Unpopular Opinions

[JustaPerson]

I think people forget that freaking Clark Gable won his Oscar for a rom com. A rom com!

Edited August 18, 2017 by JustaPerson

[amaranta]

On 8/16/2017 at 11:31 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

On the topic of comedians who are great dramatic actors. 

Jerry Lewis was awesome in The King Of Comedy.  It's a hard movie to watch, especially if you are sensitive to second hand embarrassment.  Seriously, it's two hours of feeling uncomfortable.  But the performances were so mesmerizing I couldn't look away.

I wish Carrey had stayed in the same career vein as The Truman Show, Man in the Moon, Eternal Sunshine, etc.  When I see any of those I'm left with this feeling that we missed out on something.

Edited August 18, 2017 by amaranta

[Crs97]

In that vein, Robin Williams was brilliant in Good Will Hunting.

[kiddo82]

8 hours ago, Dandesun said:

I don't think anyone in my family can say 'No there's more!' without doing Tomei's voice in My Cousin VInny.  She absolutely deserved the Oscar. I was just surprised the Academy agreed.

Mine is "the defense is wrong."

Stellar performance.

[starri]

In addition to the "Jack Palance read the wrong name" theory of why she didn't deserve it, there was also some talk about her winning because she was the only American actress in the category, and was up against several truly great actresses, including Vanessa Redgrave and Miranda Richardson. 

Yeah, but it was a good movie and she was great in it.  And aside from Howards End and MAYBE Enchanted April, how many of the performances by the other nominees does anyone really remember?

That year was also a weak year for nominees in general, with them basically having to stuff Best Actress with random stuff since they couldn't just hand the thing to Emma Thompson.

Which is not to take away from Catherine Deneuve, Michelle Pfeiffer, or Mary McDonnell.  It's just that Emma was winning and everyone knew it.

Edited August 18, 2017 by starri

[topanga]

12 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Mine is "the defense is wrong."

Stellar performance.

I still say to people "Yeah. And you blend."

 

I don't like 3-D movies. To me they don't add anything to my movie viewing experience. While HD makes things on the screen appear more real and close, I think 3-D makes things look fake and animated. Plus, I can't watch 3-D for more than a few minutes before getting a headache. I think it's my astigmatism 

[Cherry Bomb]

18 hours ago, amaranta said:

Jerry Lewis was awesome in The King Of Comedy.  It's a hard movie to watch, especially if you are sensitive to second hand embarrassment.  Seriously, it's two hours of feeling uncomfortable.  But the performances were so mesmerizing I couldn't look away.

I wish Carrey had stayed on the same career vein as The Truman Show, Man in the Moon, Eternal Sunshine, etc.  When I see any of those I'm left with this feeling that we missed out on something.

In the same vein and I know Adam Sandler has done some pretty decent comedy with Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer, but the roles are all pretty much the same. His performance in his pretty much only non comedic role in Reign Over Me was absolutely brilliant.

[nodorothyparker]

19 hours ago, amaranta said:

I wish Carrey had stayed on the same career vein as The Truman Show, Man in the Moon, Eternal Sunshine, etc.  When I see any of those I'm left with this feeling that we missed out on something.

I know Jim Carrey made his career from In Living Color to Ace Ventura being the completely over the top funny man, but I've always thought he brought something special to dramatic roles that should be nurtured and often goes so far in comedic roles he comes out the other side to the point of being unfunny.  I generally had the same opinion of Robin Williams, who displayed such a delicate restraint in Dead Poet's Society and Good Will Hunting.

[Ohwell]

29 minutes ago, topanga said:

I don't like 3-D movies. To me they don't add anything to my movie viewing experience. While HD makes things on the screen appear more real and close, I think 3-D makes things look fake and animated. Plus, I can't watch 3-D for more than a few minutes before getting a headache. I think it's my astigmatism 

Same here.  A friend of mine talked me into buying a 3-D flatscreen that came with those stupid glasses, and I watched a couple movies, started getting headaches.  I haven't watched anything in 3-D since and I hated that I spent extra money for it.  I love HD though. 

[Shannon L.]

I avoid 3-D whenever possible.  I hate how you can't turn your head even a little bit w/o it getting blurry and after a while, the glasses start to hurt.  However, I'm one of those "You should have seen Avatar in 3-D" people.  It's the only time that I was completely captivated by 3-D.  Cameron built a gorgeous world and I felt like I was immersed in it (it's a nothing movie in regards to story line, but the effects were stunning).  I haven't felt the same about a 3-D movie since and have stopped even trying. 

[Crs97]

3-D movies give me a headache and motion-sickness while my oldest falls asleep every time.   Needless to say, we have given up on them.  My husband and younger ones have no problems with 3-D, but they don't care enough to ask for it over the standard experience.  In fact, if we told them the extra money for 3-D meant no snacks, they would skip 3-D every single time.

[Cherry Bomb]

I don't get headaches or motion sickness from 3-D movies, but it certainly is not worth the extra money to see a 3-D movie in the theater over the regular version in my opinion.

[Silver Raven]

I don't find 3D particularly worth spending extra money.

[kathyk24]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 3:35 PM, Crs97 said:

In that vein, Robin Williams was brilliant in Good Will Hunting.

I think Robin Williams is underrated as dramatic actor. He was great in Awakenings and the Fisher King.

[Silver Raven]

And Fisher King is an underrated movie.

[Lugal]

I've never actually seen a movie in 3D.  Due to vision problems, 3D movies don't work for me, so I never bother (in addition to having to drive at least an hour to even get to a 3D theater).

On 8/17/2017 at 0:03 PM, amaranta said:

I wish Carrey had stayed in the same career vein as The Truman Show, Man in the Moon, Eternal Sunshine, etc.  When I see any of those I'm left with this feeling that we missed out on something.

Check out I Needed Color a short documentary of Jim Carrey's painting:

[amaranta]

On 8/18/2017 at 5:36 PM, Silver Raven said:

And Fisher King is an underrated movie.

The Fisher King is an amazing movie; I wanted to jump up and hand Robin Williams an Oscar while the credits were still rolling.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 8/18/2017 at 9:47 AM, Cherry Bomb said:

In the same vein and I know Adam Sandler has done some pretty decent comedy with Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer, but the roles are all pretty much the same. His performance in his pretty much only non comedic role in Reign Over Me was absolutely brilliant.

No, there is also Punch Drunk Love and some others, like Funny People.  He pretty much got unanimously positive critical acclaim for Punch Drunk Love.  I thought Funny People was great at the time of its release but I've never revisited it.

[Cherry Bomb]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

No, there is also Punch Drunk Love and some others, like Funny People.  He pretty much got unanimously positive critical acclaim for Punch Drunk Love.  I thought Funny People was great at the time of its release but I've never revisited it.

I forgot about Punch Drunk Love. He was good in that. I never saw Funny People.

[afterbite]

I'm not a huge fan of 3D, so I generally only try it out for movies where it seems like it will really enhance viewing. I saw Gravity with and without 3D, and 3D really was the way to go with that one. Otherwise, if I'm going to opt for something special with a movie, I'll do a Dolby screening. Better picture quality, much better sound quality. I don't do it for every movie, but there are definitely movies that are improved by seeing them in that format. I saw Rogue One in 3D, regular 2D, and Dolby and would pick Dolby as the premier experience for it, hands down. I reserve it for the movies I want to have an immersive feel for, though, and even then I usually go see them at 10 in the morning on a Sunday so the ticket price is relatively normal. 

[starri]

Doctor Strange and Star Trek Beyond were the first two movies (I pride myself on never having seen Avatar) where I thought the 3D was worth the upcharge.

[cpcathy]

Gravity was the one film I would have needed to see in 3D, it really worked wonderfully. Not so much when they showed it on TV later on.

[GreekGeek]

I agree with Avatar and Gravity being best experienced with 3D, and I would add The Life of Pi. I missed Interstellar in theaters. Is it still good on the small (TV) screen?

[kiddo82]

On August 22, 2017 at 9:22 PM, starri said:

Doctor Strange and Star Trek Beyond were the first two movies (I pride myself on never having seen Avatar) where I thought the 3D was worth the upcharge.

DEFINITELY Dr. Strange.  I don't care one way or another about 3D and I usually go see whichever format is bring shown at the more convenient time.  However, after I saw Dr. Strange I urged all my pals who I knew would be interested in it to go check it out in 3D.  So worth it.  I've never seen Star Trek but if I were making a list I'd also add Ant-Man and Kong.  

[Ohwell]

For me, it's not a question of whether certain movies are "better" when seen in 3D, it's that getting a headache just isn't worth it. 

[Zola]

3D, is one of those recurring fashion accessories that appear/disappear every 10 years or so.

Personally, I am not a fan, especially once the novelty has worn off; and it's interesting how some TV broadcasters have dropped 3D programming - and not for the first time. 

i think they should stop flogging this dead horse and focus on VR so that the viewer can completely immerse oneself into the show 

[Browncoat]

4 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

I missed Interstellar in theaters. Is it still good on the small (TV) screen?

It wasn't good on the big screen. 

[BabyVegas]

/small voice/ I thought the original Ghostbusters was an awful and unfunny waste of two hours and I liked the new one.

[starri]

UO:  Addams Family Values is not only the rarest of sequels that improves on the original, it's one of the best comedies of the 90s.

[kiddo82]

Here's a get off my lawn post: I don't really care about amenities in movie theaters.  I just read an article about the new "Ultra Lux" (yup, that's what it's called) theater coming to a location near me and all I could think about was "Most movies are what?  2? 2 1/2 hours tops?  Do I really need sushi rolls delivered right to my seat over that duration while watching Wonder Woman?"  And I get it, I'll go see a movie that looks interesting to me regardless but they want a hook to lure in casual fans.  And I don't hate that they do it, I just think it's unnecessary.  If I want a drink, I can get one way cheaper at the restaurant next door after the film.  Same thing if I'm hungry.  And the recliner seats are niiiiice but the rest does little to enhance the experience for me.

[Crs97]

The best renovation by far was the addition of stadium seating.  As a height-challenged person, I love being able to see!  Second best - Cinemark's year-long refillable popcorn buckets and drink cups. Everything else is unnecessary for me, but we live in a small town with a theater around five minutes from our house and I will support whatever helps keep it open.

[Silver Raven]

28 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Here's a get off my lawn post: I don't really care about amenities in movie theaters.  I just read an article about the new "Ultra Lux" (yup, that's what it's called) theater coming to a location near me and all I could think about was "Most movies are what?  2? 2 1/2 hours tops?  Do I really need sushi rolls delivered right to my seat over that duration while watching Wonder Woman?"  And I get it, I'll go see a movie that looks interesting to me regardless but they want a hook to lure in casual fans.  And I don't hate that they do it, I just think it's unnecessary.  If I want a drink, I can get one way cheaper at the restaurant next door after the film.  Same thing if I'm hungry.  And the recliner seats are niiiiice but the rest does little to enhance the experience for me.

A theater near me gutted all of their theaters and rebuilt them with recliners and reserved seating.  Even with the recliners up, people can pass by you without stepping on your toes or sitting in your lap.  It made for a lot fewer seats than they had before, but I guess they're making up for it by having more people come.  It does, however, slow down the line outside while people dither over which seats to take.

[Spartan Girl]

I'm not sure if this is an UO, but I like the movie Life is Beautiful and I disagree with those that claimed it was trying to make light of the Holocaust. Those parts of movie were so emotionally brutal that they still stay with me to this day.

[kiddo82]

Really?  I love Life is Beautiful.  I guess I can understand the criticism on face value but the horror of the Holocaust juxtaposed with child like innocence is truly heart breaking.  The same can be for the lengths Guido goes to to protect both his son's life and that very innocence.  It's gutting when you think about it.

[HunterHunted]

On 9/14/2017 at 9:03 PM, kiddo82 said:

Here's a get off my lawn post: I don't really care about amenities in movie theaters.  I just read an article about the new "Ultra Lux" (yup, that's what it's called) theater coming to a location near me and all I could think about was "Most movies are what?  2? 2 1/2 hours tops?  Do I really need sushi rolls delivered right to my seat over that duration while watching Wonder Woman?"  And I get it, I'll go see a movie that looks interesting to me regardless but they want a hook to lure in casual fans.  And I don't hate that they do it, I just think it's unnecessary.  If I want a drink, I can get one way cheaper at the restaurant next door after the film.  Same thing if I'm hungry.  And the recliner seats are niiiiice but the rest does little to enhance the experience for me.

On 9/14/2017 at 9:33 PM, Silver Raven said:

A theater near me gutted all of their theaters and rebuilt them with recliners and reserved seating.  Even with the recliners up, people can pass by you without stepping on your toes or sitting in your lap.  It made for a lot fewer seats than they had before, but I guess they're making up for it by having more people come.  It does, however, slow down the line outside while people dither over which seats to take.

 

I was like you until I moved to Austin, TX. It's the home of the Alamo Drafthouse movie chain. The food is the same quality and price as a restaurant. The seats are assigned and the set up is such that servers delivering food doesn't obstruct your view. That being said, I usually only get food if I'm watching a movie close to a meal time. It solves the problem of trying to find a place to eat where the wait isn't too long either before or after the movie. My favorite is brunch. The Alamo does fantastic theme menus too for a Hobbit movie marathon or Harry Potter and the like.

[Tom Morvolo Riddle]

On 5/16/2014 at 2:53 AM, Shannon L. said:

Silver Linings Playbook.  I do not understand the hype about that movie (with the exception of Robert DeNiro).  I left a little ticked off by it, actually.

but there were a few lively sparks in the movie.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Guardians of the Galaxy UO: 

I hope Gamora and Peter never, never, ever pair up. They'd make an awful couple... also, I just want to subvert the fanboys' expectations. >:)

 

And here's an old UO I finally have the guts to share: 

In Starship Troopers, in spite of her flaws, I greatly preferred spirited, capable Diz over that nightmarishly vacuous and dull Stepford Wife Carmen. 

[coppersin]

Mark Strong is my favorite Mr. Knightley. There, I've said it. I said it the other day to my Austenphile friends and their jaws dropped in tandem. I adore Jeremy Northam's version, and Jonny Lee Miller did well even though I didn't care for the 2009 version. But Mark Strong's was most true to the book, IMO, including a real sense of their age difference, and he still managed to be endearing and romantic.

[dusang]

1 hour ago, coppersin said:

Mark Strong is my favorite Mr. Knightley. There, I've said it. I said it the other day to my Austenphile friends and their jaws dropped in tandem. I adore Jeremy Northam's version, and Jonny Lee Miller did well even though I didn't care for the 2009 version. But Mark Strong's was most true to the book, IMO, including a real sense of their age difference, and he still managed to be endearing and romantic.

What adaptation was that?

[coppersin]

6 minutes ago, dusang said:

What adaptation was that?

It's the 1996 tv version with Kate Beckinsale as Emma. Cast also includes Olivia Williams and Samantha Morton. Definitely worth watching if you like Jane Austen.

[WritinMan]

On 6/21/2017 at 9:04 AM, starri said:

Serenity is a terrible movie....

Yes. Yes it is. It is completely lacking in the charm and humor that made Firefly so much fun.

Edited September 26, 2017 by WritinMan

[proserpina65]

On ‎09‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 10:33 PM, Silver Raven said:

A theater near me gutted all of their theaters and rebuilt them with recliners and reserved seating.  Even with the recliners up, people can pass by you without stepping on your toes or sitting in your lap.  It made for a lot fewer seats than they had before, but I guess they're making up for it by having more people come.  It does, however, slow down the line outside while people dither over which seats to take.

I found that I didn't like the recliners.  I don't want to lean that far back to watch a movie, and if I adjusted the back more forward, it felt like my lower legs were dangling off the leg rest.  Just give me regular stadium seating.

On ‎09‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 9:34 AM, coppersin said:

Mark Strong is my favorite Mr. Knightley. There, I've said it. I said it the other day to my Austenphile friends and their jaws dropped in tandem. I adore Jeremy Northam's version, and Jonny Lee Miller did well even though I didn't care for the 2009 version. But Mark Strong's was most true to the book, IMO, including a real sense of their age difference, and he still managed to be endearing and romantic.

I love Jeremy Northam as Knightley, but Mark Strong is an exceedingly close second for me, for the same reasons.  And Samantha Morton is a vastly superior Harriet to Toni Collette, who I found to be miscast.

[Athena]

On 9/26/2017 at 9:34 AM, coppersin said:

Mark Strong is my favorite Mr. Knightley. There, I've said it. I said it the other day to my Austenphile friends and their jaws dropped in tandem. I adore Jeremy Northam's version, and Jonny Lee Miller did well even though I didn't care for the 2009 version. But Mark Strong's was most true to the book, IMO, including a real sense of their age difference, and he still managed to be endearing and romantic.

 

18 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I love Jeremy Northam as Knightley, but Mark Strong is an exceedingly close second for me, for the same reasons.  And Samantha Morton is a vastly superior Harriet to Toni Collette, who I found to be miscast.

Mine is controversial then too ;)

1. Jonny Lee Miller (2009 BBC version)

2. Mark Strong

3. Jeremy Northam

Strong and Miller benefited from being in mini/tv series so their Knightley were already more fleshed out.  Knightley and Emma's relationship became particularly tense and Miller and Strong's versions played the edge and conflict well enough. The Paltrow/Northam version always felt a bit flippant and flimsy.  

Edited October 4, 2017 by Athena
Typos!

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 2:38 PM, Athena said:

 

Mine is controversial then too ;)

1. Jonny Lee Miller (2009 BBC version)

2. Mark Strong

3. Jeremy Northam

Strong and Miller benefited from being in mini/tv series so their Knightley were already more fleshed out.  Knightley and Emma's relationship became particularly tense and Miller and Strong's versions played the edge and conflict well enough. The Paltrow/Northam version always felt a bit flippant and flimsy.  

I'll confess to being unable to finish that particular version of Emma, although not because of Jonny Lee Miller, who made a fine Knightley.  I just hated the performance of the actress playing Emma.

[starri]

I like noir and I like sci-fi, however:

Blade Runner is beautifully shot and has a great, innovative soundtrack.  It's still not that great a movie.

[starri]

Until Fury Road came along, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was the best of that series, and Tina Turner was about 80% of the reason why.

[Joe]

3 hours ago, starri said:

Until Fury Road came along, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was the best of that series, and Tina Turner was about 80% of the reason why.

I've heard some offensive things on the internet, but this is just one too many! I rate Thunderdome fourth, and Max 1 as second behind Fury Road. I like the idea of a man trying to hold on to sanity and family while the world turns to shit around him, even if he fails.

[BigBeagle]

1 hour ago, Joe said:

 

5 hours ago, starri said:

Until Fury Road came along, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was the best of that series, and Tina Turner was about 80% of the reason why.

I've heard some offensive things on the internet, but this is just one too many! I rate Thunderdome fourth, and Max 1 as second behind Fury Road. I like the idea of a man trying to hold on to sanity and family while the world turns to shit around him, even if he fails.

 

And I have to stand up in defense of Road Warrior, with Thunderdome second, Fury Road third and Mad Max fourth. Having said that, they were all pretty good.

[WritinMan]

On 10/10/2017 at 6:12 AM, starri said:

Until Fury Road came along, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was the best of that series, and Tina Turner was about 80% of the reason why.

Oh no. Thunderdome is a terrible, terrible movie.

[WritinMan]

Black Swan is hilarious. Unfortunately, it's not a comedy.

Lost in Translation is an awful move. It's like watching a PowerPoint presentation of the movie they planned to make.

Forrest Gump is my #1 most-hated movie of all time. I despise every minute of it.

Superbad is appropriately named.

Death Proof is the most boring movie ever made. (Not sure how unpopular that is, but It has a cult following.)

Edited October 13, 2017 by WritinMan