding, with characters I couldn't despise more. Great soundtrack, though.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL - supposed to be remarkable and a message -filled revelation, and winds up being pretty ordinary. An alien that looks, talks and acts exactly like us takes a kid out for a stroll.

 

[Derek S]

although i love all of his other movies, I am gonna have to go with Clerks...I thought there was a few good jokes, from Randle.....I though Mallrats was a better movie.

i will second, third, or what ever number we are on for Chicago. really over hyped.

 

[RodneyT]

agreed.

I love Nicole Kidman.

 

[Tino]

Wow! Close to 100 posts and no mention of Titanic??

Astounding!







....loved it btw.

 

[StevenA]

The one director whose work I can't stand (with one exception) and yet which the vast majority of critics seem to love these days, is Stanley Kubrick.

Lolita, Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut... etc, etc... I don't like any of them.

Except 2001, which I adore!!!

Maybe it's just that I don't like his world view (same goes for Fincher, what a cold-hearted swine Thought Seven was horrible, but the same goes for every Fincher film I've seen, except The Game, which I just thought was contrived to the point of being ridiculous).