Unpopular Opinions

[Wiendish Fitch]

49 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Capra is really not my cuppa. I'm not a fan of blatant emotional manipulation where the "little guy" musters up all his strength to take on the "big bad corporate/political machine" with his heartfelt truths. 

Same. I appreciate what ol' Frank was trying to do, but he did it in such a calculated, ham-fisted way that it just does not go down easily. His "little guy" characters also come off to me as either unbearable martyrs or anti-intellectual jerks. I personally consider it a writing fail if I'm rooting for the villain.

Oh, and given the choice, I'd rather live in Pottersville than Bedford Falls.

I think Frank Capra was at his best when he wasn't being FRANK CAPRA, y'know? I love It Happened One Night, and Platinum Blonde and Arsenic and Old Lace are delightful. 

[Mabinogia]

28 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I love It Happened One Night, and Platinum Blonde and Arsenic and Old Lace are delightful. 

I've not seen Platinum Blonde but I didn't realize the other two were Capra. I LOVE both those movies. I tend not to know much about those behind the scene's especially older movies, I'm more about the actors so I had no clue. Mind blown!

[kiddo82]

3 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Another Classic Hollywood UO:

For the most part, I don't find Jean Arthur all that magical and wonderful... except in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. She's actually my favorite part of that otherwise manipulative, overly-simplistic, remarkably cynical slice of "Capra-corn". Does anyone else find Jefferson Smith's wide-eyed idealist schtick completely phony? I agree with Danny Peary that Mr. Smith has the makings of a demagogue. 

 

I listen to the Top 100 Project podcast.  It's a husband and wife who reviewed each of the AFI's top 100 ranked American movies.  They ran through the AFI lists and now they just review whatever movies they want.  I specifically remember their Mr. Smith episode because I thought one of the hosts gave it the dressing down it deserves.  She didn't hold back and I was there for it.  The enduring popularity of this movie is lost on me.  It just seems so goofy and not in a fun way.

[andromeda331]

On 8/10/2021 at 3:43 PM, Mabinogia said:

I am of the age where I think E.T. was required watching. I watched it once. Never really felt a need to watch it again. 

Titanic I ended up watching towards the end of it's long theatre run. I had zero interest in the storyline or romance. I just wanted to see the ship. It was totally worth it. That ship was stunning. I cried when it sunk, not for Jack and Rose, but for that bannister, and those chandeliers and all that beautiful woodwork and the beautiful cars etc. A few people too. The Strauses where the real romantic story for me. 

The sinking gets me every time. I don't care about what happened to Jack or Rose. But all those people on the boat unable to get off. The Strausses and other couples where the wife decided to stay and die with her husband. And the band members. Playing while its all happening then when they are released all leave except for one who stays and continues to play. The other band members come back and start playing with him. They didn't have to come back but they did.
 

Quote

 

As for popular movies I've never seen. I am a huge fan of old movies. The 30s-40s was classic Hollywood for me. Never seen Casablanca and have no interest in ever seeing Casablanca. I get that it's a classic, I get that it's a household name, I just have no interest at all. I've seen homages to it, I've seen parodies of it. I'm good. 

 

I watched Casablanca because its quoted in so many movies and TV shows but I mostly bored watching it. The only part I really liked was when the patrons start singing the French national anthem while drowning out the German soldiers singing their anthem. Its such a good scene.

[Mabinogia]

9 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

The Strausses and other couples where the wife decided to stay and die with her husband. And the band members. Playing while its all happening then when they are released all leave except for one who stays and continues to play. The other band members come back and start playing with him. They didn't have to come back but they did.

Yep, these are the things that get me, every time. The band playing, knowing they are going to die along with everyone else is just, wow. I just love that story. That it was the backdrop to the love story of Rose and Jack, a love story I found as exciting as already dried beige paint on a blank wall, is a damned shame. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

1 minute ago, Mabinogia said:

Yep, these are the things that get me, every time. The band playing, knowing they are going to die along with everyone else is just, wow. I just love that story. That it was the backdrop to the love story of Rose and Jack, a love story I found as exciting as already dried beige paint on a blank wall, is a damned shame. 

I've said it before, I'll say it again: the little old steerage class couple cuddling close as their room fills with water? Now that's a love story!

[Ambrosefolly]

10 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

The sinking gets me every time. I don't care about what happened to Jack or Rose. But all those people on the boat unable to get off. The Strausses and other couples where the wife decided to stay and die with her husband. And the band members. Playing while its all happening then when they are released all leave except for one who stays and continues to play. The other band members come back and start playing with him. They didn't have to come back but they did.

I remember when the movie came out and while the effects were amazing, I agreed with the assessment of my friend that the movie, at least story-wise, was mediocre. I liked it fine, but aside from technical Oscars, I didn't understand the love. 

[wallflower75]

3 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I've said it before, I'll say it again: the little old steerage class couple cuddling close as their room fills with water? Now that's a love story!

I believe those were the Strausses, who were actually first-class passengers.  I always cry when I see them huddled together in the bed, followed by the mother in steerage telling a story to her children to put them to sleep, knowing they're going to die.

Edited August 13, 2021 by wallflower75

[kiddo82]

21 minutes ago, wallflower75 said:

I believe those were the Strausses, who were actually first-class passengers.  I always cry when I see them huddled together in the bed, followed by the mother in steerage telling a story to her children to put them to sleep, knowing they're going to die.

Re:  the mother and the kids.  I always think it's nice that she's trying to put them to sleep but the cynic in me is like "they're just gonna wake up the second that freezing water hits them any way."

[JustHereForFood]

Lady Gaga and A Star Is Born were mentioned in another thread, so here goes: I haven't really liked or disliked the movie, it was just a movie that I watched and that's it. But it got  tiring listening to everyone saying how it was the best movie and how much it made them cry, not to mention listening to Shallow all the time on the radio (and I liked the song at the beginning, it was the constant exposure that made me dislike it after some time). And full disclosure: I haven't shed a single tear at it, and I can cry a lot at movies. I didn't even feel sorry for Gaga's character at the end, I thought she was better off without that alcoholic.

And I can't believe how anyone could consider Bradley Cooper attractive in this movie. I don't consider him attractive in general, more like average, but I found him to be downright ugly here, he looked like the last homeless person on the street. If I saw him in real life, I would cross the street in order to avoid him out of fear. And I'm sure he would smell too, like long-term alcoholics usually do.

[Crs97]

The first Star is Born guts me; the remakes are pale substitutes.

[Crashcourse]

Just finished watching Deadpool.  I thought it was quite stupid and not very funny. 

[pancake bacon]

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Just finished watching Deadpool.  I thought it was quite stupid and not very funny. 

I actually walked away from Deadpool very angry. I couldn't just get along with the stupid premise of Ryan Reynolds' character soooo embarrassed to show his "ugly" (in his own mind) face to his girlfriend, which is the whole conflict of his character. Dude, you did all sorts of crazy stuff with each other, and accepted each other for what they are. Then all of a sudden, it's "I'm hideous, oh noooooo!" 

Overall, Ryan Reynolds may be a lot of fun when he is in promotion mode for any of his movies (and that's great), but I think 80% of his movies have actually been non-successes. In fact, he was on serious box office poison status before Deadpool turned it around. This man gets soooo many chances to headline big movies… WHY?  

[Wiendish Fitch]

5 hours ago, pancake bacon said:

I actually walked away from Deadpool very angry. I couldn't just get along with the stupid premise of Ryan Reynolds' character soooo embarrassed to show his "ugly" (in his own mind) face to his girlfriend, which is the whole conflict of his character. Dude, you did all sorts of crazy stuff with each other, and accepted each other for what they are. Then all of a sudden, it's "I'm hideous, oh noooooo!" 

Overall, Ryan Reynolds may be a lot of fun when he is in promotion mode for any of his movies (and that's great), but I think 80% of his movies have actually been non-successes. In fact, he was on serious box office poison status before Deadpool turned it around. This man gets soooo many chances to headline big movies… WHY?  

Deadpool is so overrated, IMO. I agree his scars did not look that bad, and his girlfriend was a nauseating "Cool Girl".

Ryan Reynolds's charm completely eludes me. I find he has the definitive punchable face.

[AimingforYoko]

4 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I find he has the definitive punchable face.

 

[Spartan Girl]

Infinity War was better than Endgame. There, I said it.

[Anduin]

19 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Infinity War was better than Endgame. There, I said it.

I've seen IW a couple of times at home, but haven't seen Endgame since opening day. So I agree. IW is really good.

[Shannon L.]

50 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Infinity War was better than Endgame. There, I said it.

I agree.  I also like the first half of Endgame better than the second half, although there are moments in the big fight that are really good, like the "Avengers assemble" moment.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 8/21/2021 at 6:29 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Infinity War was better than Endgame. There, I said it.

The pacing of Infinity War is way better. They do a great job of bouncing back and forth between all the different stories and characters without spending too long in any one location and still keeping up all the action and tension. Endgame kind of drags after Thor kills Thanos and doesn't do as good of a job bouncing between time heist locations. Plus like a lot of similar movies it again proved that time travel movies are super difficult to nail.

[Shannon L.]

On 8/16/2021 at 1:55 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

Ryan Reynolds's charm completely eludes me. I find he has the definitive punchable face.

Never underestimate what humor can do for someone among people who find them funny.  I don't find Ryan Reynolds movie star handsome, but I do find him cute and his humor just makes me love him more.  @pancake bacon, I think he's getting so many movies now because he's found a niche that works for him and when a movie stars him, it's drawing big crowds. That brings me to my UO:  I don't care if an actor plays the same character all the time. There is a distinguished group of actors and actresses who can play multiple different parts and I think that's wonderful--seriously, good for them-- but I'm fine with the ones who find what works for them and capitalize on it. Ryan has shown that the Deadpool-esque character works for him in PG-movies (Detective Picachu), PG-13 (Free Guy) and R rated films (Deadpool) and that's ok, imo.  And, since we're on Ryan, his sense of humor appeals to me and I, like thousands of people across the world, also had a really bad year and Ryan's movies/interviews/promotions/tweets have given me much appreciated moments of levity.

[pancake bacon]

3 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

because he's found a niche that works for him and when a movie stars him, it's drawing big crowds.

Ryan Reynolds is all right, and he's a great media personality. All I'm saying is that Ryan's one of the lucky ones who got a seventh (not precise, but you get what I mean) chance to get to that niche. Wish a few other performers get to be as lucky. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Even as a fan of RR since his days of "Two Guys and a Girl" I can say that you make a very good point!

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, pancake bacon said:

Ryan Reynolds is all right, and he's a great media personality. All I'm saying is that Ryan's one of the lucky ones who got a seventh (not precise, but you get what I mean) chance to get to that niche. Wish a few other performers get to be as lucky. 

 

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Even as a fan of RR since his days of "Two Guys and a Girl" I can say that you make a very good point!

It just occurred to me that I have never seen anything that Ryan was in before Deadpool.  I just looked it up on IMDB and literally--nothing--before that, so that's probably why I'm on the Ryan Reynolds bandwagon (because I loved Deadpool). I get the point now, though.  I was aware that he was an actor, but I had no idea he did so much before that. 

[Anduin]

This one may really come off as heretical, but I hated all three Raimi Spider-Man movies. I couldn't even tell you why. They just rubbed me the wrong way. Not only that, they put me off seeing the ones from Marc Webb. I haven't bothered to see the current ones either.

Indeed, I just watched the trailer for the latest one. Looks like another big miss. Spidey is decent enough when he pops up in other movies, but on his own? No thanks.

I wish I could explain why they rub me the wrong way. If I knew, I would. But I don't.

[festivus]

On 8/21/2021 at 5:29 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Infinity War was better than Endgame. There, I said it.

Totally. I've watched it many times, the pacing is great and the dusting was truly devastating at the time.

My UO is that the only thing I truly love about Endgame is Thor's story. I know a lot of people had trouble with fat Thor being played for a joke, but I was really moved by Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor's depression. 

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, Anduin said:

This one may really come off as heretical, but I hated all three Raimi Spider-Man movies.

Not that heretical. I’ve grown to despise all three of those movies, mostly because they completely butchered the Peter/MJ relationship, and turned MJ into…well, that.

29 minutes ago, festivus said:

Totally. I've watched it many times, the pacing is great and the dusting was truly devastating at the time.

My UO is that the only thing I truly love about Endgame is Thor's story. I know a lot of people had trouble with fat Thor being played for a joke, but I was really moved by Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor's depression. 

Yes, Tony, Nebula, and Thor’s character arcs were the best parts of the movie. Everything else…not so much. And I really hate how Carol and Okoye were shunted off to the sidelines until the final battle. As usual, Black Widow got the lion’s share of female character quota until they fridged her. 🙄

[Raja]

I don't see Avengers Endgame as a movie to be watched alone in a narrative vacuum but rather the last three episodes of a TV series. It would be like watching the last episode of MASH or Breaking Bad and asking what's the big deal. I can't think of anyone who saw the global cultural event alone who went back to watch the rest of the series.

The only reason for me to rewatch it outside of the others chapters is to look for some Easter Egg missed in that first viewing however knowing the story it is watching the Big 3 in their desperate fight not knowing that Dr Strange is gathering the reinforcements  where I start to pay attention and then the ending is fan service beat them ups.

[Kel Varnsen]

3 hours ago, Anduin said:

This one may really come off as heretical, but I hated all three Raimi Spider-Man movies. I couldn't even tell you why. They just rubbed me the wrong way. Not only that, they put me off seeing the ones from Marc Webb. I haven't bothered to see the current ones either.

Indeed, I just watched the trailer for the latest one. Looks like another big miss. Spidey is decent enough when he pops up in other movies, but on his own? No thanks.

I wish I could explain why they rub me the wrong way. If I knew, I would. But I don't.

Those Raimi Spider man movies are a kind of weird product of their time, and a great example of how super hero movies have changed in the last 20 years. When I saw the first one I was super impressed and the second one was the second date I went on with my now wife. But watching them again a year or two ago they are really weird compared to current movies. Like they take themselves so serious. And not just the story but the dialogue, the score and even the shots. Scenes of people just talking approach soap opera levels because of it how it looks and feels. And it is weird that they are so serious, because Raimi directed Army of Darkness. 

[JustHereForFood]

6 hours ago, Anduin said:

This one may really come off as heretical, but I hated all three Raimi Spider-Man movies. I couldn't even tell you why. They just rubbed me the wrong way. Not only that, they put me off seeing the ones from Marc Webb. I haven't bothered to see the current ones either.

Indeed, I just watched the trailer for the latest one. Looks like another big miss. Spidey is decent enough when he pops up in other movies, but on his own? No thanks.

I wish I could explain why they rub me the wrong way. If I knew, I would. But I don't.

I never liked those original movies with Tobey Maguire. In my case, the huge part of that was Tobey Maguire. I don't mind him in other things, but to me he was not Peter at all. 

I quite liked those with Andrew Garfield and was sad that there wouldn't be another one, so I wasn't interested in Tom Holland at first, it felt unnecessary to have a new actor again in such a short time. But I warmed up to him, so now I like both Andrew and Tom.

[PepSinger]

If loving Ryan Reynolds is an UO, then I don’t wanna be a part of the popular opinion, LOL. I love Ryan Reynolds. There is no way I would’ve seen Free Guy if he wasn’t in it. I am glad that he’s having a career renaissance because he was having a rough few years there (2011-2015). I think he’s funny, and he just seems like a really nice person. He’s one of a few actors that I think I wouldn’t be so star struck to talk to if I ever met him because he seems approachable and charismatic. 

Edited August 24, 2021 by PepSinger

[Fool to cry]

The recent death of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts made me think how much I like the Whoopi Goldberg movie Jumpin' Jack Flash ever since I saw it on TV as a kid. I love any comedic movie where an ordinary person somehow gets involved way over their head in some criminal or spy plot. Plus it has Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz in minor roles.

[starri]

I’m glad Whoopi is acting more. I don’t blame her for sitting back and counting her money from The View, but revisiting any of her work from the 80s or early 90s, I’m reminded just how damned good she can be. I honestly cannot begin to picture Bette Midler in Sister Act because Whoopi just owned it. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, starri said:

I’m glad Whoopi is acting more. I don’t blame her for sitting back and counting her money from The View, but revisiting any of her work from the 80s or early 90s, I’m reminded just how damned good she can be. I honestly cannot begin to picture Bette Midler in Sister Act because Whoopi just owned it. 

She really is. Not a movie, but when she guest starred on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, her character, who manipulated the foster boys she raised to become home invaders and murderers, scared me to death. She was so good.

But her rant about a decapitated head on Soapdish will never NOT be funny; or her most famous line in Ghost: "Molly? You in Danger, Girl."

[Shannon L.]

43 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

She really is. Not a movie, but when she guest starred on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, her character, who manipulated the foster boys she raised to become home invaders and murderers, scared me to death. She was so good.

But her rant about a decapitated head on Soapdish will never NOT be funny; or her most famous line in Ghost: "Molly? You in Danger, Girl."

As much as I enjoyed the whole cast of Soapdish, Whoopi's character was my favorite. 

[Spartan Girl]

13 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

The recent death of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts made me think how much I like the Whoopi Goldberg movie Jumpin' Jack Flash ever since I saw it on TV as a kid. I love any comedic movie where an ordinary person somehow gets involved way over their head in some criminal or spy plot. Plus it has Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz in minor roles.

I love the part where she's dancing to the song trying to figure out what the hell those garbled lyrics were saying 😆

[Fool to cry]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I love the part where she's dancing to the song trying to figure out what the hell those garbled lyrics were saying 😆

"Two lesbians?!"

[Dandesun]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I love the part where she's dancing to the song trying to figure out what the hell those garbled lyrics were saying 😆

I still sing "I was raised by two lesbians" when I hear that song. I just like it more than "I was raised by a toothless bearded hag."

Although her being incredulous at 'a spike right through my head' is even funnier given that it's the real lyric.

[Spartan Girl]

I don’t know if this is an UO or not, but I liked Carol’s shorter hair in Endgame and I’m kind of bummed that 

Spoiler

she grew it back in the Shang Chi credits scene.

 

[magicdog]

On 8/10/2021 at 1:09 PM, Katy M said:

We were just talking about Titanic and how my dad liked the movie until the boat started to sink.  My mom and I are unsure as to why he started watching in the first place because he should have known that was going to happen.

Funny!  At the time the movie was in theaters,  a local morning radio show was chatting about the film and the tragedy of the sinking.  Then a listener called in annoyed how they spoiled the ending!!!

[Blergh]

Re The Eyes of Tammy Faye:

I know that Jessica Chastain wanted to avoid making the late Tammy Faye Bakker Messner a caricature (and had her children's blessing) but I recall how eagerly the then- Mrs. Bakker joined her 1st husband Jim in urging struggling folks to part with major parts of their income and reaping the rewards for  themselves.  Yes, I grant that  the late Mrs. Messner was nicer than the late Rev. Fallwell was towards gays and the AIDS- afflicted folks but alone that doesn't erase how greedy, hammy and insincere she was back in the day  when helping to fleece their viewers. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

18 hours ago, Blergh said:

Re The Eyes of Tammy Faye:

I know that Jessica Chastain wanted to avoid making the late Tammy Faye Bakker Messner a caricature (and had her children's blessing) but I recall how eagerly the then- Mrs. Bakker joined her 1st husband Jim in urging struggling folks to part with major parts of their income and reaping the rewards for  themselves.  Yes, I grant that  the late Mrs. Messner was nicer than the late Rev. Fallwell was towards gays and the AIDS- afflicted folks but alone that doesn't erase how greedy, hammy and insincere she was back in the day  when helping to fleece their viewers. 

THANK YOU!!!

Fuck Tammy Faye. Maybe she wasn't as monstrous as that thing she was once married to, and maybe she was an ally to the LGBTQ community, but I don't care. That's bare minimum human decency, and it doesn't erase her complicity in Jim Bakker's crimes. Tammy Faye was absolutely reaping the benefits of her ill-gotten gains, and I highly doubt she lost much sleep over it. For crying out loud, they allegedly had an air-conditioned doghouse! Okay, first off, this was back in the 1980s, when homelessness really began to spike, so that is some Marie Antoinette levels of complacent greed. Second, if that's true... just let your dogs sleep in the house, you monsters!!

If you're the nicer of two criminals... you're still a fucking criminal. End of discussion. Oh, but don't think I'm forgetting ol' Jim, who's living proof that "cancel culture" isn't really a thing. I hate that this asshole still has a platform.

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by Wiendish Fitch

[Spartan Girl]

15 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

THANK YOU!!!

Fuck Tammy Faye. Maybe she wasn't as monstrous as that thing she was once married to, and maybe she was an ally to the LGBTQ community, but I don't care. That's bare minimum human decency, and it doesn't erase her complicity in Jim Bakker's crimes. Tammy Faye was absolutely was reaping the benefits of her ill-gotten gains, and I highly doubt she lost much sleep over it. For crying out loud, they allegedly had an air-conditioned doghouse! Okay, first off, this was back in the 1980s, when homelessness really began to spike, so that is some Marie Antoinette levels of complacent greed. Second, if that's true... just let your dogs sleep in the house, you monsters!!

If you're the nicer of two criminals... you're still a fucking criminal. End of discussion. Oh, but don't think I'm forgetting ol' Jim, who's living proof that "cancel culture" isn't really a thing. I hate that this asshole still has a platform.

 

I love Jessica Chastain, but if her first Oscar comes from this villain apologia after all the superior roles she’s played, I’ll scream.

My current UO: I’m really getting sick of how the MCU treats its female characters. 

[Shannon L.]

This one may get me barred:   My favorite Die Hard movie is Die Hard With a Vengeance.

[Bastet]

29 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

This one may get me barred:   My favorite Die Hard movie is Die Hard With a Vengeance.

Not only is that my favorite, it's the only one I like.  And I like it because of Zeus, and the supporting cast (especially Colleen Camp and Graham Greene).  I do not like John McClane.

I'm not into action movies in general, so I'm not the target audience, and thus how the original made so many people's favorite Christmas movies list is something I will never understand.

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, Shannon L. said:

This one may get me barred:   My favorite Die Hard movie is Die Hard With a Vengeance.

It's a good one! And the first Die Hard I saw in cinemas. I also like Die Hard 4. Apparently though Timothy Olyphant doesn't like it.

[Spartan Girl]

I don’t know if it’s an UO or not but it needs to be said:

Joaquin Phoenix did not deserve an Oscar for Joker. His performances was as mediocre as that stupid villain apologia movie. All he did was lose weight and do a stupid creepy laugh. That was it. Why that somehow blew anyone away is beyond me.

You want a great movie depicting a sympathetic and tragic antihero driven to madness by the unfairness and cruelty of life? Try watching Howard Rollins in Ragtime. He was brilliant in that movie and never got an Oscar. Didn’t even get a nomination. 

[Shannon L.]

5 hours ago, Anduin said:

It's a good one! And the first Die Hard I saw in cinemas. I also like Die Hard 4. Apparently though Timothy Olyphant doesn't like it.

Die Hard 4 is my second favorite.

4 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I don’t know if it’s an UO or not but it needs to be said:

Joaquin Phoenix did not deserve an Oscar for Joker. His performances was as mediocre as that stupid villain apologia movie. All he did was lose weight and do a stupid creepy laugh. That was it. Why that somehow blew anyone away is beyond me.

I was ok with his nomination, but I'd have rather seen Adam Driver win (full disclosure:  I didn't see The Two Popes or Pain and Glory) or have seen Taron Egerton nominated and win. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Shannon L.

[Anduin]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Not only is that my favorite, it's the only one I like.  And I like it because of Zeus, and the supporting cast (especially Colleen Camp and Graham Greene).  I do not like John McClane.

I'm not into action movies in general, so I'm not the target audience, and thus how the original made so many people's favorite Christmas movies list is something I will never understand.

Action movies weren't like that originally. They were very much the Stallone or Schwarzenegger big guys with big guns model. Go watch Predator or Rambo 2 for an example. So along comes Willis. He's smaller, he goes through hell, he's up against a great bad guy. That's why Die Hard 1 is so loved, and the formula is so used.

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I was ok with his nomination, but I'd have rather seen Adam Driver win (full disclosure:  I didn't see The Two Popes or Pain and Glory) or have seen Taron Egerton nominated and win. 

Either one of those would have been much more deserved, though I personally wanted Taron to win.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[starri]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Joaquin Phoenix did not deserve an Oscar for Joker. His performances was as mediocre as that stupid villain apologia movie. All he did was lose weight and do a stupid creepy laugh. That was it. Why that somehow blew anyone away is beyond me.

This is correct.