Underrated movies?

Thomas Hayes said:First off, the acting is just painful. I get it—these are action flicks where you aren't supposed to overthink things, but I can't help feeling bad for everyone having to deliver such incredibly wooden dialogue...

In the first movie, Vin Diesel was actually great. I’ll never forget that performance.

"Ask any racer, any real racer. It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning."

👍

Amy Jones2 said:The only one that comes to mind right now is *The Barbarian Invasions*. I caught it late at night on some random channel, but I gave up pretty quickly because the dialogue killed me within the first fifteen minutes.

I almost gave up on "Deep Red" by Dario Argento. Even though everyone says it's the gold standard of the giallo genre, I found it incredibly dull. It took me two full days of forcing myself to sit through it just to finish.

I just tried watching Aleksandr Sokurov's "Mother and Son." It was only ten minutes long, but I couldn't get through it.

I have watched many more movies that I eventually finished, though they faded from my memory quite quickly.

Among the more well-known sci-fi films that I didn't complete, I would highlight 'Annihilation'. I had no idea it was actually a horror movie. 😱

The Big Lebowski. A masterpiece of aimless chaos—is there anything more perfect?
I’ve attempted this three times now—only to be interrupted every single time. Is anything actually supposed to stick?

Neglected by choice—and likely never to be cared for—is the state of all modern American war movies. Honestly? Any version of Cinderella is more grounded in reality.

There are plenty of them on the list. Birdman, Julius Caesar, A Serious Man, 8½, Solaris, Russian Ark... But fine, many others haven't even touched them, or if they did, it was clearly a massive struggle.
The one film that absolutely everyone seems to rave about—yet I am perhaps the only person who hasn't managed to sit through to the end—is Memories of Murder. I’ve tried watching it twice now, and both times I couldn't even make it past the first hour. The acting felt so grating, the characters were utterly repulsive, the humor missed the mark entirely, and the case itself just failed to grab me. I truly cannot fathom what everyone else sees in that movie.

Bad Santa 2 was such a letdown—it’s just a bunch of cheap, vulgar jokes wrapped in this weirdly politically correct package, I guess. I actually had to turn it off after only 45 minutes.

I still remember when I staged a dramatic walkout from AMC Theatres halfway through J. J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek starring Chris Pine. Right near the end, when Kirk just casually—almost effortlessly—snatches command of the Enterprise... I just couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my girlfriend by the hand and we fled into the night!!
Look, I’m a die-hard fan of the original Star Trek series, but these modern reboots? I just can't stomach them. I won't even watch them...

By the way, browsing through some old threads, I saw people mentioning movies they actually walked out on... meanwhile, those are some of my absolute favorites. The Big Lebowski? For God's sake, I watch that on a monthly basis—it's pure therapy. And then there's Flight Above Coward's Nest... that's basically the gold standard. Or Tenet... I've actually sat through that one six times in the last few months alone.☕ 🍿

Man, it is wild how different we all are.👍🙂

I don't usually sit through an entire movie if I have the remote in my hand, but if I’m at the theater, I usually stick it out until the credits roll. Except for that passionate music lover Gibson film—I walked out halfway through.
Look, go vent your frustrations at your own mother. That was just some fanatic, deranged behavior; I honestly don't know how any sane person sits through that.

That said, high-tension scenes are hard for me. Anything involving intense discomfort or public humiliation is almost unbearable. For example, in Two Lovers, when Phoenix goes to dinner with the girl he likes and her boyfriend? I couldn't watch that.
Or Aubrey Plaza and all that chaotic energy in Ingrid goes West.
Both movies are great, though. I really need to sit down and watch them properly from the start. Phew.

I have this feeling that The Dude doesn't really land with women the way it does with guys. I tried watching it once—actually, I don't think I even finished it. It’s not a bad movie by any means, but I found it kind of tedious. Meanwhile, all the men around me were absolutely losing it laughing.

There are just certain movies I can't bring myself to sit through. Take "Lost in Translation," for example; the whole idea of that older man and the young girl getting tangled up just rubs me the wrong way. I knew immediately I wouldn't enjoy it, so I didn't even bother. Or maybe it's Avatar—it gets so much hype, but to me, it just feels like a glorified cartoon, so I haven't had the motivation to even start it.

I did give Tropic Thunder a shot once, and honestly, I remember thinking it was TERRIBLE. It's been a while, though, so I don't even really remember the plot anymore. A lot of guys swear it's a masterpiece, but I'm not sure if it's worth my time to try again. I just can't seem to talk myself into it. 😁

Interesting observation to kick things off. 🤔

To Jacob Alvarez: Haven't checked them out in a minute, but I think you totally missed the mark on their whole dynamic. 😁

I think I used to pause movies on purpose when I was a kid, just out of habit. Even back then, I was the type of person who’d watch the same flicks over and over again—think Home Alone, Jurassic Park, or just endless marathons of cartoons.

Later on, the only time I actually hit pause was if something went wrong technically. Like back in the day, if I had a scratched DVD, or more recently, when theaters show these terrible low-quality copies—there was actually one time a glitch was so annoying I had to walk out mid-movie. Or, if we're talking about those outdoor movie nights, nothing ruins the vibe faster than rain. That happened to me just eight days ago while I was trying to watch Logan's Run. -.-').

Stacks of old Hollywood classics, piles of Japanese cult films, heaps of Italian horror, South American cinema, gritty American indie stuff... we're talking thousands of titles here.

I gotta admit—it’s kind of embarrassing—but I still haven't sat down to watch Lawrence, Casablanca, the magnificent Amberson, or The Big Sleep...

You start a thousand headlines then just... quit? 😁

The last part of The Lord of the Rings—honestly, there was zero tension for me after they killed off the only decent, interesting elf at Holloway's fortress 👎. It was just boring. I think I managed to sit through maybe thirty minutes before checking out. Like most stuff on TV, I’ve caught bits and pieces here and there, but I can never sit through the whole thing in one go.

Amarcord—tried starting this a few times, but I just can't handle listening to Italians for more than ten minutes at a time.

Pulp Fiction—tried that one multiple times too, but it just didn't click for me.

Shutter Island—someone talked me into watching it, even though I already knew how it would end whenever DiCaprio is starring in something. He's such a total non-entity; I forget the plot of every single movie he's in, except for Titanic. Between him, Depp, and Pitt, he’s easily the biggest bore in Hollywood.

That Japanese horror flick everyone was raving about, The Grudge I think? Nothing actually happens in it, maybe some kid jumps out at you out of nowhere. I drifted off halfway through, and it wasn't even late at night.

northernangler8 said:I feel like The Dude doesn't really click with women the way it does with guys—I watched it once, maybe didn't even finish it. It’s not a bad movie, just felt a bit slow to me, even though the guys I know were cracking up the whole time.

It's not a bad flick, and yeah, it can be a slog. It's definitely solid, but I've never quite understood the hype surrounding it either—honestly, the cast carries the whole thing, they basically pull it above average. The vibe is great and the soundtrack hits, but I think Coen have made much better stuff than The Dude. It just lacks focus—or maybe I just don't get that style of storytelling.

Irreversible (2002) — Is there anyone actually out there who can sit through the first 15 minutes? The camera work is just dizzying... it makes your head spin.

Benjamin Stewart53 said:It’s basically North Pole 2. I was so let down by all the cheap, vulgar jokes—which were somehow still politically correct—that I had to shut it off after only 45 minutes.

Nah, nothing could be worse than that. As soon as I see a movie trying too hard to be politically correct, I’m out—I don't give it a chance. Even if the movie had actual potential, I'm not interested in being sold some neoliberal garbage through a film.

Benjamin Stewart53 said:There are just some movies I can't bring myself to watch. Take "Lost in Translation"—I honestly can't stand the idea of that older guy and that young girl getting tangled up like that.

Women... 🤣 Yeah, I get it. 😉

briskwalker10 said:Women... 🤣 I get it, though. 😉

I guess it’d be way less of an issue if some old guy was hooking up with a twenty-something—but hey, that’s just how things are these days.

Dennis Hall41 said:I guess it would be a much smaller issue if some old guy was messing around with a twenty-something—but hey, I suppose those are just the times we live in.

Agreed. That would actually be considered "trendy" by now, and then nobody would give an age gap a second thought... 🤣

I have to come clean: I’ve never actually sat through The Magnificent Seven. I’ve tried starting it a few times... but honestly? It’s just boring. It makes you want to commit ritual suicide just to make it end.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever get around to it... those old black-and-white Japanese films just aren't my speed...🙂

But whatever, it’s still sitting there on my hard drive.