# Who greenlighted this cinematic shitshow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 1, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703 "2026-05-01T18:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/281 "2026-05-19T15:09:47Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > But, to this day, you can still buy Rubber Duck hood ornaments. At this point in time, 50 years after the song, those likely have effectively zero to do with “Convoy,” and more to do with rubber ducks becoming a popular collectible and decoration, especially, apparently, [among Jeep owners](https://www.jeep.com/ie/jeep--ducking-tradition-.html). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/282 "2026-05-19T15:13:22Z")
These are still the angry, cigar chompin’ RD from the film, though. Not the cute lovable Jeepducks. [![](https://www.graybillchrome.com/cdn/shop/products/DUCKBLACK-2.jpg?v=1695152167&width=1200) ](https://www.graybillchrome.com/cdn/shop/products/DUCKBLACK-2.jpg?v=1695152167&width=1200) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/283 "2026-05-19T15:14:33Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > These are still the angry, cigar chompin’ RD from the film, though. Then I would posit that that hood ornament has taken on a life of its own, and most people who buy it have no idea about the movie, or the song. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/284 "2026-05-19T15:37:44Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > rubber ducks becoming a popular collectible and decoration, especially, apparently, [among Jeep owners](https://www.jeep.com/ie/jeep--ducking-tradition-.html). [Started by a Canadian woman at the height of COVID as a random act of kindness.](https://web.archive.org/web/20241114155422/https://officialduckduckjeep.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/285 "2026-05-19T23:38:05Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I saw _Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid_ without knowing the gimmick, that they had edited in clips from actual noir movies. I didn’t know my cinematic history very well back then; thought they just had lookalikes and were parodying the style from movies of the '40s. Since I found out, I don’t think I’ve ever gone back and watched the whole thing straight through, but have seen clips. The way the old dialog interacts with new is pretty clever. Guess what was on TCM last night. A lot of the inserted clips were little more than cameos, without much bearing on the plot, but still lots of fun. For the most part, the movie really nailed the fell of old noirs, although some of the profanity and sexual references kinda broke the mood. I liked it, but I’m a sucker for deadpan silliness. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/286 "2026-06-03T15:21:31Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Has anyone mentioned _ **Heavens Gate** _ yet? > > That was a shitshow from the beginning, all the way through production to the mind numbing 3.5+ hours it takes to watch this trainwreck. How the reins weren’t applied during production is beyond me. Ooooh god, this movie. For a few decades now, ever since reading it soon after publication ( that’d be in the early 1980s, while I was in Film School in NYC ), I’ve kept a few hardcopy editions in the house. When I’d meet a student who I think would benefit, I’d gift them a copy. Written with a high level of articulation introspection and humility, [Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the making of Heaven’s Gate](https://www.amazon.com/Final-Cut-Steven-Bach/dp/0452258456/ref=sr_1_2?crid=36NI11ZL8OB89&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.0ncPRW4KZaVkDZL8SdwP5GfH-67HihXY_3Ffp1SnapdvFHzqL4frpe3xZ4pq2gevHnZ_e-a6nsUmnq1jL5MymesQGbcz__38tnP55es6HahGrjhRZFQPT5co2exNCLDnh28UEOAJcFc-uPxhrxrC0cDN1dRyX7C_rIVVY_YGwCBHXF5Is5WRmSxn33w_d_wu6ekd8TtR0GhRwVhzTRfnV2zlCuhwocar5mWSiGC8pMg.AEkQTrAcLJYsHFFy4CobY2_vMGhUwT0zC9H9gmKTZ4Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=final+cut+heaven%27s+gate&qid=1780499877&sprefix=Final+Cut%3A%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-2) is a lesson in how to, and how NOT to, make a movie. I find the film unwatchable. I care nothing for the characters. The scenes are wooden for the most part. Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography is opulent, seductive, elegant- and serves a story that’s barely there. Mein godt. The negative should be soaked in pure Chlorox bleach and the Kodak Safety Film left behind should then be thrown into a firepit somewhere in Montana. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/287 "2026-06-03T15:50:51Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > I find the film unwatchable. I care nothing for the characters. The scenes are wooden for the most part. Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography is opulent, seductive, elegant- and serves a story that’s barely there. But, altho the film is a failure, we can understand why it was greenlit. The concept and cast were fine. The fault lies with Cimino’s filmmaking, not the original concept. The film does have a few good moments. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/288 "2026-06-03T16:18:36Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Highlander II: The Quickening Aka _Highlander II: The Suckening_ The pitch: “Let’s take everything fans liked about the first movie and shit all over it.” The movie’s retconning of the immortals’ origins made midichlorians in the _Star Wars_ prequels look like a stroke of genius in comparison. I saw this shitshow in the theater when it was first released. This is the movie that made me vow to never, ever again watch a movie without looking at the reviews first. (And that was after previously seeing _Ishtar_ in the theater.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/289 "2026-06-03T16:38:04Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I saw this shitshow in the theater when it was first released. This is the movie that made me vow to never, ever again watch a movie without looking at the reviews first. I know Highlander fans, and they agree- but they say the Directors cut isnt so bad. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/290 "2026-06-03T16:39:06Z")
Only when compared to the Original Shitshow Sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/291 "2026-06-03T16:53:52Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I saw this shitshow in the theater when it was first released. Same. It was risible. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/292 "2026-06-03T17:15:38Z")
I have seen both versions of “Exorcist II: The Heretic” and while both were cinematic WTF shitshows, the first (and longer) version where Burton’s priest character lives, is the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/293 "2026-06-03T20:39:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Cartooniverse](#): > > > > I find the film unwatchable. I care nothing for the characters. The scenes are wooden for the most part. Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography is opulent, seductive, elegant- and serves a story that’s barely there. > > But, altho the film is a failure, we can understand why it was greenlit. The concept and cast were fine. > > The fault lies with Cimino’s filmmaking, not the original concept. The film does have a few good moments. A perusal of “Final Cut” reveals that despite the early green light, Michael Cimino revealed himself to be SO out of control, greedy, monomaniacal-- as to raise many many red flags. The author of this book had a meeting set with Cimino to stop pre-production entirely. Cut the purse strings and either greatly reduce the budget or pay his contract out. As he states and is famously known in the film industry, the night that decision was made by the executives of United Artists, Michael Cimino won the Oscar for Best Picture for “The Deer Hunter” and there was simply no turning back. He was the newly annointed Golden Boy. With all of the atrocities that frequently accompany that title. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/294 "2026-06-03T21:35:07Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > The author of this book had a meeting set with Cimino to stop pre-production entirely. Cut the purse strings and either greatly reduce the budget or pay his contract out. > > As he states and is famously known in the film industry, the night that decision was made by the executives of United Artists, Michael Cimino won the Oscar for Best Picture for “The Deer Hunter” and there was simply no turning back. He was the newly annointed Golden Boy. Yep, that was the turning point, also the old “sunk cost” fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/295 "2026-06-04T05:26:06Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > All that said, it is a very harsh and violent story for all the characters involved. Just like the book on which it’s based. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyEcks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnnyecks/32/18197_2.png) [@JohnnyEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyEcks)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/296 "2026-06-04T13:10:50Z")
If you like a good story about cinematic disaster, “The Devil’s Candy” is pretty good. It’s the story about how a can’t miss blockbuster (Bonfire of the Vanities) from a celebrity director (DePalma),based on a bestselling novel by a celebrity author (Tom Wolfe), with a star studded cast-(Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith) turned into a train wreck and box office bomb. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/297 "2026-06-04T18:18:03Z")
I read that book last year and can second that. Bruce Willis comes off like a complete pig in that book; Melanie Griffith seems pretty insufferable as well. Tom Hanks came across like a decent guy trying to make a good movie, but he was grossly miscast in his part. Just a total disaster all the way around. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/298 "2026-06-05T02:51:58Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > All that said, it is a very harsh and violent story for all the characters involved Look how popular Yellowstone and co is- a story about a family murdering people to “save their ranch” (which they finally gave away)- the kill count is around 100 or so, depending on how you count. > [@JohnnyEcks](#): > > . It’s the story about how a can’t miss blockbuster (Bonfire of the Vanities) from a celebrity director (DePalma),based on a bestselling novel by a celebrity author (Tom Wolfe), with a star studded cast-(Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith) turned into a train wreck and box office bomb. But we can understand why it was greenlit. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/299 "2026-06-05T09:45:19Z")
> [@JohnnyEcks](#): > > If you like a good story about cinematic disaster, “The Devil’s Candy” is pretty good. It’s the story about how a can’t miss blockbuster (Bonfire of the Vanities) from a celebrity director (DePalma),based on a bestselling novel by a celebrity author (Tom Wolfe), with a star studded cast-(Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith) turned into a train wreck and box office bomb. Way back when, I rented BotV from the video store. I got half an hour in, stopped it, rewound it, and drove it immediately back to the store. It was just so unappealing. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/300 "2026-06-06T19:41:06Z")
_Titanic: The Legend Goes On_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/egcnXF_5xqg/maxresdefault.jpg "This Animated Titanic Movie Is Horrendous") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egcnXF_5xqg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703.md?page=16)