I don't think any of these are particularly bad films, just overrated by the critics and fans:
8. The Wages of Fear (1953, H.G. Clouzot)
This is not a bad film by any means, in fact it's quite a good social realist piece. My problem with it though, is that it's lovers claim it is a great action film. For me an action film has to engage me with a certain level of excitment. Whilst I concede that the last half an hour is quite tense and suspenseful as the lorries carrying nitroglycerene negotiate the South American mountainous terrain, overall it is a relatively dull film.
7. Grave of the Fireflies (1988, I. Takahata)
Another overly sentimental piece now, and another film I just couldn't get emotionally attached to. I have no problem with Japanese animation either, having seen a number of Studio Ghibli features. Everyone says it's "Hautingly beautiful", but although I find it depressing, I sturggle to find any beauty in this. I may seem like a cold-hearted cynic, but it's overly-sentimental halfway to the point of loathsome.
6. Mystic River (2003, C. Eastwood)
Being a huge fan of Clint Eastwood the actor, I do think he is venerated to the nth degree for his work as director. That's not to say he makes bad films, quite a few of them are very good. He has though made as many mediocre movies. Mystic River definetly falls into this category. Based on the synopsis of the film, I felt at the very least it would be compelling, but it ended up feeling all a bit contrived. Even the acting, which was rewarded with Oscar felt a bit overdone. Being such an overly charged emotional piece, it fell into melodrama too often and too easily.
5. His Girl Friday (1940, H. Hawks)
A revered classic now, that I just don't get. I would blame it on the quick talking fast paceness of the film, but I can't see how it is that much different in style to Cary Grant's screwball Bringing Up Baby (which I loved). I think it's because it was so revered when released, it was instantly hailed as a classic, but I think it's aged poorly. Another problem with it, is the ruthlessness of Grant's character, I find him hard to connect to and sterile. I accept that you don't have to connect with each character in movies, but I found it hard to find any interest in his and the film's story because of this.
4. Inglorious Basterds (2009, Q. Tarantino)
Being a fan of Tarantino's and having read several good reviews, I was really expecting something substantial. I couldn't have been more wrong, I understand Tarantino's love for the unconventional, but here it just doesn't work. Whilst the style is wholly Tarantino's, I don't think it's enough to purely claim auteurism and expect the film to be good. Whilst the script does contain the usual Tarantino brand of humour, it lacks a bit of substance. I also think the screenplay lacks any real pinaché in the second half of the film.
As with other Tarantino films , I respect the way he isn't afraid to speak his mind, and represents his characters as he best sees them. He doesn't make any attempt at being poltically correct, and for some reason he seems to get criticise for his honesty. That's why I like Tarantino, but with this, it at times seems a bit too gratuitous for my liking, whether that is his fault or in the delivery by the actors. Most of whom give solid performances (espescially Waltz), Brad Pitt however, gives one of his worst ever performances in this. I guess Brad thought being a Tarantino film, he could ham it up as much as possible (like Waltz did). What Brad forgot though, was to keep it in check and give some kind of variance on the role, of course this could be as much the writer's fault. For me it was just a bit too 'tongue in cheek', like most of the film. It just fell quite away short.
3. V for Vendetta (2006, J. McTeigue)
Due to my right leaning political stance I would've thought a film about the bringing down of a leftist totalitatarian state would've had more appeal to me. I think it's a film that really profited from the time when it was realesed, where a lot of people were disillusioned with their respective governments and could connect with this film. I found it very similar to the film Brazil, but without the fun and flair. I'm willing to say that I may have been the problem with this film as I found it too deep and too preachy. That's not to say I have a problem with morally ambiguous characters in movie. Finally, I don't understand how people can like a film with such a amateur performance from Natalie Portman. She was awful in this.
2. The Departed (2006, M. Scorcese)
To think that Martin Scorcese directed Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Gangs of New York, you would think the film he would eventually win Best Director for would be a collusus. Sadly it seemed to be awarded as a gesture from the Academy to this sub-standard crime thriller. It's not the convuluted plot that annoys me too much, nor the horrible editing errors (that I've come to expect from Scorcese), but more some of the questionable acting performance, particularly the over the top Jack Nicholson. He gives a performance that feels false and quite frankly ridiculous. Equally questionable is the bland Matt Damon, who seems at times a little out of his depth. I used to think Goodfellas was overrated, but I now regard that as a masterpiece in comparison to this substandard affair. Whilst I concede it does have some great moments, such as the performances of Di Caprio and Wahlberg and some clever plot devices, the eventual outcome is dragged out too much and over complicated, that I felt disoriented by the end of it.
1. Stand By Me (1986, R. Reiner)
Dull, dull, dull. That's all I can say about this nostalgic piece based on the work of Stephen King. People claim that the child acting is a revelation, I think people are just being overly generous because they are child actors. Again they give solid performances, but this is what you would expect and want from a movie that centres predominantly around children. Possibly in the twenty years it was originally released it's aged really badly, and people haven't revisited it since. Or maybe people just think a lot of kids swearing and putting themselves in adult situation is very real and gritty. I just found it incredibly boring, the film didn't seem to go anywhere, which may have been the point, but even the "different" anti-climatic ending was uninteresting.
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