"Critically acclaimed" films that you hated

Death in Venice - sat through this piece of tosh thinking there had to be a plot to it in the end. I was wrong. Having subsequently looked it up in Halliwell's film guide, found that it said "possibly the most overrated film of all time...." - I really should check these guides BEFORE watching the film!

Sorry to hark back but The Wicker Man is an absolute classic - if you watched it all the way through, how could you not find the ending horrific? Cold, nasty, unjust and vengeful... made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

American Beauty - couldn't understand what the fuss was about.... thin plot
 
"The Wicker Man" is a classic, undoutedly.

Although perhaps part of the problem is that anything that's built up by critics or just other people inevitably feels like a let down. Everybody raved about "Four Weddings and a Funeral" for years, and when I finally saw it I didn't think it was remotely amusing. "Titanic" was rubbish, "Pulp Fiction" has to be the most overrated film of all time, and what's with "American Beauty" - it's a terrible boring film. And for that matter, why "Gladiator" even got considered for any Oscars is beyond me.
 
Bridget Jones's Diary - why on earth did they have to get an American to play an English woman? The script struck me as instantly forgettable. The only scene that made me smile was when Bridget, at a party and dressed as a Bunny girl, encounters Honor Blackman:

"I see you didn't get the message about the party not being fancy dress, either."

"Yes, I got the message..."

People actually compared this film to Notting Hill - I don't think so!

I agree about The English Patient too - surely the longest film ever made, or so it seemed.
 
Lord of the Rings

I was really looking forward to seeing Fellowship of the Ring and was very dissapointed when I saw it I felt this was a very poor film.

I feltthat no thought whatsoever had gone into the screenplay. I can't think of one single original line of dialogue in the whole film. A film neeRAB a decent screenplay, but the makers obviously thought that they could just rely on Tolkein's genius.

The characters, I thought, were one-dimensional, for instance there is absolutely no reference to the love/hate relationship between Legolas and Gimli which was such an important element of the book.

At the end of the day, this film just seemed to plod along like a thousand other sword and sorcery, dungeons and dragons-type movies. The story - whilst it was dazzling and original eighty years ago - has been copied many times and this, I thought, was a very poor copy.

I'm amazed that everyone else seemed to liked it so much:confused:
 
Ahhh Fight Club, now we're talking. What a load of boring old rubbish. Okay, the fight stuff was kind of okay, if a little dull, but then it went all wierd with them becoming terrorists or something? I don't know as I switched over at that point, although I did switch back to see the "suprise" twist ending. Not that it was very suprising, or maybe I just didn't care.

It was just a gimmick film after all. Nobody really bothered trying to make a decent film as they knew the gimmic plus Brad Pitt was enough to get people watching.

Dave
 
Mulholland Drive ... I'm pretty sure the critics loved it. It was a horrible mess. I want those two and a half hours of my life back. :rolleyes:
 
Brilliant?!? Subtle?!? Beautiful?!?

Are we talking about the same movie here?

I can't take a film seriously as a HORROR movie when the cast keep breaking out in song! I kept expecting Mary bloody Poppins to drop in on her umbrella!

In my eyes, there was no suspense, no frights, and if that wicker man was supposed to give me the creeps, it didn't! I just kept laughing at Christopher Lee in drag, and Edward Woodward dressed up as Mr Punch etc. A hare in a coffin? It was all too bizarre and not well enough explained. Should have been a Monty Python satire.
 
English Patient (biggest yawn ever?) yes :yawn:

2001: A Space Odyssey (ok, not awful, but disappointing): biggest shite on the planet emperors new clothes stuff, what a boring puddle of pish

The Matrix (what a rip-off of old Twilight Zone stories) OK, but overrated

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (well, mediocre, I suppose, but wasn't worth buying the DVD without seeing it first) OMFG its the very definition crap

Bangs of New York: didnt even end the film what a nuisance and a complete waste of money.

Greek wedding: still waiting for a funny scene

The whole Pulp fiction, Ray Liotta mishpoche, please erase of planet earth

Everything that wins or gets a mention in Cannes :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :sleep: :sleep: :sleep: :sleep:

exception the Pianist :)
 
he wasnt "in drag" it was a pagan ceremony.
There was lots of suspense because the whole town is obviously trying to cover up "something" and they are all a bit creepy-even the children
it couldnt have been any better explained.If anything they completely reiterate the plot at the end.
Because its set in scotland it feels close to home and as someone who's been to those insular scottish places-IT COULD HAPPEN
 
Any film featuring Tom Cruise after Colour of Money/Cocktail era. Cruise seems to play a slight variation of the same character in every film he does.

As does Hugh Grant. Bleugh. Though I'll be interested to see what "Love Actually" is like - just because Andrew Lincoln is in it - as are Ant and Dec!!.

I don't "get" Austin Powers films either.

Most "post-Star Wars fall-out" sfx blockbuster movies. Lazy film-making if you ask me!

And film that has Westlife or Boyzone on the soundtrack!! :D

As for the Potempkin issue - the constraints of making films at that time meant the director had to work harder...blah blah blah...I like it - I've always thought the lion statues rising was quite eerie. It's a film you have to "read" rather than let it wash over you.
 
I think we'll have to beg to differ on this! We all know that some people like a film and other people hate it. I have a huge collection of horror on DVD from oldies like the original King Kong and Frankenstein movies, through the Exorcist, Omen & Rosemary's Baby era, and the Freddy Kruegers & Michael Myers of the 80 right up to Dog Soldiers, Jeepers Creepers, Ring etc of today, and I can honestly say that the Wicker Man was IMHO the worst movie I have watched for at least the past year!

Let's move on, now. NEXT!
 
Perhaps we need to fully define 'critically acclaimed' (Empire or The Sun?). Anyway:

Road to Perdition (completely stuck up its own backside. Jude Law was good though)
Gangs of New York (ditto. Seemed to be made knowing critics would wet themselves)
Titanic (Boring. Do you think in 90 years time there'll be '911: The Two Towers'. Can Bill n Belinda fully realise their love for each other before their tower sinks?)

Don't wish to sound flippant with the last one but to add a pathetic love story to very real tragedy seems in poor taste to me
 
none of these films were or are "critically acclaimed" films... I think a lot of people are missing the point here...

Its not what YOU don't like, its films that were fauned over by critics we are talking about here....

Add mine for the English Patient... but you lot leave Kubrick alone !!
 
Gladiator - love Ridley Scott's films normally but I just don't connect with this one.

Saving Private Ryan - While it is technically superb it just reeks of Hollywood to me and has way too many war cliches. Much prefered The Thin Red Line.
 
I must have missed those reviews where this movie was critically acclaimed ;) :p

I'll vote for "Breaking the Waves" : A Lars von Trier film starring Emily Watson. Practically unwatchable in its misery :(

BBG
 
Why "Citizen Kane" is ceremonially voted as "greatest film of ALL TIME" in movie magazine polls always escapes me, as this film is the greatest load of rubbish ever committed to celluloid!!!! Another question- why do film magazines, critics (or rather 1-you know who you are!) constantly rubbish films that people go to see, and idolise films that will either go straight to video, or be seen in an arthouse cinema by 2 men and a dog?
 
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