# unexpectedly good movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664 "2008-08-03T02:51:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/81 "2008-08-06T16:03:20Z")
_Stranger Than Fiction_ was unexpectedly good for a Will Ferrell movie (or any movie, actually) ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/82 "2008-08-06T16:11:39Z")
Another couple that were obscure as hell but that I loved: **True Romance** and **Legend** – both of which are actually in my (very short) list of movies I have been known to quote. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/83 "2008-08-06T18:56:25Z")
**Pitch Black** was a big surprise for me when I saw it on DVD for the first time. It seemed like it would just be a lame “Alien” rip off, but it was actually excellent. I even posted a thread about it at one point declaring it the next Blade Runner(not big in theaters but big on VHS/DVD). ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/84 "2008-08-07T01:59:30Z")
[QUOTE=Ponch8] … **Road Trip** with Tom Green was also a lot better than I thought it would be. [/QUOTE] Agreed. I never enjoyed Tom Green, once the shock factor wore off. So I expected this to be a horrible movie. But it was quite good, IMO (probably in large part because Tom Green wasn’t in most of it). I’d also add **Riding In Cars With Boys**. I watched it with an old GF, and I expected to sit through a straight chick flick. Instead, what I got was an interesting, well done story about a woman overcoming huge obstacles to achieve success. Especially surprising since it starred Drew Barrymore. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/85 "2008-08-07T04:38:16Z")
Check out _The Blue Iguana_ starring a pre-_Practice_ Dylan McDermott. It’s a pretty good noir spoof. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/86 "2008-08-07T06:54:21Z")
[QUOTE=Mojo Pin] I mentioned this movie in a another thread recently, but I’m still kinda excited about it. **[The Chaser](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190539/)**, a somewhat recent hidden gem from korea. Heard stuff about how it was ‘fucking gruesome man’ and ‘way fucked up’, and since it was a new director, new cast, figured he was just trying to shock his way into infamy with his debut. Saw it with some friends expecting some decent thrills but still pretty much a generic serial killer movie. Holy shit was I impressed. What a _raw ass_ movie. I kind of hesitate to recommend it to a foreign audience, because its easy to miss some important plot elements especially with things getting lost in translation. Actually I just realized that there probably isn’t a way for people outside of Korea to get a copy of the movie without downloading. It’s getting remade by Leo DiCaprio and WB, so I really hope they don’t dumb it down or something. [/QUOTE] Well, you can bet money that the violence will be toned down. The plot is refreshing. I’d watch a Hollywood version if they didn’t mess with it. Know what the DiCaprio version will be called? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/87 "2008-08-07T11:45:51Z")
Lakai writes: \> Know what the DiCaprio version will be called? It will be called _The Chaser_. Click on the link in Mojo Pin’s post, which brings up the IMDb page. Click on movie connections. You’ll see there that it will be called _The Chaser_ and is scheduled to come out in 2010. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/88 "2008-08-07T14:31:29Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] Another couple that were obscure as hell but that I loved: **True Romance** and **Legend** – both of which are actually in my (very short) list of movies I have been known to quote. [/QUOTE] I just saw the latest four-DVD release of _Blade Runner_. Ridley Scott used surplus footage of a unicorn from _Legend_ for Deckard’s dream sequence. ---
**Author:** ![jlrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/22d042/32.png) [@jlrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlrepka)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/89 "2008-08-07T20:07:54Z")
I hadn’t realized how universal my experience with _ **Terminator** _ was. I was essentially dragged to the movie, kicking and screaming, by some friends. _ **Galaxy Quest** _ was a promising concept, the only thing that made me skeptical going into the theater was the presence of Tim Allen… What a great surprise! The only other movie that comes to mind presently is _ **Hero** _ with Dustin Hoffman, Gina Davis and Andy Garcia. A brilliant little film (can it really be little with that cast?) with an uplifting message and (I think) one of Hoffman’s great performances… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/90 "2008-08-07T20:27:04Z")
[QUOTE=ivan astikov] Here’s another vastly under-rated film if you like your futuristic fantasy stuff… **“Spacehunter: Adventures Of The Forbidden Zone”**! Like a cheapo cross between Star Wars and Mad Max, it’s nowhere near as bad as it sounds. [/QUOTE] Molly Ringwald, Michale Ironsides, Ernie Hudson AND 3D. What’s not to like? I’ll echo the comments on Terminator. My brother saw it in the theaters and discribed it to me and my inital thoughts were “lame”. Of course after I saw it I was like “that’s the most awsome thing I ever saw.” Actually I felt that way about most Arnold movies. **Predator, Commando, True Lies.** \*\*Last Action Hero \*\* didn’t work for me though because the kid was too annoying. \*\* Big Trouble in Little China\*\* was a pleasent surprise as was \*\*The Thing \*\* and **They Live**. **Escape From New York** just sounded awesome. Every other John Carpenter film was an unpleasent disappointment. I found that DeCaprio movie **The Beach** to be pretty good. Actually I like most of his films. Does that make me a chick? I found the romantic comedy \*\*Just Friends \*\* to be surprisingly hilarous. Mostly because of Ryan Renolds probably. > [@Elendil's](#): > > I just saw the latest four-DVD release of Blade Runner. Ridley Scott used surplus footage of a unicorn from Legend for Deckard’s dream sequence. Hey, they’re his movies. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_2Times](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b2d939/32.png) [@Jimmy\_2Times](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_2Times)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/91 "2008-08-07T21:17:49Z")
I thought _Clueless_ was going to be terrible. Starring the ‘chick from the Aerosmith videos’… I figured it was going to be lame. But I really liked it. Was also pleasantly surprised by _American Pie_, _Superbad_ and _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_ as well. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/92 "2008-08-07T22:07:48Z")
[QUOTE=cactus waltz] Mean girls surprised me. A high-school movie featuring Lindsey Lohan? Well, it turned out to be hillarious. Of course, it is written by Tina Fey and also features Don Cheadle – though, I didn’t know that at the time I started watching. [/QUOTE] That’s Tim Meadows, not Don Cheadle. Good movie though. I had heard _[Kiss Kiss Bang Bang](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0373469/)_ was fun and quirky, but I didn’t expect to ADORE it. I’m with everyone else on _Harold & Kumar_. I don’t even remember what made us rent it, but my husband and I laughed our butts off and generally enjoyed it much more than we had anticipated. _Can’t Hardly Wait_ was unexpectedly awesome. I rented it right after it came out on video and was completely charmed. I just heard they’re coming out with a 10th anniversary DVD with the deleted scenes (finally!), and I got unreasonably excited about it. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/93 "2008-08-07T22:14:47Z")
[QUOTE=cbawlmer] That’s Tim Meadows, not Don Cheadle. [/QUOTE] Huh. I hadn’t realized until now that they are two seperate people. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/94 "2008-08-07T22:50:10Z")
Movies I enjoyed way more than I was expecting to: **Drumline Heartbreakers Love and Basketball The Jack Bull The Boxer** ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/95 "2008-08-07T23:14:53Z")
[QUOTE=Lakai] I really thought **My Cousin Vinny** would suck. I was surprised. [/QUOTE] That movie cracks me up, sometimes when I’m not even watching it. (“I’m finished wit’ dis guy.”). It’s what first made me give some appreciation to Joe Pesci. Also that hand gesture that Marisa Tomei makes against the rail after giving her expert testimony made me want to marry her too. [QUOTE=davidw] **Drumline** [/QUOTE] I loved this movie! Part of my zeal was because I was in a marching band throughout high school and really got into the excitement of the performances. The general plot wasn’t too bad either. Nick ain’t bad either. I came in here to mention _Set It Off_, with Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett, Viveca A. Fox and Kimberly Elise. See here: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117603/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117603/) Not academy award caliber by any measure, but the story set up makes the climax really believable; you care about all of the characters and it’s credible that they’d take the actions they ultimately did. And Queen Latifah at the end was FIERCE! ---
**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:** [August 8, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/96 "2008-08-08T00:26:19Z")
My friend is a big Adam Corolla fan, so she had to see [The Hammer](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814130/). It wasn’t _“Rocky”_ or anything, but I have to admit he did a pretty good job. Nice to see a comedian do a movie without going for the gross-out factor or throwing f-bombs all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/97 "2008-08-08T01:33:59Z")
Reminds me: _Hebrew Hammer_. Hilarious if you’re Jewish. Incomprehensible otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/98 "2008-08-08T13:11:31Z")
[El Milagro de P. Tinto](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0151572/): An absolutely bizarre film from Spain that I ended up absolutely loving. I’d never heard of **Raising Arizona** or the Cohen Brothers when it first came on HBO. The opening was strange enough that I almost switched to something else, but by the end I was hooked. That’s kind of how most Cohen Brothers movies have gone for me. I started watching the first **Austin Powers** movie with low expectations and loved it. The second was just the opposite, and the third I rented because my wife wanted to see it (she apologized afterward). ---
**Author:** ![spazurek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@spazurek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spazurek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/99 "2008-08-08T13:54:58Z")
I was brought to **Muriel’s wedding** with some friends, expecting very little. I was unfamiliar with anyone involved in the film, and it’s safe to say that it wasn’t advertised to appeal to a 20-something guy. It turned out to be one of my favorite movies _ever_. Muriel was such an authentic and complex character, sincere and vulnerable. The film gives the best depiction I’ve ever seen of the fine line between comedy and tragedy (the scenes with Muriel’s family). And I adored Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths – I wish she had gained a higher profile after this movie…I know about her role in **6 feet under** , but I’d love to see her in more films) and the depiction of this friendship and what it meant for Muriel. I could go on…I know the film was a hit but I never feel like it gets the recognition it deserves for being truly great. (In case it matters, no I’m not gay , though my love of this movie gave my now-wife a bit of pause when we first met… 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664/100 "2008-08-08T14:14:05Z")
**Count of Monte Cristo** with Jim Caviezal and Guy Pearce. I bought it from a bargain bin at Blockbuster - I think I needed an extra DVD to make up a “5 for £15” offer or something. Was really good, one of my face “watch again” films. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-good-movies/458664.md?page=6)