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.
Defend a Maligned Movie
I don’t believe in “guilty pleasures” – why should I feel guilt because the critical groupthink scorned something I think has merit? It’s not as if those individual critics don’t pull the shades and watch something the rest of the priesthood demeans. (Unless Marty Scorcese gave it a nod in an interview, and then it’s time for a Fresh New Look.) I also don’t believe in watching bad movies to revel in their awfulness, unless there’s some meta-level payoff. (Plan Nine really is the apotheosis of true unintended hilarity.) I’m watching something right now that makes eyes roll if you try to make the case for its importance, but that’s not important right now. (No, I’m not watching Airplane!) I’ll hand it off to you: defend a movie dismissed by the gatekeepers.
Published in General
Seems like he sings in several:
Ishtar is a deeply, deeply funny movie. It’s just that it’s like a curb your enthusiasm episode, squared. Everything in it makes you uncomfortable, so people say it’s stupid. It isn’t. It’s just so, so wrong.
it has all original songs, sung by the Simon and Garfunkel wannabes (Hoffman and Beatty), and they’re all priceless.
A song they choose to sing for a couple celebrating their 60th anniversary, “I’m sending you some love I’m my will”. Ouch.
plus the incomparable “Dangerous Business”:
Tellin’ the truth can be dangerous business
Honest and popular don’t go hand in hand
If you admit that you can play the accordion
You’ll never get a job in a rock ‘n’ roll band
Aye-yi-yi. Awesome!
I always thought it was a story about the plight of a teenager growing up in society. He makes a lot of mistakes, can even sometimes be a little monster. But if you just do your best with him, wait him out, he will eventually grow out of his antisocial tendencies enjoying adulthood.
in the story Alex is finally arrested and subjected to the free will killing Ludovico technique, supposedly curing him. But of course it also kills off all the good things in him. When he realizes this he tries to commit suicide. He fails, but the attempt makes the new government very skeptical about the technique, so they reverse it. And revert him back to the little monster he was at the beginning, reveling in rape, ultraviolence, and Beethoven.
The book has 21 chapters, on purpose. In the 21st chapter, it’s a few years later. Alex is starting to grow up. He sees his old droogs on the street; Pete has become a policeman and doesn’t really recognize him. Georgie is in a restaurant with a wife and baby, having a meal. Alex goes home and starts reconsidering his life, and starts to think that hanging around the milk bar and committing acts of violence is maybe kind of dumb. Maybe he should think about finding a job and getting on with his life.
The point is he does this on his own, simply by getting a little older. The state did not have to intervene, and, like most things that happen when the state intervenes, all of the terrible side effects of their meddling did not have to happen.
This all happens in a very short 21st chapter, ( because Alex has now turned 21 – not subtle, I know). Apparently the American publishers did not think that we would like such a hopeful ending, so the American version of the book leaves out the 21st chapter, leaves Alex reverted back into the little monster that he was. “I was cured all right!”
Kubrick must’ve agreed, because he shot the American version, leaving out the hopeful final chapter. That was a pity because it completely alters the meaning of the story. I still liked the movie, because Kubrick after all. But was very glad to read the British version of the book.
No. But now I’ll have to.
Another movie I put in the same category as Knight and Day is Red, with Bruce Willis.
Pretty sure you’re talking about Plan 9 From Outer Space.
Exactly. I was right there with you until the ending. I kinda wonder if they had an alternate ending, like they did with I Am Legend, written but perhaps didn’t have the budget for test screenings.
My vote is for The Godfather, Part III. Okay, okay – the acting by the director’s daughter in a leading role was not great, but that is not a reason for trashing the whole movie. Otherwise, the criticisms of Part III apply similarly to Parts I and II. So if Parts I and II are great, then also Part III should be great. I am tired of the obligatory asterisk after stating “I love the Godfather movies,” that an exception is then made for Part III because … reasons. Cowards.
Also, Sen. Ted Cruz agrees with me, so it must be true: https://freebeacon.com/blog/ted-cruz-right-godfather-part-iii-good/
Waterworld is not utterly terrible. It has one of the best gag reveals in cinema history.
I think “two” weighed more heavily in the film and because of that I absolutely hated Alex and revelled in his getting a form of justice visited upon him, even if by a creepy totalitarian state that emobied nearly everything I loathe about the political left.
If you’re referring to the ship, shouldn’t that have made the movie ridiculous since the ship couldn’t have been there?
You right he does. I was thinking westerns. Good call. He also sings in Two Mules for Sister Sarah.
Yet another movie I probably shouldn’t have watched as young as I did; good choice!
I think for several more he has done soundtrack album songs but did not sing in the film.
Yup That’s what makes the gag so funny. Completely ridiculous, over-any-possible-top.
The Quick and the Dead will never be a great movie, but it’s a fun movie.
Simple plot: Old West Kumite. An evil despot who runs a town has a yearly quick draw competition so that his enemies will show up to be known and he can kill them.
Let’s get rid of the stars first, Sharon Stone at the peak of her power got Sam Raimi to direct and paid for a young unknown named Russell Crowe to be in the movie. Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio pre-Titanic supernova chew scenery like it’s going out of style.
If you love character actors like I do, this one has plenty: Lance Henriksen as a flamboyant trick shot artist, Keith David as an ex Union soldier turned shootist both of whom looking like they’re having way too much fun lead a crew that include Pat Hingle, Kevin Conway, Tobin Bell, Mark Boone Junior and the last roles of Roberts Blossom and Woody Strode.
It is both simultaneously tropey and a deconstruction of those tropes: The gunfighter with no name, the mercenary who takes a job with not a lot of payment, the tall tales that are actually frauds, the Native American protected by mysticism, the pacifist who won’t fight all get their moment.
There’s little sentimentalism among the tropes, but there’s fun little moments: one gunfighter upon entering as “The Pride of Texas” to massive applause is featured on a wanted posted prior to announcing entry for “Rape” and “Robbery.” The machismo oozes in every scene and even people you’d think would be friendly have secret disdain, as seen in a little moment with Hingle and Conway.
It’s an hour and a half of popcorn fun. It’s probably Raimi’s best non-Spiderman 2 movie. It’s not going to make you think or swerve you. We’ve seen this movie a million times, but still, sometimes known can be a lot of fun.
I’ll suggest The Fifth Element by Luc Besson. While not reviled by the critics, ITs “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes but has a 52 Metacritic score, that is a movie that regardless of when it is in the film, I will sit down and watch it. Its right up there with Robocop for a vision of the future that is compelling if depressing. Who can forget the humor in that film in every scene that was played completely straight making it more funny. Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod really made his career and Bruce Willis’ combo of comedy and action was just amazing.
(94) Korben Outwits a Mugger – The Fifth Element (1/8) Movie CLIP (1997) HD – YouTube
If you want a film that was really panned by critics, how about UHF the Weird Al Yankovic offering from 1989 that had Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, Michael Richards, Gedde Watanabe, and Anthony Geary in a role that no one would ever think he would play. I finally tracked down a DVD of the movie and paid almost $50 for it and it was worth every penny. I made the family watch it one Father’s Day and have been banned from picking movies on that day as a result, but it was worth it if only for them to see this:
We Don’t Need No Stinking Badgers! – YouTube
or (94) UHF – Wheel Of Fish – YouTube
I really enjoy this movie as well, its a fun chase film with a dash of rom-com. Maybe its a typical Tom Cruise film or something – but its still very entertaining.
PTSD? There is no hint in any sequel that he is haunted by past events. He’s simply a jerk whom no one can stand.
If the Die Hard series represents any Christian teaching, it’s that God chooses broken instruments who are made great by His grace, not by their own powers.
Aww come one, the best line in that flick is Deacon’s complaint when he see’s the Mariner on the tanker’s deck, “he’s like a turd that won’t flush”
Yarn | You know, he’s like a turd that won’t flush. ~ Waterworld (1995) | Video clips by quotes, clip | c12ee51a-3ee4-4d32-8c1b-09629a829b2e | 紗 (getyarn.io)
Is there no one except me to speak up for John Wayne’s 1956 epic, The Conqueror?
Who could resist admiring The Duke as he rides through Utah’s Monument Valley? Followed by his cattle. Which are pulling his Mongolian yurt. Priceless!
Just had to highlight this.
I enjoyed it a lot. When I saw it I was young and really couldn’t take the (at the time) very graphic violence and had to leave the theater! I decided to give it a shot again much later (I think because the CG cartoon was good) and I enjoyed it for what it was even if it wasn’t the book.
Didn’t realize the rating was fairly low for this one. I saw this in theaters when I was a kid and loved it. Watched it again I think a month or so ago and I enjoyed it. Good stuff.
I’m not the person to turn to for a lot of talk about what movies are good or bad I guess. I just keep my stuff simple.
Oh! I’ll add a new one! Scary Movie. 1>3>2>>>>4>>>5
I was watching them again last month (finished 3 a few days ago) and they are funny. I think some of it relies on knowing what is being parodied but they are funny. Not hilarious, but funny. And I think its abundantly clear these jokes simply couldn’t be made today.
Well then, Scream 1 through 4 qualify too.
The ending parts of Scream 4 are especially satisfying. And especially if you love Neve Campbell. (Note: bad language)
We have it, watched it, and liked it.
Perhaps this is a bit much of a cult classic, but does Big Trouble in Little China count?
The movie is totally preposterous, veering as it does from farce to slapstick to terrible kung fu film to swords and sorcery or outright horror… it runs all over the cinematic palette, yet has a ton of quotable one-liners and is eminently rewatchable.
Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Victor Wong and James Hong (who just turned 92) variously devour the scenery, but this is a hill upon which I would be willing to die.
The Missouri Breaks. No reason. Just enjoyed it.
I don’t see it as being maligned. Perhaps under the radar, cult film like you say. But John Carpenter seems pretty untouchable these days in public opinion.
No. It’s not.
One of my favorite movies of all time is “Barcelona.” Apparently it’s one of three related movies. I’ve watched the others, but they were mostly unwatchable. “Barcelona,” though, is brilliant.
It’s about a nerdy electric motor salesman who was sent to Spain by an American company, where he does very well only through very nerdy adherence to self-improvement books. He’s visited by his incompetent cousin who is with the US Navy and is part of an advance party before the fleet arrives in the port of Barcelona. The two then meet women and spend most of their time completely bewildered by Spain and defending the US to people they meet in this foreign culture.
I think it’s very intelligent and well done. It’s a rare movie that has great dialog.
I think that Scorsese’s After Hours is maligned because it’s not about gangsters and people seem to want Scorsese to do gangsters over and over and over.
Great ensemble cast and New York, New York. Plus it’s at night and features bars and crazy women. What more to do you want?
Maybe it’s been “rediscovered” but last time I checked it was in the maligned category.