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

BEING THERE. I truly admire Peter Sellers. I've enjoyed Hal Ashby's films. But for whatever reason, this bored me to tears in the theater, and though I've tried to like it on video, I just can't warm up to it to this day. I can recognize the satirical elements, and Sellers is obviously playing against type, but I think his monotone delivery (necessary for the character, to be sure) just finally turned me off. The film is w-a-y-y overlong.

The Godfather movies for me. Actually, just about any highly regarded mafia story. Even though I can recognize the obvious skill in making them, I just find them dull. It's like how most people I meet absolutely love mob films but think westerns are boring as hell. I'm the opposite

Same here on Mob movies... (Goodfellas & Godfather) I just don't find the Mafia that interesting. Maybe it's because I'm from the midwest.

English Patient was also a disappointment for me considering all the awards it won.

Definately The English Patient....I don't mind pretension, when used well, but this was just too much.

There were other major problems, as well...

Gladiator. I was left scratching my head wondering what I was supposed to be getting from it.

I think about all you were supposed to take from it was: revenge is justified when someone kills your wife and kid.

Yankee Doodle Dandy :

I was unimpressed equally by the simplicity of the story and the unremarkable quality of Cagney’s voice. It consisted of a series of unrelated musical sequences waiting for an interesting plot.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

You mentioned loving Westerns, Andy S, and a weird one for me is She Wore A Yellow Ribbon. I thought it was by-the-numbers, pretty dull, and overly nasty in some of the violent scenes. It's usually considered the second in the John Ford "cavalry" trilogy, between Fort Apache and Rio Grande. I haven't seen Rio Grande, but a weird thing about Yellow Ribbon is that I LOVED Fort Apache when I saw it. I was completely blown away, and yet the similarly regarded Yellow Ribbon just turned me off. They're not exactly the same sort of movie, but still, it's tough to put my finger on why I liked one of them so much while disliking the other one.

American Beauty and Road To Perdition. I didn't think they were bad, but I didn't see what was so great about them.

I'm with you on The English Patient, and raise you Moulin Rouge. Tried twice and couldn't make it any further than the 10 minute mark. As much as I dislike "whatsherface", oh yeah, Nicole Kidman, I wanted to give it a real shot. I really did.
(What is it everybody sees around N.C. that makes her so popular anyway, and just what drugs was Tom Cruise on????)

Kill Bill. I really wanted to love this film, but the over-the-top gore did it in for me. The actors were fantastic, the story was new & interesting, but I just couldn't get passed the fountains of blood. It was a pretty cool movie, but I won't be buying this one when it comes out. On the other hand, I absolutely loved The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (as in one of the top 3 films this summer). Weird, huh?

As for Moulin Rouge, it has to be one of the 10 greatest films I have ever seen. Nicole Kidman didn't get the Oscar when she deserved it, then got it when she didn't.

A Beautiful Mind. It made me cringe (Russell: 'Look at me, Academy members! I'm acting all crazy!') and boy was I pissed when it beat Fellowship to the Best Picture Oscar!

I also tried watching The Searchers - I usually can't stand westerns - and turned off the DVD halfway through.I don't get it, sorry!

Being There - Loved it! The pacing is slow and everyone walks around like they were in a library policed by Robocop. But it was so sweet and Sellers is wonderful. It's the Republican version of Forrest Gump.

The English Patient - Made me impatient. Pretentious and achingly slow yet ultimately doesn't go anywhere. And has anyone ever seen such a perfectly preserved corpse out in the wild?? Ridiculous.

The Road to Perdition - I can't fault Hanks. He's Tom Hanks. Anything he's in is elevated by his mere presence but the end was so maudlin it made the whole thing a downer. I took it out of the DVD player all depressed. Screw that.

Out of Africa - Three pretentious, numbing hours of pretty scenery and people posing for a Ralph Lauren Safari collection catalog.

American Beauty - More proof that the Hollywood left has nothing but contempt for the bourgeoise of middle America. A repulsive display of improbable situations.

Traffic - One of a troika of drug movies that came out at the same time and didn't have nearly the punch that either Blow or Requiem for a Dream did. It suffers from poor editing and questionable cinematography and Douglas's lackluster performance despite the tremendous effort of Del Toro.

Gigi - Maybe, back in its day, but now it's just damned creepy. Forcing your own flesh and blood into being a whore while someone old enough to be your grandfather sings diddys about how wonderful little girls are is perverted. Think about it!

Andrei Rubelev - I'll be hung by the boys for this one but dear GOD will it never end?! It's like those all-day church services of hellfire and damnation in upright wooden pews you read about in history class. Painfully slow. I don't have anything against slow; I love Ray's Apu Trilogy and that's SLOW; but this is worse than Anna Karenina narrated unabridged by Tom Carvel.

Grave of the Fireflies - A beautiful story ruined by editing. If only the first part was at the end! Why give away the end at the beginning??

Raging Bull - I know it's genius and all but I can't stand movies about seedy people and boxing. The David Hockney-esque pool sequence is brilliant and DiNero is perfect but I've watched it 3 times now hoping to like it but I can't. I just don't like movies where nothing good ever happens. They depress me.

There are more but this is my prime list. Ridicule me as appropriate.

Cary_H, come on, giving a movie a real shot means making it past the first 10 minutes. I too was turned off by Moulin Rouge at first, but once you get past the first 30 minutes or so, it really becomes spectacular.

I absolutly HATED "Sunset Boulevard" , gah.. i cant even express how faul that movie is... well have a nice day