More worst movies

I've gotta agree with Euan about The Dukes of Hazzard being bad, but I like car chases enough for it to avoid making my worst list:

The Wedding Date - A reversal of the Pretty Woman plotline - a woman hires a gigolo and falls in love with him. Deborah Messing plays a stressed out single woman in her thirties. I believe that all of us in our thirties should file a class action suit for portraying us again as shrill and pathetic.

Be Cool - John Travolta is not cool.

Crash - A tiresome series of vignettes about race in Los Angeles. A film entirely intoxicated with how important it is. There are great movies to be made about race in America but this isn't one. Maybe the screenwriter should have left his Beverly Hills mansion to actually TALK to people about race.

Monster-in-Law - It could be that I hate this movie because I saw it in a theater that smelled like a sewer. But I only saw it in one theater. It could be that this wretched movie actually gave off that scent in every theater in which it played.

The Aristocrats - A series of American comedians tell the same joke over and over. Supposedly comedians like to try to top each other by giving his/her own jazz-like riff on the joke backstage. The problem was that none of them seem to do it. A few obviously had NEVER heard the joke before. Painfully dull movie.

Funny comment about monster-in-law. I definitely avoided all of the movies on this list - excepting Crash. I liked Crash quite a bit. At first I was annoyed at how broadly characters were portrayed. The movie was sort of messy and not fully realized, but it did really say some things about being human and inhuman in the face of racial tension. It encouraged dialogue and thoughtfullness.

The movie deals with a raw subject that is politely overlooked. What came up was messy and uncomfortable and really worthwhile in the end.

OK, sorry to take a pot shot at your list. My most dissapointing movie of the year was one I was really, really expecting to like - King Kong. I did not find the ape's performance moving. I did like Jack Black and the female lead, Naomi Watts, had some nice moments. But the movie was way too long and in the end boring.

Stephanie--how do I find out if the movie PUMA, which I've heard is a great movie especially for kids--is ever going to be in Minneapolis.

Thank you
dede

I also was disappointed in Crash.

It was just silly & contrived.

I haven't seen Be Cool yet. The reviews scared me away. I hope its not really THAT bad, 'cause I loved Get Shorty.

Dede,

Euan here, I haven't heard of Puma. If you could supply a few more details on what's it about, we can see what we can find out. I looked in IMDB.com, which is a comprehensive movie website and couldn't find it mentioned. Might it have another name?

It's called Duma and it will open. I'm just not sure when...it's about a boy and his cheetah. I can't wait to see it.

Going through my e-mail I find that "Duma" opens at the Lagoon in Minneapolis on January 6th. The film has a site: http://dumamovie.warnerbros.com/

I think the fact that CRASH is in the running for several major awards, including Best Picture IProducers Award), is evidence enough that it doesn't belong on anyone's "worst" list. There were far worse than this movie out this year.

Update: "Crash" was revived by making a number of critics' top 10 lists and being nominated for a slew of awards.

Now "Crash" has won the Screen Actors Guild award for best performance by a cast, the guild's closest equivalent to Oscar's best picture.

It's Ms. Curtis' virulent reaction to certain films (like this one) that seems so entirely out of step not only with the masses (that may, indeed, be a good thing) but with her peer group that makes me wonder if she shouldn't take a step back and rethink things once in awhile. CRASH is on your WORST LIST? I mean...seriously?!

Final comment on this matter: CRASH, nominated for BEST PICTURE ACADEMY AWARD, 1/31/06.

Stephanie, reconsider THE DUKES OF HAZZARD assessment.