This post has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.
Here lie the random thoughts... oh, forget it!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Being Bad, and Good, At The Same Time
Mr. Peel's wonderful look back at the Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone howler, The Specialist, had me in stitches this morning. Moreover, it had me reminiscing about what films would constitute my list of bad movies. Specifically, we're talking about the ones that are both defective and (when we admit it) supremely guilty pleasures to watch whenever we catch them on cable (or tee them up in the disc player because we happen to own a copy). The so-called, They're So Bad They're Good (and Fun) category of movies. So, off the top of my head, I've come up with these masterpieces of mixed blessings:
This post has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.
This post has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.
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Well, I have to admit that the only movie on your list I've seen is THE SPECIALIST. I love the 6 Degrees reference, though. I have to get your new challenge answered today.
ReplyDeleteOne's that would be on my list:
1. JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO. And some people might also say DRAGNET (with Dan Akroyd and Tom Hanks) but I thought that movie was pretty darned ingenious.
2. SON-IN-LAW. I don't like hardly any movies of that nature, but that one just makes me laugh. I don't own it, but I'd gladly watch it again!
3. definite guilty pleasure: THE WEDDING PLANNER
I'm sure I'll come up with more...I may be back to add to my list!
Good list! I would definitely agree with you on many of these films. If you get the chance, the special edition DVD of ROAD HOUSE has a hilarious audio commentary by Kevin Smith and his friend/producer Scott Mosier that is definitely worth a listen.
ReplyDeleteA guilty pleasure for me is THE LAST BOY SCOUT. A big, dumb, loud, offensive action film that takes the world-weary private eye to new surreal heights. This film seems to go out of its way to offend but there is something refreshingly un-PC about it that intrigues me.
Also, HACKERS. Again, dumb as dirt, including laughable "computer hacking" scenes but it does have a cool soundtrack and Matthew Lilliard cracks me up every time. I couldn't really defend either one of these films but I do enjoy 'em in their own warped ways.
Jen: I've only seen JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO on your list. After looking at the YouTube trailers for the two I haven't seen, I'll rectify that soon. Anything with Carla Gugino and J-Lo (the two women who have portrayed Karen Cisco on TV and film) in them, I've got to check out!
ReplyDeleteJ.D.: I have the ROAD HOUSE disc, but I haven't checked out the commentary track... yet (will take care of that, shortly). I'll have to check out HACKERS. Good one for THE LAST BOY SCOUT, as well (I have it in my library, too). I think I've seen most of the things writer Shane Black has written--did you see the IMDB has him writing the pre-production screenplay for LETHAL WEAPON 5?!?
Thank you both for your fun additions to this thread.
Lethal Weapon 5? Really? I loved that series of movies up until 4...please don't continue to kill it with more bad stuff!
ReplyDeleteI keep imagining Carl Fredricksen fighting Charles Muntz with his cane in Pixar's UP movie last summer when I read this, Jen. Imagine the hurt Martin Riggs could bring, if he had a walker! Yes, pretty unbelievable that they try and resurrect that series... now. Thanks, Jen.
ReplyDeleteI'd say JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO has a fairly devoted cult following. It's a crazy film, but like Barry Levinson's TOYS, a strange big budget failure.
ReplyDeleteDRAGNET is terrible but for one thing: Ackroyd's drop-dead awesome Joe Friday. It's an Oscar nom worthy comedic perf in an awful film.
But COMMANDO is one of Arnie's defining 80's films and does not take itself that seriously. It's a total blast of an action flick.
I welcome you and your comments, xtian. You point about DRAGNET is a good one. If there one thing that I love watching in it, it's Ackroyd's Joe Friday. That, and Hank's Pep Streebeck calling out "Thank God, it's Friday!" near the end. Thank you, my friend, for contributing to this.
ReplyDeleteNice list. Some I've managed to avoid, others I've lived through such as Commando. If you ever get chance, try to see Fulci's Nightmare Concert aka Cat In The Brain. It's his very own 8 1/2 and a real guilty pleasure.
ReplyDeleteLethal Weapon 5? Man, the film industry really is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Doesn't anyone develop scripts from new books anymore?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I'm drawing a complete blank on the so-bad-it's-good theme. All I can think of are movies so-bad-they-stink.
Steve: I've heard of that particular Fulci, my friend. It's going on my Netflix queue, shortly.
ReplyDeleteNaomi: I know what you mean. The re-hashing of some movies has been a particular blight in the last several years.
Thank you both for your comments and your continuing visits here.