2001
Oh come on, that is one great movie to nap during.
Yeah.
I treasure Watchmen because he put so much fan-heart into it, but I won’t claim it’s a great movie.
But 300, Sucker Punch, Man of Steel… may as well have passed out tabs of acid at the door and not included any dialogue.
I remember having exactly this reaction when I saw the 1980s vampire movie “Lost Boys.” Coming out of the theater I thought it was a lousy movie but really enjoyed the cinematography. Back then we didn’t have IMDB and I had no idea who was responsible.
I just looked it up and it turns out the cinematographer was Michael Chapman who has a long list of credits including classics like Raging Bull and Taxi Driver.
If *Conan the Barbarian * (1982) was a slideshow set to it’s soundtrack, I’d watch it once a week instead of once a year. Max Von Sydow’s monologue in the middle is the only bit of acting to actually watch.
Showgirls
The Cell.
A lot of people will probably want to throttle me for saying this, but I think The Matrix is a great example of a movie that was nothin’ without the visuals.
Ditto for Avatar, of course.
That was one of the movies I thought of first. I thought little of its New Agey philosophy, but it was a stunningly beautiful movie.
In a TOTALLY different sense, I’d nominate Oliver Stone’s JFK.
See, I think the central premise of*** JFK*** is utter bullshit. I believe that Oswald acted alone. I don’t believe there was any huge conspiracy to kill John Kennedy, nor do I believe this assassination proves that the USA is a hopelessly evil nation.
Almost EVERYTHING in ***JFK ***is nonsense… but God, it was brilliantly done nonsense. This was the work of a highly talented filmmaker at the height of his powers. It was compelling, fascinating, gripping, suspenseful… It mixed different media magnificently.
Sigh! If only Stone had used his powers for good!
I… dunno. Just how many times can you watch Nomi toss her head and flounce away angrily? If it was a drinking game, you’d need two fifths. Per person.
I’ll add Star Trek Into Darkness. My husband and I watch this and mostly talk over it, creating our own dialogue and story. We like the visuals, Michael Giacchino’s soundtrack and the pacing, but we have made it a much more entertaining movie ourselves.
ID4 (Independence Day)
Oh, you mean War of the Worlds except that humans (instead of bacteria) actively fight back?
Yeah, that one – but it’s about the explosions and snappy dialogue.
Well, sure, because bacteria don’t talk like that.
Starship Troopers
Oh, you mean War of the Worlds except that humans fight back by taking the battle to the invaders?
Yeah, that one – but it’s about the surge to use awesome technology to defend the Human Race.
WaterWorld
Oh, you mean that Mad Max sequel with Costner instead of Gibson?
Yeah, that one – but the world is flooded instead of desert.
—G!
You know, there’s only thirteen plots in literature.
Regardless of which one you use, make the story count, not the plot.
…–my Creative Writing professor, circa 1991
Sucker Punch is an incredible accomplishment. It’s like someone said “I don’t care how crappy the script is, amazing visuals with beautiful actresses will save the day!” and the writers said “Challenge accepted!”
As a video for “Panic Switch” it is epic. As a movie…
I want to find those people and sucker punch them in the balls. Geez- FUCK, what a horrible depressing film. It’s like they found out what fanboys like, and decided to ruin their dreams forever…
Many good points- “What Dreams May Come”, yes, yes…
Before even opening the thread, “Avatar” was my choice too.
This might not count, because the movie isn’t exactly craptacular, but IMHO Gravity would not be getting all the Oscar attention it is except for the amazing visual effects. I’m not even saying that it’s undeserved. But if it had taken place on a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean instead of in outer space I think the story and script would be revealed as much less compelling.
Oh yeah, Prometheus, definitely.
My contribution is Silent Hill. Whenever it tries to do plot or dialog, it stinks on ice, but when it just tries to wig you out with horrifying visuals, it’s amazing.
What you say is true, but the movie is as much about the character development of Stone as the visuals and setting. Sandra Bullock absolutely nails the portrayal of someone who is scared out of her wits but recovers and marshals all her resources to survive. George Clooney is pretty good, too.
Mike Nelson’s dissection of this film (in his book Movie Megacheese is priceless. “It’s the theology of two guys doing bong hits!”
The same with the one sequence in** murder.com** .
“The Day After Tomorrow”, I completely, without shame, went to see it for the special effects. Pretty much the only movie I’ve unabashedly done that for.
In a similar vein, “Movies that were pretty craptacular, but saved by a great cast.” Identity