# Ulp! That was even WORSE than I remembered **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683 "2009-06-23T03:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/41 "2009-06-24T07:23:56Z")
Funny, when I was a teenager, I worked at a movie theater that was showing **The Black Hole** … I remember very little about the movie - wasn’t too impressed with it - but still to this day, remember someone in the film saying “The Black Hole will be your grave!”… Every time I hear about the film, that line instantly pops into my head. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/42 "2009-06-24T08:50:16Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I implanted a chip into you to make sure you don’t forget these things. You’ll find out why next January. Fuck, how the hell did I show up on your radar?! As if life wasn’t annoying enough… ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/43 "2009-06-24T11:58:19Z")
I hate to say it because it really is a comedy classic, but something I loved that didn’t hold up when I watched it a few years ago- the original version of Mel Brooks’ The Producers. I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/44 "2009-06-24T12:50:38Z")
I second **Space: 1999**. My roomie got the entire series on DVD as a gift and we watched most of them. As a kid, I loved it. But now? I’d never realized how gray and depressing sci-fi could be. I forgive much of the technological silliness. The writers didn’t know that computers would become smaller and usable by everyone. And many of the sfx shots were good. But there are so many times when you realize you’re watching a Gerry Anderson show and keep expecting a puppet to pop up. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/45 "2009-06-24T13:24:07Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > For me it was SPACE 1999! Ohhhh man! I loved that show! I bought all the books that came out about it…ate that up. > > It was the best thing EVER! > > Ohhhhh mannnnn…saw it again a few years ago. It was the suck of the suckage of the suck of suckitude. I was maybe 13 when that aired. I thought it was kind of bad, but at least the effects ran circles around ST:TOS. When I was in college we caught an episode. My roommate had never seen it so we decided to watch. All I remember is a bunch of British space hippies sitting in a circle and chanting “Total concentration. Total concentration. Total concentration.” Um… can one achieve a state of total concentration while chanting such in a bad British accent? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/46 "2009-06-24T13:28:11Z")
Just saw clash of the titans with the six year old boys. It held up better than expected (with caveats for Harryhausen) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/47 "2009-06-24T13:34:11Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > I forgive much of the technological silliness. What technological silliness? Shoot the Moon off into space into some random direction, and let’s assume it’s travelling pretty fast – say, the speed of light. Figure in the odds of it passing nearby a star. Figure the odds of said star having planets more or less Earth-like. Figure the odds of said planet supporting life. Figure the odds of said life not only being sentient and humanoid, but speaking English. How often would the Moon pass by such a place? Every Saturday night at 8pm, 7 Central. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/48 "2009-06-24T13:42:10Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > What technological silliness? Little things like one person being specialized to use THE COMPUTER. I laughed when one person exclaimed, “Johnson? but he’s not an expert in computer!” What you’re mentioning is the basic premise being silly. And that (the premise) **is** rather difficult to swallow. The plots were usually pretty silly too. It was rather fun to see who would guest star, like Christoper Lee or Ian Mcshane. But the dreariness of the show really brought everything else down, down, down. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/49 "2009-06-24T14:17:20Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > I second **Space: 1999**. My roomie got the entire series on DVD as a gift and we watched most of them. As a kid, I loved it. But now? I’d never realized how \*\*gray and depressing \*\*sci-fi could be. > > . In defense of that aspect of Space 1999, I think it was INTENDED to be that way. I was cruising youtube lately, and rewatched Space 1999 stuff. I will say one thing, their dramatic intro scenes, clips, music and previews still kick ass even today. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/50 "2009-06-24T14:39:34Z")
At least that clip of the shuttle crashing into the hill of Moon dirt was pretty realistic, and in no way looked like a model. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/51 "2009-06-24T14:42:34Z")
**Ghostbusters**. Not the whole movie, which is still good for a few laughs – but I watched most of it on AMC over the weekend and was struck by how _terrible_ that CGI dog-monster looked. Even by 1984 standards, I think this was the worst kind of cheesy. **The World According to Garp**. For reasons I can’t recall, I really liked this film when it came out. A couple years ago I pushed for renting it for a movie night with my wife and another couple. We all agreed it was one of the most depressing things we had ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Floppy\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@Floppy\_Joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floppy_Joe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/52 "2009-06-24T16:04:31Z")
Early 60’s Jerry Lewis movies. As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of Jerry. I watch it now, and its just plain stupid. \ ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/53 "2009-06-24T20:43:33Z")
Robert Altman’s _Short Cuts_. I loved it when it first came out, and was annoyed that it wasn’t available on Netflix for quite a while. When it finally appeared, I jumped on it and pushed it to the top of my queue. I hit the **stop** button after an hour. Just couldn’t bring myself to even look at all those despicable characters for another minute. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/54 "2009-06-24T22:56:48Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > **Ghostbusters**. _terrible_ that CGI dog-monster looked. Even by 1984 standards, I think this was the worst kind of cheesy. Wasn’t the dog stop-motion? No ‘CGI’ there really. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/55 "2009-06-24T23:47:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Wasn’t the dog stop-motion? No ‘CGI’ there really. It was definitely stop-motion badly matted in (along with some shots of a life-size puppet). CGI at the time wasn’t up to the challenge – see **The Last Starfighter** to get an idea of what CGI of the period looked like. I’m a big fan of stop-motion, but it can look clumsy when it’s badly done. This wasn’t awful, but the edges of the mattework are pretty crude, and the lighting isn’t well-matched, which I suspect is what made the poster think it was bad CGI. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/56 "2009-06-24T23:55:56Z")
> [@Engywook](#): > > Robert Altman’s _Short Cuts_. > > I loved it when it first came out, and was annoyed that it wasn’t available on Netflix for quite a while. When it finally appeared, I jumped on it and pushed it to the top of my queue. > > I hit the **stop** button after an hour. Just couldn’t bring myself to even look at all those despicable characters for another minute. It makes me feel sleazy like I have a scum on my skin, but I still like it. I like that it can make me feel that way. And I feel it’s successful because it feels like the stories. Not to mention “Silly daddy, sleeping on top of mommy.” However, Matthew Modine is someone I can’t watch again after that movie. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/57 "2009-06-25T00:29:21Z")
Maybe its not fair to include old b&w movies - but hey, life isn’t fair. I remember being terrified by Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte as a child. Seeing it as an adult the special effects just look laughable & as for the guy going “owie” when his arm was chopped off… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/58 "2009-06-25T01:31:03Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Little things like one person being specialized to use THE COMPUTER. I laughed when one person exclaimed, “Johnson? but he’s not an expert in computer!” I remember this one scene where they’re trying to find something out and “ask the computer,” which fails to provide any help. “The computer’s no help, let’s check out the library!” Sure enough, they go to a room full of books. It wouldn’t have been so silly if said library was a multi-story university library, but in 1999, all the contents of that small room could have easily fit on a regular hard drive. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/59 "2009-06-25T11:36:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It was definitely stop-motion badly matted in (along with some shots of a life-size puppet). CGI at the time wasn’t up to the challenge – see **The Last Starfighter** to get an idea of what CGI of the period looked like. > > I’m a big fan of stop-motion, but it can look clumsy when it’s badly done. This wasn’t awful, but the edges of the mattework are pretty crude, and the lighting isn’t well-matched, which I suspect is what made the poster think it was bad CGI. You are right; I threw out the term “CGI” without thinking. But the fact remains that the creature seemed to have no weight or dimension when superimposed in live shots. Jerry the Mouse dancing with Gene Kelly was more convincing. What makes it even more baffling is that other effects in the film were OK to pretty darn good. I love the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man! ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683/60 "2009-06-25T11:47:37Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Wasn’t the dog stop-motion? Not only was it stop motion, a special technique was developed for it. The device used to control the dog would move it, very slightly, as the frame was exposed, to create a blur to make the movement look more natural. At least I think so. I VIVIDLY remember the FX guy mentioning this on TV about when it was released on video…but I can’t find a cite, now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ulp-that-was-even-worse-than-i-remembered/500683.md?page=4)