# Films Loved by Critics and Hated By You



## BAYLOR (Oct 18, 2020)

The lauded partied and gushed that. tases films are great must see films. The trouble was , that when you finally got to see these  films  , you ended up hating or you found them overrated or just plain meh.

Which crucially acclaimed films  films didn't make your grade and why?


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## BT Jones (Oct 19, 2020)

I would say I 'hated' any of the following, but they were all, for me, underwhelming and lacking to some degree.

No Country for Old Me - Great in places, but it botched it's ending, particularly how it portrayed a critical event between 2 of the main characters in flashback form.  I found that bizarre.  Maybe I need to give it another watch.
Tree of Life - Ditched it after 20 the first time.  Eventually finished it the 2nd time around but still found the contrast between mid-western drama and scenes of volcanoes and dinosaurs very jarring.  And once you know Terence Mallick's signature shots (wandering camera following wandering people), it starts to feel a little rote.
There Will Be Blood - Interesting and a great performance by Daniel Day Lewis, but I just didn't find it compelling.
First Man - I think in part due to Ryan Gosling's aloof (but probably accurate) depiction of Neil Armstrong, I just felt disconnected from the emotional core of the film.
If I think of any more, I will post again.


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## Toby Frost (Oct 19, 2020)

I'd agree about No Country For Old Men: I spent a lot of that film thinking "Why is this said to be so good?" It just felt a bit pretentious.


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## AlexH (Oct 20, 2020)

I agree with There Will Be Blood. It wasn't bad, but I couldn't get into it.

Similarly some of the most critically-acclaimed superhero films that I found okay but not great, especially The Dark Knight (I loved Batman Begins) and Black Panther. The Dark Knight is the main reason I avoid reviews before seeing a film - I'd loved pretty much everything Christopher Nolan had done up until then, so was excited enough without seeing the gushing reviews. Maybe my expectations were too high.

2046 was a highly-rated romance (and supposedly sci-fi) that bored me.

Anomalisa, an animation about a guy bored with his life, got great reviews, but I thought it was terrible - another really boring film.

Lady Bird, a recent critically-acclaimed film - I couldn't empathise with the main character and was bored throughout the film. Speaking of redheads, Run Lola Run bored me too.

Magnolia, Requiem for a Dream, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Amores Perros, Goodfellas, The Hurt Locker, Computer Chess, The Boat That Rocked, The Fault in our Stars, American Beauty, Dr. Strangelove, Brazil, Summer Wars, Chicken Run (I loved previous Aardman animations), The Departed (not a patch on the Hong Kong original), District 9, Control (the biopic about Ian Curtis), Reservoir Dogs, Ran (the 80s Japanese film) and What We Do in the Shadows all bored me.

I love Studio Ghibli, but probably their most loved film - My Neighbour Totoro - is one of my least favourite Studio Ghibli films, though it was okay. I didn't like Ponyo much.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 24, 2020)

*The Madness of King George    *It got raves , but when I saw it m I found it to be a very tedious film.


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## Rodders (Oct 24, 2020)

I'm with AlexH on Black Panther. My GF absolutely loved it and has seen it several times, which is very unusual for her. 

I found it mediocre at best. However, I do like the inclusion. (I feel the same way about the Wonder Woman movie.)

I still haven't seen The Dark Knight.


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## paranoid marvin (Oct 24, 2020)

Is a movie enjoyable to watch? For me this is the only criteria that matters. I suppose critics have to review movies based on the quality of acting, originality, cinematogrophy  etc.; it can't just be a personal opinion. I think one of the reasons why Citizen Kane is held in such high regard is because it did a number of 'firsts' that had not been seen in film before , but whilst I don't dislike it (it's actually quite engaging first time around) , when it comes to repeats I would much prefer to sit down and watch Aliens, Ghostbusters, Spaceballs or Die Hard. Hardly original films, and unlikely to make it to the top of many critic's shortlists but they are enjoyable to watch, and (as I have said) that is the main thing.


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## paranoid marvin (Oct 24, 2020)

BAYLOR said:


> *The Madness of King George    *It got raves , but when I saw it m I found it to be a very tedious film.




I really liked this film, and I also liked (as discussed above) No Country For Old Men. Then again it probably helps that I have an interest in history (in relation to Madness) and enjoy films with Tommy Lee Jones and Nigel Hawthorne in them, and the villain of No Country is quite a chilling one. Having said that 'Madness' came out 26 years ago and I only got around to watching it recently, so I hardly rushed out to watch it!

I also wasn't a great fan of the way that No Country ends; it's nice to watch movies (that have no intention of producing a sequel) having closure. But then again the way it ends is the way that real life is - everything (usually) doesn't get neatly tidied up, it just goes on.


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## AlexH (Oct 24, 2020)

I loved No Country for Old Men but missed the last few seconds!


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## paranoid marvin (Oct 25, 2020)

Re No Country, the scene with the shopkeeper and the coin; brilliantly done and so powerfully tense. Nothing actually happens, but the underlying feeling of what _might _have happened is truly terrifying.


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## Rodders (Oct 25, 2020)

I always felt that the Coen Brothers were overrated. Wes Anderson as well.


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## paranoid marvin (Oct 25, 2020)

Rodders said:


> I always felt that the Coen Brothers were overrated. Wes Anderson as well.



Looking at their filmogrophy most of it doesn't appeal to me, I think the only other movie I've seen (and enjoyed) was True Grit. No Country For Old Men feels more like a Tarrantino film for me.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 25, 2020)

*Natural Born Killers  *  I saw thing when it came out, I wish I could have back the time I wasted  watching this film.


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## AlexH (Oct 25, 2020)

Rodders said:


> I always felt that the Coen Brothers were overrated. Wes Anderson as well.


I agree - I thought Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Raising Arizona were okay and not as great as critics seemed to make them out to be. Blood Simple and No Country for Old Men are the only two great Coen Brothers films I've seen.

I'd add every Wes Anderson film I've seen to the list too. I don't think I've seen a bad Wes Anderson film, but they don't deserve the critical love they get.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 1, 2020)

*Fargo *and it's quirky ,unlikable  and otherwise  noxious characters grates on me.


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## psychotick (Nov 4, 2020)

Hi.

I liked the film Fargo, but the series were so much better. OMG the first one was a Shakespearian tragedy / comedy rolled up into one and the second series was that on crack! The third season was a bit eeh!

Cheers, Greg


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## BAYLOR (Nov 16, 2020)

*An Officer and A Gentleman  *  Ive seen this film just  once and that was quite enough .


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## .matthew. (Nov 16, 2020)

*Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.* I wanted to walk out of the cinema at several points. Nothing made sense about the plot at all.


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## Guttersnipe (Nov 19, 2020)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Mindless action and overdone psychedelic effects pretty much from start to finish. Also, I don't  see what's so special about the love interest, and the characters in general were one-dimensional.

@AlexH I agree with you on Brazil. It didn't seem anywhere near as brilliant as so many people seem to think.


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## .matthew. (Nov 19, 2020)

Guttersnipe said:


> Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Mindless action and overdone psychedelic effects pretty much from start to finish. Also, I don't see what's so special about the love interest, and the characters in general were one-dimensional.


Somehow you just described the entire point of the film. I think those things are what made it work, not as anything truly special, but as a long-form joke.


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## Dave Vicks (Nov 20, 2020)

I could not get into Urban Cowboy, or Excalibur. Maybe a rewatch is needed.

Also The Social Network.


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## Dave Vicks (Nov 20, 2020)

"I am tired of Superheroes remakes."

                          Ryan Reynolds


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## AlexH (Nov 20, 2020)

Guttersnipe said:


> Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Mindless action and overdone psychedelic effects pretty much from start to finish. Also, I don't  see what's so special about the love interest, and the characters in general were one-dimensional.
> 
> @AlexH I agree with you on Brazil. It didn't seem anywhere near as brilliant as so many people seem to think.


And I agree with you on Scott Pilgrim. I have friends who love it, so I eventually gave in and watched it.


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## Rodders (Nov 20, 2020)

I have yet to see it, although it is on Netflix.


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## paranoid marvin (Nov 22, 2020)

Have you ever had a movie you were convinced you would hate so put off watching; then when you did you loved it?

I hadn't bothered with The Rock's Jumanji as I couldn't imagine it would be any good compared to Robin Williams' original. When I did end up seeing it I loved it.

Something similar with GoT which I always assumed would be a poor imitation of LotR and Breaking Bad - a series about a teacher making drugs. Both I didn't watch until years after they came on tv, but both brilliant tv series.


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## Rodders (Nov 22, 2020)

Avatar. 

I didn't watch it for about 5 years. (Not because i thought i wouldn't like it, i just lost interest in everything around that time.) I watched it and adored it.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 23, 2020)

*Glengarry Glen Ross* 1992.         This film has a stellar cast and it won acclaim . But, I absolutely despise this film and every character in it.


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## alexvss (Dec 11, 2020)

*The Shining*, and pretty much every movie by Stanley Kubrick. I understand that he was very good with mise-en-scenes, but who cares? His movies are just so boring...


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## BAYLOR (Jan 1, 2021)

alexvss said:


> *The Shining*, and pretty much every movie by Stanley Kubrick. I understand that he was very good with mise-en-scenes, but who cares? His movies are just so boring...



Great visuals and some great scenes   but not a great horror film and not really a good adaptation of Kings novel.


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## CupofJoe (Jan 2, 2021)

*Thin Red Line* by Terrance Malik. It's long confusing, uncertain and unfocused. I just don't see how anyone can like it.


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## therapist (Jan 10, 2021)

paranoid marvin said:


> I hadn't bothered with The Rock's Jumanji as I couldn't imagine it would be any good compared to Robin Williams' original. When I did end up seeing it I loved it.


I didn't quite understand why I enjoyed that film so much. I even groaned when I got dragged along to the sequel. And enjoyed that one just the same. Must've been some good writing.


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## Ellizze (Jan 22, 2021)

_Taxidriver_(1976). Sorry!


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## Rodders (Jan 22, 2021)

Good shout with Taxi Driver. I saw it once and didn't think anything of it.


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## Foxbat (Jan 22, 2021)

The Shape Of Water. I normally love Del Toro’s work and despite its lavish look, I found it to be a  by the numbers production that offered little to rave about. I saw this film once and have no desire to watch it again.


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## Toby Frost (Jan 22, 2021)

Yes, I thought it was fine, but one of his weaker films. I wonder if the powers that be just thought that he was overdue an Oscar. It was one of those films where you recognise an actor and it's highly distracting: "Paddington's mum, what are you up to?!"


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## BAYLOR (Jan 22, 2021)

therapist said:


> I didn't quite understand why I enjoyed that film so much. I even groaned when I got dragged along to the sequel. And enjoyed that one just the same. Must've been some good writing.



They 're pure escapist  fun and in places, they're hilariously funny.


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## jd73 (Jan 22, 2021)

_The Big Lebowski_. I'm aware that airing this dirty secret is risking evrything, but I just don't get it, don't get what all the fuss is about. I mean, some of it is quotable and I quite enjoy the nihilists, but I just dunno. Must be something wrong with me.

_O Brother Where Art Thou?_ though - I've watched that about thirty times.


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## CupofJoe (Jan 22, 2021)

jd73 said:


> _The Big Lebowski_. I'm aware that airing this dirty secret is risking evrything, but I just don't get it, don't get what all the fuss is about. I mean, some of it is quotable and I quite enjoy the nihilists, but I just dunno. Must be something wrong with me.


I'm with you. I don't get why people rate this film. I like a lot of the Coen Brothers' film but just not this one. *Blood Simple* stayed with me for a long time.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 22, 2021)

Ellizze said:


> _Taxidriver_(1976). Sorry!



Im not really a fan of Robert De Niro


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## BAYLOR (Jan 23, 2021)

Foxbat said:


> The Shape Of Water. I normally love Del Toro’s work and despite its lavish look, I found it to be a  by the numbers production that offered little to rave about. I saw this film once and have no desire to watch it again.



I tried to watch that film .


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## Steve Harrison (Jan 23, 2021)

REDS and CHINATOWN are my go-to movies when I suffer from insomnia.


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## therapist (Jan 27, 2021)

BAYLOR said:


> I tried to watch that film .


Aww I found shape of Water really sweet and strange


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## Droflet (Jan 27, 2021)

Loved the Shape of Water, although the second time around it lost a lot of its luster.


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## Dave Vicks (Jan 30, 2021)

I could not get into the films Urban Cowboy and Excalibur.


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## Toby Frost (Jan 30, 2021)

I'm a big fan of Excalibur, but I can wouldn't blame anyone for not getting into it. There's a lot of strange, quirky stuff in there, and I can see why someone might not warm to it.


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## paranoid marvin (Jan 31, 2021)

Toby Frost said:


> I'm a big fan of Excalibur, but I can wouldn't blame anyone for not getting into it. There's a lot of strange, quirky stuff in there, and I can see why someone might not warm to it.




I agree that Excalibur can be an acquired taste, but outside of Holy Grail, it's by far the best portrayal of Arthurian legend.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 31, 2021)

Toby Frost said:


> I'm a big fan of Excalibur, but I can wouldn't blame anyone for not getting into it. There's a lot of strange, quirky stuff in there, and I can see why someone might not warm to it.





paranoid marvin said:


> I agree that Excalibur can be an acquired taste, but outside of Holy Grail, it's by far the best portrayal of Arthurian legend.



It's a film Ive watched many times , it never gets old. But,  there's   nothing like seeing it on the big screen with the big sound system belting out the music of Wagner and getting lost in the movie.  If you want a great example of movie magic , there it is.


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## BAYLOR (Feb 21, 2021)

psychotick said:


> Hi.
> 
> I liked the film Fargo, but the series were so much better. OMG the first one was a Shakespearian tragedy / comedy rolled up into one and the second series was that on crack! The third season was a bit eeh!
> 
> Cheers, Greg



The funny part is ive seen a few episodes of the series and like what I saw.


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