Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Overrated Movies

This list of overrated movies is, like most exercises of its ilk, intended to provoke arguments. Of the ten films included here, all have rated as all-time greats by critics or awards or box office or reputation or some combination thereof, and there should be plenty to inspire debate or disagreement. Let me state that I wholeheartedly agree with the inclusion and placement of the number one (that is to say "worst") movie on this list, which I find to be categorically awful.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree that with alot of movies but today's movies are ALL SPECIAL EFFECTS -- no plot just candy for the eyes and ears !!

dcat said...

Anon --
At least it seems that way. There is no doubt that a lot of good movies get steamrolled by the gaudy and glitzy, though good movies still emerge every year.
Thanks for reading.
dcat

Tom said...

That list is brilliant, and number 1 is absolutely accurate. I think the closest I got to my advisor disowning me was when I mentioned that watching Gone With the Wind was like having fingernails pulled out.

Let me add two others that might spark a some controversy: 1) 2001: A Space Odyssey. Forty-five minutes in and guys in monkey suits and I was ready to beat myself to death with any number of tools (and the space odyssey was only marginally better). 2) Rashomon. I get it, different people have different perspectives. Also, different actors can overact in new and different ways. And some actors can have eyebrows so bizarre that they set Andy Rooney on a whole new life path.

dcat said...

Tom --
Were we to define terms I could probably be even more controversial:

In almost every top five or top three or top two list, (1) Citizen Kane and (2) Casablanca place very near or at the top. Both are fine movies, but overrated in the sense that they are not the two greatest movies ever.

Spoiler Alert: (1) It's a fucking sled. (2) And Bogart lets Bergman board the damned plane. How noble.

dcat

Thunderstick said...

Babel--total piece of crap

dcat said...

Thunderstick --
Agreed. I also was not a big fan of Pan's Labyrinth, though whether I'd call it vastly overrated depends on how rated ones sees it as being.
I also absolutely hated The Talented Mister Ripley when I saw it in the theater, and wonder if it really sucked as much as I thought or if I should give it another chance.

dcat

Thunderstick said...

I liked Pan's Labyrinth though not as much as some people. Hated Mr. Ripley as well. When I was done watching it, I wanted to take my Babel DVD, throw it in the toilet and poop on it.

dcat said...

I got bored partway through Pan's Labyrinth and started doing other stuff, so maybe I was not fair to it. But I have no desire to see it again.
I'll admit it -- I think The Blues Brothers is dramatically overrated. i know that is blasphemy for many, but I find it tedious and unintersting, though to be fair, it was probably fresher when it first came out and its basically shitty blooz hadn't been played to death by Blues Brothers imitators at ballparks and other events across America.

dcat