have you seen a film/video recently that you went into with LOW expectations, and were really surprised? did you admit your liking of the film, even after bad-mouthing prior to viewing?

for example: i saw "erin brockovich" yesterday. totally low expectations. i mean, albert finney and julia roberts TOGETHER? whose sick idea was this? (oh- stevie soderberg's, i suppose.) anyways, it was really enjoyable. i dug it.

...and your thoughts?

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

Answers

recent entertainment surprises that exceeded expectations:

sleepy hollow malcolm in the middle south park the movie

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

oh that looks cool. please mentally insert return tabs in my last post.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

I had heard and read that Stir of Echoes sucked, so when we rented it, it was really just because nothing else was in. I ended up really liking it, in a Poor Man's Sixth Sense kind of way.

I also thought Arlington road was decent, even though our video store only bought one copy when it came out (which seemed a bad sign since they have about 300 copies of Eyes Wide Shut). The end was what made the movie worthwhile for me, certainly not what I expected, and I love twists. And don't laugh, but by the time I saw Idle Hands I had only the lowest of expectations, and ended up being rather impressed by the professional level of gore and jumpy sound effects and humor. I try to rate a movie on what it is, and not compare the horror flicks to an Oscar-type movie. I think that helps a lot. If more people did that, Mars Attacks would have had a better run at the box office, because my husband and I loved it, but every other hick here in redneckville was mad because they thought it was going to be another Independance Day. Pay attention, people!

I didn't have low expectations of American Beauty, but I didn't know enough about it to have any expectations at all, so I was very pleasantly surprised by it.

On the other hand, I was incredibly disappointed by Scream 3.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

oh lisa, i loved mars attacks! i thought i was the only one, everybody else i know found it to be incredibly stupid. but i still giggle when i think about "when i'm calling YOOOOOUU...."

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

Thank you, Leigh Anne, I knew there had to be others out there. :) We still laugh about the aliens running around shooting everything and everyone, while playing the recording that says, "We are your friends!" Everything about that movie was funny, including Glen Close's lipstick! Even the cows at the beginning, who were on fire as they stampeded down the street...I'm sure that wasn't meant to be funny, but I couldn't help but laugh - "What's that smell?" "Mooo!" Tim Burton rules. And he's so sweet to put his girlfriend in his movies, expecially since he has to make sexy, non-speaking parts for her. The only thing Mars Attacks lacked was Johnny Depp.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

who's tim burton's girlfriend?

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

I don't know why, but sometimes when certain people (particularly those who are fans of Mariah Carey or something) tell me a movie sucks, I put it on my list of movies I just might try if presented with the opportunity.

Some were bad, but many, at worst, fell into the 'guilty pleasure' category:

- Wild Things - Cruel Intentions - Broken Arrow - UHF - Mars Attacks!

Okay, I really liked UHF, and went out of my way to see it. And I really think Mars Attacks was good, and rated well for anyone who appreciated the style and humor. I can see how lots of folks walked out going, "WTF?!"

Hmm. I swear I had more listed in my head when I clicked 'Contribute an Answer...'

Of course, the best example of a movie that turned out to suck _worse_ than people stated, even in the most damning and colorful of terms, would be "Eye of the Beholder."

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

Tim Burton's girlfriend was the curvy alien that snuck into the White House as Martin Short's date, and in Sleepy Hollow she was Ichabod's mother. She's very pretty, but I'm guessing her acting talent isn't anythingt write home about, because she's always mum.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

her name's teena marie.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

Good topic, irene.

A lot of movies I've seen lately with smallish expectations have turned out to be completely enjoyable. (And I agree with you about "Erin Brockovich".) To wit:

"Pitch Black" - OK, so it's not "Aliens". But I enjoyed every trash- and clichi-filled minute of it.

"What Planet Are You From" - Hilarious. I expected nothing special, then laughed my ass off through the whole thing. Totally absurd and silly. Garry Shandling's deadpan performance is among the best things he's done. I know the vibrating penis joke wore on a lot of people, but it just kept getting funnier and funnier to me.

"Galaxy Quest" - Ditto above (except the part about Garry Shandling, and the vibrating penis, of course).

"High Fidelity" - Doesn't really count in this category, but I had to make an exception: I had very high expectations of it, and it far surpassed them.

"The Faculty" and "Disturbing Behavior" - I get these two confused, because not only did they come out around the same time (I think), but I rented them within a couple of weeks of each other. I'm still baffled as to why -- except maybe there wasn't much else left we hadn't already seen on the DVD rental shelves -- but I liked both of them more than I expected. I still couldn't tell you the plot of either one, though, without giving myself a brain hemmorhage.

Gotta agree with Lisa about "Stir of Echoes", too, only we saw it in the theatre.

And, like Ryan, I too had more movies in mind when I clicked "Contribute an answer". Oh well!

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2000

"freeway" with kiefer "i can't act to save my life" sutherland and reese "i'll always be adorable" witherspoon was rented b/c it was going to be terrible, i just adore reese.

the movie freakin' kicked some serious ass. i've seen it several times and have no trouble admitting it.

(also a lot more impressed with "Ghost Dog" than i thought i'd be. i find jim jarmuesh (sp?) to be pretty hit and miss.)

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2000