I was passing down this page, and instead of “Besson” I saw “Bresson” and thought I had to mess someone up…
I would probably have to say Steven Spielberg. I think Jaws is great, but I feel it’s his only great work. The Indiana Jones movies are fun, yet their charm has worn off for me as I have grown up. His more serious works also have a similar effect – as I grew older, I realized how his films weren’t as challenging or complex as they should have been. There’s something very empty about his films, and it’s a shame he’s the one overseeing the MLK biopic. (Blessing he’s not directly it.)
Also, I love von Trier to death, but I think he’s overrated in the sense that I don’t think he’s the greatest filmmaker in the world, as he as said he is.
I struggle to say Stevens made a masterpiece outside of Swing Time, which I believe has to do more with the chemistry between Astaire and Rogers than anything else. Giant is a clunky epic, A Place in the Sun lacks the subversiveness of a Sirk melodrama, and Shane doesn’t have the sense of scope as other Westerns from the 1950s. They are all good films, but I feel they haven’t stood the test of time like those made by the peers of George Stevens.
Forrest Gump is a mindless trip through pop culture, centered around an embarrassing performance by Tom Hanks. The fact that it won Best Picture over Pulp Fiction AND The Shawshank Redemption is absurd, even both those films are also overrated.
Rumplesink: As much as I like La Dolce Vita, I agree it is overrated. It crumbles a bit in its third act and doesn’t hold a light to 8 1/2 or Amarcord.
Saving Private Ryan proves above all that Spielberg is a sentimentalist who doesn’t know how to balance the horror and Hollywood polish. Dances With Wolves is a god-awful bore. American Beauty lacks sophistication, mired in its misanthropy. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Easy Rider are cultural touchstones without lasting power. Memento and The Usual Suspects are superficial gimmicks, and I know I’d cry if I knew I had to sit through A Taste of Cherry again.
Sansho the Bailiff is a good one, though there’s Dancer in the Dark if you’re in the mood for a musical.
…I’m completely kidding. I’ve seen Singin’ in the Rain a lot mentioned so far, and I have to agree. There’s also Duck Soup, The General, and City Lights.
Hm…by what standard is Michael Bay considered good to begin with? The Rock might be cool, but I don’t think anyone takes him seriously as a filmmaker.
I agree with T.J. Royal in regards to Kubrick. You have to lay out a pretty detailed case to criticize a body of work which includes Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Mental Jacket AND Eyes Wide Shut. With any Kubrick experience, the theatre or room becomes a different place. He has such a keen sense of atmosphere, and he makes all these formal accomplishes while still making entertaining movies.
@Jaspar I think I probably just need to see Saving Private Ryan again. I, in no way, would ever discredit its filmmaking craft. What it accomplished in its first battle sequence is breath-taking and haunting, but I don’t feel the rest of the film matches that immediacy. I just feel like Spielberg is his best as a showsman (e.g. Jaws, Indiana Jones) rather than a maker of more serious pictures.
@ Rich Uncle Skeleton: Perhaps “subversive” was a poor choice of words. (Full disclosure: it’s been a while since I’ve seen A Place in the Sun from start to finish.) I believe older melodramas need something a bit deeper or else they don’t hold up well today. The movie was missing something for me. Then again, I might just need to watch the film again and see what Paul Schrader sees when he puts it in his film canon.
I think we all know the Academy Awards are god awful, but the Oscars undeniably impact public opinion. For the most part, I feel it’s acceptable to use them as a measure of a film’s worth in the eyes of most people. Let’s just agree to not let the institution dictate the conversation.
I agree the use of “Hot Love” in Breaking the Waves is great, but my favorite use of music in that particular movie is probably “Your Song” for the Epilogue intertitle. (However, I’m aware that’s not used in all versions of the film…)
Okay, I’m pretty shocked that Breaking the Waves hasn’t been mentioned. Perhaps the most potent film questioning what it means to believe in something and the extent of a person’s faith.
Obvious reiterations: Diary of a Country Priest, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Seventh Seal
Also, I haven’t really seen an explicitly “religious movie” by this director, but I’ve always really loved Bunuel’s criticisms of religion and specifically the Catholic Church in his films. The ending in The Exterminating Angel? YES.
I’m not quite sure what having a well-spoken president, whether one agrees with him or not, has anything to do with world cinema…
I definitely agree that subtitles are quite a hindrance when watching films, an art form of images. After all, how can we focus on the images when we must rely on translated words? However, foreign language education tends to be superficial, and one is not necessarily exposed to the vernacular and nuisances of the language with which a native speaker would be familiar.
Plus, by world cinema, it appears you mean American and European cinema, and as someone who grew up in a family in which Japanese was also spoken, I would really like to see more people learn Asian languages like Japanese or Cantonese.
Oh, I wanted to clarify that I didn’t intend to convey that “you’re an asshole if you’re watching a movie that’s in Farsi or Japanese and can’t understand it” when I mentioned Japanese and Cantonese. I was pointing out that the original post’s criticism was Euro-centric and grounded in Anti-American bias rather than a true desire for a global cultural understanding.
EVERYONE READ THE ORIGINAL POST. WE’RE TALKING FILMS ROUGHLY BETWEEN 1984 AND 2009.
That said, it’s going to be difficult to determine what’s considered great art. We might think Inland Empire is fantastic, but because it wasn’t popular, will its place in pop culture be preserved? Beethoven and Mozart were well-known in their time, and popularity must be taken into consideration to a large extent.
The last two works of Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut, will stand as great achievements. Although I’m not a fan, Saving Private Ryan will probably be looked upon as a big achievement. (However, I’d be rooting for the lasting legacy of the masterpiece The Thin Red Line.) As far as this decade, it’s really hard to tell. I wonder if 200 years from now, something like the LOTR trilogy, as impressive an achievement it is, will be overshadowed by the novels themselves.
Also important, as far as Asian cinema, would be the films of Wong Kar-Wai and Hayao Miyazaki.
I personally set a limit of one film per director. Otherwise, this might have been a whole lot of Woody.
10. Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch)
9. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)
8. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki)
7. The Fly (David Cronenberg)
6. Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman)
5. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)
4. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)
3. Blow Out (Brian De Palma)
2. Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
1. Blue Velvet (David Lynch)
IF WE IGNORE 81/2 AND DOLCE VITA, WHAT'D BE THE BEST FELLINI MOVIE? about 3 years ago
Amarcord
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Mulholland Drive -- The Best Film of the 2000s (So Far)? about 3 years ago
I agree that Mulholland Dr. is a masterpiece. It rewards multiple viewings and is truly evidence of a mastery of cinema as art.
I’d also like to mention Punch-Drunk Love and Before Sunset as other great films that might be overlooked because they are romance-oriented.
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Who do you think the most overrated director is? about 3 years ago
I was passing down this page, and instead of “Besson” I saw “Bresson” and thought I had to mess someone up…
I would probably have to say Steven Spielberg. I think Jaws is great, but I feel it’s his only great work. The Indiana Jones movies are fun, yet their charm has worn off for me as I have grown up. His more serious works also have a similar effect – as I grew older, I realized how his films weren’t as challenging or complex as they should have been. There’s something very empty about his films, and it’s a shame he’s the one overseeing the MLK biopic. (Blessing he’s not directly it.)
Also, I love von Trier to death, but I think he’s overrated in the sense that I don’t think he’s the greatest filmmaker in the world, as he as said he is.
Go to Comment
Where is the love for George Stevens? almost 3 years ago
I struggle to say Stevens made a masterpiece outside of Swing Time, which I believe has to do more with the chemistry between Astaire and Rogers than anything else. Giant is a clunky epic, A Place in the Sun lacks the subversiveness of a Sirk melodrama, and Shane doesn’t have the sense of scope as other Westerns from the 1950s. They are all good films, but I feel they haven’t stood the test of time like those made by the peers of George Stevens.
Go to Comment
Overrated Movies almost 3 years ago
Forrest Gump is a mindless trip through pop culture, centered around an embarrassing performance by Tom Hanks. The fact that it won Best Picture over Pulp Fiction AND The Shawshank Redemption is absurd, even both those films are also overrated.
Rumplesink: As much as I like La Dolce Vita, I agree it is overrated. It crumbles a bit in its third act and doesn’t hold a light to 8 1/2 or Amarcord.
Saving Private Ryan proves above all that Spielberg is a sentimentalist who doesn’t know how to balance the horror and Hollywood polish. Dances With Wolves is a god-awful bore. American Beauty lacks sophistication, mired in its misanthropy. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Easy Rider are cultural touchstones without lasting power. Memento and The Usual Suspects are superficial gimmicks, and I know I’d cry if I knew I had to sit through A Taste of Cherry again.
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which movie picks you up when you're down? almost 3 years ago
Sansho the Bailiff is a good one, though there’s Dancer in the Dark if you’re in the mood for a musical.
…I’m completely kidding. I’ve seen Singin’ in the Rain a lot mentioned so far, and I have to agree. There’s also Duck Soup, The General, and City Lights.
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which movie picks you up when you're down? almost 3 years ago
Ooooo….forgot The Philadelphia Story. Good one, along with The Shop Around the Corner.
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Who do you think the most overrated director is? almost 3 years ago
Hm…by what standard is Michael Bay considered good to begin with? The Rock might be cool, but I don’t think anyone takes him seriously as a filmmaker.
I agree with T.J. Royal in regards to Kubrick. You have to lay out a pretty detailed case to criticize a body of work which includes Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Mental Jacket AND Eyes Wide Shut. With any Kubrick experience, the theatre or room becomes a different place. He has such a keen sense of atmosphere, and he makes all these formal accomplishes while still making entertaining movies.
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Who do you think the most overrated director is? almost 3 years ago
How could I forget Ron Howard! What a dull director, yet so highly-praised as an artist! Boggles the mind…
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Overrated Movies almost 3 years ago
Is there a way to delete entries?
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Overrated Movies almost 3 years ago
I triple-clicked because my internet was stalling, and the post came up three times.
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Overrated Movies almost 3 years ago
@Jaspar I think I probably just need to see Saving Private Ryan again. I, in no way, would ever discredit its filmmaking craft. What it accomplished in its first battle sequence is breath-taking and haunting, but I don’t feel the rest of the film matches that immediacy. I just feel like Spielberg is his best as a showsman (e.g. Jaws, Indiana Jones) rather than a maker of more serious pictures.
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Where is the love for George Stevens? almost 3 years ago
@ Rich Uncle Skeleton: Perhaps “subversive” was a poor choice of words. (Full disclosure: it’s been a while since I’ve seen A Place in the Sun from start to finish.) I believe older melodramas need something a bit deeper or else they don’t hold up well today. The movie was missing something for me. Then again, I might just need to watch the film again and see what Paul Schrader sees when he puts it in his film canon.
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Underrated Films... almost 3 years ago
I admit some of these are big among certain circles, and I am a bit biased when it comes to Woody Allen.
Bad Santa
Deconstructing Harry
The Dreamers
Jackie Brown
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Pickup on South Street
Shadows and Fog
…and most of all SCOOP
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Overrated Movies almost 3 years ago
I think we all know the Academy Awards are god awful, but the Oscars undeniably impact public opinion. For the most part, I feel it’s acceptable to use them as a measure of a film’s worth in the eyes of most people. Let’s just agree to not let the institution dictate the conversation.
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which movie picks you up when you're down? almost 3 years ago
@ K. Schueler: Nights of Cabiria isn’t on my list, but what a beautiful explanation.
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Overrated Movies almost 3 years ago
I can’t believe I forgot Moulin Rouge. I still don’t understand why so many consider it to be one of the best movies of the decade.
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Favourite Music Moments in Movies over 2 years ago
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys in Michael Moore’s Roger & Me, even if the movie isn’t a masterpiece
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Favorite use of a song in a film. over 2 years ago
I agree the use of “Hot Love” in Breaking the Waves is great, but my favorite use of music in that particular movie is probably “Your Song” for the Epilogue intertitle. (However, I’m aware that’s not used in all versions of the film…)
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Last movie you saw and rate it over 2 years ago
Breaking the Waves 10/10
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Favorite religious movies over 2 years ago
Okay, I’m pretty shocked that Breaking the Waves hasn’t been mentioned. Perhaps the most potent film questioning what it means to believe in something and the extent of a person’s faith.
Obvious reiterations: Diary of a Country Priest, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Seventh Seal
Also, I haven’t really seen an explicitly “religious movie” by this director, but I’ve always really loved Bunuel’s criticisms of religion and specifically the Catholic Church in his films. The ending in The Exterminating Angel? YES.
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Most consistent director? over 2 years ago
Hayao Miyazaki and Luis Bunuel jump to mind.
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Most consistent director? over 2 years ago
Wait a second…was I the first to mention Bunuel? What the hell?
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Classic movies you can't get on d.v.d. over 2 years ago
I’ve been particularly wanting copies of Johnny Guitar and Letters from an Unknown Woman, which I have never seen. Also, why isn’t Greed on DVD?
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Classic movies you can't get on d.v.d. over 2 years ago
Forgot to mention Celine and Julie Go Boating.
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americans and their dependence on subtitles over 2 years ago
I’m not quite sure what having a well-spoken president, whether one agrees with him or not, has anything to do with world cinema…
I definitely agree that subtitles are quite a hindrance when watching films, an art form of images. After all, how can we focus on the images when we must rely on translated words? However, foreign language education tends to be superficial, and one is not necessarily exposed to the vernacular and nuisances of the language with which a native speaker would be familiar.
Plus, by world cinema, it appears you mean American and European cinema, and as someone who grew up in a family in which Japanese was also spoken, I would really like to see more people learn Asian languages like Japanese or Cantonese.
Go to Comment
americans and their dependence on subtitles over 2 years ago
Oh, I wanted to clarify that I didn’t intend to convey that “you’re an asshole if you’re watching a movie that’s in Farsi or Japanese and can’t understand it” when I mentioned Japanese and Cantonese. I was pointing out that the original post’s criticism was Euro-centric and grounded in Anti-American bias rather than a true desire for a global cultural understanding.
Go to Comment
200 YEARS FROM NOW.... over 2 years ago
EVERYONE READ THE ORIGINAL POST. WE’RE TALKING FILMS ROUGHLY BETWEEN 1984 AND 2009.
That said, it’s going to be difficult to determine what’s considered great art. We might think Inland Empire is fantastic, but because it wasn’t popular, will its place in pop culture be preserved? Beethoven and Mozart were well-known in their time, and popularity must be taken into consideration to a large extent.
The last two works of Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut, will stand as great achievements. Although I’m not a fan, Saving Private Ryan will probably be looked upon as a big achievement. (However, I’d be rooting for the lasting legacy of the masterpiece The Thin Red Line.) As far as this decade, it’s really hard to tell. I wonder if 200 years from now, something like the LOTR trilogy, as impressive an achievement it is, will be overshadowed by the novels themselves.
Also important, as far as Asian cinema, would be the films of Wong Kar-Wai and Hayao Miyazaki.
Go to Comment
Top 10 Films of the 80's 21 days ago
I personally set a limit of one film per director. Otherwise, this might have been a whole lot of Woody.
10. Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch)
9. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)
8. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki)
7. The Fly (David Cronenberg)
6. Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman)
5. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)
4. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)
3. Blow Out (Brian De Palma)
2. Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
1. Blue Velvet (David Lynch)
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