Unpopular Opinions About Movies

Way to be selective.

For one thing, since when are movies historically accurate? I'm a history buff and movie fan- I could not be both if I didn't learn to make piece with the fact that films are almost never true to history, because the complexity and nuance of accurate historical explanation is just too big for a movie.

I have not yet seen Terminal or War of the Worlds (and not too interested in the latter).

Spielberg's crowning achievements- Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark- have captured the imaginations of the world in ways unprecedented in movie history.

 

There were three, the last one (Vegas Vacation) didn't carry the 'National Lampoon' name.

However, I believe that NL's Christmas Vacation is a classic (even BETTER than the original!)...


and yes, you were ranting.

-Aaron

 

I was not being selective. I was quoting from his later work. Even Minority Report is kind of a bore. And his association with Wacko-Cruise isn't helping him, either. And "Saving Private Ryan"? It may have the best 15 minutes ever filmed (the start of the movie) coupled to the dumbest movie plot ever.

I'll agree with you, though - Raiders of the Lost Ark was a good movie.

 

Spielberg didn't direct "Cast Away."

He has made good and bad films, like most other directors. I would concede that in the past 10-12 years or so he has lost the magic touch he had in the 70s and 80s, but he still does good work sometimes.

 

Four consistently excellent movies - with the exception of "1941", I can't think of anyone who had a run like Spielberg from 1975-1982.

Top-Notch, All-Time Classic, Among the Greatest Films Ever Made Spielberg:

Jaws
Close Encounters
Raiders...
ET


Very Good, but Not Consistently Excellent Spielberg:

Duel
Empire of the Sun
Indy Last Crusade
Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
War of the Worlds (shoot me - I thought it was great!)


Pretty Good Spielberg:

Indy Temple of Doom
Lost World (shoot me again - it's a fun thrill ride!)
Minority Report
Terminal
Munich

Mediocre Spielberg:

Sugarland Express
Always
Hook
Catch Me If You Can


Ambitious But Badly Flawed Spielberg:

Schindler's List
AI


Plain Old Dreadful Spielberg:

Color Purple
Amistad
1941

 

"Amistad" must be Spielberg's least memorable film, but I still think his worst movie is "Hook." And I also thought "The Terminal" was terrible -- I couldn't see what had interested Spielberg or Hanks in the material.

 

Gotta admit I do not get the popularity of "Christmas Vacation". From my review (http://www.dvdmg.com/nationallampoonchristmasvacationse.shtml):

"I don’t think Christmas Vacation offers the worst holiday movie I’ve seen, but it seems pretty blah nonetheless. It just rehashes the same old formula and doesn’t do anything particularly amusing or noteworthy."

And here's what I thought of the original (http://www.dvdmg.com/nationallampoonvacation20.shtml):

"Over the last 20 years, National Lampoon’s Vacation turned into something of a comedy classic. I’m not quite sure it deserves that vaunted status, but the film still seems pretty amusing and entertaining in any case."

What about "European Vacation", you ask - or don't? (http://www.dvdmg.com/europeanvacation.shtml):

"Frankly, European Vacation wasn’t an unpleasant experience, but it appeared bland and unmemorable. The movie rambled through its 94 minutes with little spark or excitement, and some weak acting from the main cast didn’t help matters. I’ve seen many crummier films than European Vacation, but I still thought this one was lackluster and only sporadically entertaining."

And "Vegas Vacation" (http://www.dvdmg.com/vegasvacation.shtml):

"No one will confuse Vegas Vacation for a great comedy, but I must admit I found it to offer a surprisingly – though sporadically – amusing affair. It mixes some weak moments with enough reasonably funny ones to create a generally watchable effort."

Finally, here's "Christmas Vacation 2" (http://www.dvdmg.com/christmasvacation2.shtml):

"Some folks get holiday visits from relatives and acquaintances they’d rather not see. Want to get rid of them in a hurry? Fire up Christmas Vacation 2 the next time they arrive and watch them scurry to get out the door. A genuinely atrocious piece of work, it’s possibly the worst holiday-related movie I’ve ever seen."

 

I hated "Amistad" due to its rampant political correctness and the way it simplified all the issues. "Hook" was a huge disappointment - here's what I wrote in my review:

"The Spielberg who made so many of us cry over a wrinkly puppet in 1982 is dead, and Hook acts as the funeral."

Woof - not very positive, was I? But I put it in the "mediocre" pile because:

"Okay, that last statement may be overly dramatic, especially because Hook isn't without its charms, especially if you can wade through the cutesy Lost Boys and the film's excess of exposition. Still, it remains a tremendous disappointment. I wanted to like Hook when I saw it theatrically in 1991, and I wanted to like Hook when I watched the DVD. Unfortunately, there's too little of consequence happening here. The movie has its moments but too few to make Hook anything more than an intermittently fun film."

As for "The Terminal":

"Despite some flaws, I enjoyed The Terminal. It gets tiresome toward the end and threatens never to conclude, and inconsistent storytelling renders it less involving than I’d like. Nonetheless, it presents a clever premise with some amusing situations and good performances. It’s nothing special but it remains likable."

The inevitable links:

http://www.dvdmg.com/terminal.shtml
http://www.dvdmg.com/hooksuperbit.shtml
http://www.dvdmg.com/amistad.shtml

 

I guess this is what I found bewildering about it -- what attracted Hollywood's biggest director and biggest or second-biggest star to that mild story?

"Hook" is just such an ugly movie to look at. Those awful Lost Boys with their "punk" clothes.

 

Woody Allen cant act or direct to save his life. His magnum opus Annie Hall is easilly on the top 10 worst movies ever made!

 

I thought "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" was boring.
I don't care for "The Harry Potter" stuff either. A whole house full of "wizards" and all things bad
come after that little four eyed geek??? .

 

Pulp Fiction was the last great movie...shoulda won the Oscar.

 

My mantra....The Matrix sucked donkey tails.

 

Chinatown - I don't get it, and I really tried, and I like these actors and it was nice to look at, but....man, this is one boring ride. I just don't at all understand this film's classic status.

 

This one is probably in my personal top ten, just curious why you hate is so much...details?

And if you like Chinatown, then maybe you can tell me why?

 

So what we're saying here is that Speilberg made a wide variety of styles and quality, some of which are excellent.
Folks, that makes him an excellent director, at least. And when some of the excellent films included E-freakin'-T and Jaws, then yeah, one of the greats.

Chinatown- love it. It kinda has a film-noir-ish feel but with a 70s mentality. And it's Jack!

 

Are my wife and I the only ones that loved The Terminal? Hanks was hilarious!

 

I loved War of the Worlds.

 

Here's my confessions:

-Didn't like "Goodfellas" the first time, tried to sit through it again a few years ago and couldn't.
-I think "A.I." may be looked upon favorably when people reflect on Speilberg's career years from now.
-"A History of Violence" became a comedy after 45 minutes-and not a good one at that.
-The last 40 minutes of "Attack of the Clones" are just as enjoyable as "A New Hope."

I have more, but most would require explanation: "Armageddon" succeeded where "Deep Impact" failed, "Battlefield Earth" would have been a good movie if the director took Travolta's lead and made a comedy, etc.

Mark

 

Same here, we loved it.

My unpopular opinion:

"The Last of the Mohicans" with Daniel Day-Lewis gets my vote as one of the best filmed movies ever, especially for its dramatic lighting effects. I don't mind the moody take on the story either.

 

Not to derail the Spielberg bashing, but...

I find nothing charming in A Christmas Story. Dull and frequently meanspirited.

Ok back to the Spielberg bashing. I recognize his skill as a director in films like Raiders and Jaws, and the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. I found the first Jurassic Park movie a fun ride; both that and The Lost World have some amazing sequences.

So this man is a professional filmmaker, he's got his technique down, he should know how to tell a story visually. Then how to defend the opening scene of A.I., which as clumsy exposition goes is only a few notches above Ed Wood. The film also pulls a lot of its punches; A.I. should have been a hard-R movie. The Rouge City section was a sanitized neon bore.

Spielberg is, like George Lucas, mostly unsuccessful at exploring character with any depth (I know I'm gonna get stick for that comment). He's at his best when he's telling a rattling good story or staging intricate, visceral action sequences. Catch Me If You Can is a good contemporary example of Spielberg not trying too hard to be serious and coming up with an entertaining story. When he turns down the sentimentalism and just does something fun, he's one of the best director's around. When he's trying to be an "adult," he's out of his depth.

Jason

 

Me too!

I hated "King Kong."

And I don't think "Dazed and Confused" or "Wet Hot American Summer" are the least bit funny.

JEFF!

 

Chinatown is nothing more than a good film.
Polanski is overrated
Martin Scorsese is overrated. Ray Liotta is a terrible actor.
And Ordinary people is a much better film than Raging Bull, which, IMO RB is not even a good film.
And as for Spielberg being the best Director around, copy this down, because here is a list of Directors Today worth watching:
Todd Solondz -Welcome to the Dollhouse
Terry Zwigoff -Crumb, Bad Santa, Ghost World, and hopefully Art School COnfidential
Darren Aronofsky -(Pie Symbol),Requim for a dream (I didn't like Requim)
Steven Soderbergh -Out of sight, but I think his best is King of the Hill
The Coen Brothers
Peter Weir
I could go on, but Spielberg doesn't make films that challenges me. He makes movies that would please me. He is what classic illustrated was to classic novels. BTW, Spielberg surrounds himself with some of the best.
John Williams is one of the best at music, and his Cinematography is Janusz Kaminski

 

Sounds like a sick porno...

 

I love classic horror...I think all of these films are pretty overrated...or I just don't like 'em.

-Freaks...couldn't stand to watch...plus it got boring.
-Psycho...The Birds is much better.
-The Shining...great to look at but all in all...it don't work.Nicholson looks nutty all the time...he's more funny than scary. What if...Martin Sheen?
-John Carpenter's The Thing...how anyone could pick this over the '51 original...I don't get it. Some of the cheeziest FX...downright laughable.
-Except for The Dead Zone, I can't think of any Stephen King horrors that are really all that good...maybe Cujo.

Oh, BTW...I LOVE King Kong! (yeah, they coulda picked someone better than Jack Black).