# Films Loved by the Critics but not by You.



## BAYLOR (Sep 7, 2014)

Films that won raves by the critics, But didn't impress you.


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## J-Sun (Sep 8, 2014)

*Saving Private Ryan*. Ye gods, I loathe that film. I can't say it didn't "impress" me, because it certainly did, but in an incredibly negative way.

In a completely different way, *Citizen Kane*. I don't loathe it at all - it's fine, but I guess I'm just not enough of a film buff to see what makes it The Best Film of All Time. I suspect, even if I were, I wouldn't think it was _that_ great. So it more exactly "didn't impress me".

There are millions more, of course, but those two jump out.


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## Foxbat (Sep 8, 2014)

Titanic. It might have won multiple Oscars but it was Godawful.


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## BAYLOR (Sep 8, 2014)

Foxbat said:


> Titanic. It might have won multiple Oscars but it was Godawful.




 The film had great visuals and production values. But best picture ? I just don't see it.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 23, 2014)

*The Madness of King George *1994     TThis is without a doubt one of the the most boring films ive ever seen.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Nov 23, 2014)

*Rocky*

*When Harry Met Sally*

My reaction to both:  "That's it?"


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## BAYLOR (Nov 23, 2014)

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Rocky*
> 
> *When Harry Met Sally*
> 
> My reaction to both:  "That's it?"



In the case of Rocky what redeems an otherwise boring film is the fight scene . As for When Harry Met Sally ?  Meh .


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## Vince W (Nov 23, 2014)

Most films that win awards, not all mind, but most of those so called best films are bilge.


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## althea (Nov 23, 2014)

I hate films that have been made of books I have read and enjoyed.
I have made a vow,to never watch another film that is made from a book I've read.
A recent one that springs to mind is The Hunger Games.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 23, 2014)

*Goodwill Hunting* . I saw it once and that quite enough.  Way overrated .


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## Dinosaur (Nov 23, 2014)

avenger assemble.

God I was bored, the only interesting point was true to figure out how black widow was feminist when her character development involves bending over quite so much.


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## austin_cambridge (Jan 3, 2015)

Forest Gump and (a movie I dozed off attempting to watch) The Matrix.  Don't know if the critics liked Dune but I wish that movie had never been made, and I hated Close Encounters as well.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jan 3, 2015)

*Dances With Wolves*

Full of odd, eccentric, downright goofy moments for a "serious epic."  I also didn't care much for the way the star was made such a noble hero figure.


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## althea (Jan 12, 2015)

Victoria,I am surprised on your views of Dances with Wolves.
It was a film I really enjoyed.
Still,it would be a boring world if we liked the same things.


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## Michael Colton (Jan 12, 2015)

*Saving Private Ryan*

Since I do not want to offend anyone, I shall refrain from saying why.

Oh, and *Braveheart*.

Though, from what I hear, it was mostly American critics that liked it so much. The rest of the world did not take to it because, well, history.


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## Cli-Fi (Jan 13, 2015)

In recent years:

Boyhood.
12 Years a Slave.

I shut both of those off mid-way through.

Not sure if the critics raved about this one or not but all my girl friends liked Liberal Arts the movie...So....Yea. Never saw the whole thing. ZZZZZZ

Anything Higher than 90% on those movie rating thingys I tend to avoid.


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## Cascade (Jan 13, 2015)

I have never quite understood how *The Shawshank Redemption *seems to have found its way to the top of everybodies favourites list. I don't hate it but i find it a trifle with not much to say. *Forrest Gump* I actually loathe though as it strikes me as 2 hour 20 minutes celebration of passive stupidity.


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## Cascade (Jan 13, 2015)

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Dances With Wolves*
> 
> Full of odd, eccentric, downright goofy moments for a "serious epic."  I also didn't care much for the way the star was made such a noble hero figure.


 
And this...

I actually walked out of *Dances with Wolves* in the cinema because it was so long winded and dull and worthy and i really needed a cigarette.


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## JunkMonkey (Jan 13, 2015)

Cascade said:


> I have never quite understood how *The Shawshank Redemption *seems to have found its way to the top of everybodies favourites list. I don't hate it but i find it a trifle with not much to say. *Forrest Gump* I actually loathe though as it strikes me as 2 hour 20 minutes celebration of passive stupidity.




Hurrah!  I am not alone.  Really can't work out how and why either of them are so well regarded.  But were they critically well received, or just popular with the Great Unwashed?

Personally I find the critical acclaim heaped on directors like Godard and Rohmer baffling.  Dull pointless films with annoying shallow selfish unsympathetic characters.  (And it's not just because they're French.)

I've also never understood why Tarkovsky's _Stalker _ is so highly regarded.  I loved _Solaris _ - probably one of my favorite SF films but _Stalker _ just bores the pants off me.


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## JunkMonkey (Jan 13, 2015)

Michael Colton said:


> *Saving Private Ryan*
> 
> Since I do not want to offend anyone, I shall refrain from saying why.




Oh go on...



Michael Colton said:


> Oh, and *Braveheart*.
> 
> Though, from what I hear, it was mostly American critics that liked it so much. The rest of the world did not take to it because, well, history.



It was/is quite popular here in Scotland too for some reason which escapes me.  I think it's a pile of crap.


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## Michael Colton (Jan 13, 2015)

JunkMonkey said:


> It was/is quite popular here in Scotland too for some reason which escapes me.  I think it's a pile of crap.



Odd. I would have expected the reverse due to how historically inaccurate it was. Why do you think it is popular there?


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## JunkMonkey (Jan 13, 2015)

Because Scotland still has aspirations to independence. (Well a sizeable chunk of us do.)


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## Venusian Broon (Jan 13, 2015)

Michael Colton said:


> Odd. I would have expected the reverse due to how historically inaccurate it was. Why do you think it is popular there?



For all the historical inaccuracies (and they are legion - sometimes funny, sometimes very silly) the very broadest brush stokes of it are correct - plucky beserker Scot defeats nasty imperialist English for a short time, is ultimately betrayed by Scottish nobility and dies a very horrible death, but sticks to his principles.

Sentiment and heart is in the right place for the nationalist crowd (of which I am a partial member, so I quite enjoyed it when I went to see it at the cinema, I have to admit. Not really a film I'd watch again though.)


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## Michael Colton (Jan 13, 2015)

Fair enough. I suppose that is the only way that _The Patriot_ can be explained. That entire genre of martyr-porn (Braveheart, Gladiator, The Patriot, Saving Private Ryan, the list is endless) is distasteful to me, but I can understand the appeal I suppose.


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## JoanDrake (Jan 14, 2015)

Star Wars, though did the critics really like it or just go along with the entire world. I have never understood its appeal. I can understand why nobody likes the  others, but since it's for the same reasons, why do they like the first one?

Also the TV series Battlestar Galactica, either the original or the rework. The original was just silly, the rework was edgy, dark, and silly


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## Michael Colton (Jan 14, 2015)

You say that like silly is a bad thing.


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## JoanDrake (Jan 14, 2015)

Well, unless it's MEANT to be....Sorta like the old joke about the audience laughing wildly, when the hero dies.


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## JunkMonkey (Jan 14, 2015)

JoanDrake said:


> Star Wars, though did the critics really like it or just go along with the entire world. I have never understood its appeal. I can understand why nobody likes the  others, but since it's for the same reasons, why do they like the first one?
> 
> Also the TV series Battlestar Galactica, either the original or the rework. The original was just silly, the rework was edgy, dark, and silly




I think you had to be there at the time.  As a 16 year old kid seeing it for the first time was amazing.  All the SF I had seen in my head while reading the likes of Heinlein, Asimov, Smith, Laumer and countless short stories by authors too numerous to mention played out in front of my face.  It was like someone has hot wired my imagination and projected it onto a screen.  Looking at it now as a 56 year old man it don't half look like a load of old tosh.  I kind of like it for the same reasons I like Ray Harryhausen's films and Universal Horror films of the 30s/40s.  Fine examples of period drama dressed up with (just beyond) state of the art special effects.

Battlestar G, Mk 1 was crap - even at the time.
Battlestar G Mk 2 was the best thing American TV did about the Iraq War.


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## tf_y (Jan 21, 2015)

"Prometheus" .. I hated this film. But it was sucessful, though ... unexplainable for me.


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## Michael Colton (Jan 21, 2015)

Out of curiosity, why did you hate it? The only significant thing I disliked about it was Charlize Theron.


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## Dinosaur (Jan 21, 2015)

Personally,

Wasted potential.

It was hyped as so much more,but at the end of the day it's a heavily edited mess with no direction.


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## Michael Colton (Jan 21, 2015)

Ah, I suppose I thought that was intentional. It was meant to be an atmospheric hype release for bringing back that universe.


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## Verse (Jan 22, 2015)

Recently, I have found two films very disappointing.

*Beneath The Skin* *-* I've heard the book it's based on was well received and that some people really like slow panning scenery porn but for me it was slow, illogical and ultimately ended with no real conclusion other than 



Spoiler



the main character was dead.



*Lucy - *Strong start, good setup, lots of action, tension, build-up and...  Huh! What? Is that it? So, pretty much like my sex life.

The common denominator is Scarlett Johanson but I don't think she's to blame.


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## soulsinging (Jan 29, 2015)

J-Sun said:


> In a completely different way, *Citizen Kane*. I don't loathe it at all - it's fine, but I guess I'm just not enough of a film buff to see what makes it The Best Film of All Time. I suspect, even if I were, I wouldn't think it was _that_ great. So it more exactly "didn't impress me".



This one! Never understood the praise it got, other than using deep focus. But a new technological trick does not a classic film make (see Avatar). Orsen Welles was bombastic as ever, but the story isn't that revelatory and as biopics go it doesn't tread much new ground.


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## JunkMonkey (Jan 30, 2015)

Verse said:


> *Lucy - *Strong start, good setup, lots of action, tension, build-up and...  Huh! What? Is that it? So, pretty much like my sex life.
> 
> The common denominator is Scarlett Johanson but I don't think she's to blame.



You're shagging Scarlett Johanson!? 


[Awed silence]


May I touch the hem of your garment?


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## tf_y (Jan 30, 2015)

Michael Colton said:


> Out of curiosity, why did you hate it? The only significant thing I disliked about it was Charlize Theron.



Mainly the unlogic plot annoyed me. Furthermore there were some conceptual flaws (in my opinion). Worst is, that I read afterwards, that even the unlogic plot was meant conceptual. Too much concept, too less inspiration.


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## BAYLOR (Feb 8, 2015)

tf_y said:


> "Prometheus" .. I hated this film. But it was sucessful, though ... unexplainable for me.



Great visuals , less then spectacular story.


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## tf_y (Feb 9, 2015)

BAYLOR said:


> Great visuals , less then spectacular story.



It's true, the CGIs were fine. No doubt.


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## BAYLOR (Feb 22, 2015)

*Chariots of Fire .  * The most memorable aspect of the film was it's musical score .


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## JunkMonkey (Feb 22, 2015)

BAYLOR said:


> *Chariots of Fire .  * The most memorable aspect of the film was it's musical score .



I walked out after 20 minutes.    I didn't often walk out on films but that was one.  _My Beautiful Laundrette_ was another.  What a total waste of everything that was.


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## bedlamite (Mar 6, 2015)

*Birdman.*

I support a local film club, and regularly sit through some pretentious stuff, but this film, I hated. Not disliked, hated. With every fibre. An industry film for the industry, which should never have received a release. So cynical; purely designed to win an oscar, and push two or three people's prices up.


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## BAYLOR (Mar 6, 2015)

bedlamite said:


> *Birdman.*
> 
> I support a local film club, and regularly sit through some pretentious stuff, but this film, I hated. Not disliked, hated. With every fibre. An industry film for the industry, which should never have received a release. So cynical; purely designed to win an oscar, and push two or three people's prices up.



The previews made me_* not* _want to see this film .


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## HanaBi (Mar 27, 2015)

*Forrest Gump
The Green Mile
Saving Private Ryan* (bar the first 20 minutes)

Common denominator - Tom Hanks

not saying he is a bad actor: far from it. He was pretty awesome in Apollo 13 and Castaway


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## BAYLOR (Apr 17, 2015)

JunkMonkey said:


> I walked out after 20 minutes.    I didn't often walk out on films but that was one.  _My Beautiful Laundrette_ was another.  What a total waste of everything that was.



It's a tedious a film to watch.


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## Starbeast (Apr 17, 2015)

*Little Miss Sunshine* (2006) - Biggest hunk of **** I ever had to sit through.


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## BAYLOR (May 6, 2015)

*Out of Africa    *1985    I just could not get into this film.


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## Rodders (May 7, 2015)

The Fast and The Furious wasn't good at all. I can't comment on the latter 6 as i haven't seen them.


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## Toby Frost (May 7, 2015)

I think *The Matrix*, *The Dark Knight *and *The Dark Knight Rises* are some of the most overrated films ever made. Not that they're bad: it's just that no film could ever live up to the obsessive adulation they get.

*No Country for Old Men* struck me as a lot of nothing. I'd also mention an older film, *Bad Lieutenant*, as being bewilderingly awful.


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## JunkMonkey (May 8, 2015)

Toby Frost said:


> *No Country for Old Men* struck me as a lot of nothing. I'd also mention an older film, *Bad Lieutenant*, as being bewilderingly awful.



But bewilderment is good!  I love to be bewildered.


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## BAYLOR (Aug 21, 2016)

*Glengarry Glen Ross* 1992  Ive seen twice and on tv. The first time  out of curiosity , the second time because there was nothing else on tv. I didn't like any of the characters nor the story and seeing  it  a second time didn't make for better viewing.


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## AnyaKimlin (Aug 21, 2016)

Why didn't I get involved with this last time round lol?

Absolutely and without doubt: * The Blair Witch Project
*
The only positive was I went with a blind friend and only needed to audio describe one scene.


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## BAYLOR (Aug 21, 2016)

AnyaKimlin said:


> Why didn't I get involved with this last time round lol?
> 
> Absolutely and without doubt: * The Blair Witch Project
> *
> The only positive was I went with a blind friend and only needed to audio describe one scene.



An Overrated and horrible film.


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## JunkMonkey (Aug 21, 2016)

BAYLOR said:


> *Glengarry Glen Ross* 1992  Ive seen twice and on tv. The first time  out of curiosity , the second time because there was nothing else on tv. I didn't like any of the characters nor the story and seeing  it  a second time didn't make for better viewing.



I don't think you were supposed to like them.  I really rated *Glengarry Glen Ross*.  But then I like most stuff I've seen or read by David Mammet - His _Wilson: A Consideration of the Sources_ is one of the most bewilderingly funny books I have ever read.


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## HanaBi (Sep 17, 2016)

JunkMonkey said:


> I don't think you were supposed to like them.  I really rated *Glengarry Glen Ross*.  But then I like most stuff I've seen or read by David Mammet - His _Wilson: A Consideration of the Sources_ is one of the most bewilderingly funny books I have ever read.



"Glengarry...." is one of my favourite films; never tire of watching it, especially after watching the stage play years earlier. Alec Baldwin's 10 minute "Always be Closing..." expletive-ridden tirade, was perhaps one of the most outstanding cameos ever!




*"The Dark Knight" (2008) & "Inception" (2010)*

Couldn't get into either of them. Decent films in their own right, but why all the fuss  & praise from the critics is hard to fathom


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## Frost Giant (Sep 22, 2016)

The Master. My brother brought it over and it was excruciatingly boring. I told my brother it would have been better if it had been about the Dr Who villain instead of being a weak stab at Scientology. The fact that I am not a Phillip Seymour Hoffman fan didn't help either, the only good PSH role I can remember is when he was killed in Red Dragon. Ralph Fiennes ripping his tooth out was good, but setting him on fire and rolling him down the street in that wheelchair was the cherry on top.
That Lincoln movie Daniel Day Lewis was in. I usually like DDL, but this one was also a sedative of a movie. Basically I thought it was Lincoln re-imagined as Grandpa Simpson "Ya know, there was this one time back in 18 dickety-2...."
Later I caught the Lincoln Vampire Hunter version on cable and was surprised to find I actually enjoyed that much more than the DDL film. At least the vampire killing version of Lincoln _did_ something, he didn't just sit and yammer on for the entire film.


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## MemoryTale (Sep 23, 2016)

Forest Gump - I seem to be in a large crowd here. It just loses me that one man can accomplish so much just by going with the flow. The book is even worse!

The Dark Knight - It's a good film but... I see a lot of people saying The Dark Knight Rises has a lot of problems, and it does, but The Dark Knight has just as many problems. People want to know how Batman got back to Gotham, what I'd like to know is how Batman always knows where Harvey Dent is! Apart from the warehouse scene, he's always there to stop him doing something bad, or save him from something even though there is no indication he knew he was in danger or was even anywhere near him! Gah!

Alien - OK, I've literally just watched this film for the first time this year. It wasn't bad per say, just... This is it?


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## BAYLOR (Jun 3, 2019)

I know it's a great film but, over been able ot makes though a showing of *Chariots  of Fire.*


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## Cathbad (Jun 3, 2019)

*Pulp Fiction*.

I liked it; it had some funny/fun moments in it.  But when I hear how the director "brought it all together" at the end, I find myself retching.

NO, HE DID *NOT* BRING IT ALL TOGETHER!!

At the end of the movie, three totally separate stories culminated at the same SPOT, but only two interacted at all.  We also don't know the end story of at least two of them.  

Enjoyable?  Yes.  One of the best all-time movies?  No.  Pretentious?  Oh, *HELL* Yes.


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## Starbeast (Jun 3, 2019)

*MIdnight Cowboy* (1969) I felt sick after seeing this sewer filth, many years ago. I'd rather re-watch a cult classic, like the 1970 movie, _Trog_.

*The Martian* (2015) Sickeningly boring, and dreadfully predictable. The 1971 Canadian film, _The Christmas Martian_ was far more interesting.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jun 3, 2019)

*The Thomas Crown Affair* (1968)

This is supposed to be a great romance/crime thriller, worth remaking?  I didn't believe Steve McQueen as the super-rich guy who plots bank robberies just for fun for a minute, nor could I see him as a romantic figure when his crimes lead to innocent people getting shot, and could have resulted in deaths.  Faye Dunaway is supposed to be this brilliant insurance investigator, but she figures out McQueen is the culprit through completely illogical means.

*When Harry Met Sally* (1989)

Not funny, not romantic, didn't believe the relationship for a single second, didn't like either lead character.

EDIT:  I see I mentioned that one earlier.  Must be my _bete noir_.


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## Rodders (Jun 3, 2019)

Yeah, I'd second the Martian. 

A good example of by-the-book movie making in my opinion. Very disappointing as a rate Ridley Scott highly.


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## Vince W (Jun 3, 2019)

Starbeast said:


> *The Martian* (2015) Sickeningly boring, and dreadfully predictable. The 1971 *Canadian film, The Christmas Martian was far more interesting*.


Now those are words of damnation!


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## Narkalui (Jun 9, 2019)

There's a lot of hate in this thread


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## KiraAnn (Jun 13, 2019)

A couple of movies I like although not the critics:  _Disorganized Crime_  and _Spaced Invaders. _


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## Venusian Broon (Jun 13, 2019)

Anything by Disney. Which I mean, originally their cartoons (and their terrible live action films). Anything they got their dirty little hands on after that, that was or could be good. say Pixar, Star Wars and all the other purchases....fine.

But really at the core it's all a load of old w***


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## Foxbat (Jun 13, 2019)

Michael Colton said:


> Oh, and *Braveheart*.
> 
> Though, from what I hear, it was mostly American critics that liked it so much. The rest of the world did not take to it because, well, history.


I'm Scottish and I'm not keen on this historical travesty. The idiots here even built a statue of Wallace that looked like Gibson.





Best description I've heard of this is that it's nothing more than a 'porridge western'.


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## Cathbad (Jun 13, 2019)

Foxbat said:


> I'm Scottish and I'm not keen on this historical travesty. The idiots here even built a statue of Wallace that looked like Gibson.
> View attachment 53470
> 
> Best description I've heard of this is that it's nothing more than a 'porridge western'.


I don't know about its historical accuracy (or lack thereof), but I loved the film!


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## picklematrix (Jun 13, 2019)

Lincoln, Starring Daniel Day Lewis. 
It left no impression on me. The acting was convincing enough, but the overall effect did not hook me in.


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## Matteo (Jun 13, 2019)

I suppose there are several - though I tend not to read what critics say - but for me, it would be the mother of them all...*Citizen Kane*.

It's not that I dislike the film or think it's bad, and I can appreciate the camera techniques/photography and certain bits of the direction, but I just can't see why it's regarded as one of the greatest films of all time.  .


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## Vladd67 (Jun 13, 2019)

The Matrix, when it came out I remember saying it was a good film but give it a few years for the sfx to seem less amazing. Sure enough now it’s an ok film and it’s sequels just smack of how much money can we squeeze out of this.


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## Matteo (Jun 13, 2019)

I tend to agree - though I liked it.  I actually preferred the second film but the third was dreadful.

I don't remember what the critics thought of it as a film _per se_, only that they were wowed by the sfx which, as you say, are now rather ordinary (and parodied).


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## BAYLOR (Jun 13, 2019)

Vladd67 said:


> The Matrix, when it came out I remember saying it was a good film but give it a few years for the sfx to seem less amazing. Sure enough now it’s an ok film and it’s sequels just smack of how much money can we squeeze out of this.



The Matrix hasn't aged all that well and It's been parodied so much that it's  hard to even take the original film seriously anymore.


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## AlexH (Jun 19, 2019)

Critically-rated films I thought were terrible:

Anomalisa
2046 (the trailer made it look like an interesting sci-fi, but it's one of the most boring films I've seen)

Critically rated films that bored me:

Magnolia
Requiem for a Dream
The Hurt Locker
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Brazil
Ran
American Beauty
Amores Perros
The Departed (I much prefer the original)
Control
Ponyo
District 9
The Fault in Our Stars
What We Do in the Shadows
Lady Bird

Others I thought were average:

Goodfellas
The Dark Knight (I'm yet to watch the follow-up as a result)
My Neighbour, Totoro (I LOVE many Studio Ghibli films)
Little Miss Sunshine
Inside Out
The Producers (1967)
Run Lola Run
Reservoir Dogs
Chicken Run

Some rather controversial choices there, I know! It's interesting how much The Dark Knight crops up in this thread - I thought I was alone. Batman Begins is one of my favourite films.


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## Vince W (Jun 19, 2019)

I'm pretty much with you on all those choices @AlexH except for Goodfellas. That one always makes me want pasta.


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## AlexH (Jun 19, 2019)

It's good to know I'm not alone, @Vince W! Goodfellas is the sort of film I expected to like - I love a few critically-rated films of that ilk, including The Godfather (I haven't seen II & III yet).


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## Matteo (Jun 19, 2019)

Vince W said:


> I'm pretty much with you on all those choices @AlexH except for Goodfellas. That one always makes me want pasta.


You're a funny guy!


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## Narkalui (Jun 19, 2019)

Funny how?


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## Vince W (Jun 19, 2019)

Matteo said:


> You're a funny guy!


Funny haha or funny a living nightmare?


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## Matteo (Jun 20, 2019)

You know...you're funny...the way you tell the story...


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## picklematrix (Jun 20, 2019)

AlexH said:


> Critically-rated films I thought were terrible:
> 
> Anomalisa
> 2046 (the trailer made it look like an interesting sci-fi, but it's one of the most boring films I've seen)
> ...


I love almost all of those films lol 
Must say though, I'm with you on American Beauty. I immediately stopped taking the Oscars seriously when I found out that waste of photons won Best Picture.


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## AlexH (Jun 20, 2019)

picklematrix said:


> I love almost all of those films lol
> Must say though, I'm with you on American Beauty. I immediately stopped taking the Oscars seriously when I found out that waste of photons won Best Picture.


The Oscars are a big con. This year, Netflix hired the most successful Oscar campaigner and permanently bought all the advertising boards along Sunset Boulevard for £millions, so they could advertise their own films and rivals could never use them (though on this occasion, the big spending failed). Eddie Redmayne pretty much bought his Oscar. There are other examples like that on this podcast: BBC Radio 4 - Beyond Today, Oscars: what do you really have to do to win?


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## Anthoney (Jun 20, 2019)

The Oscars have been badly out of touch for most of my adult life.  They're not about what movies people think are good.  They're about what movies the people who make movies want other people to think they like.  The last few years the Oscars have been stuffed with pretentious, snobby films that most people don't really enjoy.  That's not to say that some of them don't have important messages or great acting but you need more than that to make a great movie.  My perspective comes from running movie theaters and being there to see what kind of anticipation and/or excitement people have before going in to watch and comparing that with what they say when they come back out.


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## BAYLOR (Jun 21, 2019)

Anthoney said:


> The Oscars have been badly out of touch for most of my adult life.  They're not about what movies people think are good.  They're about what movies the people who make movies want other people to think they like.  The last few years the Oscars have been stuffed with pretentious, snobby films that most people don't really enjoy.  That's not to say that some of them don't have important messages or great acting but you need more than that to make a great movie.  My perspective comes from running movie theaters and being there to see what kind of anticipation and/or excitement people have before going in to watch and comparing that with what they say when they come back out.



I can't disagree with that at all. The Oscars show has also  become too polical.


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## Rodders (Jun 21, 2019)

Darren Aronofsky's Pi was massively overrated. 

Snowpiercer, while enjoyable for one watch was also overrated and the "social commentary" pretty overt. I expected more.


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## Cathbad (Jun 21, 2019)

BAYLOR said:


> I can't disagree with that at all. The Oscars show has also  become too polical.


Since when weren't the Oscars political?


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## Rodders (Jun 21, 2019)

Never understood the appeal of the Oscars. 

An event by the film making elite, for the film making elite.


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## Cathbad (Jun 21, 2019)

Rodders said:


> Never understood the appeal of the Oscars.
> 
> An event by the film making elite, for the film making elite.


Exactly!  Yet, it garners very high ratings every year.


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## Narkalui (Jun 21, 2019)

No one has mentioned La La Land...


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## BAYLOR (Jun 22, 2019)

Cathbad said:


> Since when weren't the Oscars political?



Hm, that is an excellent point.


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## IAmTR (Jun 29, 2019)

Citizen Kane, Titanic, Avatar.

On the opposite end I remember the first Jackass movie coming out and the reviews in the local paper by critics for that were terrible. I was like really? What... couldn't follow the plot? It's funny dude, laugh. It always stuck with me as the first time I realized the critics can be a little too pretentious.


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## Vince W (Jun 29, 2019)

IAmTR said:


> Titanic, Avatar.


Both are absolute pants.


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## Lew Rockwell Fan (Jul 2, 2019)

I'll play the heretic. 2001.  It had one great scene (the execution of HAL),  a few good ones, and good effects for the time. I'll  give it those.  I had the advantage of having read the book. It's a good book, but anyone who claims they did NOT read the book first, or have it explained to them, and also claims to have understood the ending, well . . . I strongly suspect any person making such a claim of either self delusion or lying.


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## Mulky Fresh (Jul 2, 2019)

As a horror fan, I often find myself left "wanting" of horror films that garner the most praise from critics. For example, I found It Follows to be incredulous and silly, and I thought Hereditary was too slow with a ridiculous third act. Both of those I believe carry something around 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

And since you folk were recently discussing Oscars, I finally got around to watching Moonlight, and I'm flabbergasted that it won Best Picture. I mean, I understand it from a "statement" sort of way, but goodness gracious was that movie hard to sit through, and I don't mean that in a good way.


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## Narkalui (Jul 2, 2019)

I don't consider Rotten Tomatoes to be critical acclaim. It's populist rather than critical. I feel that critical acclaim is being film of the month in Empire or Total Film magazine or high praise from a critic in a broadsheet newspaper


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## MikeAnderson (Jul 2, 2019)

"The Artist!" Oh, you made a silent era movie in the 21st century. Good for you. Too bad you didn't work on the plot and pacing as much as you did on the idea.


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## Mulky Fresh (Jul 3, 2019)

Narkalui said:


> I don't consider Rotten Tomatoes to be critical acclaim. It's populist rather than critical. I feel that critical acclaim is being film of the month in Empire or Total Film magazine or high praise from a critic in a broadsheet newspaper



in my humble opinion, critical acclaim is not singular, but rather plural. This could be just from my basic knowledge since I've known the term though, as if you search for critically acclaimed movies, you come up with movies that multiple critics had very good things to say about, not just a particular movie that was featured in one magazine or given a review in one newspaper. 

just my take personally, but I understand your sentiment as well. If one critic raves about it, it would still technically count as critical acclaim from their perspective.


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## Steve Harrison (Jul 3, 2019)

CHINATOWN and REDS.

However, both are excellent remedies for insomnia.


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## BAYLOR (Jul 24, 2019)

Steve Harrison said:


> CHINATOWN and REDS.
> 
> However, both are excellent remedies for insomnia.



Agreed.


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