Do not, repeat, do not go see "Talladega Nights."
You may think it will be in the classic, high-brow comedy genre as "Old School," but you would be wrong.
Two of my daughters went to see it. I, having a premonition, did not join them. My hunch was correct. The best parts were in the previews. Yes, it’s that bad.
Just providing this in the public interest. Of course, if you’re compiling a "Top Five Worst Movies Featuring Will Farrell in this Decade," you may be obliged to attend. Otherwise, stay away.
You’ve been warned.
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Was it really that bad or was it like Anchorman which took repeated viewings for for comedic appreciation?
“I’m trapped in a glass case of emotion!”
Wish I had written that…
After watching TCM’s Marx Brothers Marathon this week, I have to wonder if popular comedy has progressed or regressed over the last 80 years. Or maybe Groucho was just that far ahead of the “coive”…
Where were you when my wife picked out Zoolander (as well as Big Fish)? Two of the worst movies I ever saw.
Brad, I must respectfully disagree with your daughters. Talladega Nights’ comedy was very close to Old School, but not quite in the class of Anchorman. It’s worth the price of admission.
Cap A, here’s a great contrast with today’s movies. My wife and I checked out from the library “Twelve Angry Men” with Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, etc. A whole movie shot in two locations, the jury room and the court room I think with 99% in the jury room. No action, no special effects, all acting!!
That movie is an excellent selection as well, Randy. Bud Cort does an amazing job in that flick.
Does his character remind you of anyone on this blog? Hmmm…
There are great films out there, though. I’m not sure why The New World didn’t get more recent acclaim.
I saw the New World and liked it a lot. However, if you don’t have at least a rudimentary understanding of history you would be completely lost. My kids hated it. For what it’s worth here are my top 5 favorite movies:
1. Casablanca
2. 2001: A Space Odessy
3. Forrest Gump
4. It’s a Wonderful Life
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
If I post my top 5 next week it may be different. I think in movies, as in politics, it’s important to constantly re-evaluate. Many would say this is flip-flopping. I call it pragmatism.
Good last, jabbing lines, bud! Haha!
My top 5 (at the moment) would be:
1. The Maltese Falcon
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Dances With Wolves (Screw you, Warthen!:)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
5. Jaws
Now that I’ve typed all that out, I’ve just thought of about 50 movies I’d like to cram in there as well. Animal Crackers, Dark Passage, Conan the Barbarian, Shane, Ride the High Country, Being John Malkovich, Napoleon Dynamite, A Fistful of Dollars, The Seven Samurai, Taxi Driver, Midnight Cowboy, The Empire Strikes Back, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon..and those were just off the top of my head.
As you can tell, movies are my drug of choice…and I do inhale.
I recently got Netflix, and recommend to all who love movies.
Last two movies we watched were very good, “Spartan” (David Mamet) and the original “Day of the Jackal”.
Also, Netflix is nice if you are like me, and are too cheap to pay for HBO, you can get the shows from them.
My top 10 of the moment:
1. Broadcast News (Holly Hunter, mmmm)
2. Almost Famous
3. Raging Bull
4. Sideways
5. The Game
6. There’s Something About Mary
7. Reservoir Dogs
8. Forrest Gump
9. Crash
10.Glory
Just rented “Syriana” last week. Excellent. Very much worth watching these days.
Doug, what was it about Crash that allowed it to break into your top ten? I’ve talked to and read where a lot of people laud this film while I found it overbearing, heavy-handed and clumsy in its presentation.
I know, I know — people say the same thing about Dances With Wolves, but Dances has a certain je ne sais quois to make up for its PC presentation (that, to me, Crash lacks).
These are very intelligent people (like yourself) who are loving it. I’m not flaming; I’m just trying to figure out what I missed.
I think Crash did a good job of capturing the complexities of the race issue. Pardon the pun, but it’s all not black and white.
I grew up in a town in Massachusetts where I did not even see a black kid in school until my freshman year. And then we only had two black kids out of 400.
Nobody really wants to talk about race issues in SC. Too many old wounds…
I talk about it all the time. I find it fascinating, but I don’t choose to overly dwell on it. Growing up in the South with a best friend who is black and that I’ve known since day one of kindergarten has influenced me greatly, though.
It has definitely shaped me for the better and is probably a core reason why you’ll always see me defending the minority against the majority on the blog.
I guess Crash is the the “LA reality” of race, but, ironically, I found it overly simplistic in its dealing with this issue. There were very few–if any–blacks portrayed in a negative light in that film while the whites were “the dark side” (no pun intended). I didn’t think the characters were complex enough to fully represent the issues at hand, either. The musical cues in the film were bombastic and laughable in underlining “important” messages and plot points.
Would you suddenly befriend a carjacker just because you didn’t like the police either? That just seemed beyond the suspension of disbelief to me.
Oh well, I’ve enjoyed the rest of your list. Thanks for taking time to answer.
Maybe it would be interesting for us posters to submit great films we’ve never viewed (for whatever reason)but that everyone else seemingly has.
Mine is The Godfather I-III. When Peter Griffin also admitted to this on a recent episode of Family Guy, I knew I was in good company.
Capital A. Here’s my list of great films I’ve never seen:
1. Sunset Boulevard
2. Raging Bull
3. Philadelphia
4. Philadelphia Story
5. Godfather II
6. Full Metal Jacket
7. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
8. The Apartment
9. Yankee Doodle Dandy
10. Dances with Wolves
11. Cabaret
12. Pulp Fiction (second half)
There are probably many others, but these come immediately to mind. So many great movies, so little time. My goal is to see all 100 movies on the AFI top 100 list. I’ve probably seen about 70 so far. I quible about the order of the list but so far all the movies I’ve seen are worthy of inclusion.
bud, after seeing your list, I suddenly don’t feel so badly. 🙂
No DWW? Ke su manni tetanka obwachi walo!
I just recently saw The Apartment on HDNET. I don’t think it’s in the class of mose of the other films on your list though.
Also, am I the one who (upon looking back at Tarantino’s films) finds them terribly juvenile and silly? Maybe I just feel that way because (in the interim) he had the nerve to criticize Peter Jackson’s LoTR films…
I wouldn’t make a very good film critic. I like most movies I see. There are a few exceptions. Gielly (or however it’s spelled), the Pokemon Movie and the Garfield movies are among the few movies I really think deserve the title “BOMB”.
Your were so wrong–so, so, so wrong about Mr. Bobby and his fine movie.
One of Will’s best. High-brow as hell, low-brow as hell–it was a brow beating and we all died lauging. Except you.
And by now, as I’m sure you’ve seen it, you ought to admit it: it’s funny shit.