Before I get into this
post, I just want to let you know that I’m going to be in italics for this
post. The reason for that is because
there is some writing from other people that will be scattered throughout the
post. You can see a bit of that right below
this paragraph. The use of italics will
help to differentiate my writing from those of my fellow movie lovers and make
it easier for you to know who is writing and when. If it is not me writing, I will give the
Twitter handle of the person who wrote that stuff. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this post.
I don't
really use the term 'guilty pleasure' all that often, as I think that would
imply having some sort of shame about enjoying a film. I'm pretty forthcoming
about what movies I like and what ones I don't, regardless of the reasons for
why. With that said, there are a few movies where I find the moniker to make
appropriate sense, as some movies you just cannot explain why you enjoy them so
much (generally comedies or dumb action/horror movies),
but for some reason they put a smile on your face anyway, despite understanding
that other movies can do something similar and better.
Bad movies have a
profound impact upon people who find enjoyment in watching films. The reason for this is simple. They are movies. As much as many viewers deride bad movies as
being not worth the time, an argument can be made that bad movies are
beneficial to any cinefile’s movie watching.
Why? It’s because they show the
faults of the filmmaking world. There are
many mistakes made in bad movies that can help to enlighten a director, writer,
actor, etc. on what not to do when making a movie. And many times, these faults can help to make
a movie more enjoyable than it would have been in capable hands. Sometimes the faults are what makes for
entertainment.
I like to believe that
I am not the only person who takes joy in watching bad movies. Everyone has one bad movie that they
enjoy. They know it is a bad movie. They know that there are much better things
that they could spend their time watching.
But the bad movie captivates them and keeps them enthralled. They spend countless hours rewatching the
movie because it entertains them in the same way that an exceptional movie can.
That’s why I put a
question out to some of the followers on my Twitter account, and some of the
people who have suggested movies for the Sunday “Bad” Movies. I went onto Twitter recently and asked people
to submit a paragraph or two to my email account about a bad movie and their
relationship to it. I wanted to find out
how other people feel about some of the bad movies that they have seen. The turnout was a little less than I had
hoped for; although, I still managed to receive a few good submissions. Throughout this post, I will be compiling
these pieces of writing by other writers and giving you a full idea about some
bad movies enjoyed by people who aren’t me.
I was twelve years old and my favorite movies of all time were the first
two Spider-Man movies. When I heard that
a third was being made, of course I was excited. I was talking to all my friends about it. I was watching Spider-Man 2 on a loop. I was so damn ready for this movie.
Because there is so much to say about this film, I honestly could
write a huge piece on this awesomely bad gem from 1989.
I love this movie and I have no qualms about saying it.
Those are only three
of the reactions of some of the people who submitted writing about bad movies
they like. Three different bad movies
that brought out the feelings deep inside people. Anticipation, salivation, and
entertainment. These are three people
who have a fondness of the bad movies that they watched. It goes to show that even when watching a
movie that may not be a classic blockbuster or an award winning tale, there is
still something that people can find themselves attracted to in a movie.
Enough about that,
though. What were the movies that people
wanted to write about? What movies do
they want to share their fondness of?
I’m not sure which movie I would have written in with. There are numerous bad movies that I find
captivating in one way or another. There
are so many to choose from. But I asked
for one movie. A single movie that each
person would write about and share their adoration for. Adoration may be strong. Yet, it may not be. These are movies that the participants wanted
to defend their liking of. Some even
admitted to loving the movies.
Each of the six people
who submitted some writing to me chose a different movie. None of these movies have been featured on
the Sunday “Bad” Movies before. Some of
them may be coming up in the future. All
of the movies fit within the bad movie realm, and all of them have qualities
that make them entertaining.
For as long as I can remember I have loved Masters of the
Universe.
@aaronsps4
I have a huge amount of love for The Big Hit.
My pick is John Landis' magnum opus, The
Stupids. Yes, the same John Landis who
gave us The Blues Brothers, American Werewolf in London, and Animal House.
@ImPABLO_i_WRITE
The movie I have chosen is Buffy the vampire Slayer.
@Movie_Doc
Beginning with a low budget Vietnam battle scene, Cage gives
audiences only a hint of its schlocky goods.
These are movies that
the writers enjoy. Two of them even said
how they loved them when giving the title of the movie. As you can see, only five of the six
participants knew immediately that their love for the movie was true. One took a little bit longer to find that
admiration.
@MarcusIrving317
When I left the movie theater after seeing Spider-Man 3 for the first
time, my mom asked me what I thought of it. I couldn't say a word. I was just confused. Not by anything that happened in the movie,
but because this was the first time I had ever seen a movie in a theater that I
just plain didn't like.
Not all bad movies
make a good first impression on a person.
I know that from experience. But
there are things that can be taken away from watching bad movies. There is almost always some nugget of
brilliance in even the worst movies.
Whether it’s some sort of interesting effect or innovative technical
aspect of the movie, there tends to be something worth the time spent watching
the movie.
@MarcusIrving317
Today, I actually like Spider-Man 3, not because I think it's a good
movie, but because it taught me a valuable lesson. Look for the best in every movie. Even the worst movies have cool little things
such as that Sandman transformation scene to make them totally worth watching.
What is it about
bad movies that connects with certain viewers?
There are various reasons that any given movie can connect with the
person watching it. It may have
something to do with the state of mind that the specific audience member
has. It could be strange moments in the
movie that speak to the person. No
matter what, the bad movie gives that person as much joy as any other good
movie that they see.
@TheTalkingCan
Call it nostalgia if you want, but even through my last
viewing of this film -- which was last week – I found myself still loving each
character, good and bad. Skeletor and his legion of mercenaries are the epitome
of evil, while He-Man and his rag tag group of followers are among the purest
of heroes. The story still captivates me. The practical effects still hold up,
though they are a product of the times. Compared
to now, they come off incredibly cheesy. But let’s be honest, it’s a live-action
version of an eighties toy line/cartoon series, so what can you really expect?
@Movie_Doc
Because there is so much to say about this film, I honestly
could write a huge piece on this awesomely bad gem from 1989. However, I will try to keep it short. In addition to the laughable writing and
ludicrous scenarios, the acting by Ferrigno and Brown is often atrocious,
especially in the more dramatic scenes.
To Ferrigno’s credit though, he nearly pulls off the role of the
man-child Billy. Cage also features a
cast loaded with highly recognizable character actors from the 1970s and 80s
including Michael Dante, Mike Moroff, Brancombe Richmond, and Die Hard alumni
Al Leong and James Shigeta. If one
doesn’t find entertainment in ridiculous writing, silly acting and laughable
fight scenes, then Cage is probably not your cup of tea.
@ImPABLO_i_WRITE
I saw the film before I saw the series and it creeped me out big time as
a kid. As a teenager I fell in love with the series and saw it up until the
end. Since then I've revisited the film a few times, and it still holds up for
me as much as it did when I was a kid. Many people trash it, claiming it feels
dated, but that's what makes it great.
@TheChewDefense
Yes its bad, but stuff still makes me laugh from
Stanley (Arnold) disguising himself as a bush to hide from bad guys, to
Christopher Lee as Mr. Sender, an evil man who gets all of those "return
to sender" letters, and the many cameos from famous directors that film
buffs would get a kick out of. It’s worth seeking out and yes, you will
probably get a laugh out of it.
@ImPABLO_i_WRITE
Where this film really excels is in its dialogue, it's so cheesy and 90s
it's hard not to love it. The horror cues are almost completely horrible, but
they have some effect if you watch the movie really loudly, and in the dark.
@aaronsps4
It’s a silly movie with some fun action direction by
Che-Kirk Wong, but really has no reason to get much praise, beyond the fact
that I think it is very entertaining and funny for reasons that only extend to
me and few others.
@ImPABLO_i_WRITE
Kristy Swanson is great as Buffy in her own right, Pike is cool as hell
as the guy every guy wants to be, and everyone else is good in their own little
way. The two best parts of this movie aren't Pike with his cool slicked
back hair and his dirt bike, or even Kristy Swanson doing gymnastics in yellow
tights, though both those things are great. No, the two things that make this
movie really worth watching are David Arquette's and Paul Reubens'
performances. In what's almost an homage to Evil Ed from Fright Night, David
Arquette plays Pike's best friend turned vampire Benny, and I have to say, he
really kills every scene he's in. Paul
Reubens plays Amilyn, the right hand to the lead vampire Lothos (Hauer), he
probably has one of the funniest death scene's I've ever seen in a film, that
alone makes this worth watching.
These bad movies mean
things to people. Sometimes the meaning
is simply entertainment. Some viewers
want to turn off their brains and have mindless fun for a while. They want to let go of all of the worries in
their lives and indulge in the stupidity of bad movies. The bad dialogue, poor acting, and overall
horrendous execution of some of the movies can lead to a fun time. You can appreciate the bad, look beyond it,
and find something that speaks to you.
Deep down inside, it hits you in the right way. You fall in love.
There’s also the side
of bad movies in which they are well made, yet the subject matter is in no way
mainstream. These would have been the
b-movies in a theatrical double bill way back when. Now they are shown on SyFy channel, or
released direct to DVD. They are not
poorly done. They are like Rodney
Dangerfield. They get no respect. It has nothing to do with the talent on the
screen or the talent behind it. It all
has to do with the story. Spiders come
down from Mars and attack sorority girls.
Strippers fight off a horde of zombies.
The movies end up being tons of fun.
No matter what your
stance on bad movie is, it is hard to deny that you can have a good time
watching a bad movie. As much as good
movies stand the test of time and represent some of the best artistic work of
the modern era, the bad movies have helped to push cinema forward. Some were the starting point for movie stars
of the future. Others were blueprints
about what not to do when making a movie.
No matter what, they mean something.
To someone, somewhere, bad movies mean something. And that’s what makes them great.
@aaronsps4
I have plenty of fun with this film, regardless of why it’s
not technically 'good' and that's what matters.
@ImPABLO_i_WRITE
This is the type of movie you want to sit down and watch with a bunch of
friends.
@Movie_Doc
This movie has never grown old with me. I heartily laugh every time I watch it. I particularly enjoy watching it with first
time viewers just to see their reactions. It is definitely a movie I love watch
with a group of buddies over a few beers and I have done so on more than one
occasion.
@aaronsps4
This movie
brings me the kind of joy that is nice to have now and again, with bad movies
such as this.
I would like to go out
on this nice paragraph that was written by a reader about me. This might seem a little bit egotistical, but
who says I don’t like to rub my own ego?
Why not share this nice paragraph?
Someone wrote it. I might as well
share it. Thanks for reading, guys. Thanks for reading for 100 weeks, and thanks
for reading this. I’ll see you again
next week.
@ImPABLO_i_WRITE
I've been a reader of Sunday Bad Movies for a few months now and have
made it a routine of sorts to check out the new post up on Sunday Mornings or
as often as new posts are up. I've really enjoyed seeing JurassicGriffin one of
my favorite twitter film friends take on some "bad" movies and give
them a fair shake. This is something a lot of today's film enthusiast's
wouldn't do, or even think of doing. It's nice to see someone out there taking
time to sit down and watch these movies without any bias. With that said I'm
glad to be able to share some of my thoughts on one of my favorite "Bad
Movies" for this blog's 100th week.
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