Underrated Films: Your Opinion

[-Arya-]

Great movie and another too rare fantastic performance by John Cazale.
Hackman who is also great in it turned 84 this week

Yeah agreed, it was my first time watching it and I never knew about the deliberate tie in to Enemy of the State. It was an awesome homage to Harry Caul in the Conversation.

 

[Man in the Suit]

Hell yeah. You, me and Patton Oswalt are in the same book. t: I enjoyed the hell outta War Zone and was surprised by how critically-panned it was, I thought the action sequences alone made it worth a 6/10 at least, but Ray Stevenson gives a solid performance, the cinematography was fantastic and, for working with its modest-budget cost, it looks really sharp at every moment (the film's got a really unique look that's hard to turn away from, especially when watching on Blu-ray). I'd give this film a solid 8/10, my only real problem with it was the Detective Soap character, I thought the actor did a terrible job, and sometimes the comedic bits felt a bit forced (including all the scenes with the Soap character, especially the ending). Still, that's not enough to derail the film for me and it continues to grow on me to this day (the director, Lexi Alexander, also made Green Street Hooligans which is a really gritty and intense film, I'd like to see her try her hand at another R-rated comic-book film in the future because she really did do a great job with this film IMO, all she needed was a more coherent script, but even with a not-so-good one she still made it work well in the end).

Team War Zone!

There are some crazy Suspiria colors in War Zone. It's awesome.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

War Zone is awesome and the best Punisher movie. I can't hear you haters.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

The Punisher is a stupid and boring character. That's why the movies are so bad. You can't turn crap into goldt:

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Batman Forever
Batman & Robin
Spider-Man 3
Superman Returns
The Phantom
The Shadow
The Mummy 1-3
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Green Lantern
The Legend of Zorro

 

[Schlosser85]

It seems to have gotten generally good reviews from those who saw it, but Lawless didn't get much attention.

 

[MrMaooz]

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Seriously, it's a great action-adventure flick. The only part that I don't like that much is the ending stuff with the aliens at the temple.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

The Conversation - This film is seldom ever mentioned when listing Copolla's best films. I personally thought it was great and Gene Hackman is fantastic.

I saw that for the first time last month before it got purged from Netflix. I loved it, it was slow at the beginning but it really sucked me in once it got that party with all the surveillance specialists. It was cool seeing a young Harrison ford in a role like that...also dat bloody toilet scene.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Seriously, it's a great action-adventure flick. The only part that I don't like that much is the ending stuff with the aliens at the temple.

I can't stop watching that gif

 

[Nemeres]

Richie Rich - Huge fun factor. What would make a rich boy's life cool? Your own roller coaster, a private McDonald's and Claudia Schiffer as your personal trainer. Not to mention it had a compelling and poignant story to tell, along with great actors. If it came out today, it would get raves.

ID4 - I love the 90s feel of it. And if you don't mind cheese, it's an enormously fun time. Great characters, too. I love Judd Hirsch in this, and pretty much everyone else.

Armageddon - A 12-year-old's space play fantasy made into a movie. It's dumb and loud, like Ebert said, but I wouldn't have it any other way. And just like ID4, great characters. Bear, Oscar, Rockhound... hilarious guys that are great to have on a screen. There is something in that movie that blockbusters today seem to lack, I can't put my finger on it. I could watch that movie a million times and never get bored.

 

[thejon93]

Richie Rich - Huge fun factor. What would make a rich boy's life cool? Your own roller coaster, a private McDonald's and Claudia Schiffer as your personal trainer. Not to mention it had a compelling and poignant story to tell, along with great actors. If it came out today, it would get raves.

ID4 - I love the 90s feel of it. And if you don't mind cheese, it's an enormously fun time. Great characters, too. I love Judd Hirsch in this, and pretty much everyone else.

Armageddon - A 12-year-old's space play fantasy made into a movie. It's dumb and loud, like Ebert said, but I wouldn't have it any other way. And just like ID4, great characters. Bear, Oscar, Rockhound... hilarious guys that are great to have on a screen. There is something in that movie that blockbusters today seem to lack, I can't put my finger on it. I could watch that movie a million times and never get bored.

I hate Richie Rich so much. Basically describes everything that's wrong with this world IMO. Making kids think it's good to be rich and wealthy while, at the same time, showing no consequences. The film ranks as one of the worst films that I've ever seen, I thought Culkin was annoying (he already started to annoy me with those two Home Alone films) and the film's script tries to make you sympathise with these characters but, why? Because they're rich?! I hate rich people, especially rich idiots who are allowed to have their own private McDonald's in their house. That crossed the line for me, blatant product placement and a bad message to send to kids (on a subliminal level). I hate this film, between this and North, I honestly don't know what I hate more.

Your last two picks, I definitely agree with you on. They're cheesy, but they're fun and entertaining popcorn flicks. Plus, Armageddon gave us that great Aerosmith song too.

 

[Nemeres]

I hate Richie Rich so much. Basically describes everything that's wrong with this world IMO. Making kids think it's good to be rich and wealthy while, at the same time, showing no consequences. The film ranks as one of the worst films that I've ever seen, I thought Culkin was annoying (he already started to annoy me with those two Home Alone films) and the film's script tries to make you sympathise with these characters but, why? Because they're rich?! I hate rich people, especially rich idiots who are allowed to have their own private McDonald's in their house. That crossed the line for me, blatant product placement and a bad message to send to kids (on a subliminal level). I hate this film, between this and North, I honestly don't know what I hate more.

Your last two picks, I definitely agree with you on. They're cheesy, but they're fun and entertaining popcorn flicks. Plus, Armageddon gave us that great Aerosmith song too.

Wow, I guess you really don't like it. I think that as an adaptation it works like gangbusters. It's adapting a cartoon about a kid whose entertainment hook is the fact that he's ridiculously rich. The screenwriters took that concept and extrapolated it into a story that's not about silly CGI (Scooby Doo) or cover songs with chipmunk voices (Alvin), but about characters. It taps into the hardships of being a friendless kid and his bond with his fatherly butler. Richie is not oblivious to his privilege, he does show embarrassment of riches... and he's a nice, generous kid. And regardless of whether it sends the wrong message, there's an element of fantasy fulfillment that's just spot on. It WOULD be fun to be Riche Rich, and the writers found an entertaining way to tap into that. That sharpness is pretty rare in kids' movies. Most of the time all these flicks show is cluelessness about the simple concept of entertainment (Smurfs). The heroes are likeable, the villain is hateful, the plot is witty and never stagnant... I'd call it a good flick. Funny quotes, too:

Herbert Cadbury: Excuse me, sir. It's a telephone call, from the President.
Richard Rich Sr.: Which country?
Herbert Cadbury: This one, sir.
Richard Rich Sr.: Probably needs another loan.

And hey, I was a huge Culkin fan as a kid. You can imagine my heartbreak when he started getting weird.

 

[thejon93]

Wow, I guess you really don't like it. I think that as an adaptation it works like gangbusters. It's adapting a cartoon about a kid whose entertainment hook is the fact that he's ridiculously rich. The screenwriters took that concept and extrapolated it into a story that's not about silly CGI (Scooby Doo) or cover songs with chipmunk voices (Alvin), but about characters. It taps into the hardships of being a friendless kid and his bond with his fatherly butler. Richie is not oblivious to his privilege, he does show embarrassment of riches... and he's a nice, generous kid. And regardless of whether it sends the wrong message, there's an element of fantasy fulfillment that's just spot on. It WOULD be fun to be Riche Rich, and the writers found an entertaining way to tap into that. That sharpness is pretty rare in kids' movies. Most of the time all these flicks show is cluelessness about the simple concept of entertainment (Smurfs). The heroes are likeable, the villain is hateful, the plot is witty and never stagnant... I'd call it a good flick. Funny quotes, too:

Herbert Cadbury: Excuse me, sir. It's a telephone call, from the President.
Richard Rich Sr.: Which country?
Herbert Cadbury: This one, sir.
Richard Rich Sr.: Probably needs another loan.

And hey, I was a huge Culkin fan as a kid. You can imagine my heartbreak when he started getting weird.

I, for one, was never a fan of Culkin. For some reason, all of his movies just seemed to be overly sentimental kiddie-fodder to me. Richie Rich is the worst of his films though IMO. It would have been much more interesting to see Richie start off as a pompous and spoiled little brat who later redeems himself, rather than start out as a kid who's already nice (and rich). I don't know, the film just feels phony to me and I never liked films that make you try and sympathise with rich people (they're rich, end of story, all their problems can be solved by them being, you guessed it, rich). Ever since the story came out about a 17 year-old rich kid running over a group of people, while drunk, and not getting punished for it (because, apparently, rich people are allowed to be stupid), I've been uncomfortable watching films like this in knowing how easy it is for these type of rich leeches to get away with crimes against humanity. Rich people don't have my sympathy... because they're rich, and they can get away with anything, and they can do anything, and they can (apparently) kill anything without proper punishment. This world we live in is ridiculous, the day somebody asks me to sympathise with a rich coward is the day I turn into Michael Douglas from Falling Down.

 

[-Arya-]

I saw that for the first time last month before it got purged from Netflix. I loved it, it was slow at the beginning but it really sucked me in once it got that party with all the surveillance specialists. It was cool seeing a young Harrison ford in a role like that...also dat bloody toilet scene.

That bathroom scene alone was more chilling than any modern horror film I've seen.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

I, for one, was never a fan of Culkin. For some reason, all of his movies just seemed to be overly sentimental kiddie-fodder to me. Richie Rich is the worst of his films though IMO. It would have been much more interesting to see Richie start off as a pompous and spoiled little brat who later redeems himself, rather than start out as a kid who's already nice (and rich). I don't know, the film just feels phony to me and I never liked films that make you try and sympathise with rich people (they're rich, end of story, all their problems can be solved by them being, you guessed it, rich). Ever since the story came out about a 17 year-old rich kid running over a group of people, while drunk, and not getting punished for it (because, apparently, rich people are allowed to be stupid), I've been uncomfortable watching films like this in knowing how easy it is for these type of rich leeches to get away with crimes against humanity. Rich people don't have my sympathy... because they're rich, and they can get away with anything, and they can do anything, and they can (apparently) kill anything without proper punishment. This world we live in is ridiculous, the day somebody asks me to sympathise with a rich coward is the day I turn into Michael Douglas from Falling Down.

While I don't remember the film enough to side with either of you, your hatred of rich people is kind of funny. You don't think a film can portray a sympathetic rich character what so ever? So anybody who is rich should just shut up about their problems because they have money? Does money somehow make peoples legit problems moot because they can buy more things then you can?

 

[thejon93]

While I don't remember the film enough to side with either of you, your hatred of rich people is kind of funny. You don't think a film can portray a sympathetic rich character what so ever? So anybody who is rich should just shut up about their problems because they have money? Does money somehow make peoples legit problems moot because they can buy more things then you can?

Yes. Look at every single rich person in the world, especially these reality show celebrities (like those Duck Dynasty imbeciles), how do they solve their problems? Money. Pure and simple. They say or do something bad, they can go to a magazine, have an interviewer get paid to make the reader sympathise with their "problems", so that's supposed to make me sympathetic towards them? Most of these rich idiots problems can be solved with a simple education but, since many of them don't even bother going to school, they turn out to be straight-up morons who have no common decency or knowledge. Sure, some celebrities and rich people in general are decent, well-educated people. But most of them are egotistical, self-righteous little cowards who would press charges against a person for simply saying "hi" to them. Rich people, most of them, are criminals in disguise.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

Yes. Look at every single rich person in the world, especially these reality show celebrities (like those Duck Dynasty imbeciles), how do they solve their problems? Money. Pure and simple. They say or do something bad, they can go to a magazine, have an interviewer get paid to make the reader sympathise with their "problems", so that's supposed to make me sympathetic towards them? Most of these rich idiots problems can be solved with a simple education but, since many of them don't even bother going to school, they turn out to be straight-up morons who have no common decency or knowledge. Sure, some celebrities and rich people in general are decent, well-educated people. But most of them are egotistical, self-righteous little cowards who would press charges against a person for simply saying "hi" to them. Rich people, most of them, are criminals in disguise.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story isn't as lauded as it should be.

 

[Schlosser85]

Yes. Look at every single rich person in the world, especially these reality show celebrities (like those Duck Dynasty imbeciles), how do they solve their problems? Money. Pure and simple. They say or do something bad, they can go to a magazine, have an interviewer get paid to make the reader sympathise with their "problems", so that's supposed to make me sympathetic towards them? Most of these rich idiots problems can be solved with a simple education but, since many of them don't even bother going to school, they turn out to be straight-up morons who have no common decency or knowledge. Sure, some celebrities and rich people in general are decent, well-educated people. But most of them are egotistical, self-righteous little cowards who would press charges against a person for simply saying "hi" to them. Rich people, most of them, are criminals in disguise.

Green looks good on you.

Hating people just because they're rich and for no other reason is the same as hating people just because they're poor.

 

[thejon93]

Green looks good on you.

Hating people just because they're rich and for no other reason is the same as hating people just because they're poor.

I didn't say I hate all rich people, I just feel as if most of them are, as I said, criminals in disguise. It's so easy for rich people to get away with crimes these days because they have so many resources, and people willing to defend them, at their disposal that it's impossible to weed out the bad from the good because they're all holding each other's hands, simply making themselves richer and richer. I have nothing against rich people who are honest, kind and giving, however, I don't respect those who are arrogant, self-righteous and conniving (such as Donald Trump, and most of those jerks on shows like The Bachelor, Duck Dynasty, and all of those annoying Housewife shows). Richie Rich obviously isn't as bad as what I'm describing here, I'm just expressing my beliefs and why I don't like films such as Richie Rich that exploit rich people and make them out to be 100% good-hearted saints. I just think that it's the wrong message to send to kids, leaving them with false hopes and dreams to sift through.

 

[The Endless]

You shouldn't generalise. Not all rich people are bad.

That said, if you ain't gotta worry about putting food on the table, keeping a roof over your head or other real world problems... then don't moan at me about how hard life is.

 

[Nemeres]

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story isn't as lauded as it should be.

Right ON. "And you never once paid for drugs!" Haha, good stuff.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

"Of course I do, I booked them. I'm the leader of the Beatles."

 

[def28]

Detention. Definitely not everyones cup of tea but it was a Great Comedy/Horror/Scifi/indie flick. Easily one of my favorite flicks of the past 5 years. Just an awesome weird as **** genre bender that never lets up and is very unforgiving of it's style and humor. Very well directed and acted and I was shocked it was able to keep the energy through out. Flick is kinda like if Heathers meets John Dies At The End and Scream. Deserved way more praise and a better release/marketing. Thought it would have a better cult following by now.

John Dies At The End is another underrated flick...

 

[gwynplaine]

The Long Kiss Goodnight. One of Samuel L. Jackson's best performances.