Which movie did you watch today and how would you rate it?

[angelo]

Fatal Attraction Starring Michael Douglas and Glen Close. If I remember correctly this was the first movie made about this besotted mistress theme. Play Misty For Me followed or was it before? Anyway FT rates highly in my book as does Play Misty, both 9/10

 

[Daioh]

Young Sherlock Holmes
6/10
So this is a movie I have not seen in quite a while
And it holds up alright, not brilliantly but alright
I liked the protagonists and the setup, with the kid who played Watson being the most entertaining
But the villains never really get the time to shine and stamp their mark on this movie
And the plot is solid enough but sometimes it moves a little slow and it takes a bit to get into the meat of the film
Gotta give a shoutout to some great special effects though which are really well done all through the movie
So overall i would say give this a watch

Shark Attack 2
5/10
So this your standard "shaaaark" movie
And it isn't bad if you like obvious Jaws references and a plot ripped from Deep Blue Sea
So ultimately this is just a weaker version of Jaws
If you like Jaws then you should be at least entertained by this movie
By honestly just watch Jaws instead
Jaws is an awesome movie

Escape From Planet Earth
5/10
So a movie about Aliens coming to Earth and needing to escape
And it has some really good points to it
It tries to do something different, it tries so hard to avoid some of the big cliches
But then it falls hard into other cliches
And that basically sums up this movie IMO
It tries so hard, but never really reaches its goal
It isn't bad tho, it succeeds enough that you should be entertained and the characters are all likeable and well presented
But the predictable parts kinda come through more clearly when you see the movie actively trying to avoid them
So I would give it a watch, but don't expect a classic

 

[MarkW]

Fatal Attraction Starring Michael Douglas and Glen Close. If I remember correctly this was the first movie made about this besotted mistress theme. Play Misty For Me followed or was it before? Anyway FT rates highly in my book as does Play Misty, both 9/10

Play Misty For Me came first by around 15 years or so; it was made in 1971 or '72. And it wasn't really "besotted mistress," but "besotted wannabe mistress." But as you say, pretty good.

Blazing Saddles

9/10

I imagine that most of you are familiar with this one by now, but if not, be sure to check it out. One of the greatest of parody films ever, although it loses a little comic snap towards the end. But before then you'll be in stitches at the antics of Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart, Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid, etc.

 

[angelo]

Fatal Attraction Starring Michael Douglas and Glen Close. If I remember correctly this was the first movie made about this besotted mistress theme. Play Misty For Me followed or was it before? Anyway FT rates highly in my book as does Play Misty, both 9/10

Play Misty For Me came first by around 15 years or so; it was made in 1971 or '72. And it wasn't really "besotted mistress," but "besotted wannabe mistress." But as you say, pretty good.

Blazing Saddles

9/10

I imagine that most of you are familiar with this one by now, but if not, be sure to check it out. One of the greatest of parody films ever, although it loses a little comic snap towards the end. But before then you'll be in stitches at the antics of Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart, Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid, etc.

In an interview recently Mel Brooks said that with all the political correctness around today he wouldn't be able to make that movie today. And I believe we're the worst for it.

 

[gmbteach]

Play Misty For Me came first by around 15 years or so; it was made in 1971 or '72. And it wasn't really "besotted mistress," but "besotted wannabe mistress." But as you say, pretty good.

Blazing Saddles

9/10

I imagine that most of you are familiar with this one by now, but if not, be sure to check it out. One of the greatest of parody films ever, although it loses a little comic snap towards the end. But before then you'll be in stitches at the antics of Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart, Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid, etc.

In an interview recently Mel Brooks said that with all the political correctness around today he wouldn't be able to make that movie today. And I believe we're the worst for it.

I agree.

 

[angelo]

The Hurt Locker 2008 Oscar winner. A war drama that pulls no punches. I enjoyed it even though I don't usually watch war films. A gritty authentic and bold war drama and exploration of the addiction of warfare.

9.5/10 a rating any less would be a travesty.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Play Misty For Me came first by around 15 years or so; it was made in 1971 or '72. And it wasn't really "besotted mistress," but "besotted wannabe mistress." But as you say, pretty good.

Blazing Saddles

9/10

I imagine that most of you are familiar with this one by now, but if not, be sure to check it out. One of the greatest of parody films ever, although it loses a little comic snap towards the end. But before then you'll be in stitches at the antics of Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart, Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid, etc.

In an interview recently Mel Brooks said that with all the political correctness around today he wouldn't be able to make that movie today. And I believe we're the worst for it.

Not just subject type, what about quality of comedy? Mel Brooks and Neil Simon came up with some unbelievable stuff. I'd toss in Billy Wilder but he's a bit earlier. Comedies just aren't the same these decades (and I say that not as a person who is nostalgic, but as a qualitative fact). Their comedies are still fresh! Are there 5 comedies made in the last 10 years (20 years?) that can hold a candle to The Cheap Detective, Murder by Death, The Out of Towners, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein? Forget about PC, lets talk about it being truly funny.

 

[prideandfall]

Are there 5 comedies made in the last 10 years (20 years?) that can hold a candle to The Cheap Detective, Murder by Death, The Out of Towners, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein? Forget about PC, lets talk about it being truly funny.

super troopers
mystery men
shaun of the dead
youth in revolt
horrible bosses, arguably

seems to me that a lot of the best and edgiest comedy moved to TV, instead of coming from movies.

 

[credoconsolans]

In an interview recently Mel Brooks said that with all the political correctness around today he wouldn't be able to make that movie today. And I believe we're the worst for it.

Not just subject type, what about quality of comedy? Mel Brooks and Neil Simon came up with some unbelievable stuff. I'd toss in Billy Wilder but he's a bit earlier. Comedies just aren't the same these decades (and I say that not as a person who is nostalgic, but as a qualitative fact). Their comedies are still fresh! Are there 5 comedies made in the last 10 years (20 years?) that can hold a candle to The Cheap Detective, Murder by Death, The Out of Towners, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein? Forget about PC, lets talk about it being truly funny.

But humor is really personal. Funny is subjective. What one person finds funny another doesn't. A friend thinks Mel Brooks' "A history of the world" is hysterical. I think it's crude and dumb.

"Spaceballs" was OK, more of a groaner than really funny. I think the movies "Snatch" and "The Big Lebowski" were knee-slapping hysterical. Other people probably don't think so.

 

[bradw]

But humor is really personal. Funny is subjective. What one person finds funny another doesn't. A friend thinks Mel Brooks' "A history of the world" is hysterical. I think it's crude and dumb.

"Spaceballs" was OK, more of a groaner than really funny. I think the movies "Snatch" and "The Big Lebowski" were knee-slapping hysterical. Other people probably don't think so.

I agree wholeheartedly!

Of the movies listed in the last three postings, I think only Young Frankenstein did I find a little amusing. And Big Lebowski slightly. Everything else I found myself staring at the screen waiting for something funny to happen.

But many of those are considered comedy classics.

What do I find funny? I went to my Netflix ratings, where I've got a list of 910 movies and tv shows, and made a list of every 4 or 5 star comedy I had. NOTE: a 4 or 5 star movie would be something comparable to the 7 to 10 star rating most of us use here. My favorites are in bold. Some of you may disagree about some of these being comedies. I'm sure many of you think these movies suck.

My list:

willy wonka and the chocolate factory
a christmas story
when harry met sally
the princess bride
manhattan
city lights
annie hall
babe
wall-e
finding nemo
back to the future
city slickers
raising arizona
breaking away
high fidelity
big
adaptation
crimes and misdemeanors
silver linings playbook
the wizard of oz
adventureland
the goonies
being there
up
ratatoiulle
dr strangelove
toy story
modern times
toy story 3
the graduate
election
groundhog day

 

[TV and credit cards]

Not just subject type, what about quality of comedy? Mel Brooks and Neil Simon came up with some unbelievable stuff. I'd toss in Billy Wilder but he's a bit earlier. Comedies just aren't the same these decades (and I say that not as a person who is nostalgic, but as a qualitative fact). Their comedies are still fresh! Are there 5 comedies made in the last 10 years (20 years?) that can hold a candle to The Cheap Detective, Murder by Death, The Out of Towners, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein? Forget about PC, lets talk about it being truly funny.

First time I watched Planes, Trains & Automobiles I thought it was the funniest movie I had ever seen. The second time, meh. I guess it was just too much of a good thing.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Comedy is certainly not black and white and can be subjective in taste. I just don't see the best in the last 20 years holding a candle to the greats of the 70's and 80's. As MarkW's list shows, almost all of their favorites comedies and "comedies" (Princess Bride as a comedy, seriously? It is a light-hearted fantasy drama.) are pre-1990. Do we even have a Mel Brooks or Neil Simon today? And if someone says Jason Segal, I'll shoot you.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Left Behind - 1/10

So, for some fucking reason I went and watched all three movies in this series on Netflix. It's a good concept for a story - hundreds of millions of people vanish and the leftbehinders try to figure out what to do about it while the Anti-Christ is taking over the world.

The execution sucks, however, and it was just ... weird. So, the heroes are going around trying to spread the word of Jesus because if you accept Christ, the Anti-Christ can't ... do something to you. It's never all that clear what the guy's power is. There was one even more odd bit where God sent some messengers to spread his word beside the Wailing Wall, so the Anti-Christ put up a fence and didn't let anyone near the Wailing Wall and the messengers just stood there and didn't spread their message anymore until Kirk Cameron showed up with a camera to film them, at which point the Anti-Christ turns off the TV feed (because he owns the network). Then the messengers are never, ever mentioned again.

Then there's the bit where the President of the United States finds out that something fishy is going on at one of the Anti-Christ's factories so instead of sending one of the hundreds of thousands of trained professionals who work for him to check it out, he sneaks out himself and pokes around the factory and gets into a gun fight with the guards. Then the President becomes a suicide bomber to try and kill the Anti-Christ ... after discovering that the Anti-Christ is immortal so the guy just kind of blows himself up and the Anti-Christ walks away. Then the series ends with the heroes going off to fight the Anti-Christ by talking to people about Jesus. Seriously.

I was willing to give it a shot. It wasn't worth the time and effort it took to sit on the couch and watch it.

 

[MarkW]

Comedy is certainly not black and white and can be subjective in taste. I just don't see the best in the last 20 years holding a candle to the greats of the 70's and 80's. As MarkW's list shows, almost all of their favorites comedies and "comedies" (Princess Bride as a comedy, seriously? It is a light-hearted fantasy drama.) are pre-1990. Do we even have a Mel Brooks or Neil Simon today? And if someone says Jason Segal, I'll shoot you.

That was actually a list by bradw (no relation).

Anyway, to put in my oar, it's always seemed to me that comedy seems to run in cycles. The 1930s and early '40s were a great period for film comedy, as were the 1970s. The years in between, while there were some excellent comedies made, were not as rich. I also think the 1990s were a good era for comedy, especially if you enjoy darker comedy. You have some of the Coen Brothers' best and funniest films, as well as films like Election, Grosse Pointe Blank, the previously mentioned Mystery Men, etc. And you have some darkly comic Elmore Leonard adaptations, including the one I watched tonight:

Get Shorty

9/10

One of the best Leonard adaptations I've come across. The terrific cast is topped by John Travolta, in one of the best roles in his mid-1990s career revival. In support there are the likes of Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Rene Russo, Dennis Farina, James Gandolfini, etc.

 

[bradw]

Comedy is certainly not black and white and can be subjective in taste. I just don't see the best in the last 20 years holding a candle to the greats of the 70's and 80's. As MarkW's list shows, almost all of their favorites comedies and "comedies" (Princess Bride as a comedy, seriously? It is a light-hearted fantasy drama.) are pre-1990. Do we even have a Mel Brooks or Neil Simon today? And if someone says Jason Segal, I'll shoot you.

My list ranges from the silent era to 2010's, with a good dose of stuff post-1990. I've seen Neil Simon stuff ("The Goodbye Girl", "The Odd Couple", maybe "Murder by Death"), and I don't feel a need to see them again. And aside from a little bit of "Young Frankenstein", I can pass on Mel Brooks. I thought "The 40 year old virgin" was kinda funny, but the rest of the stuff by Apatow, or work by Sacha Baron Cohen, I can definitely continue to ignore.

But I'm getting old (56), and my tastes are rooted in the past. I grew up watching Gilligan's Island, Green Acres and the Beverly Hillbillies. That's dreck. Well, not all of Green Acres was dreck

I'm rambling. What I like is what I like. I couldn't begin to tell people that what I like is demonstrably better than what they like. It's just different.

And The Princess Bride makes me laugh and makes me wish to be young and in love. It's comedy plus. Sorta like Groundhog Day, When Harry Met Sally, Manhattan and so on. Rom-com with snappier dialogue.

 

[angelo]

Not just subject type, what about quality of comedy? Mel Brooks and Neil Simon came up with some unbelievable stuff. I'd toss in Billy Wilder but he's a bit earlier. Comedies just aren't the same these decades (and I say that not as a person who is nostalgic, but as a qualitative fact). Their comedies are still fresh! Are there 5 comedies made in the last 10 years (20 years?) that can hold a candle to The Cheap Detective, Murder by Death, The Out of Towners, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein? Forget about PC, lets talk about it being truly funny.

First time I watched Planes, Trains & Automobiles I thought it was the funniest movie I had ever seen. The second time, meh. I guess it was just too much of a good thing.

Actually, everything John Candy was in was very good comedy. Uncle Buck was a good funny feel good movie. Trains Planes I would rate 8.5/10

 

[angelo]

Comedy is certainly not black and white and can be subjective in taste. I just don't see the best in the last 20 years holding a candle to the greats of the 70's and 80's. As MarkW's list shows, almost all of their favorites comedies and "comedies" (Princess Bride as a comedy, seriously? It is a light-hearted fantasy drama.) are pre-1990. Do we even have a Mel Brooks or Neil Simon today? And if someone says Jason Segal, I'll shoot you.

Agree 150% There are no more laugh out loud comedies been made, not in the last decade or so at least. Although I must admit It's Complicated with one of the Baldwin bros, Steve Martin in a serious role and Meryl Streep who I really can't hack were all brilliant in this mild comedy which i rate 6.5/10

 

[James Brown]

I, my wife, and my teenage son laughed out loud at The Lego Movie.

I think there's some survivorship bias going on. We remember the "old" movies that were funny, and forget the far-more numerous old movies that weren't.

 

[angelo]

Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau made some good comedy classics. Probably The Odd Couple is best remembered, but they made others just as funny as a duo and Lemon also starred in some classics. Who can forget

Some Like It Hot with Tony Curtis and the blond bombshell Marilyn Monroe.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau made some good comedy classics. Probably The Odd Couple is best remembered, but they made others just as funny as a duo and Lemon also starred in some classics. Who can forget

I actually couldn't get through The Odd Couple, despite the players involved. Much preferred The Front Page and The Fortune Cookie.

I, my wife, and my teenage son laughed out loud at The Lego Movie.

I think there's some survivorship bias going on. We remember the "old" movies that were funny, and forget the far-more numerous old movies that weren't.

I'm not saying that bad comedies weren't made. I'm saying the best verses the best, 70's / 80's win out over 90's through present. And I think there are more great comedies from that time than recently.