Giant Movies That You Never Hear About Anymore (1 Viewer)

[Eeyore]

I know this isn’t what the thread had in mind but I’d say Woody Woodpecker cartoons

At the time Woody was massively popular just behind Disney and Looney Tunes

Now if you showed 100 kids say under ten years old a picture of Woody how many could identify him?

I’d be shocked if it was more than 5

(It also seems like classic disney and looney tunes aren’t an essential childhood staple anymore and that’s a shame)

I tried introducing my Godson to Woody Woodpecker when he was a toddler. He would completely lose his mind and become unruly and violent. He would mimic Woody's pecking and would headbutt anybody who was near.

I didn't have that problem with Tom & Jerry or the Looney Tunes characters.

It's a shame because I liked Woody Woodpecker.

 

[livefromDC]

For movies, I have a certain qualification. It has to be a bona fide hit when it wasn’t in theaters, so it can’t be something that hit while it was in Blockbuster, cable or Netflix.
And it had to have a cable/rental/Netflix presence that faded and eventually replaced by a better version of that film.
And the film that comes to my mind is Porkys.
I remember my dad and uncles constantly quoting that movie. That’s the height of my knowledge of that movie. But I do know that it was a massive hit and had a good presence on cable TV.
And this is when my second qualification comes in. It got replaced as the definitive high school comedy by American Pie. Which is sorta ironic because as time goes by, American Pie has been replaced by Superbad.

I would have never called Porkys definitive. Popular with a certain population but not definitive. K


The list of definitive high school movies...
Ferris Beuller's Day Off
Clueless
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Grease
Mean Girls
The Breakfast Club

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

Not

Jackie Brown
Donnie Brasco
Con Air

Donnie Brasco is legit if you're into to mafia/mob/OC movies.

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

No mention of "Snakes on a Plane"? C'mon...

 

[Sun Wukong]

No mention of "Snakes on a Plane"? C'mon...

Thing was, that movie wasn't giant. The studio thought everyone meming the title online meant they were going to have a genuinely massive hit on their hands (this was the early days of online movie marketing), then it ended up doing like $32 million domestic, which is nothing. The only thing that was popular about that movie was the title and trailer. No one watched the actual movie.

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

I never saw it but, then again, I don't watch movies.

 

[DaveXA]

Thing was, that movie wasn't giant. The studio thought everyone meming the title online meant they were going to have a genuinely massive hit on their hands (this was the early days of online movie marketing), then it ended up doing like $32 million domestic, which is nothing. The only thing that was popular about that movie was the title and trailer. No one watched the actual movie.

Yep, I've never seen it.

 

[boutrous]

Harlem Nights. Might be my favorite Eddie Murphy movie besides Trading Places but it's never listed as one of his best movies.

Harlem Nights was always one of my favorite movies in my teens. Everyone I knew growing up watched it and quoted it all the time. I looked it up recently had had no idea it was so poorly rated. Not that I care about ratings. I'd still watch it if I find it on and I still quote it quite often. The only part I remember being awkward back then was Dwyane Wayne's acting, specifically his really bad crying. Although the scene with the little gun is pretty funny.

 

[boutrous]

That's fair enough. None of the people in that movie, nor the movie itself deserved any Oscars.

I mean, there were 3 films nominated for best picture that year that deserved it over Forrest Gump: Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, and Quiz Show were all much better movies. Four Weddings and a Funeral was even more entertaining.

And, actually I was wrong, Gary Sinise did not win best supporting actor, Martin Landau won it for Ed Wood. Which was also a travesty. They gave it to him for lifetime achievement.

That was a really good year for movies:

Clerks
Lion King
The Mask
The Santa Clause
Speed
Dumb and Dumber
Blue Chips
Hoop Dreams
The Hudsucker Proxy (a good year for Tim Robbins, too)
Little Giants
Natural Born Killers
True Lies
Ed Wood


I think the best 4 were picked for Best Picture. All have lasting impacts, except maybe Quiz Show, which was great but not as endearing as the other 3. I still contend that Pulp Fiction should have one for being the most artistic and unique. I was mad a the time that Forrest Gump won. However, now 26 years later, Shawshank is by far my favorite of all. At the time, I didn't feel that way, but the re-playabilty of it is far superior. The scene where he plays the opera music and turns it louder as they knock on the door gets me everytime.

Not to say anything bad about Forrest Gump. I still love that movie and loved it at the time. It's firmly rooted in sentimentality and pop culture and has had lasting impacts. It's more than just a walk through time as it uses some pretty frank characters and real events to balance out and give life to the humor. Lt Dad and Momma being the main ones. They are both so deadpan and honest yet endearing as opposed to Forrest's cluelessness and Jenny's haphazzardness. It was well written in what could have been a boring and forgettable story.

 

[DaveXA]

That was a really good year for movies:

Clerks
Lion King
The Mask
The Santa Clause
Speed
Dumb and Dumber
Blue Chips
Hoop Dreams
The Hudsucker Proxy (a good year for Tim Robbins, too)
Little Giants
Natural Born Killers
True Lies


I think the best 4 were picked for Best Picture. All have lasting impacts, except maybe Quiz Show, which was great but not as endering as the other 3. I still contend that Pulp Fiction should have one for being the most artistic and unique. I was mad a the time that Forrest Gump won. However, now 26 years later, Shawshank is by far my favorite of all. At the time, I didn't feel that way, but the re-playabilty of it is far superior. The scene where he plays the opera music and turns it louder as the knock on the door gets me everytime.

While Pulp Fiction has its moments, i was never a fan of that style of movie. Same with Jackie Brown and even Kill Bill. The cinematography always feels too cartoonish for my taste. I did really like Swordfish which had a similar feel to it. So, idk.

I never get tired of watching Shawshank though.

 

[boutrous]

While Pulp Fiction has its moments, i was never a fan of that style of movie. Same with Jackie Brown and even Kill Bill. The cinematography always feels too cartoonish for my taste. I did really like Swordfish which had a similar feel to it. So, idk.

I never get tired of watching Shawshank though.

While I agree somewhat, it was a very unique style at the time. Only the little know (at the time) Reservoir Dogs was out and Pulp Fiction was much grander in scope and story. It should have been rewarded that.

 

[DaveXA]

While I agree somewhat, it was a very unique style at the time. Only the little know (at the time) Reservoir Dogs was out and Pulp Fiction was much grander in scope and story. It should have been rewarded that.

Yeah, true. I guess the style never really grew on me. The movies themselves weren't bad, it was just stylistically a little jarring for me. That said, it worked for a lot of viewers, so I get why they did well.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I still contend that Pulp Fiction should have one for being the most artistic and unique. I was mad a the time that Forrest Gump won. However, now 26 years later, Shawshank is by far my favorite of all.

”By far”? I think there are definitely arguments to be made for both movies as to which one is best (both light years better than Gump) .. and you said ‘your favorite’ as opposed to ‘best’.. for me, Pulp Fiction is my 2nd favorite movie of all time, and Shawshank is my 3rd favorite.. but wow, the two films could not be more completely different, so it’s really really hard to compare them- but i think they are really close in terms of quality.

 

[AARPSaint]

I wish people would quit cutting onions every time I watch the ending of Shawshank.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I wish people would quit cutting onions every time I watch the ending of Shawshank.

Not nearly the quality of Shawshank (though still in my personal Top Ten)- is Rudy.. to this day, i cant watch he last 20 minutes of that movie without becoming emotional, like lump in my throat, single tear in the corner of my eye emotional... I mean, (*spoiler alert*)- HE GOT TO PLAY IN THE GAME!