The Avengers (2012 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yes, I finally saw The Avengers movie.
Thoughts to come.
Blog Archives
The Problem with Best of 2012
Every year at this time, many web sites start to put out their Best of 2012 lists. I had planned on being one of those web sites until I ran into a bit of a problem.
It turns out that even with DVD viewings, I have only seen four movies this year that I would put on a Best of list. At least, only four movies that actually came out this past year. Granted, I could put The Hobbit on that list, which would just make five, but I have not seen it yet (shockingly enough). Thus, for me to complete the list I would have to put on a movie that was not quite up to snuff.
And, apparently, I have seen a ton of them. In truth, I could probably put together a top 25 list of the crappy movies that I’ve seen. Okay, maybe not a top 25, but I can easily fill a Worst five than I can a Best five. I think that comes from my love of bad movies. At least, those bad movies that are so bad they are good.
Take, for example, Iron Sky. For those who don’t know this movie, it is an adventure that works off the premise that the Nazis fled Germany in 1945 and set up a base on the moon. It is pure hokey nonsense, but it is fun pure hokey nonsense. I have to admit that I did have fun watching it, but I would in no way consider it one of the best movies of 2012. It could be one of the guilty pleasures of 2012, but not one of the best.
Which, naturally, shows the inherent problem of any best of list. All lists are subjective. If you thought that John Carter, Wrath of the Titans, Piranha 3DD were three of the best movies of the year, that’s your opinion (wrong as it is). If you just follow what Michael Medved or Roger Ebert list as their best, then you run the risk of people called a poser.
As for me, I think I’m going to hold off on the best of list for films until I feel comfortable with the list I write up. I will be working on Worst of 2012 lists for movies, along with a few television and comic lists. Stay tuned for them.
A Day At The Movies
Football (soccer) fans watching an England match in a cinema, UK. Screen is displaying an HD-1 picture. Deutsch: Fußballfans sehen ein Englandspiel im Kino, Vereinigtes Königreich. Bild auf Leinwand von HDTV-Übertragung durch HD-1. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My dad wants to see The Hunger Games with me. This does not have me happy.
Bad Movies
There are bad movies, and there are really bad movies, movies so bad that they actually physically hurt to watch them. Unfortunately, like a bad car accident, sometimes you just have to see how bad they really are.
Case in point, last weekend I watched Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. I had sort of seen it before, but in that case, it had been Elvira-ized. I had seen and heard so much about how bad this movie was, from tv shows, books, web sites. Yet, for some strange reason, I had to see for myself exactly how bad it was in its original, unmocked form.
It was bad. It was really bad. It was unbelievably bad. It was obvious that the filmmakers were trying to make a parody of bad giant monster movies (not the Godzilla ones, the [insert animal] grows big and rampages ones), but just failed at every turn. The jokes were horrible and the acting hideous. Yet, I had to watch it all the way through, like some sort of horrible self-torture that I needed to endure. It is easy to see why it became a cult classic because there is just so much to mock in the movie. Even more shocking is that it spawned sequels. That’s right, someone thought it would be a good idea to actually make a sequel of this movie… and cast George Clooney in it.
Having watched this movie… intentionally… made me realize that I have seen a lot of bad movies in my life, many of which I actually chose to watch. Tank Girl, seen it, in theatres. I’ve even seen a movie with an Alan Smithee movie a theatre (Hellraiser: Bloodline) to be exact. I’ve even seen Spacehunter: Adventures of the Forbidden Zone, Jaws 3 and Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn in theatres… in 3D no less (sorry for the link fest).
Personally, I think everyone should watch a bad movie every now and then. And by that I mean intentionally, not in “This is going to be so cool…. wait a minute, this stinks!” way either. Watching bad movies is a good thing. Communally, it can provide a great source of entertainment when you watch a movie and everyone in the room gives it their MST3K best. At the very least, a bad movie will make you better appreciate the good ones that much more.
Now if you will excuse me, I hear the original version of Piranha calling my name.
