Films you like that others loathe

[MaxJoker]

A western set on water , how could it fail ?



Well it did and failed really badly , in fact it’s loudly mocked to this day. Yet i like it a lot and have seen it three times .Yes the plot is simplistic and even trite , plus Hopper overacts wildly while Costner in comparison acts so insularly you sometimes wonder if he wanted to be in the film.



But then he did have to swim through a lot of shit with the first director ,and at one stage lost all the original sets during a storm and at a cost of two quarters of the original budget so I guess he’d naturally be a bit down.



Actually I find the contrast between the two main leads very enjoyable , as where Hopper performs his part like a stage actor trying to reach not just the back row but people outside the theater on the street. Costner is almost whispers his lines ,at times talking to just himself ,but for me it works . Also i like Tripplehorn and it doesn`t hurt that the child actor involved is one of the most believable performers i`ve yet to see.



Then there are the impressive stunts and the camera work which is rightly dramatic and makes full use of the panoramic ocean. Anyway all in all the good far outweighs the bad and i'm not ashamed to say i like it

[blondifan]

I always thought Waterworld was like Mad Max 2 set on water, and also enjoyed it.
Think Costner explored a similar apocalyptical theme in 'Postman', which I also like, and at least one other film, who's name escapes me.
Don't know how these fared though?

[blondifan]

I previously posted this over on scoundrel's "Film Noire" thread where it had next to no attention.
This is a classic in it's own right. Featues a haunting soundtrack, which includes a rewrite/reworking of Ravel's 'Bolero' and a stunning lead actress, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.
Also features Anthony Banderas, who I normally can't stand, but in this he is very well cast.
The plot is very difficult to approach as it involves a pivotal time change.
Only shown this to a couple of friends, who said they enjoyed it.
Because it contains a little well filmed nudity it probably wouldn't have had the acceptance that it really deserved, and I'm certain that the average housewife would have loathed it.
Gets my vote for a 'rainy day' movie, worthy of repeated viewings. Subtle little things emerge when repeated.

Rebecca and friend http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCGay...eature=related

Rebecca Flirts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYiY6...eature=related

Rebecca's Striptease http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKdyd...eature=related This last clipped is dubbed

actually, believe it or not, there is a very good story here too

[Estreeter]

Originally Posted by GreenSkull

A western set on water , how could it fail ?

I thought I was good,
I just think that because of the costs of the film and people in Hollywood started to get jealous of Kevin Costners good work in that period went a long way to give it a bad perception

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by blondifan

I previously posted this over on scoundrel's "Film Noire" thread where it had next to no attention.
This is a classic in it's own right. Featues a haunting soundtrack, which includes a rewrite/reworking of Ravels 'Bolero' and a stunning lead actress, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.
Also features Anthony Banderas, who I normally can't stand, but in this he is very well cast.
The plot is very difficult to approach as it involves a pivotal time change.
Only shown this to a couple of friends, who said they enjoyed it.
Because it contains a little well filmed nudity it probably wouldn't have had the acceptance that it really deserved, and I'm certain that the average housewife would have loathed it.
Gets my vote for a 'rainy day' movie, worthy of repeated viewings. Subtle little things emerge when repeated.

Rebecca and friend http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCGay...eature=related

Rebecca Flirts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYiY6...eature=related

Rebecca's Striptease http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKdyd...eature=related This last clipped is dubbed

actually, believe it or not, there is a very good story here too

Hey blondifan, I bet you'd have had a bit more feedback if you had attached these links!

Seriously, I didn't have much to say about Femme Fatale because this is a film which I haven't seen as yet. But I will.

[MaxJoker]

Originally Posted by blondifan

I always thought Waterworld was like Mad Max 2 set on water, and also enjoyed it.
Think Costner explored a similar apocalyptical theme in 'Postman', which I also like, and at least one other film, who's name escapes me.
Don't know how these fared though?

I really enjoyed The Postman as well , but (Hopefully you`ll agree with me ) it got quite bloody smaltzy two thirds of the way in. Which i think was Costner's attempt at trying to cover his bases after his last flop and appeal to a wider audience (Didn`t work though as it still bombed). A shame really as i think one of his trademark unresolved endings would have improved the film much more. That`s another one of the things about Waterworld i like. The Marina get`s the chance to settle down in the safety of dry land with a hot woman who loves him and a far too adorable child who worships him , but he can't settle and stays long enough only to repair a boat and then quite casually leaves them behind and goes back to his true loves, solitude and the sea

As for that third film who`s name escapes you ? , well it escapes me to

[blondifan]

I really liked Tom Petty's cameo in Postman. Thought that was very well done.
Costner; "I know you... you're famous."
Petty; "I was once, sorta, kind of, but not any more."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDRa8FDL2ts

As for that other film starring Costner, well I personally was disappointed.
Only saw it once. It may not have been apocaliptical, though I think it was to him personally in the course of the film. Still can't remember what it was.
Think it featured a car crash fatality where either he or his partner were killed.
I searched and nothing 'rang a bell'. Sure it was Kevin Costner though!

[MaxJoker]

Guess this thread might look like it`s turning into a Kevin Costner love in to some ,as i've got yet another one



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQERrAfoNFk

Despite attracting reasonably positive reviews on average ,and earning a modest amount at the box office this film is still classed as a failure since it didn't generate the sort of money that was expected and so the chance of there being any sequels is currently very unlikely

Which for me is a great disappointment as i thought this film was excellent , of course it did contain two large nagging flaws like Demi Moore`s character Det Tracy Atwood. Found the side story about her divorce and the fact she`s a multi millionaire who`s stayed on the force both uninteresting and unbelievable. Still the woman herself played the role pretty well, just think i would have been better if they'd removed the private life stuff and money and simply had her as a totally kick ass focused on the job cop. As since she is tasked with trying to find the thumbprint killer (Mr Brooks) it might have made her seem more of a threat and so cranked up the tension



Ok so that was one flaw , here`s the next and it`s a doozy. He`s called Dane Cook and he`s someone i particularity dislike in real life , so was less than happy that he appears alongside real actors as he`s not a very convincing one. But then he made his name by stealing other comedians routines and pretending to be a stand up , so really he`s been putting on an act for years i guess ?. Anyway he`s the only other problem with this film , and in truth he`s given such a hard time and nice send off it`s almost pleasing to watch



But enough about him and onto the brilliant things about the film , namely the very well executed story of one mans struggle to deal with his inner demons and cope with a daughter who may or may not have inherited his murderous ways !



There`s a certain dream sequence scene that`s shown concerning his worst fears ,and seriously it`s the best DS i've ever seen !. Talking about great moments there are several in this film. One that sticks out is when Dane Cook is sitting in the car with Brooks having what he thinks is a private conversation with him, when actually Brooks is merely talking to his alter ego through the rear view mirror. Man and there`s this classic pause between them before they then both laugh together for reasons totally lost on Cook .Have seen that moment a few times now , and it`s perfect. In fact it`s John Cusack`s reaction in Identity - upon being told he`s a figment of someone else's imagination - perfect !. Hey i can`t explain it you`ll just have to go rent or preferably buy the DVD and watch it for yourselves



And why not as it has truly stellar performances by Costner and the evil little voice in his head William Hurt (Marshall) , their chemistry together is outstanding as is the film

[blondifan]

I saw Mr. Brooks shortly after it was released on DVD and I've have to agree. You are also right about the Postman. I thought it dragged a little about 1/2 way through, on around the third viewing, with a lot of time between viewings. Last time I saw it was on cable.

What occured to me reading your synopsis of Mr. Brooks was that it suddenly reminded me of Johnny Depp's character in 'The Secret Window'.
I'm not sure whether I like Secret Window all that much. Once the story is divulged it tends to lose it's appeal for repeated viewings, perhaps?
In no way am I trying to compare the two actors, or the films.
Maybe the schizophrenic nature of the characters?
Although Depp's was supposedly an authors device and/or an attempt to shift blame. Or was it?

Anyway, I'm fairly certain that the circumstances in which you see a film for the first time can have an effect on your overall impression of a film.
Unless of course it's a complete stinker!

The first time I saw the Secret Window was at my farm, with some friends on a hot Summer evening.
We put the t.v. and DVD player outside on the back of my flat-tray, layed on the ground, got high and pretended we were at the drive in! From memory we'd achieved something that day, can't think what, but we were in high spirits regardless. I watched it twice that evening.

We were surprised when a mutual friend canned it soon after, as have many critics since. My own personal jury is still out on this one, as I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much the next time I saw it on television.
Maybe a one trick pony. Felt compelled to share that. I'll probably delete this post soon as I am undecided whether I really like it.
I know some friends don't. Maybe in this case they won me over?
I don't mind some Depp. But his 'dark' characters can lack a little substance.
Charlie and the Chocolate Dead Man??
For a while I thought he'd achieved something in Secret Window. It was almost believable, but then a lot of kudos would go to Steven King and the directors.

[MaxJoker]

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5PWbTseMx0

Had forgot all about that one Yeah you’re right there are similarities in the story . Quite liked the film as well although that`s mainly due to the climactic murders at the end and the way the camera pans up and away . See i`m a sucker for a good pan shot . Also liked the final corn cob scene with the sheriff , in the dvd I watched there’s an extra pan that wasn`t shown in the cinemas (They say) .Where the camera goes out of the window , down onto the tall corn and then deep under the soil right to where the juicy bodies are buried



Like the final voice over to , hmmmm but now i think about it i`d say those three things are all I really liked. Because if i can remember rightly the "who done it" aspect of the tale is pretty heavy handed and the southern style accent of John Turturro a bit laughable . In fact i suppose the whole ridiculousness of it makes it one of those tales best left unanalyzed, as like you say no sooner are the realities of Depp`s accuser revealed then the whole film unravels with a load of “What really happened” scenes. Did like the method they used to show his split personality taking over though, hey that’s a fourth thing i like about it . Hmmmm all i need are a couple more and this film’ll earn a rightful place on this thread !

" I know i can do it," Todd Downey said, helping himself to another ear of corn from the steaming bowl. "I'm sure that in time, every bit of her will be gone .... and her death will be a mystery.... even to me"



Now that`s the way to treat an EX