films everyone likes but you

[Brock]

Oh, "Dead Poets Society" was pure drippy, manipulative emotional dreck.  I hate it when movies set out to "change" people and go out of their way to try and make you cry.

[Bernie]

Agreed!  And I'm a rank sentimentalist -- I get all choked every time when King Kong dies.  

But there's something about movies that are so cynically blatantly manipulative that just p**ses me off...

[John]

I can't stand the movie Hackers. It gets praised in almost every review and supposedly it had real hackers as technical consultants. Apparently they were consulting on the scenery since none of the computer scenes in that movie even resemble reality. To me it seems more like it was written by someone who'd never used a computer before, only been told about them. "It has writing on the screen-thingy? I guess it's probably really big so that it's easy to read!"

[nshumate]

Ah, the elusive appeal of the watermelon...

Nathan

[Starsky]

Hutch,

We need to talk.

Starsky

[Virgill]

     I would name a couple.  The first is Apocalyspe Now.  Probably the most unrealistic Nam movie ever made.  If you ever run into a Nam Vet who tells you that is how it was; he is either lying or he was stoned out of his gourd the whole time he was there.  I have a friend who is a Nam Vet.  He told me that amoung the many other things about the movie that bugged him where all the bright lights.  One of the main goals of a fighting unit, at virtually all times, is to be as invisable as possible.  At night you don't even light up a ciggerette unless you are under cover.  A burning ember can give away the location of your whole group.  Keep that in mind the next time you watch that movie and view all the brightly colored lights.   You might as well put up big signs that say "Here we are!  If you want to shoot at us then aim right here!"  The other one is JFK.  I have not seen this piece of Oliver Stoned crap.  Nor do I ever intend to waste 3 hours of my life doing so.  The movie is riddled with inaccuracys.  One reasearcher was able to list over a hundred.  Unfortanetly it is,from what I hear, a effective piece of propaganda. It has caused many people to buy into a set of theorys,most of which fall apart with even a little bit of crittical research.  If the movie were as poorly made as its premise was thought out it could easily join the many other gems on this sight. Incidently, Oliver Stoned could not find any weapon that emitted a white puff of smoke when fired.  So in the movie he had a sideman blow white smoke out of a billow when the actor took a shot.  A fitting metafore for the whole movie if you asked me..

[Dano]

I don't think they were exactly going for realism with Apocalypse Now.  Still, it is certainly valid to feel that it is over-rated given the massive acclaim it received.  I think it was a pretty ingenius movie, but I find it hard to watch the whole thing in one sitting - especially since my copy is the Redux version with like FORTY minutes of extra footage.  

Did you know Colleen Camp was one of the Playboy bunnies?  I realized it when I saw an extended scene with her in it.  By virtue of her NAME she should have been a B-Movie Queen.

[John]

>The first is Apocalyspe Now. Probably the most unrealistic Nam movie ever >made.

 When AN came out, it looked cool. When it came to cable, I watched it and didn't understand any of it.

[wheresthecarrot]

Take away that scene where they shot the security guards with the 18 billion guns, and you've got nothing

[Foywonder]

At the risk of committing a cardinal sin, I would have to say EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS. I didn't dislike the movie, but I didn't think it was the great b-movie so many others have declared it to be.

Other than that, I don't see why Kevin Smith is so popular. Lots of profanity, some drug use, and an endless supply of self conscious pop culture references. Aside from CHASING AMY, that's basically the plot of every last one of his films.

[J.R.]

I love The Matrix. I won't try to change your minds, because I can't, but I'll explain why I and so many others enjoy it-

It's the first good, credible "cyberpunk" film. It has an interesting Phillip K. Dick-type sci-fi story and dark, stylized visuals.

It's a well-directed action movie. It reminds me of Die Hard or Raiders Of The Lost Ark in its editing and build-up at the end. Imagine Michael Bay or Tony Scott making The Matrix. Scary thought.

Yes, there is a lot of better kung-fu action out there, but the chop sockey here is still fun, and it helped bring more mainstream moviegoers into Hong Kong filmmaking.          

The special effects, sound, cinematography and music are all top-notch. It's a well-made movie.