I loved Signs.
Crooklyn, Girl 6, Titanic, Kansas City Bomber, The Cable Guy
I gotta admit, I like “Titanic” too. And believe me, I’m not the love story type, not the DiCaprio/Winslet fan crowd type either. But the movie’s great. Here’s why I thought so:
When I was sitting in the theater, I was so engrossed in the movie that about halfway through it I realized, “Oh shit! All these people are probably gonna die. This IS the story of the Titanic, after all!” Any movie where I already know the ending of the story, yet can get so lost in it that it doesn’t even matter, and more than that, that I completely forget about the ending, well, something right is going on with that movie! Plus, the sinking of the ship is just great filmmaking. It’s the type of thing you can watch over and over again, just from the pure spectacle nature of it.
The Towering Inferno
I agree with Bobby. The sheer spectacle of it knocked me out in such a way that I found it rather easy to look past any and all story problems. It’s a popular, populist epic, like “Gone With the Wind,” and when you approach it on that level, it works.
I like almost all of the Leslie Neilson Police-Squad films. I kid you not.
Okay, here it comes: The Big Chill. Lord yes. The funeral scene, for reasons I’ll spare you; William Hurt, trying to finish his Ph.D (“I’m not into that completion thing”), and Jeff Goldblum, pissing in the field: ’that’s what’s great about the outdoors, you know. It’s one giant toilet". How prescient is that?
I loved Be Kind Rewind as well as The Village.
nobody liked The Village.
I like those movies too. “Big Chill” is one of those movies that a lot of people liked when it came out, then decided a few months later that it was superficial. I was quite smitten with Jobeth Williams when I saw her naked in Kramer vs. Kramer, then thought she was quite milfy in Poltergeist, and when I saw her name following the phrase “such Hollywood liberals as” then I knew I was in love. I even forgave her for making Teachers.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’ve never defended a movie so much against such ruthless opposition.
Please don’t try and defend that movie. Not even Spielberg wants to talk about it:) I’m always getting flak for Howard The Duck:)
Film I love that most people love but most cineastes take a certain joy in hating because it came from Hollywood rather than Poland, and because it’s director is so fucking rich: Schindler’s List.
The Life Aquatic. I won’t generalize by saying that everyone is against me, but I’ve heard it said on several occasions that it’s supposed to be Wes Anderson’s worst film. I can’t get enough of it.
Ran. Everyone hates Ran, no one wants to talk about it, it’s too long, it’s too boring, it’s too oppressively dark. I love Ran.
Joshua W, I LOVE Ran. Seriously one of my favorite films, and a viewing experience I will never forget. I know what you mean—it seems very underappreciated, but I wouldn’t say everyone hates it. After all, it did get the Criterion treatment—a very nice 2-disc set—and I think it was released to critical acclaim.
As for me, I can think of two films that everyone seems to hate and I just love and I can’t really explain why: “Falling Down” and “SLC Punk!” I think both films are hilarious and dark and entertaining as hell… everyone else—including all the critics—think they are awful. Whatever.
I think most people like Ran. The critic John Simon didn’t like it, but he was the only one so far as I know.
I’m afraid I’m with the haters on SLC Punk.
I know it got critical acclaim when it was initially released, but CC releases certainly don’t guarantee universal critical appreciation (Chasing Amy, Armageddon, The Rock, Salo, etc etc). With Ran, there seems to be a weird sort of animosity towards it whenever I bring it up. But true, not everyone hates it. But if someone can bring up Schindler’s List, I can bring up Ran, haha.
My guess is if people hate Ran they do so either because they think it pales in comparison to Kurosawa’s best work or they just don’t like Kurosawa period. But I think it’s a beautiful, beautiful late masterpiece. So is Kagemusha.
I love M. Night Shyamalan movies… ok maybe not The Happening.
I had no idea there was an anti-Ran movement, i think it’s the most beautiful thing he ever made…
I think there’s a sort of anti-Kurosawa In Color movement. Everything after his suicide attempt, especially.
Freddy Got Fingered
Cruising
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
One True Thing, Baby Boy (I thought Snoop Dog deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Really), Southland Tales, Club Dread, Walk Hard, and Stanley Kramer movies in general.
I don’t know of anyone who actually hates it, but in my opinion, Friendly Persuasion is one of the most underrated films to come out of 1950s Hollywood. Dorothy Maguire’s character, the wife, is a Quaker preacher and a very strong-willed woman. Gary Cooper plays her husband, a Quaker by marriage who treats his wife with great respect. There is none of the “Father Knows Best” attitude that was typical of the 1950s.
I really enjoy this film, which is based on Jessamyn West’ short stories about Quaker life. She was raised a Quaker herself and you can just hear these stories being handed down to her by her elders.
I’m aware of that film and always wanted to see it. Thanks for mentioning it. If it’s available, I’ll put it in my queue
Strange Days by Kathryn Bigelow has my whole heart. I know it’s a bit rubbish: the futuristic Y2K virtual drug around which the plot hangs is nothing more than a preposterous mini-disc player, the romantic plot is fairly improbable, the action plot a bit crass, and Ralph Fiennes’ accent is all over the place. But I love the atmosphere, the colours, the soundtrack (especially Juliette Lewis’ cover of PJ Harvey’s I Can Hardly Wait, and that version of Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me to the End of Love).
To make it more contemporary. I think “Quantum of Solace” is the best James Bond film I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been obsessed with all the movies in the series since I was five. Yes, better even than “OHMSS”, that much canonised cinephile 007 classic.
I love(d) INLAND EMPIRE… Maybe I was just thrilled to see a new David Lynch project but I got engrossed in it and the rabbit sitcom scenes scared the hell out of me… reminded me of nightmares I had as boy of the Sesame Street characters murdering my family.
Maybe I ought to stop watching Lynch films…
I love the movies Scorched, The big empty, and Committed. There funny and very entertaining, nothing more but still.
Magnolia
D. Voluntaryist
Film that a lot of people just don’t like but you love them.
Punch-Drunk Love
Lady in the Water.
Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance
I think all three are the Directors best work. Most of the tiime people either say that it’s the directors worst effort or is just plane bad. Post up what you want but no talking bad, this is a safe place for your dirty little secrets where all films are excepted and equal.