The Great Movie Tournament - 1990s: Round 4 - Group 2 of 16

[mae]

During the fourth round of The Great Movie Tournament, please vote for up to two films you would like to move onto the next round. The top two films will be moving on. Keep in mind that the percentage of the vote a given film receives will determine its standing going forward.

The poll will run for seven days. Discussion is greatly encouraged!

The nominees are (please let me know if any video doesn't play for you):

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Directed by James Cameron

Watch Trailer

Total Recall (1990)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven

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Forrest Gump (1994)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Watch Trailer

A League of Their Own (1992)
Directed by Penny Marshall

Watch Trailer

[Iwritecode]

Wow, this is a tough group.

[mae]

It's not gonna get any easier now.

[fernandito]

The Greatest Movie of All Time.

+3 other schmucks.

[St. Troy]

I think I liked Gump when I first saw it, but now I can't even stand the mention of it.

[mae]

I think I liked Gump when I first saw it, but now I can't even stand the mention of it.

Curious to know why, because I think it's a great movie.

[St. Troy]

I think I liked Gump when I first saw it, but now I can't even stand the mention of it.

Curious to know why, because I think it's a great movie.

A great movie it may be; all I can say is how it hits me, which is: all situations and Gump himself (including every word he says) is WAY over the top goofy and exaggerated. I know that some of that is the point, but I personally find it irritating in the extreme.

Not that the two movies are similar, but I had a similar reaction to Pulp Fiction when I finally tried to watch it a year or two ago: it felt so affected and intentional, I had to stop around 20 or 30 minutes in, I just couldn't take it.

[mae]

"Intentional" is hard to avoid in narrative features unless it's pure improv.

[fernandito]

I get what he means though. A lot of FG does feel... contrived. Like it's trying desperately to tug at your heart strings.

[St. Troy]

"Intentional" is hard to avoid in narrative features unless it's pure improv.

I'm not looking for improv; I'm saying that it felt as if everything about Pulp Fiction that turned out bad got that way intentionally - as in, yes, they wanted it to be that grating and that off-putting, etc. - like they tried to make a horribly annoying movie.

[fernandito]

"Intentional" is hard to avoid in narrative features unless it's pure improv.

I'm not looking for improv; I'm saying that it felt as if everything about Pulp Fiction that turned out bad got that way intentionally - as in, yes, they wanted it to be that grating and that off-putting, etc. - like they tried to make a horribly annoying movie.

I love Pulp Fiction, but I can't disagree entirely with what you're saying. It has early symptoms of things that have come to bug me about QT, namely him being enamored by the sound of his own voice. It's one of the reasons I don't like Death Proof, which is just 2+ hours of QT indulging himself.

[St. Troy]

Like it's trying desperately to tug at your heart strings.

Yep; cinematic syrup is pretty common, and it's mighty dense in FG.

But I'm not saying it's intrinsically bad; clearly it appeals to many (perhaps most) viewers, and it works for them, just not for me.

It's a thin line between Spielbergian emotive hyperbole (he drenches everything with family love, although I admit I end up enjoying almost everything he does) and something simple like It, where I am able to feel for characters without gagging on cliches.

[St. Troy]

The phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure" is as true with cinema as with anything else, I suppose. I'm not saying any of these movies actually are bad or don't work; if they achieve success, they've found an audience and successfully communicated, which (generally) is the point (and I don't think everyone should have my taste).

To my family, I am the one that likes the "intentionally bad" movies: The Big Lebowski, Twister, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (Jesus, what a good movie), Ted, Ted 2, many more.

[St. Troy]

Tarantino is one of those guys who, while I enjoy little of his work, I'm glad he exists, because I think strong voices in film making are necessary and vital. He has made a dent, and that is good.

[Still Servant]

The phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure" is as true with cinema as with anything else, I suppose. I'm not saying any of these movies actually are bad or don't work; if they achieve success, they've found an audience and successfully communicated, which (generally) is the point (and I don't think everyone should have my taste).

To my family, I am the one that likes the "intentionally bad" movies: The Big Lebowski, Twister, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (Jesus, what a good movie), Ted, Ted 2, many more.

The Big Lebowski is far from an intentionally bad movie.

I also have no clue what you're talking about in regards to Pulp Fiction.

Many movies seem to be a little too convenient in nature when you really start to dissect them.

[St. Troy]

The Big Lebowski is far from an intentionally bad movie.

Agreed; that's why I listed it as an example of a movie I liked (it's my family who thinks I have horrible taste).

[mae]

Surprised to see Total Recall getting this much love at this late a stage.

[Still Servant]

The Big Lebowski is far from an intentionally bad movie.

Agreed; that's why I listed it as an example of a movie I liked (it's my family who thinks I have horrible taste).

My family thinks the same thing. They just don't get it.

[mae]

Run Forrest!

[St. Troy]

Shelter in place, Forrest.

[mae]

The poll has closed. The following two titles are moving on to the next round:

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (92.31%)
2. Total Recall (42.31%)

And the following two titles have been eliminated:

1. Forrest Gump (38.46%)
2. A League of Their Own (23.08%)

[fernandito]

"Excellent."

[Iwritecode]

And the following two titles have been eliminated:

1. Forrest Gump (38.46%)
2. A League of Their Own (23.08%)