Unpopular Opinions

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

Basically that’s my take of the movie without actually watching it….  Wont be a bad movie but nothing spectacular 

As someone who made the mistake of watching it because it was suppose to be a "romantic" movie and I'll watch anything with Liam Nesson. Your right and you won't ever regret not seeing the movie. You will regret watching the movie. 

[Spartan Girl]

13 hours ago, WritinMan said:

Love Actually is actually a terrible movie.

I only like the part with Hugh Grant dancing. And the part with Rowan Atkinson annoying Alan Rickman. But that’s it.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I only like the part with Hugh Grant dancing. And the part with Rowan Atkinson annoying Alan Rickman. But that’s it.

I liked it when it first came out and had very few complaints, but when I watched again recently, I saw why many didn't like it.  Now, I just think there's a small collection of good scenes (whether humorous, heartwarming or simply great acting), but overall, it's not a great movie.  Hugh Grant's dance scene is at the top of my list of favorite moments, too.

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

As someone who made the mistake of watching it because it was suppose to be a "romantic" movie and I'll watch anything with Liam Nesson. Your right and you won't ever regret not seeing the movie. You will regret watching the movie. 

I think that BlueSkies' quote was about Top Gun Maverick, not Love Actually.  I will say I preferred Maverick over Love Actually, I just think Maverick is really overrated this year.  Maybe after a few years the opinion on it will be more reasonable.  

I think Maverick is a pretty good movie, but I plain do not like Love Actually.

[RunningMarket]

As someone who this week will be seeing Maverick in the theatre for the third time, I'll make a hasty retreat from this thread, but will toss out that Love Actually is not quite as beloved as some like to claim. Over the past several years, there have been lots of talk about how bad some of the story lines truly are. (Cue the chorus of: LAURA LINNEY, TURN OFF YOUR DAMN PHONE.)

[Wiendish Fitch]

I don't really hate Love, Actually, but as I get older, its flaws are more apparent to me. I totally get why people do hate it (and Lindy West brilliantly criticized it in her now legendary essay), so I'm not going to strain myself defending it. 

That said, I'll watch Love, Actually a thousand times before I watch Maverick once. 

[Bastet]

12 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

As someone who made the mistake of watching it because it was suppose to be a "romantic" movie and I'll watch anything with Liam Nesson. Your right and you won't ever regret not seeing the movie. You will regret watching the movie. 

I certainly do.  I've probably disliked films more than I disliked Love Actually (which I didn't even expect to like when I finally watched it as it was about to leave Netflix a year or two ago, given all my friends but one hated it [and that one loves her some Titanic, so we are not on the same movie wavelength], but I didn't expect to hate it as fervently as I did), but I can't remember ever becoming so very angry that I wasted time on a film.  It's stupefyingly bad!  I cannot believe such a talented cast was wasted on such stupid, and sometimes downright offensive, crap.

Hugh Grant dancing to the Pointer Sisters is a hoot.  The Alan Rickman/Emma Thompson story could have been developed into a film and been a good watch (so long as she kicked his cheating ass to the curb in the end).  Laura Linney has one funny moment.  That's out of over two hours!  Otherwise, it's rubbish.  Agonizingly awful "That's not how it works, that's not how any of this works!" rubbish.  I fully embrace the increasingly-frothing vitriol of this piece, as I became just as unhinged with "Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?!" moments while watching it. 

Or, there's this far more calm and succinct video someone recently shared in another thread:

Edited December 19, 2022 by Bastet

[Mabinogia]

I have never seen Love, Actually, actually, and you are all making me very happy about that fact. lol How could they have squandered such an amazing cast? 

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

That said, I'll watch Love, Actually a thousand times before I watch Maverick once. 

And I’d still rather watch a marathon of Love, Actually than A Christmas Story. Seriously, I friggin’ hate that movie.

[Wiendish Fitch]

24 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

And I’d still rather watch a marathon of Love, Actually than A Christmas Story. Seriously, I friggin’ hate that movie.

"Ooooohhhh... FUDGE!" is the only part that makes me laugh. Other than that, I find A Christmas Story to be a shrill, dreary, overrated bore.

I can't watch Christmas Vacation, or, indeed, any of the Vacation movies because I just find Chevy Chase so punchable and unfunny.

[proserpina65]

On 12/19/2022 at 2:03 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I have always agreed.  On social media I am finding that there are a lot of us out there.  We are here and we are legion!

We should form a club!

On 12/19/2022 at 10:21 AM, Spartan Girl said:

I only like the part with Hugh Grant dancing. And the part with Rowan Atkinson annoying Alan Rickman. But that’s it.

The only parts I liked were the bits with Martin Freeman as the porn movie stand-in and Kris Marshall in the US getting woman with his accent.  Which totally would work, btw.

23 hours ago, RunningMarket said:

(Cue the chorus of: LAURA LINNEY, TURN OFF YOUR DAMN PHONE.)

Exactly!

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

And I’d still rather watch a marathon of Love, Actually than A Christmas Story. Seriously, I friggin’ hate that movie.

I don't hate A Christmas Story.  I used to love A Christmas Story.  But I never want to see it again after being subjected to far too many years of a 24 hours of A Christmas Story on TBS.

[Fool to cry]

On 9/26/2022 at 2:17 AM, andromeda331 said:

My favorite Mel Brooks movie is To Be or Not to Be with Mel Brooks and his wife as Frederick and Anna the incredible Anne Bancraft as the stars and theater owners in Warsaw just as the war breaks out Mel pretending to be the Professor, Erhardt and Hitler at different times in the movie. They end up fleeing Warsaw with their theater troop, a tons of Jews dressed up as clowns walking them right out of the theater packed full of Nazis included the actual Hitler and steal his plane. Everyone is in love with Anna; Andre (played Tim Matheson), the Professor, and Erhardt. I think I'm in love with her by the end of the movie. She funny, smart and incredible. Mel's his usually hilarious self his favorite thing to play is Highlands from Hamlet he also doesn't know that him saying To Be or Not to Be is the cue for Andre to go back to visit Anna. Frederick doesn't know it and thinks Andre's walking out on his performance which is hilarious "No!!! NO!", Sasha was incredible and representing gays who were also rounded up at the times with everything he does from being also in love with Andre, lets Frederick and Anna stay with him after their house is seizes by the Gestapo, and helps a Jewish elderly woman when she gets scared at seeing a theater full of Nazis. It's also the first thing I think of when it comes to the Shakespear play. There's so many hilarious lines.

You should see the 1942 original directed by Ernst Lubitsh and starring Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. A young Robert Stack plays the pilot. It was Lombard's last movie before she died tragically in a plane crash on a USO tour. 

Edited December 20, 2022 by Fool to cry

[andromeda331]

On 12/19/2022 at 3:45 PM, Mabinogia said:

I have never seen Love, Actually, actually, and you are all making me very happy about that fact. lol How could they have squandered such an amazing cast? 

Good question. I have the same question about Twilight. So many great actors and actresses. Such bad movies.

On 12/20/2022 at 2:32 PM, Fool to cry said:

You should see the 1942 original directed by Ernst Lubitsh and starring Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. A young Robert Stack plays the pilot. It was Lombard's last movie before she died tragically in a plane crash on a USO tour. 

I did manage to check it once. It was a very good movie. Lombard's death was so tragic. They actually had a line where she asked "What could happen in a plane?" it was cut before the movie was released.

[kiddo82]

I have never, not once, in the last near quarter of a century, lost a wink of sleep wondering if both Jack and Rose could have fit on the door in Titanic.  It seems like it's a thing that cycles around the internet every so often and I think we are in a current uptick because I've seen multiple posts about it.  For me it's a fun thing to joke about but not something that is still worth seriously debating.  Some seem to really care.

Edited December 22, 2022 by kiddo82

[Browncoat]

My apparently unpopular opinion?  I like Love, Actually.  I fully and freely acknowledge that it is problematic as hell, and is not a great movie, but I can't help myself.  I love the lobsters and octopus in the nativity, I love Rowan Atkinson in both his scenes.  I love that not all the storylines have movie happy endings -- some are sad and real.  Because as we know, not everyone gets a happy ending.  I adore the Hugh Grant dancing scene (even though he hated it), and Emma Thompson just killed it in the scene after she opened her Christmas present from Alan Rickman.

I'm not defending it -- I know all the problems, but I will watch it any time it's on TV, and I also own the DVD.  I even watched the anniversary special on TV a couple of weeks ago.

ETA: I just found it on AMC, and am watching now!

Edited December 22, 2022 by Browncoat

[Raja]

With the Avatar sequel now playing I have been hearing complaints about Sam Worthington's accent in the first. While I am indifferent about the movie at best his accent doesn't register as a problem to me at all. He is a future man and there should be cultural drift from now. Although I can't remember any pressing reason that he had to be a disabled US Marine couldn't be an Australia soldier in that mine security force/scientific outpost

[andromeda331]

If Rose had just stayed in the lifeboat Jack could have gotten on the door and lived.

[Blergh]

On 12/18/2022 at 5:27 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

You couldn't pay me to watch Maverick. There, I said it, and on this hill I shall die.

I couldn't get past  the first few minutes of the original on VHS due to the saturation of profanity (and I was then in a bubble re Mr. Cruise's beliefs) so why would I pay megabucks to see the sequel in a movie theater ? Yeah, boo me,too!

Edited December 23, 2022 by Blergh

[JustHereForFood]

On 12/19/2022 at 12:27 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

You couldn't pay me to watch Maverick. There, I said it, and on this hill I shall die.

I'll join you. I don't like Tom Cruise, I found the first movie somewhat enjoyable if a bit boring, but I watched in on TV and would never pay for it.

And then I was turned off by all of those comments praising Maverick for being the only movie this year that is not woke, PC, etc. and is therefore somehow the greatest movie, bla bla bla...

No thanks.

On 12/19/2022 at 8:35 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

That said, I'll watch Love, Actually a thousand times before I watch Maverick once. 

Same. I neither like or dislike Love Actually and I often think it's just one of those movies that became cool to hate like Twilight, after it was initially a huge success. I get the complaints about most of the storylines (though one could probably tear apart most romcoms in a similar way). I liked the structure of the interconnected stories, there could be a better movie in there if they changed some of the storylines, with less focus on so many love at first sight nonsense and more about other types of love like family and friendships. 

 

On 12/23/2022 at 8:53 AM, andromeda331 said:

If Rose had just stayed in the lifeboat Jack could have gotten on the door and lived.

I don't remember it that well, but wouldn't he stay handcuffed in one of the cabins in the abandoned part of the ship?

 

[wallflower75]

48 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

I don't remember it that well, but wouldn't he stay handcuffed in one of the cabins in the abandoned part of the ship?

No.  Rose had two opportunities to escape in a lifeboat--first when she was with her mother and Cal, after Jack had been arrested for stealing the necklace; and second, after she'd freed him, when both Jack and Cal urged her to go and she actually got on, only to change her mind because "you jump, I jump."

As for why the discourse is coming up again, my guess is because it's the movie's 25th anniversary.

[BlueSkies]

In RainMan Cruise acted as good as Dustin.

 

 

I like the film but sometimes I have a hard time with the heart warming label of it.  Charlie exploited his brother for his own financial gain 

[Shannon L.]

2 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

In RainMan Cruise acted as good as Dustin.

 

 

I like the film but sometimes I have a hard time with the heart warming label of it.  Charlie exploited his brother for his own financial gain 

I wouldn't have minded in the least if Tom Cruise had nabbed an Oscar nomination for his role.  As for "heart-warming", yeah, I don't think I'd go that far.  It had some heartwarming moments at the end of the film, but not too many (if any) before that.

After reading about this on a number or different forums, I think I have an UO about Avatar: The Way of Water.  I didn't like it.  It was gorgeous, as expected (but from what I remember of the 1st one, I think that one was prettier) and some of the acting was good, but the story?  Oof.  I'm not usually one to be bothered by kids and their antics in tv shows and movies, but by the 3rd time the one kid did what he was told not to do, I was throwing my hands up and rolling my eyes.  And it was way too long.

Edited December 30, 2022 by Shannon L.

[BlueSkies]

I'm not sure how unpopular this is but Jennifer Connelly was a goddess to me between the 80's and 2000s.  Her beauty was out of this world.  Plus liked most her performances.  But one can see if they read interviews with her she was real smart as well.  She even spent one month camping in Tibet when she was younger.

 

But idk today I guess I still like her but she seems idk wooden a lot of times?  I've still yet to watch the top Gun movie.  The Louie Vitton ads she does are just kinda well weird 

[Spartan Girl]

Lightyear was a good movie, you guys are just mean.

[Crashcourse]

I didn't like Knives Out. 

I thought Everything Everywhere All at Once was a hot mess.

[Shannon L.]

7 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I didn't like Knives Out. 

I thought Everything Everywhere All at Once was a hot mess.

I liked Knives Out, but I honestly thought I was the only one in the world who didn't like Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.  The acting was good and the message was good, but everything else was, imo, ridiculous (and not in a good way).

[kiddo82]

11 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

I'm not sure how unpopular this is but Jennifer Connelly was a goddess to me between the 80's and 2000s.  Her beauty was out of this world.  Plus liked most her performances.  But one can see if they read interviews with her she was real smart as well.  She even spent one month camping in Tibet when she was younger.

 

But idk today I guess I still like her but she seems idk wooden a lot of times?  I've still yet to watch the top Gun movie.  The Louie Vitton ads she does are just kinda well weird 

Jennifer Connelly is the best thing about He's Just Not That Into You, which otherwise is a pretty bad movie.  That might sound back handed but I mean that as a compliment.  

[BlueSkies]

10 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Jennifer Connelly is the best thing about He's Just Not That Into You, which otherwise is a pretty bad movie.  That might sound back handed but I mean that as a compliment.  

Agree.  And yeah context of that movie I sided more with her than Bradley Cooper's character.  

[BlueSkies]

Dennis The Menace (1993) is an overlooked piece of brilliance and lost values in society:

 

Dennis- yeah I know he's a troublemaker but what kids today seek out friendships from their elders?  Dennis does actually like Mr. Wilson.  Kids today are just glued into their phones and all their other shitty devices to pay attention to the outside world.  And oh yeah Dennis actually always calls him Mr. Wilson.  Not yo what's up George.  Or yo dawg.  Or old man 

 

Mr Wilson- he's faithfully and loyally been married to the same woman for 50 something years.  He just wants nothing more than peace and quiet in his old age.  He likes gardening per say versus say dumb hobbies like drinking beer down at the local pub watching sports.  Yes he can be cranky but he's a good person deep down.

 

Ultimately their relationship is one of the greatest and most underrated on film.  Add to that movie Reverend Jim or Christoper Lloyd as the robber and you have an underrated great film 

Edited January 1, 2023 by BlueSkies

[Spartan Girl]

@BlueSkies I loved Dennis the Menace. The little boy was such a cutie pie and Walter Matthau was perfect casting.

[BlueSkies]

1 minute ago, Spartan Girl said:

@BlueSkies I loved Dennis the Menace. The little boy was such a cutie pie and Walter Matthau was perfect casting.

I recall a tv cartoon of as kid I liked.  And I just learned recently Phil Hartmann had a voice on it 

[BlueSkies]

On 12/19/2022 at 4:01 AM, andromeda331 said:

As someone who made the mistake of watching it because it was suppose to be a "romantic" movie and I'll watch anything with Liam Nesson. Your right and you won't ever regret not seeing the movie. You will regret watching the movie. 

 

On 12/19/2022 at 2:03 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I have always agreed.  On social media I am finding that there are a lot of us out there.  We are here and we are legion!

It's a popcorn movie.....  that's what we used to call them when I worked at the theatre.  Sells a lot of popcorn.  LOL.  Sometimes I like popcorn flicks!  Sometimes not!  For the most part, they do not reinvent the wheel!  

I finally did watch the movie.  I agree with both your opinions on it.

 

I don't regret finally watching the movie (it really really helped today I wanted nothing more than to just relax).  But yeah I thought it was pretty much on the lower end of average.  Some flying scenes were kinda cool but that's about it.  

Edited January 2, 2023 by BlueSkies

[BlueSkies]

The movie Heavy (1995) is awesome and one of the best portrayals of social anxiety.  

 

 

[BlueSkies]

Vincent Gallos The Brown Bunny was a great misunderstood picture imo 

[BlueSkies]

Creed (2015) was the only movie I am aware that brilliantly showed this:

 

People often sometimes wished they had or grew up how others did.  I had 2 friends over the years that probably wished they had my upbringing but at the same time there were elements of their upbringing I wished they had.  In the movie itself:

 

Rocky wanted was Adonis had: presumably college education, a white collar job, and growing up where he didnt have to fight to get buy.

 

Adonis wanted what Rocky had.  A more rough around the edges upbringing that would have hardened him up for the boxing ring. 

[Gharlane]

On 11/28/2022 at 9:17 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Avatar was overrated and I couldn’t give two shits about the sequel.

Which one? 😐

Cameron says he's going to make between four to six of them. 😱

[Raja]

On 1/9/2023 at 8:31 AM, Gharlane said:

Which one? 😐

Cameron says he's going to make between four to six of them. 😱

At the rate he is moving, even with the third Avatar coming soon it reminds me of Lucas and Star Wars. Once secured he announces that he had this massive franchise in mind but it was sold off for others to complete

[Wiendish Fitch]

I thought The Banshees of Inisherin was one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and I find it jaw-dropping that it made so many "Best of 2022" lists. It's just two hours of a loathsome pissing match between Colin Farrell (whose character is a whiny asshole) and Brendan Gleeson (whose character is only slightly less of an asshole)! Kerry Condon is the only character with any common sense: "You're ALL boring!!!"

I did love the donkey and the Border Collie. They were my favorite characters. 

[Blergh]

On 1/13/2023 at 7:47 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I thought The Banshees of Inisherin was one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and I find it jaw-dropping that it made so many "Best of 2022" lists. It's just two hours of a loathsome pissing match between Colin Farrell (whose character is a whiny asshole) and Brendan Gleeson (whose character is only slightly less of an asshole)! Kerry Condon is the only character with any common sense: "You're ALL boring!!!"

I did love the donkey and the Border Collie. They were my favorite characters. 

Maybe someone might do an edit with nothing but the donkey and Border Collie but leaving all the so-called human characters out!

[Wiendish Fitch]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

Maybe someone might do an edit with nothing but the donkey and Border Collie but leaving all the so-called human characters out!

Ha! That's funny... 

Spoiler

Until I remember the poor donkey died in the movie. That's right, the most likable character (besides the dog) in the movie bites the dust! It's so unfair.

Upon reflection, I realize Brendan Gleeson's character is every bit as horrible as Colin Farrell's, I was just being more charitable because I prefer Gleeson as an actor. Sorry, but Farrell has never impressed me, not even where looks are concerned. 

[katha]

LOL, coming from the other side of that and I think it's also pretty unpopular. I think Colin Farrell is one of the great living actors working today. I've not seen Banshees yet, but After Yang, Thirteen Lives and Batman is a fantastic string of performances in one year.

And he's built up a portfolio of incredibly diverse and interesting work once he managed to free himself from the expectation that he's some sort of action leading man. I think recognition for this has been slow because he was stuck both in the pretty and in the bad boy narrative, which makes awards voters very hesitant towards male actors.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, katha said:

LOL, coming from the other side of that and I think it's also pretty unpopular. I think Colin Farrell is one of the great living actors working today. I've not seen Banshees yet, but After Yang, Thirteen Lives and Batman is a fantastic string of performances in one year.

And he's built up a portfolio of incredibly diverse and interesting work once he managed to free himself from the expectation that he's some sort of action leading man. I think recognition for this has been slow because he was stuck both in the pretty and in the bad boy narrative, which makes awards voters very hesitant towards male actors.

I think his performance in Phone Booth is a master-class in acting. 

[Enigma X]

I watched Love Actually for the first time last week. Apart from the numerous fat shaming scenes (even for people who were not fat). I really enjoyed it. There was discussion on this movie some pages back. That is why I mention it.

[Crashcourse]

2 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I think his performance in Phone Booth is a master-class in acting. 

True.  I also liked him and Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges, one of my favorite movies.

[BlueSkies]

Madonna Truth or Dare was pretty good especially for its time.   That was then more of a newer concept with that documentary/reality tv style.

 

Back then I think the point was to show big stars like her shouldn’t necessarily be put on a pedestal.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 1/15/2023 at 11:06 AM, Shannon L. said:

I think his performance in Phone Booth is a master-class in acting. 

Colin Farrell fans should watch "Cassandra's Dream" if they haven't already.  For me, that's his master class.

On 1/16/2023 at 7:30 AM, BlueSkies said:

Madonna Truth or Dare was pretty good especially for its time.   That was then more of a newer concept with that documentary/reality tv style.

 

Back then I think the point was to show big stars like her shouldn’t necessarily be put on a pedestal.  

It was very well received, aside from the Razzies (the Razzies are a stupid organization and why are they concerning themselves with "acting" in Documentaries) and it made bonkers money for a documentary.  So I don't think it was considered bad.

[kiddo82]

17 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

the Razzies are a stupid organization and why are they concerning themselves with "acting" in Documentaries

Yeah, going after someone's "acting" in a documentary doesn't make much sense, does it?.  In any event, I feel like the Razzies are just mean spirited.  No one sets out to do a bad job.  (I would assume.)  But also, I feel like they only go for the lowest hanging fruit like the highest profile bomb of the year.  It just feels like and excuse to pile on.  Giving criticism or having a negative opinion on something is one thing, but handing out actual "awards" for it seems like an extra level of petty.  I'm actually surprised in this day and age it's still a thing.     

[Ms Blue Jay]

I absolutely hate them.  

[Ambrosefolly]

1 hour ago, kiddo82 said:

Yeah, going after someone's "acting" in a documentary doesn't make much sense, does it?.  In any event, I feel like the Razzies are just mean spirited.  No one sets out to do a bad job.  (I would assume.)  But also, I feel like they only go for the lowest hanging fruit like the highest profile bomb of the year.  It just feels like and excuse to pile on.  Giving criticism or having a negative opinion on something is one thing, but handing out actual "awards" for it seems like an extra level of petty.  I'm actually surprised in this day and age it's still a thing.     

A lot of the time with the "terrible acting" is really just terrible script and production and the actors trying their hardest to make sense of the mess. Maybe they don't have a weak performance, maybe people in charge are really bad.