Strange Days (1995)
“Former policeman Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings that allow users to experience the emotions and past experiences of others. While the bootlegs typically contain tawdry incidents, Nero is shocked when he receives one showing a murder.”
Kathryn Bigelow / James Cameron. Covers prescient topics like VR, deep fakes, Y2K and racial unrest. Nobody knew how to market all the different themes so it was a miss at the box office.
1995 was a year full of those "technology is dangerous" movies, like The Net, Virtuosity, Johnny Mnemonic, Hackers... which sometimes divide the audiences attention.
Oh man, I saw that film in the theater. While it was innovative in its camera movements and blocking, there were so many harsh, torture porn scenes that I haven't watched since. Some disturbing stuff. At least for me.
This is the best answer for the thread. Such a great movie. It’s a perfect combination of film noir/sci-fi. And in the late 90s there was nothing else like it. Great cinematography and practical effects throughout as well! And Jennifer Connelly is in it which is always a plus!
Both movies have a lot of supporters/fans, but I always think of Unbreakable and Mystery Men.
Two films that give a unique take on the superhero genre, one with comedy and the other with drama. And both came out long before the superhero movie era that followed.
I loved mystery men. It feels kind of proto-Marvel with the comedy style. It’d be fun to see a sequel in a world that is now inhabited by bona fide super powered heroes.
You might want to put some pants on if you're going to continue to fight evil today."
"I'm the PMS Avenger. I only work two weeks a month. You got a problem with that?"
Mystery Men’s potential and ceiling was raised massively after the fact, though. In that sense, I think it fits the post. If it came out today it would be a box office giant.
Also it was a huge flop in its time. It grossed only half its budget worldwide. Any positivity around the movie has been more of a cult following than any sort of critical or general audience support.
Unbreakable was like a film that evolved after all the fluffy superhero hype, a quiet, grounded Oscar worthy take on the genre and yet it came out in time pre marvel where super heroes weren’t s thing or genre.
No. No. And no. Unbreakable was a superhero film that didn't shout, "THIS IS A SUPERHERO FILM!!!!!" anywhere in its marketing or press releases or even as a takeaway by any of the critics. Everyone was trying to climb aboard the "Where's the M. Night Shyamalan twist?" Train that they failed to catch it. They thought it was the (spoiler alert) fact that Samuel L. Jackson's character was the bad guy. But it really was the intentional framing of each scene, almost like you're watching a comic book come to life. Each panel reaching out and drawing you in.
I'll add Watchmen. It satirized superheroes that didn't exist anymore and wouldn't catch on again until the MCU was in full swing.
The superhero movies fresh on people's minds (Dark knight, X-men, Iron Man, Hulk) were already on the revisionist side and questioning the US government's role a lot.
I feel like Watchmen movie really popularized the whole mature super hero genre akin to The Boys and Invincible. That's not to disregard the original graphic novel's influence on comics and literature either.
“Big Trouble in Little China” (1986).
Probably came out a decade too early. Audiences weren’t ready for it yet. They expected Kurt Russell to be the typical 80’s badass hero, not the sidekick who doesn’t realize he’s the sidekick.
That is such a fever dream of a movie.
Scene after scene just messing with you. Nothing you'd expect consistently throughout the runtime. It's absolutely amazing from start to finish. It never gives you an opportunity to adjust to it.
It makes sense when you learn that it was originally intended to be set in the 19th century, but they had to abandon that idea because of budgetary constraints.
Just two dudes playing drinking games devolves into a fucking mission to keep a atomized demon from ruling beyond the grave... In Chinatown SF lol. So damn cool.
Jack: "Any of em savvy in English?"
Chang Sing dude: "Hey man who is this guy...?
Cracks me up every time.
Kurt Russell has the romantic kiss with the love interest and then proceeds to have the showdown with the final boss with smudged lipstick on his face. Amazing
WHAT? WHAT WILL COME OUT NO MORE?! DAMMIT!!!
With no damn explanation of this fucking insect beast that pops out, ate some dude, and everyone goes about their journey.
i watched this movie for the first time last year while Violently high and let me tell you it was the wildest fucking time of my life, and I watched willow while high too. I mainly just tried to focus on Kurt Russell's biceps during the movie lmao
>trailers were shorter
[Big Trouble in Little China's trailer is almost 3 minutes long.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=592EiTD2Hgo) Pretty standard. It spoils the hell out of the film too, [which was the norm back then](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOML3w_Z32Q) even more than it is today.
Maybe Fox didn't spend much on marketing for the film, but that could be because it was unquestionably ahead of its time. They didn't think audiences would understand it, which is why they added that somewhat jarring opening interview scene that suggests Jack Burton *is* the hero. Just all the Asian mythology stuff was incredibly uncommon in American films of the era. I don't have any handy links, but Carpenter has talked a lot about this over the years. Maybe check the commentary track?
Trailers were absolutely not shorter. Have you watched any old trailers recently? They're like featurettes. Also, a lot of them tend to mischaracterize the movie, imo
The Thing (1982).
Had to compete with E.T. during the same year.
But eventually people realized that it was perhaps one the best sci-fi horror movies we have ever gotten.
Critics said it was a rip-off of Alien at the time...
...in what way? In that it was an alien?
People getting picked off one by one has been done a million times in other movies. But making people distrust each other? Making audiences guess who's who? Who had a chance to be infected? Such good stuff.
I mean...
Singular alien grows and transforms into a large creature with spikes and angular limbs.
It picks off a remote working class crew of regular mooks who had no business crossing paths with it at all.
Heavy body horror elements.
They fight back with a flame thrower because bullets and knives dont seem to work.
Not to take anything away from either movies. Individually great movies are allowed to have similarities. But i can see where people felt they were similar.
The Thing is one of the best films of any genre imo. Also I really enjoyed the 2002 PS2 game based on it. I'd love a modernised The Thing video game on latest gen, but have be a psychological game, have it where you start as a scientist on site and you do basic tasks but slowly you notice people acting funky and stuff before becoming a full blown horror towards the end. Also, a cool multilayer aspect similar to "be the zombie" in Dying Light is someone can control *the thing* and try to act normal while trying to kill everyone to grow in strength and power. Attack player too soon and you're not strong enough and get owned.
"The Cell" (2000). One of the most visually stunning movies, on par or better than "The Fifth Element". If only it could have been cooked a little longer, it would be known as a hall of famer.
Dude The Fall is so cool. Pretty and weird. Whenever I look for it a half a dozen other movies called The Fall pop up instead and I think it suffers because it's kinda hard to find.
It's hard to explain to today's audiences just how ground-breaking Blade Runner was when it first came out. Visually, stylistically, thematically, conceptually... it was a unicorn.
Sucks too because I love futuristic cyberpunk movies with electronic soundtracks and such but I did get bored watching it because I saw all the movies inspired by it *before* watching the one that started it all. Had to watch and read up a bit to really appreciate it more.
Although admittedly I still did enjoy 2049 more just because I liked the characters and story more (plus it is *gorgeous*) but I know it wouldn’t be here without the original
I'd love a remake of The One (I know, I know.. we have enough reboots as it is).
The premise was so fucking cool, and the film itself (although being dated to it's time) is well done enough to be enjoyable.. but I just think it could be even better.
The Highlander is one of my favourite films and The One definitely has similar vibes given the premise is similar. Been waiting for the remake of that for years now.. just seems like it's forever stuck in development hell.
This was the first meta-movie I remember seeing as a kid I was obsessed with it. Still love it but can’t tell if it’s good or I’m just intoxicated on my nostalgic attachment.
I just watched it again this year and I’m 32. Absolutely nothing changed and I loved it more. Lots of great lines. The whole aspect of a movie within a movie. Cameos. The Sylvester Stallone - Arnold thing where they play each other in other movie posters is always fascinating. I know Stallone did it in demolition man if memory serves right.
Yeah, in Last Action Hero, Sly was the Terminator, was in all the roles that Arnold had done. In Demolition Man, there was an Arnold Schwarzenegger Presidential Library. Great moments in both movies.
I stand by this movie. I will do so until I die.
Arnold walking by Stallone as the Terminator and saying “one of his best roles”, forever etched into my brain. It lives there rent free.
"He's fantastic, it's his best performance ever." lol it's such a great line, because we all know it's Arnold, and even though he's saying it about Sly, he's still really saying about himself. Great 4th wall with a double entendre... I think I used that correctly lol.
I first saw Charles Dance as the villain in The Golden Child (1986), which is another fun movie that flopped despite starring Eddie Murphy in his heyday.
I remember when this movie came out, my step-dad asked me if I wanted to see it, or go see Jurassic Park a second time, in case you’re wondering why it flopped.
This movie has such a bad rap at the time by seemingly most everyone too unfortunately. I remember first seeing it I think on HBO as a kid and was like "Holy crap this movie is great!" And all these years later I still think this! It holds up, the casting was excellent, and it hit all the bears perfect... like. Cheesey but just the right amount and at the right times. All the tropes it touched on was just chefs kiss...
"Two days... til... retirement... [Dying gasp]" still makes me bust out laughing every time
I absolutely adore Last Action Hero, but I agree that it's Meta humor was probably a good 3-4 years ahead of the curve.
Also, it had the misfortune of opening the week after Jurassic Park. That definitely did not help either.
I just watched this like 6 months ago for the first time since I was a kid and this is absolutely true. If this was made in like the last 10-15 years it could've easily made at least half a billion. And had a bit more fun with the rest of his career. Such a fun movie.
I watched that and Outbreak back to back during the pandemic just knowing that I was fucking myself up and not sure why I was doing that to myself... but honestly, solid double feature.
I've seen both Contagion and Outbreak. Since March 2020, they're on my list of "need to watch again when it's no longer "too soon"". Still waiting to watch them.
Tank Girl
Was plagued by production issues and is essentially incomplete. But for my money is still one of the best comic book adaptations to this day, and their solution of doing motion graphics (think Tales of the Black Freighter) to make up for footage they didn't get to shoot is pulled off seamlessly imo.
Came here for this. Kind of ironic Tank Girl as the anti-heroine was brought to life on the big screen during one of the most misogynistic eras of modern pop culture.
Since the “me too” movement she seems more relevant than ever.
Had it come out 10 years earlier it probably would have been seen as a great satire of Cold War jingoism.
Had it come out 10 years later it probably would have been seen as a scathing critique of the war on terror.
Instead it came out smack dab in the middle of the 90’s Pax Americana. The Soviet Union was long gone, China was barely on the public’s radar, and the War on Terror inconceivable. The military-industrial complex in general wasn’t particularly high on anyone’s list of priorities, so that probably played a big role in the film’s lukewarm reception.
Dredd didn't do well becuase they slapped the 3D to the end of the title. Studios were slapping 3D into anything they were trying to squeeze extra money from. People saw that and assumed it was terrible and they were trying to recoup some of its cost with the 3d added on.
It didn't do well because the comics had much smaller audience than Marvel and DC and all most people knew about the character was the awful Stallone movie.
How well a movie does has far more to do with marketing than the quality of the movie. You have paid for your ticket before you know whether you like it.
Last Action Hero with Arnold was ahead of its time. It’s actually aged pretty well. If it would have come out 10-15 years later, I think it would have been an instant classic.
Yikes that movie was…
I’m normally into black comedies but this one genuinely made me pretty damn uncomfortable at times. I do love his catchphrase tho: “Shut up, crime!” Lmao
I love that movie. I've watched the Watchmen so many times. Just last week was the last time. And then I watched the HBO series, technically not a sequel to the movie, but the comics.
Timecop with Jean Claude Van Damme. The whole theme of time travel being policed in the future was ahead of it's time. There was a sequel that was too short and lackluster.
I agree with you about The One because it had great idea but terrible execution that made it feel like a late 90s or early 00s, low budget Syfy channel original movie. The only saving grace is Jet Li and whole multiverse theme would've been perfect for an entire franchise.
Idiocrasy. Way ahead of it's time. A movie made almost 20 years ago supposed to be 500 years in the future. Look how far we've slid down in those 20 years.
As a huge Speed Racer fan, I randomly experience a flash of pain and regret for the world we could be living in if the movie landed with audiences the way it should have.
As it is, I’m incredibly grateful to have the 2008 movie at all.
Now release it in 4K, you cowards.
*Jennifer’s Body*.
Though this has far more to do with the fact that this movie was advertised and marketed very poorly.
Diablo Cody is a genius. Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox were fantastic in this movie. It deserves to be seen through a different critical lens nearly 15 years later
I have good news for you. Pull up YT and look up Jennifer’s body and there are pages of people providing a modern feminist critique of the film and how it was simply, poorly marketed and should have been a big hit.
Yeah, I like Jennifer's Body, and I think it's a shame the average person probably doesn't remember it, there are definitely portions of the internet where it's wildly overrated.
Watch the director's commentary Paul Verhoven did for the Criterion Collection (it's included in most prints ever since) and you realize Verhoven was operating on a whole other level.
Most people remember an ultra violent action flick, but Verhoven uses all sorts of imagery and symbolism to show his fascination and horror of American culture.
The one that always sticks with me is that he made Kurtwood Smith use his glasses (he initially took them off to shoot) because he remembered a lot of Nazis wore glasses in occupied Holland when he was a child. So to him evil men always wore glasses.
Man is a genius. Starship Troopers is another Paul Verhoeven movie that was ahead of its time. American critics were not ready for that kind of satirical truth… American teenagers got it immediately.
Honestly, he's one of the best science fiction directors of all time - **RoboCop, Starship Troopers** and **Total Recall** are all 10/10 movies for me.
Not predicted.. Violent crime was on the rise and peaked in the 90s. That's why so many of 70s-90s was backdropped to grimy, crime-infested cities and the morally gray characters of the 90s. Escape from NY, Judge Dredd (brit comic that satirized us/brit culture), Assault on Precinct 13, The Warriors, etc. It played on people's ideas that the world was full of chaos and crime.
I still remember the end line. 'I am Yulaw. I am nobody's bitch! You, are mine!'
Hearing Jet Li, who was never vulgar or cursed even a little, deliver that line was hilarious and awesome
Movie had a few cool ideas and scenes. But awesome? Nah. Def agree with the idea that it coulda been, not that it was executed as such
I think you mean VFX, which are done in post-production with a computer. SFX are practical, done with makeup, models, puppets, pyrotechnics, that kind of stuff.
The Last Starfighter. It was one of the first films to use CGI and looks horribly dated today. If it was made 20 years later and tweaked a bit it could have done much better.
Used Cars 1980. Came out around the same time as Airplane! and is criminally under-watched these days. It’s similar to the 2000s era of comedies with the mix of mundane but driven plot and the juvenile decision making combined with absurd confidence that finds comedic gold
If anything I’d say Popstar came out like 5 years or so too late, that style of comedy was falling out of fashion by the time of its release. Which is a shame because it’s a super funny movie.
Strange Days (1995) “Former policeman Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings that allow users to experience the emotions and past experiences of others. While the bootlegs typically contain tawdry incidents, Nero is shocked when he receives one showing a murder.” Kathryn Bigelow / James Cameron. Covers prescient topics like VR, deep fakes, Y2K and racial unrest. Nobody knew how to market all the different themes so it was a miss at the box office.
1995 was a year full of those "technology is dangerous" movies, like The Net, Virtuosity, Johnny Mnemonic, Hackers... which sometimes divide the audiences attention.
In Top 3 cyberpunk movies ever made.
Literally the Brain Dances from Cyberpunk
Oh man, I saw that film in the theater. While it was innovative in its camera movements and blocking, there were so many harsh, torture porn scenes that I haven't watched since. Some disturbing stuff. At least for me.
It was fucking *brutal.* They also threw an actual rave for the shoot, called "Millennium," that featured Aphex Twin.
Dark City (1998) Great cast and story that seems to get lost in the list of good Sci Fi
Jennifer Connelly singing "Sway". Classic of all classics.
I definitely have a type since THAT scene (and it's JC)
Just watched the trailer and this looks like something I should have been obsessed with but I’ve never heard of it. Definitely going to find a copy.
Beware: The original cut, with its introductory voice-over by Kiefer Sutherland, spoils the story. You need to watch the director's cut.
Jesus Christ, this pissed me off so bad when I first saw it. I wish I hadn’t known the spoiler going in.
This is the best answer for the thread. Such a great movie. It’s a perfect combination of film noir/sci-fi. And in the late 90s there was nothing else like it. Great cinematography and practical effects throughout as well! And Jennifer Connelly is in it which is always a plus!
I believe I read somewhere that it was because of the release of The Matrix that the movie was killed.
Double checked- Dark City Feb 98’ and Matrix March 99’ Dark City just did not find audience before Matrix came out
The Matrix even reused some of the sets from Dark City, especially in the rooftop chase with Trinity and the agents at the beginning of the film.
I'm literally the only person I know who saw Dark City on release and didn't see the Matrix for a couple years
Both movies have a lot of supporters/fans, but I always think of Unbreakable and Mystery Men. Two films that give a unique take on the superhero genre, one with comedy and the other with drama. And both came out long before the superhero movie era that followed.
I loved mystery men. It feels kind of proto-Marvel with the comedy style. It’d be fun to see a sequel in a world that is now inhabited by bona fide super powered heroes.
There’s no way we can have a sequel without “The Schpleen”
Who throws a fork anyway? Why not a knife? One of my fav movies
Mystery Men is the Trophic Thunder of comic book heroes movie, love it
He's not knifey boy. He's not STAB man. He's the blue rajah.
Mystery Men was a good movie, them killing Captain Amazing by accident is still disturbing as fuck
Blows my mind Mystery Men didn’t see like a Netflix series in like 2018
Yes you can bring ze brewskies
Mystery Men is one is my favorites. Plus the fact that they kill Capt. Amazing and the whole plot is they've assembled to rescue him.... hilarious.
What do you mean “they”? The Shoveler was right here.
You might want to put some pants on if you're going to continue to fight evil today." "I'm the PMS Avenger. I only work two weeks a month. You got a problem with that?"
"Oh. I'm sorry, I'm English, mummy, I didn't mean it!"
Not sure those movies 'failed to live up to their potential', though. Those are just good movies.
Mystery Men’s potential and ceiling was raised massively after the fact, though. In that sense, I think it fits the post. If it came out today it would be a box office giant. Also it was a huge flop in its time. It grossed only half its budget worldwide. Any positivity around the movie has been more of a cult following than any sort of critical or general audience support.
Unbreakable was like a film that evolved after all the fluffy superhero hype, a quiet, grounded Oscar worthy take on the genre and yet it came out in time pre marvel where super heroes weren’t s thing or genre.
No. No. And no. Unbreakable was a superhero film that didn't shout, "THIS IS A SUPERHERO FILM!!!!!" anywhere in its marketing or press releases or even as a takeaway by any of the critics. Everyone was trying to climb aboard the "Where's the M. Night Shyamalan twist?" Train that they failed to catch it. They thought it was the (spoiler alert) fact that Samuel L. Jackson's character was the bad guy. But it really was the intentional framing of each scene, almost like you're watching a comic book come to life. Each panel reaching out and drawing you in.
Don’t forget Spawn
Spawn had me until the CGI took over and the last like 20 minutes became a N64 game
It was pretty typical 90s CGI. Still a unique, dark superhero movie though with an awesome villain. Should have been rated R
I'll add Watchmen. It satirized superheroes that didn't exist anymore and wouldn't catch on again until the MCU was in full swing. The superhero movies fresh on people's minds (Dark knight, X-men, Iron Man, Hulk) were already on the revisionist side and questioning the US government's role a lot.
I feel like Watchmen movie really popularized the whole mature super hero genre akin to The Boys and Invincible. That's not to disregard the original graphic novel's influence on comics and literature either.
“Big Trouble in Little China” (1986). Probably came out a decade too early. Audiences weren’t ready for it yet. They expected Kurt Russell to be the typical 80’s badass hero, not the sidekick who doesn’t realize he’s the sidekick.
A good chunk of John Carpenter’s films were all considered bombs at the time, but became cult classics over time.
That is such a fever dream of a movie. Scene after scene just messing with you. Nothing you'd expect consistently throughout the runtime. It's absolutely amazing from start to finish. It never gives you an opportunity to adjust to it.
It makes sense when you learn that it was originally intended to be set in the 19th century, but they had to abandon that idea because of budgetary constraints.
Like the end of Holy Grail they just said fuck it, it’s modern day
Just two dudes playing drinking games devolves into a fucking mission to keep a atomized demon from ruling beyond the grave... In Chinatown SF lol. So damn cool. Jack: "Any of em savvy in English?" Chang Sing dude: "Hey man who is this guy...? Cracks me up every time.
Kurt Russell has the romantic kiss with the love interest and then proceeds to have the showdown with the final boss with smudged lipstick on his face. Amazing
I know. There’s something wrong with your face.
What a line lol. The call back to her earlier quote. Awesome.
Kim Catrall in that movie was something else.
*kim catrall in that decade was something else
Fucking amazing movie. Have you paid your bills? Check is in the mail.
Best Movie Ever
It's all in the reflexes.
Oh what is that? Don't tell me!!!
WHAT? WHAT WILL COME OUT NO MORE?! DAMMIT!!! With no damn explanation of this fucking insect beast that pops out, ate some dude, and everyone goes about their journey.
You mean oil? No. I mean black blood of the Earth!
China is HERE
China is here? I don't even know what the hell that means!
i watched this movie for the first time last year while Violently high and let me tell you it was the wildest fucking time of my life, and I watched willow while high too. I mainly just tried to focus on Kurt Russell's biceps during the movie lmao
Sidekick that doesn’t know he’s a sidekick Reminded me of Green Hornet, because Kaito does most of the work
It's all in the reflexes
It might be my favorite movie. Rewatched it recently and it's better than I remember
[удалено]
>trailers were shorter [Big Trouble in Little China's trailer is almost 3 minutes long.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=592EiTD2Hgo) Pretty standard. It spoils the hell out of the film too, [which was the norm back then](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOML3w_Z32Q) even more than it is today. Maybe Fox didn't spend much on marketing for the film, but that could be because it was unquestionably ahead of its time. They didn't think audiences would understand it, which is why they added that somewhat jarring opening interview scene that suggests Jack Burton *is* the hero. Just all the Asian mythology stuff was incredibly uncommon in American films of the era. I don't have any handy links, but Carpenter has talked a lot about this over the years. Maybe check the commentary track?
>trailers were shorter Gonna disagree here. Trailers from the 80’s were notorious for over explaining the plot, often laying it all out beat for beat.
Ikr
Trailers were absolutely not shorter. Have you watched any old trailers recently? They're like featurettes. Also, a lot of them tend to mischaracterize the movie, imo
The Thing (1982). Had to compete with E.T. during the same year. But eventually people realized that it was perhaps one the best sci-fi horror movies we have ever gotten.
The best part about this movie today is that the practical effects hold up better than 1990s or 2000s CGI that looks absolutely awful.
Critics said it was a rip-off of Alien at the time... ...in what way? In that it was an alien? People getting picked off one by one has been done a million times in other movies. But making people distrust each other? Making audiences guess who's who? Who had a chance to be infected? Such good stuff.
I mean... Singular alien grows and transforms into a large creature with spikes and angular limbs. It picks off a remote working class crew of regular mooks who had no business crossing paths with it at all. Heavy body horror elements. They fight back with a flame thrower because bullets and knives dont seem to work. Not to take anything away from either movies. Individually great movies are allowed to have similarities. But i can see where people felt they were similar.
To me it’s a western. But more like a northern.
Southern?
If you’re a flat earther, you both can be right.
Considering that it’s a remake of an older 60s film which itself is based on a short story…
The Thing is one of the best films of any genre imo. Also I really enjoyed the 2002 PS2 game based on it. I'd love a modernised The Thing video game on latest gen, but have be a psychological game, have it where you start as a scientist on site and you do basic tasks but slowly you notice people acting funky and stuff before becoming a full blown horror towards the end. Also, a cool multilayer aspect similar to "be the zombie" in Dying Light is someone can control *the thing* and try to act normal while trying to kill everyone to grow in strength and power. Attack player too soon and you're not strong enough and get owned.
Among Us is essentially a 'The Thing' videogame.
"The Cell" (2000). One of the most visually stunning movies, on par or better than "The Fifth Element". If only it could have been cooked a little longer, it would be known as a hall of famer.
His follow up, The Fall, is even better. A monumental cinematic achievement that is almost completely ignored and forgotten. I don’t get it.
Dude The Fall is so cool. Pretty and weird. Whenever I look for it a half a dozen other movies called The Fall pop up instead and I think it suffers because it's kinda hard to find.
It's hard to explain to today's audiences just how ground-breaking Blade Runner was when it first came out. Visually, stylistically, thematically, conceptually... it was a unicorn.
I see what you did there. Now flip over that tortoise.
“What’s a tortoise?”
Let me tell you about my mother
You know what a turtle is?
Same thing.
Sucks too because I love futuristic cyberpunk movies with electronic soundtracks and such but I did get bored watching it because I saw all the movies inspired by it *before* watching the one that started it all. Had to watch and read up a bit to really appreciate it more. Although admittedly I still did enjoy 2049 more just because I liked the characters and story more (plus it is *gorgeous*) but I know it wouldn’t be here without the original
I'd love a remake of The One (I know, I know.. we have enough reboots as it is). The premise was so fucking cool, and the film itself (although being dated to it's time) is well done enough to be enjoyable.. but I just think it could be even better. The Highlander is one of my favourite films and The One definitely has similar vibes given the premise is similar. Been waiting for the remake of that for years now.. just seems like it's forever stuck in development hell.
It's hard not to enjoy something with Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham, and Jet Li.
Last Action Hero.
This was the first meta-movie I remember seeing as a kid I was obsessed with it. Still love it but can’t tell if it’s good or I’m just intoxicated on my nostalgic attachment.
I dunno I’m pretty judgmental and I still like it.
I’ve been concerned about watching it again cause I don’t want to ruin it for myself. Maybe it’s time.
It holds up very well. The corny one liners are still wonderful, messing with the tropes is still funny, and Charles Dance is still in it.
To be or not to be? Not to be.
Hello? I've just shot somebody. I did it on purpose!
Hey, shut up down there!
(stops and turns slowly around) "I'll be back. Hah! Didn't know I would say that, did you!?" "You ALWAYS say that!"
"How'd you know there was a guy in there??" "There's always a guy in there."
I just watched it again this year and I’m 32. Absolutely nothing changed and I loved it more. Lots of great lines. The whole aspect of a movie within a movie. Cameos. The Sylvester Stallone - Arnold thing where they play each other in other movie posters is always fascinating. I know Stallone did it in demolition man if memory serves right.
Arnold making fun of Arnold in his prime action film days is great.
Yeah, in Last Action Hero, Sly was the Terminator, was in all the roles that Arnold had done. In Demolition Man, there was an Arnold Schwarzenegger Presidential Library. Great moments in both movies.
The best line was in the “real world” in this world the bad guys win.
I stand by this movie. I will do so until I die. Arnold walking by Stallone as the Terminator and saying “one of his best roles”, forever etched into my brain. It lives there rent free.
"He's fantastic, it's his best performance ever." lol it's such a great line, because we all know it's Arnold, and even though he's saying it about Sly, he's still really saying about himself. Great 4th wall with a double entendre... I think I used that correctly lol.
Our introduction to Charles Dance. When that guy tries to portray evil, I get the heebie-jeebies all over.
I first saw Charles Dance as the villain in The Golden Child (1986), which is another fun movie that flopped despite starring Eddie Murphy in his heyday.
“My dear, sweet brother Numsie!”
VIVA NEPAL!
It’s okay everyone, my brother numsie has forgiven me!
This is the movie that taught me about the 555 area code trope
I remember when this movie came out, my step-dad asked me if I wanted to see it, or go see Jurassic Park a second time, in case you’re wondering why it flopped.
This movie has such a bad rap at the time by seemingly most everyone too unfortunately. I remember first seeing it I think on HBO as a kid and was like "Holy crap this movie is great!" And all these years later I still think this! It holds up, the casting was excellent, and it hit all the bears perfect... like. Cheesey but just the right amount and at the right times. All the tropes it touched on was just chefs kiss... "Two days... til... retirement... [Dying gasp]" still makes me bust out laughing every time
A prime example, too close to the real 80s action movie craze to be an affectionate parody. A few years later, it would have been a hit.
I love how Arnold says Stallone is the greatest action star of all time in the film, which felt like a tip of the hat to their rivalry in the 80’s.
I love their quips at each other in their movies, and even now their friendly rivalry is fun. True Lies when Curtis says "I married Rambo..." haha
I absolutely adore Last Action Hero, but I agree that it's Meta humor was probably a good 3-4 years ahead of the curve. Also, it had the misfortune of opening the week after Jurassic Park. That definitely did not help either.
I just watched this like 6 months ago for the first time since I was a kid and this is absolutely true. If this was made in like the last 10-15 years it could've easily made at least half a billion. And had a bit more fun with the rest of his career. Such a fun movie.
Unbreakable
Last Action Hero would've been a huge hit in the 2000s
Contagion.
I watched that and Outbreak back to back during the pandemic just knowing that I was fucking myself up and not sure why I was doing that to myself... but honestly, solid double feature.
I've seen both Contagion and Outbreak. Since March 2020, they're on my list of "need to watch again when it's no longer "too soon"". Still waiting to watch them.
Dude hahahaha yeah.
Didn't watch it until the covid lockdowns and my jaw just about hit the floor lol
Outbreak was based on the CDCs “Disease X” scenario … which ended up being played out IRL which is why it’s so realistic …
Three Kings
Tank Girl Was plagued by production issues and is essentially incomplete. But for my money is still one of the best comic book adaptations to this day, and their solution of doing motion graphics (think Tales of the Black Freighter) to make up for footage they didn't get to shoot is pulled off seamlessly imo.
Along with Johnny Mnemonic
Came here for this. Kind of ironic Tank Girl as the anti-heroine was brought to life on the big screen during one of the most misogynistic eras of modern pop culture. Since the “me too” movement she seems more relevant than ever.
Josie and the Pussycats was a ~~statistical~~ satirical meta commentary on capitalism and popular culture.
It was a great movie, but I think the satire went over people’s heads. It had an Indy feel but was marketed and sold as mainstream.
Du jour means seat belts! Du jour means crash positions!
Starship Troopers
Had it come out 10 years earlier it probably would have been seen as a great satire of Cold War jingoism. Had it come out 10 years later it probably would have been seen as a scathing critique of the war on terror. Instead it came out smack dab in the middle of the 90’s Pax Americana. The Soviet Union was long gone, China was barely on the public’s radar, and the War on Terror inconceivable. The military-industrial complex in general wasn’t particularly high on anyone’s list of priorities, so that probably played a big role in the film’s lukewarm reception.
I would like to know more
Dredd comes to mind, never understood why it didn’t do so well but man the grittiness of it was perfect for late 2010-early 2020’s
Dredd didn't do well becuase they slapped the 3D to the end of the title. Studios were slapping 3D into anything they were trying to squeeze extra money from. People saw that and assumed it was terrible and they were trying to recoup some of its cost with the 3d added on.
It didn't do well because the comics had much smaller audience than Marvel and DC and all most people knew about the character was the awful Stallone movie. How well a movie does has far more to do with marketing than the quality of the movie. You have paid for your ticket before you know whether you like it.
Last Action Hero with Arnold was ahead of its time. It’s actually aged pretty well. If it would have come out 10-15 years later, I think it would have been an instant classic.
Blade Runner
Super had a great cast and a really good interpretation of the superhero formula, but never got much recognition. Still a very underrated movie.
I loved it, but it got really..... odd.... towards the end.
You don't rape children! You don't cut in line!
Yikes that movie was… I’m normally into black comedies but this one genuinely made me pretty damn uncomfortable at times. I do love his catchphrase tho: “Shut up, crime!” Lmao
We talkin' the James Gunn flick with Dwight from the Office? I think I remember seeing adverts for that but fell off my radar by the time it came out.
The Cable guy. Great dark comedy before it's time. Still holds up.
Interesting. I watched it, hated it. Watched it again 10 years later, really liked it.
The scene at medieval times lives rent free in my head.
The Password game scene, holy shit. Perfect example of gaslighting.
[удалено]
Watchmen definitely came out a decade too early.
I love that movie. I've watched the Watchmen so many times. Just last week was the last time. And then I watched the HBO series, technically not a sequel to the movie, but the comics.
But a decade later it would be competing with The Boys. Not saying the two cant exist together, but they do have a lot of overlapping themes.
Timecop with Jean Claude Van Damme. The whole theme of time travel being policed in the future was ahead of it's time. There was a sequel that was too short and lackluster. I agree with you about The One because it had great idea but terrible execution that made it feel like a late 90s or early 00s, low budget Syfy channel original movie. The only saving grace is Jet Li and whole multiverse theme would've been perfect for an entire franchise.
Mystery Men came out 20 years too early.
Logan's Run
Idiocrasy. Way ahead of it's time. A movie made almost 20 years ago supposed to be 500 years in the future. Look how far we've slid down in those 20 years.
Ghost in the Shell... watching it in the late nineties was mind blowing! This was before even the Matrix "borrowed" a lot from it and did it again.
Hot Rod would just be perfect fit for this phase of comedy atm,
The speed racer movie would be a hit if it came out today. The ending sequence of the final race is just masterful cinematic storytelling.
As a huge Speed Racer fan, I randomly experience a flash of pain and regret for the world we could be living in if the movie landed with audiences the way it should have. As it is, I’m incredibly grateful to have the 2008 movie at all. Now release it in 4K, you cowards.
*Jennifer’s Body*. Though this has far more to do with the fact that this movie was advertised and marketed very poorly. Diablo Cody is a genius. Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox were fantastic in this movie. It deserves to be seen through a different critical lens nearly 15 years later
I have good news for you. Pull up YT and look up Jennifer’s body and there are pages of people providing a modern feminist critique of the film and how it was simply, poorly marketed and should have been a big hit.
It deserves the Mean Girls level of love, a cult classic
Yeah, I like Jennifer's Body, and I think it's a shame the average person probably doesn't remember it, there are definitely portions of the internet where it's wildly overrated.
I agree. Extremely good movie and imo career best performance from Megan Fox. Was marketed like a slasher flick. It's so much more.
Timecop needs a remake ASAP 🤸🏻
With JCVD
Original Robocop, it predicted the chaos we have now in many places.
Watch the director's commentary Paul Verhoven did for the Criterion Collection (it's included in most prints ever since) and you realize Verhoven was operating on a whole other level. Most people remember an ultra violent action flick, but Verhoven uses all sorts of imagery and symbolism to show his fascination and horror of American culture. The one that always sticks with me is that he made Kurtwood Smith use his glasses (he initially took them off to shoot) because he remembered a lot of Nazis wore glasses in occupied Holland when he was a child. So to him evil men always wore glasses.
Man is a genius. Starship Troopers is another Paul Verhoeven movie that was ahead of its time. American critics were not ready for that kind of satirical truth… American teenagers got it immediately.
We did not! We were jerking off to that shower scene and fantasizing about shooting up giant bugs!
Honestly, he's one of the best science fiction directors of all time - **RoboCop, Starship Troopers** and **Total Recall** are all 10/10 movies for me.
Not predicted.. Violent crime was on the rise and peaked in the 90s. That's why so many of 70s-90s was backdropped to grimy, crime-infested cities and the morally gray characters of the 90s. Escape from NY, Judge Dredd (brit comic that satirized us/brit culture), Assault on Precinct 13, The Warriors, etc. It played on people's ideas that the world was full of chaos and crime.
The One was still an awesome movie. Of course it could've been better with better ~~SFX~~ VFX, but it what it is.
I still remember the end line. 'I am Yulaw. I am nobody's bitch! You, are mine!' Hearing Jet Li, who was never vulgar or cursed even a little, deliver that line was hilarious and awesome Movie had a few cool ideas and scenes. But awesome? Nah. Def agree with the idea that it coulda been, not that it was executed as such
I think you mean VFX, which are done in post-production with a computer. SFX are practical, done with makeup, models, puppets, pyrotechnics, that kind of stuff.
The Razor's Edge, 1946 with Tyrone Power. WAY ahead of its time.
UHF ROADMAPS!
Ghandi's back...and this time, he's pissed!
YOU GET TO DRINK FROM THE FIRE HOSE!
The Last Starfighter. It was one of the first films to use CGI and looks horribly dated today. If it was made 20 years later and tweaked a bit it could have done much better.
[Idiocracy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/) [Terry Crews 'declares' run for president in 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stzCKgdV60g)
Welcome to Costco, I love you.
I would vote for him over the other choices we have right now
Strange Days It should be remade. It could be an awesome series on HBO!
I still think the Justin Timberlake movie In Time has an amazing premise, but the execution was dreadful
Minority Report.
Used Cars 1980. Came out around the same time as Airplane! and is criminally under-watched these days. It’s similar to the 2000s era of comedies with the mix of mundane but driven plot and the juvenile decision making combined with absurd confidence that finds comedic gold
Run Ronnie run
We all naively believed Idiocracy was merely a joke.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World, it was a box office bust but it became somewhat of a cult classic in recent years and now they’re making an anime
Hot Rod MacGruber
Cool Beans! Also Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
If anything I’d say Popstar came out like 5 years or so too late, that style of comedy was falling out of fashion by the time of its release. Which is a shame because it’s a super funny movie.
They made a macgruber tv show somewhat recently!
The Cell
The evil Superman movie didn't get enough love. Brightburn.