# Infamous bombs you've actually seen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232 "2006-01-03T16:03:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/1 "2006-01-03T16:03:11Z")
I’ve never seen **Ishtar** or **Showgirls** , though they’re both on my “I’d like to check them out sometime” list. I’ve also never seen **Leonard Part 6** , though I’m planning to keep it that way. What infamous bombs have you actually seen? Did you see them before or after they gained their reputations? What did you think? **Note** : I am not trying to pick a Verhoeven fight by mentioning **Showgirls**. My point is that there are certain films for which the consensus is almost universally negative, and that is among their number. ---
**Author:** ![rpinrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@rpinrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpinrd)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/2 "2006-01-03T16:11:20Z")
Two Kevin Costner movies: Waterworld, but that was on HBO. The Postman - I saw that in the theatre and I actually liked it. However, my requirements for a movie are pretty low. Am I entertained, and does the air conditioning in the theatre work? If it’s any consolation, I think I saw it on a student ID, at a matinee. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/3 "2006-01-03T16:15:12Z")
I paid to see Broadway’s **Dance of the Vampire** ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/4 "2006-01-03T16:18:15Z")
**Hudson Hawk** with Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello I have never understood why that movie got such a bad rep. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/5 "2006-01-03T16:18:16Z")
I’ve seen them all. Showgirls, Heaven’s Gate, Bonfire of the Vanities, Brown Bunny, Battlefield Earth, Waterworld…if it’s bad, I’ve seen it. I find it facinating to see where movies go wrong. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/6 "2006-01-03T16:22:31Z")
I saw Waterworld (not sure it is a bomb in the true sense of the word), Showgirls and Hudson Hawk (walked out) at the theaters. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/7 "2006-01-03T16:25:01Z")
I saw **Howard the Duck**. …and I liked it! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/8 "2006-01-03T16:25:21Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > I’ve seen them all. Showgirls, Heaven’s Gate, Bonfire of the Vanities, Brown Bunny, Battlefield Earth, Waterworld…if it’s bad, I’ve seen it. > > I find it facinating to see where movies go wrong. I loved Heaven’s Gate and consider it one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. I just saw _Snakes!_ the other day. Man, does that movie suck. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/9 "2006-01-03T16:27:52Z")
I’ve managed to miss most of the biggies, simply because we don’t try to see things Opening Day, or even Opening Week. That gives us a chance to catch the buzz and avoid the mega-clunkers. But we still managed to see **Showgirls**. All the rest I’ve caught on cable, because I was bored. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/10 "2006-01-03T16:32:13Z")
I’ve not only seen **Heaven’s Gate** (‘The Film That Killed United Artists’), I _enjoyed_ it and have it on DVD. The only thing I didn’t like was the Harvard Dance scene and the Roller Skate Dance scene. I know what the director was going for, but they were way too long. It’s a beautiful film. I’ve also seen **Howard The Duck**. I don’t remember if I liked it. I have a photo of the marquee where some wag changed latters to make it ‘Howard The Fuck’. I thought **Waterworld** was silly. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/11 "2006-01-03T17:00:44Z")
I saw \*\*Ishtar \*\* when it first came out. It was (and still is) a pretty good film. A bomb, because it lost a lot of money, but not due to its quality, some of which is first-class comedy. It’s definitely [the most unfairly maligned movied of all time.](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/ishtar.htm) Worth checking out if you haven’t seen it. I’ve also seen: **Battlefield Earth** – so bad it’s funny – it also turned me off Director’s commentaries as I listened to Roger Christian raving about how wonderful it all was **Waterworld** – not all that good, but not terrible, either. **Howard the Duck** – bad, but not horrible – critics couldn’t get over the silliness of the concept, but Howard was a great comic book **Cutthroat Island** – the biggest money loser of all time, and just plain terrible (and sloppy – a while shipload of pirates just vanished, forgotten by the plot). ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/12 "2006-01-03T17:01:24Z")
I like **Howard the Duck,** it worked as children’s movie, as a translation of the comic book onto the big screen and as a parody of a bunch of stuff. I even liked the hang glider scene. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/13 "2006-01-03T17:04:36Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Cutthroat Island** – the biggest money loser of all time, and just plain terrible (and sloppy – a while shipload of pirates just vanished, forgotten by the plot). I didn’t think it was that bad, but I was mightily put off by the scene at the beginning where Geena Davis is riding her horse along the spit during her escape. It’s underexposed. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/14 "2006-01-03T17:08:14Z")
I’ve seen a Fat Man. Quite a bomb. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/15 "2006-01-03T17:14:32Z")
The Gong Show Movie. 'nuf said. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/16 "2006-01-03T17:24:14Z")
I paid to see **Highlander II** in the theater the opening weekend and I didn’t walk out because I wasn’t driving. In retrospect, we had a great time harshing on the movie on the ride home, so I guess I’m glad I didn’t walk out. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/17 "2006-01-03T17:25:56Z")
I’ve seen: Showgirls- I believe that it is intended to be a satire, but it’s still a thoroughly ugly and unentertaining one. Gigli- Awful film. Inept in every concievable way. I’ve seen worse, but never from people I’ve seen do good work elsewhere. Catwoman- Insultingly stupid. The worst direction ever. The cats were CGI. Not when they were doing anything impossible or dangerous, they just sometimes used CGI to have cats walking around. Howard the Duck- Silly and overall mediocre, but not nearly as bad as some would have you believe. I started watching Waterworld, but it bored me. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/18 "2006-01-03T17:35:45Z")
Me (in grainy B&W close up): **RealityChuck** wanted to see **Ishtar**. He brought us in real low. But he couldn’t handle it. Off Screen Voice: Buddy couldn’t handle it? Was Buddy one of your crew? Me: Right. Buddy was the bombardier. But it was **RealityChuck** who couldn’t handle it, and he went to pieces. OSV: Andy went to pieces? Me: No. Andy was the navigator. He was all right. Buddy went to pieces. It was awful how he came unglued. OSV: Howie came unglued? Me: Oh, no. Howie was a rock, the best tailgunner in the outfit. Buddy came unglued. OSV: And he bailed out? Me: No. Andy hung tough. Buddy bailed out. How he survived, it was a miracle. OSV: Then Howie survived? Me: No, 'fraid not. We lost Howie the next day. At **Heaven’s Gate**. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/19 "2006-01-03T17:36:00Z")
I have seen many of the movies mentioned: \*\*Ishtar \*\* was very boring and no camp value. \*\*Battlefield Earth \*\* was awful \*\*Hudson Hawk \*\* I enjoyed, not a great movie but I liked the characters and the singing. **Showgirls** : High Camp, funny and reasonable amount of titillation. **Bonfire** : I hated this and it is probably the only time I did like Toms Hanks Acting. I have mostly forgotten this piece crap. **Waterworld** : Hate this overblown piece of garbage. **Howard the Duck** : Disliked **Highlander II** : Argh!!! Jim ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/20 "2006-01-03T17:40:12Z")
I saw _Johnny Mnemonic_ when it first came out, with a friend who had a crush on Keanu Reeves. She has apologized for this many times since. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232.md?page=2)