What's a classic movie that you just don't like?

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I honestly can't, off the top of my head, think of a movie I've ever actually seen and actively disliked, that didn't provoke that same reaction in lots of other people (e.g., Rabbit Test, and the Bakshi LotR).

Which is to say, I don't see a whole lot of movies, and I'm more likely to go for years without seeing a movie that I ended up liking (e.g., Bugsy Malone and Groundhog Day, both of which I saw only this summer, decades after their release), than see one and hate it.

Still, I'll agree with @Denise and @Rowdy Roddy McDowall on Gone With the Wind (which I could die happy without ever seeing), simply because of its glorification of the pre-Civil-War South, and of a political, economic, and social order built entirely on black slavery. (And indeed, that also interferes with my enjoyment of Buster Keaton's classic silent, The General.)

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I honestly can't, off the top of my head, think of a movie I've ever actually seen and actively disliked, that didn't provoke that same reaction in lots of other people (e.g., Rabbit Test, and the Bakshi LotR).

You'd think Billy Crystal would have gotten critical acclaim for becoming the first pregnant man in movies, but noooooo. All the credit's swideswiped to John Hurt and Schwarzenegger.

 

[Aragorn]

Maybe it was because of my age because I saw it in a high school film class, but I just didn't get Picnic at Hanging Rock.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

There's one '70s international classic which, to me, is merely a three-hour potato-peeling borefest with a concluding token fatal stabbing in order to seem relevant. But let's not talk about JEANNE DIELMANN.

 

[Starkers]

I really don't like The Shining, but I do wonder if I saw it too early/too late? First time I saw it was as a teenager and I wasn't predisposed towards slow burn films back then. Watched it again a few years back and just found it laughable (but I think it doesn't help that I've seen so many piss takes over the years, looking at you Spaced!)

I'm not the greatest Kubrick fan in the world though, probably says something that my favourite film of his is Spartacus.

I've never been the biggest fan of The Exorcist either.

 

[the G-man]

I remember being bored and/or annoyed through almost the entirety of "the Big Lebowski."

 

[Captaindemotion]

I remember being bored and/or annoyed through almost the entirety of "the Big Lebowski."

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[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I really don't like The Shining, but I do wonder if I saw it too early/too late?

I've never been the biggest fan of The Exorcist either.

Only four movies are truly better in my opinion.

A notable SHINING character has been satirically resurrected for a few moments in Ridley Scott's new film THE DOG STARS.

 

[Starkers]

I remember being bored and/or annoyed through almost the entirety of "the Big Lebowski."

I've seen it once and didn't get what the big deal was. Have been tempted to rewatch it, my taste in films these days is very different.

 

[Orac]

Is every movie that won an academy prize for best movie considered a classic movie?
Because most of them are pretty average.
Seriously, those perverts thought Annie Hall was better than Star Wars?

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I remember being bored and/or annoyed through almost the entirety of "the Big Lebowski."

Dude!!!

Is every movie that won an academy prize for best movie considered a classic movie?

Seriously, those perverts thought Annie Hall was better than Star Wars?

There are a few BP winners that haven't stood the time-test. THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH is the worst Jimmy Stewart sham in the Milky Way. I often wonder if Woody Allen's film was chosen for BP to block out a sci-fi BP (which we'd eventually get with SHAPE OF WATER). Had I been in charge of the Oscars that year (shudder), my BP nominees would have been STAR WARS, BLACK SUNDAY, TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and THE GETTING OF WISDOM. Officially, STAR WARS is my '77 BP, despite my liking BLACK SUNDAY even better now*

(*And Bruce Dern gets Best Actor for it despite his tragic blimp accident which took down Frank Drebbin's old flame.)

 

[MLJames1961]

I've never cared for The Exorcist. I saw it with my family on a rerelease (or maybe in a second-run theater; it's been more than 50 years, so I'm not entirely sure which is true), and I found it to be an almost perfect cure for insomnia. I was so bored with the film that I actually fell asleep during the exorcism. I found The Omen to be a much more entertaining movie.

Curiously, I actually enjoyed Exorcist III when I saw it on HBO back in the 90s (I never bothered seeing Exorcist II).

 

[Starkers]

I've never been the biggest Exorcist fan either. In part I think it's because the first time I saw it was at university in a crowded theatre and lets just say it wasn't the best environment to be remotely scared in. Have seen it since and probably enjoyed it better on the small screen.

Exorcist III is a good film, and of course features probably one of the best jump scares in horror history

Never seen Exorcist II and I believe this is the right choice to make.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I saw the Exorcist circa 1991 on the big screen (it was still banned from home video IIRC). It was an old print, no remastering. I was underwhelmed - didn’t hate it, but didn’t see what the fuss was about. AFAIR the friends I went to see it with felt the same.

Agreed that Exorcist 3 is a decent enough shocker in its own right. Haven’t seen the rest.

I’ve remembered also that I went to see a re-release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre about 20 years ago. About 15 mins in, a girl in the audience started laughing hysterically and that was it, I couldn’t take it seriously. I suppose with hindsight she ruined the screening for everyone else but I just remember not being impressed with the film, other than the odd bit of disturbing imagery or sound.

 

[Starkers]

Interestingly I watched Texas Chainsaw for the first time about a month ago and, to my somewhat surprise, I really liked it. Well, liked may be the wrong word, but it's very well put together for a low budget film and there's at least one Leatherface jump scare that was worth the price of admission alone (not that I paid for it)

 

[milesandmiles]

Top Gun

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I saw the Exorcist circa 1991 on the big screen (it was still banned from home video IIRC). It was an old print, no remastering. I was underwhelmed - didn’t hate it, but didn’t see what the fuss was about. AFAIR the friends I went to see it with felt the same.

Agreed that Exorcist 3 is a decent enough shocker in its own right.

Especially the quick hospital hall moment.

I'd seen the first EXO at least 20 times before seeing its tinkered special edition in a massive theater in Washington, DC. Its sound system was so great I literally freaked out in the second half when Karras' phone rang, and I blurted out ''JESUS CHRIST!!!!!'' Much laughter resulted. I must be an acute hearer as nobody else freaked out at that moment.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Superman: The Movie for me. Yes, Reeve is perfect as Superman, but his Dorky Clark shtick is unbearable, Gene Hackman's performance is an unfunny joke, Margot Kidder's performance isn't remotely charming or intelligent-seeming enough to attract a demigod, and the overall flick, despite a few good moments here and there, is dull as rocks. I understand why it's held in such high esteem due to its context and place in genre history, but, taken strictly on its own terms, it just plain sucks, and does not hold up.

Except for the musical score.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Das Boot. I acknowledge its greatness yet I still don't like it.

 

[MLJames1961]

Quite a few people praise the 1979 version of Dracula starring Frank Langella, but I don't and I have a very specific reason for disliking it. Langella got the movie role because of his successful run as the character on Broadway in the late 70s. I got a chance to see the play when I was in high school, and he was terrific in it. I was looking forward to seeing the film because I thought he played Dracula so well on stage, but I was very disappointed when I went to the movie. Granted, the movie and the play differ in tone, but even with that in mind, I found Langella's film Dracula very detached and lifeless (curious comment about a vampire, I admit). It was like he was phoning it in, whereas he was far more engaged when he was on stage. I don't know how much of that was his choice and how much was due to the director, John Badham, but I couldn't enjoy the film in either case.

Honestly, when I have a yen for a Dracula movie, I'll put on my DVD of the 70s BBC version that starred Louis Jourdan.