Popular Movies that you Don't Get.

Did you ever decide to go see a movie because it was very well reviewed and looked like a lot of fun, but then walked out of the theatre extremely disappointed?

The most recent example of this, for me, would have to be The Hangover. Extremely well reviewed. Great word of mouth. An underdog film, successful at the box office. Usually, all of these combined can mean a great movie, but it can also be something terrible like Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Unfortunately, The Hangover was the latter. It was unfunny, boring and offensive (in all the wrong ways). The cast was unlikeable as well. It felt like it was being targeted at a very white, very middle class, suburban american audience that I don't think I quite fit into (I almost do).

I haven't seen the Hangover, but Big Fat Greek Wedding is great. If you can't relate to that movie in some way you're not human.

Fight club, yes I understood the premise, but .. ^_^

I watched S.Darko recently and I haven't even seen the first, had no fucking idea what was going on but I wasn't paying 100% attention because it was SHIT :mad:

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Originally Posted by kernow

Fight club, yes I understood the premise, but .. ^_^

I watched S.Darko recently and I haven't even seen the first, had no fucking idea what was going on but I wasn't paying 100% attention because it was SHIT :mad:

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I don't think the straight to video S. Darko counts as popular.

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Originally Posted by payment_due

I haven't seen the Hangover, but Big Fat Greek Wedding is great. If you can't relate to that movie in some way you're not human.

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Being of Serbian Orthodox descent (which has very similar traditions to Greek Orthodox culture), I appreciated and identified with many of the things in the film, but those things were very superfluous elements. At the end of the day, MBFGW is very predictable, cliche, bland, etc.

I was initially writing about Requiem for a Dream, then I remembered Darren Aronofsky also did the Wrestler and both fall into the same category with me:

I saw both movies when they came out, and while they great performances (and a good director brings those out) and ideas, both stories were just too over-dramatized for my tastes (sort of like darker after-school specials). He seems to want to work with realism, but then adds unneeded, overdone drama that undercuts his style.

I don't know if I would go so far as to call him overrated, mostly because he hasn't won any giant award yet, but he still hasn't quite reached the peak --which is frustrating because he's talented. He needs to direct material that's closer to his tone.

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Originally Posted by Rade

I don't think the straight to video S. Darko counts as popular.

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It was slaughtered in reviews. One of those sequels with no reason whatsoever for existing.

Let's go Lost Highway for me. Watched it three times, still went huh, what the fuck was that (still liked it plenty, of course), then read some thoughts about it, and went holy fuck, it all makes sense, that shit is brilliant.

So yeah, I cheated, but I think that's basically okay when it comes to insane Lynch stuff.

Primer

...well reviewed, but I had to stop watching about halfway through due to the fact that I couldn't follow the plot. Seriously, I got lost.

Knocked up.

That movie was bullshit

Rade, you didn't get it because you saw the movie with your girlfriend.

No man should watch the hangover with a chick.

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Originally Posted by Magician

Primer

...well reviewed, but I had to stop watching about halfway through due to the fact that I couldn't follow the plot. Seriously, I got lost.

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Primer came highly recommended, but I stopped it 3/4 of the way through as well. I had to have the wiki page open while watching it. I don't think I would have been able to fully understand the film without it. Poor execution. Very poor.

Great idea, though. And you really have to hand it to the filmmakers for doing something really cool on a tight budget, but they probably could have worked a little harder and made it just a tad more comprehendible for the plebs like me.

Whoa, I can't believe you didn't like the Hangover. I enjoyed it immensely because it was unlike the three main comedy subsections that seem to dominate the current landscape (romantic comedies, parodies, Judd Apatow strains). I think what worked for it most was abandoning the typical boob/fart/vomit phenomenon that permeates most other guy comedies. Having unconventional and unproven leads that did not lead to association with prior acting roles helped as well. Some of the best laughs I've had all year!

Sincerely,

Mikhail

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Originally Posted by wasabi

Rade, you didn't get it because you saw the movie with your girlfriend.

No man should watch the hangover with a chick.

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Nah. It felt like a inferior version of Old School. Only Vince Vaughn can be Vince Vaughn.

I went home and immediately played Pineapple Express to wash the shitty taste of Ed Helms from my eyes.

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Originally Posted by Kiselgof

Whoa, I can't believe you didn't like the Hangover. I enjoyed it immensely because it was unlike the three main comedy subsections that seem to dominate the current landscape (romantic comedies, parodies, Judd Apatow strains). I think what worked for it most was abandoning the typical boob/fart/vomit phenomenon that permeates most other guy comedies. Having unconventional and unproven leads that did not lead to association with prior acting roles helped as well. Some of the best laughs I've had all year!

Sincerely,

Mikhail

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Did you miss the Boobs and Vomit in The Hangover? There were no farts, but the audience I was with only seemed to laugh the hardest when that autistic guy's bare ass was on the screen.

In the last year, Pineapple Express has been the best comedy I've seen. It's fucking brilliant and took me totally by surprise. Sure, it's got the association with Judd Apatow, but it's still totally worth checking out.

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Originally Posted by Rade

Nah. It felt like a inferior version of Old School. Only Vince Vaughn can be Vince Vaughn.

I went home and immediately played Pineapple Express to wash the shitty taste of Ed Helms from my eyes.

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You shouldn't go into any movie with such high expectations. The Hangover was a hilarious movie, but obviously you can't laugh when you're with a girl.

I watched The Hangover with my brother, then went home and broke up with my girlfriend at the time. I have since lived the most invincible summer.

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Originally Posted by Bobak

I was initially writing about Requiem for a Dream, then I remembered Darren Aronofsky also did the Wrestler and both fall into the same category with me:

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requiem of a dream was a traumatic visual experience for me.
it was like hyper realism and left me emotionally empty,
which was the point,
but how people enjoy that movie is beyond me.

also, didn't really like memento that much.
wraps up okay,
but I actually watched the machinist before I ever watched that and
liked the story and thought christian bale was great in it.
great movie, heavily rec' it.

Hangover was a decent movie... But there wasn't one new concept in the whole movie... Just a rehash of older movies. Everything from Fear and Loathing to Weeding Crashers to Dude! Where's my Car?

The Hangover let me do what we in Vegas do best: laugh at idiot tourists.

Almost all comedy movies.

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Originally Posted by Magician

Primer

...well reviewed, but I had to stop watching about halfway through due to the fact that I couldn't follow the plot. Seriously, I got lost.

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Originally Posted by Rade

Primer came highly recommended, but I stopped it 3/4 of the way through as well. I had to have the wiki page open while watching it. I don't think I would have been able to fully understand the film without it. Poor execution. Very poor.

Great idea, though. And you really have to hand it to the filmmakers for doing something really cool on a tight budget, but they probably could have worked a little harder and made it just a tad more comprehendible for the plebs like me.

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Watch it 9 or 10 times and you'll start to have a grasp of it. There are still parts of the timeline that I don't fully understand. The Wiki page is really confusing.

Great movie though.

Meet the Parents. I heard that was supposed to be good, but there wasn't a single funny moment in the movie. The closest I got was cracking a smile at painting the cat's tail. I did not, and do not, see how anyone with half a brain can find that movie entertaining.

As for Requiem for a Dream, I thought it was brilliant. The best movie I've ever thoroughly not enjoyed watching.

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Originally Posted by Deuce

As for Requiem for a Dream, I thought it was brilliant. The best movie I've ever thoroughly not enjoyed watching.

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Good way to put it. I was transfixed while watching Requiem. It was brutal, but I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

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Originally Posted by Deuce

Meet the Parents. I heard that was supposed to be good, but there wasn't a single funny moment in the movie. The closest I got was cracking a smile at painting the cat's tail. I did not, and do not, see how anyone with half a brain can find that movie entertaining.

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Guess they didn't teach you humor in the CIA.

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Originally Posted by wasabi

Guess they didn't teach you humor in the CIA.

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I like good comedy. That wasn't good comedy.

Jim Gaffigan is funny. Ben Stiller, by and large, is not.

semi related here,
since requiem of a dream was brought up.
I just randomly saw this.
http://www.popcrunch.com/the-10-most...s-of-all-time/

Boondock Saints!
Not so much a well reviewed movie, but being from Ma. and working in Boston everyone around here loved it. "Its like Reservoir Dogs for Southie", BULLSHIT that movie sucked hard. Biggest Tarentino wanna be flick ever (and not well done).

Someone explain Donnie Darko.

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Originally Posted by LameKat

Boondock Saints!
Not so much a well reviewed movie, but being from Ma. and working in Boston everyone around here loved it. "Its like Reservoir Dogs for Southie", BULLSHIT that movie sucked hard. Biggest Tarentino wanna be flick ever (and not well done).

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awe. come on.
it's worth it just to see william dafoe dress in drag.

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Originally Posted by rarehero

awe. come on.
it's worth it just to see william dafoe dress in drag.

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Nope.

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Originally Posted by TonK

Someone explain Donnie Darko.

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Watch the director's cut. It'll spell things out more (which is not to its benefit, IMO).

Matrix.

Watched it twice but couldn't cope with its overdramatised and IMO mediocre to boring anime-ish plot. So yeah, one could say I didn't "get" it.

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Originally Posted by LameKat

Nope.

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:(

I have a friend that qoutes that movie nonstop.
I don't think it's too bad a flick though.
just far fetched, that's all.

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Originally Posted by Deuce

Watch the director's cut. It'll spell things out more (which is not to its benefit, IMO).

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The director intended for the movie to be a commentary about censorship in schools...

Back when it first came out everyone seemed to love Scream but I thought it was a piece of shit. I don't think I've ever seen such a smug, self satisfied movie in my life. Anyone who actually thought it was scary can go to hell.

I guess Titanic would be another one, although I can appreciate it on a technical level.

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Originally Posted by rarehero

:(

I have a friend that qoutes that movie nonstop.
I don't think it's too bad a flick though.
just far fetched, that's all.

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I may be a bit too passionate with my hatred from the movie only because I work with alot of guys from Southie who act like it was written by God to show badass you are if you are from there.

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Originally Posted by Rade

Did you ever decide to go see a movie because it was very well reviewed and looked like a lot of fun, but then walked out of the theatre extremely disappointed?

The most recent example of this, for me, would have to be The Hangover. Extremely well reviewed. Great word of mouth. An underdog film, successful at the box office. Usually, all of these combined can mean a great movie, but it can also be something terrible like Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Unfortunately, The Hangover was the latter. It was unfunny, boring and offensive (in all the wrong ways). The cast was unlikeable as well. It felt like it was being targeted at a very white, very middle class, suburban american audience that I don't think I quite fit into (I almost do).

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The hangover was amazing one of the funniest movies i have seen in a long time, deffo getting it on Dvd when it comes out;

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Originally Posted by Rade

Did you ever decide to go see a movie because it was very well reviewed and looked like a lot of fun, but then walked out of the theatre extremely disappointed?

The most recent example of this, for me, would have to be The Hangover. Extremely well reviewed. Great word of mouth. An underdog film, successful at the box office. Usually, all of these combined can mean a great movie, but it can also be something terrible like Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Unfortunately, The Hangover was the latter. It was unfunny, boring and offensive (in all the wrong ways). The cast was unlikeable as well. It felt like it was being targeted at a very white, very middle class, suburban american audience that I don't think I quite fit into (I almost do).

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Thank you. I was starting to think my brain was somehow dysfunctional because I'm seemingly the only person I know who didn't like The Hangover.

Red Cliff part 1

Who was fighting who, and why?

Tons of characters, all with praatically no introduction so you don't even know who they are nor give a crap about them. Then the next moment there is a huge battle scene with thousands of Chinese killing each other, and characters introduced a minute earlier getting maimed. Some woman suicide jumps down a well and I'm supposed to care?

Turned it off after 20 mins and wiped it.

For me it's Transformers. I know that not everyone here liked it, but it definitely counts as a popular movie. I thought it was one of the worst films I've ever seen in my life, on par with shit like Waterworld or Battlefield Earth.

And I thought My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a pile of shit too, since someone brought that up (but I tend to hate all romantic comedies, with very few exceptions).

Requiem of a dream - One of the most pointless and ugliest movies I have ever seen. Who wants to watch a movie about a bunch of crack heads killing themselves. The whole thing was like a trainwreak.

Does Anime count?

Becuase Ghost in a Shell sucked.

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Originally Posted by norton9478

Does Anime count?

Becuase Ghost in a Shell sucked.

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I have a really hard time coming to terms with how I feel about a lot of these highly acclaimed animes. While I liked GitS, I always felt a little let down by Akira. Yeah, it's a technical marvel, it looks fucking amazing but the story telling is terrible.

It wasn't until I read the graphic novel that I realized how terrible the film really was.

The only really worthwhile, recommendable anime is the Miyazaki stuff. Everything else can be bewildering.

Speaking of anime, I really wish they'd release Intersetella 5555 on some sort of HD format already.

Now that's a cool movie.

Tekkonkinkreet was like that, nice to look at, etc but wtf happened at the end.

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Originally Posted by Jacen

Requiem of a dream - One of the most pointless and ugliest movies I have ever seen. Who wants to watch a movie about a bunch of crack heads killing themselves. The whole thing was like a trainwreak.

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Well, that was kind of the point of the film.

Again, I was mesmerized by it.

Speaking of Aronofsky, I really liked The Fountain and The Wrestler as well. Pi is also quite cool, but I have not seen it in years.

Never understood how Napoleon Dynamite got popular. Movie got big when I was in college and after a LOT of pushing I finally watched it. Piece of crap all over.

I found it funny, but in certain parts, its a love it/hate it film.

Being John Malkovitch is on

and adaptation, wtf was that about

I think I have a short attention span.

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Originally Posted by kernow

I found it funny, but in certain parts, its a love it/hate it film.

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I will admit to finding one part funny (it's also the only part I remember)... Napoleon throw a melon at Rico's van and hits it and he (Rico) screams like a 5 year old girl. Seeing a 70's porn star looking guy scream like that is funny.

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Originally Posted by LameKat

Boondock Saints!
Not so much a well reviewed movie, but being from Ma. and working in Boston everyone around here loved it. "Its like Reservoir Dogs for Southie", BULLSHIT that movie sucked hard. Biggest Tarentino wanna be flick ever (and not well done).

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I think you're missing the point of the film. It's dark comedy. Parody.

Adaptation is incredible. Watch it two or three times to really get it.