What's a movie you thought was fantastic but nobody else seems to have heard about it? My nomination is "The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey". It's about a boy in England during the time of the black plague, who leads some of his fellow villagers on a quest to find protection from the curse. Wonderful use of black&white and color photography, mystical and magical.

My vote goes to "Fresh". It's about a 12 year old boy who uses his brains and courage to get out of a life of running drugs. The use of ongoing chess matches with his father (Samuel Jackson) as the backdrop for what is going on in real life was magnificent. The ending gives me chills every time. If you look past all the profanity and violence, there is a truly engaging story.

I would kill for a copy of a film shown late on Channel 4 (British TV) 10-ish years ago called "The Last Battle". I missed the beginning of it but it was about a post-Apocalypse Earth where the survivors had lost the power of speech. From what I remember of it, it didn't really have much of a plot but nevertheless kept me absolutely gripped. According to the IMDB, no videos of it exist - I still scan the movie listing of the TV guide every week in the vain hope that someone'll show it again!

What do you mean nobody saw Fresh? I did, and so did everyone else in the cinema with me at the same time!

Jimmy Hollywood was a realy good movie.

"swimming with the sharks"

it's a great movie starring frank whaley (pulp fiction) and kevin spacey (usual suspects, amercian beauty, seven, the negiator, the ref, etc.). michelle forbes (ensign ro laren) also appears. i watched it because it was given two thumbs up from siskel and ebert. it has a twist at the end that's very cool.

another movie also recommended by siskel and ebert was "and god spoke" it a hilarious look at the making of a biblical movie.

go rent these movies tonight.

Swimming With Shraks left me shaking. One of only three movies to afect me that way (the others being Primal Fear and Crimson Tide)

"Cinema Paradisio." An Italian movie about the love of movies. People saw, it; it got an Oscar; but almost no one I know had even heard of it until I rented it for them. I always rent the subtitled version, 'cause dubbed versions are notorious for screwing up the dialogue. And I find the dubbing distracting.

Meanwhile, "Bound" made me change my position on the couch several times. Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon, and if that's not enough, it was written by pre-Matrix Warschowski brothers. Gret caper flick, where everything goes wrong in unexpected ways.

It was silly, but it had me in hysterics...

"Undercover Blues"

Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid made a great team. And, of course, there's Muerte, played by an actor whose name escapes me right now.

I was not fond of Swimming With Sharks. That is, I liked the beginning but hated the ending. It's the poor man's The Player, an infinitely better movie.

"The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover"

The best, darkest, revenge film ever made.
And the soundtrack (by Michael Nyman) is astounding!

However, avoid it if you have a weak stomach.

I just rented "Free Enterprise" and really liked it. I wish I'd seen this in the theater instead of "Trekkies"!

"Gods and Monsters" -- this movie just left me breathless! Who could've known Brendan Fraser can *act*? Everything about the movie is just wonderful, especially if you're a fan of the all the Old Queer Brits in Hollywood in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

I hate to break it to you, but - people saw Gods and Monsters. It was nominated for three Oscars, one two (the one it least derserved, naturally). And the Old Queer Brit in question made his movies in the 30's.

Oops! Sorry about that, but I don't live in the States and it wasn't released here, so I'm sorta clueless.

The 30s? Was it that early? I've got to bone up on my queer history again...

"The Ninth Configuration"....
havn't you ever wanted to see a movie that combines profound spiritual messages, insane ex-military members, Shakespeare performed by dogs, and a couple of health care professionals who turn out to be sicker than any of the inmates, all in a Huge gothic castle converted into a mental hospital? I always did. I can just picture the writer trying to pitch the idea to the producers.

Hmmmm....

"The Fifth Element"
"The Sixth Sense"
"The Seventh Seal"
"The Ninth Configuration"...

When are they going to make a movie about me????

-12-

......."Twelve Angry Men" wasn't about you?

Twelve Monkeys

I saw Cinema Paradiso years ago and I loved it.

Here's one I liked;

Congo

My own picks:

A Night at the Roxbury (I laughed through the whole movie)
The Great White Hype (The expressions are priceless)
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (Absolutely hilarious movie)

and the best for last...

Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek V

Pleasantville
Deep Impact

Ronin

I really love that movie, I couldn't even tell you why.

Sister Act
Sister Act 2

I just saw a movie last night that I loved. It's called "Total Recall 2070." It was great! I think it's better than Total Recall. Much, much less gross for sure. It has a really good plot. Kept my eyes glued to the screen. (For me this is very unusual.) Rent it today!
Disclaimer: It does have a couple of very short undressed scenes. Fortunately for me, they were too short to even zip thru. The language also took a turn for the worst towards the end, but the rest of the movie was remarkably free. Neither problems detracted from the movie.

My Cousin Vinny - I guess no one else likes it due to the lack of posts on its board.

I liked it. In particular, I liked Fred Gywnne's performance as the judge who doesn't quite know how to handle Joe Pesci's Vinny.

I liked Pitch Black, but almost everyone I talk to (Especially females) tend to hate it.

I actually thought Waterworld wasn't too bad, though it apparently was one of the biggest flops of all time.

Do you mean the pilot to the series?

Cherry 2000. Starring Melanie Griffith and David Andrews. Everyone I talk to about it either hated it or never heard of it.

187 with Samuel L. Jackson

Trial and Error - very light and fluffy, but not bad for what it was. Totally ignored. Had Jeff Daniels and Michael Richards (aka Seinfeld's Kramer).

Most people I've talk to have not heard of Solaris. Except for a few computer experts who think I am talking about a UNIX based operating system. Russian (Soviet period) director Andrei Tarkovsky created a masterpiece of a science fiction loosely based from Stanilaw Lem novel Solaris. It is not for everybody, it is long, and for the impatient used to guns firing all the time, somewhat boring. But the concepts introduced are profound, unlike anything I've seen outside literature.

Be warned, this movie took me a few viewings before I 'got' it. Even now, every time I watch it, I get something new. Tarkovsky was definately not a formulaic director. He was quoted that his job was to sculpt time.

"The Shadow" with Alec Baldwin. I thought it was a lot of fun.

"The Ninth Configuration"
to describe it would be to show how ridiculous it is (I still think it's worth a watch).

One movie no one has seen because it's been drilled into their head that it's a bomb is "Last Action Hero". My favorite Arnold movie, an action movie that makes fun of action movies, and provides a perspective on how not only unrealistic but grating they might be for their characters, eg. (from memory)

[world-weary action character Arnold walks into his apartment, shoots into his closet. Bad guy in closet dies.]

Kid: "How did you know he was there?"
Arnold: "There's always a guy in the closet."

I liked the Cable Guy

Everybody looks at me crazy when I tell them that.

Oh, and all of my friends liked American Pie, but I personally thought it was trash. i couldn't sit through the whole movie. I felt likt i needed to take a shower.

I work at a movie theater and it looks like one of my favorite movies of this year, The Big Kahuna, has had little viewership.

Mars Attacks!--I hated it the first time I saw it, but then...

Soul Food - a great movie that really touched me and I am a white guy.

MikeC- I loved the second half of Mars Attacks.

But I loved Undercover Blues.

I saw The Big Kahuna as well. I thought it was a wonderful movie. Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito played off each other brilliantly.

My list numerically features these:
1) What Dreams May Come.
2) Fight Club.
3) Twelve Monkeys.
4) Pulp Fiction.
5) Timecop (minus the frivolous nudity).
6) The Thirteenth Floor.
7) Dark City.
8) The Minus Man.

Those last three are not topnotch by any means, but if you allow them, they shall captivate you nonetheless. However, I feel none of them had reached their full potential.

Other movies of my preference numerically include these:
1) Contact.
2) The Shadow.
3) The Truman Show.
4) The Shawshank Redemption.
5) Gattaca.
6) Mission to Mars.
7) The Philadelphia Experiment II (its predecessor did not win me over, and that Sylvester Stallon rip-off did not help).
8) GoldenEye.
9) Virtuosity.
10) The Seventh Sign (interesting plot and reasonably omnificent writing, but I could have done without Demi Moore).

My Best Friend's Wedding certainly has its moments. I must say in contrast that Cameron Diaz's character is, simply put, scary in this movie.

I enjoyed "The Shadow", too. Never understood what the problem was with it. (Actually, I don't recall ever seeing any advertising. First I knew of it was when a tape crossed our desk at the library.)

Other movies of my preference numerically include these:
1) Pleasantville.
2) The Contender.
3) American Beauty.
4) Drop Dead Gorgeous.
5) Jacob's Ladder.

I need to see Crimson Tide, Wallstreet, and Under Suspicion. I have a feeling I would quite enjoy these three specific films. By the way, it is Stallone with an e.

d, I have yet to meet a person who hated American beauty, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Shawshank Redemption, and Gattaca. Are you sure you're not just going off your friends' opinions? Just because they hate the movie doesn't mean everyone does.

The 19-year-old receptionist where I worked hated American Beauty; she thought it was sick because of the older man being sexually attracted to the teenager subplot. I tried to tell she was missing the point but...

And personally, if I never had to see Gattaca again, it would be too soon. The person I took to see it felt the same. And so did a few callers to a radio station when they were asking for the worst films of 1997.

I know everyone hated Batman and Robin, but I didn't think it was that bad.

Well, it DID have Alicia Silverstone in leather and rubber!

And don't forget Chris O'Donnell!

Two others include The Insider and Frequency. If you have not yet surmised, I am an aficionado when it comes to time-travel movies.

Lake Placid, in spite of everything

I don't remember people hating the Insider. I loved it, and think it's the second best movie of the year. I must be the only person who liked Mission to Mars, though.

I enjoyed Mission to Mars, but I'd don't think it's a very good movie.

Wall Street. The title of the movie has the words separate. By the way, I listed comedian/actor Colin Quinn under another sub-section with an inverse theme as Quin with one en. This is my correction. In other news, I, too, liked Mission to Mars, but the subplot regarding the female character losing her husband went nowhere. Additionally, it is awfully convenient that only Gary Sinise's character elects going with the Martian spacecraft to the aliens' new home world and there being only one transportation tube. What if the female character decided to join him? First come first serve, I suppose.

The Adventures of Bullwinkle & Rocky
The Cable Guy
Star Trek V

I just saw a movie last night that I loved. It's called "Total Recall 2070." It was great! I think it's better than Total Recall. Much, much less gross for sure. It has a really good plot. Kept my eyes glued to the screen. (For me this is very unusual.)

That's not a movie it's the pilot of a TV series that is on showtime.

Wasn't "The Ninth Configuration" also called "Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane?"
One of my favorite gems is called "Things Change". Joe Mantegna is a mob soldier, assigned to watch bootblack Don Ameche. The Ameche character is to take the fall for a mob boss. Mantegna brings him to Lake Tahoe for a last round of fun. A real find.

Star Trek Generations!!!

I liked Hudson Hawk with Bruce Willis. My husband, sister and brother (all quite critical people) all saw it together and liked it. It seems like no one else in the whole world did though. I think most people didn't get how Bruce and Danny Aielo (I'm sure the spelling is wrong, but maybe you'll get it phonetically) sang songs to time themselves in their robberies. I thought it was clever.

Ravenous. Got buried at the box office, but is a genuinely surprising and unnerving film.

I loved Ravenous. I also loved alot of stuff on other peoples lists, so your not alone people! BTW, according to a friend of mine, Ravenous is loosely based on a Cormack McCarthy book, the title of which escapes me now.
My list of already mentioned movies that I loved:
-Dark City
-Pleasentville
-12 Monkies (on a second viewing)
-Contact (saw it twice opening weekend)
-Mars Attacks
-Pulp Fiction
-The 13th Floor (on a second viewing)
-Natural Born Killers
-Ford Fairlaine (My hair! My hair!)
And I really liked Jacob's Ladder, Gattica and Fight Club.
Two that havn't been mentioned:
-Seven : I'm only one of two chicks I know that LOVE this one. It's probably my fav movie of the 90's.
-The Brady Movie : It has a sorta sad commentary thing happening with the state of the world today.

The Cormac (no K, OOPS!) McCarthy book that Ravenous is based (sorta) on is Blood Meridian. I don't read, I watch TV. The only way I found this out is my Blood Meridian obsessed friend bookmarked her fav posting site on my computer. Not that there's anything wrong with being obsessed. Gotta go watch TNG now. Bye!!!

Waterworld -- saw the longer version on TV a while back, and have since seen the regular edit. I like the longer version more! If you can ignore the hype of its reported cost, and a couple of ridiculous scenes, it's actually a pretty good adventure. Great music and photography. Good to watch in the middle of a cold, dark winter.

re: Waterworld; Great production design as well loved that boat with the mass that could transform. Also the script was written by David Towhey (The Arrival, The Fugative, Pitch Black).

How do you figure Pulp Fiction as something everyone hated, it was nominated for several acadmey awards, and was Travolta's comeback movie. Before Good Will Hunting it was Miramax's highest grossing movie.

I loved From Dusk Till Dawn, I thought that it was one of the best exploitation "B" movies ever made. Most of the people who didn't like this one didn't like the whole genra switch halfway through the movie. Either they felt that the first half was a good crime flick that needlessly turns into a horror-action-splater film at the end; or horror fans who felt that it takes too long to get to the horror. I though that the genra switch was great, something you don't see in most other movies. Also great preformances from Clooney and Keitel.

Dark City
Seven
The Crow(i don't know why some people I know don't like this movie)
The 5th Element( i'm the only girl that i know who likes this movie)
Halloween (just the first one)
Candyman(just the first one)
Labyrinth
Legend
Hellraiser(all of them but part 5)
Nightmare on Elm Street(all of them but part 2)
Starship troopers (again, i am the only girl that i know who like this movie)
Pleasantville

Great list Meg! You're not alone! Check out Sax Russel's grapevine-opposite reactions II! And I love the Fifth Element too! Nice inclusion of Candyman. I still get shivers when I watch it. Cabrini Green. Spooky.

Hey Antia, It nice to know that there somebody like you out there. Yeah, the 1st time i saw Candyman was at night with a rented tape, wiht no lights on. I thought that i couldn't get scared bacuse i watch so much horror. I was surprised. I was very scared. I'll tell you this: I can't say Candyman five times into a mirror.

OK, here's my list:
12 Monkeys
Phenomonon
Pleasantville
Water World
Girls Just Want to Have Fun(Sarah J. Parker & Helen Hunt)
Deep Blue Sea

The 5th Element( i'm the only girl that i know who likes this movie)

I know quite a few girls who like that one, (at the risk of sounding sexist) if for no other reason than the fact that it's a candy colored future instead of the usual dark future (Aliens, Blade Runner)

As for Starship Troopers, that movie did appeal more to guys than girls in general.

Meg, Actualy that list of movies makes me wonder something, are you seeing anyone;) Just kidding, but in all seriousness where are all the girls like you where I live?

A co-worker read your message over my shoulder Meg. Her comment was, "Guys like Starship Troopers 'cause of the co-ed shower scene." She wanted me to say this when I next posted. And Brian was worried about sounding sexist.

Merat Tell your co-worker that like the movie for the special effects, and the the campy-ness of the plot. It's alot like a B-movie with A-effects. And I'm a fan of the bad B-movies.

Oh Brian, no, I'm not seeing anyone. I guess I have that "just one of the guys" image.

anothoer movie that liked:

The City of Lost Children. If you haven't seen this one, I suggest that you do.

The Final Countdown. Wasn't much of a aviation or naval enthusiast until I saw this film when I was six. Lovely US Navy warplanes, lovely aircraft carrier, lovely Mitsubishi Zeroes, and the plot was pretty interesting as well. Better than Top Gun's, but then if we're honest most episodes of the Go Bot cartoon had better plots than Top Gun. To my mind, Final Countdown's aerial scenes fade the later film by miles.
I've watched it so many times that I can remember the exact sequence of jet noises from the climactic "mass launch against the Imperial Japanese fleet" scene - and you though you were sad? Man, I am tragic. ;-)

I love The Final Countdown! Science fiction and WWII planes all in one movie! What more could a girl ask for!
I have others to add to my list, and I know I'm gonna regret this:
The Hunger
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension
Here it goes be brave Anita, brave:
Dune (the 4hr+ David Lynch version, not his studio butchered "Alan Smithie" version. And yes, I've read the books. Phew, I feel better)

A co-worker read your message over my shoulder Meg. Her comment was, "Guys like Starship Troopers 'cause of the co-ed shower scene."

I know a girl who likes that movie 'cause of the co-ed shower scene.

That scene didn't really do much for me. It would've done more if Dina Meyer and Denise Richard's had each other's roles.

Anita, YES. I also liked the 4hr+ version of Dune. It made quite a bit more sense. I also enjoyed the extended version of The Abyss (another movie many people seem to hate.)

I don't understand why the critics and everyone else seems to trash that movie. I liked it A LOT when I first saw it, and when I saw the extended version in schook years later, I liked it even MORE. The dialogue, humor, action and character interaction between Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Hubba, Hubba!) and the others make it work for me.

That scene didn't really do much for me. It would've done more if Dina Meyer and Denise Richard's had each other's roles.

Not me, I like nautral bodies, sillicone breasts are a turn off for me.

My 10 contributions (probably in some particular order, but none that I'm aware of):

eXistenZ (the '99 Cronenberg film)
The effects and plot twists were more my style than those of the Matrix.

The Haunting (the '99 remake)
Good for atmosphere. Gotta love Liam Neeson. Besides, with a degree in psychology, I've done my share of research.

Rock 'n Roll Nightmare ('87, with Jon Mikl Thor!)
Badmovies.org has the best synopsis of this one.

Jack Frost (the '97 horror movie)
I especially loved the opening credits.

Oscar ('91)
My favorite Stallone movie.

Dr. Giggles ('92, really bad one-liners)
Not for the squeamish. The title character played Chellick in the Voyager episode "Critical Care."

The Nail Gun Massacre (hard-to-find '85 film)
Convincing evidence that "all [we] of Earth are idiots."

The Stupids ('96)
Tom Arnold really seemed at home in this film, but I feel sorry for Christopher Lee. He'll make up for it next year.

Ice Cream Man ('95)
I know, I know, another horror movie, but this one stars Balok, I mean, Clint Howard.

Slugs ('87)
Find out why I don't like anything black in my salads.

Honorable mention:
UHF, Carnosaur, the first two Pokemon movies, The Fly II, Mosquito ('95), Sleepaway Camp, The Mangler, The Ewok Adventure, Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, and Transformers: The Movie.

And my fiancee has asked me to nominate the youth drama/mystery/romance/supernatural musical comedy Teen Witch ('89).

And I'd mention Bambi Meets Godzilla, but everyone I know LOVES it.

The fly II. I love that movie!

I also like teen witch.

Everytime either of those movie comes on, I have to watch it.

It's good to know I'm not alone on the Dune thing. I also love The Abyss and believe it or not, I havn't seen the directors cut yet, but I'll get around to it someday.
Re: eXistenZ. I love Cronenberg. The night that it opened, my best friend came over to go with us (my husband and I). She came over afew hours early and somehow my husband and her struck up a conversation about evolution which turned into a debate about the enviorment and how man is or isn't messing it up. I tire easily of thier debates, so I snuck off to play 1st person shooter games on the computer (very addicted at the time). I remember my girlfriend giving the example of mutated fish to prove her point on enviormentalism. Then we go to the movie.....
(cue Twilight Zone music here)
We thought we were stuck in the game and Cronenberg had tapped into our brains!!! Very scary!!! I still remember walking out of the theatre and feeling that the world wasn't real. Keep in mind we had NO idea what the movie was about or the issues it raised.

I found somebody who remembers The Final Countdown! Cool! :-)
I did like the first Phildelphia Experiment. It's got a slightly robotic lead performance, but an interesting story, nice special effects and a strong, memorable musical score. Besides, I was quite interested in that story in real life. Most interesting theory I heard was that the ship was part of an experiment using high-intensity sound horns to generate artificial fog banks.
Never got to see The Philidelphia Experiment II, though.

The Final Countdown was pretty good. I kind of knew the senator would get killed... what are they going to do if they return him? It'll muck up the timeline something awful... As we say on the Trek boards, Temporal Mechanics Gives Me A Headache.

I liked "Cruising", a very controversial Al Pacino flick of 1980, directed by William Friedkin, in which Pacino plays a cop going undercover to solve a series of gay murders. I remember and liked "The Final Countdown;" does anyone remember "Cruising?"

Here's my rather short list:
Star Treks 5 and 7
Mars Attacks
Lost World: Jurassic Park

Blade.
Like many comic book fans, I'm very critical of poor movie adaptations of comic books. I'm probably the only comic book fan in the world who DOESN'T care for Tim Burton's Batman movies. But I really enjoyed Blade, even though the critics trashed it. Good martial arts scenes, good vampire mythology motif, nice use of real-life science integrated into the vampire premise, like ultraviolet light and the blood preservative EDTA. Blade's booby-trapped sword was ingenious. Really nice rapport between Blade and Whistler, Kris Kristofferson's character. I liked Stephen Dorff, Donald Logue and Traci Lords as villains, M'Bushe Wright was a strong, intelligent female character. The one major alteration from the comic, that Blade is actually half-vampire himself, made a more compelling duality theme, even if it's been done before with Spock and Worf. Some of the computer special effects were a bit off, though.

Blade. Yeah that was a good one.

I never read any of the comics thought so i guess I have Limited knowledge about all of it. But I though Blade was awesome.

Starship Troopers (good to see I'm not alone on this one)
The Philadelphia Experiment (ditto; not to be confused with The Philadelphia Story)
Innerspace (we all loved it when we were at school)
Flash Gordon (Not to be confused with the cheap porn flick down the street... )
The War Of The Worlds (the classic Americanised version, not the TV series or the musical)
Cliffhanger (pure action silliness)
Face/Off (ditto, plus some rather good acting too... goodbye)

The critics trashed The Philadelphia Experiment and Innerspace? I liked Innerspace!

And they trashed Cliffhanger? I seem to remember that being the movie that marked Stallone's comeback from some awful comedies.

And Face Off? Now wait a minute--I recall critics loving that film! (I couldn't buy the premise personally.) The reason I remember it so well is because I remember thinking how odd it was that many critics said they didn't like Broken Arrow because John Travolta has too much of a nice-guy persona to make a convincing villain, but then turned around and applauded him in another villain role, in a movie by the same director as Broken Arrow!

I liked Battlefield Earth, and I'm not ashamed of it.

"Night of the Living Bread"--I'm the only person I know who finds this funny. I contend that it's a hilarious and surprisingly thorough parody of the original "Living Dead," considering it runs only about 7 minutes and was made by college students.

Plot: Slices of bread have risen and are attacking humans. Four people are holed up in a farmhouse; sandwich wrap over the windows isn't enough to stop the rampaging bread.

Is anyone else with me?

(For those few who might be interested, it's on the second tape of a special edition of NOTLD.)

Best All Time Underrated Movie:

THE LION IN WINTER

I've been wondering why it seems that so many think that the Lynch version of Dune is superior to the Harrison miniseries. The miniseries is much more faithful to the book, the only actor in the film that was clearly better than his miniseries counterpart was Dean Stockwell (all the others were equal or superior), and the film was utterly incoherant. Sure, the miniseries backdrops looked kind of fake, but the film sets weren't exactly better. I'm pretty sure that not all of these people are die hard Lynch fans that think that everything he does is a masterpiece. Or is that what it is and they're just making themselves seem more numerous than they actually are.

I own "Battlefield Earth" on DVD. I must be the only onw who has it!

With all due respect to Gordon Lawyer, many think the Lynch version of "Dune" is superior to the Harrison miniseries, because it is. Certainly, the
action sequences are better in the movie then in the miniseries. Despite what he says about the acting in both, the only actor who was superior or equal to the ones in the film, besides the Harkonnens, was the actor who played the same character as Max Von Sydow in the film. Von Sydow played the character as a scholar. The other actor played him as a complete loon. And surprisingly, both worked. Certainly, Jurgen Prochnow was superior to William Hurt as Duke Atriedes. The miniseries was not always more faithful to the book then the film. Paul's escape into the desert with his mother, that scene in the film was truer to the book, then that same scene in the miniseries. But, the main lesson the film is better then then miniseries is that Lynch has style and Harrison did not. After I saw the miniseries, I went back to a book I had on the making of the film and looked at the some of the pictures in the book. When Duke Atriedes (Jurgen Prochnow) arrived on Dune in the film, he was carrying a pug dog in his arms. Now that is style.
Something that the miniseries desperately needed, but lacked. Enjoy

Elmer, I give you two words. Weirding modules. It's a well known fact that, when adapting a novel to film, no matter how good the screenwriter's intentions, he/she will allow his/her ego to butt in and decide to "improve" the original. Harrison was also guilty of this, but what he did was at most merely annoying. I found the weirding modules to be offensive as they seemed to take unwarrented presidence in the story. Many plot points became dependant on the infernal gadgets, from why the Emperor wanted the Atreides gone to why the Fremen were able to fight back.
Speaking of the Emperor, the guy who played him in the film (I think his name was Ferrier or something like that) had the character come across as a wishy-washy loser.
And consider the way the film was done. First, we have the Game Attempt, where there seems to be a genuine attempt to adapt the story faithfully, screenwriter's ego aside. But about halfway through, they start snipping out bits and pieces of the story and plopping them in without any context, making it the incoherant mess it is known as. In some respects, it's like Bakshi's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. No wonder it did so poorly at the box office. I have more to say, but I'll do it later.

"The Postman" got a lot of flack when it opened. I just saw it yesterday, and liked it quite a bit. As far as Kevin-Costner-post-apocalyptic-movies go, I thought it was better than "Waterworld", at least. Maybe the movie won't hold up well on repeat viewings, though.

Oh, if someone can help me, I have a question. I set my VCR to record this because I had to go somewhere, and like always, I managed to cut off the last five to ten minutes or so. Can someone tell me what happened right after the Postman tells General Bethlehem that he's invoking "Law 7", and then rips off his sleeve, revealing his dandy scar? Assuming someone else saw the movie?

****SPOILER WARNING******

They fight to the death and the postman wins, and becomes leader of the clan. Cut to 30+ years in the future and America has recovered, and is now part of the civilized world agian. In narration his daughter tells about how he did hear about the town he was looking for in the begining of the movie but never went their because he always felt their was work to be done. She tells about how he re-kindled hope for the future. We see that she is speaking at the deticastion of a statue that is being presented in memory of him. It is the image of him on horseback taking the letter from the little boy. A man in the crowd looks at the boy in the statue and says "that was me."

I'd like to add "Tomb Raider" to my list.

A British film called "Sapphire" from the late 50's /early 60's. A light-skinned black party girl
is murdered, setting off a chain of events in white and black London. I saw it on TV a couple times when I was young, but it has apparently disappeared. Unless it's been retitled, it doesn't show up on TV, cable or home video. Unfortunately, I don't know who the stars were or who directed it. Can anyone help me?

I think this is the film you're thinking of Gary.
Sapphire

I hope I formatted that right. If not, do a copy and paste http://us.imdb.com/Details?0053242 into your browser. It takes you to the Internet Movie Database. A great place to find info on movies.

Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days. It is dated now because it takes place in 1999 (the future at the time the film was made). It was written by James Cameron (Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens).

KANSAS CITY (Altman moves a large ensemble through a dizzying storyline, plus pays homage to 1930's jazz)
THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO
GONE IN 60 SECONDS
SWORDFISH
WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER?
HELP!
BYE BYE BIRDIE
THE BOYS FROM COMPANY C

The only movie that was originally a video game that I hated was Final Fantasy: The Spirits within.

SMB, SF, MK 1and2, WC, and TR, all had good lines, moderately good acting, plots that went with the game, and some terrific special effects and action sequences. I hate to see people ripping on them.

Conlon, by any coinciendence ar eyou under the age of 13? Final Fantasy was brillaint! I loved it. It was increidble. Great voice acting and intriguing plot. I didn't like that song at the end but beyond that it was well worth the $6.00 I spent on the movie ticket, AND the purchase of the DVD.

Wing Commander, Double Dragon, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat 2 were truly awful. No, correction, they were BEYOND awful!

Tomb Raider and Mario Brothers were stoopid fun movies, you know, kind of like Bruce Lee films. Not great, just fun.

The first Mortal Kombat was pretty decent. I was pleasently surprised by it. It's too bad the sequel sucked so bad.

Webber, I don't need to know that people don't like it. If people did, it wouldn't be on this board. As for Final Fantasy. I agree with TDS critic Frank Decaro. It's a much better screen saver than it is a movie.

TDS? Oh, you mean The Daily Show! yeah, like I'm gonna listen to the guy who blasted Erin Brockovich. I'd rather take my little brother's movie watching advice than trust him. For that matter any critic! I don't trust film critics. All a bunch of self-righteous snobs who think they're opinion of a movie is the be-all-end-all of it.

I didn't say I agreed with him on everything! Just Final Fantasy.

All a bunch of self-righteous snobs who think they're opinion of a movie is the be-all-end-all of it.

Oh, I dunno. I usually find I can trust Roger Ebert to be fair.
Terrence Rafferty of the New Yorker constantly comes up with interesting and intelligent new angles in his reviews; so does Janet Maslin, of the New York Times.
Paul Tatara, of cnn.com, is outspoken - and funny with it - but not harsh.
The ScreenIt! parental-guidance folks seem to be operating from a genuine love of movies, as do (I guess obviously) the various reviewers in Variety.
And of course there's moviejuice.com, the ultimate anti-hype review site. Just screamingly funny.

In the end, I suppose picking a reviewer you can trust comes down to realizing that all criticism is (as you say) just one person's opinion - and then finding the critic whose opinions most often run with yours.

Roger Ebert always gives good reviews to the movies with the most and biggest cleavage. He is most definately a breastman.

Hey guys! I'm a movie critic! Well, in a way,..
I've seen 5,769 movies at 21 years old. I always give the straight up version first, then my opinion of it. !!
Here's my 2 cents:

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Woooo! 5 stars!
Star Trek: Generations. Sure, it was a little cheesy, but it was a crossover. Obviously someone would get upset. (I did.) There are tons of nits in that movie too. Most prominently the whole "chemical probe reaches sun in 10 seconds and effect reaches planet" thing.
see my website! http://stormflix.tripod.com!
(It's still under construction, so only 25 movies are listed. The rest will fill in about 3-4 weeks from now) A total of about 250-300, then in 6 mos. 1000+

Considering the 'response' to it on the Comedy board since I created a topic for it, Heathers.

This academy honors the films ignored by the "other" academy.

Nominations:


Best motion picture of the year

Memento
Mulholland Drive
Black Hawk Down

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Guy Pierce - Memento

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Joe Pantoliano - Memento

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Carrie-Anne Moss - Memento

Achievement in directing

Christopher Nolan - Memento

Didn't you forget Gene Hackman - The Royal Tennenbaums?

ScottN (and anyone else), feel free to add your nominations.

Forgot one. People either love this movie or they hate it.

PULP FICTION!

and let's not forget...

Natural Born Killers

Baz Luhrmann - Best Director Moulin Rouge
Billy Bob Thronton - Best Actor for The Man Who Wasn't There and/or Monster's Ball
Waking Life - Best Animated Film
Startup.Com - Best Documentary. Apparently commercial success is a kiss of death in this category.
Jason Lee - Best Supporting Actor Almost Famous. Oh, wait, that's LAST year's snubs.
Harry Potter - Best Picture. Hey, I liked it, and I'm a cynic who hates Chris Columbus movies (specially Home Alone)!

I've got to agree with Webber on Bez Luhrmann. I went to Mulin Rouge to see Nicole Kidman in a corset and almost walked out after the first minute. That I didn't, and enjoyed a surreal musical is a serios testament to the director. (Oh, Nicole Kidman in period underwear helped.)

I liked Sphere. Of course, I read the book first so I understood it.

I also liked Waterworld, The Postman, and the Fifth Element. I admit it: I'm a sucker for a unique setting. Those three movies did a sweet job of inventing a setting.

"Thirteen Days"

I liked Sphere too. Waterworld wasn't as bad as all the hype indicated, it just was a bit too long. And who hated The Fifth Element?

And John, Thirteen Days? You're saying you know or heard of lots of people who hated it? I thought it was great!

I liked 'Waterworld'; it reminded me of 'The Road Warrior,' only on water.

I liked it too. It was a good adventure movie, nothing more nothing less. Everyone was getting all pissed ab0out the $180 million budget, and saying it wasn't worth that much money. What diference does that make. All you should care about is if it's worth $6 (this would be in 1996 movie prices.)

Or $4.50 for a matinee (1996 US dollars).

So bad it was funny-Death Race 2000

Also, a good one but not very well known-Flight of the Intruder.

The Black Hole
Death Race 2000
Armaggedon
The Final Countdown
Moonraker
The Spy WHo Loved Me
You Only Live Twice
Starship Troopers

'You Only Live Twice?' That's one of my favorite Bond films!

Does anyone else like 'THX-1138?'

How about 'Dante's Peak?' (No, not 'Volcano.')

I own the Thirteen Days DVD, and have heard only a few people say they didn't like it.

Now, I work in a movie theater, and pass info--good, bad, trashy, etc.--on to you guys.

My favorite movie of all time Strange Days, a flick most people have never even heard of. Not only do I like the neo-noir atmosphere and cool gadgets I also think that the plot and characters are some of the best that James Cameron has ever writen. BTW he wrote and produced the movie but did not direct it.

I'd like to add "UHF".
Just got the DVD...it's a riot.

At this point in time it seems that more than HLAF my favorites go on this list, including the re-makes of The Time Machine and Planet of the Apes.

This is tehcnically a re-post becuase a post I made last month saying essentially the same thing (but in a more depressing way) was inexplicably deleted. I just wanna see what happens this time.

There are people who hate UHF?

I thought I mentioned Last Action Hero here a few years ago. . .

I really liked the 1981 pic "Nighthawks" with Sly Stallone, Billy Dee Williams and Rutger Hauer. The pic was suspenseful, action packed and it died at the box office.

WULFGARRRR!!!

I agree with "undercover Blues" it was a very funny movie! I saw it on TV, they show it during the summer sometime.

I also saw "Last action Hero" on TV and I liked it. I'd read the book before, so I knew it was parody. I like Arnie much better when he makes fun of himself.

"Kung-Pow....Enter the Fist". Ultra-hilarious!

I was slightly surprised to meet someone who perfered Never Say Never Again to Thunderball, & the original release of Blade Runner to the director's cut!

Everyone - the reviewers, other people, etc. - really hated it, but I totally adored the Avengers. I can't understand why I'm the only person who liked it... what's there not to like? Ralph Fiennes for suaveness ... --Annelies Mariano

Hey, I liked it too ... Though of course that may have something (or everything) to do with the fact I am Ralph Fiennes obsessed. Speaking of Ralph, how about Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights? Also the mini-series Gormenghast? I'm sure there are more ...

How about The English Patient, Daroga? To me, it is one overlong snoozefest.

Well, Adam, I was going to put that, but since most "critics" liked it ... Although you're right; most people I know didn't like it.
Have you, by chance, tried reading the book?

I dunno, Daroga, does anyone actually manage to live in the book?

For your information, Sparrow, Hana, Kip, and Caravaggio were very much alive (and you should still read the book).

After months of unsuccesfully scouring video rental outlets and stores for "Free Enterprise" I finally broke down and finally ordered the DVD. What a great investment! All I have to say is this is my new favorite movie. My answer to the question posed at 1:30 into the film - Anne Francis in "Forbidden Planet".

Sun Chaser with Woody Harrelson and Jon Seda. GREAT movie.

I guess I'm one of the only ones--

I love Batman Forever, the one with Jim Carrey, Val Kilmer, and Tommy Lee Jones

Luigi Novi: That scene didn't really do much for me. It would've done more if Dina Meyer and Denise Richard's had each other's roles.

Brian Fitzgerald: Not me, I like nautral bodies, sillicone breasts are a turn off for me.
Luigi Novi: Well, some are, and some or okay-looking. Hers looked fine in Wild Things, though I can't be sure they're silicone.

Of course, Dina Meyer has one of the most beautiful faces in Hollywood. Love those cheeks of hers when she smiles.

Hannah I like that one too because it had a fun element without going into camp orbit like Batman and Robin.

Cleopatra (w/ Liz Taylor) Liz was, is & ever shall be Cleopatra.

French Connection II; Gene Hackman's performance as Popeye Doyle in this superb sequel was even better than in the original. Doyle is sent to Marseilles, to flush out druglord Charnier (Fernando Rey), but he has been unwittingly set up by his own people. No subway chases here, but a great chase on foot through the streets of Marseilles. This pic died at the box office in 1975, and is rarely seen today.

These could also be "overlooked" too, but here goes:

Casino Royale (hey, it's funny!)
The Count of Monte Cristo (the new one)
Fools Rush In (the best Matthew Perry movie)
The Man Who Knew Too Little (hey, it's funny!)
Small Time Crooks
Snake Eyes
That Thing You Do

I think the camera work in Snake Eyes is enough to justify the lack of suspense that comes from DePalma laying all his cards on the table way too soon.

I'll vote here for Star Trek - Nemesis. I really enjoyed it, and I don't think it deserves the tank job it is getting at the box office.

The Three Musketeers (both the '73 version and the Disney remake).

Actually, only the disney version belongs on this board, though.

Undercover Blues was pretty funny and goofy.

"My name...is MORTY!!!"

I really liked the 1987 Bruce Willis/Kim Basinger slapstick fest Blind Date. Directed by Blake Edwards, the plot concerns Walter (Willis) who needs a date for a night. Enter Nadia (Basinger), a fix-up arranged by Walter's sister-in-law. Nadia can't drink anything alcoholic, but of course does. Typical Blake Edwards mayhem ensues. This pic bombed at the box office, and it got critically ripped, but I enjoyed it a lot. Still do. This pic was, I believe, Willis' first starring film role. Basinger thankfully replaced Madonna as Nadia. Check it out also for the late Phil Hartman, as Willis' brother.
Don't check out the next time Edwards and Willis worked together. A wretched 1988 disaster called Sunset. Only good thing there was James Garner as Wyatt Earp.

I really liked the 1987 Bruce Willis/Kim Basinger slapstick fest Blind Date.

You're not alone Adam. I liked that movie too.

French Connection II has re-surfaced lately. It's run on channels in the Encore package, particularly on the Mystery and Action channels. It has also played on the "True Stories" channel (now Encore Drama.) But, this movie was fiction, a sequel to a dramatization of a true story. Anyway, it also turns up on the Fox Movie Channel from time to time. Check it out.

It seems to me that most of the movies previously mentioned on this board are not really movies that most people seem to hate, but are movies that weren't well-received by major movie critics and/or weren't box office successes. For example, "Thirteen Days" got decent reviews, but did poorly at the box office, most likely due to the genre and subject matter (political thriller about the Cuban Missile Crisis). I saw it upon theatrical release and thought it was excellent. I haven't heard of many people who saw the movie and didn't like it, as opposed to many people who just didn't see it.

I really liked Soldier. I thought it was very moving and though-provoking, though it seemed a lot of people didn't like it.

I also enjoyed Romy And Michelle's High School Reunion. I was glad to see the supposed "cool girls" get their comeupance at the end. (We all knew clods like that, didn't we?)

I liked that movie too.

Everyone - the reviewers, other people, etc. - really hated it, but I totally adored the Avengers. I can't understand why I'm the only person who liked it... what's there not to like? Ralph Fiennes for suaveness, Uma Thurman in *two* catsuits, and Sean Connery as a deranged baddie?! Of course it's campy, it's supposed to be campy... sniff, sniff.

And now everyone's making such a big deal out of "Charlie's Angels." Well, Emma Peel could kick their butts! ;)

Waterworld was NOT a commercial flop.

---

quote:

After months of unsuccesfully scouring video rental outlets and stores for "Free Enterprise" I finally broke down and finally ordered the DVD. What a great investment! All I have to say is this is my new favorite movie.

---

The Omega man and Last man on earth. I couldn't hear the soundtrack in my theatre it was very low sound., on my birthday in 76.We had 13 people for 100 seats. It was the Omega Thatre.

Robinson Cruso on Mars with Paul Mantee.(how do you live on Mars, breath and eat. His clothes should be torn up by now.

Crack in the World (my first movie I ever saw).

the Party with Peter Sellers. Claudine Longet's yellow dress...mmmmmmmmmmmm

Star Trek Nemisis bombed. (to me anyways.)1 guy missed the finale, he went to the bathroom and asked me what happened? I said shhhhhhh I'm watching.a couple next to me wasnt.

Larceny Inc. Its a comedy with Edward G. Robinson. Brilliant movie that really needs a DVD or even VHS release!

Planet of the Apes remake. I didn't know C. Heston was in it until I heard the line he spoke in the original!The ending was...as good as the original.

Astronaut's Wife? She even didnt see the preimier, I heard?

Who are you talking about?

Could you at least *TRY* to make your posts make sense?

Google is your friend, ScottN, try it.

Astonaut's wife with Johnny Depp, in 1999.

I'm aware of the movie, but I shouldn't have to google to make sense of your post.

Note that you *still* haven't named the actress.