Flicks You WANT to Like But Just CAN'T

[Mutagen]

I just can't make it through Blade Runner, 2001, or Alien.

I was lucky enough to see Alien when they re-released it in theaters a couple of years ago. In a movie theater environment, one of the things that really stood out were the long periods of very oppressive silence. It really added to the sense of isolation and creep factor, and when there was sound it was often more effective. I wasn't piss-my-pants scared like a lot of other people have told me they were, but I was spooked. If I'd tried to watch it at home with the phone ringing and people moving dishes and whatnot, it would have totally lost the impact.

Jan 21, 2010 21:30:49 GMT -4 chonies said:

Mutagen, I get the idea of negative reaction=good but I can't bear applying it unilaterally. The book Animal Husbandry made me furious because I thought it was ridiculous and trite (a protagonist named Jane Goodall?) but I don't think that's the same sort of reaction I get when I watch Lars von Trier, either. I also have a certain respect for his technique, and even though I find it difficult to watch his films, my immediate reaction isn't "hack!" I suppose I need to think on this more to be able to parse the finer points of my issues.

No, I completely get what you're saying. There are movies that have pissed me off in a bad way, and movies that pissed me off and I ended up respecting them for it, and if I try to outline exactly what the difference is I... start to go a little crazy.

[hushhush]

Nedsdag & Smilla - Pretty much anything with Ah-nold in it = ZZZZzzzzzzzz for me
True Lies, Total Recall, Terminators 1, 2, 3 etc.

Things explode. Bad dialogue is delivered. I look at my watch a lot.

[Sunnyhorse]

Hmmm ...

2001and 2010 -- hell, just about anything by Kubrick.
Any Star Wars movie -- George Lucas can't write his way out of a wet paper bag, and I spend the whole time cringing. (I did have one entertaining SW experience: We got stuck going to see Attack of the Clones with my BIL's family in Norway, and the movie was subtitled in Norwegian -- so during the cantina scene, with the aliens talking in their own languages, we English-speakers had no fucking idea what was going on, which was hilarious.)
Everything by Wes Anderson -- too precious and hipsterish and "look at me!"
Lost in Translation -- I liked it when I saw it, but then, on reflection, it really grated.

[polygal]

Jan 16, 2010 21:36:15 GMT -4 WitchyPoo said:

Goonies. I was 18 when this came out so most of my younger friends who love this were kids and just rave how awesome it is. I tried to watch it once but couldn't get past the first twenty minutes.

I'm right in the middle of the age group of Goonies fanatics, and I don't have any feelings towards the movie good or bad. That may be because I didn't see it until I was 15 and had heard forever about how great the movie was, but it didn't live up to any of the hype.

I love John Hughes movies and can watch them over and over... except for Pretty in Pink. I don't hate it or anything, but it's not one I'd purposely pick to watch on a rainy day. Or maybe I was just born with a dislike of Jon Cryer.

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2010 22:29:53 GMT -4 @nedsdag said:

I went to see True Lies in the theater, slept through the middle portion of the movie, woke up at the end of it, and have no intention of ever seeing it again.

I did that with The Usual Suspects - I watched about 20 minutes, figured out who Keyser Soze was, fell asleep and woke up for the big reveal telling me I was right/

[twodollars]

Inglorious Bastards owns this thread. What a boring ass movie. And Pitt proves he sucks as an actor in this movie. Ugh.

[Deleted]

I am watching Twilight for the 1st time right now because I know several people who love the movies and now I know I will not be one of them. Rob Pattison sucks so bad I keep wondering does he need to take a dump or something. Kirsten, Anna, Taylor,Peter Facthnelli, and the kids who play the high school friends are ok though.

[Deleted]

I would love to like a lot of the slightly-older musicals like Cabaret, Fame (the original), and A Chorus Line, but they are all sooooo boring to me, despite the awesome music.

Everything by Wes Anderson -- too precious and hipsterish and "look at me!"

I totally understand that... but have you seen The Fantastic Mr. Fox? It's not quite as precious as his other flicks - the pace is much quicker and I adored it.

[Deleted]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a movie I should love. The story is right down my alley in the way it addresses the mysteries of love and loss and memory and fate and all that. I've tried to watch it a few times and get bored and give up. I have no idea why I can't enjoy it. I've never watched it long enough to figure it out.

[Sunnyhorse]

I've been looking forward to seeing Fantastic Mr. Fox, Special K -- didn't realize that it was an Anderson film, but I'll see it nonetheless. Everyone says it's really good.