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Good Films You Dislike

CrispinG

By CrispinG
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CrispinG

CrispinG

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Films that are technically accomplished, interesting, well written and acted, but that on some level you dislike.

There's a review of "Taxi Driver" that concludes, 'A film one can admire but at the same time dislike.' I think I agree with that. It's a morbid, bleak little film that I respect as a pioneering analysis of a psychotic, but I'd rather not watch it again and wouldn't say I liked it. I find the same is true of most other Scorsese movies, actually.

But the big one for me is Todd Solondz's "Welcome to the Dollhouse". I love his later film, "Happiness", but I really loathe "Welcome to the Dollhouse". It's challenging, confrontational and intelligent, but I still loathe it. It's about a little girl that's ignored by her family and bullied mercilessly in school, particularly by another boy that threatens to rape her constantly and holds a knife to her throat after school.

She hates her younger sister for being beautiful and popular, and engineers her kidnapping. But when Dawn, our heroine, runs away herself, nobody cares.

The film ends, and nothing in her life has changed. She's still universally hated, miserable and alone, her family still couldn't care less and about the only difference in her life is that she's driven away her only friend by being so nasty to him.

It's a grim look at childhood, which the world romanticises but is in fact rubbish for a lot of people, and one that's stayed with me, but I still hate this film.

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V3zna

V3zna

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Raging Bull for me. An undoubtedly good film about a sport I uses to love and superb acting performances to top it all off but.....

It's just a relentless downward spiral. I didn't expect a single 'uplifting' moment but for whatever reason Raging Bull leaves me feeling drained and unhappy at the end. Something like Requiem For A Dream is a much darker film but yet it doesn't do this to me.

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CrispinG

CrispinG

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Raging Bull for me. An undoubtedly good film about a sport I uses to love and superb acting performances to top it all off but.....

It's just a relentless downward spiral. I didn't expect a single 'uplifting' moment but for whatever reason Raging Bull leaves me feeling drained and unhappy at the end. Something like Requiem For A Dream is a much darker film but yet it doesn't do this to me.

Absolutely. Scorsese has an incredible gift to suck you right into the lives and minds of his characters, but given the dark nature of pretty much every film he's ever made, that inevitably leaves a sour taste in your mouth by the end.

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Sabreman

Sabreman

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That's interesting, as I see a lot of black humour in the films mentioned (specifically Taxi Driver and Raging Bull), and can and have watched them many, many times. But yes, if something is unrelentingly grim to me I find it pretty much unwatchable after the first viewing no matter how accomplished it is.

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Commander Jameson

Commander Jameson

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Did you think it was a good film, though?

Thought it was OK. Nothing particularly special; neither scary nor that funny. I know other people consider it a great film though, so I am assuming that I am wrong about it or have missed something fundamental.

... I've missed the point of this thread, haven't I.

CJ

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V3zna

V3zna

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if something is unrelentingly grim to me I find it pretty much unwatchable after the first viewing no matter how accomplished it is.

I know what you are saying but for some reason I have watched Requiem For A Dream at least 5 times. It must be one of the most depressing films in existance and yet I find it very rewatchable. :P

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V3zna

V3zna

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The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is another set of films that fall into the thread title for me. Faithful to their source, spectacular battle sequences, great choice of actors for the majority of roles but yet even on repeat viewing I don't get why these films have been elevated to their current iconic status. The LOTR trilogy is without a doubt good but rather than dislike them as the thread title suggests it's nearly as if I resent them.

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anewman

anewman

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Shaun of the Dead.

I loved Spaced so much, but barely laughed at this at all. It was such a disappointment, especially seeing as all the reviews on here were so positive.

For me, what Shaun of the Dead missed was having Jessica Stephenson as part of the writing team. It turned into a slightly sad nerdathon as a result.

Films that are technically accomplished, interesting, well written and acted, but that on some level you dislike.

On this point, I think that, as you develop your critical faculties (ie you gain more experience of an art form, so that you understand why something might be technically accomplished, interesting, well written and acted etc) you are bound to find yourself having to admit that there are plenty of brilliantly made films that you yourself personally don't like. However, is it possible that your personal reasons for disliking a good film actually don't often say much about the film itself? I wonder to what extent you should trust those instinctual feelings you have about a film, which aren't really based on anything about the artistry that's gone into the making of it?

It can work the other way too. I can find myself really liking a crap film for some ridiculous personal reason. So for example I really enjoyed Lost In Translation when I saw it the first time, mainly because I fancied Scarlett Johannson and was intrigued by the life her character leads in the film. Having watched it again, I think it's fairly obviously dull and indulgent nonsense.

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Deltaflux

Deltaflux

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No one is allowed to mention "2001" in this thread, being as it is the greatest film of all time.

I'm going to completely disregard that remark. 2001 is one of those films that I watch and find incredibly boring... but then slowly I block out the tediousness of it all and just remember the highlights, until a couple of years later I'll swear blind that it's fantastic. It's only when I get round to watching it again that I'm reminded how protracted some of the scenes are. The monkey bit at the start goes on for half an hour, and the points it makes could easily be covered in five minutes. Definitely a flawed masterpiece imho.

As for films I respect but dislike, I honestly can't think of a single one. On the flip side, films that I know are rubbish but like anyway (not in an ironic 'so good it's bad' way, but genuinely enjoy) I could write a long list of :(

I do know the feeling though, when it comes to music there are many albums that I can respect but just don't appeal to me in any way.... The same applies with women :)

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CrispinG

CrispinG

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Can a boring film can be considered good, much less great? Whatever artistic statement a film makes, if it doesn't have an entertaining story, it's essentially a failure. So if you think "2001" and "The Godfather" are dull, did you really think they were great films? Important and intelligent, perhaps... But that's not the same as good.

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CrispinG

CrispinG

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Ignoring my last post about whether a boring film can be considered great: Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Blue". Arty symbolist rubbish. Rich snob is widowed, mopes around Europe for months on end, something about a symphony.

Edit: What the hell am I talking about. That wasn't a good film at all. It was terrible.

"Irreversible" is exactly the sort of thing I was getting at, assuming you weren't just upset by it but actually disliked it, too.

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Deltaflux

Deltaflux

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Can a boring film can be considered good, much less great? Whatever artistic statement a film makes, if it doesn't have an entertaining story, it's essentially a failure. So if you think "2001" and "The Godfather" are dull, did you really think they were great films? Important and intelligent, perhaps... But that's not the same as good.

Ok, now you've lost me. I think solar power is 'good' but at the same time incredibly dull. I don't see why I can't apply the same adjectives to films.

Incidentally, I watched The Godfather today for the first time and really enjoyed it.

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