More Unpopular Movie Opinions

[Deleted]

Dec 25, 2013 19:51:46 GMT -4 Ninja Bunny said:

Number 6 was the one that annoyed me the worst. Star Trek quotes lots of Shakespeare, I get it, but they were dropping quotes like anvils in #6 in a try-hard sort of way and that got on my nerves.

I've never seen It's a Wonderful Life and I've made it a life's goal never to watch it. It just sounds treacly and stupid. Unless they have a remake with zombies that eat that stupid girl and her stupid bells and stupid angels, I'm not the least bit interested.

Heehee, that little girl is only in it for a few minutes, it's her dad who needs to meet some zombies to appreciate what he has ;-)

[chonies]

Hrrmm...I don't know a lot of theology, but aren't angels not that different from zombies?

Another thing in favor of It's a Wonderful Life is that the actors seem to actually be acting, not just WiNK WINK/it's only a holiday movie acting. There're also many critical reviews and commentaries about it, especially in context of the rest of Frank Capra's body of work. I mean, a person can analyze anything with a fistful of theory, but IAWL stands alone for me. Also, it's easier to see some of the other parts of the movie if not viewed during xmas.

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, and there are tons of films I won't watch on principle, but I just like talking about it.

[bklynred]

I own Love Actually and still cannot get through it. And I watch just about anything with Brits in it.

[Ginger]

Dec 26, 2013 16:37:03 GMT -4 @highondegrassi said:

I suspected I didn't like Christmas Vacation based on what I had seen of it here and there over the years and now that I've watched it from beginning to end it's official. I don't even find it mildly funny and can't understand why anyone does. I'm not a Chevy Chase fan, so I'm sure that doesn't help matters. I'm also not a fan of movies that try to make me relate to the sort of financial strain that upper middle class families suffer when something horrible happens and they can't afford a vacation or to buy a luxury item they had their heart set on (in this case, a backyard pool). Beyond all that, the entire movie seemed to be reaching too hard for cheap laughs IMO. Oh, well. This movie is a great way to determine if someone shares my sense of humor or not, so I appreciate its existence.

I didn't know there were people who liked Christmas Vacation. I thought it was mostly known as a really terrible sequel to the previous, vastly superior Vacation movies (which I loved when I was a kid). But now that you mention it, I think Christmas Vacation is the only one that gets shown on TV anymore, only because it gets thrown into Christmas movie lineups around the holidays.

My (probably) unpopular opinion is that I preferred European Vacation to the original. Audrey and Rusty were such perfectly obnoxious teenagers. There's one scene where Rusty is sitting on the airplane innocently bopping out on his Walkman, and his father starts smacking him for no real reason, just because he's so inherently annoying.

[Deleted]

I didn't know there were people who liked Christmas Vacation.

Oh, there sure are. It's considered one of the more popular Christmas movies, which is why I decided to DVR it and watch the whole thing. There was one person in particular who raved about it to me and said her family watches it every year. I just smiled and nodded, and now that I'm sure I hate it, I'll have to work harder at the smiling and the nodding when people bring it up in the coming years. 

[groovethang]

I'm not a fan of Christmas Vacation either. I just don't think it's that funny. I LOVE European Vacation and agree that it's better than the original.

"We'll be pigs!"

[Deleted]

I don't like any of the Vacation movies. I can't not see Chevy Chase as a gigantic asshole.

[eclair]

While hanging out with my brother recently, in the hospital after he had a lung bioposy, we watched a lot of SNL episodes. We caught one that had a skit about Turner Classics airing the original "It's a Wonderful Life", the Jewish version, "You Call This A Life?". The host told us that the movie had a 43 minute scene of the townspeople debating the merits of the foods in the towns delis, although they only showed a minute or two of the debate. And I thought it was really funny. I don't know if it would work for someone who hadn't seen the original. Also, my standards might be lower due to the suroundings.

[Hamatron]

Okay, don't judge... I can explain the Vacation movies. At least, I can explain why I watch them.

So, I know the first three Vacation movies by heart. Every little bit. I'm low-balling when I say that I have seen Vacation around 1,000, European Vacation around 400 times (that was the dirty one my mom didn't like me to watch -- boobs!), and Christmas Vacation around 1,000 times.

Why did I do this to myself? Well, when I was a kid my family and I lived with my special-needs cousin and his family for a few months before moving into our own place. My cousin has certain movies that make him really happy, and he's fun to watch movies with (he's a great snarker).

So... why do I still watch them sometimes (especially Christmas Vacation)? Well, when I was a nine-year-old in the '80s, those movies were pretty damn funny. They're also pretty easy to digest, and are the kind of flicks you can have in the background and only pay attention to bits and pieces. I could also watch them a million times and not be blown away, but not sick of them.

Also, you have to remember when Christmas Vacation came out, times were very different. The economy was booming, the future looked bright. Hilariously, the Griswolds were supposed to represent the middle class. Their neighbors were evil yuppies, and the film climaxes when Clark's 1% boss gets dressed down for being greedy and cutting corners. Looking at that film now? Oh yeah, big eye rolls over Clark's quest for a pool. It makes me think of articles I have read of upper middle class folks whining about how hard it is to live off of $250,000. But when those flicks came out? He was supposed to represent the middle of the middle class. The hard-working Dad who wanted to do the holidays/vacations right by his family. That is the driving motivator of Clark W. Griswold in every one of those movies.

Do I find them funny now? No. Not at all. Not. At. All. But I can still watch those them. They're cinematic comfort food.

Anyway, yeah. There's a whole generation of kids who grew up watching those flicks, and probably still feel compelled to watch them, regardless of quality.

TL;DR: I still watch them. I know they're not good. Don't hate me!

[famvir]

And what of Las Vegas Vacation? Ethan Embry was the first lovable Rusty, (Nick Pappagiorgio). Mom gets picked up by Wayne Newton. It wasn't written by John Hughes, but it's still HS Griswalds, and I still enjoy it. It's probably my second fav vacation movie.