Unpopular Opinions

[Schweedie]

7 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I just wish I wasn't spoiled when I saw it.  The film's been parodied so much it's nearly impossible to reach a certain age and not know the answer to the central mystery.  I think the ending would have been more impactful had I not known it was coming.

I actually can't remember whether or not I was spoiled when I watched it, but I saw it with a group of friends when we were... 18, maybe? - after we'd decided we were going to watch old classics and we were all completely underwhelmed. Someone was like, "Wait, that was it?!" after it finished. (We then watched Some Like It Hot and enjoyed that much more.)

Edited January 22, 2017 by Schweedie

[Kel Varnsen]

On 14/01/2017 at 9:04 PM, millennium said:

I won't see any movie starring Duane The Rock Johnson.   He is to movies what bubblegum was to rock and roll, yet somebody out there is still trying to repackage him as a SERIOUS action star.    I reject the effort.  He's too bland, too boring, and he looks like a toy of some kind.

Which is kind of funny since i remember reading an article a few years ago about how Johnson was trying to reinvent himself. When he first started acting he was doing straight up action movies (I really liked Walking Tall). Then when action movies started to no be successful he switched to family movies and comedies. Now it seems he is doing both.

2 hours ago, Schweedie said:

I actually can't remember whether or not I was spoiled when I watched it, but I saw it with a group of friends when we were... 18, maybe? - after we'd decided we were going to watch old classics and we were all completely underwhelmed. Someone was like, "Wait, that was it?!" after it finished. (We then watched Some Like It Hot and enjoyed that much more.)

I remember watching it in my 20's and thinking the same thing. Then I watched the DVD commentary which I think was done by Roger Ebert. He explained how a lot of the stuff that makes it revolutionary was filming stuff. Like how they developed  new camera lenses so that when someone in the foreground was in focus, someone in the background could be in focus too. The sets were also different in that they had ceilings so you could have the cameras pointed up. Movie sets at the time had open ceilings for lights, limiting the camera angles.

[UYI]

The wire hangers scene in Mommie Dearest doesn't really make me laugh at all, unintentionally or not. Seen in its entirety, it's actually pretty fucking frightening, especially when you remember that it most likely happened in real life. 

[Bastet]

On 1/21/2017 at 5:46 PM, GreekGeek said:

I like old movies, but I find the dramas hold up much better than the comedies.

I'm the opposite -- screwball comedies make up a huge percentage of my favorite films from the '30s (and early '40s).

[DarkRaichu]

I hate Ratatouille.  A rat in the kitchen is not healthy no matter how many times it washed its front feet.

Don't get me started on the rat infested house in the beginning of the movie.  Blech

Edited January 24, 2017 by DarkRaichu

[Jazzy24]

44 minutes ago, DarkRaichu said:

I hate Ratatouille.  A rat in the kitchen is not healthy no matter how many times it washed its front feet.

Don't get me started on the rat infested house in the beginning of the movie.  Blech

That movie triggers my phobia of rodents. I seriously can't take that movie at all. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

Ratatouille was boring, contrived, un-involving, and Linguine's character arc was so pointless I wanted to tear my hair out. 

[IWantCandy71]

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 0:15 AM, Bastet said:

I'm the opposite -- screwball comedies make up a huge percentage of my favorite films from the '30s (and early '40s).

"It Happened One Night" is and will always be, my favorite movie from that era. Watching it now, it does have what could be considered some offensive moments in it, but it wasn't offensive at the time, nor was it meant to be offensive, so I don't stress over it. Original, sparkly, funny, sweet, and great chemistry with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It is in fact, IMO, probably one of those movies that sparked the whole genre  of romantic comedies. I don't think that's an  UO, just had to throw that in here.

About the previous discussion about "The Rock". I don't seek his movies  out, but if I'm bored and there's nothing else on Redbox, I might watch one. He IS bland, but not as bland as say, Vin Diesel.

Edited January 25, 2017 by IWantCandy71

[Wiendish Fitch]

Some people on this board have complained about the acting style in old movies. I'm not here to dismiss them, for they're not entirely wrong; acting back then was more stylized, and a bit more over the top.

HOWEVER...

My UO is that I don't think all "pre-Brando" acting was, and given the choice between the stylized acting of the past and the drab, unemotional, "dull surprise" method of acting of today (Mia Wasikowska, are you reading this?), I would pick the former in a heartbeat without a modicum of regret.

[IWantCandy71]

I look at the overall quality of a movie, rather than just the acting style. I too, can't disagree with criticisms of how "stagey" and rehearsed some of the acting was back then, but that was the way it was at the time. I'll still take "IHON" over many of the later copy cats. Simply because at the time, it was fresh and new. Now, rom coms made today are raunchy and boring and been there, done that. The acting may be more natural, but if the plot isn't fresh and inventive, I couldn't care less about the film.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I don't even find a lot of today's acting all that natural; people either seem genuinely uncomfortable when they deliver their lines, or they seem to just blurt things out. Here's my scratch test: if I'm not thinking about the acting, then the actors are doing their job just fine. Anything else is just nitpicking, IMO.

[IWantCandy71]

That's kind of my test, too. I don't want to know you are acting. And yes I guess Clark Gable fails that test at certain points in that movie, but at other times, he's good. Claudette Colbert, what can I say. She could play sultry like nobody's business, and is in fact the closest to a "girl crush" I ever had. She was so awesome.

[Blergh]

18 hours ago, IWantCandy71 said:

That's kind of my test, too. I don't want to know you are acting. And yes I guess Clark Gable fails that test at certain points in that movie, but at other times, he's good. Claudette Colbert, what can I say. She could play sultry like nobody's business, and is in fact the closest to a "girl crush" I ever had. She was so awesome.

Ironically, Miss Colbert told friends she was GLAD to have finished that movie because, unlike her character, she did NOT like Clark Gable.

 

 Oh, to bring the UO to contemporary standards, I don't care if he HAS been nominated for an Oscar, I STILL won't see anything Mel Gibson produces, directs or performs in -especially since he seems to have this tude of minimizing his [previous?] abusive deeds and words and expecting everyone else to get over it straight away!

[caracas1914]

I think acting styles per era are just different but not necessarily better/worse, just like Impressionism is a different school from Pre Rafelites as far as painting and a viewer's taste vary.

For example, I'd take the "stylized"  acting of the screwball comedies "His Girl Friday", "Bringing up Baby"  and "My man Godfrey", etc.  over the more "natural" acting today in many movie comedies.

[Athena]

I think there are certain actors (underrated mostly) today who employ a stylized acting similar to the bygone era. Character actors definitely. Bryan Cranston when he does comedy such as in Malcolm in the Middle or even in some talk show skits has a certain 1940s comedy quality to him. Not movies, but Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser played Pete Campbell at certain moments with an ebullient quality that reminded me of classic films. He was one of the more underrated actors in the show.

[IWantCandy71]

22 hours ago, Blergh said:

Ironically, Miss Colbert told friends she was GLAD to have finished that movie because, unlike her character, she did NOT like Clark Gable.

 

 Oh, to bring the UO to contemporary standards, I don't care if he HAS been nominated for an Oscar, I STILL won't see anything Mel Gibson produces, directs or performs in -especially since he seems to have this tude of minimizing his [previous?] abusive deeds and words and expecting everyone else to get over it straight away!

I think I read that once ,that CC didn't like Clark Gable, but I don't really dig into reading how co stars feel/felt about each other. There are some things I'd just rather not know, because yes in some instances, knowing two people disliked one another IRL does kind of take a little of the enjoyment away. Not because it matters if they did, really, but once I know it, it taints it somehow. I would rather keep reel/real separate.

Same thing with Mel Gibson. I can't help but think of his crazy rants now, every time I see his face. I'd rather not know. As far as putting money into the pocket of someone who is less than perfect...well, everyone on the face of the earth IS less than. I believe all actors probably have habits and beliefs that would be utter turn offs to many if not most people, but they keep them private. I am not their judge-but all the same, I'd rather not know about it. For that matter, I don't really care if the rep is a GOOD one, doing good things. The same principle applies. I don't want what I know about you as a person, coloring my opinion of your performance of a character in a TV show/movie I am watching for entertainment's sake.

[tribeca]

My UO is I still like Adam Sandler.  I tend not to enjoy frat boys humor so its kind funny that I like him.   In interviews he comes across so sweet and down to earth.   JMHO before he had kids his humor was a little mean spirited. 

Since I am rambling about Adam Sandler let me just say I love the wedding singer. 

[Kel Varnsen]

9 hours ago, tribeca said:

My UO is I still like Adam Sandler.  I tend not to enjoy frat boys humor so its kind funny that I like him.   In interviews he comes across so sweet and down to earth.   JMHO before he had kids his humor was a little mean spirited. 

Since I am rambling about Adam Sandler let me just say I love the wedding singer. 

I don't like all his recent stuff but the first Grown Ups movie wad really funny, and the Hotel Transylvania movies are surprisingly good.

[Blergh]

18 hours ago, IWantCandy71 said:

 

Same thing with Mel Gibson. I can't help but think of his crazy rants now, every time I see his face. I'd rather not know. As far as putting money into the pocket of someone who is less than perfect...well, everyone on the face of the earth IS less than. I believe all actors probably have habits and beliefs that would be utter turn offs to many if not most people, but they keep them private. I am not their judge-but all the same, I'd rather not know about it. For that matter, I don't really care if the rep is a GOOD one, doing good things. The same principle applies. I don't want what I know about you as a person, coloring my opinion of your performance of a character in a TV show/movie I am watching for entertainment's sake.

 

 

 Not invalid points. However; at least I can give the doubt's benefit that while individual folks aren't perfect  that, if I don't know otherwise, I can believe that they have NOT gone too far re their behaviors. In Mr. Gibson's and others' cases when I DO have cause to believe that their words and/or behavior has gone too far to merit my support (and they've done little if anything to attempt to redeem themselves) , I like having the option of knowing that I do NOT have contribute even minutely to their support if I don't want to. Viva patron power!

[Kel Varnsen]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

 

 

 Not invalid points. However; at least I can give the doubt's benefit that while individual folks aren't perfect  that, if I don't know otherwise, I can believe that they have NOT gone too far re their behaviors. In Mr. Gibson's and others' cases when I DO have cause to believe that their words and/or behavior has gone too far to merit my support (and they've done little if anything to attempt to redeem themselves) , I like having the option of knowing that I do NOT have contribute even minutely to their support if I don't want to. Viva patron power!

I always find it interesting how the actions of some stars either almost or completely kill their career while with others it is easily forgotten. Gibson said some terible shit but by comparions you have Mark Walberg was actually convicted of racially motivated assault and is an A list actor. And like has been previously mention people still work with Polanski (which i don't get, if studios are hiring him how is that not providing aid to a fugitive).

[methodwriter85]

To be fair though, Mark Wahlberg was a teenager when he did that. Gibson was already in his 50's when he went on that rant.

Topic? The Princess Bride never did much for me. Neither did the Goonies. Both are 80's kid movies that have a lot of loyal fans in people in their 30's.

Cary Elwes WAS at peak hotness, though.

[ribboninthesky1]

I preferred Men in Tights' Elwes.  Don't judge me.  

[methodwriter85]

Oh, forgot that.

I did kind of like his stuffy academic look in Crush, where he's stalked by an obsessive teen Alicia Silverstone.

[Ambrosefolly]

On 1/28/2017 at 0:35 PM, methodwriter85 said:

To be fair though, Mark Wahlberg was a teenager when he did that. Gibson was already in his 50's when he went on that rant.

Topic? The Princess Bride never did much for me. Neither did the Goonies. Both are 80's kid movies that have a lot of loyal fans in people in their 30's.

Cary Elwes WAS at peak hotness, though.

 

 

So permanently disfiguring someone is okay because he was a messed up kid but Gibson saying words is worse because he is 50. Fuck Mark Wahlberg, and tried to get his record expunged so he could open up a place that serves booze, yet I have not heard anything about him making amends to the person he permanently handicapped. He shouldn't be receiving anymore of a chance than Mel Gibson.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Ambrosefolly

[IWantCandy71]

I never cared for The Princess Bride-it's one of my sister's favorite movies. She made me watch it once, it just wasn't for me. I did like MP in it, and isn't it Peter Falk as the grandfather? I love him, so underrated.

[Blergh]

I was bummed out re "Time Bandits" and wish they'd let the kid remain back with Sean Connery in Ancient Greece.  Actually, I think it would have made the movie far more interesting to have followed him as he adjusted to life as a late 20th century kid adjusting to life in Ancient Greece with NONE of the modern conveniences. Oh, and I also thought Shelley Duvall was wasted in this movie and her character was just annoying!

[slf]

On 1/17/2017 at 8:30 AM, vibeology said:

The plot would be fine but the dancing has a value on its own. That Broadway Melody/Broadway Ballet is so beautiful. Yes, it's shoved into the movie and doesn't fit, but it gives Gene and Cyd a chance to really show off their skills. I get why it drags the plot, but I do love it.

Cyd Charisse's legs man, Cyd Charisse's legs.

[Bruinsfan]

On 1/28/2017 at 11:35 AM, methodwriter85 said:

To be fair though, Mark Wahlberg was a teenager when he did that. Gibson was already in his 50's when he went on that rant.

I'll give dumb teenagers a pass for stealing a car to joyride in or buying beer with false IDs. Trying to murder a stranger in the street because of his race, not so much.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 1/29/2017 at 3:00 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

So permanently disfiguring someone is okay because he was a messed up kid but Gibson saying words is worse because he is 50. Fuck Mark Wahlberg, and tried to get his record expunged so he could open up a place that serves booze, yet I have not heard anything about him making amends to the person he permanently handicapped. He shouldn't be receiving anymore of a chance than Mel Gibson.

But couldn't you just as easily flip that in the other direction, say that Gibson is being given more of a chance by some people because of his substance abuse issues? Sure, he only said words instead of using his fists, but some people will tell you what they really think of you after they've had a few belts, and its usually a lot less pleasant than what they'd say if they were sober. I don't have any particular fondness for Wahlberg, but Gibson using his alcoholism as a shield isn't that many steps removed from Mark's failure to make amends.

[dusang]

I'm not going to say Mark Wahlberg has made amends or not -- he committed hate crimes that caused physical and psychological damage to specific individuals.  As an adult, he has a proven track record of saying stupid and offensive things.  However, he has supported The Boys & Girls Club of America, The Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children, and established The Mark Wahlberg Foundation for at-risk youth (which received good marks from CharityNavigator.org if that means anything).  So, at the very least, he's grown and changed a bit from the racist criminal he was in his youth.

[Crs97]

As much as I want to like Groundhog Day (because Bill Murray), I can't for one reason and that is the homeless man.  It seems that after Phil realizes he cannot change the homeless man's fate, he drops helping him entirely.  I don't care that he does all the wonderful things for others after that; I want him to spend Groundhog Day with the homeless man.  

 

Quote

yet I have not heard anything about him making amends to the person he permanently handicapped.

I am not weighing in on Mark Wahlberg's character, but I just thought I would mention that the Daily Mail (I know, I know) wrote an article in which they quote Mr. Trinh's daughter as saying that Mark had reached out to the family and offered to fly them all to LA to meet with him so that he could apologize.  This was after Mr. Trinh said that he forgave Mark and would be fine with Mark receiving a pardon.  I don't know if it is true or ever came to be and there are more victims than just Mr. Trinh, but this is one that I have read about.  Considering the daughter broke the story (if it is true), then hopefully Mark is reaching out to the other victims behind the scenes.

[Browncoat]

I can't really love Groundhog Day because Andie MacDowell ruins everything.

[Ambrosefolly]

16 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

But couldn't you just as easily flip that in the other direction, say that Gibson is being given more of a chance by some people because of his substance abuse issues? Sure, he only said words instead of using his fists, but some people will tell you what they really think of you after they've had a few belts, and its usually a lot less pleasant than what they'd say if they were sober. I don't have any particular fondness for Wahlberg, but Gibson using his alcoholism as a shield isn't that many steps removed from Mark's failure to make amends.

 

 

 I didn't say Mel Gibson deserved a pass, just that Mark Wahlberg didn't, considering he permanently injured someone. Mel Gibson also has given extensively to charities as well. Gibson also offered to make a movie about Judah Maccabee, but that didn't appease anyone.  Considering that Mel Gibson has pretty much been on the blacklist since the incident until now (and even now, he has completely bounced back), the alcoholism hasn't been used as an excuse.

Edited February 3, 2017 by Ambrosefolly

[Bruinsfan]

6 hours ago, Ambrosefolly said:

Gibson also offered to make a movie about Judah Maccabee, but that didn't appease anyone.

Yeah, based on the depictions in The Passion of the Christ I can see why the Jewish community wasn't throwing parades in anticipation of that happening. It'd be like black people cheering if D. W. Griffith offered to film a Frederick Douglass biopic after making Birth of a Nation.

[Ohwell]

All I know is, if I had to be stuck on an elevator I'd rather it be with Mel Gibson than Mark Wahlberg.  Sure, he might have made amends but there's just something about him that turns my stomach. 

[UYI]

On 2/3/2017 at 2:15 PM, Browncoat said:

I can't really love Groundhog Day because Andie MacDowell ruins everything.

She's not the greatest actress ever or anything, but I think the only movie she ever ACTIVELY ruined (or threatened to ruin) was Four Weddings and a Funeral.

But that, of course, is pretty damn popular ("Is it raining? I hadn't noticed!").

[Browncoat]

I love all the non-Andie MacDowell parts of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" -- the rest of the cast mostly makes up for her inadequacies, but there is way too much of her in it.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Re: Four Weddings and a Funeral: I love the sub-plot romances (especially John Hannah and Simon Callow and the deaf brother and the shy girl at the wedding), but the main romance is...less said, the better.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/3/2017 at 0:15 PM, Browncoat said:

I can't really love Groundhog Day because Andie MacDowell ruins everything.

Well, this probably won't help, but I have a friend who was scheduling a speaker for a nonprofit organization she works for, and Andie MacDowell's fee was something like $70,000, plus expenses.  I couldn't believe it.

[UYI]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

I love all the non-Andie MacDowell parts of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" -- the rest of the cast mostly makes up for her inadequacies, but there is way too much of her in it.

The story goes that another actress had been cast in the role of Carrie before her, but had to drop out, and Andie was cast at the last minute, which might explain at least some of her awkwardness in it. 

Edited February 5, 2017 by UYI

[Silver Raven]

Andie McDowell's Southern accent was so thick in Greystoke, they had to overdub her with Glenn Close.

[Bruinsfan]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just give all her roles to Glenn Close in the first place?

[proserpina65]

On ‎02‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 5:09 PM, UYI said:

She's not the greatest actress ever or anything, but I think the only movie she ever ACTIVELY ruined (or threatened to ruin) was Four Weddings and a Funeral.

But that, of course, is pretty damn popular ("Is it raining? I hadn't noticed!").

So I guess my unpopular opinion is that I didn't mind Andie McDowell in Four Weddings.  I mean, I did prefer the sub-plots to the main romance, but I thought she was okay.

[cpcathy]

I didn't mind her either, I thought she actually did a good job.

[topanga]

On 2/4/2017 at 5:09 PM, UYI said:

She's not the greatest actress ever or anything, but I think the only movie she ever ACTIVELY ruined (or threatened to ruin) was Four Weddings and a Funeral.

But that, of course, is pretty damn popular ("Is it raining? I hadn't noticed!").

Well, that was just a dumb line. Blame the writers. Although Kristen Bell would've made it sound better. I mention KB only because she had a schmlatzy, corny line on her tv show "The Good Place" and managed to make it sound sincere, not sappy. 

I don't mind Andie McDowell as an actress. I liked her in Four Weddings and especially in sex, lies, and videotape. The only movie I didn't like her in? St. Elmo's Fire, but that's because she broke Kirby's heart (Emilio Estevez). 

[greenbean]

On 27/01/2017 at 0:28 AM, caracas1914 said:

I think acting styles per era are just different but not necessarily better/worse, just like Impressionism is a different school from Pre Rafelites as far as painting and a viewer's taste vary.

For example, I'd take the "stylized"  acting of the screwball comedies "His Girl Friday", "Bringing up Baby"  and "My man Godfrey", etc.  over the more "natural" acting today in many movie comedies.

I'll take the acting and also the talking. The accents were that mid-atlantic thing, which unfortunately died out. My understanding is that it's been replaced by the standard American accent. And actors actually enunciated no matter what voice they adopted. Nowadays there's lots of mumbling and slurring. So many times I miss the dialogue. And it seems up until say the 80s, there was always a crop of actors who had interesting voices, usually with a nice timbre and vocally expressive, but that has slowly gone by the wayside. Now it's mostly actors who have a lifeless monotone voice, and many don't vocally emote at all. That's actually one of my acting tests, is the actor vocally emoting, or just reading lines.

Edited February 7, 2017 by greenbean

[Danny Franks]

On 06/02/2017 at 9:42 PM, proserpina65 said:

So I guess my unpopular opinion is that I didn't mind Andie McDowell in Four Weddings.  I mean, I did prefer the sub-plots to the main romance, but I thought she was okay.

I didn't mind her either. I've not minded her in any movie I've seen her in. Not really sure what's supposed to be the matter with her. Yes, "is it raining? I hadn't noticed," wasn't a great line read, but hell, it was a pretty shitty line to read.

I think some people dislike her in that movie particularly because they like Kristin Scott-Thomas' character more.

[spaceytraci1208]

Re: M. Night Shyamalan...I prefer Unbreakable to The Sixth Sense 

[Browncoat]

11 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Not really sure what's supposed to be the matter with her.

Wooden acting.  No emotion in any line readings -- even when she was giving her own speech at her own wedding in Four Weddings and A Funeral, it was stiff and unnatural.  Compare her speech then with John Hannah's in the funeral section -- no contest.

[AimingforYoko]

13 hours ago, spaceytraci1208 said:

Re: M. Night Shyamalan...I prefer Unbreakable to The Sixth Sense 

Is that unpopular? I think Unbreakable is by far, his best film.