OT Surprisingly Good Movies

[intlzncster]

I met and had dinner with the producer of that movie in Hong Kong about 5 years ago. He told me about the (then) planned remake, called it the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen. And we're talking about the guy behind Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj. Of course, he couldn't pass up a buck -- I saw his name as an executive producer of the remake.

Agree with him totally. Don't fault him for it one bit either.

No chance anyone could recreate the Busey/Keunu or the Swayzel/Keanu dynamic. The number of quality cringe-worthy lines in that film is astronomical.

Actually, thinking on it, almost all Swayze's 80s offerings hold water. The best being Roadhouse.

And Roadhouse belongs on this list.

 

[CL82]

Roadhouse belongs on this list.

Thank you. It was an obvious omission as it is possibly the best bad movie of all time.

"Pain don't hurt."​

 

[storrsroars]

The Principal (Jim Belushi)
Salvador (JB again but mainly James Woods as an extremely liberal photographer, ironic given his current right-wing stance)

I think Salvador was supposed to be a good movie. Oliver Stone and all. It's one of those I'll watch almost whenever it's on, which hasn't been much lately.

But continuing the Jim Belushi theme, I'll add two of his films here: Curly Sue and Taking Care of Business. I agree with Roger Ebert on the former - it's a laughable plot, but Belushi and especially Alison Porter, sell it. On the latter, while Belushi is playing an exaggerated version of his Litko character (from About Last Night... in which he stole the movie), it's Grodin who carries the movie with his typical drollness.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You've never watched "Harry & Son", have you?

Newman can only be surprisingly bad, not surprisingly good.

This wasn't a theatrical release, but HBO's Empire Falls felt like it was going off the rails about 5 times but the amazing cast held it together.

 

[G0UCONN]

Draft Day

 

[huskyrob1]

While we wait for the seasons to begin, here is another thread to occupy your time. I'm curious to see what you think are movies that surprised you to the upside. Maybe the story, or acting, or perhaps they just moved you in some unexpected way.

I'll start with the 2013 version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I confess to generally liking Ben Stiller's comedies, especially with Owen Wilson or Vince Vaughn. But here we have a drama that was well told and moving. Use of the song Little Paws was also brilliant.

Another one is Don Juan de Marco. Something about it just feels right. Both movies involve people discovering who they are and who the can be.

My list of surprisingly great films....

1) The Great Santini
2) Last of the Dogmen
3) Woman in Gold
4) Stripes
5) Working Girl
6) Tomorrow is Forever
7) October Sky
8) The Swimmer
9) White Lightening
10) The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (the original, not the remake)

 

[G0UCONN]

My list of surprisingly great films....

1) The Great Santini
2) Last of the Dogmen
3) Woman in Gold
4) Stripes
5) Working Girl
6) Tomorrow is Forever
7) October Sky
8) The Swimmer
9) White Lightening
10) The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

The Great Santini and October Sky are great ones for this list. Both excellent movies.

 

[ZooCougar]

The Count of Monte Cristo.

 

[dbmill]

The Big Year. It got rather indifferent reviews when it came out, but I thought it was quite good and very entertaining.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Evil Dead 3 Army of Darkness, for what that budget must of been. Would love a future remake

 

[storrsroars]

The Big Year. It got rather indifferent reviews when it came out, but I thought it was quite good and very entertaining.

That title just reminded me of three others I enjoyed more than expected:

Big Fish
Big Night
My Favorite Year

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Count of Monte Cristo.

This is one of the most famous books in history and the story is so good it is almost impossible to screw up. It is kind of hard to argue it was "surprisingly" good.

 

[John]

Margin Call is excellent, just watched it for the second time.

 

[ZooCougar]

This is one of the most famous books in history and the story is so good it is almost impossible to screw up. It is kind of hard to argue it was "surprisingly" good.

So you're the decider of this? Movies are pretty easy to screw up. That one really didn't have a eye catching cast, yet it was cast perfectly. In my opinion, it is like Shawshank. When it's on you don't turn the channel.

 

[Kolumbo]

Exit Wounds.
I am not a big Seagal fan but I remember thinking this movie wasn't all that bad. So to me it was surprisingly good although not a great movie.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Lucky Number Slevin

 

[auggie22]

The Big Year. It got rather indifferent reviews when it came out, but I thought it was quite good and very entertaining.

Great movie!

 

[ZooCougar]

Exit Wounds.
I am not a big Seagal fan but I remember thinking this movie wasn't all that bad. So to me it was surprisingly good although not a great movie.

Under Siege. Has Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Dale Dye and Steven Seagal. 70 something % on Rotten Tomatos.

 

[superjohn]

The Firm and The Cotton Club. Both movies seemed to get universally panned when they came out. I think they are both pretty great and extremely watchable.

 

[dbmill]

Great movie!

Of course, it helps if to be into bird watching to enjoy this movie. Still, Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson is a good starring combination for any movie.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Stardust. Kind of like The Princess Bride, if it actually had a budget for special effects. Takes some fantasy/fairly tale tropes and has quite a bit of fun tweaking them.

 

[Dove]

Of course, it helps if to be into bird watching to enjoy this movie. Still, Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson is a good starring combination for any movie.

I've been a bird nerd since 6th grade. I didn't like this movie that much. But the great gray scene is so true...we trek a long way to see a bird when if we just sit and wait we'll get rewarded, too.

 

[Dove]

Surprisingly good (to me):

Cloverfield
Miracle...I know, "Wha?". It did not fall into the schlocky true story abyss. It was fresh and greatly performed.
Bowfinger...hysterical premise.
Rock Star with Wahlberg

 

[Kolumbo]

The Firm and The Cotton Club. Both movies seemed to get universally panned when they came out. I think they are both pretty great and extremely watchable.

Tom Cruise never loses.

 

[ZooCougar]

The Firm and The Cotton Club. Both movies seemed to get universally panned when they came out. I think they are both pretty great and extremely watchable.

The Firm is great.