Re: Worst movie of 2007

I agree. I guess there's no real right or wrong answer to questions like these. The funny thing is that at a given time in our lives, we might identify with a movie, and take offense or fail to understand when someone has an opposing perspective to our own. Then, a few years later (or maybe many years later) we may take the very position that the person opposing us did, about the same film.

Chalk it up to experience, maturity, wisdom? I'm not sure exactly how or why it works that way, but it seems to.



- Josh

Of course there are right answers to these questions, at least when it comes to separating a truly bad movie from a truly great movie. Sure when it comes to art, there is a subjective factor that comes into play - but there are attributes that determine what ends of the extreme that a certain piece of art is likely to fall into IMO. Originality, lack of cliches on any level (including plot/premise), a "realism" or at least an opportunity for subject-identification with the characters and their choices, etc. are generally a good thing. Every element has to come together in order to move the viewer in some way - whether is be disgust, anger, sadness, depression, joy, fear, etc. A movie that succeeds in doing so has achieved the goal that art is meant to do.

Take the movie "I Know Who Killed Me" for example. The only way anyone would put this movie into their list of "top ten" would be the fact it was so bad, it was difficult to turn away - much like seeing a train wreck. Perhaps one could consider it "accidental art", in that it failed in every way to move the viewer in the intended direction, and instead evoked some moments of hilarity where none was intended.

"Of course there are right answers to these questions, at least when it comes to separating a truly bad movie from a truly great movie." --Skyhawk

I'd like to think that way, too. It would make me feel so much more secure in my job.

But I have to accept that everyone has their own opinion, and it would be presumptuous, elitist, and snobbish for me to think that only my opinion or only my opinion and a majority of the most trusted critics count. For example, I said in this thread that the least favorite film I saw this year was "The Heartbreak Kid." Now, I notice that somebody has just posted a thread here at the message board in which he states what a great comedy he thought it was.

Among what I might consider "great" films, certainly a favorite, is "Citizen Kane," as do a lot of critics. Yet I also have critic friends and critical friends who think it's the most boring, over praised, over hyped film of all time.

So, which people are "right" in their opinions and which are "wrong"? That's why I prefer simply giving my personal opinion about films, telling people which are my "favorites" and which are not, rather than trying to label them with some kind of "best" or "worst" designations, which in any case imply that I have somehow seen everything else available in order to make such claims.

But, of course, that's just my favorite opinion.

John

I agree with your friend critics on the Citizen Kane opinion, TOTALLY over rated, imo.

My wife's worst film of the year is also MY favorite, it's Pan's Labarynth (sp) SHE absolutely HATED the ending, while I'd say it is one of THE best endings I have ever seen.Also the 7.1 soundtrack through my new Onkyo TX-SR705 is THE best I have heard yet, especially from the rear surrounds, they make great use of them.

AvP 2 was also HORRIBLE, I usually download screeners of everything either before they are released to the theater or while they are playing at the theater, and the ONLY one that made me want to go see it at the theater was American Gangster.

I Am Legend was also horrible, good thing I got the screener before I paid to see that garbage.

EDIT: One more that bored me to sleep was the Jesse James one with Brad Pitt, I tried to watch it a few times to no avail.

[Post edited by Blu_Bawla on Feb 10, 2008]

Quote:
For example, I said in this thread that the least favorite film I saw this year was "The Heartbreak Kid." Now, I notice that somebody has just posted a thread here at the message board in which he states what a great comedy he thought it was.

I was more talking about great from horrible. If there weren't elements that separate great films from truly terrible films, there would be no need of film school, art classes, or even "art appreciation" classes. I'm not saying that specialized education is necessary to do art, since many people have excelled with a natural talent combined with on-the-job learning, but not everyone shares such innate abilities.

There are plots which are implausible, along with characters who make decisions based on "mystery" motivations, dialog with nothing but stolen cliches, and performances that at best show the actors would rather be somewhere else than participating in the film. Although nothing is "black & white" when it comes to art, certain factors can be measured and do seem to affect its acceptance among not only critics, but the regular movie-goer.

I think you always have the same problem when you talk about the "worst" movies of a given year. Some people view the "worst" as the most disappointing (i.e. Transformers, Spiderman 3, etc.), while others, like me, see "worst" as the most poorly acted/written/directed movies of the year. Transformers did not have a great script, but it was fun, the effects were great, and Bay knows how to shoot action, so in my book, I not only enjoyed it, but it can't be the worst. The worst was, hands down, I Know Who Killed Me. From the horrible dialogue, to the unnecessary violence, to the abysmal acting, to the director's misguided notion that he was making high-art, with Shindler's List syle coloration. It was just plain awful. Say what you want about how disappointed you were with Spiderman, FF2 or Transformers, but they were all much more entertaining.

I have all of you guys beat. The worst movie is BIKINI BLOODBATH. You can rent it if you like, but don't say I didn't warn you...

pirates 3
fanastic four 2
spidey 3
sherk3(fell asleep)
and the worst movie ever made lol

HITMAN

Quote:
The worst was, hands down, I Know Who Killed Me. From the horrible dialogue, to the unnecessary violence, to the abysmal acting, to the director's misguided notion that he was making high-art, with Shindler's List syle coloration. It was just plain awful. Say what you want about how disappointed you were with Spiderman, FF2 or Transformers, but they were all much more entertaining.

Oh boy, I can't begin to say how much I agree with this!

"I Know Who Killed Me." Now, I've got to wait for this one to appear on cable and watch it, just to see how bad it really is.

John