Movies that aren't that good but everyone saw when they were a bit too young

[greenman]

Was going to say Betty Blue but even though I've not seen it for at least a couple of decades, I think that it'd still stand up. Fnarr.

Seriously though, beneath all the surface stuff that appealed so much to an impressionable Francophile horny teen, there's still a decent enough film there. I bet there are a couple of shitty European films from that era that gullible kids lapped up because they wanted to be 'arty'.

Beyond the a lot of sex though I wouldnt really say its your typical french art drama, rewatching the directors cut a couple of years ago it actually felt quite Coenish with the weird cast of characters/situations, hook handed binmen with anti mattress vendettas.

Honestly if anything I rather lament that you can't really draw in an audience to good cinema with sex as easily anymore, something like say Under The Skin would I suspect have been much more widely viewed had it come out 20 years earlier.

[willbo]

It used to annoy me when people used to derisively say that late night Euro art explicit films were just porn. I mean... they might be arousing to watch in places. But the good ones have something to say or real emotion. Can't really compare that to something like "Brazzers".

Yeah I miss the quaint days when a film like cronenberg's "crash" or von trier's "the idiots" could cause a national panic

[holyzombiejesus]

Beyond the a lot of sex though I wouldnt really say its your typical french art drama, rewatching the directors cut a couple of years ago it actually felt quite Coenish with the weird cast of characters/situations, hook handed binmen with anti mattress vendettas.

I would. I think it's a quintessential French art drama, certainly of the late 20th century. Maybe that's because it's probably the first one I saw but Beatrice Dalle alone personifies that type of film for me, and that's without stuff like Zog's character and more peripheral stuff.

[holyzombiejesus]

Yeah I miss the quaint days when a film like cronenberg's "crash" or von trier's "the idiots" could cause a national panic

When was the last one? Blue is the Warmest Colour?

[greenman]

I would. I think it's a quintessential French art drama, certainly of the late 20th century. Maybe that's because it's probably the first one I saw but Beatrice Dalle alone personifies that type of film for me, and that's without stuff like Zog's character and more peripheral stuff.

I wouldnt say it was really typical of the french drama of its era though, that tended to be a good deal more grounded were as the directors cut especially is full of quirky characters and situations plus the love of style of its own sake. Theres dramatic weight behind it but besides Carax I don't recall seeing many films in a similar style from that period.

It used to annoy me when people used to derisively say that late night Euro art explicit films were just porn. I mean... they might be arousing to watch in places. But the good ones have something to say or real emotion. Can't really compare that to something like "Brazzers".

Yeah I miss the quaint days when a film like cronenberg's "crash" or von trier's "the idiots" could cause a national panic

I do find some of the defence of such cinema doesnt really ring true though in that it tries to downplay the sexual aspect rather than as you say highlight that it can have emotional weight to it.

Watching an interview with Cronenberg on the crash UHD recently I think one point he makes that stood out was that the problem so many had with the film wasnt that it was graphic but that it wasnt judgemental, that the fetishism didnt represent negative aspects of the story which people are more comfortable with.

[johnlogan]

I remember a film called "FX 2 - the deadly art of illusion" being on TV tons in the 90s, with no sniff of an FX 1.

Had the same experience, to the point that I went out of my way to watch F/X 1 a few years ago. It was actually good.

[willbo]

When was the last one? Blue is the Warmest Colour?

I don't remember the reactions to that. Kill Bill maybe? I feel like by the early 00s digital tv and dvd had made too much stuff out there for people to notice anything they didn't like

[Dusty Substance]

If I'd seen The Blues Brothers and Animal House at just the right age (14/15?) I would have loved them and they'd forever have a place in my cinematic heart. But I first saw Blues Brothers at 18/19 (only four years difference, but four very important years when developing music and film taste) and I've never quite loved it. Parts of it are genius, but some bits are dreadful.

With Animal House, I didn't get around to watching until about 30 and I hated it. Truly obnoxious characters doing obnoxious things. I tried to revisit it a few weeks ago, hoping to see something new with fresh eyes - But I switched off after 20 minutes. Can totally see why it would be beloved by someone who saw it in their teens - There's no excuse for liking if it you first saw it over the age of 21.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Interesting points about the age you first saw a movie having relevance.  I'd also add that if you see a film later than many other people it's likely you've already been exposed to a lot of references and hearing people over-enthusing about the movie, which for me has sometimes had a negative effect when I finally got around to see a movie and my main feeling was disappointment and "Is that it??"*.

*And for me one I can think of that fits that category is "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".  It was a while before I got round to seeing it and I hated it, was utterly disappointed by it.

[willbo]

I always feel upset that I didn't see The Goonies as a kid. I think I would have loved it. I didn't see it till my late 20s or something and even then just randomly on TV. I didn't see Princess Bride till then either, didn't even know about it till then in fact.

It's funny when you see a film like Casablanca or the Godfather where in some scenes, the dialogue is almost totally made up of lines which have passed into pop culture, to the point where it's difficult to follow what they actually mean in context.

[BlodwynPig]

Goonies

[dissolute ocelot]

Amazed nobody has mentioned Fight Club, which I finally watched last year. The first half is pretty good.

When I was a kid, I knew someone whose life was basically changed by Oliver Stone's JFK which is a film of questionable merit[nb]I was going to be less kind but I've heard revisionists recently say it's actually not bad and I've not seen it since the 1990s[/nb], but certainly could awaken ideas of vast conspiracies.

[willbo]

I don't really get Fight Clubs obsessive cult fanbase to be honest. It feels to me like you have to be age 20 to fall under Durden's spell, but 30+ to relate to the consumerism/Ikea theme, so I've found it kind of limp from both ages.

[famethrowa]

I enjoy Fight Club, but as a comedy? There's a lot of funny stuff in there, Ed Norton makes for a good sadsack. Unfortunately most others I know like it because it's got punching and rude stuff. I don't think it's a great movie, but it captures that pre-milennial OK Computer technofear thing pretty well.

[EOLAN]

Goonies

Had to endure that this week for the first time as someone heading beyond middle age. Was a real chore. At least they could have got Bobcat Goldthwaite for one of the baddies.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I don't really get Fight Clubs obsessive cult fanbase to be honest. It feels to me like you have to be age 20 to fall under Durden's spell, but 30+ to relate to the consumerism/Ikea theme, so I've found it kind of limp from both ages.

I first saw it as a teenager and always took it as satire. Then again, I was a pretentious youth, given to think anything I liked was really clever.

I still think it's excellent, but am mature enough now to understand why others wouldn't.

[Dusty Substance]

Bugsy Malone and Grease.

[willbo]

I first saw it as a teenager and always took it as satire. Then again, I was a pretentious youth, given to think anything I liked was really clever.

I still think it's excellent, but am mature enough now to understand why others wouldn't.

I think it's a great movie - I just think how so many people are obsessed with it is more interesting than the film itself in a lot of ways, beyond the lazy "they all missed the point" meme

[BlodwynPig]

I saw a bit of one of the Indiana Jones films the other day. Awful. The lighting in the cave was just some spotlights with coloured perspex over them. Racist too.

[pigamus]

Labyrinth

[Chedney Honks]

Labyrinth is actually a much more interesting film as an adult, in fact, as per my recent thread.

Fight Club is pseudo-middlebrow S4C.

[Replies From View]

Superman III. It's not the worst film in the franchise by a long way but I'm always amazed how many people come out to defend this based on the fact they loved it when they were kids. Watched as an adult it's a total mess.

You forgot to also mention Superman The Movie and Superman II

[Replies From View]

I think people remember the Clark vs Bad Superman fight in the junkyard (which is great) and ignore the rest.

mate he also fuckin flicks peanuts at pub mirrors because he feels woozy

[Replies From View]

The Matrix

[greenman]

I don't really get Fight Clubs obsessive cult fanbase to be honest. It feels to me like you have to be age 20 to fall under Durden's spell, but 30+ to relate to the consumerism/Ikea theme, so I've found it kind of limp from both ages.

I'm guessing really were its found the kind of audience your talking about is in the rise of the "net bro", I think a large part of that culture is basically that interacting mostly over the net allows you to potentially remain in that teenage school mindset into adulthood.

[Replies From View]

I wasn't young enough to enjoy Space Jam; I was more of a Roger Rabbit kid.


Hence when grown adults refer to the "net bro" I can't grasp what they mean.  Could you use paint dip as an analogy instead please?  I am an old man.

[lazyhour]

Serial Mom

What the fuck?

[willbo]

I think I'd have liked Dark Star (the John Carpenter early low budget sci fi film) as a teenager if I'd seen it earlier

[JesusAndYourBush]

mate he also fuckin flicks peanuts at pub mirrors because he feels woozy

The bit I remember best is him straightening the Leaning Tower Of Pisa and the Italian guy saying "Stupido Superman!"

[chveik]

What the fuck?

yeah it's funny as hell.