How about a thread for slagging off movies we didn’t like?
I’ll start with what I watched on DVD last night.
THE HOURS
I know it’s been mentioned here before, but I couldn’t find it. I remembered people saying they liked this movie, which was one of the reasons I decided to watch it. Also it has a star-studded class, and I was quite intrigued by Virginia Wolfe from what I learnt about her in Women’s Studies class.
This movie was aptly named The Hours (and hours and hours). The filmmakers’ technique seems to have been to give the audience a first hand insight into the absolute tedium experienced by depressive women, by casting women well trained and practiced in portraying depressive neurotics, and having them share their depression and tedium with the viewer. I’m not sure if whether or not it is safe to say that my view is shared, because I was the only one watching it who managed to stay awake.
PS Whoever decided Julianne Moore was a good actor?
Perhaps I am not fluffy enough, but a film with an all-woman cast made me totally uninterested. More so when I heard that there were no explosions, sex, or supernatural events with cool special effects.
Guess I didn’t miss much.
Even with sex, some all-women productions are lame (of course the same can be said for plenty of all-male shows). While it’s not a movie but a TV series, I can’t understand why Sex in the City is such a big hit. I guess TV is just so bad that the mere fact that women are talking about blow jobs is enough to make a show popular regardless of how stupid it is. If my wife turns it on I’ll leave the room and turn on forumosa for stimulation.
Heh - I do the same - or pick up a book… I can’t understand why anyone would want to watch four of the most self-centered women I can imagine trying to muddle through their mucked-up lives…
Ya’ll talkin bout ‘chick flicks’ eh?
I saw a fun one recently, but the chicks are tough rather than simpering manic depressives. It’s called “Blue Crush” about surfer girls in Hawaii.
It’s unfortunate that so many women’s films are so poorly written and directed, though. I hated ‘The Hours’, it made me want to commit suicide and Nicole Kidman did not deserve the Oscar for wearing a prosthetic schnozz. Diane Lane deserved the Oscar last year for ‘Unfaithful’. My friend made me rewatch the scene of her in the train where she was reliving her fuck fest with the hot sensual-lipped Frenchman. It’s amazing to see that woman emote. She is one polished and talented actress. Speaking of chick flicks and Diane Lane, she’s in another one soon called “Under the Tuscan Sun” which I plan to see soon as it’s out. For obvious reasons…uh…duh…uh huh…
good[quote]It’s unfortunate that so many women’s films are so poorly written and directed, though.[/quote]
Too true. Chick flicks often get equated with stuoid soppyt poieces of crap because, studios think that all they need for a chick flick is a few women actors and a story which deals with women’s issues and they’re away. They neglect such things as good filmmaking.
I a like a good chick flick, if it’s a good chick flick, but they’re too rare.
Some of my fave chick flicks:
Muriel’s Wedding
Thelma and Louise
Romy and Michelle’s HS Reunion
Steel Magnolias
Bridget Jone’s Diary
and anything adapted from Jane Austen novels.
Sadly, none of them are on my top twenty list with the exception of Muriel’s Wedding as it’s a black comedy, my fave genre.
They are however, quite watchable films, in fact, rewatchable. I love Bridget Jones Diary, it’s far better than the book and I look forward to part 2, “The Edge of Reason”, as the book itself is much funnier than “Diary” anyway!
Agreed on Romy and Michele. That was a really good movie. Silly but a lot of fun. I enjoyed it.
But I beg to differ on Thelma and Louise. I feel you were correct to mention it in this thread about crappy flicks. I don’t know anything about you Alien including your marital status, and I don’t mean any offense, but I suspected that movie was popular mostly with man-hating divorcees. I didn’t feel the plot was all that clever, the acting or dialogue particularly memorable, I don’t recall anything about the cinematography, and it really didn’t do much for me. It merely seemed to be an excuse in every scene for women to say “Wooohooo, they got that jerk, men are such losers.” In fact, I recall plenty of whoops and hollers from women in teh theater watching it. So, was it a good opportunity for women to vent their pent up emotions at evil men? I guess so, but was it a good movie? I think not.
I posted this question elsewhere, but really, I’m a bit amazed people who haven’t spent at least a decent slice of time in Australia got that movie. Perhaps I’m being too parochial. The themes were universal, but stuff like the characters, Muriel’s father for example, where such a local piss take. Had me in stitches
Alien, have you been there? Porpoise Spit I mean . .
But back to the shite, and what a load there is! In order to appease the missus for my foolery on Friday and saturday nights , I accompany her to the movie of her choice on Sunday evening. its a good arrangement, even though inevitably it’s the usual big budget La La land shite. My god I’ve seen so much shite I don’t even want to begin to think up titles.
Hell, I thought this thread was about chick flicks, not slaggin off crap films. There are far too many of those to go around! Far too many…
I enjoyed Thelma and Louise. Brad Pitt’s first big break!
Yeah, me Alien, the man-hater!
If I just had a few more female accomplices I’d be happy, Mother T!
I think you should watch it again and don’t take it so personally.
Hey, I didn’t mention Fried Green Tomatoes in the same breath did I?
HGC, My life is Porpoise Spit…
Seriously, i thought it was a very funny film, bit sad. I don’t believe it’s necessary to identify with the exact characterisations in films. I’ve never been to Fargo for example, but you could certainly see how the players in that film were piss-takes of those midwest denizens.
Then there’s The Office. Most English people I know feel embarrassed to watch that, but I don’t think it takes having grown up there to identify with with that batch of luddites.
Same with Muriel’s dad. He was awful, but his character could have been born and bred in Texas and he’d be the same type, essentially.
A over-rated film that I think deserves to be thrown in the crap bin: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.[/quote]
Completely agree! In fact, ANY film by Peter Greenaway is a load of rubbish. Pretentious irritating obscene twat of a director! Not into David Lynch either, but I can sometimes appreciate his themes, albeit not particularly relevant to my life in Porpoise Spit…
Ever seen a film called “Living in Oblivion” with Steve Buscemi? Brilliant satire on that whole “I’m such an artsy fartsy director, don’t you understand me” thing.
I also despised Moulin Rouge with a passion.
Moulin Rouge was fantastic as was Cook the Thief, and other Greenaway’s like Baby of Macon (sp?). Don’t you like colour or something.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Muriel’s Wedding.
But this is supposed to be a thread for slagging off films.
Suffered through the four hour version of Once Upon a Time in America recently. I seem to be the only one to think this, but what a drawn-out, over-blown, cloyingly sentimental film that was. Appalling soundtrack too.
A 4 hour film is the sign of an ignorant, egotistic director in my opinion. Rarely should a film exceed 2 or 2 and a half hours – except for Scarface, which I thought was a great flick despite the poor reviews (and I ought to know, I’ve seen it a half dozen times).
I hated The Cook…, but not nearly as much as I hated Prospero’s Books, which I walked out on. OTOH, I thought Greenaway’s A Zed and Two Noughts was quite good, though disturbing. And Drowning by Numbers has a great soundtrack.
Having a love for musicals, I liked Moulin Rouge OK, though it reminded me a very, very great deal of that early 1970s children’s show The Banana Splits. Biggest problem: a musical that doesn’t bother to finish most of its songs. :?
I’ve liked some of Lynch’s work, but the Twin Peaks movie is one of the most annoying films I’ve ever sat through. Pretentious, self-referential muck.
I liked The Hours.
One movie I hated that makes a lot of people’s top-ten lists is Delicatessen.
I gave Moulin Rouge two shots to charm me. In the theatre I walked out, but on dvd, I passed out. I’ve never seen the ending. Does it ever end? Does she ever die?
Never seen Delicatessen.
Been watching some more classics. Jane Eyre with Orson Welles most recently. You know, he reminds me of our local Lady X celebrity, Dean Karelekas, in that film!
Just witnessed a fantastic performance by Peter Ustinov in Quo Vadis.
But on the Roman theme, a completely overrated classic: Spartacus. It goes on and on and on and on. Kirk Douglas with that chin from hell. Tony Curtis as his sissy boy Friday…I do so love Kubrick’s subsequent films: 2001, Dr. Strangelove, Shining, and Clockwork Orange. But Eyes Wide Shut left me cold. Talk about a director with a hit or miss career.
