Unpopular Opinions

[VCRTracking]

My unpopular Harrison Ford take is that while he's insanely charismatic when he's Han Solo and Indiana Jones and a few other things generally I don't care for when he plays an ordinary person(unless it's a supporting role like WORKING GIRL). His great strength as an actor is grounding fantastic and outlandish movies so they're believable. He centers the craziness all around him. However in more mundane, realistic settings he doesn't stick out so he's kind of boring. 

 

4 hours ago, supposebly said:

I guess my unpopular opinion is that I would never put the words nuanced and charismatic together in a sentence with Harrison Ford.

It mystifies me what so many see here. To me he has an underlying aggression that I find utterly offputting especially with his leading ladies/love interests/background wives.

Carrie Fisher once said "Harrison always looks like he's carrying a gun even when he isn't."

Edited May 27, 2020 by VCRTracking

[AimingforYoko]

My vote for best two roles for Harrison Ford are Witness and Mosquito Coast.

[supposebly]

5 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

Carrie Fisher once said "Harrison always looks like he's carrying a gun even when he isn't."

I'm not surprised. I'm just always rather uncomfortable with that scene in one of the Star Wars movies where they are fixing something on Han Solo's spaceship I think. I'm not terribly familiar with the Star Wars movies. His face is creepy.

[Irlandesa]

I think Harrison Ford brings all the qualities mentioned--handsomeness, charisma, underlying aggression, an every day man, his inherent grumpiness to his roles and that's probably why he was one of the biggest stars of his time.  So everyone is right and everyone is wrong about him.

But I absolutely did like action movies a lot better in the 80s/early 90s than I do now. Give me stunt men over CGI.  It's why (and here's the somewhat UO even though he makes a lot of money so I know I'm not alone), that I hope Tom Cruise's crazy ass keeps making action movies with their old school style. 

[katha]

See, I think Ford's inherent harshness, his edge, if you will, is a real strength if used well. It grounds many of his characters in reality and drags them away from idealized hero types who only have lofty ideals. There's a moment in "Patriot Games", in many ways a standard formula thriller, that really encapsulates this: When asked why he intervened with an assasination attempt he comes out and says: It just pissed me off, what they were doing made me so mad I had to do something. Not something about sanctity of life, right thing to do etc. It doesn't make the character nicer, but he becomes less of a cypher with it. It just rang so true.

Of course, that only works if the script knows what to do with him. I agree that he can be drab and boring in the wrong parts. But in things like "Witness" or "Presumed Innocent", those are outstanding performances because the movies understand how to use his particular strengths.

[VCRTracking]

2 hours ago, katha said:

See, I think Ford's inherent harshness, his edge, if you will, is a real strength if used well. It grounds many of his characters in reality and drags them away from idealized hero types who only have lofty ideals. There's a moment in "Patriot Games", in many ways a standard formula thriller, that really encapsulates this: When asked why he intervened with an assasination attempt he comes out and says: It just pissed me off, what they were doing made me so mad I had to do something. Not something about sanctity of life, right thing to do etc. It doesn't make the character nicer, but he becomes less of a cypher with it. It just rang so true.

Of course, that only works if the script knows what to do with him. I agree that he can be drab and boring in the wrong parts. But in things like "Witness" or "Presumed Innocent", those are outstanding performances because the movies understand how to use his particular strengths.

The ending of Presumed Innocence in particular is so shattering.

Unpopular opinion: Even though they're made as a cash grab I like the concept of sequels in general.

[Ohiopirate02]

29 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

The ending of Presumed Innocence in particular is so shattering.

Unpopular opinion: Even though they're made as a cash grab I like the concept of sequels in general.

I agree with you about sequels.  I read book series, I watch seasons of tv shows, why should movies be different?  As long as there is more story to tell, I want another trip into a movie world, another chance to peel back the layers on the characters.  

[Annber03]

Yeah, there are good sequels out there, some of which are considered as good as, if not better than, the first movie. A sequel (or a reboot/remake) is not a bad thing in and of itself, it's the execution that matters. 

[Irlandesa]

I agree.  Although I do think three is typically the sweet spot.  You can do a good trilogy.  Once you go past three, it gets dicier.  Some franchises manage to keep it fresh and exciting but most run out of steam.

[Ubiquitous]

On 3/31/2020 at 6:18 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I hate Harley Quinn. Always have, always will. I don't think she's cute, funny, lovable, or a feminist antihero. She's just an irritating, crap excuse for a gangster's moll who is 100% complicit in the Joker's crimes. I feel so stupid voicing such a strong opinion about a fictional character who got her start on a 90s animated series, but I'm tired of all the media around me lecturing me on why Harley Quinn is the greatest thing ever.

Please. Just. Stop.

Don't even get me started on seeing all the little girls dressed up like Harlequin at comic book conventions!  😯

On 5/14/2020 at 8:33 PM, Blergh said:

THANK YOU! And on a shallow note,  let's not forget that even when he was supposed to be in a 'relaxed' setting (Jabba's Palace), he NEVER took off his helmet  so for all the viewers knew he could have looked like Jabba's uglier bro underneath it! 

And how I wish Lucas had told those who whined about his apparent death by Sarlaac to get a life/buzz off instead of pandering to them to retcon the whole thing! Yeah, boo me! 

 

I think the appeal of Boba Fet was how little we saw of him. As for his death, I thought tripping and falling into what looked  vaguely like a fanged vagina was ridiculous,  not to mention that infantile bullshit ob him slowly dieing inside it for a millennia.  🙄

[kiddo82]

Iron Man 2 is better than Iron Man.

[proserpina65]

On 5/22/2020 at 9:24 PM, VCRTracking said:

I never questioned the belief that women hate the Stooges. I thought "Of course, I don't see how that would appeal to them." Then I found out how much women under a certain age love HOCUS POCUS and that's basically the Three Stooges as witches!

I think Hocus Pocus is stupid as well.

 

[bmoore4026]

Spider-Man (2002) is the best superhero movie.  Yes, even better than the original Superman and Batman films.  Even better than the Nolan Batman films.  Better than the Avengers movies despite me loving Infinity War, Endgame, Black Panther, and The Guardians of the Galaxy films.  I don't like how the Raimi Spider-Man movies are being ragged on of late.  They're quite enjoyable and fun.  Even Spider-Man 3 has its moments despite the miscasting of Topher Grace.

I'm going further - Tobey Maguire is the best Spider-Man.  Tom Holland is charming but I like Tobey Maguire more, maybe because there's no baggage of Tony Stark in them.  The Raimi Parker has to do things himself without a multi billionaire godfather helping him.  And he struggles just to make it in the big city.  That's quite relatable.

Also, Kirsten Dunst was perfect as MJ.  I liked her bubblyness.  I liked her charm.

I don't know how unpopular it is here but I love Grease.  Grease is a nice movie.  I don't know why people hate on it.

[roseha]

On 5/28/2020 at 5:02 PM, Annber03 said:

. A sequel (or a reboot/remake) is not a bad thing in and of itself, it's the execution that matters. 

The classic 1941 Maltese Falcon with Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook was the third version, so there's clearly no harm in a remake if the original wasn't the greatest.

Speaking of Bogart, I much prefer The Big Sleep over To Have and Have Not as a Bogart/Bacall pairing.  No, I don't really know everything that happened in The Big Sleep (neither did Bogart apparently) but it doesn't matter to me.

Regarding the Marx Brothers, I enjoy them but I feel their movies are really not the same if Margaret Dumont isn't there to play Groucho's brilliant foil.  I just love the way she carries the opening of Duck Soup basically by herself.

[kiddo82]

I think the Marx Brothers are annoying.  Or maybe just Groucho.  Either way, I can take a few minutes of the schtick before I'm over it.

[katha]

I love "Groucho and me" and reading it never fails to cheer me up, but agree that the movies are uneven. I like the Marx Brothers bits, but there's often some sort of "plot" with young lovers singing and such...and frankly, I don't care. 😁

[starri]

I really don't understand why everyone gets so worked up about CGI versus practical effects.  If the visual storytelling is good, it shouldn't matter if its made with 1's and 0's.

[Anduin]

12 hours ago, starri said:

I really don't understand why everyone gets so worked up about CGI versus practical effects.  If the visual storytelling is good, it shouldn't matter if its made with 1's and 0's.

I remember when I saw the first Matrix in the cinema. "Oh my god, they've finally broken the unreality barrier. If I didn't know that physics don't work that way, I'd never be able to tell." However, I watched it again just last year. Visually, it hasn't aged well. Compare the original Star Wars, where it looks as good as ever. One day, whatever your high bar for CG trickery, it'll look like Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

[Kel Varnsen]

Space Jam is stupid. I watched it with my kids last week and maybe this is because I would have been in 1st year University it came out and outside the target market but it is just dumb. On top of all the weird plot stuff like  Looney Toon land, it makes no sense why the story isn't resolved in about 8 minutes. With all the other bad guys that Bugs has beaten over the years why are these dumbass aliens so difficult. He should just say "of course you realize this means war" after a couple of minutes and the spend the next 5 minutes or so destroying them.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Space Jam is stupid. I watched it with my kids last week and maybe this is because I would have been in 1st year University it came out and outside the target market but it is just dumb. On top of all the weird plot stuff like  Looney Toon land, it makes no sense why the story isn't resolved in about 8 minutes. With all the other bad guys that Bugs has beaten over the years why are these dumbass aliens so difficult. He should just say "of course you realize this means war" after a couple of minutes and the spend the next 5 minutes or so destroying them.

I've never seen and not bothering to if it's what you're saying.

 

However; it DID have one redeeming feature: it actually  got  younger generations interested in Bugs again. Of course, it's nowhere as good as classic cartoons enriched by the late Mel Blanc's vocal force-of-nature but  , Space Jam's audience are more likely to  out the good stuff on that site rhyming with Pew Noob than others in those generations who didn't grow up with Looney Toons as a childhood staple. 

[VCRTracking]

3 minutes ago, Blergh said:

I've never seen and not bothering to if it's what you're saying.

 

However; it DID have one redeeming feature: it actually  got  younger generations interested in Bugs again. Of course, it's nowhere as good as classic cartoons enriched by the late Mel Blanc's vocal force-of-nature but  , Space Jam's audience are more likely to  out the good stuff on that site rhyming with Pew Noob than others in those generations who didn't grow up with Looney Toons as a childhood staple. 

Agreed. It's not a masterpiece but since the end of Saturday morning cartoons, it's where a lot of Millennials and Gen Z kids were first saw Bugs, Daffy and the rest. Also its not nearly as bad as the compilation movies from the 70s and 80s where edited down classics were intercut with poorly animated new linking material.

[starri]

11 hours ago, Anduin said:

Compare the original Star Wars, where it looks as good as ever.

Star Wars has some impressive model work.

It also has some laughably bad matte paintings.

[VCRTracking]

Megan Fox's character Michaela in the first two Transformers movies is actually a good female character as written but Michael Bay shoots her like she's just a sex object.

[Wiendish Fitch]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

Megan Fox's character Michaela in the first two Transformers movies is actually a good female character as written but Michael Bay shoots her like she's just a sex object.

Lindsay Ellis made a brilliant video highlighting this very point.

 

 

[Nordly Beaumont]

On 6/1/2020 at 8:59 AM, Kel Varnsen said:

Space Jam is stupid.

The fine folks at the podcast "How Did This Get Made" agree with you!

https://www.earwolf.com/episode/space-jam-live/

 

[proserpina65]

On 5/31/2020 at 1:47 PM, starri said:

I really don't understand why everyone gets so worked up about CGI versus practical effects.  If the visual storytelling is good, it shouldn't matter if its made with 1's and 0's.

Because with CGI, I spend half the film thinking "Wow, those are great effects" whereas with practical effects I don't usually.  CGI tends to take me out of the story in a way that practical effects don't.  Thus my opinion that it would've been an absolute travesty if Return of the King had taken the Cinematography Oscar over Master & Commander - so much of the "cinematography" in ROTK was just computer generated.

[VCRTracking]

Having aliens in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" works with the 50s B movie feel it's going for.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 5/30/2020 at 12:30 AM, bmoore4026 said:

I don't know how unpopular it is here but I love Grease.  Grease is a nice movie.  I don't know why people hate on it.

Oh no!  I didn't know people didn't like it.  I love it.

[Kel Varnsen]

17 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Because with CGI, I spend half the film thinking "Wow, those are great effects" whereas with practical effects I don't usually.  CGI tends to take me out of the story in a way that practical effects don't.  Thus my opinion that it would've been an absolute travesty if Return of the King had taken the Cinematography Oscar over Master & Commander - so much of the "cinematography" in ROTK was just computer generated.

I think practical effects generally age better. I was watching Guardians of The Galaxy a few weeks ago and there are a few scenes that are all CG and they do not look great. There is one where they are escaping the prison and it looks like a video game cut scene. And that movie is only 6 years old

 

22 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

Having aliens in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" works with the 50s B movie feel it's going for.

I will second that. I didn't even mind Indy using the fridge to save himself from the bomb test. I mean it is stupid but no stupider than escaping from a plane about to crash using an inflatable raft. Or hanging onto a submarine as it travels through the Mediterranean.

[Shannon L.]

On 5/29/2020 at 9:30 PM, bmoore4026 said:

I don't know how unpopular it is here but I love Grease.  Grease is a nice movie.  I don't know why people hate on it.

Because now, through the lens of 2020 (even earlier, actually), it has a horrendous message to young women:  If you want to keep the guy you are dating, you have to completely change who you are.  Sandy was perfectly fine as a conservative dressing, polite, kind young woman, but she felt she had to start wearing heavy makeup, tight, revealing clothing, high heels and start smoking to get Danny back.  Yes, he joined a sport and started wearing a letterman sweater, but it was her change that won in the end.  There's more than that and today, it makes me cringe, but FWIW, I still enjoy parts of it. 

[festivus]

All that's true and even my 12 year old self was like, no girl you don't have to be the one to change, but I love that movie. I can say the character's lines with them. I know a lot of it is nostalgia and the fact that I love musicals but I loves my Grease.

[Mabinogia]

I love Grease but hate the storyline. I love the music, I love most of the costumes, I love the actors and how cheesy it all is, but even as a kid I hated that Sandy changed. Back then it wasn't so much that she changed for a guy, because I didn't get that, it was that I LOVED the whole poodle skirts and sweater sets and high pony with a ribbon look and hated the all black, skin tight "sexy" look at the end. Now I hate the message too, but I do still love the movie for it's cheese and it's music. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

2 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Because now, through the lens of 2020 (even earlier, actually), it has a horrendous message to young women:  If you want to keep the guy you are dating, you have to completely change who you are.  Sandy was perfectly fine as a conservative dressing, polite, kind young woman, but she felt she had to start wearing heavy makeup, tight, revealing clothing, high heels and start smoking to get Danny back.  Yes, he joined a sport and started wearing a letterman sweater, but it was her change that won in the end.  There's more than that and today, it makes me cringe, but FWIW, I still enjoy parts of it. 

A million and a half years ago on TWoP, someone succinctly summed up Sandy's transformation, and it has stuck with me ever since:

Sandy went from being a nice, pretty, presentable girl with a future to looking like a member of the Future Barflies of America Club... and all for a low class jerk who treated her like crap.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Wiendish Fitch

[Simon Boccanegra]

 

On 5/27/2020 at 1:34 PM, VCRTracking said:

My unpopular Harrison Ford take is that while he's insanely charismatic when he's Han Solo and Indiana Jones and a few other things generally I don't care for when he plays an ordinary person(unless it's a supporting role like WORKING GIRL). His great strength as an actor is grounding fantastic and outlandish movies so they're believable. He centers the craziness all around him. However in more mundane, realistic settings he doesn't stick out so he's kind of boring. 

I can get on board with this. I have liked him in some more "down to earth" movies, such as Witness, without feeling that his acting was a big selling point of the movie. A number of other actors of the right physical type in the same era might have done as well. "Workmanlike" is a good word for him when he's not playing a Solo/Indy/Deckard pulp hero. 

I did admire his commitment to the fanaticism of the main character in The Mosquito Coast (and River Phoenix was very good as the son, too), but the movie was not a success with either critics or audiences. He didn't have much success with big swings out of his zone, as the brain-damaged character in Regarding Henry went even less well. 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Simon Boccanegra

[Enigma X]

I have expressed my UO of people saying something was robbed at an award show without having viewed/listened to/read the winner of whatever award. 

I will preface my next UO that might get me blocked by some people here with saying Queen is one of my top 25 classic rock bands, but I saw Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born and I much preferred Cooper to Malek. Will I say Cooper was robbed. No! You can't rob someone of what comes down to a subjective opinion contest.

Keeping on brand with A Star Is Born, I have seen all renditions and for me 2019's version was the best.

Edited June 18, 2020 by Enigma X

[Ravenya003]

I have never been bothered by a bad wig in films/TV, in fact most of the times I don't even notice it.

(Apparent examples of bad wigs: Mera and Atalana in Aquaman, Cersei and Daenerys in Game of Thrones, Storm in X-Men. I honestly didn't notice or care). 

[Shannon L.]

6 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I have expressed my UO of people saying something was robbed at an award show without having viewed/listened to/read the winner of whatever award. 

I will preface my next UO that might get me blocked by some people here with saying Queen is one of my top 25 classic rock bands, but I saw Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born and I much preferred Cooper to Malek. Will I say Cooper was robbed. No! You can't rob someone of what comes down to a subjective opinion contest.

Keeping on brand with A Star Is Born, I have seen all renditions and for me 2019's version was the best.

I've been very vocal about my love of Rami Malek in that role and how happy I was that he swept the season, but the one actor that I would not have been depressed to see beat him was Bradley Cooper. He was definitely the best part of that movie (which I also really enjoyed and thought was worthy of its nominations-I just never understood Lady Gaga being a frontrunner at one time).

[Enigma X]

I didn't hate Gaga in the role but her acting did not floor me because it was so good. 

[Avabelle]

Gaga was good in the role but I think it was her moronic behaviour on the press tour for the film that took the attention of her decent performance in the actual film. I think Cooper got sucked into that too to an extent. 

[kiddo82]

I think Lady Gaga was fine in A Star is Born but she didn't blow me away.  If it was up to me I don't think she should have been nominated in her acting category.  I think a great deal of the praise comes from the fact that the role was such a departure for her and it wasn't a disaster.  Same with Sandler in Uncut Gems.  He was very good but I think a lot of the hype came more from him defying expectations.    

Edited June 21, 2020 by kiddo82

[Blergh]

On 6/18/2020 at 3:26 PM, Enigma X said:

I have expressed my UO of people saying something was robbed at an award show without having viewed/listened to/read the winner of whatever award. 

I will preface my next UO that might get me blocked by some people here with saying Queen is one of my top 25 classic rock bands, but I saw Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born and I much preferred Cooper to Malek. Will I say Cooper was robbed. No! You can't rob someone of what comes down to a subjective opinion contest.

Keeping on brand with A Star Is Born, I have seen all renditions and for me 2019's version was the best.

 I also think that the 2019 version actually had the most sympathetic falling star leading man of all the versions whose seeds of self-destruction literally had been there from his very birth which had ended the life of his own mother. 

[BlackberryJam]

I'm not sure this is an unpopular opinion, but I hate ALL versions of A Star is Born. I hate the male lead for committing suicide and saddling the female lead with his name/guilt over his death. Because of what he did, she will never be free of him. I have no interest in a manpain film that keeps getting remade.

Also, Bradley Cooper is greasy and the opposite of hot. I want to dip him in astringent. 

[Crs97]

IMO, only in the first one did Fredric March make me sympathize with his character and believe he truly thought his suicide was an act of love.  (Full disclosure-I did not watch Bradley’s version, as I thought each remake was worse than the one before and am now tired of the story.)

[bmoore4026]

Inspired by Lindsay Ellis' latest video, and I don't know how unpopular it is around here, I declare that Titanic is more than a good movie.  It's a great movie.  Great acting, great sets, great cinematography, great effects, and great direction.  I never understood the hate or the asinine nitpicks.  It was a nice love story.  If there was a flaw, it's the fact that Rose married and later had children and grandchildren.  It would have been better if she remained a spinster.  She could have still gotten those photos taken of all the things she did without a husband and stuff.

Edited July 4, 2020 by bmoore4026

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm not crazy about Hamilton.  There.  I've said it. 

[Spartan Girl]

Curly Sue was a good movie. Yes, it was schmaltzy, but that's not always a bad thing, especially now.

On that note Jim Belushi is funnier than people take him for. People seriously need to stop comparing him to his brother, nobody will ever be John. 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Spartan Girl

[bmoore4026]

9 hours ago, GussieK said:

I'm not crazy about Hamilton.  There.  I've said it. 

I didn't hate it but I only thought it was OK.  I was more impressed with the dancers, actually.

Unpopular film opinion - Randolph Scott was better than John Wayne.

[Blergh]

17 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

I didn't hate it but I only thought it was OK.  I was more impressed with the dancers, actually.

Unpopular film opinion - Randolph Scott was better than John Wayne.

Not only did Mr. Scott have a MUCH wider acting range than did Mr. Wayne, it needs to be said that IMO the former appeared to have been far more gallant and fair minded offscreen than did Mr. Wayne (and I invite  everyone do their own searches re their bios and quotes to draw their own conclusions about this). 

Edited July 6, 2020 by Blergh

[Ambrosefolly]

24 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Not only did Mr. Scott have a MUCH wider acting range than did Mr. Wayne, it needs to be said that the former appeared to have been far more gallant and fair minded offscreen than did Mr. Wayne (and I invite  everyone do their own searches re their bios and quotes to draw their own conclusions about this). 

Here is my unpopular opinion: unless someone is openly abusive, either physically and verbally, and that is too the point than it more than a product of their times, (I am looking at you Marlon Brando) I don't give a shit about their opinions and personal beliefs off screen. All this cancel culture shit is getting worse than the Hays Code.

[kathyk24]

16 hours ago, GussieK said:

I'm not crazy about Hamilton.  There.  I've said it. 

I'm more excited for the Eagles concert tonight than Hamilton. Rent is my Hamilton I love every song.