Top 10 Movies You'd Never Admit To Liking (1 Viewer)

I should get a series of blank posts in return, if anyone takes me too literally. Obviously an ironic title for what most of us happily admit as "guilty pleasures," which I think is a shame. Surely we should be able to switch off our serious cineaste portion of our brains and enjoy movies for the fun or je ne sais quoi they provide. My main categories are making me laugh and giving me cheap violent thrills:

1) Zoolander/Anchorman/Knocked Up/40 Year Old Virgin; I like to laugh, and I just don't hear anyone else admitting to liking these movies, in the same breath as L'Eclisse or Ben Hur.

2) Cabin Fever, Hostel and The Saw movies, which I seldom admit to liking, in case anyone be afraid of me.

Anyone care to not share theirs?

 

[PaulDA]

Jerry Lewis movies (not all of them, but more than just the one people will cop to liking--The Nutty Professor--of course, my ancestors are from France )

Star Trek V--again, hardly the best of the lot but I still enjoy it

The Steve Martin Pink Panther films (see Star Trek V)

RV (with Robin Williams--made especially funny to our family because A) we go camping every year--tent trailer, not a big RV and B) we suffered some of the same mishaps, including a minor version of the toilet plumbing problem when my dad joined us with his somewhat aged RV)

It's not that I won't admit I like these movies, or pretend not to except in certain circles. It's more that I don't volunteer them as favourites unless asked directly about them.

 

[Fritz Nilsen]

Hmmm. I actually had to have a think on that one. Never categorized my favourites like that before as I'm really not ashamed of anything I like. Face it, filmsnobs loose out on a lot of fun movies.

I listed movies I suppose are not everyone's cup of tea. I mean, I see their faults but I just love them to death.

I guess the point of "coming out" with such a list is to find like-minded weirdos, eh?

Here goes (in no particular order):

1. Meet the Spartans (Leonidas lying dead in the crotch of a fellow Spartan - and grinning. Priceless!)
2. Phantom of the Opera (Webber)
3. Waterworld/The Postman (These I can find no fault with. People just don't know how to have a good time)
4. Can't stop the music (Village People!!!!)
5. Earth girls are easy (Great songs - I wanna be a veterinarian because I love children - I'm a blonde)
6. Judge Dredd (The perfect date movie - the girl married me after this one)
7. The Muppet movie (Need I say more?)
8. The Phantom! (Just plain fun)
9. Police Academy movies (Pick one)
10. Robocop 2 (Best.stop.motion.ever!)
11. Zorro - The gay blade (George Hamilton in Tinkerbell mode)
12. Cool as Ice (You got a problem with that?)

Wish I could have snuck in anything by Jean-Claude VanDamme there, but....

 

[TravisR]

I have no problem saying that I enjoy things like the Friday The 13th movies (even the crappy entries) or Knocked Up (which is a very funny movie) but the one thing that is slightly embarassing to me is that I like the TV series, Gilmore Girls. It's a wonderful show but it does stick out when the bulk of my library is made up of titles like Friday The 13th, Zodiac, The Wire, Deadwood, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I sat through Howard the Duck twice in the theater. And I picked up the DVD because I suspect the wait will be very long for the Blu-ray...

- Steve

 

[Scott D S]

I don't know if I can come up with ten but here we go:

-Police Academy - for some reason, I like 2 and 3 more than the first one which comes across as terribly dated when compared to the sequels... Mission to Moscow, on the other hand, is pure crap

-Trapped in Paradise - yes, with Nicholas Cage, Jon Lovitz, and Dana Carvey... I don't know why but I love this movie... Cage's mannerisms are cranked up to 11 and there are some good subtle lines... Richard Jenkins is excellent as an exasperated federal agent

-The Stupids - I can appreciate this film... Landis and Co. were going for a live-action cartoon and that's what they got... it is a stupid movie but some of the gags and payoffs are quite smart (and ya gotta love the trademark director cameos, including David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, and Robert Wise!)... I also like the costume design

-Weekend at Bernie's - both of them!
-Star Trek V - it's far from a perfect movie (it’s conceptually flawed, the visual effects are 95% awful, the Enterprise makes it to the center of the galaxy in no time at all, the ending is anti-climactic, etc.), it does have heart, and it wears that heart on its sleeve. The Big 3 are at their best in this film. I actually like the campfire scenes, including “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” This film asks the classic Star Trek questions: Who are we? Why are we here? Is this all that there is? Sybok is an interesting, charismatic villain who sadly isn’t served well by the script and I think Laurence Luckinbill turned in a fine (and underrated) performance. Shatner proves himself to be a decent director who happened to be saddled with a WGA strike, a Hoboken visual effects house inexperienced with motion control work, a studio that wanted more humor in the film after the success of Star Trek IV, a serious lack of funds, and basically no ending when all was said and done.

-Dragnet - yeah, with Aykroyd and Hanks... it's just comfort food... something to have on in the background... some funny lines, including Aykroyd's rapid-fire delivery

 

[Jason Charlton]

One that comes to mind for me is Lost in Space. Even though the ending was (admittedly) a bit too over the top, I found that I enjoyed the characters, Gary Oldman's performance was a great homage to the original Dr. Smith, and the "time bubble" was a refreshing take on the tired time travel premise. It's a great-looking (in most parts) and great sounding DVD to boot.

Jason

 

[Andrew Pierce]

As bad as Lost in space was, anything with Gary Oldman can't be all bad.

I'd proudly admit to liking 40 Year Old Virgin or Dragnet. A couple of good flicks.

I might be more hesitant to admit to liking Cobra and Commando as much as I do. Or that I think Mom and Dad Save the World was stupid good fun. And if you ask me again, I may deny ever mentioning that I like Swept Away a lot.

 

[Johnny Angell]

There's on movie I've watched more than any other that I own. I think it's a good movie, but doesn't quite rate the re-watch ability I've given it, but I can't help myself: Dante's Peak.

 

[Jesse Blacklow]

Bring It On and the first three American Pie movies (Wedding in particular) are the only ones off the top of my head. FWIW, I see no shame in anyone admitting that they like anything Judd Apatow has done. Even his gross-out/raunch films have more humanity than most other films out there.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by Andrew Pierce

Or that I think Mom and Dad Save the World was stupid good fun.

I had forgotten about Mom and Dad Save the World. I have a very fond memory of that movie - a buddy and I went to see it in theaters only a week after it opened. We were the ONLY ONES in the theater, and had a wicked good time making fun of the movie as we watched it. We were practically rolling on the floor in tears over the "light grenade" bit.

 

[Walter Kittel]

A few low budget guilty pleasures...

Nemesis - An Albert Pyun film that does as good a job of capturing the cyperpunk aesthetic as just about any film I can recall. Cyborgs, attractive women, and lots of guns. What's not to like?

The Siege of Firebase Gloria - Once again a film that does a better job of exploring a niche of its genre when compared to other, more expensive film productions. One of the few films of the Vietnam War that develops the adversary as three dimensional with their own motivations and priorities, and not as strawmen; plus an engaging performance by R. Lee Ermey. I really wish this would be released on DVD.

- Walter.

 

[Leo Kerr]

What's wrong with The Phantom? That's a great film! Or, if not great, they certainly looked like they were having a good time when they made it, which has probably saved more films than a great script and director that just weren't having a good time.

Likewise, a good old John Goodman flick: Matinée

I generally freely admit to liking "trash" films. Heck, I even admit to liking trash musical theater: Phantom of the Country Opera anyone?

A corollary question I have, however, is: what films that you're supposed to like do you secretly hate? For example, does anything Hitchcock bore you to tears? Do Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia make you wish you were sentenced to Siberia? Does anyone coming at you with a Great Classic make you want to duck and cover?

Anyone willing to admit to anything like that?

Leo Kerr

 

[Chad R]

I don't think Matinee qualifies either. It's Dante's best work. It didn't get much of an audience, but it doesn't have detractors. It's just largely forgotten which is a shame because it's a wonderful film.

I would list guilty pleasures like Jaws 3 and Lost in Space, but not Matinee.

 

[Stu Rosen]

My own opinion is that there aren't any pleasures to feel guilty about, and no films you should be embarrassed to love. If you can't explain why you love them, that's a problem, but if you can, then what's the problem?

As to Leo's question, I confess to never loving Vertigo, no matter what I've done. It's a long story, but if I have to be honest, that's the one for me.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Leo Kerr

Anyone willing to admit to anything like that?

I find Gone With The Wind to be absolutely boring.

 

[Ray_R]

I'll have a go. (Wouldn't this be better in the Movies sub-forum?)

ZARDOZ - What the hell? This was an unintentional comedy more due to the production values than anything. I was expecting the guys from MST3K to pop up any minute.
RoboCop 2 - Same reason as Fritz. RoboCain is damn awesome and especially the scenes of the failed attempts.
The Monster Squad - Wolfman's got nards!

Some others.

 

[Vincent_P]

I don't understand why anybody would be ashamed to admit they like anything myself. It's all a matter of personal taste and opinion, why should you care what other folks think?

Vincent

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by Vincent_P

I don't understand why anybody would be ashamed to admit they like anything myself. It's all a matter of personal taste and opinion, why should you care what other folks think?

Vincent

I think you missed the spirit of the question - the OP never said anything about being embarassed or ashamed by these movies. I read it more along the lines of "which movies do you find enjoyable that are contrary to the tastes of most of your family/friends and perhaps a bit contrary to your own usual tastes."

Sometimes I can't explain why I like one movie and not another, when on the surface they seem of the same "pedigree". An example - I enjoyed Zoolander, but couldn't stand Elf. I'm not sure why - it seems odd to me, but that's just the way it is.

 

[Scratch]

I always find something in a thread like this that will go into my Netflix queue and then possibly later to purchase. Thanks for Nemisis.
Somewhat in keeping with the op's title: Somewhere in Time.
Why I wouldn't admit to liking it ? Probably because its been described as a chick flic.
One of Christopher Reeve's finer performances. Also an interesting spin on time travel.
Guilty pleasure: Tank Girl.

Tony...