Your controversial opinions on movies and TV

[pg1067]

Controversial opinion of my own... Denny Crane is the greatest TV character ever.  Change my mind.

So... I came in at the mocking of Tim, which isn't all that unusual (that didn't come out right), so I thought I'd scroll back.  Okay, making fun of Tim for not knowing something pop culture. Still not that unusual (still not coming out right).   But then I scroll back to this horse hockey. 

Chad, did someone tamper with your beer?   

In a genre that has Leroy Jethro Gibbs (my personal favorite), "Sudden" Sam Malone, Major Frank Burns, Archie Bunker, Raymond "Red" Reddington, Don Draper, George Costanza, Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, Tony Soprano, Tyrion Lanister, Walter White, Jack Bauer, Thomas Magnum, you're going with Denny Crane? 

He's not even the best LAWYER character.   Not with Jack McCoy, Saul Goodman, Barry Zuckerkorn, and Richard Fish on the docket (so to speak). 

He's not even the best SHATNER character, though that's not saying much (not a Shatner fan, sorry, though James Tiberius Kirk was the man.)

I don't know who 2 of the 4 lawyers mentioned are (and I really had to stretch to remember Richard Fish), but are you seriously suggesting that Frank Burns is in the conversation as greatest TV character ever??!  He isn't even in the top 2 of regular characters on MASH who held the rank of major.

[Adami]

By the way, it's not "Sudden" Sam Malone, it's Sam "Mayday" Malone.


Psht.

[Cool Chris]

In a genre that has Leroy Jethro Gibbs (my personal favorite), "Sudden" Sam Malone, Major Frank Burns, Archie Bunker, Raymond "Red" Reddington, Don Draper, George Costanza, Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, Tony Soprano, Tyrion Lanister, Walter White, Jack Bauer, Thomas Magnum, you're going with Denny Crane?

Exactly what "genre" is this? I am stunned I knew all but one of these characters, (Reddington) despite never watching most of the shows they are in.

If I ever left my wife for a man, it would be Jethro Gibbs.

He's not even the best LAWYER character.   Not with Jack McCoy, Saul Goodman, Barry Zuckerkorn, and Richard Fish on the docket (so to speak)

No idea who all these guys are. I thought Fish was a cop?

[Max Kuehnau]

Ok this has to do with me being a James Bond fan: I never liked Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of the character (too much shooting and too predictable jokes) and so I would have preferred Timothy Dalton for more than the two films he was a part of.

[ZirconBlue]

Ok this has to do with me being a James Bond fan: I never liked Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of the character (too much shooting and too predictable jokes) and so I would have preferred Timothy Dalton for more than the two films he was a part of.

The amount of shooting and the predictability of the jokes come from the script, not the actor.  So, having Timothy Dalton in them wouldn't have affected the things you don't like about those movies.


Personally, I think Brosnan was perfectly cast, but the writing on his movies wasn't always the best.

[Max Kuehnau]

Ok this has to do with me being a James Bond fan: I never liked Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of the character (too much shooting and too predictable jokes) and so I would have preferred Timothy Dalton for more than the two films he was a part of.

The amount of shooting and the predictability of the jokes come from the script, not the actor.  So, having Timothy Dalton in them wouldn't have affected the things you don't like about those movies.


Personally, I think Brosnan was perfectly cast, but the writing on his movies wasn't always the best.

I'm sure that's right, didn't have that in mind initally and if you liked Pierce, great. I'm more of a Roger Moore person myself (he was the first Bond I've watched, The Spy Who Loved Me actually)

[bosk1]

Well, since this is the "controversial opinions" thread...I've never really liked the Bond films.  At all.  Ever.

[hefdaddy42]

Hudson Hawk is the second best Bruce Willis film.

[gmillerdrake]

Hudson Hawk is the second best Bruce Willis film.

     I friggin' LOVE Hudson Hawk       I'm bummed they never did a sequel. That was a fun character. 

[The Walrus]

Well, since this is the "controversial opinions" thread...I've never really liked the Bond films.  At all.  Ever.

More controversial: I don't think Sean Connery is a good Bond. Then again, I grew up with Brosnan as my first Bond, I got GoldenEye for the Nintendo 64 as a kid and for the longest time he was my favorite in the films.

There are some good Bond films even for people who say they don't like Bond. If you haven't seen Casino Royale or Skyfall with Daniel Craig I highly recommend those. GoldenEye is also a classic, but it's got a much different vibe. If you don't like any of those though, hard to say anything else will do it for you unless you're into the really old style of Bond films.

[bosk1]

I don't hate the Bond films I've seen.  I just find them uninteresting.  But I can't tell you which ones I've seen, since it has been a long time since I've seen any.  But I got a pretty good sampling of all of the eras up through the '90s and possibly early '00s.  That said, I know I haven't seen the Daniel Craig films.  I'll try to remember to check them out eventually. 

Related to that, one of my ultimate favorite Arnie films is True Lies, not only because it is a very good film in its own right, but also because it so effortlessly and effectively poked fun at the super-spy genre of films up to that point.  I really loved how Last Action Hero did the same with action films in general.  And part of the delicious irony of both of those films is that Arnold was instrumental in creating the '80s stereotypical action hero, so it was amazing to see him starring in both True Lies and Last Action Hero.

[MirrorMask]

That said, I know I haven't seen the Daniel Craig films.

They're the only ones I've seen. Figured that if I wanted to start somewhere, I might as well check the current incarnation, I don't mind old movies and I'm old enough to have been a kid in the times when those movies were current (some of them at least), but I stayed with the Craig incarnation and I enjoyed them a lot.

Casino Royale felt like a good introduction to the world of Bond. Quantum of Solace's story was a bit meh. Skyfall and Spectre were both great.

[The Walrus]

I would totally check out Skyfall then... that one actually goes into Bond's past for once, and shows more of the character being in a really dark and dangerous place. It goes a bit deeper. At least, it's my personal favorite, mostly because of the stuff that isn't typical Bond stuff.

[bosk1]

I was editing to add to my post while you added yours.

[ozzy554]

My favorite classic Bond movie is On Her Majestys Secret Service. George Lazenby did an ok job considering this was I think the first acting job he ever had. I also think he nailed the final scene in the movie.

Bringing back Sean Connery for Diamonds Are Forever and not even referencing this movie again until The Spy Who Loved Me was a huge wasted opportunity.

[jingle.boy]

Controversial opinion of my own... Denny Crane is the greatest TV character ever.  Change my mind.

So... I came in at the mocking of Tim, which isn't all that unusual (that didn't come out right), so I thought I'd scroll back.  Okay, making fun of Tim for not knowing something pop culture. Still not that unusual (still not coming out right).   But then I scroll back to this horse hockey. 

Chad, did someone tamper with your beer?   

In a genre that has Leroy Jethro Gibbs (my personal favorite), "Sudden" Sam Malone, Major Frank Burns, Archie Bunker, Raymond "Red" Reddington, Don Draper, George Costanza, Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, Tony Soprano, Tyrion Lanister, Walter White, Jack Bauer, Thomas Magnum, you're going with Denny Crane? 

He's not even the best LAWYER character.   Not with Jack McCoy, Saul Goodman, Barry Zuckerkorn, and Richard Fish on the docket (so to speak). 

He's not even the best SHATNER character, though that's not saying much (not a Shatner fan, sorry, though James Tiberius Kirk was the man.)

It's ok, Bill.  We all have our own special little fails.  Though, pulling out the Spader / Reddington card was a good effort.    

Seriously though... Ally McBeal??  Dude, you lose your testicles recently?    I guess we all need to caveat our comments like this to shows we have actually watched.  I can't comment on many of them for not having watched their shows (24, GoT, NCIS, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Arrested Development and a few others up there).

But for the ones you did mention that I have seen, hand down yes... Denny Crane > any of them.

Hudson Hawk is the second best Bruce Willis film.

Behind The Last Boyscout!?  Bold statement. 

[hefdaddy42]

[TAC]

I saw a couple of Bond movies when I was younger, but honestly, isn't it the same story repackaged every time?

I prefer Get Smart.

[The Walrus]

I saw a couple of Bond movies when I was younger, but honestly, isn't it the same story repackaged every time?

If you aren't paying attention, it might seem that way. There are lots of shared elements, yet there's also continuity and overarching stories to them.

[hefdaddy42]

I saw a couple of Bond movies when I was younger, but honestly, isn't it the same story repackaged every time?

No. 

I prefer Get Smart.

Dear God

[jingle.boy]

I saw a couple of Bond movies when I was younger, but honestly, isn't it the same story repackaged every time?

No. 

I prefer Get Smart.

Dear God

I'd like to ask where Inspector Gadget fits, but I'm afraid for the obvious answer "Who's Inspector Gadget?".

[bosk1]

[King Postwhore]

I'm waiting for who's Homer Simpson?

[Cool Chris]

Regarding Bond, a couple thoughts. Disclaimer, my first Bond was Moore, though I cannot recall which one of his it was, but I saw a few before I saw a Connery Bond, which my mom (a huge Connery and Moore Bond fan) said I just HAD to see.

I think Connery became a much better actor as he got older. He never really captivated me in a performance till The Untouchables. He was stellar in The Last Crusade.

Connery's Bond films seem to spend a lot of time with Bond kinda stumbles around, gets captured, escapes through some combination of luck and bad guy ineptitude, sleeps with someone, and then beats the antagonist who had a ridiculous scheme that shouldn't ever work in the first place. There just isn't a lot of espionage and spying going on. That isn't to say they aren't fun movies though, because they are.

Moore's films keep the basic formula but give the franchise a much-needed kick of adrenaline and drama.

I cannot comment on the Dalton films, I don't know them well enough.

Brosnan was great as Bond and Goldeneye was the perfect film to bring the franchise to a new generation.  Then his films got a little silly. They were still fun, and he delivered all the silly lines and wore the tux well.

I wasn't there in real time, but I cannot believe the first couple Bonds were viewed as solid enough to build a half-century spanning, 25 film franchise upon.

[TAC]

I know who Inspector Gadget is. I've never actually watched him but I know who that is. Don Adams did the voice, right?

But seriously.

Every Bond Movie Plot:

International threat
Bond gets the call
Is shown some new gadget
Exotic location
Bangs a hot chick
Action scene
Gets the bad guy

Yawn...

[MirrorMask]

I wasn't there in real time, but I cannot believe the first couple Bonds were viewed as solid enough to build a half-century spanning, 25 film franchise upon.

I wasn't there either, but I assume back in the day things were more laid back; sure, everyone must have still watched the money and cared for it, but the corporate mentality of "We invest 1 billion of dollars in this project and if it doesn't 2 billion of dollars we'll scrap it and make a reboot in 5 years time" wasn't there yet.

[The Walrus]

I know who Inspector Gadget is. I've never actually watched him but I know who that is. Don Adams did the voice, right?

But seriously.

Every Bond Movie Plot:

International threat
Bond gets the call
Is shown some new gadget
Exotic location
Bangs a hot chick
Action scene
Gets the bad guy

Yawn...

Every metal song is the same. Riff, verse, bridge, verse, bridge, chorus, solos, chorus. YAWN!

[hefdaddy42]

I know who Inspector Gadget is. I've never actually watched him but I know who that is. Don Adams did the voice, right?

But seriously.

Every Bond Movie Plot:

International threat
Bond gets the call
Is shown some new gadget
Exotic location
Bangs a hot chick
Action scene
Gets the bad guy

Yawn...

Every metal song is the same. Riff, verse, bridge, verse, bridge, chorus, solos, chorus. YAWN!

For sure.  I mean, anything (book, song, TV show, film) from any genre (metal, romcom, sci-fi, superhero, Western, horror, pop, detective) can be boiled down that way, if you'd like.

[soupytwist]

- The Simpsons keeps getting better and better.
- In the X-Files Monica Reyes was a much better character than Dana Scully.
- The Point Break remake was much better than the original.
- George Clooney was the best Bruce Wayne/Batman.
- Crystal Skull is every bit as good as the original trilogy.
- NCIS is much better than The Wire.


'I Jest'

[ozzy554]

Halloween 3 is one of the best movies in that series.

The nightmare on elm street remake was pretty decent

Friends is a mediocre show at best

[Volante99]

Halloween 3 is one of the best movies in that series.

The nightmare on elm street remake was pretty decent

Friends is a mediocre show at best

Agree with all of these. Also Nightmare on Elm Street II is underrated. It’s one of the best in the series, although it seems to be gaining a cult following.

[pg1067]

Friends is a mediocre show at best

As someone who is pretty much exactly the same age as the characters on the show, it's one of my favorite shows of all time.  It's a near perfect combination of the real and the absurd, but I can see why it might not appeal to someone who was barely born when it premiered (although my 15 year old daughter has seen every episode and loved it too).

[cramx3]

I wouldn't call Friends mediocre, but I never really liked it.  It had its moments but it just never was for me, but that doesn't make it mediocre to me.

[bosk1]

I always thought it was a great example of how NOT to live one's life.

[hefdaddy42]

Friends was OK for 3 or 4 seasons.  Then it wasn't.

Also, too many characters that I just didn't like (Ross, Rachel, and Monica).  Chandler joined that group once he started seeing Monica.