Your Irrational Favorites

I think all four of those are very defendable as great movies.

So the idea is you don't know why you think those are awesome movies? Like, ANY of em?

Not a damn thing irrational about O Brother, Where Art Thou?

LIFEFORCE.

I have an irrational love for Tobe Hooper's bug-nuts insane space vampire epic LIFEFORCE.

I know most people thinks it's stupid, and cheesy, and poorly acted, but I think they've all got sticks up their asses. This flick never fails to slap a big, goofy smile on my face. Plus, due to the Hooper-O'Bannon connection, the last thirty minutes or so of this flick have always felt to me like a big-budget RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. Which makes sense, since Hooper was originally set to direct that movie, before he bailed to make LIFEFORCE. Didn't work out so well for his career, but at least we got one crazy-ass movie out of the deal.

Evil Dead 2? Really? Welcome to CHUD.

Here's a few more:

PAURA NELLA CITTA DEI MORTI VIVENTI (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD)

THE BLOB (1988) (a bit of a childhood favorite, but I really appreciate all of the old-school effects work that went into it's creation)

SPEED RACER (that last race still gives me chills, man)

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (I like this one less the older I get, but I still enjoy Raimi's insane camerawork)

JAWS 3D (it sucks, I know, and I can't deny that. But any time it's on, I watch it through to the end.)

The return of the "I have no taste" thread. And we were doing so well!

Yeah, I wouldn't really call it a favorite, either. But the fact that I continue to watch it despite it's undeniable suck-age is still pretty irrational.

House of 1000 Corpses is a guilty pleasure. None of its flaws bother me and I'm able to get swept up in its stupidity every single damn time.

"Star Trek: First Contact" - Not nearly as emotionally powerful as "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", but I truly believe pound for pound it's the best Star Trek movie and I'm surprised how few people agree with me.

"X2: X-Men United" - I seem to be the lone voice praising it as the best superhero movie. Despite the advances the genre has made since in characterization ("Iron Man"), special effects/emotional resonance ("Spider-Man 2"), and acting/thematic depth ("The Dark Knight"), I still think it trumps them all. It avoids their excesses, and it's just lean enough in plotting and moving enough in characterization to not overdo either (although the end drags a bit and the crying scene sucks).

"Lucas" - I think it should be considered just as much an eighties teen movie milestone as "Say Anything..." or the most beloved John Hughes movies. And I seriously believe Corey Haim deserved an Oscar nomination.

"Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" - One of the funniest and most clever comedies of the '90s.

"Get Shorty" - Features one of the best performances John Travolta has ever given, and a terrific screenplay. I wonder if it would be more highly regarded if it hadn't been released just a year after "Pulp Fiction". I think it has suffered by comparison, and as a result, doesn't get as much praise for being a top notch production as it should.

"The Muppets Take Manhattan" - I just watched this again and I've concluded that it's the best family movie I've ever seen. The story works beautifully for the Muppets and allows all of their personalities to shine more than ever before. I was especially delighted by the depth it gives Kermit, who is more dynamic, unpredictable, and charismatic than he's ever been, wearing disguises to play different personas and bravely taking responsibility for his friends and their careers with a 'never say die' attitude.

The Muppet babies scene is pure cinema gold, and the whole movie is hilarious and sweet, with absolutely brilliant songs. The lyrics and melodies work perfectly from start to finish. I'm amazed that a movie with puppets could not only be so funny, but also so moving. The wedding almost makes me tear up, and it's between puppets! I think "The Muppet Movie" is generally more highly regarded because it was the Muppets' first big screen outing, but this one improves on it in every way. The third time truly was the charm for the Muppets.

"Parenthood" - Aside from the Randy Newman score, I consider this a perfect movie. The writing is so sharp and insightful, it pulls me in early and never lets go. If I'm not laughing at how outrageous, yet plausible its developments are, I'm marveling at how poignant its observations about family are. Another movie I think was Oscar worthy and overlooked simply because it was a comedy.

"Grand Canyon" - Of all the movies I've seen that cut between different characters that each have a story line/arc with a definite beginning, middle, and end (i.e. "Nashville", "Crash"), this is my favourite. In my opinion, criminally underrated and should have got a best picture nomination.

"American Pie" - I guess a lot of people think of this as just another dumb teen sex comedy, but I think it's much smarter and more endearing than any movie ever labelled as such. I'll admit nostalgia plays a big part in my extreme affection for this movie. It was a highlight of my teen years.

First Contact is not that great. But just when you think that it couldn't get any worse, the dude says Grand Canyon is better than Nashville, then compares Nashville -- pound for pound, in any argument, one of the best American movies of all time -- to Crash.

Fuck your couch.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. I'm well aware of its flaws, but damn if I don't find it a blast.

It really isn't. But you know what does get unfairly lumped in with its much dumber, indefensible comedy brethren? Not Another Teen Movie.

I really oughta rewatch SKY CAPTAIN. I haven't seen it since it was in theaters, but I remember being thoroughly bored by the flick, due in no small part to the bland, lifeless performances of pretty much the entire cast. The visuals were spectacular, and the characters were all completely unfazed.

Hear, hear!

Bring it On: It's a movie that shouldn't work. At all. Yet, it's a great sports movie as well as a teen comedy that captures that John Hughes magic that everyone chases when they make a movie about teenagers. The choreography is great, it's made well, and everyone is just on fire in it.

The Zero Effect: It could have so easily fallen apart because of quirk, and the fact that it's a pastiche on both Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe doesn't help, but just when you think you have the movie figured out, it goes to some really dark places and the mystery gets really engaging.

For Love of the Game: I'm not really a big baseball fan, but whenever this is on, I have to watch it. I really like the central romance, everyone does well in their roles and no matter how many times I see it, I hold my breath and cheer when the ball is caught, giving Costner his perfect game to retire on.

I adore Not Another Teen Movie.

Flash Gordon
Highlander
Moonraker

I also like Not Another Teen Movie.

IMHO he is right about FC, just MHO though. It is the film that stays closest to Roddenberry's vision of the future

Anyway, for my money, NINJA ASSASSIN is a marvelous film

There are two reasons to like Lifeforce, and both belong to Matilda May.

And I genuinely like Grand Canyon, but I wouldn't put it on that high a pedestal.

The Core - Terrible science & a paint-by-numbers screenplay but damn if this movie doesn't entertain every single time. One of the few films I actually saw again immediately upon a first viewing.

The Incredible Hulk - Second only to Spiderman 2 in the Marvel movie pantheon for me. This flick hits the bullseye every time. I LOVE it.

[Yes, I'm aware this is kinda like admitting that I like to eat paste].

A thousand times YES. Hardly an irrational favorite, Grand Canyon is a genuinely great film. 20 years later & the image of an injured Steve Martin is still burned into my brain.

Freddy vs Jason. Oh yeah, I know it's retarded, and yet that fight starts, and the mechanism by which my brain gives fucks seems to malfunction. LOVE.

Should you need backup on defending this one, sir, you have my sword. In addition to both fights, Jason's bed kill and his flaming cornfield rave approach slasher beauty.

Volcano -- By no measurable standard is this a good film. But I watch it every single time it's on AMC. It's just so goddamn ridiculous. And it's worth it to watch Drew Carey's brother throw a guy while sinking into lava.

No, this is a Guilty Pleasure thread. Haven't had one of those in a while either.

If you do re-watch, I highly recommend adjusting your TV to pure black-and-white. It looks so much better that way.

Three.

Duly noted.

And my axe!

Two often-maligned WWII comedies with casts of thousands: Catch-22 and 1941.

And I would like a nicely anamorphic 1941 Blu-ray, with seamless branching offering both the theatrical and extended cuts.

Mine is GRAFFITI BRIDGE, written, directed by, and starring pint-sized maestro Prince. I know it's terrible, but it's honestly my most-watched movie of the last couple of years. Plotless and pretentious and confined to shitty anti-drug TV special nighttime backalley sets, it's just so bizarre and so obviously a vanity project for Prince. It's an honest glimpse into a very short, very retarded man's quest for spiritual... something. I'm not even sure what it's about.

I love movies that tell us things about the fascinating idiots who made them. GRAFFITI BRIDGE is the exemplar of this. It's probably in my all time Top 10.

I almost mentioned 1941 earlier, as it's a movie that I've always been fascinated by, but the fact is I like the idea of the movie more than I like the actual movie. The flick looks amazing, with gorgeous cinematography and each and every frame bustling with an insane amount of extras and period detail. John Williams' score is one of his best, perfectly matching the bombastic nature of the film. And my God, that cast!

It's just painfully, painfully unfunny and waaaayyyy too long. I always get the urge to watch it around Christmas, and any time I give in my brain feels completely numb when it's over.

1941's a mess but it's an incredibly well directed mess.

Look at 1941 as a farcical dry run for Raiders. At the very least, its look and feel is far closer to Raiders than Crystal Skull is.

The cast is once-in-a-lifetime. I mean, you've got Christopher Lee playing opposite Toshiro Mifune, for fuck's sake. That alone wins it a lot of love in my book.

That dogfight over Hollywood Blvd. wins all kinds of points from me.

Mondo Cane is most often noted for it's historical value (often being called the "first shockumentary" despite coming out a full forty years after Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages). But for me, it's a really bizarre poetic experience, a hilarious (and often hilariously racist) stream of consciousness meditation on what a fucking weird world we live in. It's perfectly paced, going from the weird to the gross to the disturbing to the humorous to the "why the fuck is there a 10 minute stretch of drunk Germans, sans narration?", making it crazy watchable.

Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time, and I have yet to find anyone who finds it as transcendent as I do.

Same is true with Not Another Teen Movie and Cerina Vincent.

Twister: I love severe weather and DVR "Storm Chasers", so when this came out I was all over it. I would almost like to see another one with better storm affects.

The Black Hole: Loved it as a kid and still do. Wish they would release the score on CD already.

Condorman: Due for a remake.

The soundtrack (ripped from a French cd release) has been floating around for ages. I found it easily a couple years ago. Just google it.

I got the main theme off iTunes a few years back. Don't remember if the full album was there or it was off of a John Barry's Greatest Hits comp.

This is another film that's a complete mess on so many levels (Paxton is completely lost here, Hunt's phoning it in, and evil weather researchers? Really?), yet I can't help but love it. It certainly looks great, and I dig the score too.

I'll be the asshole and just say it.

The prequels.

Dungeons & Dragons and Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings. Great masterpieces of Mount Velveeta. Makes PJ's trilogy all the more impressive.

You know, there are parts of the prequels I could sit and watch all day. The pod race. The Maul duel. Anakin's search for his mother, and the finale of Clones. The assault on Kasshyk, and the finale of Sith. I'll still put in the DVDs and skip to those scenes from time to time. But I haven't watched them in their entirety in about five years. Too much chaff for too little wheat.

Thats the thing, though. I KNOW they're poorly executed films altogether. But the story being told still hits this warm little center in me that keeps me invested; in spurts for the first two, but from beginning to end for Sith, and thats the one prequel where the story has truly objective positives, while still being flawed work. I enjoy the story. For sheer entertainment value out of a series of fantasy films that, except for Empire and parts of Sith that really aim for more, really aren't made to carry more weight than your avergae choose your own space adventure book, I'm okay with running with just that.

Umm.

That's from the Rankin-Bass animated version of ROTK, not Bakshi's film.

'the Shadow' - I love it. The pseudo-serious tone that it has is consistent from beginning to end. It has solid action and great one-liners throughout. Alec Baldwin and John Lone are both having a blast with their roles. Totally watchable.

'The Chroncles of Riddick' - Conan the King in space. Flawed as hell but still fun.

'The Saint' - Val Kilmer is fun to watch and I like his interplay with Elizabeth Shue. I wish that this had developed into a franchise. It's a good caper/heist film.