# Names that automatically disqualify movies for you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072 "2011-04-20T12:53:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/1 "2011-04-20T12:53:47Z")
Closely related to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=605211) (“Actors I can’t stand”), and will probably generate a lot of the same names, what names of actors, directors, producers, etc. make you automatically write off a movie upon seeing them appear in trailers, for whatever reason? Even if the movie’s subject matter interests you and looks great? Good examples would be “From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan…” or anything indicating Michael Bay was involved in any way. I’ve been burned way too many times and finally learned my lesson. Roland Emmerich (ID4, Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla) is a total hack too. I don’t really have any actors that jump out at me, although Nic Cage is usually not a good sign. The Julia Roberts and Meg Ryans of the world would qualify for me, but that’s just because I don’t like the kinds of movies they’ve built their careers on, I don’t necessarily have anything against them. Yours? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/2 "2011-04-20T13:00:01Z")
If Woody Allen is associated with a picture in any way, I won’t be going to see it. It’s a shame, really, because the quirky kind of humor he’s purported to use would _seem_ to be the kind I would enjoy, but I just don’t. His disgusting personal behavior in later life was just icing on the cake. I don’t normally boycott things because I have something personal against performers, but I’ll never pay money to see anything with Mel Gibson again. He’s just pushed it _too far_, _too many times_. The ‘major comic actors’ like Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Kevin James, usually don’t do anything for me, but I judge all that on a case-by-case basis. Oh, one more: Tyler Perry. He won’t be seeing any of _my_ money. How the hell is he still making movies? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/3 "2011-04-20T13:20:08Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Oh, one more: Tyler Perry. He won’t be seeing any of _my_ money. How the hell is he still making movies? Because the films he directs are low budget and then make obscene amounts of money at the theater and on DVD. [http://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=tylerperry.htm](http://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=tylerperry.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/4 "2011-04-20T13:29:24Z")
Judd Appatow, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, David Spade. And especially Adam Sandler. For some weird reason, I like humor that’s actually funny. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/5 "2011-04-20T13:45:15Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Because the films he directs are low budget and then make obscene amounts of money at the theater and on DVD. > > [http://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=tylerperry.htm](http://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=tylerperry.htm) Well, also because nobody else bothers to make movies for Christian black people. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/6 "2011-04-20T13:53:32Z")
…Who really dig cross-dressing. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/7 "2011-04-20T13:58:12Z")
Meryl Streep. She may be the best actor in the last 100 years, but I can’t stand her. If she’s in it, I’m not watching it. Also Adam Sandler. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/8 "2011-04-20T13:58:39Z")
Ewe Boll. Every single movie he touches turns into a steaming pile of dog crap filled with corn and razor blades. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/9 "2011-04-20T14:05:08Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Well, also because nobody else bothers to make movies for Christian black people. True, true. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/10 "2011-04-20T14:12:37Z")
Any movie in which the title includes “Electric Boogaloo.” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/11 "2011-04-20T14:12:57Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Because the films he directs are low budget and then make obscene amounts of money at the theater and on DVD. > > [http://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=tylerperry.htm](http://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=tylerperry.htm) What a revelation. I see about 50 movies a year in cinemas and have written many movie reviews for our work magazine. I have never heard of Tyler Perry or ever seen one of his movies on release at any place I have ever been, or even seen a DVD. Although, checking out IMDB, that is no surprise as none of them appear to have been release here. Praise the lord. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/12 "2011-04-20T14:26:58Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > Ewe Boll. Every single movie he touches turns into a steaming pile of dog crap filled with corn and razor blades. I’m not sure how Boll does it, but it is an incredible gift that he posesses. I saw Bloodrayne years ago and I marveled at how unsexy the sex scene with Kristina Loken actually was. It got to the point where I was looking at my watch waiting for the movie to get back to Michael Madsen shooting something. I am almost tempted to see Postal just to see how bad it actually is. It’s got naked Dave Foley, so that’s something to consider. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/13 "2011-04-20T14:29:06Z")
I can’t automatically rule out anyone. Some actors I dislike have made good movies and things can change very quickly. I hated Adam Sandler, for instance, but he was well worth watching in **Spanglish**. I thought Ridley Scott was an uninteresting hack until I saw **Thelma and Louise**. Nicholas Cage is clearly on a downswing now, but he did some great work in films like **Honeymoon in Vegas, Moonstruck, Peggy Sue Got Married, It Could Happen to You,** and **Leaving Las Vegas.** Eventually, he may stop going for the quick bucks and go back to that. I read the reviews and then decide on whether to see a movie. It’s limiting to automatically disqualify an actor or director before finding out something about their latest. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/14 "2011-04-20T14:50:55Z")
**Postal** is actually watchable. It’s the one film he’s made where it’s very clear he knows about his reputation. I’m not saying it’s a _good_ movie. It’s not. But it is fun to see Vince Desideiro scream “What have you done to my game?” and attack said director. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/15 "2011-04-20T14:58:04Z")
Seth Rogen, I use to be a 12 year old boy…but then I grew up. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/16 "2011-04-20T15:05:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Nicholas Cage is clearly on a downswing now, but he did some great work in films like **Honeymoon in Vegas, Moonstruck, Peggy Sue Got Married, It Could Happen to You,** and **Leaving Las Vegas.** Eventually, he may stop going for the quick bucks and go back to that. Well, he’s having some money problems, so he’ll be doing the “I’m just here for the paycheck” roles for quite awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/17 "2011-04-20T15:12:03Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Seth Rogen, I use to be a 12 year old boy…but then I grew up. He’s awesome in _Freaks and Geeks_ and _Undeclared_, although that’s TV and not movies. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed _Superbad_, though. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/18 "2011-04-20T15:13:34Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I can’t automatically rule out anyone. Some actors I dislike have made good movies and things can change very quickly. I hated Adam Sandler, for instance, but he was well worth watching in **Spanglish**. I thought Ridley Scott was an uninteresting hack until I saw **Thelma and Louise**. Nicholas Cage is clearly on a downswing now, but he did some great work in films like **Honeymoon in Vegas, Moonstruck, Peggy Sue Got Married, It Could Happen to You,** and **Leaving Las Vegas.** Eventually, he may stop going for the quick bucks and go back to that. > > I read the reviews and then decide on whether to see a movie. It’s limiting to automatically disqualify an actor or director before finding out something about their latest. This is very close to my own response to the basic issue. However, I try not to read reviews _before_ seeing a film, since reviewers have missed some real jewels that I wouldn’t have seen if I had followed their lead(s). Ebert especially! And there are those people whose involvement is now off-limits for me, but only after I had seen at least one effort of theirs that left me more than cold. Hello, Jim Carrey. I have even violated my own rules on rare occasions when the talk or trailers have foreced me to give so-and-so one more chance. Sandra Bullock for one. However, in the spirit of the thread, I do feel comfortable mentioning these red flags, some of whom have already been exposed: Pauly Shore Carrot Top Rob Schneider (I could go ahead and list all the SNL alumni since Eddie Murphy and even Eddie Murphy’s recent schlock turns me off) M. Night Shyamalan Lindsay Lohan Paris Hilton any Kardashian anybody whose only claim to fame is having been on _American Idol_ or some other _reality_ show where acting wasn’t a requirement. There have to be hundreds more whose very name appearing in the blurb or promo for a movie on TV is a signal to look elsewhere. But, all in all, I’m willing to have a look at almost anybody’s serious efforts. Some are just harder to make the exception for. I must say that I have yet to have any real quarrel with other posts in the thread! ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/19 "2011-04-20T15:15:04Z")
M. Night Shyamalan is public enemy #1 for me. I was going to rent _Devil_ until I saw his name on the back cover. I never heard if it was good or bad but just know he was involved in some capacity turned me right off. Ewe Boll is another obvious answer. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072/20 "2011-04-20T15:22:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Meryl Streep. > > She may be the best actor in the last 100 years, but I can’t stand her. If she’s in it, I’m not watching it. One of the two women I came in to mention,the other is Glen Close. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-automatically-disqualify-movies-for-you/579072.md?page=2)