What is the worst film you have ever seen?

One man's preposterous slander is another's insightful critique.

 

Recommended reading

If you are too young to remember the 1950s and you think "Pleasantville" supplies an "insightful critique"...I would suggest that you crack a book sometime. Stanton Evans has a very good one out now about the McCarthy era. Steven Hunter's book about the attempted assassination of Harry Truman (remember that?) is a pretty good read as well...

 

Damn well remember them! Born in 1952 (this Monday), my earliest political memory was Rockefeller winning the Governorship in 1958.

 

I had some problems with Pleasantville, mainly just that it got very "preachy" in the later parts - it wasn't enough to ruin it for me, though. I sincerely doubt it really is "the worst movie" anyone who posted here has ever seen.

There was some balance to the preachiness (SOME, I said) in showing how alone and filled with doubt the kid's modern Mother was, how Reese Witherspoon's character began to think beyond her self and sex-centered outlook, William H. Macy was simply trying to understand the changes and work through his fear.

It was more about this fear and change in general than an idea of "sex makes everything great" - Jeff Daniels may have spent the night with Joan Allen, but it was his exposure to art that was the real catalyst in changing him - that scene (the art book) and the VERY creative and touching scene where Toby Maguire applies black and white makeup to Joan Allen are great scenes. for ANY movie.

So, yeah, it got heavy-handed, and the script got carried away with itself, but it's a good (and flawed) movie with some great scenes.

I'm willing to overlook a lot for any movie with Don Knotts and J.T. Walsh, too.

 

Yessongs

 

To be fair, it's not commenting on 1950s American life and culture so much as the TV version of American life and culture. Those were fictional TV characters (in the context of the film's reality) that were being "colorized." I saw it more as the re-writing of the cultural propaganda of the past.

 

For sure, in the form of cultural propaganda.

 

Totally agree.

 

Thoughtful assessment.

Pleasantville is about societal change (Evolution), which happens as naturally as any other process on this unremarkable slag heap... whatever happened would have happened with or without Joe McCarthy (not sure why that's become a focal point)... by the way, the Communists failed and fizzled.

The 60s were surely flawed, but a reasonable step forward in a natural Progression out of 1950s Doodyville, even if it was prosperous and (seemingly) Orderly.

Prosperity, like Communism, is not guaranteed to last – it comes and goes – Roman Empire, anybody?... people with resources like to deal in absolutes, but there aren't any... and those trying to enforce absolutes make the other people cranky and rebellious – or extinct.

I guess P-ville could be taken as an affront if one really and truly Believes that 1950s America was the epitome of human existence... I was there, and I guarantee we can do better than that.

What I can't guarantee is that it will get done anytime soon.

I still say the movie was primarily observational.

 

I wasn't alive in the 50s and was barely around for the 60s, so I have no dog in that hunt. All I DO know is I thought "Pleasantville" was heavy-handed and smug...

 

Well, I'll take you at your word and offer my own

Not so unfathomable we perceive the movie differently, yah?

 

Do you mean Crash (2004)? I'll take Cronenberg over that one any day.

 

Yeah, I could not believe how bad it really is. Watched it last night and it was the most boring, emptiest movie I ever saw in a theatre. I still cannot grasp that the great Steven Spielberg was involved. How can such a deep and thoughtful director produce such a militaristic, torture defending, and overall racist piece of crap? I cringe for my American friends that their nation is portrayed like this. Michael Bay is the single worst thing that ever happened to Hollywood (D.W. Griffith was at least technically brilliant).

Number two on my list is Van Helsing.

Does anyone know Pterodactyl? One doesn't know whether to laught or cry...

 

Superman Returns

 

How did that ever win Best Picture? Really, how did it?

 

Oh heavens! Why did you mention Jaws: The Revenge or Leonard Part 6? You're forced to hand over your entire Hendrix collection for that.

One of the worst for me was/is:

Vanilla Sky (just didn't get it...very boring...fell alseep...)

 

I have seen many great movies quoted as the worst films ever seen, here's an example, Vanilla Sky is one of my very favorite movies ever.

For worst films we should mention those very poor intents to waste our time and resources to bring us authentic trash into the screen, not those that we don't understand or simply didn't get us, my vote goes for the following:

The Tommyknockers

Dracula 2000

The new Pixar's "Up"

The Stalking Hand

The Titanic

 

Crash is a skillfully crafted film that—with deliberately exaggerated circumstances—focuses on racism as it continues to exist in our country. Some of us see this legacy of hate regularly, others need to be reminded, and many would rather close their eyes an ears to it. Understandably, the latter group hates this film and seem outraged by it, but that only proves Paul Haggis' point, doesn't it?

 

Aztec Rex.....just stunnningly........bad wigs and CGI. Was funny to watch though.

 

Please. Real life is not a Jeffersons episode, and Crash has absolutely nothing to say about the actual day-to-day practice of racism in the United States. And for an ostensibly antiracist film, it sure trades in a lot of ethnic stereotypes.

 

And besides, perhaps people who don't like the film just don't consider it entertaining or enlightening to be hectored by a Hollywood liberal for two hours. If you want exaggerated commentary on racism done with some style and wit, and in less than four minutes, watch the video for "Funny Vibe" by Living Colour.

 

Yeah, I was probably too rude, but I was very disappointed with this picture, it has nothing interesting not in the story nor the art direction, in my opinion this was an intent to catch some financial resources, but is clearly that is not their best movie, far away they even couldn't call as theirs if they have some decency.

 

Crash had some good moments and a couple of interesting storylines but as a whole felt like an ABC Afterschool Special. Someone at work said it best - the film may not work for people who've already given thought to how these topics pertain to themselves. Which is why I think it was perfect Academy fodder.

Mark

 

Up showed that Pixar has the best storytelling in Hollywood today. The opening scenes of husband and wife living their lives was as innovative as Wall-E choosing no dialogue for the opening sequences. And in a film mostly marketed to kids (it's a family film) to drop a scene [INVISOTEXT] depicting a couple breaking down in a doctor's office when they find out they can't have kids was brave beyond belief.

Having said that...

Talking dogs and a cute but dopey bird is when the film lost me. If they kept the dogs being dogs and the bird less cartoon-y, I'd say give this movie of the year. Sure, the interplay between the old man and the kid was cookie cutter, but it worked for me. The villain - fine with him. The adventure - a nice throwback to simpler movies. But the kid friendly animals really cheapened it. I couldn't put my finger on in when watching the movie but it came together when talking it over with a few other people the next day.

The art direction - it's hard for me to judge as I saw the 3D version which had a skewed color pallete from the 2D. I understand it was carefully chosen to give it a specific look. Some landscapes were all over the place, but we were dealing with a lost world.

At least you pulled back from your statement equating it to Tommyknockers

Mark