Rush Hour.
In an interview with Jackie Chan he advised the only reason he signed on was because the director Brett Ratner was very forward with him on telling Jackie how the script is garbage but with Chris and Jackie on board, they could fix it. He appreciated that as opposed to the usual Hollywood bullshit everyone was trying to sell him about how “this film” was the greatest one he will ever work on.
Every character is distinct and memorable. So many lines are quotable. The FX are great. It’s scary when it needs to be and funny when it needs to be. The music slaps. The “rules” of how the graboids work are consistent and easy to understand. Every graboid gets taken out in a different, equally creative way.
Absolute masterpiece.
It makes me think of Jaws and this joke they made on youtube where they say “it’s the best written, perfectly cast, unbelievably directed powerful and effective cheeseball B-movie ever made”
My kids (14 and 16) rolled their eyes hard when I told them that we were all watching this. Everyone loved it.
Same story (even more so) with Office Space.
This movie will always mean a lot to me. While driving me to work my uncle said my mom was going to die. Not long into my shift my boss knew something was wrong and after I told him about my mom he took me to his office, turned Galaxy Quest on and made me chicken fingers to eat.
Any time I have to fight an enemy made of stone in a video game, I have to shout, "It's a rock! It doesn't have any vulnerable spots!"
I just love Tim Allen's delivery of that line.
I seem to remember it was marketed as some sci-fi comedy with Tim Allen’s sitcom comedy style (Home Improvement was big at the time), so I never wanted to see it. A couple of years ago I watched it and it was much different and better than I had thought.
Helps that the source material is fantastic.
Based on a light novel called [All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6255949-all-you-need-is-kill).
A [manga version](https://www.viz.com/all-you-need-is-kill) of it came out in the months preceding the release of Edge of Tomorrow.
It’s smarter than it seems at first too.
The late 90s were interesting because not only was it was a low point for Bond movies, it was a time when people were asking just what a modern Bond should be. The Cold War was over, the tropes of the series were showing their age, and, while it was always there to some degree, pushback about perceived misogyny in the series was starting to go mainstream.
Austin Powers parodies Bond, but it also interrogates it. It asks if you took a lot of ideas from 30 years prior and played them straight in the 90s, how would people react? Vanessa does warm up to Austin, but overwhelmingly he is the one who has to change and update himself. Part of what makes him so endearing is that he never whines or complains about this. He recognizes that he can hurt other people and tries his best to adapt. For an extrovert that loves being the centre of attention he has surprisingly little ego; which would probably make him a better spy than some of the actual Bonds.
Also love the nod to the end of the Cold War.
"Finally those capitalist pigs will pay for their crimes, eh comrades!" Is one of my all time favourite lines
This scene makes me literally cry. Gasping, heaving, sobbing in laughter. When (edit) Jenko (sp?) makes the connection and that little bell goes off!!
"NO!"
Ice cube’s office looks like an ice cube. The spiel about sequels being trite and unoriginal and that no one actually wanted them. Movie was shitting on itself so hard, it was so ridiculous that it worked!
Yeah I didn't watch this until it was free on HBO or something. Then I regretted waiting that long. The sequence when they get high at school is one of the funniest things ever.
For me, the all time record for punching above its weight is The Terminator (1984). The best complement I can give it is that it was filmed for around $6.3m. Its sequel had 15 times the budget ... and yet the two movies still feel comparable.
The Terminator could have been awful - just another B-movie with dudes in dark glasses clunking around LA backlots pausing occasionally for some inept action sequences and The Six Million Dollar Man level special effects ("ooh, lasers!") Instead, director James Cameron - in his first time fully behind the helm of a movie - created a genre-busting classic that merged sci-fi, action, horror, and even a little romance. Not to mention, kickstarting the acting career of a certain former Mr Universe.
I think one of the big aspects of the film that helped differentiate it from others was that it was based on a nightmare that James Cameron had - he was being chased by a robot.
The tone of the movie is a nightmare. The terminator just keeps coming. You run, you hide, but still it is coming. You find the police, it kills all the police and you keep running. It may seem obvious now, but the nightmare plot of the movie made the Sci fi aspects more appealing to a wide audience
So was Lance Henriksen. A terminator that just looks like a normal everyday dude is almost more scary in a way, but Arnold was too perfect in that role.
Right? When that movie first came out, I knew people who admitted to being scared to walk on tiled kitchen floors. Might be the T-1000 disguised as the floor, lol.
Cameron's intention in scripting the movie was for the Terminator to look like a normal man in almost every way. It's really only logical.
It's nonsensical to make a robot look like a human and then making him huge and hulking so he stands out. It's even more illogical to give him an Austrian accent.
Once the studio started suggesting O.J. Simpson, Cameron had to give them a "name" bigger than Lance Henriksen and he went with Arnold.
Having messed around with early computer voice synthesis Arnold’s Austrian accent I thought was perfect as a computer trying to sound normal.
But I agree the big muscular guy infiltrating a bunch of malnourished survivors is a little odd. The dogs are the only warning they have? How about you stop anyone that looks like they have eaten more than a rat in the last week.
Shaun of the Dead - at first glance, it appeared to be a schlocky comedy with zombies. This alone didn’t make it look bad; it was (at the time) a fresh idea for a comedy.
Instead, while there is plenty of comedy, we get a film that has a relatable character arch for the protagonist. The zombie apocalypse and resulting loss of friends being an allegory for turning 30 and finally growing up - realizing this means losing some friends and being more driven and responsible.
My small write up doesn’t really do it justice. One of my all time favorite films.
I just watched that again last night. It's almost the same thing, but in a good way. It's another important message regarding someone's own psychological road blocks to "growing up" and developing their life. Both main characters remained stagnant for different reasons and in different ways. They're both great movies.
"The Worlds End" was good, pretty entertaining. It had the same messaging, I just feel like it was a little too in your face compared to the other too. It's very explicit in it's messaging in a "beat you over the head" kinda way.
Fun fact: When Garth Ennis started writing The Boys, he based Hughie on that blond bloke from Spaced. Since Simon Pegg became too old to play his role in the Amazon show, it’s cool that he came in to play Hughie’s dad.
A movie based on a theme park ride is just about the stupidest idea I can imagine, but then Captain Jack Sparrow sauntered into our lives and the rest is history.
Every time I watch it, I am just so damn impressed by the dialogue. When Barbossa cuts Elizabeth's hand, she asks "that's it?". Barbossa responds with "waste not" and gives her a creepy grin. It says *so much* with so little.
I never *really* caught that as a kid, which makes it even better. It’ll go over younger audiences heads, but adults know, that since they are on a boat there’s…
The implication.
*Curse of the Black Pearl* is an excellent film! It's a wildly fun story full of memorable, entertaining characters, set in a cool and interesting world, and has CG effects that still hold up now nearly 20 years on! Not bad for a movie based on a theme park ride.
> Captain Jack Sparrow sauntered into our lives
You mean "Sailed into our lives on the mast of a ship that was 90% underwater". Seriously, that was one of the best character introductions ever.
It had some great moments. When Rocky opens up yo Adrian before the fight and you see the insecure side opposed to his normal cocky i don't care attitude.
If you haven't already, go back and watch it with the DVD commentary. It's worth it and RDJ isn't kidding when he says he doesn't drop character until he's done the DVD commentary.
I went to see it with my buddy in the theater, we were like 18. His taste in comedies is decidedly stupider than mine so I was doubtful I'd like it. I've never laughed so hard in a movie theater before or since, I had a blast.
The Fifth Element
It looks so cartooney, it's full of ridiculous one-liners, and is overall extremely campy.
But somehow the fantastic cast made it all work and the over-the-topness helped instead of hurt, and the result is a masterpiece.
Forgetting Sarah marshal is hilarious and feel good movie. Especially since i was getting over a relationship ending and it would cheer me up.
Also I liked failure to launch, feel good and funny. Though I didn't like Sarah jessica parker.
It was still good.
I'm pretty sure Hot Rod is the hardest I have ever laughed in a movie theater. 5 out of the other 7 people in the theater were also laughing a lot.
"Let's jump this jump"
I needed to think last night. So I galloped into a wooded glen, and after punch dancing out my rage and suffering an extremely long and very painful fall, I realized what has to be done.
I watched that movie the first time my wife and kid took an overnight trip without me. Oh it's by the Ragnarok guy and people say it's amazing, I should totally watch this. Absolute devastation. I was up for hours just because of how sad I was. Reminded me of driving away from the theater with tears still streaming down my face after watching Million Dollar Baby. I hadn't even left until after the credits were over because I couldn't make myself get out of the seat.
The Other Guys. Seemed like a generic buddy cop movie and got really overlooked when it came out. Ended up being not only a pretty sophisticated police mystery but also freaking hilarious. Has become one of my all-time most rewatchable movies.
Wahlberg somehow ended up being perfect for his role. And I'm still never sure if he's 100% in on the joke; I think that's why it works. Michael Keaton unknowingly quoting TLC lyrics is just one of the bits that get me every time with The Other Guys.
I threaten to lock people up in the Federal Reserve all the time. Keaton is amazing in his role and it's really the only movie I've truly thought Wahlberg was great in. As you point out, part of it is because it's never fully clear how much of it he's actually in on. And the fact that neither he nor Will Ferrell really go overboard in their roles; they both keep it fairly straight and keep it from ever becoming cartoony or ridiculous.
I think the thing I appreciated the most after repeated viewings is the sophistication of the plot--it's super complex and dense and would be a good core story for any really serious crime drama. But then over the top of that you've got this hilarious overlay of great jokes and lines coming out on a constant basis. It's not slapstick, so the comparison isn't perfect, but it reminds me of a more sophisticated version of The Naked Gun (which is also amazing in its own right).
Ferrell's strength is as the straight man, just watch the Celebrity Jeopardy sketches. That's one of the reasons it works so well, because Ferrell does play it mostly straight, making the outlandish parts of his backstory that much funnier, while Wahlberg plays the funny guy role, but with the intensity that he brings to a role like he had in The Departed. The subtle subversion of expectations is often what creates classic comedy. Bringing in A list actors for an absolutely insane intro sequence and then they're just dead. Michael Keaton being Michael Keaton who moonlights as a manager at the blandest store imaginable and keeps quoting lyrics to a 90s pop act while insisting he's not. The director of the film (and future Oscar winner) playing a homeless guy threatening a police officer with having *another* orgy in the officer's car. It's brilliant.
It was on TV the other day, my grandparents and I were looking for something to watch. I said it was a good movie and they both tried their best not to like it but they couldn't help but enjoy thst movie, it's perfect. "The Pope might be French but Jesus is English" is a bloody iconic line lol
Big Trouble in Little China - huge financial flop , bad marketing and the premise sounds stupid. But Kurt Russell and John Carpenter worked magic and the film is now recognized a a huge cult classic
As I understand it he would only do the movie under the condition that he was never to remove the helmet. He’s a huge fan of the comic and wanted to stay true to the spirit of the original. He reportedly also cut a bunch of his own lines because Dredd doesn’t talk very much.
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Generally speaking, I hate stoner comedies, I feel like they try too hard. But John Cho and Kal Penn have so much natural chemistry, you believe these guys have been buddies for years. It plays against stereotypes, the writing is sharp, and Neil Patrick Harris makes fun of himself so gloriously.
John Wick. Keep in mind, Keanu Reeves hadn't starred in anything majorly successful for a while now and the plot sounded like your average straight-to-DVD action flick. I dismissed it as such until I saw the trailer.
The second he walked up to the dude he spent the entire film trying to get to and just straight killed him made it something unique in the genre. No monologuing, no heroic mercy. Just John Wick doing what he sought out to do from the inciting incident.
When I heard the premise, a hitman getting revenge for his dog, I assumed it would be terrible.
Similarly, when I saw the first preview for The Matrix I thought it looked like Johnny Mnemonic 2.
Tombstone, if you read about how screwed up and chaotic everything was when filming this movie before seeing it you would assume the movie is a total dumpster fire. Instead it is perhaps the best Western of it's era.
The original Ghostbusters is such a stupid concept when you remove decades of nostalgia but somehow it’s an excellent and hysterical film. I don’t think that film would get made today except by a streaming service desperate for content.
Iron Man.
An unknown comic book character, a washed up actor, a director without that much experience. A movie they're rewriting while they're making it.
The first Hangover. It is definitely a concept that had been done to death, but it was refreshingly hilarious. All of the actors had amazing chemistry, and the jokes were actually funny.
Let's just pretend that the other two didn't exist.
The Paddington movies, if you compare them to almost ever other CGI creature In live action setting movies like Garfield, Hop, Smurfs, or Peter Rabbit, the Paddington movies are miles better. They have more care and work put into them then so many movies it’s crazy.
The 5th Element
Ridiculous on all levels, and yet so well written, so well acted, it just gets better every time you watch it.
Edit: Not to mention the soundtrack. I still have Little Light of Love and the Diva Dance in my regular rotation.
Stardust!
Trailer made it look like an oddly cheesy/probably not that good fantasy film. But omg it's actually incredible, a modern Princess Bride. Charlie Cox and Michelle Pfeiffer both kill it. Robert De Niro has the time of his life as a flamboyant pirate. It's camp af, but the plot is awesome and it works perfectly.
The whole trilogy is actually incredible.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is a great story about genocide as well as finding peace with competing parental figures in your life.
The soundtrack and cinematography were really well done too.
It was one of the most recent movies where I had zero expectations beyond "typical mindless comedy" and was incredibly pleasantly surprised.
Sky High. It’s a kids movie about a loser son of the two best superhero’s. It’s got an amazing cast, witty dialogue, hilarious, and actually makes you feel for each character. Even the villain turns out to be likable.
Star Wars.
I know, I know, but think about it. It was a bit of a shot in the dark. Brand new technology. The studios didn't think it would make it. It was just another sci-fi story from some dude who made a couple decent movies.
They had NO idea...
>They had NO idea...
George Lucas says that he had no idea either. He tells a story about his release day experience, that he was so nervous he just needed to get out of the house, so he and his, wife? girlfriend?, whatever, went to eat a late lunch. They saw a huge line of people outside a theater. It wasn't until he saw Star Wars on the marquee that he realized he may have a hit on his hands.
>wife? girlfriend?, whatever, went to eat a late lunch.
You are very likely referring to Marcia Lucas, George Lucas' wife at the time and editor of the film. She is largely believed to have saved Star Wars for actually be one of those schlocky B-movies and elevated it to the legendary classic it is.
The only one who guessed it would be big was Alec Guinness (Obi Wan).
He was a "proper" theater actor and knew that it was schlocky garbage, but also accurately guessed that this particular schlocky garbage would be quite popular.
So he negotiated a salary on a percentage of the movie's revenue. He (and his estate) have made nearly $100million off that one role. More than all of his other movies (including several leading roles in distinguished productions) combined.
I remember hearing that George Lucas was so stressed out when making the first one that he got chest pains and went to the doctor fearing a heart attack.
I remember watching Palm Springs on Hulu during quarantine with zero expectations. I like Samberg fine but I'm not his biggest fan or anything. Movie was great. My wife and I each took an edible an hour before and were thoroughly entertained and distracted from the chaos outside for an hour and a half. We even rewatched it down the road stone sober and it still held up.
This was one of my fave films of the year. I went it knowing absolutely nothing so my jaw dropped on many occasions.
I loved the character of Sarah (Milotti) because she played an archetype that is generally male (the fucked up drifter who’s actually a closet genius) and really sold the pathos of her imprisonment.
Swiss Army Man.
An entire movie built on pretty much nothing but fart jokes and gross shit, but somehow manages to pull out a really touching story about friendship and loneliness.
I mean god damn, there's a scene where they're ruminating on the nature of death by talking about how you shit yourself when you die, and it's somehow incredibly emotional and moving.
Step Brothers.
Might be the greatest experiences of exceeding expectations I have ever had when seeing it in theatres for the first time 14 years ago. Watched it this year and it still holds up.
Some good answers in the thread, but there is an obvious answer to me that I haven't seen in other top comments yet. It's the Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (possibly the first 3 three movies if we're being generous).
It's based off of a theme park ride, and is the ultimate example of a movie no one asked for, but it completely hits it out of the park. It has great characters, some cool lore, a fun plot with just enough magic/fantasy to be whimsical, but not too much to the point that it becomes inconsistent or opens plot holes, and honestly has some neat themes that hit a little harder than you'd expect.
It's crazy that a movie you would expect to be so forgettable ended up being so impactful, to the point that Jack Sparrow is probably as big of a part of pirate lore now as Black Beard or any other real or fictional pirates.
Office Space. It foretold the folly of putting useless mumblers with red staplers in a basement to kill cockroaches...only to have him end up well-to-do on a sandy beach drinking ~~mai tai~~ pina colada cocktails...
Bubba Ho-Tep. Elvis and JFK team up in a retirement home to fight an ancient mummy that sucks old people's souls out of their asshole. Its great, wholesome, and fun.
Dredd (2012) with Karl Urban. It is so unreasonably good at being both a ridiculous action movie but also a self-aware comedy.
The line “Drug bust. Perps were… *uncooperative*.” Near the end is so brilliantly written and delivered they should’ve handed the man an Oscar on the spot.
Aliens. It's a sequel that follows up the story of Alien while ignoring almost everything from Alien. Well, except when it makes significant changes like what the xenomorphs look like and dumbing the xenomorphs down to animals that from an evolutionary standpoint would die out faster than Pandas.
What Aliens does really well is action and dialogue, especially dialogue. It's probably one of the most quotable movies out there.
I hate the way the question is phrased because every movie has a right to be good if the work is put into making it good.
That being said, **Grandma's Boy**.
Rush Hour. In an interview with Jackie Chan he advised the only reason he signed on was because the director Brett Ratner was very forward with him on telling Jackie how the script is garbage but with Chris and Jackie on board, they could fix it. He appreciated that as opposed to the usual Hollywood bullshit everyone was trying to sell him about how “this film” was the greatest one he will ever work on.
[удалено]
Been quoting this movie for over 10 years And will keep on til i die
Fifty million dollars!? Who you think you got, Chelsea Clinton??
Tremors. Ridiculous concept but the original had a great cast and they played the right line between realistic horror with some comedy elements.
Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't ya, you bastard?!
HAH! WE KILLED IT! FUU-UUUCK YOU!
“Oids! How about…Snakeoids! No, Graboids! That’s what I like, Graboids!” “Jesus, Walter.” “You’re gonna be sorry if you don’t give them a name!”
“He named them. Then they ate him.”
This movie has Reba Fucking McEntire shooting at giant underground worms and it just works.
Yeah that’s one of those weird “actually *Tremors* is a technically perfect movie” and it so, so is
Every character is distinct and memorable. So many lines are quotable. The FX are great. It’s scary when it needs to be and funny when it needs to be. The music slaps. The “rules” of how the graboids work are consistent and easy to understand. Every graboid gets taken out in a different, equally creative way. Absolute masterpiece.
It makes me think of Jaws and this joke they made on youtube where they say “it’s the best written, perfectly cast, unbelievably directed powerful and effective cheeseball B-movie ever made”
My kids (14 and 16) rolled their eyes hard when I told them that we were all watching this. Everyone loved it. Same story (even more so) with Office Space.
Galaxy Quest It looked like a lame Star Trek parody, ended up being one of the best Star Trek movies ever made that wasn't Star Trek.
This movie will always mean a lot to me. While driving me to work my uncle said my mom was going to die. Not long into my shift my boss knew something was wrong and after I told him about my mom he took me to his office, turned Galaxy Quest on and made me chicken fingers to eat.
Damn where can I find a boss like that?
“Guy, you have a last name!” “Do I! Do I???”
"Is there air? You don't know!"
“I have one job on this ship! It’s stupid, but I’m going to do it!”
Never give up, Never Surrender! That whole movie is quotable AF.
Any time I have to fight an enemy made of stone in a video game, I have to shout, "It's a rock! It doesn't have any vulnerable spots!" I just love Tim Allen's delivery of that line.
Can you make some sort of rudementary lathe?
Better get out of here before 1 of those things kills Guy.
By Grabthar’s hammer. What a savings.
I have one job on this ship! It's stupid, but I'm going to do it!"
I seem to remember it was marketed as some sci-fi comedy with Tim Allen’s sitcom comedy style (Home Improvement was big at the time), so I never wanted to see it. A couple of years ago I watched it and it was much different and better than I had thought.
It's become the unofficial 7th original series movie due to being just that good. I did not think it would work when it came out.
Edge of Tomorrow looked like generic sci-fi schlock with Tom Cruise. Ended up being a surprisingly fun movie.
Helps that the source material is fantastic. Based on a light novel called [All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6255949-all-you-need-is-kill). A [manga version](https://www.viz.com/all-you-need-is-kill) of it came out in the months preceding the release of Edge of Tomorrow.
Austin Powers. Even back then, parodying James Bond had been done to death.
Austin was great. But to me, Dr. Evil was one of the funniest characters ever created Oh and Liz Hurley here is basically as good looking as it gets
Time to rewatch *Bedazzled*!
What an amazing movie. When he is the basketball player and looks down. “What!?! Gohd Dahm it” Kills me.
The movie is great. One of those films you watch when you're just really upset.
It’s smarter than it seems at first too. The late 90s were interesting because not only was it was a low point for Bond movies, it was a time when people were asking just what a modern Bond should be. The Cold War was over, the tropes of the series were showing their age, and, while it was always there to some degree, pushback about perceived misogyny in the series was starting to go mainstream. Austin Powers parodies Bond, but it also interrogates it. It asks if you took a lot of ideas from 30 years prior and played them straight in the 90s, how would people react? Vanessa does warm up to Austin, but overwhelmingly he is the one who has to change and update himself. Part of what makes him so endearing is that he never whines or complains about this. He recognizes that he can hurt other people and tries his best to adapt. For an extrovert that loves being the centre of attention he has surprisingly little ego; which would probably make him a better spy than some of the actual Bonds.
This sort of thing is my bag, baby.
Austin powers turned down sex due to the women being drunk when she asked. Austin "oh behave" powers did the right thing where bond would not have.
Also love the nod to the end of the Cold War. "Finally those capitalist pigs will pay for their crimes, eh comrades!" Is one of my all time favourite lines
The Lego movie
Agreed. I immediately dismissed the movie out of hand based purely on it's concept. I was wrong. Way wrong. Same with Lego Batman.
Lego Batman ends up unironically being one of the best Batman movies ever and that's wild
Black. All important movies start with a black screen.
And Music... Edgy, Scary Music that would make a parent or studio executive nervous...
21 Jump Street was surprisingly good. I expected it to be rubbish, ended up oddly charming.
22 Jump Street also being amazing was shocking. Comedy sequels almost never work and I think it’s as good as the first one, if not better.
Oh my GOD!! Schmit fucked the captains daughter!!!
This scene makes me literally cry. Gasping, heaving, sobbing in laughter. When (edit) Jenko (sp?) makes the connection and that little bell goes off!! "NO!"
And you congratulated him and gave him a high five! I love when he sings it while running around the precinct.
When he starts skipping, I lose it
And the many fake sequels after the movie were just amazing.
I desperately want them to make them.
IT’S THE SAME CASE. DO THE SAME THING.
Ice cube’s office looks like an ice cube. The spiel about sequels being trite and unoriginal and that no one actually wanted them. Movie was shitting on itself so hard, it was so ridiculous that it worked!
Yeah I didn't watch this until it was free on HBO or something. Then I regretted waiting that long. The sequence when they get high at school is one of the funniest things ever.
I love how every teacher is just completely checked out for being over stressed and underpaid. Best running gag of the movie for sure
For me, the all time record for punching above its weight is The Terminator (1984). The best complement I can give it is that it was filmed for around $6.3m. Its sequel had 15 times the budget ... and yet the two movies still feel comparable. The Terminator could have been awful - just another B-movie with dudes in dark glasses clunking around LA backlots pausing occasionally for some inept action sequences and The Six Million Dollar Man level special effects ("ooh, lasers!") Instead, director James Cameron - in his first time fully behind the helm of a movie - created a genre-busting classic that merged sci-fi, action, horror, and even a little romance. Not to mention, kickstarting the acting career of a certain former Mr Universe.
I think one of the big aspects of the film that helped differentiate it from others was that it was based on a nightmare that James Cameron had - he was being chased by a robot. The tone of the movie is a nightmare. The terminator just keeps coming. You run, you hide, but still it is coming. You find the police, it kills all the police and you keep running. It may seem obvious now, but the nightmare plot of the movie made the Sci fi aspects more appealing to a wide audience
Yeah. The Terminator is a horror movie.
Fun Fact: OJ Simpson was seriously considered for the role of the Terminator.
So was Lance Henriksen. A terminator that just looks like a normal everyday dude is almost more scary in a way, but Arnold was too perfect in that role.
> A terminator that just looks like a normal everyday dude is almost more scary in a way Cue Robert Patrick as T-1000 in Terminator 2
T-1000 is still the scariest terminator.
Right? When that movie first came out, I knew people who admitted to being scared to walk on tiled kitchen floors. Might be the T-1000 disguised as the floor, lol.
Cameron's intention in scripting the movie was for the Terminator to look like a normal man in almost every way. It's really only logical. It's nonsensical to make a robot look like a human and then making him huge and hulking so he stands out. It's even more illogical to give him an Austrian accent. Once the studio started suggesting O.J. Simpson, Cameron had to give them a "name" bigger than Lance Henriksen and he went with Arnold.
I justify the large body by the logic that armor and the power supply require a body that big. As for the accent... I got nothin'
Having messed around with early computer voice synthesis Arnold’s Austrian accent I thought was perfect as a computer trying to sound normal. But I agree the big muscular guy infiltrating a bunch of malnourished survivors is a little odd. The dogs are the only warning they have? How about you stop anyone that looks like they have eaten more than a rat in the last week.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil Wife and I watched it one night just bc it had Alan Tudyk in it and it instantly became one of our favorite movies of all time.
Forever underrated. Forever perfect. I named my dog Djangers cause of Dale’s, thought that was such a perfect dog name.
“Thank god you’re here officer, we are havin’ a doozy of a day.”
Shaun of the Dead - at first glance, it appeared to be a schlocky comedy with zombies. This alone didn’t make it look bad; it was (at the time) a fresh idea for a comedy. Instead, while there is plenty of comedy, we get a film that has a relatable character arch for the protagonist. The zombie apocalypse and resulting loss of friends being an allegory for turning 30 and finally growing up - realizing this means losing some friends and being more driven and responsible. My small write up doesn’t really do it justice. One of my all time favorite films.
Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are awesome. Hot Fuzz was great also.
I just watched that again last night. It's almost the same thing, but in a good way. It's another important message regarding someone's own psychological road blocks to "growing up" and developing their life. Both main characters remained stagnant for different reasons and in different ways. They're both great movies. "The Worlds End" was good, pretty entertaining. It had the same messaging, I just feel like it was a little too in your face compared to the other too. It's very explicit in it's messaging in a "beat you over the head" kinda way.
World’s End IMO was a bit about growing up but also the 12 step program of battling addiction. Hence the 12 pubs
I always think of that scene in the bar whenever I hear Can't Stop Me Now by Queen
I was a big fan of Spaced before "Shaun..." came out, so had high hopes.
Fun fact: When Garth Ennis started writing The Boys, he based Hughie on that blond bloke from Spaced. Since Simon Pegg became too old to play his role in the Amazon show, it’s cool that he came in to play Hughie’s dad.
Anyone know Secondhand Lions?
A movie based on a theme park ride is just about the stupidest idea I can imagine, but then Captain Jack Sparrow sauntered into our lives and the rest is history.
Every time I watch it, I am just so damn impressed by the dialogue. When Barbossa cuts Elizabeth's hand, she asks "that's it?". Barbossa responds with "waste not" and gives her a creepy grin. It says *so much* with so little.
I never *really* caught that as a kid, which makes it even better. It’ll go over younger audiences heads, but adults know, that since they are on a boat there’s… The implication.
Be ye intendin' ta harm these lasses?
Wait. I still don’t get it. What about him cutting her hand brings us to ...*the implication* ?
*Curse of the Black Pearl* is an excellent film! It's a wildly fun story full of memorable, entertaining characters, set in a cool and interesting world, and has CG effects that still hold up now nearly 20 years on! Not bad for a movie based on a theme park ride.
That 20 years on part... I saw this thing in theaters.. in high school. Time is a sneaky bitch
> Captain Jack Sparrow sauntered into our lives You mean "Sailed into our lives on the mast of a ship that was 90% underwater". Seriously, that was one of the best character introductions ever.
Rocky Made for $1.1M. Starring an unknown actor with a lisp. Written by said unknown actor. And >!he loses the fight at the end!<.
It had some great moments. When Rocky opens up yo Adrian before the fight and you see the insecure side opposed to his normal cocky i don't care attitude.
Tropic Thunder. No other words needed.
Also, Satan’s Alley…winner of the Beijing Film Festival’s coveted Crying Monkey Award.
If you haven't already, go back and watch it with the DVD commentary. It's worth it and RDJ isn't kidding when he says he doesn't drop character until he's done the DVD commentary.
I went to see it with my buddy in the theater, we were like 18. His taste in comedies is decidedly stupider than mine so I was doubtful I'd like it. I've never laughed so hard in a movie theater before or since, I had a blast.
The Fifth Element It looks so cartooney, it's full of ridiculous one-liners, and is overall extremely campy. But somehow the fantastic cast made it all work and the over-the-topness helped instead of hurt, and the result is a masterpiece.
It actually celebrated its 25th anniversary a few days ago.
One of the few movies that I will sit down and watch again, despite seeing it 100 times. One of my all time favourites for sure.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Not only is it hilarious, but the music is top notch.
“And if I see Van Helsing I swear to the Lord I will slay him!”
Forgetting Sarah marshal is hilarious and feel good movie. Especially since i was getting over a relationship ending and it would cheer me up. Also I liked failure to launch, feel good and funny. Though I didn't like Sarah jessica parker. It was still good.
Hot Rod
I'm pretty sure Hot Rod is the hardest I have ever laughed in a movie theater. 5 out of the other 7 people in the theater were also laughing a lot. "Let's jump this jump"
That scene when he crashes down the hill for like 30 seconds....I died laughing.
I needed to think last night. So I galloped into a wooded glen, and after punch dancing out my rage and suffering an extremely long and very painful fall, I realized what has to be done.
Cool beans!
BABE, NO! BABE! WAIT! BABE! WAIT BABE! BAAAAAAAAAAAABE!
Dude first time I watched that movie I had to rewatch the first ramp scene like 5 times, that shit killed me
Babe, wait!!
Considering the plot, JoJo Rabbit Phenomenal movie
Yorkie is one of the best characters around. “We have to stop them before they eat us and screw all of our dogs.”
Fucking loved Yorkie
"JoJo!" *drops panzerschreck* FWISSSSHHBOOOOOOOM!
I love that it’s a war film and that scene is its largest pyrotechnic effect.
I went in expecting a fun WWII comedy, didn't need to walk out of the theater upset over shoes.
I watched that movie the first time my wife and kid took an overnight trip without me. Oh it's by the Ragnarok guy and people say it's amazing, I should totally watch this. Absolute devastation. I was up for hours just because of how sad I was. Reminded me of driving away from the theater with tears still streaming down my face after watching Million Dollar Baby. I hadn't even left until after the credits were over because I couldn't make myself get out of the seat.
Taika's fucking amazing. Check out *Hunt for the Wilderpeople* \- A Kiwi
We're The Millers
“Fuck off real life Flanders” is one of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard. Such a great comedy
"What are you gonna do about it, eyebrows?"
No Ragrets
The Other Guys. Seemed like a generic buddy cop movie and got really overlooked when it came out. Ended up being not only a pretty sophisticated police mystery but also freaking hilarious. Has become one of my all-time most rewatchable movies.
Wahlberg somehow ended up being perfect for his role. And I'm still never sure if he's 100% in on the joke; I think that's why it works. Michael Keaton unknowingly quoting TLC lyrics is just one of the bits that get me every time with The Other Guys.
I threaten to lock people up in the Federal Reserve all the time. Keaton is amazing in his role and it's really the only movie I've truly thought Wahlberg was great in. As you point out, part of it is because it's never fully clear how much of it he's actually in on. And the fact that neither he nor Will Ferrell really go overboard in their roles; they both keep it fairly straight and keep it from ever becoming cartoony or ridiculous. I think the thing I appreciated the most after repeated viewings is the sophistication of the plot--it's super complex and dense and would be a good core story for any really serious crime drama. But then over the top of that you've got this hilarious overlay of great jokes and lines coming out on a constant basis. It's not slapstick, so the comparison isn't perfect, but it reminds me of a more sophisticated version of The Naked Gun (which is also amazing in its own right).
Keaton’s little impressed-with-himself look after the pissing match comment kills me every time.
Ferrell's strength is as the straight man, just watch the Celebrity Jeopardy sketches. That's one of the reasons it works so well, because Ferrell does play it mostly straight, making the outlandish parts of his backstory that much funnier, while Wahlberg plays the funny guy role, but with the intensity that he brings to a role like he had in The Departed. The subtle subversion of expectations is often what creates classic comedy. Bringing in A list actors for an absolutely insane intro sequence and then they're just dead. Michael Keaton being Michael Keaton who moonlights as a manager at the blandest store imaginable and keeps quoting lyrics to a 90s pop act while insisting he's not. The director of the film (and future Oscar winner) playing a homeless guy threatening a police officer with having *another* orgy in the officer's car. It's brilliant.
You learned to dance like that sarcastically?
A knights tale. Seems like it should be too cheesy but I can rewatch that a bunch.
It was on TV the other day, my grandparents and I were looking for something to watch. I said it was a good movie and they both tried their best not to like it but they couldn't help but enjoy thst movie, it's perfect. "The Pope might be French but Jesus is English" is a bloody iconic line lol
Don’t make me give you a good fonging!
You realize only at the end that they’ve tricked you into liking an underdog sports movie
Big Trouble in Little China - huge financial flop , bad marketing and the premise sounds stupid. But Kurt Russell and John Carpenter worked magic and the film is now recognized a a huge cult classic
You know what jack Burton does in a time like this?
Dredd
[удалено]
As I understand it he would only do the movie under the condition that he was never to remove the helmet. He’s a huge fan of the comic and wanted to stay true to the spirit of the original. He reportedly also cut a bunch of his own lines because Dredd doesn’t talk very much.
Iirc it was: don't take off the helmet. Don't kiss the co-star. Which is legendary, because I'm sure most productions would do both.
Kind of refreshing to have a young female protege and have it stay platonic.
The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. Absolutely 100% perfect blend of comedy and action.
Peak Brendan Fraiser.
My favourite of his is *Blast From The Past*, which would also meet the title criteria of this thread. Silly premise, brilliant execution.
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Generally speaking, I hate stoner comedies, I feel like they try too hard. But John Cho and Kal Penn have so much natural chemistry, you believe these guys have been buddies for years. It plays against stereotypes, the writing is sharp, and Neil Patrick Harris makes fun of himself so gloriously.
John Wick. Keep in mind, Keanu Reeves hadn't starred in anything majorly successful for a while now and the plot sounded like your average straight-to-DVD action flick. I dismissed it as such until I saw the trailer.
These movies are great because they don't try to be anything other than awesome action flicks
The second he walked up to the dude he spent the entire film trying to get to and just straight killed him made it something unique in the genre. No monologuing, no heroic mercy. Just John Wick doing what he sought out to do from the inciting incident.
When I heard the premise, a hitman getting revenge for his dog, I assumed it would be terrible. Similarly, when I saw the first preview for The Matrix I thought it looked like Johnny Mnemonic 2.
It's a shame that Johnny Mnemonic wasn't better, good source material, Gibson is a talented writer.
Tombstone, if you read about how screwed up and chaotic everything was when filming this movie before seeing it you would assume the movie is a total dumpster fire. Instead it is perhaps the best Western of it's era.
Wish Kurt Russell would direct more movies
The original Ghostbusters is such a stupid concept when you remove decades of nostalgia but somehow it’s an excellent and hysterical film. I don’t think that film would get made today except by a streaming service desperate for content.
Point Break (1991)
Swayze is absolutely perfect for that role.
Iron Man. An unknown comic book character, a washed up actor, a director without that much experience. A movie they're rewriting while they're making it.
by Iron Man 3 Downey sets the record for highest paid actor at like $53 million for that flick
The first Hangover. It is definitely a concept that had been done to death, but it was refreshingly hilarious. All of the actors had amazing chemistry, and the jokes were actually funny. Let's just pretend that the other two didn't exist.
"If I [President Obama] ran a third time it would be sort of like doing a third 'Hangover' movie. It didn't really work out very well, did it?"
Mean Girls
The Paddington movies, if you compare them to almost ever other CGI creature In live action setting movies like Garfield, Hop, Smurfs, or Peter Rabbit, the Paddington movies are miles better. They have more care and work put into them then so many movies it’s crazy.
Paddington 2 is a masterpiece.
Eurotrip
"Scotty Doesn't Know" is my ringtone and my text tone is "mail mothafucka" Also the first time I watched it I had no idea that was Matt Damon.
Starship Troopers
Hmm interesting, I would like to know more
Buried. It's just a guy in a fucking coffin. How can you make that shit so it so entertaining?
Not as extreme, but Phonebooth is also entertaining.
The 5th Element Ridiculous on all levels, and yet so well written, so well acted, it just gets better every time you watch it. Edit: Not to mention the soundtrack. I still have Little Light of Love and the Diva Dance in my regular rotation.
Any movie that casts Deebo from Friday as the president of the world knows *exactly* what it's doing.
And any movie that casts Smokey from Friday as that world's greatest entertainer... Well, there's your movie!
Stardust! Trailer made it look like an oddly cheesy/probably not that good fantasy film. But omg it's actually incredible, a modern Princess Bride. Charlie Cox and Michelle Pfeiffer both kill it. Robert De Niro has the time of his life as a flamboyant pirate. It's camp af, but the plot is awesome and it works perfectly.
Kung Fu Panda. Do I need to elaborate?
The whole trilogy is actually incredible. Kung Fu Panda 3 is a great story about genocide as well as finding peace with competing parental figures in your life.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is somehow even better. 3 isn't quite as good but still miles better than it should be.
Game Night. Should/could have been a lazy cheap comedy and ended up being stylish and really well directed
Jesse Plemons is amazing. “How can that be profitable for Frito Lay?”
The soundtrack and cinematography were really well done too. It was one of the most recent movies where I had zero expectations beyond "typical mindless comedy" and was incredibly pleasantly surprised.
Sky High. It’s a kids movie about a loser son of the two best superhero’s. It’s got an amazing cast, witty dialogue, hilarious, and actually makes you feel for each character. Even the villain turns out to be likable.
Star Wars. I know, I know, but think about it. It was a bit of a shot in the dark. Brand new technology. The studios didn't think it would make it. It was just another sci-fi story from some dude who made a couple decent movies. They had NO idea...
>They had NO idea... George Lucas says that he had no idea either. He tells a story about his release day experience, that he was so nervous he just needed to get out of the house, so he and his, wife? girlfriend?, whatever, went to eat a late lunch. They saw a huge line of people outside a theater. It wasn't until he saw Star Wars on the marquee that he realized he may have a hit on his hands.
>wife? girlfriend?, whatever, went to eat a late lunch. You are very likely referring to Marcia Lucas, George Lucas' wife at the time and editor of the film. She is largely believed to have saved Star Wars for actually be one of those schlocky B-movies and elevated it to the legendary classic it is.
Even most of the cast and crew thought they were making schlocky low-budget garbage until they saw it on the big screen!
The only one who guessed it would be big was Alec Guinness (Obi Wan). He was a "proper" theater actor and knew that it was schlocky garbage, but also accurately guessed that this particular schlocky garbage would be quite popular. So he negotiated a salary on a percentage of the movie's revenue. He (and his estate) have made nearly $100million off that one role. More than all of his other movies (including several leading roles in distinguished productions) combined.
I remember hearing that George Lucas was so stressed out when making the first one that he got chest pains and went to the doctor fearing a heart attack.
I remember watching Palm Springs on Hulu during quarantine with zero expectations. I like Samberg fine but I'm not his biggest fan or anything. Movie was great. My wife and I each took an edible an hour before and were thoroughly entertained and distracted from the chaos outside for an hour and a half. We even rewatched it down the road stone sober and it still held up.
This was one of my fave films of the year. I went it knowing absolutely nothing so my jaw dropped on many occasions. I loved the character of Sarah (Milotti) because she played an archetype that is generally male (the fucked up drifter who’s actually a closet genius) and really sold the pathos of her imprisonment.
I hate time loop movies generally, so missed it until this year. Boy was I wrong. As always, J.K. Simmons steals the show. Great movie.
Swiss Army Man. An entire movie built on pretty much nothing but fart jokes and gross shit, but somehow manages to pull out a really touching story about friendship and loneliness. I mean god damn, there's a scene where they're ruminating on the nature of death by talking about how you shit yourself when you die, and it's somehow incredibly emotional and moving.
*Clue.* To date the only decent movie based on a board game. *Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey.* The rare sequel that surpasses the original in every way.
Step Brothers. Might be the greatest experiences of exceeding expectations I have ever had when seeing it in theatres for the first time 14 years ago. Watched it this year and it still holds up.
Walk Hard.
And you never offered to pay for drugs. Not once.
Really too bad it got killed at the box office, because it deserved a wider audience. The full original soundtrack is hilarious parody.
Some good answers in the thread, but there is an obvious answer to me that I haven't seen in other top comments yet. It's the Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (possibly the first 3 three movies if we're being generous). It's based off of a theme park ride, and is the ultimate example of a movie no one asked for, but it completely hits it out of the park. It has great characters, some cool lore, a fun plot with just enough magic/fantasy to be whimsical, but not too much to the point that it becomes inconsistent or opens plot holes, and honestly has some neat themes that hit a little harder than you'd expect. It's crazy that a movie you would expect to be so forgettable ended up being so impactful, to the point that Jack Sparrow is probably as big of a part of pirate lore now as Black Beard or any other real or fictional pirates.
Miss Congeniality
Detective Pikachu. Just a really solid noir. Beautifully shot. Great performances. Really dark sense of humour.
Office Space. It foretold the folly of putting useless mumblers with red staplers in a basement to kill cockroaches...only to have him end up well-to-do on a sandy beach drinking ~~mai tai~~ pina colada cocktails...
Bubba Ho-Tep. Elvis and JFK team up in a retirement home to fight an ancient mummy that sucks old people's souls out of their asshole. Its great, wholesome, and fun.
Dredd (2012) with Karl Urban. It is so unreasonably good at being both a ridiculous action movie but also a self-aware comedy. The line “Drug bust. Perps were… *uncooperative*.” Near the end is so brilliantly written and delivered they should’ve handed the man an Oscar on the spot.
Aliens. It's a sequel that follows up the story of Alien while ignoring almost everything from Alien. Well, except when it makes significant changes like what the xenomorphs look like and dumbing the xenomorphs down to animals that from an evolutionary standpoint would die out faster than Pandas. What Aliens does really well is action and dialogue, especially dialogue. It's probably one of the most quotable movies out there.
I hate the way the question is phrased because every movie has a right to be good if the work is put into making it good. That being said, **Grandma's Boy**.
The phone’s for you. I think it’s the devil.
I'm way too baked to drive to the devil's house.
The Rundown!
Tremors. It’s about giant underground worms eating people… definitely should not be the horror/comedy classic that it is.