Shanghaiist: The Unwatchable: A DVD advisory

MikeBass14

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:03:43 +0800

The Stone Merchant is easily the worst out of many bad DVDs I have seen here. It was offensive from a human standpoint as well as an aesthetic one. Don't let Harvey Keitel's presence fool you (though the fact that the two "evil muslim" characters are played by Keitel and F. Murry Abraham is not surprising, given that the message of the movie is: though some Muslims may seem nice, in fact they are all terrorists).

Andy Best

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:24:37 +0800

Hi Fjio What's your definite submission for the list? The Narnia movie? Got any others? Also - that's interesting, an acceptable positive take on the Empire. Please continue and describe one. Andy.

fjiofojif

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:11:37 +0800

There's nothing inherently wrong with having a subtle, positive take on the British Empire. Lord of the Rings is a lot less didactic than, say, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" or the Dark Materials trilogy. Basically every children's book conveys values. Who cares if Lewis was Christian, Narnia is a fun series of books. But that movie was shit and I'm sure the sequel will be a natural for this list.

T

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:29:57 +0800

I wanted to like Smokin' Aces. I really did. Alicia Keys as a lesbian hit woman. The Piven, being The Piven. A Guy Ritchie-esque style of quick jump cuts and improbable plot lines all tying together. This film was straight garbage.

Andy Best

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:41:06 +0800

I have a huge bee in my bonnet about the books. They are rightly held up for their technical aspects but other than that ... I mean, it's open knowledge that JRR and CS Lewis sat down and openly discussed their aims to pass on their values to the younger generation in a subliminal way (they judged that more effective). So Lewis went for Christianity and Tolkien for the values/structures of the British Empire. The Narnia books are rightly held up to this and considered reactionary ... but LotR is still untouchable like heresy. Watch the films: Battle of Helm's Deep ...Battle of Rourke's Drift.

James Creegan

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:19:51 +0800

those Lord of the Rings films were based on books too I think

Andy Best

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:01:45 +0800

The thing about Southland Tales is that it is Revelations from the bible placed in the future - and I don't mean that in an absract way - it quotes revelations all the way through and the characters all match - and it includes the second coming too. That actually makes me happy. All my friends liked Donnie Darko. I was the lone hater getting laughed at for my reading. From the ideas in the movie and the school teacher scene, I thought that Kelly was going on about God and that he was basically a step away from Intelligent design nutters. Having watched Southland Tales I see that I was not, in fact, crazy. Also - I watched Fellowship of the Ring right after watching Dungeon Siege ... ...then I realised that the LotR movies are equally cheesy and and exaggerated. The 'epic' sound tracks on both are unbearable. All right, look, there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi."

WatchBagDVD

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:30:02 +0800

I thought one of the "Left Behind" series would be good for a few giggles, but it left me feeling like we deserved an apocalypse, except with Louis Gossett Jr. and Kirk Cameron going straight to hell in sort of an anti-rapture. Far less ironic-enjoyment value than I'd hoped.

yu888

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:27:52 +0800

guess someone banned lee an he is back under another id. always fun playing with trolls with more time than common sense. bad movies... god so many i tried to forget already...and damn, i just did, had a bad one and my mind just wont letme remember, will go home this weekend and find both pieces of the dvd (yeah, i snapped it in half... it was THAT bad) to see the title. The cover looked good... sigh.

T

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:25:00 +0800

Now, you really can't go into an Adam Sandler movie expecting a lot. But I'm somewhat of a Sandler afficiando, enjoying such fare as Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy and even little Nicky - not to mention his tiny bit higher concept pieces like 50 First Dates. That being said - my god, "I now pronouce you chuck and larry" was possibly the worst movie I've seen since Godzilla with Matthew Brodrick. In my mind, you can offend, as long as you're funny (see: Blazing Saddles or Harold & Kumar), but if it's ridicously unfunny, stereotypical, tired jokes - and I hesistate to call them jokes - then it's just plain offensive. And "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" is plain offensive. And one of the most un-funny movies ever.

Derek Sandhaus

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:10:09 +0800

Yep, that's true. As long as you're still here, why don't you join in the discussion and tell us what DVDs you hated.

James Creegan

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:08:55 +0800

what?

LeeTest1

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:00:42 +0800

can always block the cookies, go via proxy, create varity of accounts base on different email account. at the end of the day, it not only creat more work load for you also degrade the speedy of comments posting on this site ! is it a game you want to play ?

LeeTest1

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:57:58 +0800

can u track me down ?

James Creegan

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:38:59 +0800

I have a vague interest in the Soong sisters after reading the cocktail menu at Sasha's so would have probably picked up that DVD if it wasn't for the warning. Thanks. As for "Slutty Summer", exactly where can that go wrong?