A Masterpiece... you hate?

I don't think too many people are going to go ballistic over Godfather III.

Two recent "masterpieces" I just don't get the gushing over: Good Will Hunting and The Social Network. I suspect in 30 years, someone will mention those in a similar conversation. Mind you, I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with them, and they're enjoyable enough, but not nearly to the extent they're made out to be.
 
Here's a cut n paste from another thread I posted a while back.
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Many many moons ago, on another forum, I made a post.
It was just recently brought to my attention again and it made me laugh.

It has nothing to do with a gh1 but because I'm currently reading here , I thought I'd post it. So here goes
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A short letter to Mr David Lynch


Dear Mr Lynch
I sure am a fan of the Twin Peaks series. (yes, I like pie too) but yesterday I recieved my copy of "Eraserhead" from Netflix. My wife told me to cut the lawn this Saturday as she went off to work. I elected (after she left for work) to pay the kid across the street $30 to do it for me so I could drink my morning coffee, relax and watch Eraserhead. I know this is one of your older works (1977) but I must say your film is the biggest chunk of s**t I have ever watched. I don't know how much money it made, but if you spent more than $12 making it, you spent too much. I watch more than my share of films and I really enjoy the more eclectic/arty films, but the way I figure it, you owe me $30 for the lawn boy and approx $1.20 for your share of my monthly Netflix bill. Yes this is now officially the worst film I have EVER seen. (and I even watched one of those scary? Leprechaun movies.) It was sooo bad, I promise I will never watch anything you write/produce/direct/recommend/ ever again.
Please feel free to email me and I will give you an address to send a check ($31.20) to.

Thanks
Chris

(no...I take back the Thanks. Just send me my money asshole)

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Needless to say, I never heard from him.
 
Its important to note context.

Citizen Kane for example... in context to todays film, yes, its a "average" story. But in 1938, it was a deep satire on William Randolph Hearst, the most powerful media man in america.

It was also the first film to have .... how can I word it, "stylized cinematography". The Matrix of its day.... there was nothing like it up until that moment. It set the freedom of what future "auter" directors could do.

Keep in mind context to the time, place, and culture of when it was made. Timeless films are few and far between.
 
Here's a cut n paste from another thread I posted a while back.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many many moons ago, on another forum, I made a post.
It was just recently brought to my attention again and it made me laugh.

It has nothing to do with a gh1 but because I'm currently reading here , I thought I'd post it. So here goes
----------------------------------------------

A short letter to Mr David Lynch


Dear Mr Lynch
I sure am a fan of the Twin Peaks series. (yes, I like pie too) but yesterday I recieved my copy of "Eraserhead" from Netflix. My wife told me to cut the lawn this Saturday as she went off to work. I elected (after she left for work) to pay the kid across the street $30 to do it for me so I could drink my morning coffee, relax and watch Eraserhead. I know this is one of your older works (1977) but I must say your film is the biggest chunk of s**t I have ever watched. I don't know how much money it made, but if you spent more than $12 making it, you spent too much. I watch more than my share of films and I really enjoy the more eclectic/arty films, but the way I figure it, you owe me $30 for the lawn boy and approx $1.20 for your share of my monthly Netflix bill. Yes this is now officially the worst film I have EVER seen. (and I even watched one of those scary? Leprechaun movies.) It was sooo bad, I promise I will never watch anything you write/produce/direct/recommend/ ever again.
Please feel free to email me and I will give you an address to send a check ($31.20) to.

Thanks
Chris

(no...I take back the Thanks. Just send me my money asshole)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Needless to say, I never heard from him.

Well, all is lost for me - I love Eraserhead...

Didn't enjoy The Godfather movies...

Loved Solaris... (original version... sorry again - LOL!)

Loved the V/O version of Blade Runner - but didn't like the Directors/Restored version (I miss the V/O and I think the later version presumes you've seen the original version).

One movie everyone else I know loves and I really (really) don't like is Gross Point Blank... just can't see what everyone sees in it!

Here's one for you cult fans - I'm about the only person I know that likes it... Ken Russell's The Devils... non of my industry friends get more than 20 mins in... and my non-industry ones don't reach past 10 mins... LOL.

Guess my bizarre Brit and trans European taste is showing through... guess I better hang my head in shame... LOL/
 
Blade Runner.

Yep, I know. Everyone loves it. "It's so great." I watched it and was bored pretty much the whole time.

I guess the stoning will commence now.

life_of_brian___stoning_gif_by_kraljaleksandar-d3c7mbj.gif
 
I remember that "Legends of the Fall" left me disgusted and depressed though everyone seemed to love it…
 
Loved Solaris ( both original and remake )

Loved Eraserhead ( and almost anything by Lynch )

Hated BladeRunner the first time I saw it ( I had read the book 7 times and was expecting to see something from the book, and the film contained about 2 percent of the book )
I now love BladeRunner ( the existential question about what is human )

Loved Requiem for a Dream ( my favorite Aronofsky film, but I never want to watch it again )

...I generally love all films that are NOT formula, that challenge the viewer and might even make you feel a bit uncomfortable at times.
 
Well, all is lost for me - I love Eraserhead...

Didn't enjoy The Godfather movies...

Loved Solaris... (original version... sorry again - LOL!)

Loved the V/O version of Blade Runner - but didn't like the Directors/Restored version (I miss the V/O and I think the later version presumes you've seen the original version).

One movie everyone else I know loves and I really (really) don't like is Gross Point Blank... just can't see what everyone sees in it!

Here's one for you cult fans - I'm about the only person I know that likes it... Ken Russell's The Devils... non of my industry friends get more than 20 mins in... and my non-industry ones don't reach past 10 mins... LOL.

Guess my bizarre Brit and trans European taste is showing through... guess I better hang my head in shame... LOL/

I just realized, my avatar is a screenshot from Solaris. (the russian one)
 
Of Mice and Men (1939 version with Burgess Maredith and Lon Chaney Jr.).

Watched in school 30 years ago and hated the ending. Revisited it a while ago and it had a much different impact on me.
 
I just realized, my avatar is a screenshot from Solaris. (the russian one)

I think that image is from Stalker, no?

'Blade Runner' is one of those movies I am in two minds about. However I bought the special edition DVD, even though I was never a big fan of the movie, because I know the film has great merit. What annoys me most is the music score; that Vangelis music keeps taking me out of the movie, it seems too intrusive and follows the images too closely for my liking (as in a flying car appears and the music suddenly pings to announce it).

Bound was an amazing movie (whoever mentioned it) - a very tight noir thriller with an excellent performance by Joe Pantoliano (sp?) who was totally overlooked because of the whole Tilly/Gershon thing.
 
2001: A Space Odyssey
Network
The Shining
The Godfather, Part II

Vertigo
 
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A Clockwork Orange... drab and pretentious.

I didn't hate Blade Runner, but it was certainly underwhelming. Brilliant visuals though.

Hitchcock's 'The Birds' was laughable. The Exorcist was just shy of laughable, but still groan-worthy.

Taxi Driver was just plain uninteresting, both in subject matter and delivery.
 
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