Most overrated supposed-to-be-smart movie?

[twang]

The category is contemporary mainstream movies that are supposed to be smart, edgy and artsy. Which one is most overrated? My pick is The Matrix (but Donnie Darko is close).

/twang

[James Boston]

American Beauty

[trying2learn]

anything by david lynch.

[VBM]

i think david mamet has a tendency to fall in love too much w/ his own dialogue...

[Jules22]

Ghost World. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0162346/)

recommended only for high school drama queens.

[thatpfunk]

Donnie Darko then Garden State.

[gumpzilla]

I wouldn't even put The Matrix anywhere close to this category in the first place, so yeah, if you think it's supposed to be smart and artsy, then it would be a good choice.

The Charlie Kaufman movies I've seen (Adaptation and Being John Malkovich) I really wanted to like much more than I did. I can appreciate that both are very clever without necessarily getting all that much out of them. They were both okay, but kind of overhyped for my taste.

[hoopsie44]

Resevoir Dogs - pure, unadulterated crap.

[miajag81]

I have a feeling I am going to be severely flamed for this, but...

The Usual Suspects

[bukkrukk]

Memento

[Chris Daddy Cool]

[ QUOTE ]
Donnie Darko then Garden State.

[/ QUOTE ]

i didn't like donnie darko (though i thought some parts were good) but i loved garden state.

[Los Feliz Slim]

[ QUOTE ]
The Charlie Kaufman movies I've seen (Adaptation and Being John Malkovich) I really wanted to like much more than I did. I can appreciate that both are very clever without necessarily getting all that much out of them. They were both okay, but kind of overhyped for my taste.

[/ QUOTE ]

I almost walked out of Eternal Sunshine, and continue to believe it's crap. That's my vote. God, that movie was annoying.

[twang]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't even put The Matrix anywhere close to this category in the first place, so yeah, if you think it's supposed to be smart and artsy, then it would be a good choice.

The Charlie Kaufman movies I've seen (Adaptation and Being John Malkovich) I really wanted to like much more than I did. I can appreciate that both are very clever without necessarily getting all that much out of them. They were both okay, but kind of overhyped for my taste.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think The Matrix, along with Fight Club, are the blueprints for these kind of movies. I liked Fight Club though. I agree 100% about the Kaufman movies.

/twang

[pryor15]

The Matrix, clearly

[mmbt0ne]

I hate Fight Club. Mostly just because of how many people love it though, and how 98% of them misinterpret the ending.

[gumpzilla]

Fight Club is actually another one I thought of that I don't like anywhere near as much as some as soon as I posted. I hate hate hate the ending and felt it didn't fit in with the movie at all. I frequently have that response to twist endings in movies where they don't seem to belong - the end of Unbreakable really annoyed me as well when I saw it.

[miajag81]

[ QUOTE ]
I hate Fight Club. Mostly just because of how many people love it though, and how 98% of them misinterpret the ending.

[/ QUOTE ]

For those of us dumb enough to like it, could you explain the ending?

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
anything by david lynch.

[/ QUOTE ]

you're clearly wrong.

[Reef]

[ QUOTE ]
Memento

[/ QUOTE ]

disagree. This movie was awesome

[twang]

Can Amelie from Montmartre be considered mainstream? If so, I'll change my runner-up to that one because Donnie Darko had some parts that were ok and Amelie from Montmartre is one of the few movies I never finished. Awful.

/twang

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Can Amelie from Montmartre be considered mainstream?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. It can also be considered awesome. I heartily disagree with you on this one, though I can see how this is a love it or hate it kind of movie.

[rmarotti]

[ QUOTE ]
i think david mamet has a tendency to fall in love too much w/ his own dialogue...

[/ QUOTE ]


AHAHAAH! This is so true. I rented "Spartan" the other day because I thought "Oh! Something by Mamet that I haven't seen."
The dialogue was so [censored] self-conscious that the movie was almost unwatchable.

[Reef]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I hate Fight Club. Mostly just because of how many people love it though, and how 98% of them misinterpret the ending.

[/ QUOTE ]

For those of us dumb enough to like it, could you explain the ending?

[/ QUOTE ]

fight club is one of my favorites. Found this link (http://people.wcsu.edu/mccarneyh/acad/Fink.html) interesting

[miajag81]

Completely agree. I enjoyed Amelie, but I can see why people might hate it.

[BruinEric]

[ QUOTE ]
American Beauty

[/ QUOTE ]

XM Radio has a "soundtracks" music channel. They were playing American Beauty tunes and in between had snippets of dialogue. One of these interludes was the soliloquy by the "rebel teen" about the beauty in the plastic bag floating around.

For some reason I didn't change the channel until 2/3 the way thru and had to choke down water to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth.

[WillMagic]

The Graduate.

Supposedly people thought this movie was great in the 60's...but they were wrong.

The whole time I was watching the movie I wanted to smack Dustin Hoffman upside the head.

Will

[shant]

Whichever movie that a bunch of people like that I didn't particularly enjoy or see the point in.

[pshreck]

This is Eternal Sunshine, hands down.

[Mars357]

Does Vanilla Sky fit into this catagory? If so, I vote Vanilla Sky....

Mars

[mmbt0ne]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En réponse à:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">En réponse à:</font><hr />
I hate Fight Club. Mostly just because of how many people love it though, and how 98% of them misinterpret the ending.

[/ QUOTE ]

For those of us dumb enough to like it, could you explain the ending?

[/ QUOTE ]

Reef's link is good. I'll pose the same question that I think astroglide did in an earlier thread about Fight Club, "Who won in the end?"

2+2ers seem smarter than the average bear, so you probably understand it, but the vast majority don't.

[The Stranger]

Tyler won I suppose. I never really thought about it in those terms. Tyler wanted Norton's character to learn how to live on the edge a little more, and to take some risks in his life. And in the end Norton's character shoots himself, not sure what is going to happen. The "Tyler" part of him died, but he went through the transformation through which Tyler wanted him to go.

[WillMagic]

What's with all the Eternal Sunshine bashing? I thought it was one of the best films of last year. Cool, unique plot structure, great acting, great dialogue, funny as hell at times...what's not to like?

Will

[shant]

[ QUOTE ]
What's with all the Eternal Sunshine bashing? I thought it was one of the best films of last year. Cool, unique plot structure, great acting, great dialogue, funny as hell at times...what's not to like?

Will

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree, excellent movie. I think Kauffman is genius. Just chalk it up to differences of opinion.

[contentless]

[ QUOTE ]
Tyler won I suppose. I never really thought about it in those terms. Tyler wanted Norton's character to learn how to live on the edge a little more, and to take some risks in his life. And in the end Norton's character shoots himself, not sure what is going to happen. The "Tyler" part of him died, but he went through the transformation through which Tyler wanted him to go.

[/ QUOTE ]

Another scenario where book &gt; movie.

The time of Fight Club is about the only time in history where nihilism and anarchism aren't passe.

[Voltron87]

eternal sunshine.

[ozyman]

Vanilla Sky is up there. I disliked Million Dollar Baby as well.

[Duke]

The Usual Suspects.

~D

[Anders_G]

Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels ought to be the most overrated movie ever. Maybe it's not a supposed-to-be-smart movie but it's still a big sac of crap that everyone mistakes for a masterpiece.

Other candidates include:
Adaptaion
American History X
The Gladiator
Braveheart

How come noone has mentioned Rounders?

[Voltron87]

how are lock stock, gladiator, and braveheart "supposed to be smart" movies?

lock stock is also awesome.

[Anders_G]

I always heard people say that they thought lock stock was smart and thought-through and whatnot. I missed their point. Admittedly though, it's not very artsy.

And you're totally right about the others, they're just overrated, not supposed-to-be-smart

EDIT: I don't think Amelie is supposed-to-be-smart either.

[Jack of Arcades]

Lock Stock is a stupid movie. It's a very good stupid movie, one of my favorites.

[PokerFink]

[ QUOTE ]
What's with all the Eternal Sunshine bashing? I thought it was one of the best films of last year. Cool, unique plot structure, great acting, great dialogue, funny as hell at times...what's not to like?


[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely. Sunshine was, perhaps, the best film of the year. Original, well written, well acted for the most part (especially Winslet), excellent directing, excellent editing. But a lot of people have a hard time understanding it, so they might not like it. It's hard to follow if you aren't paying attention. But if you know films, you appreciate how awesome it is.

As for Usual Suspects and American Beauty, I cannot possibly see how one cannot like these. If you think some of the dialogue in AB is overdone (such as the bag scene) then fine, but most of the movie isn't like that. AB is one of the best written, best acted and best directed movies in a while.

[durron597]

[ QUOTE ]
The category is contemporary mainstream movies that are supposed to be smart, edgy and artsy. Which one is most overrated? My pick is The Matrix (but Donnie Darko is close).

/twang

[/ QUOTE ]

Tie between Adaptation and Vanilla Sky. Ugh.

[NiceCatch]

I've learned two things from this thread:
1) People don't understand what a "supposed to be smart/deep/etc" movie is. Examples: Lost in Translation, American Beauty (only one cited), Garden State, The Suicide Club (japanese), 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eyes Wide Shut, to name a few. BTW, those movies all rule.
Movies that do NOT fall into this category: Matrix (pure sci-fi, and it ruled), Lock Stock (action/comedy, and it ruled), to name a couple.
2) People on this thread have bad taste.

[hoopsie44]

I'm glad you cleared that up for us.

[Eric Draven]

[ QUOTE ]
I've learned two things from this thread:
1) People don't understand what a "supposed to be smart/deep/etc" movie is. Examples: Lost in Translation, American Beauty (only one cited), Garden State, The Suicide Club (japanese), 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eyes Wide Shut, to name a few. BTW, those movies all rule.
Movies that do NOT fall into this category: Matrix (pure sci-fi, and it ruled), Lock Stock (action/comedy, and it ruled), to name a couple.
2) People on this thread have bad taste.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree 100%

[Your Mom]

Eyes Wide Shut is really dumb, but there are lots of nice boobs to look at.

[NiceCatch]

[ QUOTE ]
Eyes Wide Shut is really dumb, but there are lots of nice boobs to look at.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dude. You should see the french version.

BTW, you are wrong.

The movie happens to be based on a novella by some long-dead Austrian, I believe. Interestingly, in the novella, much of what occurs is part of a dream sequence. If you pay attention to the good Doctor's surroundings in the movie, you will notice many dream-ish things. There are many visuals in the movie that add to the mystique and aura of the film. And no, I'm not talking about strippers.

[Hiding]

eyes wide shut......crap movie, great nudity
thin red line...4 hours of my life gone forever

[touchfaith]

A Beautiful Mind


I win.

[DontRaisePlz]

Anything by the Coen brothers. All of their films, especially the older ones, get high ratings on IMDB.

I've seen The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona and they're both boring as hell. Fargo was amusing in a sick kind of way.

I also think Lost in Translation was overrated.

[StevieG]

son, you have a panty on your head

[Los Feliz Slim]

[ QUOTE ]
But if you know films, you appreciate how awesome it is.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, please.

Anyone who thinks Eternal Sunshine is profound (and I understand that you didn't actually say it's profound, so this doesn't necessarily mean you) doesn't do enough thinking on their own time.

Much of this movie comes from what I call the "Look at Me, I'm Directing" school of directing. Overdone. Trying too hard.

But, that's what makes the world go around. All I know is that I disliked it so much it made me revisit Malkovich and Adaptation, two movies I liked, and once I did I didn't like them anymore, either.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
A Beautiful Mind


I win.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to say that.

But yes, you win. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
The Graduate.

Supposedly people thought this movie was great in the 60's...but they were wrong.

The whole time I was watching the movie I wanted to smack Dustin Hoffman upside the head.


[/ QUOTE ]

What the hell? You should be shot.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
I've seen The Big Lebowski ... and they're both boring as hell.

[/ QUOTE ]

How much did you sell your sense of humor for? I'm interested in buying one and I'd like to know the going rate.

[Senor Choppy]

Anyone that said Eternal Sunshine should never be allowed to voice their opinion of movies again.

Ghost World by a landslide.

[Fabian]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Svar till:</font><hr />
I always heard people say that they thought lock stock was smart and thought-through and whatnot. I missed their point. Admittedly though, it's not very artsy.

And you're totally right about the others, they're just overrated, not supposed-to-be-smart

EDIT: I don't think Amelie is supposed-to-be-smart either.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think Amelie is the very definition of this genre. We must be on totally different pages.

[iMsoLucky0]

Citizen Kane.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
Citizen Kane.

[/ QUOTE ]

film history. learn it before you make yourself look like a retard again.

[Cyrus]

[ QUOTE ]
People on this thread have bad taste

[/ QUOTE ]

You realize you're in this thread, right?

[iMsoLucky0]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Citizen Kane.

[/ QUOTE ]

film history. learn it before you make yourself look like a retard again.

[/ QUOTE ]

What's to learn? It is supposed to be the best movie of all time and it was very dull/boring. That's enough for me to say it is overrated.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Citizen Kane.

[/ QUOTE ]

film history. learn it before you make yourself look like a retard again.

[/ QUOTE ]

What's to learn? It is supposed to be the best movie of all time and it was very dull/boring. That's enough for me to say it is overrated.

[/ QUOTE ]

it's not supposed to be the best movie of all time. watch some movies before citizen kane and then watch citizen kane. you will realize the innovation in the movie. everything is commonplace now. that's the reason it seems to dull, because it was so innovative that everyone ripped off everything in the movie. unless you research WHY it was so great at the time you can't appreciate it.

see also: The Birth of a Nation. Amazing movie that's impossible to appreciate unless you know the history behind it.

it's like music. the velvet underground doesn't sound very innovative if you're 20 years old and have no appreciation for the history. when you realize what sort of innovation it was at the time they suddenly become a top 3 band of all time.

[iMsoLucky0]

[ QUOTE ]
it's not supposed to be the best movie of all time.

[/ QUOTE ]

AFI's Greatest Movies of All-time (http://listsofbests.com/list/6/)

That list says it is the best movie of all time. I am not arguing that this movie is not revolutionary or groundbreaking. I am just saying that it is dull and definitely not the best movie of all time. I would definitely not call it overrated at all if it were #1 on a Most Groundbreaking list.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
it's not supposed to be the best movie of all time.

[/ QUOTE ]

AFI's Greatest Movies of All-time (http://listsofbests.com/list/6/)

That list says it is the best movie of all time. I am not arguing that this movie is not revolutionary or groundbreaking. I am just saying that it is dull and definitely not the best movie of all time. I would definitely not call it overrated at all if it were #1 on a Most Groundbreaking list.

[/ QUOTE ]

touche. although i believe a large part of the AFI ranking was based on innovation. i agree though, watching it now, there are many movies that are better.

i say again, touche.

[ILL34GL3]

I thought White Chicks was going to be a smart commentary on racial perceptions in America. Then I watched it and realized I liked it better the first time when it was called...
http://img54.echo.cx/my.php?image=mammy0dg.jpg

[twang]

[ QUOTE ]
I've learned two things from this thread:
1) People don't understand what a "supposed to be smart/deep/etc" movie is. Examples: Lost in Translation, American Beauty (only one cited), Garden State, The Suicide Club (japanese), 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eyes Wide Shut, to name a few. BTW, those movies all rule.
Movies that do NOT fall into this category: Matrix (pure sci-fi, and it ruled), Lock Stock (action/comedy, and it ruled), to name a couple.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you are missing the point. The category is mainstream movies that wants to be smart/artsy etc. That is different from movies that wants to be smart/artsy etc. Lost in translation was a huge hit, but a movie about a middle age guy staring in celing with a hot girl next to him without making a move can by no means be called mainstream.

/twang

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
you're clearly wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you.

I have never understood the prevalent anti-Lynchism here.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
AHAHAAH! This is so true. I rented "Spartan" the other day because I thought "Oh! Something by Mamet that I haven't seen."
The dialogue was so [censored] self-conscious that the movie was almost unwatchable.

[/ QUOTE ]

I certainly understand this opinion, but I feel like it should be noted that he does this on purpose. Obviously, Mamet has an idea with his dialogue that some sort of, uh, self-referential element belongs there.

So, while there is obviously a self-conscious element present in the dialogue, it's intentional, for better or worse.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
Fight Club is actually another one I thought of that I don't like anywhere near as much as some as soon as I posted. I hate hate hate the ending and felt it didn't fit in with the movie at all. I frequently have that response to twist endings in movies where they don't seem to belong - the end of Unbreakable really annoyed me as well when I saw it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Look, when I woke up this morning, my back hurt, and I felt sort of generally hung over, so I am in a bad mood to begin with.

But if I have to read posts at 2+2 defaming Fight Club (putting it in the same sentence with the miserably moronic Unbreakable is a great start on defamation), then I might need to start shooting heroin.

Let's just have a deal--you all don't sit at your computers slagging one of the top ten best movies of the last ten years, and I won't shoot any heroin.

Think of it as a support group.

Don't beat yourself up. Go to your cave. Thank you for sharing.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
The Graduate.

Supposedly people thought this movie was great in the 60's...but they were wrong.

The whole time I was watching the movie I wanted to smack Dustin Hoffman upside the head.

Will

[/ QUOTE ]

Although this thread is making a bold run at the prize for Most Idiotic Comments Ever in a Single Thread, your comment has set out to redefine the genre.

Congratulations.

P.S. Yes, that was unduly harsh, but WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU THINKING??!! How can people claim to love movies and then slag The Graduate and Citizen Kane and Fight Club? It's...disappointing.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
What's with all the Eternal Sunshine bashing? I thought it was one of the best films of last year. Cool, unique plot structure, great acting, great dialogue, funny as hell at times...what's not to like?

[/ QUOTE ]

You make great strides at redeeming your unfortunate Graduate comments here, Will.

You are an enigmatic fellow.

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
Resevoir Dogs - pure, unadulterated crap.

[/ QUOTE ]

I fell asleep while watching it last night.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
I've seen The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona and they're both boring as hell. Fargo was amusing in a sick kind of way.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's important to find a thing to do, and do it well.

You do what you do very well.

Unfortunately, the thing that you're doing is defining inanity.

"Boring." That's great. Good job.

[Rushmore]

I stopped reading your post at

[ QUOTE ]
I thought White Chicks was going to be a smart commentary on racial perceptions in America.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sort of hard to be interested in too much more you had to say.

[theredpill6]

Rocky I

[captZEEbo1]

Other than OP's movie, I've liked almost every movie listed in here. I have no idea what anyone here is thinking, other than "hey this movie is popular, I should be different and say I don't like it!"

[BaggyAnt]

I agree with The Usual Suspects comments - IMO Because the ending was very good (and unusual at the time) the majority of people forget how [censored] the first hour and a half or so was

[Guthrie]

Lost in Translation.

The only thing that saved it was Scarlett Johansson in see-through panties.

[Phoenix1010]

Hmmm. What's more pathetic: People who like movies just because they are easily swayed by popular opinion, or people who dislike movies just because they're desperate to disagree with popular opinion?

[James282]

[ QUOTE ]


Although this thread is making a bold run at the prize for Most Idiotic Comments Ever in a Single Thread, your comment has set out to redefine the genre.

Congratulations.


[/ QUOTE ]

I rarely laugh out loud when reading 2+2, but I figured I point out that this was one such occasion. Thanks for saving the thread, Rushmore.

Let me say also that most of you are just trying to make yourselves look smart by bashing most of these awesome movies. You say things like, "man, Fight Club just tried too hard!!" and then give no examples of why you think that. One poster comes and says, "Most people don't understand the ending[I am so smart, and most people are so dumb] and they claim to love this movie!! WTF!" What a bunch of pseudo-intellectual nonsense. If you don't like Fight Club, fine, but to say it's not a "smart" movie with some seriously relevant undertones is a joke unless you're willing to come forward and say why.
-James

[Rockatansky]

[ QUOTE ]
Other than OP's movie, I've liked almost every movie listed in here. I have no idea what anyone here is thinking, other than "hey this movie is popular, I should be different and say I don't like it!"

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree - I don't get all the fighting over over a list of pretty good movies. With regard to the OP, my vote goes to American Beauty. It's a good movie, but a little too in love with its own supposed profundity. It doesn't hold up well to repeated viewings, in my opinion.

[trying2learn]

i know i took a beating for saying david lynch, but his movies are perfect for this topic.

if you want to decipher weird puzzles, plot lines, and dream sequences, then he's perfect for you.

otherwise - they are mostly overrated, supposed-to-be-smart movies.

fight club is THE most undeserving movie to be mentioned in this thread.

citizen kane wasn't supposed to be smart. so anyone nominating that didn't read the topic in the first place.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
i know i took a beating for saying david lynch, but his movies are perfect for this topic.

if you want to decipher weird puzzles, plot lines, and dream sequences, then he's perfect for you.

otherwise - they are mostly overrated, supposed-to-be-smart movies.


[/ QUOTE ]

If they have complex plots, symbolism, and imagery that has a purpose (whether open-ended or not) and if all this stuff makes you really think long and hard to figure it out, then wouldn't this be an "actual" smart movie instead of a "supposed to be" smart movie? I think the idea here is movies that try way too hard to be pretentious when they're really pretty dumb.

[trying2learn]

okay, i somewhat agree with that.

the problem with lynch is that rarely can anyone ever agree on what said symbolism, etc is.

you have all of these smart people who come up with two or three possibilities for what a movie means and what you end up with is a form of abstract art film making.

[twang]

[ QUOTE ]
Other than OP's movie, I've liked almost every movie listed in here. I have no idea what anyone here is thinking, other than "hey this movie is popular, I should be different and say I don't like it!"

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that a thread like this tends to end up in some strange discussion based on context rather than the movies itself. I have to admit a not small part of my aversion against The Matrix and Amelie is based on people saying "hey this movie is different, I will be popular if I say I like it!" Argh. The Matrix is not different or smart or a mind opener. It's a sci-fi action flick Keanu Reeves. And you are not Amelie and she didn't change your life - just stop it!

That said, I think this kind of movies (as group) is very likeable and therefore it's a whole lot more fun to pick out the bad apples.

/twang

[NiceCatch]

Regarding Americant Beauty... I disagree. I enjoy it more, and get more out of it, with each successive viewing. That, in my opinion, is what defines an excellent "smart" movie.

[emil3000]

[ QUOTE ]
Memento

[/ QUOTE ]
This might be the only correct answer in this thread. Haven't seen Ghost World, so it might suck as well.

A lot of you people have bad enough taste that you should go to prison for it.

[hoopsie44]

After reading the posts in this thread I would have to conclude that Vicent Canby and Pauline Kaehl's places in cinema history are safe.

[PokerFink]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
But if you know films, you appreciate how awesome it is.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, please.

Anyone who thinks Eternal Sunshine is profound (and I understand that you didn't actually say it's profound, so this doesn't necessarily mean you) doesn't do enough thinking on their own time.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't disagree with you. I think it raises an interesting question, but not a profound, original or deep one. It's not a complicated idea, more like the kind of thing you discuss in the car ride home from the theater and never think about again.

[ QUOTE ]
Much of this movie comes from what I call the "Look at Me, I'm Directing" school of directing. Overdone. Trying too hard.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, I don't disagree with you. However, I think it works very well in this film. There are many films were a part is over-acted or a film is overdone and it's awful, but I don't think that is the case with Eternal Sunshine.

[PokerFink]

[ QUOTE ]
the problem with lynch is that rarely can anyone ever agree on what said symbolism, etc is.

you have all of these smart people who come up with two or three possibilities for what a movie means and what you end up with is a form of abstract art film making.

[/ QUOTE ]

Many of the best paintings in history are very abstract with many different meanings. Look at some of Salvador Dali's stuff, for example.

Lynch makes great abstract films. He is undoubtedly the best in that genre today.

Now, Lynch's films are not for everybody. I can absolutely understand why someone would watch one of his films and not like it. But to say that there is something wrong with Lynch's films because they are abstract is a very ignorant thing to say. They are art, whether you understand it or not. They are genius and wonderful in their own unique way.

[Paluka]

I love 90% of the movies mentioned in this thread.

[tdp]

Since most of my favorite movies of all time have been mentioned in this thread,I think I need to seek out the ones I haven't seen.You folks have no taste.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
son, you have a panty on your head

[/ QUOTE ]

this is the best post of this thread, by the way.

[PokerFink]

[ QUOTE ]
I love 90% of the movies mentioned in this thread.

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too.

I'm going to do the same as tdp and check out the ones I haven't seen.

[WillMagic]

Honestly you need to rewatch the Graduate. I mean, it's not AWFUL...but people call it a classic when it really just isn't. And that fits my definition of overrated. It's 3 star movie when most people think it is a 4 star.

I mean, really, this boring, irritating teenager gets a chance with the super-cool Mrs. Robinson only to give it up for the other boring, irritating teenager. And then they sit in the back of the bus and stare at each other. What the hell?

Will

[bernie]

-

[B Dids]

This thread makes me hate people.

Some of the responses make me thing people weren't smart enough to watch the movie they didn't like in the first place.

[hedxcold]

chasing amy and dogma

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
Honestly you need to rewatch the Graduate. I mean, it's not AWFUL...but people call it a classic when it really just isn't. And that fits my definition of overrated. It's 3 star movie when most people think it is a 4 star.

I mean, really, this boring, irritating teenager gets a chance with the super-cool Mrs. Robinson only to give it up for the other boring, irritating teenager. And then they sit in the back of the bus and stare at each other. What the hell?

[/ QUOTE ]

For fear of being flamed, I am resisting the urge to "talk cinema."

That said, your synopsis is woefully inadequate.

At the very VERY least, it was a groundbreaking movie which addressed the previously-unapproached topic of young adult alienation/coming-of-age.

But I am resisting the urge to further this discussion.

Next, you'll be saying Midnight Cowboy was just some dumb movie about a stupid hick and a worthless homeless guy, no better than, say, Crocodile Dundee.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
chasing amy and dogma

[/ QUOTE ]

These can't be overrated, nobody thinks they are good.

[YourFoxyGrandma]

[ QUOTE ]
I stopped reading your post at

[ QUOTE ]
I thought White Chicks was going to be a smart commentary on racial perceptions in America.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sort of hard to be interested in too much more you had to say.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is hilarious.

EDIT: Rushmore, I don't know you very well; can you elaborate on your background? You're very well spoken and clearly well-versed in film.

[HopeydaFish]

[ QUOTE ]
eyes wide shut......crap movie, great nudity
thin red line...4 hours of my life gone forever

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, I'm glad someone finally mentioned The Thin Red Line. I stayed until the bitter end, but most of the rest of the theatre walked out.

Another one that just dragged on forever was Magnolia.

[West]

I don't know about his other movies, but I saw Mulholland Drive so I completely understand it. The anti-Lynchism that is - not the movie.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
Another one that just dragged on forever was Magnolia.

[/ QUOTE ]

GODDAMNIT.

I'm beginning to think maybe the MPAA should institute a licensing system so that people need to qualify in order to be able to actually go to the movies or even rent a movie or buy one on pay-per-view.

It's true, Magnolia was maybe a half hour longer than the average movie. They really cluttered it all up with all of that, you know... artistry.

[West]

Mulholland Drive

Memory is real bad on this one, but when I was young I saw a movie called Brazil that fits the m.o., but who knows, maybe I need to see it again.

Despite the bag line, I thought American Beauty was good.

Those of you who said Usual Suspects must have the movie ruined for you by overhype or something before you saw it, otherwise you're on crack.

[West]

Are you kidding???

[West]

[ QUOTE ]
They are genius

[/ QUOTE ]

If you want to call Mulholland Drive art, more power to you, but I draw the line at "genius". Unless the genius is in convincing a bunch of people that you're some kind of great director.

[smokingrobot]

kevin smith's dialogue is incredible though!

he may not be the best director, but his dialogue is fantastic.

and i like his movies on a whole too.

[pshreck]

[ QUOTE ]

he may not be the best director, but his dialogue is fantastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

You like to hear people talk faster and more unrealistically than just about everyone on the face of the planet?

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
Rushmore, I don't know you very well; can you elaborate on your background? You're very well spoken and clearly well-versed in film.

[/ QUOTE ]

My checkered past relegated me to hermit status for such a lengthy sentence that I did virtually nothing but read books and watch movies for almost ten solid years.

Now that I am a, uh, well, uh, productive, fully-engaged member of society, I get to spout off on public message boards as if I had any idea what I'm talking about.

(See self-deprecation, n., avoidance of the flame).

Anyway, I have strong opinions about movies, and have a hard time keeping silent when faced with becoming a spectator to the defilement of some of the only worthwhile art that people still manage to produce from time to time.

What did the man say? "All that is necessary for Evil to triumph is for great men to say nothing?"

Well, it seems the Great Men are absent, so we'll just have to make due with what what we have handy.

Keep the faith.

[trying2learn]

word rush - fight the power.

fwiw, i finally got around to watching magnolia last night thanks to this thread and thought it was amazing.

[IndieMatty]

This thread made me throw up. I don't know what's worse what some of you consider "smart" movies or what you consider "bad".

Rushmore's said all that needs to be said on particular movies.

[hoopsie44]

I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but this thread sure has legs.

[coltrane]

[ QUOTE ]
The Graduate.

Supposedly people thought this movie was great in the 60's...but they were wrong.

The whole time I was watching the movie I wanted to smack Dustin Hoffman upside the head.

Will

[/ QUOTE ]


can't believe someone else mentioned this.....I completely agree and it was the first movie that came to mind when I read the thread subject line.....

it's really an awful movie.....full of cliche's, uninteresting self-absorbed characters, incredibly trite and overdone plot lines, etc......I think it's a movie that perhaps struck a chord with people because of the time period it came out in......in fact, I think a lot of "film people" (critics, etc.) look back on that movie and say "what were we thinking?"......

my second choice (Graduate might be first only because of how much more it is hailed by people) would be "Reality Bites"....it's not only horrendous, but I feel it is a fundamentally backwards movie with regards to exactly what it is trying to get across.....

[ChipWrecked]

Like them or not, I'm pleased that flicks like 'Sunshine' and 'Lost in Translation' can actually get made and distributed.... else we would be mired in a wasteland of 'Kingdom of Heaven' type crap.

[sleight]

I'm pretty surprised no one has mentioned Primer (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390384/) yet. I think it is along the lines of other in that it has to be watched multiple times to be understood (not that I really do). It's pretty ripe for the "that was dumb/"you're not smart enough" argument.

I also think it's strange that Darren Aronofsky's films (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004716/) have been getting a pass, since Mamet and Lynch don't seem to be well liked here. I guess grouping them together isn't really accurate since they all have their own style.

[pshreck]

Yeah, Primer was so overrated that it almost made half a million dollars in the box office.

[James Boston]

I don't think Reservoir Dogs would fall into the "supposed-to-be-smart" category.

[kevyk]

I think most of Wes Anderson's body of work fits into this category.

[Jules22]

[ QUOTE ]
Mulholland Drive

Memory is real bad on this one, but when I was young I saw a movie called Brazil that fits the m.o., but who knows, maybe I need to see it again.

Despite the bag line, I thought American Beauty was good.

Those of you who said Usual Suspects must have the movie ruined for you by overhype or something before you saw it, otherwise you're on crack.

[/ QUOTE ]

Brazil was probably Terry Gilliam's best work. I really enjoyed it at least.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, Primer was so overrated that it almost made half a million dollars in the box office.

[/ QUOTE ]

Box office sales != Overrated

Primer was praised very very highly by many critics. I actually enjoyed. I think the problem is that many people look at movies as mindless entertainment. Juwanna Man is obviously midless entertainment, but movies like Lost Highway and Primer are supposed to make you think and discuss the meaning with others. I love movie where I walk out of the theater and I just can't wait to start discussing it with whoever I saw it with.

[sleight]

I'm kinda confused, if we're really going by the box office sales = overrated standard then a whole lot of these movies do not qualify for discussion (Donnie Darko especially). It is over time that these movies have become appreciated/overrated (depending on personal bias or whatever). Seems like there aren't that many smart movies that make a lot of money because of the aforementioned Juwanna man principle.

[Golden_Rhino]

Lost Highway.

[Pocket Trips]

[ QUOTE ]
I stopped reading your post at

[ QUOTE ]
I thought White Chicks was going to be a smart commentary on racial perceptions in America.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sort of hard to be interested in too much more you had to say.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you need to turn on your sarcasm detector.. was actually a funny post

[Pocket Trips]

12 monkeys or just about anything else directed by Terry Gilliam