IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Oct 9, 2017 11:01:32 GMT -5
A board game podcast I listen to had a segment called Turkeys and Kangaroos where they chose two games to talk about which their opinions about have changed overtime: turkeys, which have gone down, and kangaroos which have gone up.
So I thought I would start a thread like this for movies. So choose two movies: one which hsa gone up in your estimation over time, and one which has gone down. I can start us off.
Turkey: American History X - Seeing this as a teenager, it seems like a very powerful movie with a strong message. However, as one gets older it becomes apparent that the "power" of the film is surface level and the sensibilities of the film towards its subject can be a bit muddled. At times it even seems like the bigots are being glorified by the filmmakers.
Kangaroo: Chinatown - Seeing Chinatown for the first time many years ago, I was in a period where I was trying to see as many classics as possible, using the AFI list as a reference. During this period, some movies were passed over; maybe it was because I was trying to be more critical so that I didn't love every single movie, thinking my opinion would be invalidated somehow if I did. Regardless, I never appreciated Chinatown like I should have. So I decided to give it another shake and realized how brilliant it is as both a detective story, a commentary, and an acting showcase.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Oct 11, 2017 13:15:01 GMT -5
Great thread idea, and I share your thoughts on these two films. Chinatown in particular has really become a full-fledged favourite.
Turkey: Argo - I had a great time with Argo in the theater and I'm pretty sure it made my top five in 2012, and looking back I really don't know why. It's a well-crafted thriller with a good sense of humour, but the characters are not terribly interesting and the film does have a fairly contrived Hollywood finale. Beyond that though, there just isn't much substance to the film.
Kangaroo: Rebel Without a Cause - As a teenager, I mostly found James Dean's sense of alienation and animosity just sort of confusing. As a teen who had a really healthy relationship with his parents and a positive high school experience it just seemed rather strange to me. Watching the film as an adult however, I'm much more aware of the discontent with 1950s suburbia and the desire to break though. On that note, the homosexual subtext went completely over my head as a youth. Watching the film with that in mind does actually explain a lot. The identity crisis James Dean goes through is a lot more clear when you think of it as a struggle about masculine identity. Being able to identify the film's central conflict better also allowed me to really embrace the great filmmaking on display, from Dean's performance, to the supporting cast, to Nicholas Ray's excellent filmmaking and beautiful cinematography.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Oct 11, 2017 14:18:33 GMT -5
Turkey: Argo - I had a great time with Argo in the theater and I'm pretty sure it made my top five in 2012, and looking back I really don't know why. It's a well-crafted thriller with a good sense of humour, but the characters are not terribly interesting and the film does have a fairly contrived Hollywood finale. Beyond that though, there just isn't much substance to the film. Granted, it's been a while since I've seen Argo, and it's possible my own opinion could go down, but I don't know about calling it a "turkey." Turkey: Green Lantern - I never loved this movie in any way, but I still gave it way too much credit. I don't know what I was thinking; there's no defending this movie, and I regret ever trying to defend it in the first place. |
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Oct 11, 2017 14:29:50 GMT -5
Turkey: Argo - I had a great time with Argo in the theater and I'm pretty sure it made my top five in 2012, and looking back I really don't know why. It's a well-crafted thriller with a good sense of humour, but the characters are not terribly interesting and the film does have a fairly contrived Hollywood finale. Beyond that though, there just isn't much substance to the film. Granted, it's been a while since I've seen Argo, and it's possible my own opinion could go down, but I don't know about calling it a "turkey." Turkey: Green Lantern - I never loved this movie in any way, but I still gave it way too much credit. I don't know what I was thinking; there's no defending this movie, and I regret ever trying to defend it in the first place. I definitely don't hate Argo, but just looking at films that had a substantial drop in my eyes, it's definitely one. |
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on Oct 11, 2017 15:06:11 GMT -5
What about something that's always sucked, like Garden State?
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Post by Jibbs on Oct 11, 2017 18:17:59 GMT -5
Off the top of my head:
Turkey: Silver Linings Playbook - I'm just more and more bored by this as I watch it. I think the last time may have been my last. But it was just so bright the first time.
Kangaroo: Drive - It was fine the first time, then I watched it again the next year and it somehow improved. Peaked about the 4th time I watched it.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Oct 11, 2017 18:30:33 GMT -5
What about something that's always sucked, like Garden State? |
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Oct 11, 2017 21:08:47 GMT -5
Great thread idea, and I share your thoughts on these two films. Chinatown in particular has really become a full-fledged favourite. Turkey: Argo - I had a great time with Argo in the theater and I'm pretty sure it made my top five in 2012, and looking back I really don't know why. It's a well-crafted thriller with a good sense of humour, but the characters are not terribly interesting and the film does have a fairly contrived Hollywood finale. Beyond that though, there just isn't much substance to the film. Kangaroo: Rebel Without a Cause - As a teenager, I mostly found James Dean's sense of alienation and animosity just sort of confusing. As a teen who had a really healthy relationship with his parents and a positive high school experience it just seemed rather strange to me. Watching the film as an adult however, I'm much more aware of the discontent with 1950s suburbia and the desire to break though. On that note, the homosexual subtext went completely over my head as a youth. Watching the film with that in mind does actually explain a lot. The identity crisis James Dean goes through is a lot more clear when you think of it as a struggle about masculine identity. Being able to identify the film's central conflict better also allowed me to really embrace the great filmmaking on display, from Dean's performance, to the supporting cast, to Nicholas Ray's excellent filmmaking and beautiful cinematography. Rebel is a good one. I would agree with that. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Oct 12, 2017 14:54:11 GMT -5
Taking a page out of PG Cooper's playbook for this one: Turkey: The King's Speech - I, like many, bought into the hype when this first came out. But looking back on it based off my last re-watch, it's definitely not as strong as I initially thought. Not to say it's bad or anything, but it is pretty formulaic in a sense and while it does a solid job with everything it sets out to do, it never really excels at any of it. Certainly not enough to justify it winning Best Screenplay or Best Picture over movies like Inception, The Social Network or Black Swan. Still trying to think of some "kangaroos". |
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Post by Deexan on Oct 13, 2017 7:07:03 GMT -5
American History X is an all time great and now I want to sodomise Ian.
I think.
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Post by Doomsday on Oct 15, 2017 13:36:06 GMT -5
Turkey: Silver Linings Playbook - I liked this movie when it first came out but it loses a ton of luster on a repeat viewing. It tries really, really hard to be quotable and quirky (like his stupid jogging wearing a trash bag) and the little plot points are cheesy. I can see why it picked up some awards because it's exactly the kind of movie that make people go 'aww' but it's a movie that will be quickly forgotten down the road. Also, the box art for the DVD/Blu-ray is one of the laziest I've ever seen. 
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Post by Neverending on Oct 15, 2017 14:53:47 GMT -5
I can see why it picked up some awards  |
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Nov 6, 2017 0:02:56 GMT -5
Turkey: Shrek
I was seven when Shrek came out so I naturally loved it and as I got older I held onto the original as being more clever and adult. However actually watching it recently revealed the film relied a lot more on fart jokes and dated pop culture references than I though. Also the story structure is clichè and predictable.
Kangaroo: The Night of the Hunter
I liked this movie a lot on first viewing but couldn't fully embrace it based on a handful of issues. Fuck that noise; The Night of the Hunter is clearly amazing. It has flaws but it's such a unique movie I hardly care.
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Post by Neverending on Nov 6, 2017 3:39:00 GMT -5
Turkey: Shrek I was seven when Shrek came out so I naturally loved it and as I got older I held onto the original as being more clever and adult. However actually watching it recently revealed the film relied a lot more on fart jokes and dated pop culture references than I though. Also the story structure is clichè and predictable. Kangaroo: The Night of the Hunter I liked this movie a lot on first viewing but couldn't fully embrace it based on a handful of issues. Fuck that noise; The Night of the Hunter is clearly amazing. It has flaws but it's such a unique movie I hardly care. Society held a meeting and agreed that Shrek 2 was the better movie. |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 7, 2017 20:26:28 GMT -5
Kangaroo: The Cable Guy
In a way it's a sad state of affairs that Jim Carrey is a shell of his former self both as a movie star and as an entertainer. Aside from his really bizarre interviews as of late he just hasn't had much worth seeing in years. Years and years. I can't even remember the last time I saw anything of his in theaters (checks IMDB...A Series of Unfortunate Events). That doesn't mean that we can't indulge in his other movies that were made during his prime. Everyone turns to the tried and true classic Dumb and Dumber. Some look toward the vastly overrated Ace Ventura but we come together again when reminiscing about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. One movie that I think gets unfairly overlooked though is The Cable Guy. It's certainly the darkest comedy that Jim Carrey had in the 90s and while it didn't kill at the box office nor did it receive good reviews it doesn't change the fact that it's actually a really funny, really underrated comedy. The Medieval Times scene is great, there are a lot of great jokes and it's so uncomfortable watching Matthew Broderick's life spiral out of control. It's too bad this movie is eclipsed by Carrey's bigger hits like Ace Ventura and The Mask, both of which are shit, but I think enough people appreciate this movie that it won't soon be completely forgotten.
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Post by Neverending on Nov 7, 2017 21:37:02 GMT -5
Kangaroo: The Cable Guy In a way it's a sad state of affairs that Jim Carrey is a shell of his former self both as a movie star and as an entertainer. Aside from his really bizarre interviews as of late he just hasn't had much worth seeing in years. Years and years. I can't even remember the last time I saw anything of his in theaters (checks IMDB...A Series of Unfortunate Events). That doesn't mean that we can't indulge in his other movies that were made during his prime. Everyone turns to the tried and true classic Dumb and Dumber. Some look toward the vastly overrated Ace Ventura but we come together again when reminiscing about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. One movie that I think gets unfairly overlooked though is The Cable Guy. It's certainly the darkest comedy that Jim Carrey had in the 90s and while it didn't kill at the box office nor did it receive good reviews it doesn't change the fact that it's actually a really funny, really underrated comedy. The Medieval Times scene is great, there are a lot of great jokes and it's so uncomfortable watching Matthew Broderick's life spiral out of control. It's too bad this movie is eclipsed by Carrey's bigger hits like Ace Ventura and The Mask, both of which are shit, but I think enough people appreciate this movie that it won't soon be completely forgotten. Wow. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 8, 2017 14:32:05 GMT -5
The Mask is shit? Come again?
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 8, 2017 15:35:03 GMT -5
Have you watched it since the 90s? If you think it’s good now do yourself a favor and don’t watch it ever again.
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Post by Neverending on Nov 8, 2017 15:42:58 GMT -5
The Mask is shit? Come again? He got drunk, watched The Phantom, and thought it was The Mask. |
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on Nov 8, 2017 15:56:20 GMT -5
Cable Guy is his best movie of that era, by far.
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 8, 2017 19:24:52 GMT -5
I have a feeling most people haven't watched The Mask since they popped in the VHS. As someone who loved it as much as you all did when it came out, trust me it doesn't hold up well. Not at all.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 8, 2017 19:41:12 GMT -5
Re-watched it two years ago. Holds up for me. I even own it on Blu-Ray, too.
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on Nov 8, 2017 20:16:26 GMT -5
Re-watched it two years ago. Holds up for me. I even own it on Blu-Ray, too. Same. Watched it sooner than that even. Fabulous movie, even taking into account it's source material. |
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Nov 8, 2017 22:15:49 GMT -5
I have a feeling most people haven't watched The Mask since they popped in the VHS. As someone who loved it as much as you all did when it came out, trust me it doesn't hold up well. Not at all. He's right you know. About this AND the baby ox. |
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 9, 2017 13:21:20 GMT -5
Turkeys: The Mask
The Mask is the second in what I like to call the Jim Carrey Star-Making Trilogy (a phrase I coined just now). Wedged between Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber, The Mask helped cement Jim Carrey as not only one of the most popular comedians but also one of the biggest stars in the world. The Mask features Carrey doing everything he's most famous for; goofy expressions, solid impressions, and a bunch of physical comedy. In fact the movie calls for Carrey's character Stanley Ipkiss to transform into a real-life cartoon. Who better to play that role? I for one loved The Mask when it came out. The silly humor hit home with me and watching people get car parts shoved up their assholes was funny. I was also 9 years old. Now I find it hard to imagine that newer audiences would gravitate to or connect with this movie in any way. It's an interesting reflection of Carrey's comedic style in that he doesn't really operate on telling actual jokes, it's based more on his flamboyant delivery and the energy that he brings to a character. It's why the Cuban Pete scene seems so stupid nowadays. It was stupid back then, we just didn't care. The movie has a definite charm which helps keep it afloat, it's just not the comedic gem that we all remember. Far from it, I'm afraid.
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