Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Overrated Movies

Lets be honest here.  Not all "great" movies are really that great.  Hype? Money Spent? Star Power? Or maybe it was just a gimmick. This really is a tough category because it is 100% opinion.  No amount of fact or statistics will reinforce our opinions.  So don't bother.  Before I begin my top three, I want to make mention of a film that is usually agreed upon to be one of the most overrated films AND best films of all time.  Citizen Kane.  Im not even going to comment, because I actually like this film, but I dont know what other category this film will fit into.
I was unable to embed this clip...but it is worth watching.

Top 3 Overrated Movies


(always in no particular order)
Scarface
Scarface (the remake).  If you are a rap star, then you were issued this film when you signed a record deal. And subsequently, when your house is featured on Cribs, you are required to display a poster of Scarface or proclaim that this is your favorite movie of all time.  Aside from being referenced in so many different pop-culture mediums with the line "Say hello to my little friend" (and all the variations that come along with it), this movie really has no redeeming qualities to it.  I am sure everyone has an opinion about this film, but I bought it, I have watched it, and I have rewatched it.  Just cant enjoy it.  For the record, the F-word is used 226 times in this film....a record 1.23 times per minute.  Not necessary.

However, most films have some sort of entertainment value to it.  The Chainsaw scene (Ill spare you the details) was pretty fantastic.  And some very good one-liners and tidbits from Tony Montana. "You need people like me so you can point your finger....and say thats the Bad Guy."  (edited for content)

PS....my Atari Video games called...they want their soundtrack back.

BTS: Brian De Palma, Oliver Stone, Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer.  Too bad.

The only video clip I could find without curse words was for the Trailer/Teaser.  After watching it, I want to go back and watch this film again...just to TRY and give it one more chance.


Titanic
Titanic.  At over three hours, I was ready to drown in my own tears....not because it was sad, but because I was stuck in a movie theater watching this.  I think DiCaprio is a fantastic actor, but this movie just sunk his credibility.  I wont beat this movie to death. But sometimes there is a live theatrical production that is done pre/post film...and they are usually better than the film.  I saw Titanic the Musical.  I didnt think anything could be worse than this film....I was wrong.  The play was terrible too.  This video clip is from the most over-used joke whenever someone is aboard a boat.  I will admit...i'm just as guilty of it.



Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love.  Have you seen this movie? You have...Awesome.  Have you seen Saving Private Ryan? Youve seen that too...outstanding.  Which one do you remember more?  Saving Private Ryan.  Interesting...thats the one I remember more.  Guess which one won the Best Picture Oscar.  Nope...not Saving Private Ryan...it lost...to Shakespeare in Love.  Thats right....for those that dont remember, that was the night the credibility of the Academy Awards was shattered.  The only redemption that the Academy had was that Spielberg won for best directing.  Private Ryan also captured Editing, Sound, Cinematography, but no picture.  Ludicrous.  I cant even comment on Shakespeare in Love, because I refused to ever watch it again, but lets be honest...better than Saving Private Ryan....Overrated is the only word that comes to mind.  You don't get a video clip of this movie.  Instead...I will post a photo of Gwyneth Paltrow...because she was in the film...and she won an Oscar for her role.



Next weeks Topic: Bill Murray Movies

6 comments:

Steven L said...

I agree with the Citizen Kane Comment. I would put it on my list, but I have other movies that I think deserve the spot more.
For your post of Titanic, I can not disagree more. Cameron wanted an authentic experience in making the film, so he went on a crazy expedition to find the Titanic wreckage and bring it up. It was long, but I think if you re-watch it, you will see the brilliance of Leo's Acting (this catapulted his career). But I digress as arguing it is a moo point... (its like a cow's opinion... its just moo)

1) Blade Runner - People talk about this movie as Ridley Scott's best (You kidding? Gladiator, American Gangster, Black Hawk Down, Alien....). They also speak about its great and intense special effects (lackluster) and the awesome actions scenes (snore).... Sorry... even compared to movies of its time, this is a tame movie

2) Clerks - Let me preface this by saying that I am a Kevin Smith fan. I think he is a funny individual that leads a whole new type of generation. And, this movie shows that you can do a lot with a little... Is it funny? Kinda. Is it entertaining? Yes. Does this movie deserve to be the critical acclaim or best movie of all time? Hell no.

3) Godfather - I think this movie is just mediocre. As far as mob movies go, I would prefer to see Casino or Donnie Brasco. Godfather is commonly on people's list as the best film. I did not find it entertaining... I do have an eye for the cinematography, and the "beauty" of film, but this movie just barely gets by in that regard to me. The most outstanding portion of this film is it's score in my opinion.

Steven L said...

I forgot to include my Honorable Mention...

Quentin Tarantino

I find maybe 2 of his movies entertaining... I would never place either of them into best movies. He uses the same cinema tricks in all of his movies that just hide his horrible pacing, shotty stories, and inability to create a cohesive movie.

Christopher said...

I couldnt agree with you more (except for of course the Titanic portion).

Blade Runner was good. Relative to any of his other movies? Not even close.

Clerks. Painful.

Godfather is one of those movies where everyone gets all stupid emotional about how great it was. It wasnt. You nailed it with the word "mediocre". I would put MANY other gangster movies before it (that will be a later post).

As for Tarantino...Pulp Fiction is a fantastic film. His other films are OK. Reservoir Dogs was good...but it was a talking heads pic.

Unknown said...

lol....titanic was such a crappy movie...but the one thing i will give it that i did not mention in person was that this movie was another one of those movies that took a step towards special effects....it worked in set and green screen stitching...it may have not been the first movie to do this...but it was one of the movies that did it the best for that time......and also i will try to do better on the next category...ttyl

Steven L said...

Sorry Neil, but you seem to be forgetting the best Green Screened movie of all time, and it was made 4 years earlier... Jurassic Park!

Julie said...

Could not disagree more about "Titanic"! But I already gave you an earful about that..

However, I could not agree more about "Godfather." Finally saw it about a year ago and it was.. ok. I get that it humanized mobsters, I get that the cast was great, but honestly - it just doesn't live up to its hype. For the record, I also think "Napoleon Dynamite" was highly overrated.