Great movies you just don’t get

Posted on March 2, 2008 at 8:00 am

Beliefnet’s Crunchy Con asked readers to fess up — which “great” movies don’t work for you? Many certified classics show up on the list, from Citizen Kane to 2001 – A Space Odyssey. Unsurprisingly, nearly every movie dissed by one commenter was praised by another, even My Dinner with Andre. 2001.jpg

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6 Replies to “Great movies you just don’t get”

  1. Ironically, I just watched this past weekend Akira, an iconic sci-fi film that somebody called the 2001: Space Odyssey of Japanese anime. And they were right. Visually stunning but don’t ask me to explain it.
    Actually, I don’t get many foreign-made films, even those which acquire a critical or popular following in the U.S. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Pan’s Labyrinth; and I’ll bet even the Bergman or Bertolucci films would fall into that category if I’d seen any. There’s always several parts that have me scratching my head, regardless of how well it’s translated into English.
    Except for the Godzilla films. Those are pretty much self-explanatory.

  2. This “great” movie is only a few years old, but I was lucky enough to watch it alongside a fellow skeptic (Movie Mom herself).
    Did “Million Dollar Baby” really win Best Picture a few years back, or did I just awake from a bad dream? Too long, too cliched and too full of Eastwood’s worst movie tics, “MDB” is merely adequate, not the best picture of any year.

  3. Yes, Big Dave, some films get lost in translation. And thank goodness you were there with me, Christian! I found MDB heavy-handed and manipulative and I still remember your saying to me at the time that you had never seen a movie go south so quickly. I thought that summed it up perfectly.

  4. I think I was the person who praised “My Dinner with Andre.” One of the most thought-provoking movies ever. I’ve seen it with any number of people who said they started by thinking Andre a bore and ended up becoming deeply engrossed and moved by the dinner/movie.

  5. Thanks, Alicia! I agree with you about “My Dinner With Andre.” And I admit I thought it was very funny when the Christopher Guest character in “Waiting for Guffman” showed off his collection of “My Dinner With Andre” action figures!

  6. If you are talking about movies that you rarely if ever see on the major networks or mentioned in an actor’s movie resume, one of the primary best movies Harrison Ford and Annette Benning EVER made is About Henry. You want a movie that will make you feel better and get you to reexamine your choices in life find it ASAP. Then there’s Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfus is What About Bob. Need a real laugh be sure to rent or buy that one. In fact buy ’em both!!!!!!!!!!

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