no silly questions

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Rick's worst film:

Valley of the Dolls seen at a Drive-In Theater (remember them?) back in 1972. It was part of a double feature with some bad zombie movie even though it was made in 1967.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Christina's worst film:

The only movie I ever walked out on, Mr. Deeds.

Ginger's worst film:

Bounce - Ben Affleck and Gweneth Paltrow being sad for 2 hours.

I only went because I was there for another movie but the film broke.

Brian's worst film:

Showgirls, the only NC-17 movie I've ever seen in a theatre

Erica's worst film:

Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector . A good example of how peer pressure can be dangerous.

Cordelia's worst film:

War of the Worlds. I had time to kill in Johannesburg and it was the only movie showing at a reduced price. It was no wonder why.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Dan's worst film:

I was 17 and took my youngest brother and his friends (all around 11 years old) to see Ernest Goes to Jail. It was extremely painful.

It's so hard to choose the worst, but if this one isn't it, it's a strong contender. What follows is a review of Evil, part of a 2006 Philadelphia Film Festival writeup I never finished.
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Having attended this film festival for a number of years, worked for the company that puts it together, and gotten to know some of the motivations, opinions, and personalities of its staff, I feel pretty confident that I can read through the festival guide each year with something of a sixth sense. While the provided synopsis of a film will let any reader know if the general premise and/or themes will appeal to him or her, I have learned to read between the lines to determine the actual quality of the film. It’s more zen than science, and it’s not foolproof, but I get better at it each year.

My newfound skill this year was the discernment of a regretful review. Basically, if a review contains even a few words that sound remotely like an apology, the film should be avoided at all costs. For example, the festival guide was excited to point out that Variety had this to say about Evil, a "splat-stick" zombie comedy from Greece:

"Effects work … is way above a low-budget level, and the gore quotient is satisfyingly high."

Incriminating ellipsis aside, it’s not hard to imagine this quote being a polite way of saying:

"For the artless debut of a Peter Jackson fanboy with no skill, no wit, no charm, a cast of tens, and one consumer-grade miniDV camera manned by a Parkinson’s patient, this movie is actually kind of impressive."

And that’s what it was, minus the impressive. Of course, I can’t speak for the second half of it, since I was pedaling away from the theater less than forty-five minutes from when it began.