# You ever think the world is wrong about a movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290 "2014-08-23T14:19:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/41 "2014-08-24T08:37:02Z")
[Vicious Circles](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120446/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)is a little known erotic thriller that is a LOT better than its obscurity deserves. The protagonist is an interesting and strong character who becomes a professional sex slave but turns out to be a much more formidable person than anyone gives her credit for. It has some real flaws, some silliness, but it’s so much closer to what an erotic thriller should be than most much better known films are. Carolyn Lowery convincingly delivers both the erotic and the thrilling. It has a twisty little plot that’s fun if you don’t think TOO hard about it. It’s not a widely hated film, it’s just unknown, and should be much better known. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/42 "2014-08-24T11:51:26Z")
I liked _The Phantom Menace._ And Jar-Jar wasn’t _that_ bad, once you got used to him. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/43 "2014-08-24T13:05:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve never seen _The Blair Witch Project_, but it seems to me that it was rather well-received when it came out. People only started getting sick of it after the many, many attempted copycats. Yeah, my recollection was that it was very well received, indeed. The whole reason me and my cousin saw it in the theaters was that it was getting such high praise from everywhere. We both didn’t get the hype. It was an interesting concept, but we didn’t much find it scary. (And I’ve never encountered any “blowback-sophomore train of bashing it.” Mostly, I just haven’t heard anyone really discuss the movie since.) I kind of felt the same way about “28 Days Later.” Interesting concept, but just turned into a run-of-the-mill zombie movie. I should probably rewatch both of the movies and see if my opinions have changed over time. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/44 "2014-08-24T13:49:16Z")
Oceans 11, 12 & 13. Enjoyed them all. Could not wait for Gravity to end. Is it just me or is every Tolkein novel movie just the same damn movie over and over again? ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/45 "2014-08-24T14:15:53Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Give it up already. You are the only person in the world that feels that way. And there have been many threads where people have pointed out your criticisms of some plot points are wrong. > > Hate the movie - that’s fine. But it is still a classic. > > And I submit this thread should be about badly received movies that are actually good, not the reverse. Every movie has people that don’t like it. Saying GWTW, Casablanca are **bad movies** - that doesn’t make you special, doesn’t make you the lone voice crying out in the might “The Emperor has no clothes!” It just makes you wrong. Well, technically I don’t feel exactly like **RealityChuck** but I am pretty close. I think it’s a good but not great movie. I can watch it at any time but if you asked me for a horror classic I’m not coming up with Alien. I feel that it’s a one scene wonder that has a scene so memorable that the movie is graded higher because of it. Lots of films like this so that’s not an insult but it’s not a quality of a great film. Now, I consider Aliens one of the greatest action movies of all time and it could not have existed without Alien so I have great affection for the movie and I rewatch it as part of the series and I consider it entertaining but taken by itself, I really wouldn’t bother. So, he’s wrong about it not being a good movie but I concur it was not a classic. Now, back on topic, it’s hard for me to choose one because I found out with Netflix, I’m a very forgiving reviewer. I like most movies. I’ve only given one 1 star review and about a dozen 2 stars. Lots and lots of 3s though. I am easily entertained. For example, I didn’t hate Manos, the Hands of Fate. I enjoyed watching this bad film and not just the mst3k version. The thing is, I’m not stupid, I know why everyone else hated the movie so it doesn’t fit the OP either. A quick look at a worst films of all time have several like that. I did find my answer there though. I remember totally not getting the hate and I still don’t. Howard the Duck. No, not a classic but I really rather liked it. I can get not liking it, it has issues but I just do not get the hate. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/46 "2014-08-24T14:17:34Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > _Shawshank Redemption_, the highest-rated film on IMDb. It has ridiculously clichéd characters…they might as well have put the warden in a Nazi uniform. I agree that it is quite over rated. Many key events were obviously predictable. But not a truly awful film like _Gravity_. Merely a “meh” film. It definitely is the poster child for why you should ignore the IMDb rankings. (That and the list has way too many recent films. Like Hollywood films have gotten better lately. Right.) Re: Earlier question about what should have won the Hugo instead of _Gravity_? Quite a few films. I just checked the nominees: _Gravity Frozen The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Iron Man 3 Pacific Rim_ Not a very sterling list to say the least. I forgot about _Frozen_. Also another leading candidate for this thread. But the other three are not offensively bad as those two, so any of those winning would have prompted a :rolleyes: rather than a :eek:. Checking BoxOfficeMojo’s list of top 100 2013 films finds quite a few clinkers like _After Earth_ mixed with the so-sos like _Elysium_. So not a great year. But _Her_ stands out far and away as superior to any of the above. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/47 "2014-08-24T15:07:40Z")
The Hugos are a fan popularity vote by a very limited group - limited as in constrained, not just as in small. The film one in particular is… limited as in relevance. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/48 "2014-08-24T15:28:46Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I’ve gone over the plot points very clearly, and it’s obvious that the people in **Alien** are consistently stupid; it’s what Damon Knight called “an idiot plot,” and Baird Searles, film reviewer for Fantasy and Science Fiction, refused to write a review of it when it first came out, saying it was just a cheap haunted house movie, and Ben Bova pointed out when it came out that the crew were acting like idiots, too. > > I understand why people like it, BTW: it’s scary (if you like being scared) and somewhat entertaining if you don’t think about it and don’t care about plot logic or intelligent characters. But, God, the crew of the Nostromo is pretty damn stupid at every turn. I agree on Alien, most of it is pretty lame, but it has some good moments. Aliens and even Alien3 is better IMO I LOOOOOOOVED Signs. One of my favorite movies of all time. The whole struggle of faith interposed with an alien invasion and a young family? Great combination. I liked the Village too, but not as much as Signs. John Carter of Mars was pretty good! Star Trek 6 is better than 2 and 4. Return of the Jedi rules. Just as good as ANH and ESB. ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/49 "2014-08-24T15:49:20Z")
Two movies that “everyone” loves but me: The Matrix: I agree with davidm above. I saw it in the theater because some friends wanted to see it, and I just didn’t appeal at all. I didn’t like the story, and special effects don’t do anything for me. The Princess Bride: I saw it for the first time a few years ago, and I just couldn’t get into it. My personal opinion/theory is that it’s not a good movie, but IS very appealing to kids, and those who saw it as a kid love it into adulthood. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/50 "2014-08-24T16:37:19Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Oceans 11, 12 & 13. Enjoyed them all. Isn’t that sort of the default position? I think 12 was the only one where reviews could be called “mixed,” and even then I think most people liked it, even if they they thought it was a big step down from the first one. > [@Chronos](#): > > Why, what do you think was the best science-fiction dramatic presentation of 2013 [if not _Gravity_]? A question unrelated to the quality of \*Gravity \*(which I saw in IMAX and liked very much): what makes it science fiction? It sure seems to take place in the present day, and it’s not examining the consequences of some new idea or technology. It’s just a disaster movie in low earth orbit. Does that setting alone necessarily make it sci-fi? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/51 "2014-08-24T17:25:05Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > A question unrelated to the quality of \*Gravity \*(which I saw in IMAX and liked very much): what makes it science fiction? It sure seems to take place in the present day, and it’s not examining the consequences of some new idea or technology. It’s just a disaster movie in low earth orbit. Does that setting alone necessarily make it sci-fi? It is fiction with a hard science basis (i.e. spacecraft, astronauts, and orbital mechanics). It has certainly taken a few liberties with reality (e.g. the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, and the hypothetical Chinese Space Station all being in the same orbit in relative proximity; the speed of progressive of a cascading Kessler syndrome event, et cetera) but is largely technically accurate. It is certainly closer to being actual science fiction than, say, _Star Wars_ (which is space opera) or _Armageddon_ (which is your standard issue exploding disaster movie that happens to be set in a space milieu), albeit still not in the realm of being, say, _2001: A Space Odyssey_, _Blade Runner_, or even _The Terminator_, which examine the implications of technology. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/52 "2014-08-24T17:28:13Z")
Another vote for _Ishtar_, which I’ve seen several times. It’s funny, and both leads are delightful. As someone alluded to upthread, in the post-_Heaven’s Gate_ (a movie I’ve been told is quite good) era, critics often reviewed the budget and not the movie. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/53 "2014-08-24T17:35:55Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > …But, God, the crew of the Nostromo is pretty damn stupid at every turn. I think Lambert is the only exception. She lacks authority and strength, but is the voice of common sense throughout the film. “Let’s get the hell out of here”, “What happened to the rest of the crew?” etc. ---
**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 24, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/54 "2014-08-24T17:52:41Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Pretty much every movie directed by Robert Altman that I’ve ever seen. I don’t understand the appeal. To my mind, a movie requires characters that are either likeable or interesting if not both. Failing that, a good story can salvage it. His movies are lacking in every respect. MASH is great, but I’ve never seen another movie of his that was all that interesting. I will admit that Popeye was fun when I was a kid, though. I think Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick, and Riddick are scifi classics that deserve to be hailed as works of genius. I thought Daredevil with Ben Affleck was great, especially _before_ the director’s cut messed it up. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/55 "2014-08-24T18:37:37Z")
I also liked John Carter. I found the 1989 Batman movie to be a crapfest that people only liked because they were’t yet used to “dark” superhero movies. Terrible acting (even Jack Nicholson, who was overacting to “Master Thespian” levels), sets that wouldn’t look out of place on the original “Doctor Who” shows, and a stoopid, stoopid plot. When The Joker pulled out the oversized pistol and shot down the Batplane, that was - and remains - the single dumbest moment in any superhero movie. I also liked Daredevil quite a bit. Michael Clarke Duncan as The Kingpin? Awesome! And I thought Green Lantern was OK, certainly not the crap sandwich the reviews and box office suggested it was. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/56 "2014-08-24T19:33:00Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > I also liked John Carter. > > I found the 1989 Batman movie to be a crapfest that people only liked because they were’t yet used to “dark” superhero movies. Terrible acting (even Jack Nicholson, who was overacting to “Master Thespian” levels), sets that wouldn’t look out of place on the original “Doctor Who” shows, and a stoopid, stoopid plot. When The Joker pulled out the oversized pistol and shot down the Batplane, that was - and remains - the single dumbest moment in any superhero movie. > > I also liked Daredevil quite a bit. Michael Clarke Duncan as The Kingpin? Awesome! And I thought Green Lantern was OK, certainly not the crap sandwich the reviews and box office suggested it was. Yeah, the Green Lantern movie actually struck me as a better than average comic book superhero movie. And by that I mean, better than Spiderman 2 and 3, about on par with the Thor movie, better than all the Superman movies, not quite as good as the Avengers movie, but better than the Hulk movie and about on par with Iron Man. I’ve NO IDEA why everyone says it’s so much worse than the others. Then again, I find superhero movies to be generally submediocre except for the special effects and the well-staged battle scenes. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/57 "2014-08-24T19:46:52Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > > [@VarlosZ](#): > > > > A question unrelated to the quality of Gravity (which I saw in IMAX and liked very much): what makes it science fiction? It sure seems to take place in the present day, and it’s not examining the consequences of some new idea or technology. It’s just a disaster movie in low earth orbit. Does that setting alone necessarily make it sci-fi? > > It is fiction with a hard science basis (i.e. spacecraft, astronauts, and orbital mechanics). It has certainly taken a few liberties with reality (e.g. the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, and the hypothetical Chinese Space Station all being in the same orbit in relative proximity; the speed of progressive of a cascading Kessler syndrome event, et cetera) but is largely technically accurate. It is certainly closer to being actual science fiction than, say, _Star Wars_ (which is space opera) or _Armageddon_ (which is your standard issue exploding disaster movie that happens to be set in a space milieu), albeit still not in the realm of being, say, _2001: A Space Odyssey_, _Blade Runner_, or even _The Terminator_, which examine the implications of technology. Ok, but it seems to me that if a similar sort of movie were set in, say, a nuclear power plant, it would likewise be fiction with a hard science basis, but it would generally NOT be classified as “science fiction.” I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass here, just want to get a handle on exactly how the term is actually used. I’m guessing that “Space = Sci-fi” is the actual controlling rule a lot of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/58 "2014-08-24T19:59:48Z")
Well, there’s really two separate questions there: Why science fiction folks consider it science fiction, and why the general public considers it science fiction. For the general public, yeah, it pretty much is “space = sci-fi” (see also people who think _Children of Men_ wasn’t science fiction). But for science fiction folks, it’s because it explores scientific and technological topics, and to that audience, a similar movie set in a nuclear power plant probably would be science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/59 "2014-08-24T20:15:21Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > Ok, but it seems to me that if a similar sort of movie were set in, say, a nuclear power plant, it would likewise be fiction with a hard science basis, but it would generally NOT be classified as “science fiction.” > > I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass here, just want to get a handle on exactly how the term is actually used. I’m guessing that “Space = Sci-fi” is the actual controlling rule a lot of the time. Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburne: Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction. Zoë Washburne: You live in a spaceship, dear. Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburne: So? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290/60 "2014-08-24T21:18:14Z")
Whenever I read anything about _Tank Girl_ the writer seems to assume that it was a wincing embarrassment that everybody at the time loathed and couldn’t wait to forget. I think they’re talking about a different film; it wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was a great little B-film: witty, fun, and went a long way to at least trying to capture the spirit of the comic. Most people I knew who saw it at the time thought it was great. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-ever-think-the-world-is-wrong-about-a-movie/696290.md?page=4)