Bad Movie Logo
"A website to the detriment of good film"
Custom Search
HOMEB-MOVIE REVIEWSREADER REVIEWSFORUMINTERVIEWSUPDATESABOUT
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 11:33:29 AM
713349 Posts in 53056 Topics by 7725 Members
Latest Member: wibwao
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Bad Movies  |  When is a movie bad and when is it "bad" « previous next »
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: When is a movie bad and when is it "bad"  (Read 5695 times)
WingedSerpent
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 290
Posts: 2531


I AM THE BAD PHOTOSHOP EFFECT!


« on: January 25, 2007, 10:57:35 PM »

I saw "The Seed of Chucky" and absoultly hated it.  Bad story, Bad acting, bad veverything.  However, I like movies such as "Plan 9 from Outer Space" "Wild World of Batwoman" and a lot of the old cult favorites.  Bad stories, bad acting, bad effects.  What's the difference?

One solution I thought of was Unintentional bad vs Intentional bad

Ed Wood thought he was making great films, many of the B-movie makers knew they were maiking B-movies but still seemed to go at it with full force.  For whatever reasons the movie just turned out bad-Unintentionally bad

Other movies like the later Chucky movies, take effort to make themselves look campy.  The know the movie will be bad, so instead of making the movie look good they try to make it campy for campy sake

I'm sure there are other reasons.  When is a movie so bad it's good vs a movie that is so bad it's just not worth watching for any reasons?
Logged

At least, that's what Gary Busey told me...
sideorderofninjas
B-Movie Site Webmaster
Bad Movie Lover
****

Karma: 84
Posts: 649



WWW
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2007, 11:31:29 PM »


Too many times, intentionally bad is done by just thinking a few self-referential bits and in-jokes to excuse an entire movie. 

There's also unintentionally bad versus plain boring. 

A lame monster costume with a visible zipper on the back is far more entertaining than most of the typical horror movies that are carbon copies of the monster movies from the last few eyars on Sci Fi Channel. 
Logged

SideOrderOfNinjas
http://www.sideorderofninjas.com

"Wielding useless trivia like a katana."
the ghoul
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 95
Posts: 677



« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2007, 11:54:04 PM »

"Bad" movies are  cheesy, cool and fun.  Bad movies are lame and boring.  The "bad" movie is practically a lost art nowadays.  Ed Wood was a genius in a way that he didn't even realize.  It's not easy to make a great "bad" movie.  There are many people nowadays who try to do it on purpose and fail miserably (the only exception I can think of is "Lost Skeleton of Cadavra," which I really like).  Wood did it without even trying!   
Logged
Kester Pelagius
B-Movie Site Webmaster
Bad Movie Lover
****

Karma: 96
Posts: 908


Not a Time Lord!


WWW
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2007, 02:08:10 AM »

Good question.

As a reviewer I try to judge a movie based on it's competence and entertainment value, however the latter is subjective and, when it comes right down to it, what separates "bad" from really bad is mostly a matter of opinion.  Take exploitation movies for example.  Some are unintentionally funny and thus great fun to watch, whereas others were obviously done on the quick solely by people looking to make a quick buck and it shows.  I tend not to like the latter much but are they really bad?

Well Spaced Out I didn't care for despite the fact the producers obviously had access to a theater's prop department.  It's not necessarily a bad movie, just inept from beginning to end.  On the other hand I really enjoyed Space Thing.  A movie's whose props included an unpainted model of the Enterprise and plastic green garbage cans turned upside down used for mess hall chairs!

Space Thing, IMO, had a naïve charm whereas Spaced Out was just lame.  Both are "sci-fi" and while Spaced Out looks technically to have superior production values I'd not recommend it to anyone.  I feel that strongly about it being crap.  Of course that's a personal opinion, just as is the fact I'd recommend Space Thing despite it technically being the inferior picture, production wise.

Then again, to be perfectly honest, there's movies that I don't really have a strong opinion of one way or the other.  Movies like Cinderella 2000 and Zeta One.  Both are competent B-movie productions but I don't think either is particularly good or bad, they're just sort of there.  Which perhaps says more about the movies than any gushing of candy cane delight or volcanic hatred.

Speaking of gushing candy cane delight have you seen LifeforceCheers
« Last Edit: January 26, 2007, 02:12:06 AM by Kester Pelagius » Logged

Cosmic Cinema - SF articles and reviews.

Mise-en-scene Crypt - Rants, reviews, & more! (10% NSFW)
Joe
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 28
Posts: 648


What are you afraid of? It's only rock n' roll.


« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2007, 07:21:09 AM »

Mancini said that " chucky isn't scary anymore" , christ don that doesnt mean make it so its SUPPOSED to be funny. black humor in the franchise is one thing but intentionally just making the dolls crack jokes and whatnot is lame. they should just put good ol chuck back by himself give him a make-over (pre-frank look), have him not have so much screen time and make him go after a child again. if a new flick took that direction and took itself seriously i think it would be very good actually. they are planning part 6, apprently its already written, lets hope it was better than 5.
Logged
RCMerchant
Bela
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 0
Posts: 30427


"Charlie,we're in HELL!"-"yeah,ain't it groovy?!"


WWW
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2007, 07:41:54 AM »

Sam Sherman once said of his partner in crime Al Adamson "If you gave Al a bunch of rotton lemons,and asked him what he could do with it,his response was-well,I'll make rotton lemonade!". On a miniscule budget,the great "bad" movie makers would try like hell to make a good movie. Camp for camps sake is just bad,and usually dumb and pretentious.Loved SATAN's CHEERLEADERS,though and am not sure what catagory it fits in...!
Logged

"Supernatural?...perhaps. Baloney?...Perhaps not!" Bela Lugosi-the BLACK CAT (1934)
Interviewer-"Does Dracula ever end for you?
Lugosi-"No. Dracula-never ends."

Slobber, Drool, Drip!
https://www.tumblr.com/ronmerchant
Jack
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 1141
Posts: 10327



« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2007, 08:58:16 AM »

The trouble with those intentionally campy movies is that they're trying to be comedies, but genuinely funny movies are about the rarest thing on Earth.  I'd say maybe 1 in 50 attempts actually succeeds.  The unintentionally "bad" movies are on an entirely different level of humor.  There's just something about someone trying their very best to do a good job but failing miserably that actually is genuinely funny.  Having said that, there are the rare exceptions, usually when an experienced low budget film maker decides to have some fun.  I think Jim Wynorsky had a few of these, like Chopping Mall and Slumber Party Massacre 2 - Nighty Nightmare.  But nowadays he seems to have quit trying and is just churning out crap to make money. 

The other problem is this recent trend in film making where these no-talent hack first-time nobodies assume they're "above" the low budget genre, they think they're freakin' geniuses, and so they try to "poke fun" at the genre and predictably turn out the worst crap imaginable.  It's very pretentious of them, but that's to be expected considering the size of their ego.  I guess there's a market for this junk, especially since these days people will laugh at just about any damned thing at all. 

Still, there are a lot of people honestly trying to make the best movies possible, but having only enough money to buy a used Chevy Chevette.  Most of their efforts are dismal failures (just like they've always been), but there are the occasional gems.  And there is a smattering of okay stuff, worth adding to your DVD collection even though it's not great, but watchable.
Logged

The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.

- Paulo Coelho
Kester Pelagius
B-Movie Site Webmaster
Bad Movie Lover
****

Karma: 96
Posts: 908


Not a Time Lord!


WWW
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2007, 11:40:56 AM »

The trouble with those intentionally campy movies is that they're trying to be comedies, but genuinely funny movies are about the rarest thing on Earth.

I think the same can be said about spoofs.  And I don't mean the teen comedies masquerading as spoofs Hollywood has been churning out in recent years in a effort to cash in on their own movies, I mean genuine spoofs.
Logged

Cosmic Cinema - SF articles and reviews.

Mise-en-scene Crypt - Rants, reviews, & more! (10% NSFW)
Fausto
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 134
Posts: 926



WWW
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2007, 01:03:40 PM »

they are planning part 6, apprently its already written, lets hope it was better than 5.


Atmittedly I wasnt as offended by seed of chucky as most people were, but I can see where you're coming from. On one of the dvd extras, jennifer tilly mentions that don was in the middle of writing the next one during the filming of seed, its to be called something along the lines of "chucky goes hawaiian", which pretty much tells you what direction theyre going in.
Logged

"When I die, I hope you will use my body creatively." - Shin Chan

"Tonight, we will honor the greatest writers in America with a modest 9 by 12 certificate and a check for three thousand dollars...three thousand dollars? Stephen King makes more than that for writing boo on a cocktail napkin." - Jimmy Breslin
JaseSF
Super Space Age Freaky Geek
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 719
Posts: 13871


Soon, your brain will turn to jelly.


« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2007, 01:19:34 PM »

Maybe they should reclassify things like this?

Boring, sleep inducing bad movies - the absolute worst kind of movie. (Monster From Green Hell probably qualifies here).

Funny Bad Movies - any bad movie capable of giving you some entertainment value via laughter on a continuous basis, unintentional or not. These are likely the films we most treasure in these parts and those which tend to get a lot of slimes in reviews. (Starcrash is one for me).

Low Budget Movies Only Bad because of limitations (some may even feel these movies are actually good): I feel Teenage Caveman qualifies here. Likely a whole lot of Corman's directorial output does too.

Big Budget Mindlessly Bad Eye Candy Films: Those films that have no real substance other than the eye candy FX they offer the audience. Amrageddon qualifies here.

Offensive Bad Movies. Movies that require the utmost in bad taste for one to enjoy or rely entirely on sex, violence, nudity or shock exploitation to get people watching and don't concern themselves in the least with story.  Stuff like having women parade around nekkid for no good reason.

So O.K. I could go one forever. Let's just say if you feel it's bad, it's a bad movie. However  I think the Funny Bad Movies will get the preferential treatment in these parts.






Logged

"This above all: To thine own self be true!"
SaintMort
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 10
Posts: 255



WWW
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2007, 02:44:16 PM »

I don't mind intentionally bad movies if they're well. I actually really enjoyed Seed of Chucky. Things as simple as bringing in John Waters really made me excited. A great great great intentionally bad movie is "The Lost Skeleton of Cadvera". I mean you can't really complain about intentionally bad cinema when most of us on this message board probably have fair stock of Troma Movies at home.
Logged
RCMerchant
Bela
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 0
Posts: 30427


"Charlie,we're in HELL!"-"yeah,ain't it groovy?!"


WWW
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2007, 09:19:47 PM »

I liked BRIDE of CHUCKY,simply for the fact is that it was ...dare I say it...GOOD! It had all the elements of good exploitation(blood,messydeath, sex, lame jokes) and was a lotta fun. Crap like SNAKES on a PLANE...which I just saw...is...I dunno....I think it's trying to be a spoof of AIRPORT films of the 70's...but those movies were(dare I say it) BETTER and more entertaining,even though they were big budget B's themselves.In fact I thought AIRPORT 75 was the best of the series...)
Logged

"Supernatural?...perhaps. Baloney?...Perhaps not!" Bela Lugosi-the BLACK CAT (1934)
Interviewer-"Does Dracula ever end for you?
Lugosi-"No. Dracula-never ends."

Slobber, Drool, Drip!
https://www.tumblr.com/ronmerchant
Javakoala
Guest
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2007, 11:01:43 PM »

Just throwing my pasta against the wall.  If any sticks, great.

I've always used the term "crap" for films that are sub-par but fun or entertaining. "Crap" is the term most of us use when we let our friends ride in our car and we have to move our "crap" so they can sit down.  "Crap" is stuff that makes our lives more our own, and that is how I view all the worthless films that have had me on the floor or wishing I knew someone else who enjoyed the same "crap" so I could share it.

"Sh*t" is the term I use for films I'd happily leave under a pile of leaves in the woods or steaming in some cafe that gave me awful service. "Sh*t" is dismissive, something we find unacceptable and of no value. "Throw that sh*t away."  "Get rid of that sh*t."
Unless you're talking about drugs, then "sh*t" has a different connotation, but that is something for another board, I think.

Long live crap!
Logged
Pages: [1]
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Bad Movies  |  When is a movie bad and when is it "bad" « previous next »
    Jump to:  


    RSS Feed Subscribe Subscribe by RSS
    Email Subscribe Subscribe by Email


    Popular Articles
    How To Find A Bad Movie

    The Champions of Justice

    Plan 9 from Outer Space

    Manos, The Hands of Fate

    Podcast: Todd the Convenience Store Clerk

    Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

    Dragonball: The Magic Begins

    Cool As Ice

    The Educational Archives: Driver's Ed

    Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

    Do you have a zombie plan?

    FROM THE BADMOVIES.ORG ARCHIVES
    ImageThe Giant Claw - Slime drop

    Earth is visited by a GIANT ANTIMATTER SPACE BUZZARD! Gawk at the amazingly bad bird puppet, or chuckle over the silly dialog. This is one of the greatest b-movies ever made.

    Lesson Learned:
    • Osmosis: os·mo·sis (oz-mo'sis, os-) n., 1. When a bird eats something.

    Subscribe to Badmovies.org and get updates by email:

    HOME B-Movie Reviews Reader Reviews Forum Interviews TV Shows Advertising Information Sideshows Links Contact

    Badmovies.org is owned and operated by Andrew Borntreger. All original content is © 1998 - 2014 by its respective author(s). Image, video, and audio files are used in accordance with the Fair Use Law, and are property of the film copyright holders. You may freely link to any page (.html or .php) on this website, but reproduction in any other form must be authorized by the copyright holder.