Unpopular Opinions

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Yup. Ricardo Montalban in dark makeup and a long black wig, identified as probably mostly sikh. Montalban wasn't asian himself, obviously, but it was the sixties, and hey, they could have hired a pasty british guy with pale blue eyes.

 

Nitpicking because that's what I live for - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan came out in 1982, and Montalban played Khan then too. If they had wanted to stick with tradition, they could have cast Danny Trejo. :-)

[Julia]

Nitpicking because that's what I live for - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan came out in 1982, and Montalban played Khan then too. If they had wanted to stick with tradition, they could have cast Danny Trejo. :-)

I'm gonna guess that the tradition they were interested in at that point was canon.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I'm gonna guess that the tradition they were interested in at that point was canon.

 

That's not entirely what I meant. I meant Montalban (an actor born in Mexico) played Khan back in '82, and that the people behind into Darkness could have cast Trejo (an actor of Mexican descent)  in the role instead of Cumberbatch. I guess that's what I get for trying to be humorous.

[methodwriter85]

I didn't find Julie in Julie and Julia all that annoying and I liked her story. I was prepared to find her annoying because many people were saying she was an annoying character, but I was alright with her.

[Crs97]

Julie in the book was much more annoying than Julie in the movie, IMO.

[Julia]

I didn't find Julie in Julie and Julia all that annoying and I liked her story. I was prepared to find her annoying because many people were saying she was an annoying character, but I was alright with her.

Julie in the book was much more annoying than Julie in the movie, IMO.

It's possible movie-Julie (who, after all, was Amy Adams) wouldn't have been so grating if I hadn't been exposed to online-Julie or book-Julie first.

As it is, I went into the movie with serious reservations about her sincerity, pitying her husband, and thoroughly understanding why Julia Child felt the way she did, so for me it was a matter of finding a way to redeem the character. I didn't think they did. But then, the onscreen character had much less to apologize for.

I still kind of wish they had just made the Julia Child section its own movie.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Julia

[magicdog]

still kind of wish they had just made the Julia Child section its own movie.

 

 

ITA!  One could edit Julie's scenes out and there'd still be an enjoyable film.  As for Julie herself - I hadn't read her blog nor her books (she has since published another) but from what I'd read of her, she seemed like a real.....shall we say, piece of work? 

[proserpina65]

UO, I guess - I don't care that Cabbagehead Boobyhatch was cast as Khan. Sure, he kinda looks like an annoyed grasshopper, but I think that he acquitted himself fairly admirably in the role.

 

Let me clarify my position on this: they should never have used the Khan character.  Any actor in the role would've been a pale imitation of the glorious charisma which Ricardo Montalban brought to the original.

 

Edited April 27, 2015 by proserpina65

[topanga]

I saw 9 to 5 recently and was horrified. That movie is NOT funny. Not a single bit of it, it's bad sitcom crap. Really, really bad.

I haven't seen it in a long time, and I remember it being funny--but very 1980s. I loved it back then, but it probably has not aged well.

[magicdog]

I saw 9 to 5 recently and was horrified. That movie is NOT funny. Not a single bit of it, it's bad sitcom crap

 

 

Funny you should mention sitcom.  It was made into a short lived sitcom not long after;  Dolly Parton's sister played Dora Lee, and Rita Moreno played Violet.

[caracas1914]

Spielberg's "1941" I found to be deliriously silly fun.  You have to give in to the wackiness of it all but I enjoyed it a lot even with a recent repeat viewing.

[Ubiquitous]

There is going to be a sequel.

Why? There's nothing else to tell about Decker.

 

Let me clarify my position on this: they should never have used the Khan character.  Any actor in the role would've been a pale imitation of the glorious charisma which Ricardo Montalban brought to the original.

Their first mistake was remaking Wrath of Kahn instead of a new Star Trek movie.

[caracas1914]

What made it stupid was that the new reboot was supposedly to free them up from past canon which had paralyzed Star Trek. There was way too much history, so to just go back and redo "Wrath of Khan" was idiotic. They could have gone in so many new fresh directions, and instead dared comparisons with arguably the best Star Trek movie ever made with one of the most iconic villains ever.

Benedict has his gifts , but he can't do "rich corinthian leather" like Ricardo Montalban as Khan could.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Their first mistake was remaking Wrath of Kahn instead of a new Star Trek movie.

 

Which Kahn would that be, Madeline Kahn?

 

Don't get up, I'll kick myself out.

[Ubiquitous]

flames... flames, on the sides of my face...

[Bastet]

My Julie & Julia UO: I'm generally bothered by movies based on real people deviating so much from reality, but I don’t care that the film's version of Julie Powell bears little resemblance to the real deal, who is a rather crappy human being, or that I completely agreed with Julia Child’s reaction to Powell’s project – I find the film utterly charming and enjoy the fictional version of Powell despite knowing it’s very much a fiction.

[methodwriter85]

My Julie & Julia UO: I'm generally bothered by movies based on real people deviating so much from reality, but I don’t care that the film's version of Julie Powell bears little resemblance to the real deal, who is a rather crappy human being, or that I completely agreed with Julia Child’s reaction to Powell’s project – I find the film utterly charming and enjoy the fictional version of Powell despite knowing it’s very much a fiction.

 

Yeah, Julie Powell in the movie is a pretty sweet, Amy Adam's charm-infused character. I know nothing of the real person, so I guess I should be glad that I don't?

[Julia]

Yeah, Julie Powell in the movie is a pretty sweet, Amy Adam's charm-infused character. I know nothing of the real person, so I guess I should be glad that I don't?

You know that section of the movie where she turns from a likable young woman into a monstrous narcissist who dismisses and ill-treats her husband and whines continuously despite being extremely lucky but it's all because she can't handle the stress and she feels real bad about it?

Well, not so much.

Not just me, though. She gave interviews after the movie came out, while she was promoting her next book, and said the sweet character was an invention of the moviemakers. The next book was about the obsessive and very public affair she had post-the first book and exactly, in detail, how her extremely private husband who didn't want her to write about him reacted to each act of humiliation she cheerfully didn't give a shit about inflicting on him. Oh, and butchering. So, more or less the same balance as the first.

Made it a little difficult to fall in love with adorably flawed movie Julie. For me, anyway.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Julia

[spaceytraci1208]

Out of all the Avengers,I kinda have a thing for the Hulk...not Bruce Banner (although Mark Ruffalo is adorable), I mean The Hulk lol. I find that I'm drawn to power & strength and The Hulk is just a walking/smashing ball of testosterone

[dusang]

Out of all the Avengers,I kinda have a thing for the Hulk...not Bruce Banner (although Mark Ruffalo is adorable), I mean The Hulk lol. I find that I'm drawn to power & strength and The Hulk is just a walking/smashing ball of testosterone

 

Many moons ago, while we were still in high school, my friends and I were talking about our favourite Disney princes.  Many of my friends like Eric, from The Little Mermaid.  Someone said the re-humanized Beast.  I said I preferred the Beast as the Beast because he's so big and hulky.  My friend's older brother, who was present for this ridiculous conversation, looked at me and, very seriously, said, "You have issues."  Which, valid.  Either way, my favourite Disney prince is actually Shang from Mulan, and I'll just stop talking now.

[spaceytraci1208]

Many moons ago, while we were still in high school, my friends and I were talking about our favourite Disney princes. Many of my friends like Eric, from The Little Mermaid. Someone said the re-humanized Beast. I said I preferred the Beast as the Beast because he's so big and hulky. My friend's older brother, who was present for this ridiculous conversation, looked at me and, very seriously, said, "You have issues." Which, valid. Either way, my favourite Disney prince is actually Shang from Mulan, and I'll just stop talking now.

I am with you on pre-transformation Beast! Human beast looked like a chick lol

[Wiendish Fitch]

It's not that I'm against Beast turning back into a human (otherwise, what kind of relationship could he and Belle have?), but... that was the best they could do? To be fair, though, the Beast-turned-Prince in the 1946 Cocteau version is a thousand times worse (they put him in a dippy, garish costume, and he's wearing more make-up than Belle).

 

Let's hope the good folks at Disney can make Dan Stevens equally desirable as both the Beast and the Prince in the upcoming live action version.

[Julia]

If Beauty and the Beast did it for you, you should track down Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete. Spoiler alert: Jean Marais/the beast is far more hot than Jean Marais/the prince ever dreamed of being, although I can see how Cocteau didn't get that.

[Bastet]

There are two films that most people I know enjoy, whether they find them good or, more commonly, so silly bad they're entertaining in that way, that I just find stupid: Legally Blonde and Bring It On. 

 

In Legally Blonde, I like when Jennifer Coolidge gets her dog back, and in Bring It On, I like the "Hey, Mickey" end credits.  That's it.

 

I'm not sure if this is unpopular as well, but while I have Reese Witherspoon on the brain -- I don't like Sweet Home Alabama.  Great supporting cast (Candice Bergen, Jean Smart, Mary Kay Place, Fred Ward, Mary Lynn Rajskub), a nice moment or two, and a few great lines (e.g. "People need a passport to come down here"), but I don't buy that there's still anything between her and her ex (or not so ex)-husband, and certainly nothing worth leaving Patrick Dempsey at the altar over. 

[OptimisticCynic]

I will never understand the appeal of Adam Driver. 

[Julia]

I'm not sure if this is unpopular as well, but while I have Reese Witherspoon on the brain -- I don't like Sweet Home Alabama. Great supporting cast (Candice Bergen, Jean Smart, Mary Kay Place, Fred Ward, Mary Lynn Rajskub), a nice moment or two, and a few great lines (e.g. "People need a passport to come down here"), but I don't buy that there's still anything between her and her ex (or not so ex)-husband, and certainly nothing worth leaving Patrick Dempsey at the altar over.

I think they were more getting at her trying to run away from her authentic self by trying to be a hardassed businesswoman instead of a small town girl, and Patrick Dempsey wanting to marry the woman she was pretending to be instead of who she really was. Her husband knew Who She Really Was.

Except, her authentic self was someone who wanted a career she couldn't build in Alabama. Which, for whatever it's worth, I grew up in NYC. Just about everyone here is from somewhere else and barely anyone knows their neighbors to speak to, let alone their genealogy. That's kind of the point of NYC. Which makes it a little weird that the conflict is between ancestor-worshipping New York and the small town south, where no-one cares who your people are.

Just, not my experience of either place.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Julia

[Bastet]

It’s just such a tired stereotype, that the “small town girl” has to “return to her roots” -- and, of course, the country boy is better for her than the city slicker.  She seemed quite happy with her life in NY, and for me the great achievement was when she realized she didn’t need to be ashamed of where she came from; both experiences made her who she is.  Introducing her parents to Patrick Dempsey is a great moment; she’s finally proud to say these are my parents, and this is where I grew up, and he’s pleased to meet them and see this part of herself she’s always kept hidden.  In my movie, they’d get married and return to their home in NY, her parents would finally come visit her there instead of hiding behind “it’s just not us,” they’d go back to visit her parents and old friends, etc. 

 

It was very obviously never going to be that movie, so I wasn’t remotely surprised by the reunion with the guy from her past, but I wasn’t remotely sold on it, either.  To me, she had it right when she said she was just the first girl who climbed in the back of his truck.  They were young, she got pregnant, they thought they had to get married, it didn’t work out.  This “Golly gee, I’m still in love with my childhood sweetheart” revelation is pure bunk to me.

 

It’s on TV a lot, so I watch it occasionally to see if my opinion has changed, and every time I just sit there at the end saying, “I don’t see it.”

Edited May 17, 2015 by Bastet

[DeLurker]

Which makes it a little weird that the conflict is between ancestor-worshipping New York and the small town south, where no-one cares who your people are.

Just, not my experience of either place.

I thought the ancestor stuff mattered to Mom because she was Mayor or something and wanted her son to eventually be President. I didn't see it as a reflection on how a New Yorker would feel.

[Julia]

I thought the ancestor stuff mattered to Mom because she was Mayor or something and wanted her son to eventually be President. I didn't see it as a reflection on how a New Yorker would feel.

I don't think any New York politician believes that being married to a southerner would hurt them in a national election ;)

[UYI]

Many moons ago, while we were still in high school, my friends and I were talking about our favourite Disney princes.  Many of my friends like Eric, from The Little Mermaid.  Someone said the re-humanized Beast.  I said I preferred the Beast as the Beast because he's so big and hulky.  My friend's older brother, who was present for this ridiculous conversation, looked at me and, very seriously, said, "You have issues."  Which, valid.  Either way, my favourite Disney prince is actually Shang from Mulan, and I'll just stop talking now.

 

My favorite Disney prince is actually Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty.

 

But my biggest Disney crush was always Peter Pan, which is disturbing now that I'm an adult, and he never grew up. :P

[Rick Kitchen]

 

But my biggest Disney crush was always Peter Pan, which is disturbing now that I'm an adult, and he never grew up. :P

 

And was usually played by a girl.  :D

[Julia]

And was usually played by a girl.  :D

 

who has two girls, one of them invisible, fighting over her.

[PepSinger]

 

Except, her authentic self was someone who wanted a career she couldn't build in Alabama. Which, for whatever it's worth, I grew up in NYC. Just about everyone here is from somewhere else and barely anyone knows their neighbors to speak to, let alone their genealogy. That's kind of the point of NYC. Which makes it a little weird that the conflict is between ancestor-worshipping New York and the small town south, where no-one cares who your people are.

THIS. I'm from Alabama, and the reason I left is because I couldn't have the career that I wanted there. Quite frankly, I've never understood her embarrassment about being from AL. I'm not, with the exception of our horrid politics. Aren't a lot of people from some place else?

 

And Bastet, I am with you regarding her choosing Josh Lucas over Patrick Dempsey. He was such a nice guy, and I felt bad for him. Of course, if this movie were made today, I have a feeling that PD's character would've come out on top seeing as he's the bigger star now.

Edited May 18, 2015 by PepSinger

[UYI]

And was usually played by a girl.  :D

 

Well, to be fair, the late Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter Pan in the Disney movie, making him the first boy ever in the role, even though it was a cartoon. :)

Edited May 19, 2015 by UYI

[ribboninthesky1]

It's not unpopular to find Chris Evans attractive, but he does nothing for me physically as Steve Rogers/Captain America.  Steve's personality and character are what I find most appealing. I was thoroughly meh about the wood-splitting scene in the latest Avengers film. And it's not like I don't appreciate muscular physiques, but something is just off for me. I dare to state that he looks unnatural to me at times. I mean, Chris Hemsworth is noticeably leaner outside of Thor, but I guess his body type lends itself to being buff(er) without looking prosthetic? It's hard to describe.  In any case, I prefer leaner Chris Evans.     

[Julia]

It's not unpopular to find Chris Evans attractive, but he does nothing for me physically as Steve Rogers/Captain America.  Steve's personality and character are what I find most appealing...  In any case, I prefer leaner Chris Evans.     

 

I actually liked skinny little Steve Rogers best, and bulky Cap's torso doesn't do that much for me, but speaking from the very furthest shallow end of the pool, I could watch him hit that punching bag for a long, long time without getting bored.

[Shannon L.]

 

It's not unpopular to find Chris Evans attractive, but he does nothing for me physically as Steve Rogers/Captain America.  Steve's personality and character are what I find most appealing. I was thoroughly meh about the wood-splitting scene in the latest Avengers film. And it's not like I don't appreciate muscular physiques, but something is just off for me. I dare to state that he looks unnatural to me at times.

I like his physique both as Steve Rogers and his usual self, but I don't care for the blond hair and clean shaven.  On him I like the darker hair with a short beard .

 

but speaking from the very furthest shallow end of the pool, I could watch him hit that punching bag for a long, long time without getting bored.

Amen.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Wiendish Fitch:I get angry when Leni Riefenstahl is hailed as an important feminist icon, but Mary Pickford, who was the first woman in Hollywood to become a millionaire, was one of the first women to produce films, and who helped found AMPAS, doesn't get so much as a peep.

What???!!!??????!!!!

Seriously, when has  anyone called Leni Riefenstahl an important feminist icon? Or suggested that Mary Pickford is not?  For forty years I've been telling everyone that FemiNazis were just boogeywomen invented by jerks in the Men's Rights Movement.  You're saying I've been wrong all this time?

 

On the other hand I do agree with you that:

 

the Beast-turned-Prince in the 1946 Cocteau version is a thousand times worse (they put him in a dippy, garish costume, and he's wearing more make-up than Belle).

You know that Greta Garbo famously turned to her companion in the theatre when the film ended and said, "Give me back my Beast."  Everybody knows the Beast is sexier.  That's why they did the Ron Perlman makeup the way they did on the TV series way back when.

[bmoore4026]

Many moons ago, while we were still in high school, my friends and I were talking about our favourite Disney princes.  Many of my friends like Eric, from The Little Mermaid.  Someone said the re-humanized Beast.  I said I preferred the Beast as the Beast because he's so big and hulky.  My friend's older brother, who was present for this ridiculous conversation, looked at me and, very seriously, said, "You have issues."  Which, valid.  Either way, my favourite Disney prince is actually Shang from Mulan, and I'll just stop talking now.

 

Then we both have issues, dusang, because Beastform Beast is my favorite Disney Prince, too.  I'm not a furry but I'm also not going to deny that Beast was better looking as a beast than a man, though I did find his human form kind of cute, too.

 

Unpopular opinion - Have I mentioned yet that I don't much care for Stanley Kubrick?  I find him vastly overrated and his treatment of the cast and crew of his movies is abhorrent, laying the ground for guys like James Cameron and David O. Russell and other "auteurs" who think it OK to abuse people in order to get results.

Edited May 26, 2015 by bmoore4026

[Athena]

Then we both have issues, dusang, because Beastform Beast is my favorite Disney Prince, too.  I'm not a furry but I'm also not going to deny that Beast was better looking as a beast than a man, though I did find his human form kind of cute, too.

 

Thirded. Part of this was that the voice changed as well. It really was an all out physical transformation. I remember watching it as a child and thinking, "Cute but I miss the Beast," We also didn't really get to know human!Beast much. While fitting to the story, the audience connected with the Beast for most of the movie and then poof, he was replaced with this blond guy.

[raezen]

 

Unpopular opinion - Have I mentioned yet that I don't much care for Stanley Kubrick?  I find him vastly overrated and his treatment of the cast and crew of his movies is abhorrent, laying the ground for guys like James Cameron and David O. Russell and other "auteurs" who think it OK to abuse people in order to get results.

This is also why I don't like Entourage. I find it just normalizes horrible behaviour in the industry. 

Edited May 26, 2015 by raezen

[Julia]

Unpopular opinion - Have I mentioned yet that I don't much care for Stanley Kubrick?  I find him vastly overrated and his treatment of the cast and crew of his movies is abhorrent, laying the ground for guys like James Cameron and David O. Russell and other "auteurs" who think it OK to abuse people in order to get results.

 

I didn't even know about the abuse. I just think his movies manage somehow to be bombastic and painfully boring at the same time.

 

Well, and the thing where the blacklist came to an end when Kirk Douglas was so disgusted that Kubrick tried to take advantage of it to steal credit for writing the script for Spartacus that he gave a screen credit to Dalton Trumbo. Nice guy.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Julia

[Wiendish Fitch]

I didn't even know about the abuse. I just think his movies manage somehow to be bombastic and painfully boring at the same time.

 

Well, and the thing where the blacklist came to an end when Kirk Douglas was so disgusted that Kubrick tried to take advantage of it to steal credit for writing the script for Spartacus that he gave a screen credit to Dalton Trumbo. Nice guy.

 

Spartacus is the only Kubrick film I have any interest in ever re-visiting; ironic, considering that Kubrick hated it and rarely talked about it later on.

[Julia]

Spartacus is the only Kubrick film I have any interest in ever re-visiting; ironic, considering that Kubrick hated it and rarely talked about it later on.

 

I just think it's unseemly, under the circumstances, that he put so much energy into trashing the script. He liked it enough to put his name on it.

[wanderingstar]

I don't get what the big deal is about Chris Pratt. He did nothing for me in Guardians of the Galaxy (neither did the movie, tbh).

[millennium]

Why? There's nothing else to tell about Decker.

 

Their first mistake was remaking Wrath of Kahn instead of a new Star Trek movie.

 

Probably they'll milk the whole "was he a replicant or wasn't he?" controversy that's been raging for years thanks to the assorted re-edits of the film and the filmmaker's comments in interviews.    Pity they're adding no-talent Ryan Gosling to the mix.

 

And yeah.

Edited May 28, 2015 by millennium

[proserpina65]

I don't hate Russell Brand.  I mean, I do think he's very weird and kinda skeevy, but he was funny in Get Him to the Greek.

[Shannon L.]

 

I don't hate Russell Brand.  I mean, I do think he's very weird and kinda skeevy, but he was funny in Get Him to the Greek.

I don't either.  Although, with the exception of Rock of Ages, I've never seen anything he's been in, but I've read his more serious opinion pieces and find them well thought out and written and I agree with a lot of what he says. I bet he's a lot smarter than people think.

[Ohwell]

I don't hate Russell Brand either.  I feel like I'd want to take him out back and hose him down, but afterwards, I'd love to have a conversation with him.

[harrie]

I find Russell Brand interesting and I'm always surprised by how 1) polite; and 2) informed he seems when discussing a topic, doing a red carpet or whatever. But of the roles I've seen, it's always the same one - the outrageous rock star type of thing. I'd like to see him do something different.  (Has he done something different than that that I just haven't heard of?)