I'm pretty much with you on those points Ben.Gladiator - yes...empty spectacle, although I walked from the theatre with a bit of appreciation for the entertainment value of the sheer spectacle and attempt at classic movie grandeur. Certainly a pale approximation of a 'real' classic though. Odd thing is, I ended up watching it again and liked it a bit more. I must refrain from watching it again, lest I'm deluded into actually liking the film!Usual Suspects - I liked Reservoir Dogs (even though that is probably another 'overrated' film), but Usual Suspects did leave me scratching my head at the rather adamant recommendations for the film. Didn't hate the movie, but can't say it made an impression. Everyone seemed to love Kevin Spacey's role, but he's done better for sure...Blue Velvet - I have a sizable appreciation for abstract, experimental and so-called 'difficult' cinema, but I'm VERY lukewarm on Lynch's material. It often wallows in weirdness for weirdness sake, as if to say (while nudging your shoulder in wide-eyed exclamation) 'hey guys! wasn't that crazy daddy-oh weird!!' Lost Highway (a film I consider nearly worthless) exemplified this to the tee, though I was also left very cold by Blue Velvet. I have considered re-watching it to re-assess my opinion after reading a rather excellent book called 'Illuminating Shadows: The Mythic Power of Film' in which the author studies several dozen films to trace their lineage to common mythic themes. I immensely respect the mans ideas and writing on film and he picks a few surprising and unusual films as inclusion in the book. Blue Velvet was one of them. I did happen to like Mulholland Drive quite a bit, thus restoring a little bit of faith in the possibilities of Lynch's work.Platoon - (ditto)Bravehert - didn't see it...for good reason I supposeTom Hanks - I just don't think about the guy too much.Might I add a couple more to the list, without going on about them at length (my fingers are starting to stiffen up on me with all this typing). *Silence of the Lambs*A Beautiful Mind
5 most overrated movies ever......
Ah such fun is being had on that other thread it's now time to take the axe to movies..........
1.Gladiator-for some reason "everybody" seemed to think there was some reason to feel emotional about this poor remake of Spartacus,the drawn-out revenge storyline trying vainly to add weight to little more than a CG generated WWF extravaganza,and the acting..oh dear..failed Aussie soap star Russell Crowe even won the oscar obviously Tom Hanks didn't make a movie that year...This films biggest crime is that it has the audacity to take itself seriously......watch it again in 5 years and wonder why you thought it was any good.
2.The Usual Suspects-with 20 minutes of this movie still to go I wanted to leave the cinema,who cared who Kaiser Sauzee was?
Off the back of Resevoir Dogs-a so-called hip movie that was all style over substance-absolute tosh,how very clever to have a script where the narrator lies to you,who cares if there were clues,who cared about any of these characters?, like a super-effective laxative launched a million movies with twist endings....
3.Blue Velvet--ah David Lynch-shocked us all with the fact that small town America had a dark side,didn't he watch the news?,read the newspapers,total junk,conceptual film-making without the concept,truly lazy nonsense,no script,only considered weird by those who like Lynch were ignored at school....unbelievably followed this up with worse movies with even more obvious points to make.
3.Platoon-some how at the time this was judged to be the movie that showed America had come to terms with the Viet Nam war..eh?
Hadn't anybody seen Coming Home,The Deer Hunter,Apocalypse Now,Bat 21?
All better movies made earlier,started Oliver Stone's trend to take serious subjects and condense them into nothing much to popular and critical acclaim.
Don't even start me on JFK.
Weren't the 80's crap.....
I don't care if he was in Viet Nam ,this movie is rubbish....
4.Braveheart-made me ashamed to be Scottish,historically inaccurate beyond belief,with an Australian playing a Scot,no doubt made ex-pats teary eyed the world over,made me cry with laughter
5.Anything with Tom Hanks-the modern day American everyman turns up everywhere,doomed space rockets,football pitches,WW2,you always know when he's in a movie that it will be sentimental populist tosh-Saving Private Ryan was great till he turned up signalling the end of any realism...oh and those Oscar speeches.............
Fire away fellow Audiogon Movie fans.........
1.Gladiator-for some reason "everybody" seemed to think there was some reason to feel emotional about this poor remake of Spartacus,the drawn-out revenge storyline trying vainly to add weight to little more than a CG generated WWF extravaganza,and the acting..oh dear..failed Aussie soap star Russell Crowe even won the oscar obviously Tom Hanks didn't make a movie that year...This films biggest crime is that it has the audacity to take itself seriously......watch it again in 5 years and wonder why you thought it was any good.
2.The Usual Suspects-with 20 minutes of this movie still to go I wanted to leave the cinema,who cared who Kaiser Sauzee was?
Off the back of Resevoir Dogs-a so-called hip movie that was all style over substance-absolute tosh,how very clever to have a script where the narrator lies to you,who cares if there were clues,who cared about any of these characters?, like a super-effective laxative launched a million movies with twist endings....
3.Blue Velvet--ah David Lynch-shocked us all with the fact that small town America had a dark side,didn't he watch the news?,read the newspapers,total junk,conceptual film-making without the concept,truly lazy nonsense,no script,only considered weird by those who like Lynch were ignored at school....unbelievably followed this up with worse movies with even more obvious points to make.
3.Platoon-some how at the time this was judged to be the movie that showed America had come to terms with the Viet Nam war..eh?
Hadn't anybody seen Coming Home,The Deer Hunter,Apocalypse Now,Bat 21?
All better movies made earlier,started Oliver Stone's trend to take serious subjects and condense them into nothing much to popular and critical acclaim.
Don't even start me on JFK.
Weren't the 80's crap.....
I don't care if he was in Viet Nam ,this movie is rubbish....
4.Braveheart-made me ashamed to be Scottish,historically inaccurate beyond belief,with an Australian playing a Scot,no doubt made ex-pats teary eyed the world over,made me cry with laughter
5.Anything with Tom Hanks-the modern day American everyman turns up everywhere,doomed space rockets,football pitches,WW2,you always know when he's in a movie that it will be sentimental populist tosh-Saving Private Ryan was great till he turned up signalling the end of any realism...oh and those Oscar speeches.............
Fire away fellow Audiogon Movie fans.........