Unpopular Opinions

[kathyk24]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I'll go further than that: I hate the crap Disney-fication of Little Mermaid.  It completely ruins Hans Christian Andersen's tale for the sake of stupid singing fish.

I feel the same way about the Hunchback of Notre Dame. That story is too dark for kids. As a disabled person I hated seeing Quasimodo have to watch Esmerelda and Phoebus at the end. Quasimodo is the hero he should have gotten the girl.

[Crashcourse]

17 hours ago, pancake bacon said:

Usually, Matt Damon is considered the more "gravitas" actor out of the two, and for me this does bear out in roles like The Talented Mr Ripley (Damon earned his eternal pancake bacon pass with this performance; I think it's one of the best acting ever put to screen) and The Martian.

Ben Affleck? His best work is his snarky audio commentary on Armageddon, especially all the shade for Michael Bay – so entertaining! 

He was fantastic in The Talented Mr. Ripley, creepy AF.  I also liked him in Ford v Ferrari as Carroll Shelby. 

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I feel the same way about the Hunchback of Notre Dame. That story is too dark for kids. As a disabled person I hated seeing Quasimodo have to watch Esmerelda and Phoebus at the end. Quasimodo is the hero he should have gotten the girl.

I prefer the ending of the book: everyone dies.

[andromeda331]

On 4/27/2023 at 2:03 PM, kathyk24 said:

I feel the same way about the Hunchback of Notre Dame. That story is too dark for kids. As a disabled person I hated seeing Quasimodo have to watch Esmerelda and Phoebus at the end. Quasimodo is the hero he should have gotten the girl.

I hate that he didn't get the girl.

The only reason I like Eric in The Little Mermaid is because he risk his life to save his dog. I would do the same thing.

Edited April 29, 2023 by andromeda331

[Spartan Girl]

On 4/29/2023 at 2:36 AM, andromeda331 said:

The only reason I like Eric in The Little Mermaid is because he risk his life to save his dog. I would do the same thing.

That scored big points in my book. However, I wouldn’t say he was bland or boring, compared to the earlier princes. He was kind and modest and wanted to marry for love—and he didn’t hesitate to take Ariel in even when he thought she wasn’t the girl who rescued him. And unlike the Prince in Anderson’s original fairy tale, he did develop real feelings for Ariel and realized how dumb it was to fixate on a fantasy when there was a real girl he cared about right in front of him.

Regarding Hunchback, I guess I’m the only one that realized that Quasi’s journey wasn’t about “getting the girl”. It was about breaking free of his abusive relationship with Frollo and finding acceptance from others and himself. Say what you want about Esmeralda, but she did love him—she just wasn’t IN love with him—unlike Book Esmeralda, who only tolerated him and just couldn’t get past his looks even after he saved her life.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Blergh]

 Krull (1983) is a cool sci-fi/quasi medieval fantasy about a betrothed crown prince and  heiress princess intent on uniting their hithero battling kingdoms to save their world from doom. However just before their union is sealed,   get torn asunder by an outrightly evil alien conqueror with their families slaughtered and their world in ruins. .. Yet, each keeps faith in each other despite the odds and, with the help of a motley crew of straggling survivors who all gain confidence to fight for their bond and their very planet. Yes, there's quite a bit of hokum and unanswered questions (e.g. if no one could reach the Widow of the Web due to the gigantic ferocious spider guarding the Widow's prison/boudoir for untold decades, how did she get food,etc.). However, it had a very satisfying conclusion and a downright memorable and stirring musical orchestral and choral score. IMO, this one-shot movie wound up being far more appealing than the more fiscally successful Star Wars series! I suppose since it was a strictly British movie with relatively unknown stars that it didn't get the worldwide hype or distribution of the Hollywood franchises but it's well worth seeking out. Oh, and IMO it has one of the best orchestral and choral scores of any movie out there.

[BlueSkies]

Most John Hughes movies from the 80s kinda haven't aged that well.

 

Three O Clock High, Mannequin ,and My Bodyguard for example are better teen films from that era 

Edited April 30, 2023 by BlueSkies

[Wiendish Fitch]

6 minutes ago, BlueSkies said:

Most John Hughes movies from the 80s kinda haven't aged that well.

 

Three O Clock High, Mannequin ,and My Bodyguard for example are better teen films from that era 

I'd like to add The Sure Thing to that list. One of the rare, unofficial remakes that works beautifully. The Sure Thing is basically It Happened One Night, but it doesn't feel like a rote, scene by scene copy, and it has its own identity. 

And how adorable are John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga?!

[DoctorAtomic]

18 hours ago, Blergh said:

Krull (1983) is a cool sci-fi/quasi medieval fantasy about a betrothed crown prince and  heiress princess intent on uniting their hithero battling kingdoms to save their world from doom.

Hello, Other Person Who Also Watched Krull. There was a video game too that I played into the ground. 

 

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Hello, Other Person Who Also Watched Krull. There was a video game too that I played into the ground. 

 

I missed that one. However, I'd like to add that another plus of the movie is that the heroes were all cool, sympathetic and resourceful instead of blah punching bags!

[andromeda331]

22 hours ago, Blergh said:

 Krull (1983) is a cool sci-fi/quasi medieval fantasy about a betrothed crown prince and  heiress princess intent on uniting their hithero battling kingdoms to save their world from doom. However just before their union is sealed,   get torn asunder by an outrightly evil alien conqueror with their families slaughtered and their world in ruins. .. Yet, each keeps faith in each other despite the odds and, with the help of a motley crew of straggling survivors who all gain confidence to fight for their bond and their very planet. Yes, there's quite a bit of hokum and unanswered questions (e.g. if no one could reach the Widow of the Web due to the gigantic ferocious spider guarding the Widow's prison/boudoir for untold decades, how did she get food,etc.). However, it had a very satisfying conclusion and a downright memorable and stirring musical orchestral and choral score. IMO, this one-shot movie wound up being far more appealing than the more fiscally successful Star Wars series! I suppose since it was a strictly British movie with relatively unknown stars that it didn't get the worldwide hype or distribution of the Hollywood franchises but it's well worth seeking out. Oh, and IMO it has one of the best orchestral and choral scores of any movie out there.

I saw it once on cable. It was an awesome movie! 

[proserpina65]

On 4/30/2023 at 1:51 AM, Blergh said:

 Krull (1983) is a cool sci-fi/quasi medieval fantasy about a betrothed crown prince and  heiress princess intent on uniting their hithero battling kingdoms to save their world from doom. However just before their union is sealed,   get torn asunder by an outrightly evil alien conqueror with their families slaughtered and their world in ruins. .. Yet, each keeps faith in each other despite the odds and, with the help of a motley crew of straggling survivors who all gain confidence to fight for their bond and their very planet. Yes, there's quite a bit of hokum and unanswered questions (e.g. if no one could reach the Widow of the Web due to the gigantic ferocious spider guarding the Widow's prison/boudoir for untold decades, how did she get food,etc.). However, it had a very satisfying conclusion and a downright memorable and stirring musical orchestral and choral score. IMO, this one-shot movie wound up being far more appealing than the more fiscally successful Star Wars series! I suppose since it was a strictly British movie with relatively unknown stars that it didn't get the worldwide hype or distribution of the Hollywood franchises but it's well worth seeking out. Oh, and IMO it has one of the best orchestral and choral scores of any movie out there.

While I think it's cheesy as all get out and definitely not as good as the original Star Wars trilogy, I fricking love this movie.  At the time I wanted Lysette Anthony's hair and her dress.  Still kinda do.

Plus, it was the very first time I ever saw Liam Neeson. 

I saw it at the movies.  Yes, I'm old.

Edited May 1, 2023 by proserpina65

[Fool to cry]

Style > substance.

Sure it's great when a movie has the latter but it's even better when it's got the former too. It's not about money on the screen. There are expensive movies with no style while there are very low budget movies that still manage to have it. All it takes is interesting art direction, costumes and cinematography.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Fool to cry

[DoctorAtomic]

13 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I saw it at the movies.  Yes, I'm old.

The video game was for the Atari 2600.

[proserpina65]

7 minutes ago, Fool to cry said:

Style > substance.

Sure it's great when a movie has the latter but it's even better when it's got the former too. It's not about money on the screen. There are expensive movies with no style while there are very low budget movies that still manage to have it. All it takes is interesting art direction, costumes and cinematography.

It's better when a movie has both, but given a choice between the two, I'd generally choose substance over style.

[Wiendish Fitch]

37 minutes ago, Fool to cry said:

Style > substance.

Sure it's great when a movie has the latter but it's even better when it's got the former too. It's not about money on the screen. There are expensive movies with no style while there are very low budget movies that still manage to have it. All it takes is interesting art direction, costumes and cinematography.

 

29 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

It's better when a movie has both, but given a choice between the two, I'd generally choose substance over style.

I also think it's best to aim for both. Sorry to sound like a cranky old fart (which I guess I am), but I hate how the majority of movies nowadays look like they were shot in a badly lit storage closet. Promising Young Woman was one of the best-looking movies in recent years, because there was fucking color!

[proserpina65]

4 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I also think it's best to aim for both.

Oh, it's definitely best to aim for both, but if I had to choose between a great story with a lack of style and something which is all flash (Marvel movies, for example), I go for the thing with substance every time.

[dewelar]

23 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Oh, it's definitely best to aim for both, but if I had to choose between a great story with a lack of style and something which is all flash (Marvel movies, for example), I go for the thing with substance every time.

Yes, but at the same time, a movie could have the greatest story in the world, but if I can't see what's happening on the screen I won't watch it. Contrariwise, if something is visually appealing, I could at least tolerate watching it without engaging my brain. Thus, at least for me, style WITHOUT substance > substance without style.

Edited May 2, 2023 by dewelar

[Wiendish Fitch]

I'm just so sick of the attitude filmmakers have nowadays that in order to be taken seriously, cinematography has to be beyond butt-ugly. Every other movie looks so murky and drab, especially horror films.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: what made the horror in Midsommar so brutally effective is the fact that nearly everything happens in broad daylight and in this stunningly beautiful place. 

Horror classics such as Carrie and Poltergeist had a fairly normal, even colorful aesthetic, and that doesn't dampen their impact one bit. 

[proserpina65]

17 minutes ago, dewelar said:

Yes, but at the same time, a movie could have the greatest story in the world, but if I can't see what's happening on the screen I won't watch it.

For me, there's a difference between all style & no substance and not being able to see what's on the screen, though.  Also, I guess I'm somewhat less visually oriented, because no substance but lots of flash bores the crap out of me.  To each, their own, obviously, but I wish there were more movies in the theaters which had at least some substance.  Because there are far too many movies out there with very little, imo.

[dewelar]

22 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

For me, there's a difference between all style & no substance and not being able to see what's on the screen, though.  Also, I guess I'm somewhat less visually oriented, because no substance but lots of flash bores the crap out of me.  To each, their own, obviously, but I wish there were more movies in the theaters which had at least some substance.  Because there are far too many movies out there with very little, imo.

I suppose I was a bit glib in my earlier post. Indeed, "lots of flash" would definitely be boring, and not what I would consider "visually appealing". For instance, I loathe movies like the Avatar and Lord of the Rings series, but if I was in a certain frame of mind I could watch them for the visuals alone. The Austin Powers movies (well, the first two) also qualify as "visually appealing" to me, although obviously YMMV.

Also, I shouldn't have said "can't see what's happening", but instead "can't tell what's happening". I'm visually impaired myself, so I was kind of using shorthand there. Hope that clarifies things a bit.

[proserpina65]

16 minutes ago, dewelar said:

The Austin Powers movies (well, the first two) also qualify as "visually appealing" to me, although obviously YMMV.

Oh, they definitely were, but they had something going on underneath as well.  They're actually a good example of how you can have both, even if not necessarily in the same degree.

Thanks for the clarification, that does make sense.

[Kel Varnsen]

I watched Return of the Jedi with my daughter last night. And while most of the "special edition" changes were total garbage it doesn't bother me that the Anakin force ghost is Hayden Christiansen. Because if becoming a ghost can give you back your arms and legs and give you back long lost hair and figure out what it should look like then why can't it make you look 25 years younger?

[Anduin]

16 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I watched Return of the Jedi with my daughter last night. And while most of the "special edition" changes were total garbage it doesn't bother me that the Anakin force ghost is Hayden Christiansen. Because if becoming a ghost can give you back your arms and legs and give you back long lost hair and figure out what it should look like then why can't it make you look 25 years younger?

A theory I once read, that's the last time he was on the light side until right before he died. While Obi-Wan and Yoda stayed on the light their whole lives. But I grew up with Sebastian Shaw, that's who I prefer.

[andromeda331]

9 hours ago, Anduin said:

A theory I once read, that's the last time he was on the light side until right before he died. While Obi-Wan and Yoda stayed on the light their whole lives. But I grew up with Sebastian Shaw, that's who I prefer.

That was when Anakin "died" and Vader was born.

[Anduin]

25 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

That was when Anakin "died" and Vader was born.

Yep!

[DoctorAtomic]

To be fair, if you watched Kenobi...

Spoiler

...in their 'final' battle, after Kenobi cracks Vader's helmet, they do a great split with the voice (HC is in the suit) where Vader says "I killed Anakin Skywalker". I know they did it to retcon ANH, but it still works. 

When you think about the whole thing, the Sith take on their Darth names. Palpatine bestowed Vader before the suit. The Jedi are still the same names. 

One could point to some mental health issues here. Certainly with Anakin. 

 

[JustHereForFood]

On 4/26/2023 at 3:28 AM, pancake bacon said:

This is not the freshest of unpopular opinions, but I just don't care about The Little Mermaid – original from 1989, or the upcoming live action version. Yes, partly because it's disturbing about the notion of willing to give up your voice (and I know others have pointed out the themes of the movie are actually more complex), partly because I don't enjoy Ariel and Eric. 

Maybe a riskier unpopular opinion: I loved the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast – the new songs by Menken and Tim Rice were lovely, worthy additions and the extra context of the hand-waved moments in the animated version was good storytelling through live action. Sure, there were better options than Emma Watson, but she was not a fatal choice. 

I agree on both points, I prefer most Disney movies to The Little Mermaid and I really liked the live action version of The Beauty and the Beast. But I would add that casting Emma Watson as Belle is one of the best casting decisions ever (say what you want about her singing).

 

On 4/29/2023 at 1:43 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Regarding Hunchback, I guess I’m the only one that realized that Quasi’s journey wasn’t about “getting the girl”. It was about breaking free of his abusive relationship with Frollo and finding acceptance from others and himself. Say what you want about Esmeralda, but she did love him—she just wasn’t IN love with him—unlike Book Esmeralda, who only tolerated him and just couldn’t get past his looks even after he saved her life.

[BlueSkies]

Thinking back to 2004 these 2 movies were rated really good which I thought were lousy:

 

Garden State

Napoleon Dynamite

 

Napoleon I gave up after 15 minutes.  Garden State- I could not find anything for me to embrace the main character at all 

[Kel Varnsen]

On 5/27/2023 at 7:38 PM, Anduin said:

But I grew up with Sebastian Shaw, that's who I prefer.

I grew up with it too, it's just compared to all the other dumb changes like the musical number, it doesn't really bother me that much. Because if they really wanted the ghost to be old Anakin he should have no hair or limbs.

[kiddo82]

14 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

Thinking back to 2004 these 2 movies were rated really good which I thought were lousy:

 

Garden State

Napoleon Dynamite

 

Napoleon I gave up after 15 minutes.  Garden State- I could not find anything for me to embrace the main character at all 

I'm not defending Napoleon Dynamite, which I agree ain't great, but I think of it more as one of those things that just caught on with the zeitgeist for whatever reason.  Once that played itself out it feels like people mostly forgot about it.  In a weird way I feel the same about Garden State which was much more a critics fave than a popular fave.  I saw it in the theater, thought "It's fine" and never had the desire to watch it again.  I couldn't even give you a synopsis of it off the top of my head.

[BlueSkies]

I loved Office Space as much as anyone.  

 

But I'm starting to think parts of the film are starting to show its age a little: the floppy disks, the desktops they were using, pre cell phone days (not that thats a bad thing just saying), plus it was before I'm gonna guess a good amount of those jobs today in the movie are either outsourced totally or the can be done work from home? 

[andromeda331]

I'm fine with either Anakin. Hayden or Sebastian. The only scene I really like that was added to Return of the Jedi special edition was seeing all the celebrating of Palpatine's death/fall of the Empire on the different planets. It was great to see how happy everyone is.  

[Spartan Girl]

7 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I'm fine with either Anakin. Hayden or Sebastian. The only scene I really like that was added to Return of the Jedi special edition was seeing all the celebrating of Palpatine's death/fall of the Empire on the different planets. It was great to see how happy everyone is.  

And I liked the score that played over that scene of the special edition.

In the subject, I don’t get why “Fathoms Below” is the most unpopular Little Mermaid song. It’s not my favorite, but I always loved how it helped set the tone  at the beginning of the movie, transitioning from a sailor sea shanty to the underwater mystical-sounding “Part of Your World” score.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Fool to cry]

Since every time I see Seth Rogan mentioned here or anywhere else online it's people saying they can't stand him or his laugh my unpopular opinion is I actually don't have a problem with either. I've liked him in both comedies and dramas like JOBS.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Fool to cry

[DoctorAtomic]

I've always liked him too. In interviews, he seems affable and doesn't take himself seriously. 

[BlueSkies]

I respect Once Upon A Time in America.

 

But I tried watching it more than once and found it a colossal bore fest.  Once Jennifer Connellys characters scene was done with her and the young Noodles I checked out 

[Guest]

On 6/4/2023 at 12:14 PM, BlueSkies said:

I respect Once Upon A Time in America.

 

But I tried watching it more than once and found it a colossal bore fest.  Once Jennifer Connellys characters scene was done with her and the young Noodles I checked out 

While this certainly isn't true of her entire career, Jennifer Connelly does have a knack for being the only worthwhile part of many projects.

[Blergh]

On 5/30/2023 at 11:11 PM, andromeda331 said:

I'm fine with either Anakin. Hayden or Sebastian. The only scene I really like that was added to Return of the Jedi special edition was seeing all the celebrating of Palpatine's death/fall of the Empire on the different planets. It was great to see how happy everyone is.  

Oh, but it's evident via the Add-Ons that Abrams just couldn't abide the idea of others being happy for any reason and set out to do all he could via said Add-Ons to rain on everyone's parade and be an audience crepe-hanger! 😠

[Spartan Girl]

It’s been almost ten years, and I still think Rosamund Pike should’ve won Vest Actress for Gone Girl instead of Julienne Moore for Still Alice.

[BlueSkies]

A Few Good Men is a movie I watched as an adult and just found it boring not that good.  

 

The "I Want The Truth You Can't Handle The Truth Seemed" scene seemed epic as a kid to me but now aahhh 

[DearEvette]

On 6/14/2023 at 8:05 PM, Spartan Girl said:

It’s been almost ten years, and I still think Rosamund Pike should’ve won Vest Actress for Gone Girl instead of Julienne Moore for Still Alice.

Ooh, that's nothing.  it has been twenty years and I am still pressed over the fact that Denzel Washington's portrayal Malcolm X lost to Al Pacino's over the top scenery chew of Scent of a Woman.  Yeah it was a long over due make up Oscar (which I hate because it is supposed to be about the performance, but I digress...).  If he had to win his make up Oscar it is a shame it went to that performance which, imo, was just a bag of tics.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

Ooh, that's nothing.  it has been twenty years and I am still pressed over the fact that Denzel Washington's portrayal Malcolm X lost to Al Pacino's over the top scenery chew of Scent of a Woman.  Yeah it was a long over due make up Oscar (which I hate because it is supposed to be about the performance, but I digress...).  If he had to win his make up Oscar it is a shame it went to that performance which, imo, was just a bag of tics.

Co-sign. I’m glad Denzel won eventually but dammit he should’ve won for that one too!

[Crs97]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Pacino's over the top scenery chew of Scent of a Woman

I always thought Chris O’Donnell should have told the headmaster which students damaged his car so I have always hated Al Pacino’s big speech at the end (“I’ve been around you know. 🙄)

[Fool to cry]

I have no problem with the current "product origin story" movie trend: Tetris, Air Jordans, Hot Cheetos, and now Beanie Babies. The dumber the better! LOL! At least it's something different. I do want to see one about a failed product like New Coke.

[Shannon L.]

I enjoyed Air and Tetris and plan on watching the other two eventually.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Fool to cry said:

I have no problem with the current "product origin story" movie trend: Tetris, Air Jordans, Hot Cheetos, and now Beanie Babies. The dumber the better! LOL! At least it's something different. I do want to see one about a failed product like New Coke.

I really liked Flamin' Hot. It actually makes me want to try FHCheetos lol.

[DoctorAtomic]

I would be all in on a New Coke movie. I lived it. 

[proserpina65]

Not necessarily an unpopular opinion but more an existential question: why is there a Barbie movie? WHY????

[Wiendish Fitch]

1 minute ago, proserpina65 said:

Not necessarily an unpopular opinion but more an existential question: why is there a Barbie movie? WHY????