Movies You Respect but Don't Actually Like

[YCRanger]

I was thinking about the Social Network the other day. It seemingly has everything in place to be one of my all time favorite movies. The work of the cast is incredible, David Fincher to me is one of the best working directors today, and the soundtrack by Trent Reznor is stellar. But I just can't get into it. I respect the level of commitment put into it and it's a well put together film. It just wasn't the rise to success story I expected it to be. I think some of it comes from that Aaron Sorkin is one of the most overrated writers ever. He is so consumed with writing snappy lines that that is all his scripts are. Witty lines.

But anyways, what are some movies that you respect but do not actually like?

 

[Sixcess]

I think some of it comes from that Aaron Sorkin is one of the most overrated writers ever. He is so consumed with writing snappy lines that that is all his scripts are. Witty lines.

I have to disagree with that. Yes, Sorkin does a lot of very-smart-people-talking-quickly-and-being-witty, but he's a good writer. You only have to look at season 5 of The West Wing to prove that. After 4 seasons of brilliance Sorkin left and S5 was awful as his replacements tried to imitate him and failed dismally. Thankfully, seasons 6 and 7 did recover a bit.

OT: Goodfellas - I've watched it three times and it's brilliantly made - really a masterpiece of film making, but every time I watch it I end up disliking it more. Yes, it's supposed to show how seductively glamorous a life of crime is until it all goes wrong, but I feel Scorcese gets off on it, the violence in particular, so much it plays out like a recruitment ad for the Mafia until the final act - arguably until the final scene.

Then of course he made Casino, which really is out and out Mafia Porn.

 

[BringBackBuck]

Citizen Kane. People who study it in film school will tell you that the use of camera techniques, special effects, types of shots, etc are all a first for the industry and were revolutionary at the time. I found it to be a pretty tough movie to sit through.
Probably because its a 70 year old movie and I find the pacing of old movies makes them pretty tedious for the most part and from a technical point of view all those things that were revolutionary at the time have either been incorporated into every movie I've ever seen or surpassed by superior techniques. I don't know, I'm no film nerd. But saying you don't enjoy that film is heresy to some.

 

[lechat]

twilight
utter garbage but i do admire the way they done the movie so well it basically hypnotizes 14 year old girls.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Avatar- WAY too preachy for my tastes, but I respect the work put into it. That and the fact that James Cameron took the time to create his own language.

 

[Frybird]

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:
Because it's impressive how much the movie adaptation messes up everything about what is maybe the easiest Alan Moore Comic to adapt (in my opinion at least, shave off a bit of the more cynical edges and the [intended] misogyny and the first volume makes for a great movie). ZING!

2001: A space odyssey:
The glacial pacing kills me, but it is still an iconic movie.

The Shining (since i started with Kubrick already):
For all its cheese, i like the book so much better and i find that the Jack Nicholson Version of Jack Torrance feels shallow and one-dimensional as opposed to the multifaceted Book Character, but...well, that is also an iconic movie with some brilliant scenes.

 

[Delicious Anathema]

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
The Godfather.
Star Wars.
Social Network.
Citizen Kane.
2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

OT: Goodfellas - I've watched it three times and it's brilliantly made - really a masterpiece of film making, but every time I watch it I end up disliking it more. Yes, it's supposed to show how seductively glamorous a life of crime is until it all goes wrong, but I feel Scorcese gets off on it, the violence in particular, so much it plays out like a recruitment ad for the Mafia until the final act - arguably until the final scene.

Then of course he made Casino, which really is out and out Mafia Porn.

Dangit, there goes my first answer. Shucks. Well, at least I can still say -

2001: A space odyssey:
The glacial pacing kills me, but it is still an iconic movie.

oh for crying out loud.

Fine.

North by Northwest. The pacing kills it, Cary Grant looks way too old for the role and the most famous scene (Cary Grant gets chased by a plane) is so slow I think he could have outrun the thing at a light saunter.

Other than that, it's a great piece of cinema with so at the time groundbreaking editing and sound techniques, good use of metaphor and an interesting mystery plot.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Pulp Fiction

I respect it as a classic film with a huge reputation, but I personally find most of it really unmemorable. It's one of those films that's more fun to talk about (theories about the contents of the suitcase, etc.) then it is to actually watch.

 

[barbzilla]

The Blair Witch Project. While I respect the movie for trying something new, and for it being a college project film. I absolutely hated the movie. It was so boring that it took me 3 tries to get all the way through it. This is the cardinal sin of movies to me, be bad I won't care as long as you aren't boring.

 

[Avalanche91]

A Clockwork Orange

It was a very unpleasant film, I didn't really like watching it and I don't think I'll watch it again. But I am glad I saw it.

 

[Rylot]

Pulp Fiction

I respect it as a classic film with a huge reputation, but I personally find most of it really unmemorable. It's one of those films that's more fun to talk about (theories about the contents of the suitcase, etc.) then it is to actually watch.

I pretty much agree. It always seemed like a movie I should like but I can never get into it. It was interesting how the story wrapped in and around itself but for a character driven story I didn't like any of the characters enough to care when bad things happened to them.

 

[Hawkmoon269]

The Godfather. When I watched it, I could see why it was such a revered movie. But I just didn't like it. I didn't hate it either, mind. It just didn't make me love it the way people say you should.

 

[AnarchistFish]

I love The Social Network

I think I would've put Bladerunner a while back, but I watched it again a while after I first saw it and it clicked

Otherwise, Brazil

 

[Raika]

A Clockwork Orange comes immediately to mind. It's a really well-made movie, but it's also nihilistic and pretentious, which is my beef with it.

 

[thejarofdirt882]

The Godfather - And I'm not even sure why really. I just didn't get it, it bored me. I feel like I should like it, but I just don't.

Alien - Now I can see why this is a good movie and should be respected, but it's not my cup of tea. It's a film I say that I would like in theory - I can see things in it that are awesome, but they don't do it for me for whatever reason my brain decides but doesn't want me to know.

 

[Brandon Logan]

Citizen Kane
Godfather
Goodfellas
Avatar

For one that Hasn't been posted?

Shawshank Redemption

 

[Casual Shinji]

Apocalypse Now and The Godfather.

I would say most of the 70's counter movement movies.

I understand why they needed to be made, but sitting through them just makes me feel nauseous.