"Bad" (or badly reviewed) movies that you love

Point Break. vaio con dios.

i have a friend that would put all of us to shame though. he watches fearnet regularly and legitimately likes movies like Dr. Giggles, Rottweiler, and Leprechaun in the Hood.

Tomcats for me. I usually hate that kind of lowbrow humor, but a friend dragged me to it when I was in the throes of depression right after my divorce. The movie just happened to hit some kind of primal humor spot in my brain, where everything else I normally enjoyed had been failing to lift my spirits for months. It was a brief bit of fun during a dark time, and probably helped break me out of my downward spiral. I still like it, too, as it holds good memories for me.

Judging by the harsh criticism of the original Tron that I’ve suddenly begun to see as the new movie enters the scene, I may be in the minority by admitting that I love the movie, and definitely in a minority when I call it my favorite movie of all time. (Favorite for sentimental reasons; removing sentiment, Run Lola Run is my favorite, which is probably more acceptable.)

Jersey Girl. It’s just behind the two Clerks films in my ranking of the Kevin Smith films (perhaps behind Mallrats at times, depending on how I’m feeling). It definitely ranks above critic’s darling Chasing Amy and fan service wankfest Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. I think Jersey Girl was unfairly lumped in with Gigli (which itself isn’t a terrible film) and punished due to folks being sick and tired of “Bennifer” news.

Not just yes, but HELL YES! Liv Tyler is adorable, the school talent show is great. Yes, the story line is a cliche, but so what? It’s narrative comfort food.

…obligatory Hudson Hawk mention.

Around the World in 80 Days with Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan. It’s a perfectly fine and entertaining adventure film that I watch each time it comes on TV.

The Island, by Michael Bay starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlet Johansson. It’s somewhat derivative, but as a movie there’s nothing wrong with it.

Resident Evil series, underrated as an excelllent, possibly the best yet, video game adaptation.

Bulletproof a little seen Adam Sandler gem from the mid-90s. Even Sandler’s fans don’t seem to care much for this one, which is unfortunate, because it means there will probably never be a special edition DVD of it. I think it’s absolutely hilarious, and it’s even funnier if you watch it with the assumption that Sandler and Damon Wayans’ characters are gay. This is one of those rare movies that has me cracking up not only while I’m watching it, but for days after.

Also Rock Star a Mark Wahlberg vehicle from 2001 loosely based on the story of a tribute band artist who became lead singer for Judas Priest. Yeah, it’s pretty cheesy, but I’m a sucker for these Behind the Music type tales, and whenever I happen see it while flipping through the channels I’ll stop and watch. And I get a kick out of seeing Dominic West (aka Detective McNulty) in full 80s hair metal regalia - skin tight leather pants, gaudy makeup and of course a nice long curly mane.
Also the soundtrack rooooccckkks.

And then there’s The Lovely Bones. The critics absolutely maligned this film, and Roger Ebert especially tore it apart in his review. But what can I say, I found a strange sort of comfort in this vision of the afterlife. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that my wife and I watched it the week after a close friend died, who also happened to be the father of another close friend that passed away several years before. Anyway this is the type of movie that puts “a little dust” in my eye.

K-Pax. It gets a 41 on the Tomato meter but a 73 from the audience meter. It’s mental food for the soul. Keven Spacey plays a character who is hospitalized because he believes he’s from another planet. He ends up curing the patients around him.

I don’t know how it’s reviews were, but for a juvenile, raunchy, vulgar but funny-as-mollyfock movie, it’s hard to beat Kingpin.

(It’s also the last really funny movie the Bill Murray ever made, and the quick shot of good ol’ Randy Quaid in whore make-up dancing on the stripper pole is one of the best sight gags in all cinema history)

The second Indiana Jones movie. I thought always thought it was the best one, and the only one that really captured the pulp era. Apparently nobody else thinks this.

It’s always been my favorite as well…

Robin And Marion. An intriguing concept (Robin and Marion meet again after being apart for 30 years), great casting (Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn), a well-told story, and an ending that will bring tears to a stone. I don’t know why the critics did not like it.

I like both Matrix sequels. Not as much as the original, but I like them, and own them, and have watched all three films several times.

The Man Who Knew Too Little

and

The Chronicles of Riddick

are two of my favorite films which I watch over and over again. They were both panned by critics.

I also don’t get the hate for Death to Smoochy, but here’s one few people recall:

Drowning Mona

Bette Midler, Danny DeVito, Jamie Lee Curtis and a town full of Yugos. What’s not to like?

Congo. I defy you to find me a better movie where apes get shot with a homemade laser gun.

**Popeye **- The casting is perfect and the look and feel of the seaside village is great!

**Bubble Boy **- Jake Gyllenhaal is really funny in this. It starts out wacky and get crazier as it goes. One of my favorite silly comedies.

Yay, another chance to pimp…

THE LOSERS

This movie was fun, funny and sexy. The dialog was not too bad for an over the top action movie and the plot was actually decent. This movie deserved much, much better.

The Losers, folks - watch it.

Troy

I love Freejack, the dystopian body-snatchers-from-the-future flick with Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger. It’s got the most foul-mouthed nun I’ve ever seen, plus the best line ever uttered on film: “You keep lookin’ at me like that, you’ll see me kill ya.”

I also love the above-mentioned Tommy Boy as well as a number of dumb Adam Sandler movies, such as Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and the remake of Mr. Deeds.

Also, Twins with Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito is highly underrated.

The American version of Death at a Funeral with Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan. I’ve never seen the British version, so I can’t compare it to the original. But I thought it had a lot of great moments and was wicked hilarious.