Thursday, January 11, 2018

Thursday Movie Picks-Once Is Enough


Wandering Through The Shelves can really pick great themes and this week it is all about movies you hope to never see again because once is enough. There are many I could choose here but I picked 4 because 3 just was not enough and I know 2 of them will be controversial.

1. SIESTA-1987


ZZzzzzzzz. We actually rented this movie back in the day thinking it would be good since it starred Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, Martin Sheen, Isabella Rossellini  and Jodie Foster but this was a mess. It is badly acted and you are constantly saying WTF?? Ellen is supposed to be this stunt woman who is to jump from a plane into a fake volcano. You realize this jump will kill her and she might have thought so as well so she decides to venture to Spain to meet up with her lover. She meets up with him and I think there is some heated sex scenes and mystery but the movie is so stupid that I can't even remember the good stuff. Horrible...

2. WILD ORCHID-1989



This is a film that we also rented and we had a great time laughing at how bad it really is. This chick, Carre Otis-yup never heard of her...I wonder why, plays ..wait for it...a lawyer...hahahaaaaaa. OK I got that laugh out of the way, anyway she has to go to Rio to meet up with the firm's top exec..oh blast who cares, She meets Mickey Roarke before he really turned ugly and creepy (here he is just a bit ugly and still creepy) and is attracted to him. They end up meeting a German couple and this German couple have sex in the limo as the other 2 watch-this scene is funny because it's about Germans being passionate..sorry no,..well, yes. Anyway the chipmunk noises are funny. Later on, in the movie, Carre is running to Mickey Mouse..sorry, just Mickey, they cut to a different scene and when they cut back, she is still running...they cut back and forth 3 times! I was wondering where John Cleese as Lancelot was (people will know what I am referring to if they ever saw Monty Python and The Holy Grail). This movie got some notoriety because it claimed Roarke and Otis really had sex while filming. Bleccchhhh, the only thing I recall from their so-called sex scene is when he tore her entire dress off in one fell swoop.

3. IN BOREDOM..OOPS I meant, IN THE BEDROOM-2001



5 of us went out in a snow storm to see this film..a snow storm(!) because we heard raves about this film and still do. It sounds interesting-a married couple are concerned about their son's relationship with an older woman who has a child. You realize the son and the woman (played by Marisa Tomei) do love each other to the point where he defends her from her scumbag ex. The ex kills the son and because the ex comes from money, seems to be getting away with it. The woman must deal with the loss as well as the parents, played by Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek. You are witness to the long married couple's marriage failing. as all are trying to cope with the loss. Now this sounds excellent doesn't it? When I was sitting there thinking, "Am I the only one thinking this is the slowest yawnfest I have seen in my life?", I look to my right and see 2 of my friends talking and raising their eyes up pointing to the screen. My other friend right next to me is slumped way down in his seat squirming to stay awake and my ex is looking up at the ceiling. All the 2 married couple do is give very short answers and you see him mow the lawn or cut the hedge and Sissy just starts smoking up a storm. The biggest 2 events are when Sissy slaps Marisa and when Sissy and Tom finally start yelling at each other only to be interrupted by girl scouts selling cookies. If I want to see someone smoke or mow the lawn I will look outside during summer time. By the way, My ex was counting the ceiling tiles.

4. A BOREMENT.. ughh I did it again, I meant ATONEMENT-2007


I will get a lot of flack from these last 2 but it's what I think so here is my last. Atonement is considered one of the best films in recent years and it stars Keira Knightly, James McAvoy and Saoise Ronan but I think it is an over-rated yawn of a movie. I have not read the book and believe the book would be much, much better. Keira and Saoise come from a upper class English family and James is the son of one of the worker's. He is in love with Keira and she with him and poor little Saoise has a big crush on him. Well, due to the nasty jealosy of the little brat, he is sent to jail and is separated from his great love. 4 years later, he can leave prison as long as he joins the army which he does. You are witness to war and heartache and you find out why the young brat, now a celebrated novelist, must atone for her big sin. I liked the ending..in more ways than one, but I couldn't care less about the characters and found scenes very long and drawn out and I didn't believe in the chemistry between the 2 romantic leads. This time, no snow storm but the same people. The 2 were slumped in their chairs  becoming very irritated. My dear friend was catching flies and my ex was trying to stay awake. I caught some flies and I think I snored a bit.....

Which films would you say once is enough?

50 comments:

  1. Those 4 sure sound like ones to skip. Soooo many for me from Die Hard 5, blah, to Nirvana(one with Highlander in it) horrible.

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    1. I have not seen your picks either and I am grateful

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  2. Well, after my post this week, Valerian obviously is near the top of that list! Actually, once was too much.
    There are also a couple snoozefest/horrible movies that have been redone by either RiffTrax or MST3K, which has made them watchable a second time. Like The Room!

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    1. I figure you would say this movie again. Do you mean The Room about the woman held hostage for years? I still want to see that film

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  3. Aww I love Atonement! I liked In The Bedroom overall, but Sissy and Tom are not exciting enough actors to make that work. Their scenes were boring. It was Marsia Tomei and Nick Stahl that sold it for me.

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    1. I know many people like that movie and I. the Bedroom is a true snore fest but I agree that Marisa was more animated than Tom And Sissy

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  4. In the case of Siesta, once was way too much!

    I laughed at the horribleness of these.

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  5. I never saw any of these. My all time most hated movie is The English Patient. I went with someone so I couldn't leave since we had no public transportation here. Now I could get an Uber or Lyft. That would be followed by Lost in Translation where I was totally LOST. My third choice would be Sideways. Now I really want to see the movie The Post about the Pentagon Papers, but why did they have to cast Meryl Streep???

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    1. I actually like The English Patient but it is a divided film that people either like or really hate. I don’t mind Lost in Translation either but I’m not sure what it was all about. Sideways is ok but m6 brother loves that movie. I really don’t understand wh6 they always pick Meryl because there are so many other actresses who could play that role better but she will be nominated next Year for this role..blecchhh

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  6. Hi, Birgit!

    I never saw Siesta, but the cast includes some of my favorite actors and actresses. Moreoever, with themes of sex and death and boasting a Miles Davis soundtrack, it seems like my kind of movie. The reviewer on IMDB calls it one of the most underrated films of the 80s. Based on the trailer, Siesta appears to be inspired by Blue Velvet, the David Lynch film released the previous year which also featured Isabella Rossellini. Wiki supports my theory about Siesta: {The movie was hailed as "this year's 'Blue Velvet' " by Susan Linfield, editor of American Film.} However, if those cheesy bongos played throughout Siesta, then I can understand why "once is enough." :)

    I haven't seen In The Bedroom and needed to go to YouTube to watch the trailer. Here again, it looks like the kind of film that would interest me. I'd rather watch smoking and lawn mowing than singing and dancing. :)

    I have not seen Atonement, and the brief scene you posted didn't exactly grab me. Atonement would most likely be my least favorite of the three you reviewed. Long drawn out scenes usually do not appeal to me unless they are filled with explosions, car stunts, women in bikinis and guys in gorilla costumes. :)

    Thank you, dear friend Birgit, and enjoy the rest of your week!

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    1. Oh, I love Isabella and wished she was given more work because she is a great actress but this movie..blecchhh. I would like to see what you think about this film. Let’s see if you like In Boredom because I was so wanting to see this film since I love Tom Wilkinson and the trailers but all the dramatic scenes were in the trailers. I always enjoy your visits and wishing you a good move up ahead

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  7. BIRGIT, I never saw any of the movies you listed, but then I gave up on Hollyweird long,long ago. Haven't even been in a theatre since 'SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE' was playing in them.

    Every once in awhile someone who really understands my tastes in movies will recommend something new and then I'll rent it. And it's always a surprise to me when I find I love a newer movie (such as 'THE BIG SHORT', 'THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON', and 'HACKSAW RIDGE').

    Wow! This topic is almost too rich to mine. How many movies do I hate? That's an unfathomable number. How many movies have I started watching and then gave up on them 45 minutes to an hour in? Another too-big number.

    I think some of the most overrated movies I've ever seen were 'SILENCE OF THE LAMBS', 'APOCALYPSE NOW', 'BLADE RUNNER', '2001: SPACE ODYSSEY', 'STAR WARS', 'THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP', and almost anything directed by Clint Eastwood.

    A couple movies I hated so much that I couldn't even watch them to the end were 'KILL BILL' and 'JERRY MAGUIRE'.

    And then there's the movie 'SUMMER LOVERS' which I saw once, a hundred ages ago, and I could feel tens of thousands of my brain cells dying every minute that I continued watching it. I honestly think "Suicide by SUMMER LOVERS" could be a "thing".

    ~ Stephen
    Would You Like To See... 'It's A Wonderful Life' Come To Life?

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    1. You saw Summer Lovers and actually saw this wreck until the end? Hahahaaaa...wait..I saw it too o we both survived:) I watched it because it was filmed in Greece. I like most Clint Eastwood movies although John Wayne films are better:) (barring The Conquerer which I still want to see). I like Slumdog and Blade Runner. I would never think to suggest a film t9 you unless it is an older film but I would have suggested Hacksaw Ridge which is excellent.

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    2. >>... "I watched it because it was filmed in Greece."

      Me too!
      At that time, I had a thing for a young lady who had just recently moved to Greece, and that was the ONLY reason I was interested in watching that terrible movie in the first place.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'

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    3. POSTSCRIPT:
      I also liked SLUMDOG. Good movie. I even own it on DVD.

      ~ Stephen

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  8. OH GOD Siesta!!!! What a truly awful "What were they thinking?" waste of celluloid. I made it to the end and had zero idea of what the filmmakers were going for, if they knew in the first place.

    Wild Orchid was dreadful but then I was never on the Mickey Rourke train to begin with and now he's just sad but that movie and Angel Heart are both just flotsam.

    We'll have to agree to disagree about your last two. Love would be too strong a word for In the Bedroom but I did like the movie and thought the acting was great but the film's pace was too measured for its own good.

    I LOVED Atonement but I think its a love it or hate it type of affair. I watched it with a friend and she detested it, though she too liked the ending.

    I was tempted to go with films I hated for this but decided outside my first to go with films that I thought were okay but have no desire to revisit.

    Once is Not Enough (1975)-Oh but it most certainly was…more than enough to be frank!! Based on the theme I couldn’t resist but this terrible film based on a trashy Jacqueline Susann novel about a naïve selfish and rather stupid rich girl (Deborah Raffin) who becomes involved with an much older man (David Janssen) as a substitute for her obsession with her father (Kirk Douglas) is tasteless, crass and badly acted by everyone except Alexis Smith and Brenda Vaccaro (who somehow managed to rise above the muck and be nominated for Best Supporting Actress). For something so salacious it’s remarkably dull.

    La Ronde (1950) - Max Ophuls’s venerated roundelay of a circle of love affairs, some serious some frivolous in 1900 Vienna is a supposed mad whirl of joie de vivre. I love many other of Ophuls’s films, Letter from an Unknown Woman, The Earrings of Madame de… & The Reckless Moment among them, so I was really looking forward to this film but while I didn’t hate it I found it rather silly and too frou-frou to take seriously and can’t see myself returning to it again.

    Moonrise Kingdom (2012)-Two youngsters fall in love and run away together which leads a search party to set out for them while they have quirky adventures. I know I’ll probably take heat for this one and maybe it’s because Wes Anderson films by and large leave me cold but while others were telling me how charming and lovely this was I thought it was forced, trying too hard for a feeling of whimsy. Again I didn’t hate it but I had a big feeling of So What? at the film’s conclusion.

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    1. I didn’t think about films that are excellent but tough to watch so I went the bad movies that I thought sucked and will not watch again. I have never seen Once is Not Enough but I think I shall pass on the daddy issues flick. I really liked La Ronde and found it quite enjoyable. The same for Moonrise even though I don’t think it is as good as his others

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  9. I actually really liked atonement

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  10. I'm sure if I tried really hard, I could come up with some films fitting this topic. I've seen several bad films that are in the "so bad they're good" category, but I can't always make it through a movie that's boring or just plain stupid. I just tried to watch I Heart Huckabees for the first time and ejected the DVD after twenty minutes.

    Carré Otis, by the way, was reportedly from the family that gave us the Otis Elevators.

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    1. Oh well, maybe should go and work for the company as she sucks as an actress.

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  11. OMG Siesta looks SO SO SO terrible. I quite like In The Bedroom and Atonement, but I readily admit that I found the latter a bit chilly and removed on first viewing. It was only afterwards that I came to really love it.

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    1. Just when I think I will watch Atonement again, I remember sitting there watching this and the memories come back and snap me out of it.

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  12. Of your list, I've only seen Atonement. I didn't hate it as much as you. I... Yeah, I didn't hate it. I didn't love it, either.

    From your comments, I agree with Denise. The English Patient is definitely on my most hated list.

    The movie that always pops up for me when we're talking most hated is Dear God. It looked decent on paper. It was awful.

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    1. I don’t even remember Dear God but I think I will pass. I don’t mind The English Patient but people either like it or they hate it

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  13. The only one I’ve seen is Atonement, which I quite liked, though your suspicion is correct: the book is better. The film might have been improved with different actors. I always find Keira a bit wooden and James McAvoy isn’t a romantic lead in my view.

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    1. I thought so and the book would probably be much better and capture what the film didn’t. James McAvoy is someone who is just too pasty and not romantic hero type.

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  14. I haven't seen any of these and I think I never will.

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    1. I bet you will find enough people who will like my last 2 that you will give it. Try

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  15. You're such a silly goose. :)

    It's a Wonderful Life
    Gone with the Wind
    Hunger Games

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    1. It’s A Wonderful Life?? I don’t understand, silly goose you

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  16. Once again, I've never heard of any of these, but that is nothing new, is it? Since I didn't see them, I am so glad you clued me into one to NEVER EVER see.

    I DID see comments, and I owned a house once that was built by the Otis elevator owner. He lived in it for several years, too.

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    1. That is pretty cool that you lived in a home by the Otis family.

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  17. Forgot to mention that the house I bought even had a small Otis elevator in it, too!

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  18. I haven't seen any of these movies, so thanks for the warning. But, um, with a title like "Siesta," maybe you should've known it was gonna be a snooze-fest... :)

    I've dozed through quite a few uninspiring movies. "Sideways" was one of them. According to the blurb, it was supposed to be "hilarious." NOT!!!!

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    1. Yes, you are so right about Siesta and I truly thought it would not be the f-ed up movie it was. My brother loves Sideways and I don’t get it.

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  19. Too bad about the movies. They each had a great bunch of actors. Oh well, that's life. Other than Adam Sandler's "Jack & Jill", I can't recall any of other movies I don't want to see again. lol

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    1. Oh my that is a horrible film that I turned off and I rarely turn off movies but Ace Ventura, Pet Detective is another bad one

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  20. Yes! I'm not the only one who doesn't care for Atonement. I watched it when it started getting all sorts of Oscar buzz that year and finished it wondering confused about all the praise it was getting.

    I used to watch Wild Orchid every now and again when it was a prominent part of Cinemax's late-night rotation. Haven't seen it in 20+ years, and I wasn't always sober back when I did watch it, so I don't remember what I thought of it. Strangely, I do remember the scene you referenced: Rourke tearing off the girl's dress in one shot.

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    1. Yes! Someone who shares my thoughts about Atonement! I think the only way to see that film is drunk

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  21. I'm pleased to say I haven't seen any of them:)
    Stay warm and healthy.
    Hugs

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  22. It's always interesting to see your movie picks. Haven't seen ANY of these, but I did hear of the Tom Wilkinson one (and he's a good actor too) and Atonement. The first 2, didn't know the titles, nor the people. At least I know not to waste my time if any of these ever show up on Netflix! TFS & Happy New Year. Hugs too.

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    1. I love Tom Wilkinson and he has been in man6 films that I love...but not this one. Hope you had a lovely weekend

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  23. Well, I'm back home and back to things like blogging. Funny that you should bring up this topic as when I was in NJ with my daughters we discussed the "bad" film The Room which some call the "worst film ever" (and not to be confused with the hostage film Room. Not sure that I would go that far as I know I've seen worse and The Room is so bad that it's kind of good--or at least really funny. I'm anxious to see James Franco's new film The Disaster Artist which is about the making of The Room. Should be a hoot.

    As far as films I wouldn't want to watch again I'd never say never. I hated Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge but I did watch it a second time just to make sure. There have been many films that I didn't care for but I guess I disliked them so much that I can't recall them now. I disliked Marley and Me but I suppose it's possible that I could watch it again someday. After all, there have been movies I've seen in the past that I hated at first, but then liked them much better with a second viewing. And sometimes a terrible film can be kind of fun if one's mind is in the right place.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  24. There are actually very few films I feel need to be watched more than once. Those are the ones we own and can't wait to share with friends who have never seen them, or quote on a daily basis. Serenity, Princess Bride, and Six String Samurai are among the elite. Oh, and Scott Pilgrim Vs the World.

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  25. Atonement - I love the book. The movie looks beautiful and it's fine as a movie but I didn't really like Keira as the older sister.

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