Badmovies.org Forum

I have seen 3 movies in theaters this weekend:

* THE SIMPSON'S
* MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY
* HALLOWEEN

The only one I had high hopes for was THE SIMPSON'S, but I also expected MR. BEAN and HALLOWEEN to be decent.  Unfortunately, THE SIMPSON'S was a disappointment with only a handful of laugh-out-loud moments; MR. BEAN was less than decent, but not quite a bad movie; and HALLOWEEN started out with a lot of promise but ended with a huge flat tire.  In hindsight, I really didn't need to see any of these movies.

I'm somewhat intrigued by the upcoming I AM LEGEND, although something tells me they'll screw it up.  I also see that there is a remake of THE HEARTBREAK KID on the way.  Another pointless remake.  The Charles Grodin original is fine.  Let's leave it alone.

Earlier in the summer I saw TRANSFORMERS.  Brainlessly entertaining, but it could have and should have been a lot better.  I liked SPIDER-MAN 3, but it was a bit long and should have been streamlined.  RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER was a disappointment, as was GHOST RIDER.

So, why are there so few good movies and when will we see the "big turnaround" to more quality filmmaking?  (If I see "Directed by Brett Ratner" one more time, I think I'll get the dry heaves).  Should I just avoid the big-hype movies and stick to Dame Judi Dench period pieces and Martin Scorsese gangster flicks?  Can someone help me here?  I would really like to occasionally see movies with lost of car chases and things exploding that are actually pretty good.  But they seem to be few and far between . . . and getting more difficult to find every year.  Maybe that's why I buy so many older DVDs.  But I LOVE going to the movies!
 

i'm thinking it's because nobody wants to pay good writers and also come up with an original idea  - it's too risky

So jus rehash an old idea, throw in all the budget towards any eye candy special effects and hope to make a profit

I find no movie today compares to the joy and entertainment I still get from watching the classics of yesteryear (in fact given the choice, I'll usually take a black and white film from the 30s, 40s and 50s over anything today). What's truly good out there nowadays seem to be coming mainly from independent (and most often non-American) efforts.

Burgo,

Your complaint is one that I have most every summer.  The problem is that summer films are ones that will be brainless, guaranteed money makers.  When was the last time you went to the theater between May and October expecting a "good" film?

As for the films you saw over the weekend...  The Simpsons flick was decent, but it was just an hour and a half episode of the simpons with animated penis.  I felt the film was decent, but then again, I didn't expect it to be amazing.  Halloween is one that I plan on subjecting myself to tonight despite knowing deep down inside that I'll loathe it.  Then there's Mr. Bean's Holiday......I'll wait till it's out on DVD.

Sometimes though if you look close enough, you'll find a fun and intelligent summer flick.  Apparently Superbad is quite good, and Knocked Up was excellent, especially for an early summer flick.

Give it another two months or so and once November begins, we'll start seeing the good stuff again.

I tend to agree with Burgomaster from my own experience, but Skaboi, you made some good, insightful comments there.   :thumbup:

THE LORD OF THE RINGS


In those magnificent films, Hollywood atoned for every bad movie ever lampooned on this board.

Though well intentioned, I honestly believe you to be a bit delusional.
I thought the LOTR films were entirely too long winded and disjointed.
The stuff only a fanboy would love.
That's not a slam, by no means.  Type is notorious for not conveying inflection or emotion.  I was just stating my opinion.

just wait = there will be a LOTR remake

it's coming

everything eventually gets recycled

I'm waiting for the Special Edition where Frodo shoots first.

Um, no.

lol yea whatever

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QAlt4Sfl7Q

What can I say?  I've read the trilogy over 30 times, including twice out loud to my children!

Call me FANBOY from now on! :lookingup:

Or in Sindarin:

Y'elvai edain

Twice out loud?  Can't imagine why you'd roll your eyes, being a true "FANBOY."  The films are hardly faithful to the books, as I know you know, but I suppose they come reasonably close!   :teddyr: 

I really enjoyed the first film.  The second one was a mixed bag, entirely carried by the character of Gollum.  The third one was insufferable, and though spectacular in parts, so-oo-oo-oh BO-OE-RING.  That film winning the Academy Award for Best Picture is proof again of the absurdity of awards, particularly, that one.   :smile:

Yeah, I read it to them once when they were six and again last fall, when they were twelve.  And RETURN OF THE KING was the best of the bunch, IMO, especially the extended 4 hour version.  I am waiting with bated breath for THE HOBBIT to get its big-screen day in the sun, and (dare I hope?) THE SILMARILLION  someday?

In other words, yes, I am hopeless.

:bouncegiggle: :thumbup:  I applaud your hopelessness. 

Not to rain on your parade or anything Burgo...
(and please don't give me negative karma for saying so...)

But maybe it's just you.

Maybe you think these movies are bad.
But others don't.

I haven't seen them so I can't comment.

But always remember...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
What I think is awesome...you might think is crap...and vice versa.

The 'good' movies are out there, you've just got to be fortunate in finding them.

Especially if you have independent films and other 'lesser known' films that play in your area.  The true gold is in the relatively unknown films that don't get as much interest as your Die Hard 4s etc [which incidentally was a fun movie]

But what Ash says holds true as well I suppose.  But filmmakers and producers SHOULD know better really...

Ash - you are right . . . everyone is entitled to their opinion.  But I think most people who think these movies are good are the same people who avoid black & white movies simply because they are not in color . . . or subtitled movies simply because they are not in English.  We have been tricked into accepting whatever is handed to us, no matter how bad it is.  It is all part of the "dumbing down of America." 

 Burgomaster, I see we have much in common. I definitely agree with that opinion but I also feel it's because the studios simply believe the vast majority of their potential youth audience are DUMB and sadly, I suspect they're largely right.

Karma to you, JaseSF!

I wouldn't say that it's because they think the audience are dumb.

Sure there are some producers/directors etc that pander to the broadest common denominator and try and please everyone but I consider it to be a more business based problem.

It's like you're building a house: There are builders/companies that do a job better than others, and some people who are just lazy and cut corners.  Same applies here: They're trying to make a quick easy buck and end up making an inferior product.  Remember, it's just a job to most people involved.  Lofty ambitions for really good work is for those who want to hone their craft.  Others would prefer to spend that time rolling in their cash...

What kills me is that the words "summer movie" shouldn't automatically mean brainless cinema for the dumb.

A movie can be immensely entertaining on a popcorn level but also have some sort of cinematic point along with intelligence.  Case in point, Raiders of the Lost Ark which originally came out on June 12th, 1981.     It's a great movie that you can just sit back, eat some popcorn and have a blast watching it. But it also happens to feature fantastic performances and manages to be smart at the same time.  The filmmakers weren't talking down to their audience or showing complete contempt as well (which seems to be the norm in Hollywood for about the last 20 years or so.)

I get sucked into the whole summer movie machine madness like everyone else and end up going to see something not because I really want to see it but because there's really not much better coming out.

they say everything comes from 3 basic stories. So any new hollywood content is probably going to be the same crap we've all seen before.

If you ever read any articles about the development of most movies it's a wonder the few movies that are good get made at all.

I dunno...  I can't be too negative about Hollywood.  Yeah, they recycle a lot of crap, and there are too many sequels/crappy fluff movies, but every year there are a number of movies I really enjoy.

Next weekend is looking great for genre fans...  Shoot 'Em Up, 3:10 to Yuma, and a limited release (finally) of Hatchet.  I'll be having fun.

You want the big movie companies to release better movies?

Mug every 12-16 year old in line before they can buy tickets.

This will help in the short run, but then you have to:

A.) Use that money to make your own s**tty movie and blame distribution when it fails.

B.) Use that money to end unplaned pregnancy and illiteracy.   

Eh.  I liked Halloween.  I want to see Bean and Simpsons, but probably will end up just seeing the dvd's. 

Last summer, the only flick I've seen in the theater was Clerks II.  This year, just Halloween. 

Someone mentioned Lord of The Rings.  I've never seen them. 

2007 has had quite a few really good movies too...  I might suggest finding your local art house theatre.  See stuff like Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, No Country for Old Men, Black Snake Moan, Ratatouille, Bourne Ultimatum, Gone Baby Gone, Rescue Dawn, Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Grindhouse, There Will Be Blood, etc. 

I've heard some suggest 2007 was the best year for American film in over a decade. 

I might suggest looking at the top movies on RT for 2007.  A lot of good stuff came out this year.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_year.php?year=2007 (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_year.php?year=2007)

A few reasons for all the crap coming out of Hollywood:

1)  A profound lack of creativity.  Just look at all the remakes and video game / comic book adaptations.  This isn't going to change anytime soon because no one is more arrogant in their claims of creativity than Hollywood.

2)  Today's actors just aren't any good at acting;  they're good at being famous.  All of these big name celebrities play the exact same character in every movie they're in. 

3)  Extremely controlled environment where new ideas are shunned and laughed at.  It's also far too political;  only people who agree with the Hollywood line on everything need apply.  When everyone agrees on everything then A)  There's no thinking going on and B)  There's going to be no variety in ideas.  Hollywood's idea of "diversity" of ideas is to hire people with different skin colors and sexual persuasions, just so long as they all think exactly the same.

4)  Too much emphasis on name recognition.  For a director to have his name well known is far, far more important than for him to make good movies.

I'm sure I could come up with more if I put a few minutes thought into it, but why bother  :teddyr:

The movie business is all about making money.  And the sheeple will pay money to see loud explosions and CGI.  A good story just interferes with their short attention spans.

I loved LOTR movies.  I started reading the books but I only got through 2 chapters of the first one - boring, boring boring.  It was all so genteel and excruciatingly old fashionedly English it set my teeth on edge.  Maybe I should do it again and this time stick with it to see if it improves.

Plus, there's no such thing as an original idea in Hollywood.

I guess the main reason I'm drawn to B movies and foreign cinema is because of the crap Hollywood mainstream churns out, one damn squeal after another, one remake after another and the same old tired stories spun in a endless number of ways. It just gets old.

As some posted earlier, I'll take the golden era of the 30's-50's of mainstream Hollywood of the crap they make today. They can't even make a comedy you can take you family to because of all the cussing and rude jokes. Those are fine at times, but can they not make one film without wall to wall sex and cussing?

What even happened to intelligent comedy like the Marx Brothers or the slap stick of Abbott and Costello? You could take your entire family to see those and not worry about what might be in it.

Yep give me the classics, or the B Movies that know they are bad before they even make them.

I rarely watch any more recent films (2003 and up), unless I think it looks good.  The most recent film I have watched was Casino Royale and that was great.  \

I've started to get into foriegn films mainly Japanese films as I find them interesting to watch.  I've only been watching b movies for about 11 months now, and I've been enjoying the ride every step of the way.

God damnit why the hell does everybody hate Halloween so much? I couldn't see ANYTHING wrong with it!

I know it's become chic to bash LotR but I enjoyed all the movies and still do.  However, I'm not one of those Jackson suck-ups that says that everything he does from now on is gold.

You want a boring movie that has some cool parts but they are few and far between?  Try Jackson's King Kong.  I've watched it twice.  Once on DVD to see what all the fuss was about and then again when I bought my HD DVD player (only because it came with the damned thing).  I won't watch it again.

LotR will most likely be in my Top Favorite 10-15 movies for a very very long time.  But bash away.  You're not going to rile me or change my mind.   :tongueout:

BTW, I liked Mr. Bean's Holiday.

Yeah, Lord of the Rings kicked ass. I liked Mr. Bean's Holiday too (though naturally it doesn't live up to the classic series). Loved Halloween. I enjoyed The Simpsons, too.

The internet makes me sad sometimes, there's always people with very furious complaints about movies which a lot of us couldn't ever find anything wrong with.

Wow.  I see that someone resurrected this topic!  Well . . . I have some updates to my original commments:

* I saw THE SIMPSONS again (on an airplane) and I thought it was better/funnier the second time.
* As much as I disliked HALLOWEEN (actually, I mostly disliked it after Michael Myers grew up . . . the parts when he was a kid were okay), I will probably buy the unrated DVD as soon as the price drops to $9.99 or lower.
* I haven't thought much about MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY, but it's likely I'll eventually give that movie another chance, too.  I'm a Rowan Atkinson fan, but that movie left me a bit disappointed.

I did see I AM LEGEND and I enjoyed it.  The climax could have been better, but I thought Will Smith added depth to a character that most other actors would have played as a basic action-movie hero.  Will took this role seriously and did a nice job with it.

I also bought THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THE KINGDOM and EASTERN PROMISES and thought they were all good in different ways.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for 2008 (especially IRON MAN).

Hollywood movies are made by committee, they're more concerned with not losing money than taking a chance on something original, no one wants to be responsible for a flop. They aim at what they perceive is the lowest common denominator of their target audience and usually only make changes in settings or characters but only rarely in story line, which is why most are mediocre, liked by some, hated by some, but for most of us just OK. Having said that, I must also say that every year Hollywood produces a movie or movies that are liked by most, loved by some, and hated by few. These are the exceptions that lead to sequels and remakes. Finding a good movie is like panning for gold in a muddy stream, you go through a Lot of mud to find a little bit of gold. The gold that we find is different for each of us and that difference is what makes movies an interesting subject.

Hollywood churns out what they think people want to see, and in most cases, they get it right for that purpose.  The majority of the general public has horrible taste in movies, music, clothing, and just about everything else.  People tend to like boring normal things, and that might actually be a good thing for the rest of us, because if everyone started liking what we like, that would become normal and boring too!

That reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where they were looking at movie reviews in the paper and Calvin asks "This movie is rated R for Adult Situations.  What's that?"  to which Hobbes replies "I don't know.  Paying bills and going to work."  and Calvin says, "Why would anybody want to see a movie about that?"  (I'm paraphrasing).

I think I read too many of these comics because I know exactly which one your talking about. In fact I even think I remember which book it was.