Critically panned films of 2010..that you kinda liked

irishash

So as the year draws to a close, I was just remembering all the trips to the cinema I had this year. I remembered the good times (Kick-Ass, The Town), the great times (Inception, Four Lions) and the ugly times (Clash of the Titans, Legion).

And then there were the movies that all respected critical sources (movie mags, newspapers, TV) told me were pants…..and then I ended up enjoying them immensely. For example :

Dinner for Schmucks – Having seen the original many moons ago, I was unsure if I would enjoy this remake. But I feel they did enough to change the story so that it felt a little fresh, and getting to see the actual dinner, unlike in the French original, was a hoot. For a movie that was stuck in development hell for almost a decade, it was worth the wait. Not the greatest comedy ever, but certainly not the stinker that the critics said it was. Just compare it to Little Fockers.

Piranha 3D – From the opening shot of Richard Dreyfus singing “show me the way to go home” straight through to the massacre in the harbour, and then onto the last shot, I laughed my ass off watching this movie. Never in my life have I watched a movie so self aware that it was a b-movie, and it was all the better for that fact. While the 3D effect are generally muck, the enthusiasm of the cast more than make up for this. Special shout out to Jerry O’Connell, who brings to life what could have been a very one dimensional character, in the shape of the horrible porn director. After seeing this, I really felt that the critics needed to lighten up a bit.

So has anybody else gone to the movies with low expectations thanks to the critics and come out with a smile on their faces??

DrumSteve

irishash wrote: »

So as the year draws to a close, I was just remembering all the trips to the cinema I had this year. I remembered the good times (Kick-Ass, The Town), the great times (Inception, Four Lions) and the ugly times (Clash of the Titans, Legion).

And then there were the movies that all respected critical sources (movie mags, newspapers, TV) told me were pants…..and then I ended up enjoying them immensely. For example :

Dinner for Schmucks – Having seen the original many moons ago, I was unsure if I would enjoy this remake. But I feel they did enough to change the story so that it felt a little fresh, and getting to see the actual dinner, unlike in the French original, was a hoot. For a movie that was stuck in development hell for almost a decade, it was worth the wait. Not the greatest comedy ever, but certainly not the stinker that the critics said it was. Just compare it to Little Fockers.

Piranha 3D – From the opening shot of Richard Dreyfus singing “show me the way to go home” straight through to the massacre in the harbour, and then onto the last shot, I laughed my ass off watching this movie. Never in my life have I watched a movie so self aware that it was a b-movie, and it was all the better for that fact. While the 3D effect are generally muck, the enthusiasm of the cast more than make up for this. Special shout out to Jerry O’Connell, who brings to life what could have been a very one dimensional character, in the shape of the horrible porn director. After seeing this, I really felt that the critics needed to lighten up a bit.

So has anybody else gone to the movies with low expectations and come out with a smile on their faces??

**** yeah

Piranha 3D was one of the best movies of this year. It knew exactly what it was; a shlocky B-movie with blood, tits and well.. that's it. I don't think I've come out of a movie feeling as good this year, having laughed the whole way through.

Handsome Bob

Iron Man 2 for me. I enjoyed it, I didn't get the hate about the Avengers stuff. I think it tied nicely for the most part into Stark's story. I mean for one, Fury appeared in order to point Stark in the right direction in order to cure himself, it wasn't just random. Then him failing to make the grade for the Avengers team ties in with his ever present narcissism. If he truly wants to help people and make a difference, then he's going to have to learn a bit of humility and accept when things are too big for him to face alone. As for Cap's shield, it's just an easter egg which again, displays just how much of a dick Stark is.

Mickeroo

Neither Pirahna 3D nor Iron man 2 were critically panned, both got pretty good reviews by anyones standards (both at 74% on rottentomatoes). If no-one had seen Iron Man 1 most people would have been raving about the second.

Films I liked this year that got bad reviews were The A-Team, The Losers and MacGruber. All pretty good fun movies that did exactly what they were supposed to.

Also want to mention The Karate Kid, didn't really get too many bad reviews but some people really wrote it off/hated it and I think its actually pretty damn good, if they cut some of the crap out(lady gaga montage ffs and the generally bad pop soundtrack, the score was pretty good) it might even have been great. Also kudos to not casting a 23 year old as the kid this time around and hands down the best acting I've ever seen Jackie Chan do.

helimachoptor

Skyline

JP Liz V1

The A-Team - the new Murdoch was great in it

krudler

A-Team as well, most fun movie of the year, didnt take itself seiously at all and the flying tank sequence was the best action scene outside of Inception

latenia

Another vote for the A-Team. I actually thought Clash of the Titans was decent popcorn stuff plus it had "Release the Kraken" which automatically gets it 5 stars.

don ramo

yeah The A-Team done what it said itd do, total splosion fest, and sharlto copley was excellent as murdock, (although he was great as wicus in district 9, i hope he mixes serious with comedy through his career)

The American, got a 6.6 on IMDB, it was panned by the critics saying was that it was shot beautifully, but had no story, but i really enjoyed the film, from clooneys paranoia, to all the caracters he interacted with, there was a great story there, but was probably just to sleepy for some,

Prince of Persia also i thought was a great film, it got a 6.7 on IMDB, but it was probably one of the best action adventure films this year, it had a storyline to it, and it was played out brilliantly, i was surprised at the lack of hype surrounding the film, and the reviews that it got,

Salt, got a 6.5 on IMDB, another fairly good action film, it wasnt spectacular by any means, the story had a few unnessary twists, but it was a solid action film that i would have no problems rewatching, all the talk around this film is that the role was originally intened for tom cruise,

all these films should easily get above a 7 star rating (The A-Team did but just at 7.1) there by no means bad films, there no false advertising anywhere on them, theres plenty of story, action, adventure, and twists, so i dont understand exactly what people expect from these films,

Galvasean

I thought Centurion was a very enjoyable action romp. "F#ck your character developement, give me slice und dice!!!" It's no gladiator, but a fun stabby stabby film.

Clash of the Titans wasn't too bad either (assuming you didn't watch it in 3D which was a tacked on waste of money). It was a bit of a missed opportunity when you consider all the stuff they left out of teh final cut, but if you can get your head past the hypocritical storyline it's got some really cool action set pieces.

ziedth

I'll also second the loosers, I enjoyed it for the 90min.

Big +1 also for me for the A team I heard everyone giving out stink and eventually watched it from (ahem) other means and I really regretted not going to the cinema as I thought it was more then watchable.

ronano

god the losers and the american would be in my top ten most enjoyed films this year

BigBenRoeth

I thaught centurion was a great movie,it's not something i'd watch for the fantastic artistic direction or character depth,its like Tango & Cash set in the time of ancient rome!

Don't know if it counts as being critically panned,but Shutter Island was also very good and got some very shít reviews.

don ramo

BigBenRoeth wrote: »

I thaught centurion was a great movie,it's not something i'd watch for the fantastic artistic direction or character depth,its like Tango & Cash set in the time of ancient rome!

Don't know if it counts as being critically panned,but Shutter Island was also very good and got some very shít reviews.

i dunno if centurion was underated, i actually dont recall ever reading a review for it, i heard noting of its release, i was heading to the cinema and there was noting new to watch so went to see this, if it did get panned id deffinately add it, it was a good film,

i think shutter island got great reviews, i remember thinking what all the hype was about after i seen it, didnt care much for it tbh

sky88

the sorcerer's apprentice
The A-Team
Knight and day

Sad Professor

It got terrible reviews, but I thought Chloe was quite good. The ending is a bit whatever, as is the whole script tbh. But the performances are brilliant. Egoyan is an excellent director even if the material in this instance isn't quite up to scratch. However, it's probably the kind of film that will play better to late night television audiences than it did to ticket-paying cinemagoers.

I also really enjoyed Prince of Persia... until the crappy ending, which was probably my biggest groan out loud moment this year. It's too bad because the film that preceded it was very watchable and entertaining for what it was.

And while it wasn't universally panned, The Brothers Bloom was some of the best fun I've had at the cinema this year. It makes me sad to see a film this good flop so terribly at the box office.

Sad Professor

And remember everyone - no lists!

BigBenRoeth

don ramo wrote: »

i dunno if centurion was underated, i actually dont recall ever reading a review for it, i heard noting of its release, i was heading to the cinema and there was noting new to watch so went to see this, if it did get panned id deffinately add it, it was a good film,

i think shutter island got great reviews, i remember thinking what all the hype was about after i seen it, didnt care much for it tbh

Aye shutter island got some great reviews but it got some fairly damning ones too,will post up links when I'm bothered.
I thaught it was a great movie,some very hitchcockian moments in it

sprinkles

The A-Team. Read the terrible reviews and enjoyed every minute of it. I really think the detractors should go watch the original series again and then tell me that it the film was lame!

The Expendables. The best time in the cinema all year, mainly for the crowd reaction to what was happening on the screen... reviews never measure that. It was truly special. Best "blow-the-crap-out-of-everything-that-moves" film since John Rambo.

And while not exactly panned by critics I do think it's undervalued... Hot Tub Time Machine. It was quite entertaining, the characters were developed as well as could be imagined and there was a decent joke return to keep me happy for 1+ hrs.

If 2011 delivers similar quality **** films I'll be happy out!

Handsome Bob

Mickeroo wrote: »

Neither Pirahna 3D nor Iron man 2 were critically panned, both got pretty good reviews by anyones standards (both at 74% on rottentomatoes). If no-one had seen Iron Man 1 most people would have been raving about the second.

Well I mean that it seems to be marmite for some people, the critics who panned it really layed into it. I'm talking 1/2 star reviews. Plus, it's pretty disliked on this forum. :pac:

Kiith

Most of the films i enjoyed this year did well enough, so there's nothing that really stands out for me. I thought Centurion and The Losers deserved more credit, and i absolutely loved Monsters. One of my favourite films of the year.

helimachoptor wrote: »

Skyline

No no no no no! :P

Galvasean

Kiith wrote: »

and i absolutely loved Monsters. One of my favourite films of the year.

Monsters wasn't panned by critics. it has 72% on rottentomatoes.com (including a 5 star review from Empire).
However it does fare less well with viewers, only 50% of audience viewers said they liked it.

edit: On the flip side, Skyline has 14% on rottentomatoes' critic meter. However a whopping 75% of viewers said they liked it.

A sample review soundbite:
"proof that solid special effects alone cannot overcome a flat storyline filled with uninspired dialogue"
Now, this was aimed at Skyline but to be honest it could just as easily been aimed at Monsters. It seems strange that critics were so eager to dismiss Skyline but embraced Monsters with open arms. Probably the fact that monsters was packaged as an indie movie while Skyline was sold as an action blockbuster. The massive discrepencies often seen between critics' scores and those of teh cinema going audience shows just how out of touch many reviewers are.

ziedth

sprinkles wrote: »

The Expendables. The best time in the cinema all year, mainly for the crowd reaction to what was happening on the screen... reviews never measure that. It was truly special. Best "blow-the-crap-out-of-everything-that-moves" film since John Rambo.

oh god ya,

How could forget that one. Similar to the A-Team I avoided it because mates told me it was poor and loved it when I saw it a few weeks ago. Sure it had problems but I was like a 11 year old kid again watching it. I'd put this as my first choice for this thread.

Richard Dower

I watched A-Team last night after reading this thread...mad OTT movie, first third was pretty crap but it got pretty good when they escaped and the stuff in Germany had great stunts.

That exchanged between the bad guy in the car when yer man can't get the silencer on was great!, it's badly written but enjoyable action fluff.

Mickeroo

Richard Dower wrote: »

That exchanged between the bad guy in the car when yer man can't get the silencer on was great!, it's badly written but enjoyable action fluff.

That scene was hilarious, had me in stitches. The

Call of Duty

line absolutely killed me.

Richard Dower

Mickeroo wrote: »

That scene was hilarious, had me in stitches. The

Call of Duty

line absolutely killed me.

The 3D movie scene was hillarious!....i was bursting me hole!!!!!!!!

YouTookMyName

Thought Scott Pilgrim is a good film after getting a bashing by critics, smart scenes funny bits too.

SirDelboy18

Wasn't incredibly panned, but not too many 4 or 5 star reviews going in this movies direction - The Book of Eli.
Great setting, thought Denzel and Kunis had fantastic chemistry together, loved the plot, great movie overall.

Also saw the Expendibles mentioned earlier, and I have to agree

Handsome Bob

SirDelboy18 wrote: »

Wasn't incredibly panned, but not too many 4 or 5 star reviews going in this movies direction - The Book of Eli.
Great setting, thought Denzel and Kunis had fantastic chemistry together, loved the plot, great movie overall.

Really liked this film as well, simple yet effective with good acting too. The only problem was the abrupt ending. But in a way I think that was the point of the film in the sense that the message took precedent over giving us a perfect chase or action movie.

krudler

Mickeroo wrote: »

That scene was hilarious, had me in stitches. The

Call of Duty

line absolutely killed me.

Ha, there were so many things in this that were in CoD as well, the AC-130 being a highlight, I went to see it and a mate who plays as well whispered "someone got an 11 kill streak" when they climbed into it

johntommy

I thought the new version of Repo Man was excellent. Jude Law( who I normally dont like was very good) and the always brilliant Forest Whitaker.

Galvasean

johntommy wrote: »

I thought the new version of Repo Man was excellent. Jude Law( who I normally dont like was very good) and the always brilliant Forest Whitaker.

I was virtually dragged to see that. Turned out to be very enjoyable. I normally can't stand Jude Law, but he was quite likable in this.

Hank_Jones

The big ones for me would be Salt and Prince of Persia.

They both kept me entertained and that is the reason I go to the cinema.
Prince of Persia had a few things wrong with it, Gyllenhaal's accent for one, but I still rather liked it.

Angelina Jolie kicking ass and in quite a well worked film too.

Just like to mention Unstoppable, although not panned, some people really seem to hate it. I loved it.

ziedth

Hank_Jones wrote: »

The big ones for me would be Salt and Prince of Persia.

They both kept me entertained and that is the reason I go to the cinema.
Prince of Persia had a few things wrong with it, Gyllenhaal's accent for one, but I still rather liked it.

Angelina Jolie kicking ass and in quite a well worked film too.

Just like to mention Unstoppable, although not panned, some people really seem to hate it. I loved it.

I liked Prince of Persia too but as someone mentioned above the ending was a real cop out. Salt was watchable too, i still think it would have suited a male lead better but it killed the 2 hours happily.

Hank_Jones

ziedth wrote: »

I liked Prince of Persia too but as someone mentioned above the ending was a real cop out. Salt was watchable too, i still think it would have suited a male lead better but it killed the 2 hours happily.

You really think Tom Cruise (pencilled in to do it before he chose to do Knight and Day) would have done a better job than Jolie?

I think not.

Knight and Day was awful.

Ridley

Galvasean wrote: »

Clash of the Titans wasn't too bad either (assuming you didn't watch it in 3D which was a tacked on waste of money). It was a bit of a missed opportunity when you consider all the stuff they left out of teh final cut, but if you can get your head past the hypocritical storyline it's got some really cool action set pieces.

Clash would be my kinda liked film too. The story is bad storytelling since it originally wasn't supposed to be a cautionary tale about never questioning gods but it's enjoyable visually.

"Medusa was raped."
"Kill it with fire!"

Corholio

irishash wrote: »

Dinner for Schmucks – Having seen the original many moons ago, I was unsure if I would enjoy this remake. But I feel they did enough to change the story so that it felt a little fresh, and getting to see the actual dinner, unlike in the French original, was a hoot. For a movie that was stuck in development hell for almost a decade, it was worth the wait. Not the greatest comedy ever, but certainly not the stinker that the critics said it was. Just compare it to Little Fockers.

Agree with this, there are quite a few genuinely funny moments I thought. When he

throws the blanket over her and she falls over the railing

if I was drinking something at the time it would have been spat out.
Quite a few other funny monents too despite it being a bizarre film all round.