I missed the deadline (by over a week!), but here's my late entry for Wendell's awesome blogathon. The rules, in his words, are:
1. Pick one movie that "everyone" loves (the more iconic, the better). That movie must have a score of at least 80% on rottentomatoes.com. Tell us why you hate it.2. Pick one movie that "everyone" hates (the more notorious, the better). That movie must have a score of less than 30% on rottentomatoes.com. Tell us why you love it.
3. Include the tomato meter scores of both movies.
High Society (1956)
It barely makes the minimum score cutoff, but this film is generally well-regarded in the film community. As a big fan of the original non-musical version The Philadelphia Story (1940), this musical take just didn't engage me. The cast is full of stars, who perform the songs admirably, but the film has no spark for me. It strained my attention, as the once witty material felt dull and flat. I wanted to love this, and I couldn't wait for it to end. Maybe a second viewing will strike me differently, but this was kind of a train wreck.
The Happening (2008)
M. Night Shyamalan's critical failure is a film I really like. I can see how the film's storyline and use of Mark Wahlberg - unfair criticism in this case - can be uninspiring, but I genuinely enjoyed this throwback to classic B-movies. I even saw it twice in theaters. Though the film is far from Shyamalan's best, it features a fantastic score from James Newton Howard, a good cast, and some intriguing creative decisions. Moreover, it's 90 minutes of endless entertainment, which I'll take over another Transformers film any day.
I haven't seen High Society yet so I can't comment on that. As for The Happening, well I would take that over ANY of the Transformers movies too, but I still don't think it's a good movie. I do think the premise is intriguing and it started well enough but certainly not M. Night's best.
ReplyDeleteHa, fair enough. A lot of people agree with you on The Happening.
DeleteHave to admit, I haven't seen either one of these. Somehow High Society has never been on my radar. As for The Happening, I purposely deleted it from that radar. For a while, I was actively avoiding M. NIght flicks and not hearing anything good about this one didn't change my mind. I haven't avoided the last few, but haven't felt the need to go back and see what I missed, either. You do make it sound interesting, though. Thanks for participating! Oh, and no worries on missing the deadline. I added it to the links post.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing: I nominated you for an award, sir!
http://dellonmovies.blogspot.com/2014/07/versatile-blogger-award.html
Thanks for adding me! And thanks so much for the nomination!
DeleteI haven't seen The Happening -- I might give it a try. :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you do decide to watch it, I hope you like it. ;)
DeleteOh wow, I've never known someone that actually liked The Happening! To be fair, the trailers for that movie were super creepy.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I've really gone against the crowd with this film. :)
Delete:-(
ReplyDeleteMy beloved High Society! I knew you weren't a fan though, so this isn't a huge blow or anything. But...The Happening? Like, for camp value right? LOL, Marky Mark is awful in this movie. When he has that conversation with the plant, I almost died.
That said, the score is wonderful, and the sound design is impeccable. Just the sound of the wind is incredible.
I'm definitely going to revisit High Society, but I'm currently not a fan. If I change my mind, I'll be sure to let you know. :)
DeleteHmm... I suppose the camp value of The Happening is something I like. It's tough to describe. I don't think it's a GREAT movie, but I saw it and liked it a lot. I thought it was a good movie (and I didn't have a problem with Wahlberg's performance). Even Ebert gave it a 3-star review, and I was surprised at all the hate the film received. It still holds up as a solid B movie for me. :/