Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Ricochet Movie Fight Club: Question 18
Last week Brian Watt came out of his corner raging for a Page One knockout. Philo’s Page Three uppercut sent him reeling and Brian ended up clinging to the ropes, eying the clock but still upright when the final bell sounded. His jaw may be a little sore today, but not too sore to ask: What is the worst movie (not a made-for-TV movie) ever made?
From Brian:
It should be a movie shown in a movie theater produced or distributed by a major studio (MGM, Universal, United Artists, 20th Century Fox, Columbia, RKO, Warner Brothers, Disney, etc.); a movie that others may have raved about which prompted you to see it; that was so bad, you may have walked out or griped about it and felt cheated for wasting your money on it; so bad that you may have even heckled it or made catcalls at the screen in the theater while watching it; and so bad that you may actually think less of others’ taste in movies – whether critics, celebrities, or friends — who actually hold this awful film in high regard.
Of course, the more comprehensive your answer on why the movie is so awful, the more persuasive your answer will be.
The Rules:
- Post your answer as a comment. Make it clear that this is your official answer, one per member.
- Defend your answer in the comments and fight it out with other Ricochet member answers for the rest of the week.
- Whoever gets the most likes on their official answer comment (and only that comment) by Friday night wins the fight.
- The winner gets the honor of posting the next question on Saturday.
- In the case of a tie, the member who posted the question will decide the winner.
Notes:
- Only movies will qualify (no TV shows) however films that air on television (BBC films, a stand-alone mini-series) will qualify.
- Your answer can be as off-the-wall or controversial as you’d like. It will be up to you to defend it and win people to your side.
- Fight it out.
Special thanks to Arahant for compiling a list of previous questions.
Movie Fight Club Questions by Week:
- What is the best film portrayal of a book character? Winner: Charlotte with 18 likes for Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies.
- What is the best motion picture comedy of the 21st century? Winner: split decision. In an exemplary display of genuine sportsmanship, Randy Webster conceded the fight to Marjorie Reynolds’ pick Team America: World Police.
- What film provides the most evocative use of location? Winner: Taras with 21 likes for Lawrence of Arabia. Wasn’t even close.
- What is the best film that utilizes or is inspired by a work of William Shakespeare? Winner: Dr. Bastiat with five likes for The Lion King, a film inspired by Hamlet.
- Which movie has the best surprise ending, or unexpected plot twist? Winner: Repmodad with 18 likes for The Sixth Sense.
- What pre-1970s black-and-white movie would be most enjoyed by a modern 18-to 25-year-old audience? Winner: E J Hill with 9 likes for a Casablanca. (He didn’t exactly designate it his official answer, and most of the likes may have been for the modern Casablanca trailer rather than for it as an answer to the question, but nobody seemed to dispute it on those grounds, so that’s how the cookie crumbles.)
- What movie did you go to based on the trailer, only to have felt cheated? (i.e., the trailer was 10x better than the movie?) Winner: Back to back wins by E J Hill with 9 likes for Something to Talk About.
- Name the worst movie portrayal of your profession (where applicable.) Winner: LC with 8 likes for Denise Richards’ Dr. Christmas Jones in The World is Not Enough.
- What is the worst movie that claims to be based or inspired by a true story? Winner: Tex929rr with 16 likes for the, “…terrible acting, and countless deviations from history,” in Pearl Harbor.
- What is your favorite little known movie? Winner: A last-minute rally for Tremors made the difference as Songwriter took the week 10 win!
- What is the best movie that you never want to watch again? Winner:
HitlerCharlotte with 15 likes for Schindler’s List. Sorry, Richard Oshea but Jesus won the real fight.
Week 11.5 Exhibition Match (as a make-up of sorts, since Songwriter didn’t get the week 11 question submitted in time) Name the best movie theme song ever? No winner declared but I’m pretty sure it was I.M. Fine with “Moon River.” - Name the best animated feature-length movie of all time. Winner: I.M. Fine with 10 likes for Pinocchio, and justice for I.M. Fine prevailed.
- What is the worst acting performance in an otherwise good film? Winner: In one of the most brutal fights we’ve seen yet Repmodad fended off a furious 12th-round onslaught by Gary McVey to give Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves the win with 20 likes.
- What is the quintessential American movie? Winner: Miffed White Male pulled off the comeback with 20 likes for The Right Stuff. There was a two-way tie at 19 for second place as well.
- What’s the most entertaining movie set during WWII? Winner: Arahant clearly won with Casablanca’s walloping 30 likes despite the withering onslaught by Sisyphus on the final day.
- What is the best movie love story? Winner: Songwriter with 20 likes for The Princess Bride with 20 likes. Up managed to make a strong showing and Dr. Bastiat is still conducting recounts trying to “find” some uncounted votes.
- What’s the best’ buddy’ movie? Winner: Brian Watt wins with 12 likes for The Man Who Would be King.
Published in General
You need to adjust for the number of PITsters in the thread. We specialize in weirdness and tangents.
?
That’s only a runner up to my last racist remark.
People who post in the PIT, a true chronophage.
The current one just passed 37,000 comments. Since late March.
In inverse proportion to the number of people who still follow it.
Lol. I figured. That’s why I said it was a chronophage.
Okay, then what’s a PIT?
Politically Incorrect Thread. A Ricochet tradition.
https://ricochet.com/735345/pit-20-quarantined
In the latest PIT, we’re over 37,000. You want weird?
Well, friends, there is a lot to unpack here but I’ll try and give it a go. First off, can we get a slow clap for @brianwatt for delivering a 300 comment question.
Now, with that out of the way (thanks a ton buddy), let me also revisit some of what we’ve learned about each other:
@lidenscheng (LC) it seems likes to spend an inordinate amount of time watching bad movies and has no qualms about admitting it.
@addictionisachoice may be the only apologist left for the collective body of work of Jennifer Aniston.
@josepluma , in grand Seinfeldian fashion, “Chooses not to fight.”
and,
@taras has an aptitude for dropping Dennis Miller-style, obscure historical references.
We also learned there is a surprisingly large contingent of passionate Zoolander defenders. Of course, I also know of many passionate defenders of Socialism, but hey, you be you.
With that said, and much left unsaid, here is where we stand:
Leading the pack is @brianwatt himself with 16 likes for Barbarella (comment#58), followed closely by @henryv (B.W. Wooster that is) with 14 likes for The Hobbit (comment #79). Not far behind them is @gosammercat with 12 likes for The English Patient that Elaine Benes hopes will just die already (comment #55) , and running a distant fourth is @occupantcdn with 9 likes for Howard the Duck (comment #188), which ordinarily wouldn’t register on the leader board except for the fact that I’m always impressed with a fighter laying down some moxie on page 9.
So, there you have it. One day left to make your case, change your likes, bribe some members, or, sit back and have a watch party for Zoolander on a Portland street corner with all your rowdy friends.
I need a beer.
All my rowdy friends have settled down.
Tell them it’s a pin the tail on the Trump party.
Barbarella is a bad movie? I love that movie! Jane Fonda made it great!
For a moment I was going to claim it was Jane Fonda’s best movie – but then I recalled Cat Ballou.
I can forgive the sins of a quality actor like Donald Sutherland, but not those of a hollow log like Jane Fonda.
Is that the same as saying she’s wooden?
All bark.
“That’s a regular — Tintoretto!”
No change in the voting means that a) we’re all done with this question, and b) Brian Watt joins E.J. Hill as the only other back-to-back winner with 16 likes for Barbarella. Brian will get another crack at it by choosing the week 19 question. Can he make it three? In the words of Johnny Lawrence: “Good match.”
Thanks Vince and thanks for everyone who appeared to detest Barbarella as much as I did. I’ve submitted the next question for the Fight Club that Vince should share with you soon. All the best.
Since it’s come up from a few of you, a reminder: The question is always posted on Saturday, usually in mid-morning, Pacific time.
I came late to this party, but yes, this was my first reaction. American Beauty is the only movie I can think of that I started hating in the first few minutes, and my hatred grew with each subsequent scene. I was sitting there incredulous, wondering (aloud) who this effing piece of puerile, predictable, insulting, . . . Gaaah! Every deep poignant “issue” raised was fought and settled years ago – who the eff was this thing made to impress??
Sorry. I’m STILL ranting. This won the Oscar that year. That was when I finally gave up any defence of them and realized the Oscars are a complete joke.
MD is one of my top ten faves of all time. (Though my sons remind me that I have about 50 top ten faves of all time.) Naomi Watts is indescribably good here.
It’s not for everybody, but when you get on its wavelenght, that movie is endlessly interesting – you wonder how he does it.
David Lynch is the real deal.
@flicker, It’s lovely. And based on a true story.
You might be interested in a few books I read recently: The Soul of an Octopus and The Good, Good Pig, both by Sy Montgomery, and especially Running With Sherman: the Donkey With the Heart of a Hero, by Christopher McDougall. All are about our regrettably lost yet complicated relationship with animals. Birdman doesn’t seem unlikely at all to me, more like inevitable.
Okay, back to topic . . .
Yeah, half of the fun of a Lynch movie is thinking about how Lynch made it. I’m convinced that he’s quite aware of that and he plays that level of interpretation as well as any other.
The Cowboy and the Frenchman, for instance, seems to be a satire of how the French think Americans think the French see them. He might have folded it once more, even, but I lose track.
I wanted to hate it, but any movie that contains the song “I’m Leaving You Some Love in My Will” is worth giving another chance.
Also:
Telling the truth can be a dangerous business
Honest and popular don’t go hand in hand.
If you admit that you can play the accordian
You’ll never get a job in a rock-n-roll band.
And that’s from memory! C’mon, who can turn away from this glorious project?
Plus, Isabel Adjani.
Yes. Ishtar is definitely worth seeing for the reason you describe – I believe it was made terrible on purpose, written and edited expertly to just leave you gasping. So it is actually a brilliant movie for one who has eyes to see. (And Paul Williams wrote the songs, a great songsmith tasked to write believable yet cringeworthy songs. And boy does he deliver.)
Howard the Duck is just bad. Not interesting bad, insulting bad.
This would have been my second choice, and for all the same reasons.