SaintMort's thread (http://www.badmovies.org/forum/index.php/topic,114741.0.html) got me thinking. It is very rare that I revisit a film I didn't like in the first place. Too many other movies to see, so little time, etc. However I frequently revisit once-cherished titles from my past and all too often I discover they are terrible. Which makes me wonder: Was I a terrible person or was I just on some really powerful drugs? Or am I just becoming an elitist snob? :teddyr:
Some examples:
- Star Wars (all of them). Chuck Klosterman had an interesting hypothesis in his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Drugs-Cocoa-Puffs-Manifesto/dp/0743236017/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0284901-8538364?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183941975&sr=8-1) wherein he said Lucas set out to make children's films. Therefore as children, we loved them. But now as adults we are offended by the existence of Jar-Jar. I'll buy that, though I am pretty sure even as a five year old I would have hated Jar-Jar.
- Say Anything. I used to find this charming but now it is just kinda creepy.
- Psycho. Most people try to kill me after saying this, but I really don't care for Hitchcock's opus. Give me Vertigo or Spellbound any day.
- Clerks. As TombOfAnubis knows, I'm not a big Kevin Smith fan. But I thought Clerks was hilarious. Unfortunately, subsequent viewings have removed any sense of shock or uniqueness for me.
- Boxing Helena. I think I must have just really enjoyed the concept and cherished that memory, because Jennifer Chambers Lynch is a horrendous director.
So, what are relics of your once poor taste in film? What doesn't hold up to the passage of time?
Close Encounters of the Third Kind - As a kid it seemed cool and neat. Now it just bores me.
E.T. - Another Spielberg film. I loved this as a kid and saw it several times in the theater. Then years went by and when I saw it again I just could not stand it.
When I saw The Wolfen years ago I loved it, even though I'd read the book first (since movies never measure up to books for me). I watched it again a few weeks ago and I was so bored with it, the effects seem so crappy now and the story is just flat.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a la Tobe Hooper was awesome when I first saw it, but now it kinda bores me too. And I feel bad for saying that, because I really used to love that movie.
Quote from: Snivelly on July 08, 2007, 08:37:40 PM
When I saw The Wolfen years ago I loved it... I watched it again a few weeks ago and I was so bored with it, the effects seem so crappy now and the story is just flat.
My dad pestered me endlessly to see
Wolfen. No matter what kind of horror movie I'd bring up, he'd ask, "Have you seen
Wolfen yet? God, that's a good one!" I finally bought it for him for Christmas one year so he'd shut up. At some point we sat down to watch it and were both appalled. I hadn't seen it before, but evidently he remembered it being much better than it actually was. Haha.
I liked Deep Impact when I first saw it. Now I find it unwatchable.
wolfen was recomended to me by this guy at a video store, i took it home and was super let down he built me up for this fantastic flick and i thought it was terrible.
Although I wouldn't say "can't stand" I'd say the following movies I'm a bit played out on although I still love them...
1.) Star Wars Trilogy - I think Lucas's over saturation of merchandise did it for me.
2.) The Terminator Trilogy - This one I've seen a bit too much in theaters, TV, video, wherever.
3.) Harry Potter Movies - They're always on television when nothing else is on so I mechanically end up watching them. As much as I try to recapture the magic of seeing them the first time around it hasn't worked.
4.) Beetlejuice - Probably the one I'm most ashamed to admit. I've seen it so many times that the dark humor value just isn't there any more.
5.) Small Soldiers - This film is kind of a teen version of Toy Story and is immensely entertaining. However when I first saw it I was enthralled in it. I went out and bought the toys from the movie. Looking back though, it was a good movie, not great and I ended up selling the toys on Ebay.
Perhaps I just need to put these films away for the next 5 years...