Movies that surprised you.

Deebles McBeebles · 05-10-2019 07:19PM

The Crying Game.

One eyed Jack · 05-10-2019 07:23PM

Sex and the City.

The first time I watched it when it came out and I thought it was awful shìte. It was on the other night and there wasn’t much else on so I gave it a go. I actually surprised myself seeing it from an entirely different perspective, and I’m not even ashamed to admit it!

Well, maybe a small bit

blue note · 05-10-2019 07:26PM

Argo really surprised me. I had somehow gotten it into my head that Ben Affleck played a drug dealer (possibly drug lord) in it. Then I saw him in the FBI and thought the SOB is hiding in plain sight. I wondered for the first 30 minutes how all this Iranian stuff was going to tie in. Probably took another 30 to fully accept that I had the film mixed up with something else.

It was very distracting watching a film and trying to figure that out!

isohon · 05-10-2019 07:37PM

Good Surprises:

The first Shrek movie. Sister and I ended up wandering into the cinema to kill time after my mother was delayed collecting us. Honestly laughed till I hurt.

Wall-e, expected it to be 'just another kids' movie' but it was brilliant and affecting.

Jarhead, thought it was going to be trash, it is still one of my favourite films.

Bad Surprises:

Sweeny Todd, just abysmal never could look at Johnny Depp the same again, or Tim Burton's subsequent films.

Brokeback Mountain, it had its moments for sure, but mostly it was just boring.

SEPT 23 1989 · 05-10-2019 07:38PM

The Elton john movie

Not a big fan like a few of his songs

But I thought it was a good film

Way better than the Queen one

ziedth · 05-10-2019 07:41PM

Into the Spiderverse I just brought my 7 year old kid too thinking I would enjoy it along the same lines that say I enjoyed Despicable me. A smirk here and there kinda thing.

However, about half an hour or so in I remember saying to myself "****ing hell this is excellent"..... hasn't happened very often apart from that as I usually have a pretty good idea of a film before I go in. I have been caught out a good few times thinking a film would be good and turn out ****e mind

cj maxx · 05-10-2019 07:45PM

Midnight run . I'd never heard of it and it came on tv ( years ago) thought it very funny.
Also another movie I'd never heard of at the time ' the killing fields'. I remember 'imagine ' at the end and thinking 'wow'
I was a teenager then !

Quantum Erasure · 05-10-2019 07:48PM

Flash of Genius, good sunday afternoon viewing

When college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) develops an intermittent windshield wiper, he believes he will be set for life. Though the invention is a big hit with automakers in 1960s Detroit, Kearns finds himself forced out of the picture. Determined to collect the recognition and financial reward due him, he wages an arduous legal battle with the auto industry.

steves2 · 05-10-2019 08:15PM

Annurca Apples wrote: »

I struggle to think of a movie I enjoyed more than Apocolytpo, such a great movie that seems to have been forgotten about, it's a masterpiece.

Apocalypto is a great film, I thinkel Gibson's profile means a film like that is overlooked.

black_and_blue · 05-10-2019 08:32PM

Whatever happened to baby Jane?

It's a black and white movie and not my thing but this movie was good and sad at the same time.

It was about two child stars that were sisters, one doing good and other not so much. By the time they were adults, the roles reversed and then the sister not doing well got jealous, knocked her sister down in an accident. The sister ended up in a wheelchair and other sister locks her up in a room and treats her cruelly in their house while she tries to get famous again.

It's real psychotic and classed as a horror movie which is never my thing. But having a narcissistic family, I've watched more and more movies like this since becoming aware of the abuse that I had to go through.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 06-10-2019 01:31AM

Homelander wrote: »

Mean Girls. Was dragged to it by a girlfriend and couldn't wait for it to be over before it had even started, but it was actually pretty good. Obviously, loads of movies surprise me, but that was one in particular I would have rather have sat staring at a wall for 90 minutes before actually seeing it.

Mean Girls being good didn’t surprise me. Tina Fey was involved. Plus Lindsay Lohen was quite a charming actress.

Qrt · 06-10-2019 01:34AM

Hustlers.

Just saw it in the cinema, ****ing loved it.

cj maxx · 06-10-2019 02:05AM

Napoleon dynamite

Ipso · 06-10-2019 02:13AM

steves2 wrote: »

Annurca Apples wrote: »

I struggle to think of a movie I enjoyed more than Apocolytpo, such a great movie that seems to have been forgotten about, it's a masterpiece.

Apocalypto is a great film, I thinkel Gibson's profile means a film like that is overlooked.

Subtitles didn’t help.

robertpatterson · 06-10-2019 02:16AM

Ipso wrote: »

Subtitles didn’t help.

You'd find it hard to follow the plotline if they weren't there ...

Beanntraigheach · 06-10-2019 02:39AM

"True Grit" - the 1969 version with John Wayne.
I've never really been much into the older westerns, but I'd seen "The Searchers" not long before and thought that was pretty good so I decided to give it a go.
The focus is more on the characters, each fascinatingly eccentric, and the development of their relationship rather than the adventure they set out on itself. I found it greatly entertaining, endearing too in a way. Certainly one I'd recommend to others (including to those usually uninterested in westerns).

ToddyDoody · 06-10-2019 02:46AM

The Covenant. I don't think it was released here but the writers / directors made absolutely sure not to miss any oportunity for homoerotic appeal.

From wikipedia:

'The film, despite receiving very negative reviews, was a moderate box office success.'

Danonino. · 06-10-2019 02:52AM

There’s been a lot but one that comes to mind instantly is American Made. Absolutely loved it.

byronbay2 · 06-10-2019 02:57AM

LA LA Land.

Romantic comedy jazz musical about Hollywood!!! Thought (indeed, assumed) it would be absolutely terrible but was the first American movie for a looong time that pleasantly surprised me! The 2 leads (Gosling and Stone) were excellent and had real chemistry together. The musical numbers (I HATE musicals, except for Willy Wonka) worked well within the movie and were catchy. Most importantly, they didn't do the ridiculous tacked-on happy ending that EVERY American movie does!

Kudos to LA LA Land - great movie.

Andrewf20 · 06-10-2019 03:03AM

ArchXStanton wrote: »

La Haine, normally black and white films turn me off instantly, but it added to the impact of it in this case

La Haine is absolute class. Vincent Cassels other famous film Irreversible was surprising also. Heavy going but i loved it. Really stayed with me after.

Dead mans shoes blew me away. A top 10 film of all time despite a mediocre score on rotten tomatoes from the critics.

Also Brooklyn...

Despite all the hype at the time, I was surprised to find that it was as bland and manicured as you could possibly get. Every scene is ever so nice, with everyone one well dressed, cars always clean on the street etc. Very banal.

Your Face · 06-10-2019 07:17AM

Probably Les Misérables from 2012. I was surprised I enjoyed it.
Also, Russell Crowes singing was unjustly panned in my opinion.

Hangdogroad · 06-10-2019 07:45AM

Gwynplaine wrote: »

Suicide Squad. Was looking forward to it, had high hopes, thought it would be brilliant. An absolute stinker. Jared Leto was an abomination. I felt embarrassed watching it. Should be deleted from history.

I no longer watch anything with Will Smith.Guaranteed stinker if he's in it.

littlevillage · 06-10-2019 09:06AM

I don't get surprised by movies too often as I usually do a bit of research beforehand.

But one that completely blindsided me was

Straw Dogs (2011). i just came accross it by accident one night. I didn't know any of the cast. Expected a trashy horror.....maybe with a bit of heaving cleavage thrown in :-) Buts its really excellent.

Turns out it is a remake of the 1971 original by Sam Peckinpah starring Dustin Hoffman. I immediately went and watched that .... its set in the English countryside and doesn't really work for me.

But the remake re-locates to the American deep south ... and maybe thats why it works far better.

Off the top of my head, a couple of other films (that people mightn't be that familar with) and I accidently came accross ...and found them to be excellent

The Prestige (2006) starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman
Knowing (2009) starring Nicolas Cage
Moon (2009) starring Sam Rockwell.
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (2005) starring Robert Downey Jnr, Val Kilmer
Walking Tall (2004) Starring Wayne "the Rock" Johnson
This is 40 (2012) starring Paul Rudd

Worztron · 03-11-2019 09:35PM

statesaver wrote: »

Black 47. Didn't expect much but really enjoyed it.

+1

Worztron · 03-11-2019 09:37PM

cjmc wrote: »

Midnight run . I'd never heard of it and it came on tv ( years ago) thought it very funny.
Also another movie I'd never heard of at the time ' the killing fields'. I remember 'imagine ' at the end and thinking 'wow'
I was a teenager then !

I saw both a good while back, excellent alright.

Jurgen The German · 03-11-2019 11:08PM

Martyrs, original version.

Knew nothing about it other than a few people had recommended it, picked it up in HMV and threw it on.

It's rare a horror movie leaves me speechless but this one blew me away completely. I was thinking about it for days after viewing which very rarely happens.

I've only watched it once since as the initial impact and reveal is obviously lessened having seen it but fcuk me pink, it is a tremendous, gut wrenching piece of work.

HappyAsLarE · 03-11-2019 11:10PM

byronbay2 wrote: »

LA LA Land.

Romantic comedy jazz musical about Hollywood!!! Thought (indeed, assumed) it would be absolutely terrible but was the first American movie for a looong time that pleasantly surprised me! The 2 leads (Gosling and Stone) were excellent and had real chemistry together. The musical numbers (I HATE musicals, except for Willy Wonka) worked well within the movie and were catchy. Most importantly, they didn't do the ridiculous tacked-on happy ending that EVERY American movie does!

Kudos to LA LA Land - great movie.

I never trust anyone who dislikes “American” movies.

banie01 · 03-11-2019 11:13PM

Finding Mr Banks.

Was expecting Disney style family schmaltz.

Got a beautifully put together movie that wove the story of the creation of Mary Poppins, with the devastation that alcoholism wreaks on a family and the little tricks of imagination one creativity that we come up with to deal with it.

Church on Tuesday · 03-11-2019 11:17PM

Casablanca.

Just a really well made film that holds up today.

s7ryf3925pivug · 03-11-2019 11:21PM

I thought A Serbian Film would be a movie but actually it’s someone sh!tting in your brain.

Movies that surprised you.

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