NWR: What is the worst movie of all time?

[JimHow]

Just rented Tommy Wiseau's "The Room" for the second time on Netflix, it is quite possibly the single-most brilliant movie I have ever seen.

It is also quite possibly the single worst movie I have ever seen.

Are the above two statements incompatible?

I think not.

This movie is sheer, unadulterated brilliance. It has changed my life.

Up until this point, the worst movie I had ever seen was "From Here to Eternity." Surely the Mob was behind Frank Sinatra's best-supporting-actor Oscar. Did you know the beach scene lasts about ten seconds? A plot as ridiculous as it gets. As Dan Ackroyd would say: "Bad... Very bad...."

In any event, if you haven't seen "The Room," I highly recommend you rent it immediately. Trust me on this one.

[Houndsong]

I like From Here to Eternity. I wouldn't say it's a compelling story but I do like all the portrayals and I'm kind of nostalgic for a good, clean World War.

I don't know about the worst movie ever but as far as the worst I've ever seen something like True Lies comes to mind. Or any of the innumerable vehicles for comedians-cum-actors of the last 20 years, which I've suffered through on holiday visits with family.

[Harry C.]

Easy. "My Dinner with Andre". Snooze fest.

[DavidG]

I like From Here to Eternity. Agree that My Dinner with Andre was a snooze-fest. Another supposedly great movie I couldn't stay awake for was Moulin Rouge. But for really horrible? Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. It was so bad you probably never heard of it. Went to see it because everything else was sold out that night. Couldn't take more than 15 minutes.

[Chasse-Spleen]

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari is playing at MOMA on the day after Thanksgiving. I'm a big fan and I've never seen it in a movie theatre. Anyone who wants to join me knows where to find me. As far as the worst movies ever, I've really got to think about that. I have to say that I thought Slumdog Millionaire was incredibly overrated. Not the worst thing I've ever seen, but hard to sit through and I don't know why it got 10 Oscars other than that Hollywood must want to court the Indian audience and Bollywood. Or else the 'starmaking' angle, which I still don't get. Who was the star?

-Chasse

[Blanquito]

Anyone ever seen Boomerang with Eddie Murphy? That's up there on my list of Worst All Time.

Worst movie to win an Oscar for best picture? Easy: Crash.

[stefan]

"____", starring Keanu Reeves.

Second choice:

"____", starring Keanu Reeves.

Third choice:

See above.

[Ramon_NYC]

"____", starring Keanu Reeves.

Second choice:

"____", starring Keanu Reeves.

Third choice:

See above.

Reminds of a wine-themed movie that he made ... in Mexico.

[JimHow]

I would say other than From Here to Eternity, anything starring Sandra Bullock....

[Nicklasss]

The few movies starring the wrestler Hulk Hogan are probably the worst movies ever produced...

The best movie? For me it is Young Guns. I love Emilio Estevez in the role of Billy the Kids. But don't forget the strong performance of the other (Dermot Mulroney, Lou Diamond Philips, Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland). When justice is wrong (normally due to money), I can now understand why some people go crazy...

Nic

[Chasse-Spleen]

Robby Benson makes Keaun Reeves look like Laurence Olivier.

[stefan]

Maybe, but I have heard of Keanu Reeves and even had the misfortune of suffering through some of his movies.

[Mike Christensen]

My nomination would be "Exorcist II". With Richard Burton, Max Von Sydow and Louise Fletcher (right after her One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest performance), you'd think they could have come up with something a little better (and more terrifying) than this gawd-awful concoction of pseudo-science claptrap.

Battlefield Earth pretty much sucked, but everyone knows about that one.

As the "best worst movie" (or is it the "worst best movie") ever made, definitely Roger Ebert's "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls".

[Comte Flaneur]

Worst ever movie: Sharkopus

Best ever public speaking performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

[alchemeus]

I suppose this means Hollywood movies.

Worst Adaption for me goes to Starship Troopers. A MOST MARVELOUS book that what completely whored and destroyed and ruined by Hollywood. NOTHING like the book. Sad.

"Hey, let's throw out the social commentary and add in some teenage angst, yeah, and SEX! Got to have sex. And Everyone lives! Yeah! And no one want's to hear about the horrors of war...heck, just rewrite the whole damn thing."

Pitiful.

[JimHow]

I think my novel, now tentatively entitled "Lisbon Street," would make a great movie, it has dark humor, violence, sex, a lawyer, a murderer, a run-down central Maine town, and an ending that will bring tears of joy to your eyes.... But it is very realistic.

Another movie that is in the "so bad it is good" category is "The Astounding She-Monster." Like "The Room," that movie also changed my life.

[alchemeus]

Lawyer, politician, wine connoisseur, web master, now author? What have I missed?

[alchemeus]

BTW, I love old B&W Sci-Fi.

But you obviously haven't seen "The Giant Gila Monster" or "Attack of the Giant Leaches".

[JimHow]

I just added the Mystery Science Theater version of Attack of the Giant Leeches to my netflix queue.

I've been writing a lot of songs this year as well, Alch, I went through one of my six month creative spells this past year that I go through every four years or so. We are cutting a ten-song CD, we've recorded three songs so far, they came out well.

[alchemeus]

Attack of the Giant Leaches. I pity you. Even if the MST version is enjoyable. Methinks that one has Joel.

[marcs]

Bottle Shock. "Oh...Gustavo!"

[Claudius2]

Mike C,
The Exorcist II is crap the first time you watch it and strangely, it gets better the second time.
Not a patch on the first though.

In terms of worst ever movie, therre have been plenty of shockers.
I watch a lot of movies on international flights, and brother, have I seen some stinkers.
Iron Man II recently was so bad I could not watch it all.

So let me think of stuff that is consistently bad.
Anything with Jim Carey in makes my flesh crawl.
And Adam Sandler.
Remember Bobcat Goldthwait? painful to listen to.
Japanese horror movies - like Godzilla vs the smog monster, attack of the killer tomatoes, whatever.
At least they were funny in a strange way.

I hate slapstick comedy and sitcoms.
So that rules out most American comedies.
Anything with or by Woody Allen.
I worked as a psychologist for some years and got sick of self-indulgent neurotics.

Yet the sequels to Star Wars were the most boring movies ever.
Return of the Jedi or whatever (please don't return at all).

Better just have a glass of wine instead...

[jal]

Really a pointless exercise for me. I usually leave a movie after fifteen minutes if I'm suffering. I can't remember the last time I sat and suffered though a whole movie. Even that junk Avatar had redeeming value because the special effects were so cool. My kids love the Hangover, Date Night and all these other newish comedies but they're just not my kind of humor.

I'd much rather vote for my favorite movies of all time, the ones I will watch on TV even if I have the DVD:

Casablanca
Annie Hall/Manhattan
Local Hero
Chariots of Fire
The Shawshank Redemption

And probably a few more I can't remember right away

[JimHow]

I have watched Manhattan more times than probably any other movie, but my three favorites are:

Paris, Texas
Seven Samurai
The Astounding She-Monster

[JimHow]

Just watched the first twenty minutes of Attack of the Giant Leeches here at my computer.

Very bad indeed....

[alchemeus]

Tried to warn you...

[JimHow]

It's awesome, I'm gonna finish watching it tonight.

Man, is that some bad filmmaking....

[alchemeus]

Really a pointless exercise for me. I usually leave a movie after fifteen minutes if I'm suffering. I can't remember the last time I sat and suffered though a whole movie. Even that junk Avatar had redeeming value because the special effects were so cool. My kids love the Hangover, Date Night and all these other newish comedies but they're just not my kind of humor.

I'd much rather vote for my favorite movies of all time, the ones I will watch on TV even if I have the DVD:

Casablanca
Annie Hall/Manhattan
Local Hero
Chariots of Fire
The Shawshank Redemption

And probably a few more I can't remember right away

Yeah, The Sawshank Redemption is one of the BEST movies of all time. And Casablanca is a CLASSIC! I liked Annie Hall, OK, fine, can see it, but such as The Wizard of Oz (classic dream sequence from B&W to color, and dream to nightmare) above it. Never saw Chariots of Fire, dunno, racers? Just not my preference, I do Love Vangelis, (Vangelis O. Pappathannasou), the Greek what did the music. I have many of his albums. He was one in the band Aphrodites Child. 666 was great.
Local Hero I know not of.

[jal]

Well, I don't get The Wizard of Oz, I guess it's a cultural thing. Chariots of Fire is great but Local Hero is a movie I must have watched a hundred times. Music by Mark Knopfler, directed by Bill Forsyth, oh hell, here's the link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085859/

[JimHow]

Saw Mark Knopfler in Boston about three summers ago.
Great stuff....

[JCNorthway]

Some of my favorite Knopfler music is the CD he did with Emmylou Harris a few years ago. And by the way, is she still hot looking or what?

[RDD]

Watched a favorite last night.
To Kill A Mockingbird.

[Michael-P]

I agree, the Andre Dinner and Kanu Wine movies were my worst.

Best? Like wine, there are too many good ones......

Michael-P

[hautbrionlover]

Some people are horrified at my lack of appreciation for "great cinematic art" when I say this, but I personally hated The English Patient, and I think it won both Best Picture and Best Director (as well as a ton of other awards).
I also found The Joy Luck Club and Moulin Rouge to be beyond torture.
I went to see each of these movies because my wife and I had made plans to do dinner and a movie with friends, and they were chosen by the other couple. I no longer give friends carte blanche to pick a movie.
They say that "life's too short to drink bad wine." Well, at least you can spit out the wine and stop drinking immediately, but it's much harder to extricate yourself from a bad movie when you're with friends, so my motto is "life's too short to watch bad movies."

[JimHow]

Wow! Loved The English Patient....

That's like, how can anyone not love 1996 Leoville Las Cases....

[JCNorthway]

I am in the same camp as hautbrionlover when it comes to The English Patient - watched in the theater with my wife and could not wait for it to end.

[JimHow]

Wow! I cried during The English Patient! You guys are hard!

[DavidG]

I couldn't stand The English Patient either, and tried - twice - to get through a rental of Moulin Rouge but was sawing logs 1/2 way through. But they weren't bad/vile movies. Just not for me.