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Posted: May 29 2008 03:54 pm

username wrote:

that darth maul fight is the only redeeming factor of the movie.

the pod racing wasnt too bad, but it was a little long.

and the ewoks only showed up for a small amount of screen time instead of the WHOLE FREAKING movie.

I disagree on that "only redeeming factor" part, but I will agree that the Pod Race was mega long.

But the Ewoks showing up for only a small amount of screen time? What!? They're in there for 2/3 of the movie! From Act 2 until the end! If not 2/3 at least half. Of course, I LOVED the Ewoks. I remember the days when a movie can have a muppet character (like Yoda) and we all accept him as a real character. That's incredible to me. Ewoks were an extension of that, kids and Warrick Davis in cuddly bear costumes. As a kid I accepted that right away. So much so I would watch The Ewok Adventure all the time (which is a pretty underrated fantasy movie in general; read: fantasy, not sci-fi). Although that sequel is kinda lame... Plus they commit a bigger sin than Alien 3 by killing the girl's WHOLE FAMILY!!! Bleating and Babbling

As for the other Star Wars prequels, I LOVE III. And I think Episode One was incredibly mature in terms of the political plotting. I loved that stuff, I know other people find it boring, but what made it good is that it is the most overlooked aspect of sci-fi movies (or at least it was until BSG got into the game). Before one government just kind of rules everything; like Star Trek's federation. There was no actual negotiating or actual parallel to the United Nations (granted the UN is the most powerless organization in the world right now Rolling Eyes

). I also dug all the Jedi stuff. Jar Jar was kind of annoying, but I can clearly see he was there for the kids, because they would not be entertained by the political thriller part of the film. Episode IV also had touches of the political stakes in the universe, namely the opening diplomatic mission, but the sequels lost sight of that by focusing only on the rebels (again, I'm not really complaining).

Episode II is probably the weakest of all of them. It is too short and not enough drama happens. More should've happened IMO which got moved to III making that one a powerhouse of plot. Of course, we got lots more Jedi fights including Yoda vs. Christopher Lee which is awesome. I don't care how fake it is, that was exactly what I wanted even before I saw a trailer for the film. I guess Lucas wanted to see it too and damn he was right.

Posted: May 29 2008 04:46 pm

I loved the Ewoks when I was kid. I cheered for them like nobody else in the movie, because they had that underdog appeal. The saddest moment in the whole trilogy for me was when that one Ewok dies and the other one is shaking him to wake up. That still tears my heart apart.

The prequels made the ending of Return of the Jedi hard to watch though. The Stormtroopers never seemed very threatening in the original trilogy, but they're badass in the prequels. Hell, they almost entirely wiped out the Jedis. That makes it hard to believe that they could be beaten by a bunch of little bears with sticks and stones.

And I agree with Episode II being the weakest. I remember being in the theatre and expecting the same thrilling experience I had with Episode I and what a letdown the movie was until the final fights. The scenes with Padme and Anakin were especially bad. On the THX-1138 DVD Coppola tells a story about how Lucas claimed that he can't write screenplays. Coppola agreed. As far as purely character oriented scenes go, I do too.

EDIT: Also Babylon 5 dealt with political plotting even before BSG, especially within the Centauri nation. But I agree that it's an overlooked part in science-fiction.

Posted: Jun 21 2008 02:21 am

I was just thinking how underrated Constantine was. First, people were against it because of Keanu, the other was it didn't star Sting.

But, now that the heat has died down it holds up. Especially the cancer subplot. Although Shia has added baggage now.

Also underrated is Miami Vice. I kinda liked it when I saw it, but the more I live with it and accept it wasn't the epic I've wanted all my life, the more I've come to appreciate it. It's a fairly good procedural movie. Would've made a fun TV movie, although not a fun Miami Vice TV movie. Razz

However, it doesn't deserve the scorn it's gotten upon its release. The critics were bugging and audiences were expecting something different.

Posted: Jun 21 2008 02:47 am

Tebor wrote:

I was just thinking how underrated Constantine was. First, people were against it because of Keanu, the other was it didn't star Sting.

But, now that the heat has died down it holds up. Especially the cancer subplot. Although Shia has added baggage now.

Also underrated is Miami Vice. I kinda liked it when I saw it, but the more I live with it and accept it wasn't the epic I've wanted all my life, the more I've come to appreciate it. It's a fairly good procedural movie. Would've made a fun TV movie, although not a fun Miami Vice TV movie. Razz

However, it doesn't deserve the scorn it's gotten upon its release. The critics were bugging and audiences were expecting something different.

I didn't think Miami Vice was awful. But if you have read any of my tired rants on remakes, especially remakes of TV shows, you'll know I probably had low exectations. So I can say it actually exceeded my expectations. On the other hand, I can say its not everything I wish it was. My buddy is like one of the biggest Miami Vice fans ever, and had set the bar way high. Needless to say, he was let down.

For me, the biggest letdown was actually the absence of the Miami Vice Theme. I did like the cover of In the Air Tonight though. I don't know if they excluded it because it wasn't in the pilot, or if there was some legal issues. But I waited for it and it never played. Sad

Posted: Jun 21 2008 02:57 am

scamrock wrote:

My buddy is like one of the biggest Miami Vice fans ever, and had set the bar way high. Needless to say, he was let down.

For me, the biggest letdown was actually the absence of the Miami Vice Theme. I did like the cover of In the Air Tonight though. I don't know if they excluded it because it wasn't in the pilot, or if there was some legal issues. But I waited for it and it never played. Sad

Yeah, I know your buddy's pain when I first saw it. I dug the show and started rewatching it a year before this film came out when I developed a love of Mann's work. The movie is a good Mann movie, but not a Miami Vice movie -- or so I thought. Nowadays I see it as a movie where both these characters are old and tired, the crime world has evolved and they've been struggling to keep with it. And Sonny is implied to be living on a boat and I assume there's a reptile at his feet. Cool

While the theme song wasn't there, one of the score tracks samples Crockett's Theme which to me more than made up for it.

Posted: Jun 21 2008 03:26 am

I've got season 1. I think I'll have to watch it again after I finish watching the complete series of Three's a Crowd.

Posted: Jun 21 2008 12:11 pm

UltimateFierce wrote:

Underrated: Riki-Oh - Story of Ricky.

Tons of ingenious quotes and lotsa bloody fights. Absolutely Legendary.

I love that film! Way over-the-top and hilarious (unintentionally). The fat kid was hilarious, especially when he trips on that red carpet.

Another under-rated flick would be In the Mouth Madness, by John Carpenter. Fun horror flick with some good social commentary, yet it was a financial and critical failure. Sad

Posted: Jun 21 2008 05:49 pm

Dii Infer wrote:

Another under-rated flick would be In the Mouth Madness, by John Carpenter. Fun horror flick with some good social commentary, yet it was a financial and critical failure. Sad

Totally. I know it's about Lovecraft, but there's a lot Stephen King parody too that I loved. Plus, I totally dig the idea of going into an author's fictional world for real.

Posted: Jun 21 2008 06:37 pm

Tebor wrote:

Dii Infer wrote:

Another under-rated flick would be In the Mouth Madness, by John Carpenter. Fun horror flick with some good social commentary, yet it was a financial and critical failure. Sad

Totally. I know it's about Lovecraft, but there's a lot Stephen King parody too that I loved. Plus, I totally dig the idea of going into an author's fictional world for real.

Most people criticize the movie for having people turn into monsters, yet that was part of the social commentary. John Carpenter himself stated that it was referring to the ridiculous idea that watching violent movies and TV shows could make their viewers turn into murderers and whatnot. JC is one of the most clever directors out there, yet hacks like M. Night Shyamalan get all the attention!

Sad world we live in, eh?

Posted: Jun 21 2008 06:56 pm

Dii Infer wrote:

JC is one of the most clever directors out there, yet hacks like M. Night Shyamalan get all the attention!

Sad world we live in, eh?

Mmmm, no. While I love John Carpenter and wrote an essay on his films and career, I can't call M. Night a hack - not by a long shot. One could turn the same complaints about M. Night on Carpenter. Vampires and Ghosts of Mars are extremely flawed films. Escape From L.A. (while I love) also has its share of problems. Even looking at The Fog I can honestly say it is more problematic than The Village. M. Night makes movies that work and can hardly be called a hack. I'm not just ruling out M. Night, I would say the same for Eli Roth. I'm not a fan of Roth and I don't really like his movies, but he does get them made and with a certain degree of quality. M. Night is easily more talented than Roth, but that's where my "hack line" is at. If Eli Roth isn't a hack... Rolling Eyes

Anyway, John Carpenter I would argue got more attention than M. Night back in the 70s and 80s. So it isn't quite the tragedy you might think it is.

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 408

Avian wrote:

Kubo wrote:

And I stand by what I said, although I am in the VAST minority on it.

Rocky I bored the shit out of me.

Well I may be in an even vaster minority, because I think Rocky V was underrated.

I'm not even totally sure why people hate on it so much. I think it had a pretty good underlying meaning and all that. The worst thing about it was Adrian's constant bitching.

Rocky 5 is such a poor film. i wanted to eat my own head.

Best Rocky films- ROCKY and ROCKY IV

Posted: Jun 21 2008 09:59 pm

PJX wrote:

Avian wrote:

Kubo wrote:

And I stand by what I said, although I am in the VAST minority on it.

Rocky I bored the shit out of me.

Well I may be in an even vaster minority, because I think Rocky V was underrated.

I'm not even totally sure why people hate on it so much. I think it had a pretty good underlying meaning and all that. The worst thing about it was Adrian's constant bitching.

Rocky 5 is such a poor film. i wanted to eat my own head.

Best Rocky films- ROCKY and ROCKY IV

I like Rocky V better than Rocky Balboa.

Posted: Jun 21 2008 10:08 pm

scamrock wrote:

I like Rocky V better than Rocky Balboa.

Posted: Jun 21 2008 10:57 pm

Tebor wrote:

scamrock wrote:

I like Rocky V better than Rocky Balboa.

I'll tell you why. Even though a lot of people thought V was weak, I still grew up with it. Its still just as qotable. Its Rocky back to the streets. But most of all, it stays more true to the series than I believe Rocky Balboa does.

I liked Rocky Balboa, don't get me wrong. But the thing I didn't like was how they tried to make it like real life by adding real people and ESPN, and stuff like that. I don't need that. In fact, I would prefer the way it was. The only references to anything real life were minimal. For example, introducing Joe Frazier was acceptable. Referencing Mike Tyson made me wonder why him and Rocky never fought, or why he was never mentioned before when his prime would have been between Rocky IV and V.

I'm being a little picky. But I just didn't think adding all of the real life stuff was true to the series. Also, I don't think Antonio Tarver's character was as good as Tommy Morrison's was.

Posted: Jun 22 2008 03:53 am

Fine reasons to appreciate Rocky V, Scam. I'm sure Sage Stallone is proud.

Another underrated movie is "Clear and Present Danger". I've heard a lot of crap that people think this is the worst of the Jack Ryan movies. Honestly, I consider it the best and I have no idea how people could prefer "Patriot Games". The film's a great adaptation, very dramatic, very action packed, and for once a political thriller feels THRILLING! The terrorist attack on the motorcade is one of the best action scenes ever.

Posted: Jun 22 2008 05:02 am

Tebor wrote:

Fine reasons to appreciate Rocky V, Scam. I'm sure Sage Stallone is proud.

Another underrated movie is "Clear and Present Danger". I've heard a lot of crap that people think this is the worst of the Jack Ryan movies. Honestly, I consider it the best and I have no idea how people could prefer "Patriot Games". The film's a great adaptation, very dramatic, very action packed, and for once a political thriller feels THRILLING! The terrorist attack on the motorcade is one of the best action scenes ever.

I liked all of the Jack Ryan movies, but my least favorite was Sum of All Fears. I don't know if it was because it was Ben Affleck, and going from Ford to Affleck was a big difference, or if I would like it the least regardless.

Posted: Jun 22 2008 05:12 am

That reminds me: Overrated - The Bourne Identity (came out the same year as Sum). I only refer to the "talked about" car chase, which was lame and unimpressive. That said, Supremacy and Ultimatum more than made up for it. Then again, those two were the same movie... Since Bourne has become a trilogy and Jack Ryan is in limbo, I think we see who the winner was... that said: Sum of All Fears > Bourne Identity.

Posted: Jun 22 2008 02:17 pm

Tebor wrote:

Dii Infer wrote:

JC is one of the most clever directors out there, yet hacks like M. Night Shyamalan get all the attention!

Sad world we live in, eh?

Mmmm, no. While I love John Carpenter and wrote an essay on his films and career, I can't call M. Night a hack - not by a long shot. One could turn the same complaints about M. Night on Carpenter. Vampires and Ghosts of Mars are extremely flawed films. Escape From L.A. (while I love) also has its share of problems. Even looking at The Fog I can honestly say it is more problematic than The Village. M. Night makes movies that work and can hardly be called a hack. I'm not just ruling out M. Night, I would say the same for Eli Roth. I'm not a fan of Roth and I don't really like his movies, but he does get them made and with a certain degree of quality. M. Night is easily more talented than Roth, but that's where my "hack line" is at. If Eli Roth isn't a hack... Rolling Eyes

Anyway, John Carpenter I would argue got more attention than M. Night back in the 70s and 80s. So it isn't quite the tragedy you might think it is.

To each his own, but I have been disappointed with M. Night's latest films. I enjoyed Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, but the rest of his movies seem formulaic and somewhat recycled. Perhaps I went too far by calling him a "hack", but I do think M. Night is a tad bit over-rated (probably not as much as he used to be though, after seeing the numerous bad reviews for The Happening). He's MUCH better than Eli Roth, I will give him that any day.

Also, where is your essay on JC? I would like to read it whenever I have some free time. B)

Posted: Jun 24 2008 03:50 am

Stephen King has written about hype in his latest EW article.

Stephen King wrote:

To start with: Buzz is not hype and hype is not buzz. Hype is paid for: full-page print ads, luxe websites, logos on the sides of buses, billboards on Sunset Boulevard, carpet-bomb TV campaigns. Buzz is free. Hype is often unreliable (Ang Lee's well-advertised but ultimately atrocious rendering of The Incredible Hulk, for instance). Buzz, on the other hand, is almost always reliable. No one knows why, any more than anyone knows how dogs can sense company's coming even when none is expected. But we can say certain things.

Man, how I wish this definition had come earlier in the thread, because where does "overrated" even come in? Being overrated is neither hype nor buzz. If someone tells you Mallrats was great, but then you saw it and hated seeing Jay make a Superman II reference which ruined the whole movie for you, it doesn't mean the movie's overrated. It meant you disagreed with whoever ran up to you and told you see Mallrats.

Overrated is a mutation of hype and buzz. It is following reviews and which way they lean, what people on TV are saying about it (usual for free, such as Kevin Smith complimenting "Stigmata" on the Dogma DVD), and/or what the "popular kids" in school think. None of those sources are very reliable. In theory they should be: critics are experts in their field (right?), advertising a movie without compensation says a lot in today's world, and those "popular kids" seem to have more friends than you do or will ever have so they can't all be wrong either. But, that's not how it is. Whatever "rated" means isn't anymore credible than whatever Fox News is reporting right now -- they might be right from time to time, but it isn't something to take to the bank.

Anyway, I read the King's definition and immediately thought of this thread and formed the above conclusion.

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 802

Shut up, Dorn wrote:

Overrated- Star Wars Episode I - perhaps the MOST overrated film in film history. This movie would have been a bomb had it not been the first star wars film since 83.

Office Space - I know its very hard to say this movie is overrated, but when your dental office secretary makes a crack from it, you know its dead. Not overrated, just beaten to death.

Underrated- Major League - I love this movie. I know it reeks of average 1991 comedy/drama, but I absolutely love this movie and its multiple laughs and jokes and baseball.

Wet Hot American Summer - You have to see this movie. I thought it was a porno at first too, but it turns out this is a hilarious comedy independent flick with a lot of top or middle "tiered" stars having roles in this. Good stuff. Definately check this one out.

Regarding Henry - Quite possibly the only Harrison Ford film that ranks right up there with Indiana Jones. This is a timeless classic drama that brought me to tears. Make fun of me and I will eat your children. Hopefully someone on here has seen it. Just check it out.

I agree with this entire post. Besides Major League. lol

Posted: Jun 24 2008 11:55 am

If Episode I was overrated, it isn't anymore. I'd say its underrated now. I haven't heard anybody say anything positive about it in a long time. All I hear is how much it sucks. A lot of what I hear is legit. But a lot of it also sounds like people just saying they don't like it because they're not supposed to. Then they just copy somebody elses sentiments.

I know that is one or more of you that feel like Earthbound may have been a good game, but is now overrated due to people singing its praise because it was a popular statement. This is how I feel about Episode I's negative press.

Posted: Jun 24 2008 05:48 pm

The thing is if they were going to make another Star Wars Movie that continues off of what happens at the end of Episode VI, AND they told you previous to going to the movie that it was going to be pretty but you were definitely going to despiseit, theaters would still be packed.

Posted: Jun 25 2008 01:06 am

Yeah, Episode I is underrated now.

When is Episode VII coming out? 2010, right?

Posted: Jun 25 2008 03:17 am

scamrock wrote:

If Episode I was overrated, it isn't anymore. I'd say its underrated now. I haven't heard anybody say anything positive about it in a long time. All I hear is how much it sucks. A lot of what I hear is legit. But a lot of it also sounds like people just saying they don't like it because they're not supposed to. Then they just copy somebody elses sentiments.

I know that is one or more of you that feel like Earthbound may have been a good game, but is now overrated due to people singing its praise because it was a popular statement. This is how I feel about Episode I's negative press.

I think there was a lot of both hype and buzz going around for this movie at the timejust because no Star Wars movies have been made in forever. I world just say it hasn't aged well.

Posted: Jun 25 2008 03:24 am

Star Wars is ageless. It's the people who turned Sith.

This Is A Joke