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Weekend Argument: The Best Worst Movies
Years ago I put up a post asking about the worst movies you all had seen. John Kluge’s post on Saving Private Ryan put me in mind of something else — what are the best of the worst movies you have seen? We’re talking not necessarily outright clunkers or films where you want to remove your own fingernails with a spork rather than endure another minute (those were covered pretty well in the 2012 post, though I’m sure we’ve got some additions). No, I’m talking the films that are just plain awful while still being hilarious, quotable, or just fun to put on for the sheer madness of them. You might cite Big Trouble In Little China, for instance, which is truly a film I can’t stand but many others enjoy greatly.
A few of my own include:
Beavis and Butthead Do America — The film is, in many respects, terribly dated by now (it’s 20 years old — feel old yet?), but I still crack up every time.
Barbarella — There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this film. And yet Jane Fonda is a beauty. And the film itself is total camp (a fur-clad spaceship interior?). Plus it gave us the name of a great New Wave band of the ’80s (Duran Duran).
Judge Dredd — A tacky adaptation of a comic book series that is mostly worthwhile for Rob Schneider.
The Fifth Element — High budget sci-fi flop with Bruce Willis, Chris Tucker, and Mila Jovovich. Very campy story, but funny in spite of itself.
What are yours? What hokey films do you watch just for fun?
Published in Entertainment
See, now. I understand it’s a conservative cult classic, so I’m going to have to give it another try.
Zoolander.
My son (my son? !!) made me watch it. Third or fourth time for him. My head hurt from the eye rolling by the time it was done.
No joke, Death Race 2000 is now part of the Criterion Collection. Right there with La Grand Illusion.
Yup, fallen people.
The Hollywood Knights
Wolverines!!!!
The Last American Virgin
Stalone had some beauties but no one can beat Arnold. Commando hands down greatest stupid action movie ever!
Of course Stalone’s greatest bad movie is Rocky IV.
Also @skipsul how can you hate Big Trouble in Little China it is a classic 80’s movie, and practically every scene and character in that movie is a gem. Next you will tell me you hate Crocodile Dundee or The Karate Kid.
Worth it just for the best line of dialog in an action movie.
Five Elements Ninjas Yep, all five elements are represented. One dude actually steps on his own intestines during a battle!
Any variation on the “he’s the best of the best, but he has a past” is pretty much gonna fit snugly into this category.
My personal camp fave, and the soundtrack gives you Freddie & Co. tearing it up on something totally gratuitous.
I’d forgotten Doc Savage, that one was over the top on the camp.
I’ll actually accept this as a stand in for the genre, which is chock a block with bad but great movies. From McQueen, Bronson, and Eastwood, to Arnold, Sly, and Chuck Norris to Van Damme and Seagal to Vin Diesel and Jason StathaM – all pretty much awesome and interchangeable.
I loved it too. The Baseball Furies and all.
These two were on my list. Not sure why LAH gets so little love.
Nah, same movie different scene is the best: Let off some steam Bennett.
If it weren’t for the fact that I don’t mind rom coms my wife and I would never watch a movie together.
Which brings me to my humble contribution to this august list, 50 First Dates.
I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but that and Spanglish are the only Adam Sandler movies I will willingly watch. I can only watch him when he’s not doing his normal schtick.
I will have to go with The Rundown, always makes me laugh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDU8ew4ZeVQ
Another vote for Flash Gordon.
It has my favorite bad movie line of all time. At 2:16 in this clip. “Flash, I love you, but we only have 14 hours to save the earth!” Everything about it is wrong, from the delivery to the choice of that particular moment to say it.
Don’t know if the humor will be to your taste, but here’s a fun retrospective (NSFW language):
I was going to include one by The Ragaholic as well, but I decided against providing a link due to a couple of 4Chan-esque ‘offensive for offensiveness sake’ jokes that made even me cringe……but if you’re tolerant of that type of humor, the rest of that retrospective is well worth watching on Youtube.
wow, I forgot Timothy Dalton was in that movie. I guess James Bond was a step down career-wise for him after Flash.
There’s actually some redeeming value to this one. The ending is a surprisingly realistic punch in the gut that I think lots of boys should see so they don’t approach like like it’s a Disney movie.
Also, Al Franken gets his car driven into the ocean, which should brighten most anyone’s day.
God don’t mention that movie around @randywebster, he’ll never shut up about it. lol
It’s a mostly great cast, except for the leads. If the story were half-way decent, you could really have had a heck of a movie.
Prince Vultan is Brian Blessed!!!! He alone is worth the price of admission.
It is So. Damn. Hokey!
I cannot find anything funny about it.
Maybe it’s because I don’t like Kurt Russel.
Everyone I’ve read says the cartoon cat kills it for them. I thought it was silly, but it was obviously riffing on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Cool World.
There is no Batman but Adam West.
And to think I idolized you. You’re dead to me.
Red Dawn has great proto-Trumpian moment. One of the Wolverines is discovered to have sold out the group to the commies. They decide to execute him. One member tries to stand up for him (they were all high school buddies).
He pleads, “Doesn’t this make us as bad as they are?”
Upon which one of the more bitter members opens up with an AK-47, and says through gritted teeth, “Because this is our HOME!”
Awesome stuff.