Movie Magic, or not

It's been awhile since we've had a "movie" thread, and I want to talk about two I watched yesterday, but don't want to talk about on FB 'cause of judgement. ;)

The first, was recommended to me by a co-worker as a possible third in my constant quest of a movie to go in my "bad-but-I-loved-it" trilogy. The first two are Van Helsing and Ghost Rider. The movie he recommended was Bubba Ho-Tep. I will now look at my co-worker askance whenever I see him. This is the danger of recommending movies to your co-workers.

Bubba Ho-Tep will not be in my trilogy. It was dark, had too much "Pecker" talk and I found it very sad and depressing. If I were collecting a trilogy of movies to go with Fargo (another movie which really depressed me), this would go with that.

So, in order to go to bed in a lighter mood, I watched Capatian America, which I had put off watching. It did the trick and I went to bed happy. Enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, although I was sad when Hugo Weaving pulled off his face too early in the movie.

I'm going to try to watch The Incredible Hulk (with Edward Norton) this weekend, then when I can, The Avengers. I wasn't in the mood for that type of movie when they actually came out, but I'm there now. I need some superhero escape.

I would not say Bubba Ho-Tep is a bad movie. I thought it a very good movie although the humour is VERY dark and I don't think I'll ever watch it again. Kind of like Fargo - no desire to ever see that again either.

I enjoyed Captain America, which I thought was really well done and much less nationalistic than I expected (not being American, sometimes that grates if they overdo it). If you liked that (and haven't already seen them), try Thor and the two Iron Man movies. I liked all of them.

One of my favourite movies is The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension. Opinions are divided on whether it is a good movie or a "good bad" movie, but I love it. It might fit your trilogy. Or try Big Trouble in Little China - Kurt Russell is a hoot in that one. I'd say it qualifies as "bad but I loved it" for me.

I finally had a chance to watch the Green Lantern over the weekend. I don't see why the critics panned it. (Not to mention the fans of the comic.) It was a credible, while accellerated, storyline. Ryan Reynolds made a fine choice for Hal Johnson. I thought it worth it for escapism type movie fare.

Though yes, Ghost Rider is definitely "so bad it's good" for me. Almost all Nick Cage movies are.

The Incredible Hulk with Ed Norton is a bit darker, but still a great flick.

Best superhero movie ever? Kick-Ass

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1250777/

My favorite "so bad but love it anyway" movie is Hudson Hawk.

I thought Thor was dreadful, and not in a good way, but I can recommend Flash Gordon as a "baddie but goody." The score by Queen is enough to recommend it.

Tardis, in fact I thought Bubba Ho-Tep better than I expected it to be, in the area of examining old age and celebrity. It was that super serious aspect of it that made it no good for me. I was expecting a JFK-Elvis-kick-mummy-ass movie. What I found was more than that.

Buckaroo Banzia almost fits, but I think it is too old. For my trilogy, there have to be fun FX and makeup, I'm pretty sure it will have to do with the supernatural world, too. Not really sci-fi. I was hoping Cowboys and Aliens would fit, but it was too good. It is now in my favorite westerns pack. I won't even mention the second Ghost Rider movie, it was so bad it was just bad. :(

I have seen the two Iron Man movies and Thor. Love Iron Man (possible that I love anything with Robert Downey, Jr.), enjoyed Thor without loving it. On that note, nothing I love will EVER have Kurt Russell in it. I'm just saying. Though I do enjoy Overboard, mostly because of Goldie Hawn.

gilroy, I was a comic fan when I was a young teen, but I never kept up with it. Is the Green Lantern part of the Avenger team? Or is he with the Spiderman and Superman team? And what about the Green Hornet? Where does he belong? Does every comic team have a green hero?

majkia - I think Kick-Ass would depress me too, even though it is a comedy. I like my superheros to have powers and not be real. Watchmen depressed me for that same reason. No tawdry wannabes for me, thank you!

Hudson Hawk has promise though! I like watching Bruce Willis, especially his earlier stuff. Hmmm, I have a season of Moonlighting, maybe I should watch that.

Hudson Hawk is silly and campy and fun and has terrible acting. But it also has Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello singing "Would You Like to Swing on a Star?" Makes me smile just thinking about it.

Thor was a major disappointment. It just did not go anywhere for me. I have yet to see the new Spiderman, but my personal movie critics (my two sons) highly recommend it.

As to Kick Ass, part of me loved it, and part of me...well it was hard to watch. Not sure why.

As to favorite silly action films, I love Armageddon. I know, it is REALLY bad. But I love it.

Amen to Armageddon . . . so very bad, but so very loveable!

Hmm - not sure any of my favourite bad movies are new enough to have good FX and makeup...

However, despite the fact that you reject the best movie in Kurt Russell's oeuvre (sniff!), which, by the way has special effects and makeup GALORE, I persevere. How about the movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? It's only vaguely like the tv series, and some of the acting is really bad, but it's good dumb fun. Or Ladyhawke. Love the story but it is rather let down by the cutsy Matthew Broderick character with his 80s haircut. Bonus gorgeous horse.

My favorite so bad it's good movie is the new Wicker Man with Nic Cage. It has so much unintentional comedy it in.

I love schlocky Van Helsing! Lovely scenery. Would Men in Black fit?

#13 - No, Men in Black is good! :)

After I finish cooking dinner and serve up my TNT, I am going to try to track down some of the above mentioned movies to watch tonight.

Don't worry, tardis, I will at least Watch a Kurt Russell movie, but it can't live in my cupboard. Well, except for Stargate, which only lives there because of its lead in to the TV series.

These two reviews reflect why I do not trust MIB 3.  I love Van Helsing, though, for similar reasons!

I like the independent movie "Arranged".  Tis on Netlflix.

One of my favourites in the "so bad it's good" category is Tremors, with Kevin Bacon & Fred Ward (and Reba McIntyre). And even if you're not a Kurt Russell fan, watch Big Trouble in Little China.

#15 Rozax

I was pleasantly surprised by MIB 3. MIIB was a sequel and no more. MIB 3 recaptured some of the original MIB magic.

MrMorphy thought that Daredevil might fit your bill since it's another Marvel comic.

"Fun, kinda corny."

Saw a rerun on TV of a very fine but little known sci-fi movie, Moon, with a strong performance by Sam Rockwell.

My bf saw MIB 3 and said it was good. He's hard to please so it's a good recommendation.

I watched The Incredible Hulk last night. So here is my order for the "Avenger" lead up movies, from best to least favorite.
Iron Man
Captain America
Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk
Thor

Sigh. Since Netflix changed their member policy, we went with the "watch instantly" package. Sadly, there are a lot of movies not there. I don't know if they are in the mail package or not, because Netflix won't show me without I pay them extra, which I do not feel like doing.

Daredevil is not there, so I won't be able to see it for awhile, but, Ben Affleck? Really? On a grade of "not favorite actors" he's just behind Kurt Russell, but ahead of Leonardo Di Caprio. As much as I am not fond of Di Caprio, I have to admit he has made some watchable movies. I will try it though!

My boys both liked MIB 3 as well, I plan to watch it when I have a chance.

I stayed up until 4:30am watching the American version of Life on Mars. I liked it better than I thought I would. I loved the BBC one, but this is pretty good too.

Received season 4 of Leverage in the mail today, so I will probably start that when I finish Life on Mars.

#16 - Tremors? Tremors might fit.... I don't know, it certainly was bad-but-good....but could it sit as a trilogy with with Van Helsing and Ghost Rider? Somehow, not in my head. It wasn't really anything I want to watch again. See, Van Helsing had Hugh Jackman, enough said, and Ghost Rider had a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle, who couldn't watch that over and over? Tremors had Kevin Bacon (one strike, although I realize it is hard to find a movie without him in it) and giant worm/maggots (two strikes), not things I want to watch twice. ;) I should watch it once more, just to be sure though, it's been years since I did.

A good-bad superhero movie that I always like is The Punisher (with Tom Jane, rather than the Punisher:War Zone). It runs straight down a knife's edge of camp and serious. It's a little violent, but no more than most superhero movies, and I never cease to find bits of (accidental?) homoerotic subtext (and text).

You could always go for The Shadow with Alec Baldwin. It's pretty campy, but I find it fun.

Oh, The Shadow was a good "bad" movie.

I almost forgot about Tremors. I have actually seen the original, two and three. I am a sucker for punishment.

As to Van Helsing, not quite bad enough to be good.

I can speak up for The Shadow. I thought it was a tolerable attempt at a superhero movie.

Although really, if you're looking for a bad movie to love, there is always the 1996 version of The Phantom with Billy Zane and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I mean, that is more memorable for me than was Shadow. I remember reading about The-Ghost-Who-Walked from the time I was a little girl myself.

I watched both movies with my two boys. I remember we liked The Phantom very much. One caveat --> there was an incident and I cannot now recall if it happened in Phantom or in Shadow, when someone's eyeball was seriously injured on screen. 'Waay more than was required.

Billy Zane. He and Crispin Glover are two of the strangest people in H'wood.

Oooohhh, I forgot about The Shadow! I'll have to watch that again. I don't think I ever saw/heard of The Phantom? I love Catherine Zeta-Jones.

I finished the Life on Mars series from America. waaaay different than I remember the BBC version, but now I'm wondering if I remember the BBC version's ending. Hmm. May have to go find that one to watch the ending of.

The Phantom was all kinds of awful, and not in a good way. Darkman with Liam Neeson was very good. I liked Bubba Ho-tep and Big Trouble in Little China is one of my favorites. No guilt at all there. They Live, with Rowdy Roddy Piper is my guilty pleasure.

>#19: Moon was excellent, but then i've been a fan of Sam Rockwell since Galaxy Quest. Though i just checked IMDB and saw that he played "head thug" in TMNT in 1990 and "thug" in Basquiat in 1996 so i guess his career is on a downward slide. Supporting evidence: characters played in Iron Man and Cowboys and Aliens.

As far Tremors, it had SAND WORMS! Every movie ever made could be improved by the addition of sand worms, without exception. The Hours? Titanic? Police Academy V? I rest my case. Same argument applies with dragons and to a lesser extent ninjas.

I'd grudgingly agree that Big Trouble just edges out Escape From New York as Kurt Russell's finest.

Isn't amazing how much hollywood star information lodges in your brain even if you disdain the cult of celebrity?

Also the Phantom wins for costumes. Purple body-suits...

#7

No, Green Lantern is DC comics - Justice League. (Which they probably won't make a movie about, since the way they've built the various DC movie worlds, you couldn't merge them smoothly.)

Green Hornet I thought was a remake of an old 60s TV show, which is cheese already, then personified to worse by the recent spate of writers.

I don't think every team has a green hero though.

A movie I really love but many do not is Scott Pilgrim Versus The World. It's a love story heavily influenced by the superhero genre but you need to have played a few old 8 bit computer games to really appreciate it.

In general I don't like comic-book movies (including movies of that type even if they're not based on a comic book). But sometimes they just hit the spot. When my husband and I were on vacation, Thor was amusing enough and lively enough to give us an evening's entertainment. (Our viewing featured the usual dialogue that goes like this: Me: "Wait--that bit didn't make any sense. It was completely illogical." Husband: "Just watch the movie, honey.")

My dramatic literature instructor recommended Kick-Ass, and we watched that in the same spirit. It was no less silly than the others of its type, but it did have a certain spunk that I enjoyed in spite of myself.

30 - "As far Tremors, it had SAND WORMS! Every movie ever made could be improved by the addition of sand worms, without exception."

OK, I'll give you that. Now I'm going to spend an amusing evening thinking of my favorite movies with SAND WORMS! :)

gilroy - Thank you. Let's see, Hulk (Avengers) = Green, Onyxx (X-men) = Green, Wicked Witch of the West (or was it East?) = Green, oh, guess I got carried away there. Anyway, personally, I'm very fond of green. And how could I forget? KERMIT! Best Superhero of all!

On the green thing - for a long time, so I've read, green (along with purple, orange and brown) was the colour of villains in comic books, because it was the different set on the colour wheel to red/blue/yellow, which were used for the heroes. That way you could keep a colour scheme for good and evil. It may have had something to do with print settings as well.

heros used yellow? wait, the Flash... that's all i got.

Beetlejuice has sand worms! Dune has sand worms!

So, Morphidae, are you suggesting Beetlejuice and Dune are from the same world?

Hmmm!

I watched LA Confidential last night. It's a good-good movie. Now I'm tempted to find the book, which I'm told is somehow five times as complicated.

Oh no! There's a book? Dar-gone-it! My wishlist just keeps getting longer and longer.

LA Confidential by James Ellroy.

I don't suppose anyone remembers Masters of the Universe? Frank Langella as Skeletor!

>43 KimarieBee: My favorite character was the little person. Can't remember his name.

#44 Gwildor (Billy Barty was also in Willow) and did you notice that Robert Duncan McNeill "Tom Paris" appeared as well?

#30 - For you, from Tor.com posting on FB.

Aunty Em! Aunty Em!

>30 MrAndrew: One summer we took a road trip through Lone Pine in southern California. I think my boys were about 8 and 11. Outside town there is a series of rock formations that were the setting for desert scenes in many famous western films, and some other films as well. (I think the rock monster scene in Galaxy Quest was filmed there.) There's a film museum in Lone Pine, and we took the kids through it. They yawned their way past the Lone Ranger's costume and endless famous saddles, guns and movie posters, and I lost them for a bit. Suddenly they came running out from some back corner, saying, "Mom, Mom, you have to see this!" It was the model of the sand worm used for Tremors, and it's still the thing they remember most about that trip.

I just re-watched The Shadow. Definitely fun and totally undeserving of the critics' bad reviews and scorn. Of course, I can't watch Alec Baldwin anymore without thinking of him in 30 Rock and/or the various commercials he does.

Speaking of Aunty Em, read this morning that the day Judy Garland died, a tornado hit Kansas. I'm trying to figure out how to check whether this is fact of fiction.

It was probably Nebraska, where a tornado killed two people on that day.

cue - Twilight Zone music

I have fond memories of The Shadow. The across-the-street from work grill had movie tie in pinball game. We played it OFTEN!

I still don't know if The Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow is good or bad. But I did love it.
More recently I think Avatar is actually pretty bad, but the imagery is awesome.

Avatar is a terrible movie! Its only redeeming quality is how pretty it is, but there will be other pretty 3D movies.

I think the whole 3D movie thing is an abomination. It's just an easy way to lure customers into the theatres without having to actually make an attempt at the script.
Besides, who wants to bring a sick bag to the movies?

And I do like Avatar. Anyway. Despite the laughable plot. I mean, a real megacorp would just nuke the place and excavate the unobtanium with robots (or slave workers).
But when I want entertainment plot isn't on the top of my list. Just watch me enjoy Fifth Element or Hunt for Red October *grin*

A good film is Drifting Clouds, or Take care of your scarf, Tatjana, both by Aki Kaurismäki.
Or Jarmusch's Down by Law or Night on Earth. Or Wim Wender's Wings of Desire.
In my humble and very personal opinion.

:)

Probably Avatar 2 and 3.

When I want to relax with an old favorite that is a good movie, I usually choose Shawshank Redemption.

Also, the first gloomy day of Fall, when I am home, I watch Fiddler on the Roof. I have been doing that for the last twenty years. (I did for three or four years running before I realized it was a tradition!) Dr. Zhivago usually (but not always) follows close behind--the David Lean version, not the BBC mini-series, which is much truer to the book.

I also start The Brothers Karamazov every Autumn, but have only actually finished it once. Something about Autumn reminds me of Russia.

Anyone know of any Russian Jazz?

I like Avatar too, in much the same way that I like Ruffles potato chips and a tub of onion dip. It's junk food for the mind, a guilty pleasure, indulged in now and then and afterwards compensated for puritanically with an extra measure of carrots and celery. Ask me if it's a good movie, though, and I can't say yes. It's a well-done bad movie.

My favorite fun-to-watch movie to return to again and again is O Brother, Where Art Thou? After many viewings over the years, I still never fail to laugh aloud at the same two lines.

I hear you on that!

Which two lines?

My favorites are, "We thought....we were....a toad" and "It's a fool who looks for reason in the chambers of the human heart."

Also, "Well...I'm with you fellas!"

Or, "Son, you sold your everlasting soul?"
"I wasn't using it."

57 - Not jazz, but try this Russian-Australian folky-jazzy fusion by Zulya and the Children of the Underground. Judging by what you've played on your show, you might find it tickles your fancy.

54 - The point of Avatar is not the plot, but how pretty it is. Just see it as a piece of visual artwork.

Wow. Thanks for Zulya. It will definitely be on my next show!

I couldn't enjoy Dune for how bad it was.  Every version I've seen has simply struck me as perverted. >_<

62 - You're welcome!

59:

Ulysses Everett McGill: Damn! We're in a tight spot!

and

Tommy Johnson: I had to be up at that there crossroads last midnight, to sell my soul to the devil.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well, ain't it a small world, spiritually speaking. Pete and Delmar just been baptized and saved. I guess I'm the only one that remains unaffiliated.

Clooney can't even keep a straight face when he says it. I think that's part of what cracks me up. (I also like George Clooney better in this part than in any other movie.)

Oh, yeah, and this line:

Ulysses Everett McGill: Baptism! You two are just dumber than a bag of hammers!

In fact, there's a fine collection of quotes right here.

61 pwaites - I understand that that's what it's supposed to be, but I find the story both really boring and derivative (Fern Gully/Dances With Wolves/etc) and also pretty offensive (enough with the Mighty Whitey plot already!). Which detracts hugely from any enjoyment I might get from the pretty.

Also, like Busifer, I don't especially like 3D movies.

I saw two movies last night, which I liked, but weren't well received by critics.

The first was Jig, a documentary about the World Irish Dance Championships. Having passed by that crowd before and having vague connections to it, it was interesting to see those who take it deadly serious. It was interesting to see the wide variety of competitors and attitudes. The young NY girl who was like a beauty show contestant, and her Irish competitor from Derry, who was an adorably Weasley-like tween (a dead ringer for Ginny) who took absolutely *everything* in her stride. The Sri Lankan-born Dutchman competing in the older bracket had a deliberately stand-offish attitude that had a desperation for achievement underneath. The young English boy who took practice very seriously, and then went home to his favourite stuffed toys. And the Russian set dancers who seemed to choose to do it just to spite the Moscow winter.

The other movie was Circumstance, which is an American movie shot in Beirut about Iranian lesbians (using second-generation immigrants as actors). Apparently their accents were terrible, but I couldn't tell. There was certainly some shallowness to the film, and apparently some unrealistic actions, culturally speaking, but I enjoyed the view into a culture we can't see into most of the time.

The critics didn't like Hook, but I still enjoy it.  Granted, Peter's flashback was a little weird since, for some reason, the creators didn't actually show him running away.

I loved Hook as a kid. I haven't seen it since though, so I don't know if it's been hit by the suck fairy.

I went back to watch Doctor Dolittle which was a favorite as a child. While not a great movie, it still has it's charm.

I also have Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on order.

>#67: Russian-Australian folky-jazzy fusion... documentary about the World Irish Dance Championships... an American movie shot in Beirut about Iranian lesbians...

Are you sure that you live in Canberra? Is this a Floriade thing?

#65

"My hair!"

Every time he wakes up.

She has "R-U-N-N O-F-T"

I love the "toad" line, too.

Choreocrat, Hook is still excellent. It's one of the films on my 'must-always-have-on-DVD' list.

71 - No, I don't live in Canberra anymore. I live in North Queensland. That said, I am in Canberra at the moment for Floriade, among other things.

I just remembered John Carpenter's Vampires when looking for a movie the other night. I find it to be a pretty over the top vampire movie, but I really enjoy it.

>76 heathn: It's not a "great" movie, but I love J.C.'s Vampires! Partially because I love James Woods and all the Baldwin brothers, partially because it was "serious" in tone but with a lot of humor related to the "padre," and partially because Carpenter just has that special touch. ;) However, Vampires: Los Muertos is one worth passing over, lol.

I like Hook a lot. Can't say I love it. Yesterday was a Doctor Zhivago day.

Well, I watched The Avengers last night, and again this morning. :) So many snatches of dialog to catch, it's hard to do the first time through. A nice culmination of effort. I enjoyed how each character had the language and persona of their time and place. My favorite line: from Captain America, because it is so right for a clean-cut boy from the 40s to say after being told to sit tight because Loki and Thor were gods, "There's only one God, madam, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." I thought some of the feuding and arguments went on too long, but I guess that was for the comic book fans? Anyway, the movie amused me, so I got my money's worth. Rented it on Amazon.

I liked it where the Hulk threw Loki around and said something like, "Puny god."

Oh yes, that got a belly laugh from me, that, and where he blind-sided Thor. :)