Overrated/Underrated

Donte completely agree On Lynch. Highly Overated


Overated Titanic
Underated Dude Where's My Car

Overrated Borat

Underrated Made

Donte77 wrote:

Overrated: Anything by David Lynch. "Well I didn't understand anything so it must be high brow."
Underrated: Soldier (1998) The direction was passable but the writing was suberb, as well as I would expect from the guy who gave us Blade Runner and 12 Monkeys.

Ahhh it was only a matter of time. I guess it's up to me but I can assure you that David Lynch's films are not just a random series of scenes in which pretentious people assure are arty. There is meaning, you just have to spend the time trying to get your head around it. As I like saying it's the different between descriptive prose and poetry.

And to be honest, Lynch has made films like Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, and The Straight Story- all pretty easy to understand at a pretty instantaneous level. And at the heart of his less obvious films are a simple core story. For Mulholland Dr it's about an aspiring actress who faces the abyss of failure, in her career and love life, and who constructs a fantasy world in which she's a success in every way, but which inevitably collapses when symbols of reality interfere. The same for Lost Highway, in which a man in jail for killing his wife due to sexual frustration and jealousy constructs a reality in which he's an active and virile young man who gets in trouble and eventually commits murder. They're not as simple as that because his films are treated as dreams and are full of symbols which are more potent in this form than in any bland drama, because they take you inside someone's head, as opposed to just showing their situation, giving you a much deeper connection.

Donte, you're probably right about the WALL-E thing. And I guess I'd be helping your point in saying that I liked Cars.

And I really have to watch Heathers one day. I keep hearing about it from the older folks and brushing it off as an earlier version of Jawbreaker. I'm assuming it's better than that though...

Heathers is just so fucked up that it's classic.

Overated The Bourne Supermacy
Underated The Italian Job [2003]

Overrated: Crocodile Dundee
Underrated: Coming To America

People like Crocodile Dundee?

Overrated: Casino Royale
Underrated: License to Kill

They still love him in Australia.

Well, one penal colony isn't gonna convince me.

Also, the first two made over $100 million when they were released in the US.

Overrated: Knowing
Underrated: Monster Man

Overrated: Pleasantville
Underrated: Stay Tuned

I hear good things about Stay Tuned, but I've tried to watch it 3 times and I fall asleep everytime. Therefore, it must suck.

transformers2 wrote:I thought so i actually kind of liked Cars.

BanksIsDaFuture wrote:Donte, you're probably right about the WALL-E thing. And I guess I'd be helping your point in saying that I liked Cars.

And I really have to watch Heathers one day. I keep hearing about it from the older folks and brushing it off as an earlier version of Jawbreaker. I'm assuming it's better than that though...

I liked Cars quite a lot but I grew up in a country town and really related to the issue of the demise and decay of small towns.

And Jawbreaker is an extremely poor imitation of the masterpiece that is Heathers.

Buscemi wrote:They still love him in Australia.

No we don't.


OVERRATED: Good Will Hunting
UNDERRATED: Wag The Dog

But didn't Kirk Lazarus say he was a national treasure?

Aussies probably laughed (scoffed?) harder at that quote than anyone else.

Overated Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Underated Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers

My God, The Two Towers is overrated. If you want an example of a Best Picture nominee that was boring, The Two Towers is a great example. The only things that don't make that film totally suck are Christopher Lee's performance and the "Po-ta-toes" scene.

The Prisoner Of Azkaban is just as overrated as The Two Towers.

New one:

Overrated: The Hours (2002 was a rather weak year for the Oscars, this and The Two Towers being nominated over more deserving films)
Underrated: Far From Heaven (this was one of those more deserving films)

transformers2 wrote:Overated The Bourne Supermacy
Underated The Italian Job [2003]

Who rated the Bourne Supremacy that highly? It was the worst of the 3

leestu wrote:

Buscemi wrote:They still love him in Australia.

No we don't.


OVERRATED: Good Will Hunting
UNDERRATED: Wag The Dog

Hahah "No We Don't." Brilliant.

Also completely agree with Wag the Dog. I love that movie and it did not get enough attention when it released. Political satire is always hit or miss depending on the political climate at the time.

Buscemi wrote:

Overrated: The Hours (2002 was a rather weak year for the Oscars, this and The Two Towers being nominated over more deserving films)
Underrated: Far From Heaven (this was one of those more deserving films)

Loved Far From Heaven. I had never even heard of this movie until I found it at our library randomly and that is a shame.

Keyser Soze wrote:

transformers2 wrote:Overated The Bourne Supermacy
Underated The Italian Job [2003]

Who rated the Bourne Supremacy that highly? It was the worst of the 3

I like them all but I agree that it was the weakest of three great movies. Kind of like Jedi from the Star Wars trilogy.

Newest Overrated: Happy-Go-Lucky.
Wow this movie was absolutely pointless. It wasn't even a movie, simply 110 Min character study of a hyperactive optimist on crack. My wife and I were both simply waiting for the point of the movie. There wasn't one that I noticed.
Underrated: Below (A horror movie written by Aronofsky, who is a genius btw, and set on a submarine. The entire movie builds tension and suspense that makes you claustrophobic sitting in your living room.)

Never heard of Below, Donte, but I'll check it out. Saw a horror/comedy yesterday called Monster Man that you should see. It's funny as shit, the girl in it is smoking, and the plot takes from classics in a new way, without being repetitive. But it's only for people who can like somewhat rude and fucked up humor.

You should totally check it out.

mfrendo wrote: Never heard of Below, Donte, but I'll check it out.

If you like Aronofsky in any way get this movie. When I first saw it I compared it to Alien with the claustrophobic setting.

mfrendo wrote: Saw a horror/comedy yesterday called Monster Man that you should see. It's funny as shit, the girl in it is smoking, and the plot takes from classics in a new way, without being repetitive. But it's only for people who can like somewhat rude and fucked up humor.

You should totally check it out.

I will take that as a suberb compliment and put it on my queue. I remember hearing about this movie but the plot sounded terrible. I will give it a shot though. Sometimes those netflix plot blurbs hurt more than help...

I also hated Happy-Go-Lucky when I was saw it. She was fucking delusional.