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The 10 Most Love-or-Hate-ist Movies of the 21st Century

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (129)

Scott-Pilgrim-vs-The-World.jpg

Write enough Best of the Year lists, and you start to get a strong feel for what movies are most divisive. No Top 10 list can please everyone, but there are certain movies the appreciation of which annoys the ever-loving shit out of some people. Two years ago, it was Slumdog Millionaire.This year, two movies have clearly risen to the forefront of that category: The Social Network (vile hipster garbage) and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (kill it with with fire!).

It’s not just that these movies are love/hate across the board, it’s merely that for everyone person that loves one of them, there’s another person who hates that person for loving it. I’m certain that some people decide to hate movies based on the hype before they even see them, and spend the entire movie-going experience marshaling evidence in support of their hatred instead of allowing the movie to wash over them. I understand it, though. Because I wasn’t reviewing it, it’s what I tried to do with Scott Pilgrim, though by the end, it had mostly converted me.

The truth is: Some people just don’t want to be thought of as the kind of person that likes a certain kind of movie. We fight against it, and then we allow our anti to define us. It’s what people who are passionate about movies do.

Hell, people take their love/hate relationships with movies very personally. Try mentioning The Fountain in a crowd full of cinephiles (a very small crowd, mind you, since only around 300 people in existence ever saw the damn movie). People will quickly separate in to two camps and start chucking spears at one another: “Beautiful, profound, brilliantly zen.” “Pretentious, navel-gazing twaddle, and I’ll kill your mother!” It’s not just that these movies polarize opinion, they polarize personalities.

What’s profound to one person is boring to another. Or, as the saying goes, “I Say Potato, You Say It Wrong.”

Here are the 10 Most Love-or-Hate-ist Movies of the 21st Century.


10. There Will Be Blood: Love: Blistering Daniel Day performance and a ferocious, meticulously crafted look at the dark side of the American dream. Hate: A tedious bore. I don’t get it.

9. The Social Network: Love: A beautifully scripted, witty and acerbic portrait of Mark Zuckerberg written with typical Sorkin bite. Hate: Unlikable characters, caustic, pretentious overrated hipster catnip.

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Love: Visually daring, furiously over-the-top, hilarious heartfelt ode to geekery. Hate: Blurry, noisy, slick and empty film made for the ADD generation.

7. Love, Actually: Love: Fun, entertaining, cheerful, and irresistibly charming. Hate: Redundant, agonizing, cloying, manipulative, and too sugary.

6. Juno: A sweet, quirky, hilarious, heartbreaking and wise coming of age story. Hate: Hipster bullshit. Tries too hard. Thinks it’s smarter than it is. And NOBODY TALKS LIKE THAT.

5. Napoleon Dynamite: Love: Offbeat, sweet and ultimately moving, with moments of painfully funny slapstick. Hate: An annoying, one-joke movie stretched out into 90 minutes, incredibly unfunny and mind-numbing Wes Anderson wannabe crap.

4. Boondock Saints: Love: Stylishly awesome, spectacularly violent revenge flick. You gotta see it. Hate: Hilariously awful, ridiculous, overblown, style over substance, Tarantino wannabe garbage. Stay away!

3. The Royal Tenenbaums: Love: Quirky, poetic, emotionally pulsating, imaginative, melancholic exploration of family dysfunction. Hate: Overrated, over-hyped, self-indulgent oh-so embarrassingly precious and twee.

2. Lost in Translation: Love: Quiet, perfectly acted, exquisite, sweet and romantic, subtle and transcendently profound. Hate: Nothing happens! It’s so boring and self-indulgent. Am I supposed to feel sorry for these people? Fuck you!

1. Avatar: Love: Genius! An epic fantasy epic, a landmark technical achievement, a spectacular visual achievement! I loved it! Hate: Clunky, overly simplistic moralizing seriously dull piece of garbage. Ferngully! Dances with Wolves! I hated it!










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Comments

Twilight?

Posted by: arrrghzi at January 6, 2011 3:18 PM

There are people who hate The Royal Tenenbaums? What is wrong with them?

Posted by: Sbrown at January 6, 2011 3:19 PM

My virulent hate-pile:

There Will Be Blood: there will be boredom.

Napoleon Dynamite: really, seriously? this kid is a good excuse for retroactive abortion

Juno: definitely on the fence...depends on my mood and how many sleeping pills I've taken/want to take

Avatar: BLUE KITTEN CHIMPS!! HAVING SEX WITH THEIR TAILS!!! AND PREACHING TO US TO SAVE THE PLANET....while spouting some of the worst-written lines since Li'l Audrey.

Love-pile:

Love Actually: makes me smile, laugh and cry every time. Plus, who does NOT love the most awesome string of curse-words EVER and a nekkid Bill Nighy?

The rest are....meh, at best

Posted by: dammitjanet at January 6, 2011 3:20 PM

my feelings for love, actually are conflicted lately. i love the movie, it's one of the few movie dvd's i own, and it never fails to put a smile on my face, but every time i re-watch it i find something new to laugh about, and not in a good way.

lost in translation was a bit of the opposite. didn't think much of it after the first time i saw it. then i saw it again for some reason and loved it.

honorable mentions need to go to the english patient and no country for old men

Posted by: Sinnh at January 6, 2011 3:21 PM

Going down the list...

Hate
Neither...I really liked it at first but its faded in retrospect.
Didn't see
Love...but I totally get the hate
Hate
Hate
Hate
Love
Love
Hate...That comes more from others love than the film itself.

Posted by: elgarcon at January 6, 2011 3:21 PM

Because The Royal Tenenbaums is indeed overrated, over-hyped, self-indulgent oh-so embarrassingly precious and twee. I know! Let's have the characters in their quirky outfits line up for a group shot of them just looking straight ahead at something behind the camera. That's a new one for me. My name's Wes Anderson.

Posted by: sars at January 6, 2011 3:23 PM

In our house, its 'You say potato, I say fuck you."

Posted by: dahlia6 at January 6, 2011 3:25 PM

10. Didnt see it.
9. Loved Sorkin's script, but thought the overall was, at best, pretty good.
8. Absolutely love it. (And for me made for the ADD generation goes in the LOVE column)
7. Watch it every Christmas. Movie-going experience involved boyfriend shouting "Go get her!" in the theater.
6. Meh, it was kind of cool.
5. ARGH! Everyone I knew saw it 3 times in the theater and talked about it non-stop. OVER-RATED!
4. Great drunk film.
3. Enjoyed it, but it almost gave me a case of the smug, so I gave it up after that.
2. Haven't seen it.
1. I can appreciate the work that went into it, but would I watch it again? Not when I could enjoy Curry's silky tar voice instead...

Posted by: Patty O'Green at January 6, 2011 3:26 PM

I guess I'm on the "hate" side of Avatar, unfortunately. It was an impressive visual feast, but that seems kind of inevitable -- someone's always trying to top the last year's special effects, so sooner or later somebody HAD to make something that looked that good. But the story was just so cliche, I couldn't really get into it.

I would've put Slumdog Millionaire on the list, because I truly hate that movie and so many people like it. (Here's a hint, moviemakers: For me to care about a love story, there have to be TWO interesting characters involved, not one who's roughly half an interesting character and one who's a pretty face and nothing else.)

Posted by: Todd at January 6, 2011 3:26 PM

Huh. A few of these I'm pretty meh about, actually.

10. Love.
9. Haven't seen, yet. Not in a rush.
8. Love.
7. Meh, but I appreciate the Love.
6. Meh, but I appreciate the Hate.
5. HATE.
4. Hate.
3. Love, but not as much as I used to.
2. Hate, but not as much as I used to.
1. Meh.

Posted by: RobP at January 6, 2011 3:26 PM

I had almost forgot about Juno...Ugh, fucking JUNO.

Posted by: klingonfree at January 6, 2011 3:30 PM

10. love
9. haven't seen
8. love
7. meh
6. love
5. meh
4. meh
3. meh
2. meh
1. hate

Posted by: jasper at January 6, 2011 3:30 PM

In two months no one is going to give a shit about Social Network.

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at January 6, 2011 3:31 PM

I get why some people don't like Juno, but I don't get the hatred for the quirky dialogue. Most film and TV characters' scripted speech is way more eloquent or funny or articulate than in real life. Why the bug up people's ass? It's a fucking movie, get over yourself.

Posted by: Dorothy Snarker at January 6, 2011 3:32 PM

Loved
Meh
Meh
Loved
Hated
Meh
Loved
Didn't See
Didn't See
Meh

BTW, there's differences in perception. I didn't hate Avatar even though I see why people both loved it and hated it. I didn't hate Scott Pilgrim -- in fact, I think I'm more inclined towards liking it. But it became annoying hearing the entire Internet geek Mafia unite as one gigantic Voltron in both orgasmic love for it and angry defense of it.

Posted by: Fredo at January 6, 2011 3:33 PM

Funny, most of these I could give a crap either way, but at the opposite ends are the two movies I love and despise.

I was completely rapt every moment of TWBB.

Since I saw Avatar I have tried to wipe it from my mind and am close to succeeding.

Posted by: Cindy at January 6, 2011 3:37 PM

In two months no one is going to give a shit about Social Network(ing).
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at January 6, 2011 3:31 PM

There, fixed it for ya.

Posted by: Xtreme at January 6, 2011 3:41 PM

This post is awesome!!!

Posted by: Theseus at January 6, 2011 3:42 PM

considering the last several posts, I think you gave up on the tag "scathing reviews, bitchy people" just a bit too soon

Posted by: JrFanBoy at January 6, 2011 3:42 PM

Considering how few movies I've actually seen, it's surprizing I've actually seen most of this list. (The exceptions are 1, 9, and 10.)

10) There Will Be Blood - Didn't see it, probably won't
9) The Social Network - Didn't see it, I'll likely Netflix it when it's avaiable.
8) Scott Pilgrim - Absolutely loved it.
7) Love, Actually - I like it fine, but it's too sappy to get a full endorsement. Then again, the part with guy and the cards at the door got me. I think I just love that song.
6) Juno - I'm the only one of my friends that liked this movie it seems. Jason Bateman was excellently creepy.
5) Napoleon Dynamite - Love it. "I caught you this delicious bass." It's probably because I'm weird.
4) Boondock Saints - Eh. I like it fine, but not as much as most people I know.
3) The Royal Tenenbaums - Awesome.
2) Lost in Translation - Apparently I need to see this again. I remember being lost and bored watching this movie.
1) Avatar - Didn't see it. I'm a little sad I didn't see it in theaters now. I'll probably watch eventually to see if the story is really as weak as everyone says.

Posted by: L4NkYb at January 6, 2011 3:42 PM

To hell with Scott Pilgrim, Social Network, and all that other hipster generation-Z (or whichever letter we're up to) self-important crap.

And get off my lawn.

Posted by: Max at January 6, 2011 3:43 PM

10. Missed it
9. Missed it
8. Loved it
7. Loved it
6. Loved it
5. Loved it, but now I Hate it
4. Loved it
3. Loved it
2. Hated it, and I’m pretty sure you pulled that quote from my heart
1. Am I the only person on the fence with this one?

Posted by: ShagEaredVillain at January 6, 2011 3:43 PM

10. Hate. Boring.
9. Haven't seen.
8. Love. Fun and funny.
7. Love. Because I rather like romcoms
6. Love. Because teenagers SHOULD talk like that and they dont.
5. Hate. Boring movie about boring people.
4. Love. (to a degree) Not great, just watchable.
3. Hate. Not interesting.
2. Love. The last good ScarJo movie.
1. Hate. Done better in other movies.
~~~

Posted by: Meander at January 6, 2011 3:49 PM

To hell with Scott Pilgrim, Social Network, and all that other hipster generation-Z (or whichever letter we're up to) self-important crap.

Cue foot-stamping rant my ChristianH in 3... 2... 1...

I'm always genuinely amazed by people who thought There Will Be Blood was a bad movie. Didn't care for it, perhaps. Wasn't their thing, possibly. But there are people who really hated it and thought it sucked. I'm blown away by that.

Posted by: The Other Agent Johnson at January 6, 2011 3:49 PM

10. Amazing acting, but I kept waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did. Not enough in there to hate.

9. More like that slightly annoyed, begrudging love you have to admit to, but aren't really enthusiastic about.

8. Have yet to see.

7. LOVE.

6. Love. In part because they talk like that. I want the snappy dialogue in my movies.

5. Love. Different and nerdishly sweet.

4. Have yet to see.

3. Love. And improves on rewatch.

2. Have yet to see.

1. Hate is too strong a word. Visually impressive, amateur plotline. Meh.

I would have to add The Big Lebowski to this list. Love: Brilliant mesh of genres, strong visually, pitch-perfect performances, funny as hell. Hate: What the hell is going on? Ridiculous, stupid plotline, no characters to empathize with. Stupid.

Posted by: leuce7 at January 6, 2011 3:49 PM

What, no Crash?

Ah whoops, I forgot. Mostly hated.

Posted by: bsmechanic at January 6, 2011 3:52 PM

10. LOVE. There Will Be Blood is easily one of the five best films of this "century," since we're calling it that. I probably can't address the hate without becoming rude very quickly.

9. LOVE The Social Network.

8. Merely liked Scott Pilgrim. I guess I'm the non-love/hate outlier. It has so many great ideas that are right up my alley, but the characters and the relationships were just a little thinly drawn.

7. Never seen Love, Actually. Doesn't seem likely that I ever will.

6. Again, I am in the "liked" outlier column on Juno. I don't understand either the adoration or the vitriol.

5. HATE HATE HATE Napoleon Dynamite. Please keep it away from me. Actually, the movie itself didn't bother me that much. Once. It's the oppressive cultural phenomenon offshoot that bugged the hell out of me.

4. I'm again the "like" outlier on Boondock Saints. All the pros and cons you listed describe my position thoroughly.

3. LOVE The Royal Tenenbaums with all my heart.

2. I liked Lost In Translation.

1. I'm somewhere between "like" and "love" on Avatar.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at January 6, 2011 3:53 PM

The Social Network would have been much better if it had been pimped out with glittering .gifs and maybe an auto-starting music player that it took 15 minutes to find and turn off. Not that I've seen it.

Posted by: Tom at January 6, 2011 3:55 PM

I feel like, for me at least. most movies of this ilk that I initially hate I grow to at least respect if someone can give me a good interpretation of what's going on. I mean, Avatar doesn't fit that because you either let the visual brilliance and fun factor of the movie fill you with love or you didn't. But There Will Be Blood and, although it wasn't on this list, No Country For Old Men? I didn't love them when I finished watching them, but I tried to find out the "What the fuck is going on here?" and then I realized they were pretty cool when I understood the "point" of certain things. Similar with 2001: Space Odyssey. After watching that for the first time I was wall-punchey, but then someone took me through the reasoning for everything and I could muster respect for the film, and understanding for why it's considered by some a classic. Although I never want to ever fucking watch it again.

Posted by: Lindsay at January 6, 2011 3:55 PM

I both love and hate Avatar for all the reasons listed. Problem is, every time think about that stupid McGuffin of a plot device that everyone seems to want but can only find on one planet being named "unobtanium", my hate grows. I don't give a tinker's fuck it's been used by engineers since the 50s. It's lazy and indicative of how little thought went into telling a good story rather than a pretty one. It was a beautiful film written for fucking children by a man so egotistical to think that he's a prophet for making preachy, narcissistic and unintelligent drivel dressed up with fancy sfx. I'm getting mad about it now. What really pisses me off, is the potential was there to make a great film, but it was squandered on Cameron's Lucas-like hubris. What a fucking shameful disappointment.

Posted by: lennychuck at January 6, 2011 3:55 PM

I'm always genuinely amazed by people who thought There Will Be Blood was a bad movie. Didn't care for it, perhaps. Wasn't their thing, possibly. But there are people who really hated it and thought it sucked. I'm blown away by that.

To many people, it seems, there is no difference between "I hated it." and "It objectively sucks." I've given up on trying to teach people the difference between fact and opinion.

Posted by: L4NkYb at January 6, 2011 3:56 PM

why is Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind not on it?? I hated it, talking about pretentious. It was an utter bore, and I love Kate Winslet, but not even she could save it! I got to 3/4th of the movie, then I felt like somebody had stretched my eyelids to my heels and let them catapult back..seriously I couldn't take it anymore and turned it off..

owh and i saw Scott Pilgrim yesterday, well..I tried to, made it to the first fight, then I deleted it from my harddrive...yuck, I can't stand that stammering nerdy kid Cera, that's getting old.he is a one-trick pony. Are we supposed to believe all these chicks fall for him?? The girls were the only positive thing about this hipster piece 'o garbage.

Posted by: lauwer at January 6, 2011 3:59 PM

I’m a dirty hippie and I still hated Avatar. A lot. I think part of my hatred for it comes from my hatred of James Cameron. I don’t know why I hate him, I just do. The other part of my Avatar hatred is from every Avatar fan telling me I should like it and then spouting off the reasons why and then looking down on me like “She just doesn’t get it…” I do get it, it was a boring piece of shit. You’re not that smart for “getting” a James Cameron movie. Does no one remember Titanic? I have yet to make it through Avatar without falling asleep. When I tell people this they usually say this as a selling point, “But you didn’t even make it to the love story…” I guess this is supposed to make me like it more??? Upon rewatching for the fourth time and actually staying awake, I still hated it and then I was pissed off for giving it so many chances. HATE. If James Cameron died, I would not care.

Posted by: Stacey at January 6, 2011 3:59 PM

most of these are "meh" to me. With the exception of The Royal Tenenbaums i can't really say that i loved any of these films, and with the exception of Lost in Translation, i can't say that i really hated any of these film either.

but i will tell you the movie that i absolutely detest with a hatred fiercer than Jay Manuel on steriods, yet is inexplicably loved by so many is Shortbus. WTF people? seriously? how was this a good movie?

Posted by: causaubon at January 6, 2011 4:00 PM

There's one missing!

Moulin Rouge!

Love: it brought back musicals!, great singing and songs, love story, visual masterpiece
Hate: WTF?, ADD editing, vapid, torture to watch, etc.

Posted by: Derreck at January 6, 2011 4:06 PM

oh, and leuce7, let's ignore for a second the fact that this was a list of movies from the 21st century (The Big Lebowski was released in '98), and we'll also ignore the fact that i don't even know you but... you are dead to me now.

end of line.

Posted by: causaubon at January 6, 2011 4:06 PM

10. Haven't Seen
9. Haven't Seen
8. Haven't Seen
7. Haven't Seen
6. It was ok
5. Liked
4. Hated
3. Haven't Seen
2. Ok.
1. Disliked

I contribute very little to this discussion.

Posted by: Forbiddendonut at January 6, 2011 4:08 PM

Does no one remember Titanic?

Titanic, the movie that proves that hype can trick people into thinking something is good. I remember liking that movie at some point. Now, it's hard for me to find many redeeming qualities in it. It's actually kind of like Avatar. Visually impressive in its time, with lame acting and a cliched story.

Posted by: L4NkYb at January 6, 2011 4:08 PM

(Or so I've heard, as I haven't seen Avatar.)

Posted by: L4NkYb at January 6, 2011 4:09 PM

I would add "No Country for Old Men." I definitely didn't like the movie due to the not really ending and yet it was a moving that was vastly loved.

Posted by: Matt at January 6, 2011 4:09 PM

"movie"

Posted by: Matt at January 6, 2011 4:09 PM

10. There Will Be Blood: A little too pretentious.

9. The Social Network: Haven't seen it, but I can't imagine enjoying this movie.

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: SEE: #9.

7. Love, Actually: Bill Fucking Nighy. That is all.

6. Juno: Decent, words get a little wordy.

5. Napoleon Dynamite: Very funny, but time has smashed it to bits with the endless references.

4. Boondock Saints: Love this movie more than most breaths I take on a daily basis.

3. The Royal Tenenbaums: Stupid fucking movie. If it tried any harder it would implode into an infinitely dense point of matter.

2. Lost in Translation: Sssssllllllooooowwwwww, but Bill Murray makes it tolerable.

1. Avatar: It's all about the visuals.

I have no idea why I wrote any of this. My comments are predictable, boring, and pithy. I'm out of gas today, folks. See you tomorrow!

Posted by: Kballs at January 6, 2011 4:10 PM

A lot. I think part of my hatred for it comes from my hatred of James Cameron.

Posted by: Stacey at January 6, 2011 3:59 PM

I can't hate the man as a filmmaker. "Aliens" and "Terminator" are two of my favorite movies of all time. And I really like the director's cut of "The Abyss."

He's still got a ways to go before he's used up all of that goodwill.

Posted by: Forbiddendonut at January 6, 2011 4:11 PM

Stacey wrote: " If James Cameron died, I would not care."

I would agree with you, but he made The Abyss, so he gets immunity.

Posted by: sars at January 6, 2011 4:11 PM

10. Loved it
7. Pretty bad, like a parody of romcoms, only it was supposed to be genuine. So many cliches that would never actually happen. Bill Nighy was funny though.
6. Pretty good, but yeah no one talks like that. Also, the soundtrack is the absolute worst, if you're going to keep namedropping the Stooges and Sonic Youth you could at least play a few of their songs instead of this twiddly crap.
5. Thought it was funny and weirdly subtle, can totally see how the humour could be really grating though.
2. Loved it.
1. Liked it.

Posted by: Steph at January 6, 2011 4:15 PM

I saw The Fountain! And it was in fact a rage inducing snore fest pile of shit.

I am about to watch the Social Network right now. I'll give you my verdict in about 2 hours.

Posted by: Carrie at January 6, 2011 4:15 PM

Okay, you got me on The Abyss and Alien but other than that, fuck that guy.

The Terminator, both the fictional character and Arnold himself, can eat a dick. The Terminator has to be my least favorite movie of all time.

Posted by: Stacey at January 6, 2011 4:17 PM

Hated 1-6. Love Actually doesn't move me to love or hate, but I found it enjoyable and when I revisited it I felt like it was better than I remembered. I thought TWBB was powerful and exceedingly well done, but the fact that its message is so much the rote Hollywood line on big business, and particularly oil, bugged me, thus I also neither love nor hate it.

Posted by: Eep at January 6, 2011 4:20 PM

Liked Scott Pilgrim, thought it was different, would have liked it much more with a different male lead.

Posted by: ponch at January 6, 2011 4:29 PM

Didn't read everybody's responses, so I'm not sure if I'm the only one who has seen exactly NONE of these movies...

Posted by: The Kilted Yaksman at January 6, 2011 4:30 PM

All of the ones I hate on this list are because of the script.

All of the ones I love are for various reasons.

But honestly, you're dead on. I love or hate all of these.

Posted by: ChristianH at January 6, 2011 4:37 PM

Also, holy shit! I just realized I've seen every movie on this list! That rarely happens!

Posted by: ChristianH at January 6, 2011 4:44 PM

What about people who don't like a movie but also don't like other people who don't like the same movie, because their complaints are pretentious and irritating?

I believe I fall into this category, because I think Twilight is hilariously awful, but I don't like other people who also did not like the movie because their complaints are often pretentious, indigestive, and condescending.

Posted by: Katie at January 6, 2011 4:47 PM

10) There Will Be Blood LOVELOVELOVELOVE. PT Anderson is a favorite of mine and I have serious anger issues so its perfect. One of the best movies ever made. Seriously.
9) The Social Network I hate Aaron Sorkin's pretentious, sexist drivel. Won't watch it.
8) Scott Pilgrim Won't watch it. Also: THAT'S ENOUGH, Michael Cera.
7) Love, Actually Just...no desire to see this. Maybe because it's constantly quoted by whiny "romantics."
6) Juno Used to find it kind of cute, albeit uninteresting. Now I just find it obnoxious. Related: THAT'S ENOUGH, MICHAEL CERA.
5) Napoleon Dynamite Hate it. Are people really blissfully unaware of all the Mormon, racist subtext going on? That said, I told someone their mom went to college the other day and wanted to slit my wrists.
4) Boondock Saints - Never saw it, probably won't.
3) The Royal Tenenbaums HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE. This movie? Indie Film for dummies: Boring character arc (stolen from Rushmore at that), twee, hipster dialogue, soundtrack and visuals. Juts obnoxious.
2) Lost in Translation I should hate this movie...but I don't. I kind of like the idea of being lost and miserable with strangers.
1) Avatar Won't see it. Hate Cameron even more than I hate Sorkin.

Posted by: Shep Proudfoot at January 6, 2011 4:54 PM

I would absolutely add The Fountain to this list. Hell, why not add all of Darren’s work here? (Full disclosure: I love, love, love The Fountain. It is my favorite movie of ALL TIME.) But I understand why it’s not some peoples’ cup of tea. Because those type of people drink coffee. Nasty, gross coffee that was made out of beans picked by 8 year old Guatemalans who work 16 hour days for less than $1 a week that then gets shipped here by freighter, then semi truck, then truck, then van which, when combined, releases enough CO2 to kill 100 people then are roasted with chemicals that were developed by killing little baby turtles, and finally is brewed and served to them.

But I understand. They’re just not tea people.

Posted by: Scully at January 6, 2011 4:55 PM

Ah. Right. Well, I was only off by a couple of years, and I personally didn't see it until after 2000...

I suppose I now have a future as a zombie.

Posted by: leuce7 at January 6, 2011 4:59 PM

Stop saying "twee". It negates every semi-intelligent thing that accidentally falls out of your mouth.

The list? It's a list.

Posted by: Bigpeeler at January 6, 2011 5:00 PM

10. No interest, didn't see it.
9. No interest, might bother to see it before it wins Best Picture.
8. Enh, it was cute. Not really my thing. Would like to punch Michael Cera in the face most of the time.
7. It's cute. Not my favorite rom-com, but I am a sap, so I'll watch it if given the opportunity.
6.Ambivalent. I enjoyed it, but see all the "hate" points quite clearly. Also, see above statement regarding Michael Cera.
5. Looks so aggressively stupid, haven't seen it.
4. Hilarious. I actually enjoyed it, even though I generally hate that type of movie.
3. Solid.
2. Haven't seen it yet. Going to.
1. Way too hyped, no interest, haven't seen it.

Generally, if I think a movie doesn't sound like something I'll enjoy, I don't watch it, so I don't run into movies I "hated" all that frequently. I didn't bother to watch them in the first place. :)

Posted by: Samantha at January 6, 2011 5:01 PM

Avatar! Shock and awe! Unobtanium! Hearts and minds! Blue people ponytail sex! Why do the mountains float on earth gravity planet? UNOBTANIUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Zack at January 6, 2011 5:02 PM

3. The Royal Tenenbaums: Stupid fucking movie. If it tried any harder it would implode into an infinitely dense point of matter.

But you love The Boondock Saints, which is the very definition of "trying too hard." Different strokes, etc.

Posted by: Another Jen at January 6, 2011 5:04 PM

I forgot The Fountain was mentioned in the post, but, yes, it very much has a definite demarcation. Though, there's also a third category between Love and Hate on that film and it's I don't get it. Me? Love.

@Shep Proudfoot: Wes Anderson made both Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums. He can't steal from himself. He can be derivative of himself, but that's not thievery. It's just uninspired.

Posted by: RobP at January 6, 2011 5:06 PM

Wait, what's the Mormon subtext in Napoleon Dynamite?

Posted by: sars at January 6, 2011 5:06 PM

@Samantha: I think most people see movies that way. The Hate* comes from expecting to like, even Love, a movie and having those expectations stomped on by a coke-addled gorilla.

* I'm falling in Love with putting strong emotions in capitalized boldface.

Posted by: RobP at January 6, 2011 5:09 PM

I'm neutral on the top three. They are perfectly inoffensive to me, such that I have no strong feelings (with three caveats: Anna Faris is awesome in Lost in Translation and Sigourney Weaver and CCH Pounder rise about the effects in Avatar).

Posted by: Robert at January 6, 2011 5:09 PM


10. There Will Be Blood: When nothing whatsoever had happened after the first twenty or thirty minutes, I stopped watching. Which I guess puts me in the "Hate" column, though I can't actually give any sort of real opinion seeing as though I haven't actually seen the entire movie. I clearly agree with the "a tedious bore" consensus.

9. The Social Network: Love

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Love

7. Love, Actually: LOVE LOVE

6. Juno: Like

5. Napoleon Dynamite: HATE HATE HATE

4. Boondock Saints: Love

3. The Royal Tenenbaums: Haven't seen

2. Lost in Translation: HATE HATE HATE

1. Avatar: Enjoyed it for what it was, pretty but stupid. Didn't expect anything more than that.

I'd also add No Country for Old Men. I went in to that with seriously high expectations, having been told by everyone I knew how brilliant it was. I hated it. Not because of the non-ending people always complain about, but because I was never given a reason to care about anything that was going on. I didn't like any of the characters, and just kept thinking "oh, this idiot is doing something stupid again."
I far prefer being emotionally invested in a movie, versus entirely apathetic.

Posted by: DominaNefret at January 6, 2011 5:12 PM

I would add the following:

Speed Racer: Love: Glorious homage to original anime source material. Hate: The visuals are someting out of a crack baby's nightmare. OWWW, MY EYES!

Forest Gump: Love: Nostalgic, funny view at our past that really tugs at the old heartstrings Hate: Manipulative tripe that is about, and can only be enjoyed by, the retarded.

Posted by: ed newman at January 6, 2011 5:16 PM

AUGH!!! Your words make my brain rage. The boiling juices fight to escpae my mouth hole. The wrong words infect my think-thoughts. Happy man turns to punchy-face. Pretentious doesn't mean what you think it does. Hipster doesn't mean what you think it does. Low budget independent non-national release films CANNOT be overhyped. They were only enjoyed by people who spoke fondly of them. Self serving arrogant people calling brilliant films self serving and arrogant make we wish I could spit poison or lava at you, or the black tar stuff like that spitty dinosaur from Jurassic Park. You'd be all on your computer like derpdehurr Royal Tenenbaums was totally Lamz0rz, and I'd jump out from behind your computer and my neck flaps would open up. BAM! Acid loogie all over your stupid despenser.

...Now I know what happened to Skitz.

Posted by: Blank at January 6, 2011 5:20 PM

Although I absolutely LOVED it, many many many people I've talked to HATED Black Swan.

I should make new friends.

Posted by: bdir at January 6, 2011 5:28 PM

I can't argue with the inclusion of any of these movies. I haven't seen them all, but the ones I have seen I feel very strongly one way or the other. Especially Scott Pilgrim - I fell in love with it before the opening credits even rolled - and Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola will always have my admiration for that one.

Posted by: MelBivDevoe at January 6, 2011 5:34 PM

ed newman: I'll grant that not everyone will love Speed Racer, but is "The visuals are something out of a crack baby's nightmare" actually a common complaint about it? That movie is fucking beautiful. Every time I watch it all I can think is, "Man, I wish I lived in that world." I'd say more complaints were leveled at the story (though I never really understood those complaints, either).

Posted by: Todd at January 6, 2011 5:36 PM

Where's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?

Posted by: SpaghettiCat at January 6, 2011 5:38 PM

*Sbrown* I feel the same way, I can't believe people hate the Royal Tenenbaums. I'll admit it's a movie you need to see more than once to really appreciate but the performances are so good and really transcend the caricatures you see. Regardless of whether or not the emotional aspects affect you, Gene Hackmen is hilarious.

Tenenbaums aside, I can kind of understand most of the love/hate backlash most of these films experience despite enjoying most of them.

Lost in Translation was lovely enough, but your hate comments are spot on and had me rolling.

Posted by: valerie at January 6, 2011 5:43 PM

Did anyone love TCCoBB?

Posted by: leuce7 at January 6, 2011 5:43 PM

I dislike people who love Napoleon Dynamite (my evil ex) and The Boondock Saints (the most infuriating people I went to High School with), though I'm actually okay with the movies themselves. I also feel this way about Little Miss Sunshine, though I was disturbed to discover over Christmas that my mother loves it, so I may have to revisit that policy.

Posted by: Angeleno Ewok at January 6, 2011 5:51 PM

I'm afraid to see Scott Pilgrim because if I hate it (and I'm already tired of it because of all the internet fandom), my experience of the third Blood and Ice Cream movie might be tainted, and I don't know if I can handle that.

Posted by: laylaness at January 6, 2011 5:55 PM

I've only seen 4 of those (Juno, Napoleon, Tenenbaums and Love, Actually). They're all fine by me. Of all of them, I guess I enjoyed Juno the most. But other people's opinions of the movies I enjoy never enter into my assessment. Once I decide I like a movie, I like it. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of it. Finding out that some doofus on the intertubes hates "Juno" doesn't reduce my enjoyment of it.

You know what helps? Not giving a shit what other people think. One way or the other. Esp. (generally) when people speak in superlatives (best/worst movie I've ever seen). When somebody goes on and on about how much a movie sucks, I assume (and this has generally proven to be the case) that it's more about that person than the movie itself. Same with people who claim a movie changed their life or will change how we all look at life forever. Sorry, but it's just a movie. It might be great, but just enjoy it for what it is and stop taking it so fucking seriously.

Also, a lot of the "hype" about movies is PR. Y'all know that, right? I thought the youngsters these days were supposed to be skeptical, marketing-savvy, self-aware consumers of media, not navel-gazing dopes who yap about how a movie made them a better person. Or dipshits who get into virtual screaming matches with strangers about how much X sucked and anybody who likes it should be launched into the sun.

Posted by: Slash at January 6, 2011 5:57 PM

To hell with Scott Pilgrim, Social Network, and all that other hipster generation-Z (or whichever letter we're up to) self-important crap.

Cue foot-stamping rant my ChristianH in 3... 2... 1...

I prefer to count of my rants with "I AM CHRISTIANH! 1-2-3-4!"

Posted by: ChristianH at January 6, 2011 6:21 PM

P.S. Scott Pilgrim is the most entertaining movie of 2010.

Posted by: ChrstianH at January 6, 2011 6:23 PM

10) There Will Be Blood -- sitting through it was a hellish ordeal, but I love it anyway.
9) The Social Network -- loved it a bit too much. After we got home from the theater, DarthCorleone had to stop me from killing my Facebook, smashing my computer and moving to a tofu and hammock making commune.
8) Scott Pilgrim -- meh. I liked the vegan superpowers, but not much else stood out.
7) Love, Actually -- one of those movies my girlfriends and I used to weep over while making cupcakes, but I must admit it doesn't really hold up. The Kiera Knightly bits make me wanna beat the hell out of my 22 year old self.
6) Juno -- always will have a special place in my heart as the first flick I saw with Darth. And I don't care what none of y'all say, Diablo Cody is funny.
5) Napoleon Dynamite -- see my earlier comment.
4) Boondock Saints -- see my earlier comment. I will add that the gay subplot offends me now, but didn't when I was 19.
3) The Royal Tenenbaums -- I was forever shunned by the core group of the most artsy, hipster-esque women at my college because I said I thought this flick was "just okay," and because I dared to order bacon when we went out to eat after seeing it. Over the years I've warmed up to the movie and converted to vegetarianism. Ah well, such is life.
2) Lost in Translation -- if I ever had a reaction to this, it's lost in the ether of my brain now. One of those by products of "too many things." Scarlett looks adorable in that pink wig?
1) Avatar -- I initially wasn't thrilled or mesmerized, but have since watched it like 30 times on HBO. So I certainly don't hate it.

Posted by: Angeleno Ewok at January 6, 2011 6:26 PM

*Sbrown* I feel the same way, I can't believe people hate the Royal Tenenbaums. I'll admit it's a movie you need to see more than once to really appreciate
Posted by: valerie at January 6, 2011 5:43 PM

I guess the problem for us non-Tenenbaum lovers is that there is no way in hell you'd catch us watching something we hate more than once. Much like the hate for Lost in Translation, "Am I supposed to feel sorry for these people? Fuck you!"

But I'll give you Hackman.

Posted by: Xtreme at January 6, 2011 6:28 PM

I walked out on Love, Actually and I'm female!

Posted by: Jean at January 6, 2011 6:46 PM

Hate
Haven't seen
Drove away halfway through
Love
Hate. HATE. HAAAAATEEE.
Loved in High School?
See above
Meh
Hate
Neither love nor hate the film, but I hate the critical praise

Posted by: Kate at June at January 6, 2011 6:52 PM

And im back. I neither loved nor hated The Social Network. I thought the writing was excellent, as was the acting, and parts made me laugh. But something was missing. I think it is the lack of anyone to really root for. I was just watching it unfold, not actively engaged. And it felt long. I don't mind long movies, but I don't want to feel every second of them passing.

Posted by: Carrie at January 6, 2011 7:12 PM

Posted by: Blank at January 6, 2011 5:20 PM

Angry hipster alert!

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at January 6, 2011 7:15 PM

I both love and hate a lot of these movies. Allow me to explain.

There Will Be Blood - I love Daniel Day Lewis in every. single. roll. he's ever played. Period. I could watch him eat peanut butter and be completely mesmerized. The rest of this film, however, is mediocre at best. It's like Gangs of New York but in this case, people overlooked the 90% of the movie that was just kind of "bleh"

The Social Network - Havent seen it . Probably will when a decent quality version ends up on TPB.

Scott Pilgrim - Never did see it and can't bring myself to pirate it, for some odd reason.

Love, Actually - I watch this movie probably once a month and likely once every other day leading up to Christmas. I laugh and cry and hate my loveless life at every moment in the script that I'm supposed to. Every time. I am this movies puppet. Im ok with that.

Juno - I found nothing odd about the dialog. I have friends that really do talk like that (looking at you, Ian) and I happened to really enjoy the movie both times I saw it in theaters. That said, I cant stand to look at Michael Cera these days (perhaps this explains Scott Pilgrim?) and because of this havent seen it since.

Napoleon Dynamite - I don't think I've ever hated a movie more. I find nothing, at all, redeeming about this movie.

Boondock Saints - What a fun movie! The fact that people hate it is beyond me. Yea, its not brilliant. It certainly didnt deserve a sequel. I'd never recommend it over similar movies. But its fun. Why hate it?

Havent seen the last three. Dont think I need to. Wes Anderson is done. His time has passed. I got 5 minutes into Lost in Translation before I passed out. Sadly, I think this is probably what sex with ScarJo is like as well. I have zero desire to see Avatar. I dont care how pretty it is.

Posted by: Lennon at January 6, 2011 7:19 PM

The only one of these I actually love enough to defend is Scott Pilgrim. God did I hate Love, Actually though...

Posted by: Michelle at January 6, 2011 7:20 PM

Regarding #10, I don't think the "hate" argument should be considered valid. If "I don't get it" is the best the film's critics can do in speaking against it, "There Will Be Blood" doesn't belong on this list.

(Also, it was an f'ing amazing movie. Show me somebody with an intelligent argument otherwise.)

Posted by: Martin at January 6, 2011 7:39 PM

I'm also rethinking my conception of the the collective intelligence of the Pajisphere in reading some of these comments....

Posted by: Martin at January 6, 2011 7:44 PM

There Will Be Blood is the best movie of the decade, and if you hated it you are fucking stupid.

Posted by: Vick at January 6, 2011 8:02 PM

@todd

A common complaint of both critics and viewers of Speed Racer was the frenetic visuals, and pulsing colors. Some wondered whether it would induce seizures. Joe Morgenstern of WSJ said:

"It's overstimulation as an organizing principle -- colors that call for a riot squad (who knew that pastels could be assaultive?); pacing that approaches the precipice of looniness"

Check out the user comments over at metacritic. And notice the user scores 241 positive, 41 negative and only 8 mixed.

Posted by: ed newman at January 6, 2011 8:23 PM

I don't get the Napoleon Dynamite hate, but I think I know why. I saw it when it first came out, and I think it wasn't even in widespread release. Saw it in a tiny niche theater. Knew NOTHING about it. Zip. I thought it was cute, sweet, funny in a quiet way, and all about the importance of having someone in your corner, no matter who you are.

Then later, more people saw it and started quoting it ENDLESSLY. It was everywhere, and it seemed to annoy everyone who hadn't seen it. The backlash against that movie was swift and sure. Now it almost seems like it's cooler to hate ND than like it.

Well, I've always liked it just for what it is. Nothing less, nothing more. A weird little movie with a lot of awesome moments.

About another of those--Juno--I have literally felt completely different about it all three times I've seen it. The first time, I loved it and the ending made me cry. The second time, I haaaaaated it. Can't even explain why. For some reason I re-watched it recently and I didn't love or hate it, but I noticed different things about the characters. Juno both annoys me and makes me love her and I hate that.

I love Lost in Translation, mostly for Bill Murray.

Posted by: Snuggiepants at January 6, 2011 8:34 PM

Dear Martin and Vick - first of all, I would like to start out by saying way to utterly disparage people for merely not sharing your opinion! It is clear how brilliant both of you must be due to the fact that you liked There Will Be Blood while I did not. This must mean your intellect is far superior to my own and that I am an ignoramus incapable of appreciating "f'ing amazing" movies.

This is all, of course, despite the fact that my dislike of There Will Be Blood had nothing to do with "not getting it". When watching a movie, it is my preference for that movie to actually capture my attention. I do not need it to begin with a large explosion, or in the middle of some exciting dramatic scene. It does not have to be fast. But I would like something to actually happen in the first twenty minutes of the movie. Otherwise I end up starting to wonder when the last time I changed my cats litter box was, or if maybe I should swiffer my television screen, or maybe it would be fun to give the cat a dandruff bath...
While I have heard great things about DDL's performance in There Will Be Blood, in my personal opinion a good movie should not make a person think that changing litter boxes and giving cats dandruff baths sound like more fun.

Posted by: DominaNefret at January 6, 2011 8:34 PM

I understand about the "anti", but on the flip side, there are certain movies I wished I loved. Scott Pilgram being number one. I love video games, I love movies that are visually different, and the actors are all in my generation. This movie should have been for me, but I spent the majority of it wondering if I would have liked it better if not for Cera and letting Romona Flowers get to me. Her? I left the movies wondering if I had to turn in my geek card.

Posted by: brdkelli at January 6, 2011 8:50 PM

Honestly, I can live with people who don't like Scott Pilgrim. It's clearly not for everyone. It's ADD-crazy-hyper energetic at times, and it's really a movie about punk rock, video games, and how douchey guys hurt women for stupid reasons and then kinda get away with it when they apologize.

But it really bugs me when people say they hate it (or worse, won't see it) because they hate Michael Cera, or because of hipsters, or because of the internet, or because of hipster Michael Cera on the internet (prancing). You don't have to see it. But saying mean things about it when you haven't seen it, or saying mean things because of an irrational hatred for a) One actor, b) A group of people you don't associate with, or c) Commenters on the web, is pretty cowardly. Own up to your problems. Don't be a hater.

Posted by: ChristianH at January 6, 2011 9:29 PM

Will rate these by re-watchability factor (which is an important factor me, very few movies have I seen more than three times):

10) TWBB - 6/10. Once, no urge to see again.

9) TSN - ?/10. Got bored after two minutes, may try again.

8) SPvsTW - 7/10. Once, will watch again, cute.

7) L,A - ?/10. Not seen, probably won't.

6) J - 7/10. Thrice, cute, will probably see again.

5) ND - 5/10. Once, didn't get it, won't rewatch.

4) BS - 6/10. Twice, was not as good second time, may watch again.

3) TRT - 0/10. Couldn't finish, not funny. Didn't like Life Aquatic one bit either.

2) LiT - 6/10. Twice, mellow, good for a rainy Sunday. Bill Murray makes the movie.

1) A - 5/10. Once in theater, Sigourney was only good thing, probably won't watch again.

Only one I would refuse to watch (so I guess I hate it) would be The Royal Tenenbaums, none are in my top 500 movies.

Would rather watch "The Fifth Element" any day of the week.

Posted by: TrickyHD at January 6, 2011 9:55 PM

I, too, am startled some people think There Will Be Blood is a bad movie. And by that, I mean people I might possibly know.

First 20 minutes are too slow? Truly, you can't get into the plight of a desperate man who falls down a mineshaft, breaks his leg, and drags himself across the desert to make a claim that will change his life forever? Well, I guess you shouldn't bother with that film about the guy with his arm under a rock. Empathy = not you.

Not enough happens? Aside from adoption, chicanery, murder, religious revival, alcoholism, an oil blow-out, deafness, and family rupture, that's right, not much happens.

The only criticism I'll entertain is the sanctimonious bent of the original book, that slopped over into the movie. Rich people are bad, clearly, and must be punished!

Benjamin Button gives me a pain behind my eyes, despite the good intentions of those involved. They took a sharp little short story, and bloated it up to be "about" so much, it was about nothing.

Posted by: Janis at January 6, 2011 10:18 PM

@DominaNefret

Your attention span probably ought not be factored in to the creative process of filmmakers

There are PLENTY of films made each year that cater to your tastes. I suggest you enjoy them and allow the rest of us to enjoy the few that reach for something more.

Posted by: Martin at January 6, 2011 10:32 PM

@ Tom

Dude, you're just jealous because no one wants to see your Myspace movie. Chill out, bro, you just ain't coo no mo.


Posted by: beet salad at January 6, 2011 10:42 PM

Royal Tenenbaums was magical. Silly, and beautiful, and hilarious. Just magical. If a friend told me they didn't like that movie, they would instantaneously become "friend" until they somehow redeemed themselves because the silent judging (and suspicion that they had no soul) on my end would be ruthless.

Posted by: kidtiger at January 6, 2011 11:20 PM

My thoughts as I scroll through the list:

"Oh, that movie was sort of funny. Heh, people get really worked up over the Royal Tennenbaums? Okay, that's an acquired taste, I'll give it that. Oh, I haven't seen that one yet. Eh, that one was okay, I guess."

(Scrolls to number 1.)

"HAAAAAAATE"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAATE"

(begins frothing at the mouth)

Posted by: linny at January 6, 2011 11:22 PM

And the winner for defining arrogant goes to............MARTIN!!! WOOOOO!!!!!

Do NOT tell me what I have to like to be as special as you are, and I will stop thinking of you are conceited and pretentious! Win-win.

But you probably don't care what someone like ME would think, would you? Course not. You're probably busy reaching for something more. If you get a chance, send me some of your poetry and screenplays, particularly those written in lryical prose that syncs up to your emotionally resonant but aharmonic original score. Really reach for it with this one!

Posted by: Vince Noir at January 6, 2011 11:26 PM

I certainly don't hate TWBB. I love Daniel Day Lewis and eagerly watch any movie he is in. I think TWBB set out to do exactly what it did and I think it certainly deserves to be one of the top ten films of the past ten years.

But the problem is this. I think Anderson sacrificed good story telling for good character development. Does that make sense? I know its weird but mull it over and I think you'll get what I'm going for.

Granted, this is but a minor nit for me to be picking, but at it's heart I think this is what most detractors are trying to say when they say "its slow" or "nothing happens"

Posted by: Lennon at January 6, 2011 11:44 PM

Lost in Translation was a stupid fucking movie. That's probably why I can't remember a goddamn thing about it. Or maybe because it was set in Japan and that automatically sent my brain into a dark corner where perception of size is all fucked and you feel like you're floating in a void and everything that is holy and pure is hellishly just beyond reach.

I need a root beer bottle to suck on.

Posted by: sailboat at January 7, 2011 1:12 AM

Love: this list. How true it is. Hate: always and forever, lost in translation.

Posted by: denesteak at January 7, 2011 1:36 AM

Let's be honest here - TWBB is probably one of the best twenty or so films ever made. The fact that there are so many participants on this site who take any opportunity to trash said film bothers me and makes me want to reevaluate my Pajiba dedication.

It's not that I don't like Pajiba, quite the opposite actually. The situation reminds me of a fine Italian leather shop I used to patronize. It sold the finest quality wallets and belts - real smooth looking shit. One day I discovered this particular brand of leather products was favored by Turks across the world and I immediately stopped purchasing their fine products. It was a tough decision to be sure, but in the end all I had to do was ask myself a simple question - "Do I want to associate with Turks?" - it was a no brainer.

Also, fuck you Scott Pilgrim fans.

Posted by: chuck knows where you live at January 7, 2011 1:42 AM

10. There Will Be Blood: Loved it. Weird and creepy and...just weird.


9. The Social Network: Haven't seen er.


8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Really guys?
I saw the trailer and thought it was a kids movie.
oh well, guess I'm officially old.

7. Love, Actually: eeeeeaaaggghhh


6. Juno: meh, not bad, but yeah, nobody does talk like that. and if they do, they should be slapped.

5. Napoleon Dynamite: again, meh.

4. Boondock Saints: whole lotta "meh".
actually, Willem Dafoe stold the movie.
which he tends to do.

3. The Royal Tenenbaums: Love. It's got Bill Murray for fucks sake!
Bill Murray!

2. Lost in Translation: Love: see previous answer

1. Avatar: Hate. watched roughly nine minutes of it on cable and turned it the fuck off.
James Cameron has not done a good movie since Aliens.

Posted by: dainzo at January 7, 2011 1:54 AM

*sigh* Can we seriously not have a discussion about our likes and dislikes without calling each other stupid? It's completely counter-productive. I dislike a lot of the movies on here that other people love, but at the same time I really like hearing people's reasoning as to WHY they like them. See also: different perspectives. It's what makes this place so interesting. Stop talking so much and consider someone else's opinion.

I personally hated There Will Be Blood and The Royal Tenenbaums and not because I didn't "get" them, nor do I think they were poorly made. The subject matter didn't interest me, and I just truly did not enjoy them (I've found that I haven't enjoyed one single thing to come from Wes Anderson, actually). I think the hype added to my negative experience; I had heard how great these were and had pretty high expectations. That's not the fault of either movie of course, but it's in the experience for me anyhow.

Several of the other films I really like (Scott Pilgrim, Juno, Boondock Saints, Lost In Translation) but I don't think I have anything approaching love for any of them.

Posted by: Even Stevens at January 7, 2011 2:17 AM

Oh, shit... I've been in at least six of these conversations, two of which where I became truly caustic. However, I'll just mention quickly that There Will Be Blood is pure genius, and will also mention that your mother will rue the day she fucked your dad and bred your ignorant, attention deficit disordered, Two and a Half Men loving, mouth breathing self if you try to suggest otherwise.

Posted by: Sapphiar at January 7, 2011 3:54 AM

There Will Be Blood could've been the title of this post.

Posted by: zeke the pig at January 7, 2011 4:37 AM

It's funny to me that my husband and I had 2 conversations yesterday that are being discussed on this site. There is too much everything in the world today and what is pumpkin pie to one person is shit pie to another. I was told that Knight and Day was soooooo f'ing funny and Tom Cruise was not Tom Cruise in the movie. My gut was screaming NOOOOOO but *sigh* I tried. Oh my Lord not even a smile. Anywho in reference to the actual topic at hand:
TWBB: It was very well made, love DDL and PD, the ending sold it for me. Watch again? Nope.
TSN: TBD
SPvsTW: Great visuals, my kind of different, did NOT like the girl so meh sokay.
LA: No desire to really see it even though I like some of the people in it and yes I too love Bill N.
Juno: It was cute but WAY over hyped
ND: Makes me smile everytime.
BS: Love it. Funny and fast. WD is a real scene chewer.
TRT: I was pretty indifferent to it. I liked some of the characters and the overall idea but something just did not click for me.
LIT: See Kballs above.
Avatar: I used to drop acid so I LOVED the visuals to the point where for the first time in my life the story really did not matter to me.
So that was my two cents. Peace.

Posted by: ellinad at January 7, 2011 4:56 AM

I kind of talk like that. Juno stole my shtick y'all.

Posted by: Nadine at January 7, 2011 6:50 AM

People hate TWBB. Well I guess I learned something new today.
Why they hate it I've yet to discover. None of the arguments made go beyond
-it's slow and boring (debunked somewhere, but indd- there's shitloads happening, pay attention)
-nothing happens in the first 20 minutes (a guy drags himself across the desert with broken limbs-debunked that for ya in one sentence)
-'it's poorly made' (okay you don't like it, don't go devaluating that statement by suggesting you're unable to appreciate exceptional moviemaking skills) which probably equals 'I have something against Anderson' (again: to each his own, but don't let it cloud your objective judgement)
-Lewis is fine, but the other 90% of the movie is crap (Lewis is in every goddamn scene, he's more than 10% of the movie. Again, please pay attention).

So yeah... can we at least agree that people who love TWWB have entirely different reasons to do so than the army of lovers that have kept Boondock Saints in the picture enough to warrant a sequel?

Posted by: Raouldukejr at January 7, 2011 9:45 AM

Hey Bslim,
That angry hipster alert made me laugh my ass off. Well played.

Okay here's my defense or Royal Tenenbaums without going crazy. I understand the movie is slow, and incredibly neurotic. but to say nothing happens? I just can't understand that. The movie had I collapsing family, drug abuse, a car wreck, a stabbing, a faked disease, an attempted suicide, sordid love affairs, and borderline incest. Nothing happened? The movie plays out like a pbs animated special for children, but for adults. Which on some level is brilliant, because it's about adults that never grew up. I mean I know a lot of you absolutely hate comedy. Which I am completely unable to understand. But okay if that's where you're coming from...I guess, I can grasp the concept. At the very least I have to give it credit for being a comedy with a brain. Noone ever jerked off into someones drink. Noone fellated an animal. I don't think the movie had a single fat joke. It was funny on it's own merit. Which even if I don't like a film, I have to begrudgingly give it credit for that.

Posted by: Blank at January 7, 2011 10:05 AM

Napoleon Dynamite gets a pass for the flying pork chop. Is it genius? Dunno. But the pork chop! Wait! Is that how Mormons get each other's attention?

TWBB - not what I expected, nor did I like it. It ain't no Magnolia.

Juno, Love Actually - didn't hate, didn't love.

Fountain - LOVE!

Royal Tanenbaums - No love for any of Anderson's films except for Darjeeling. That one I love. Inexplicably.

I either haven't seen or care about the others.

But the one I have hated the absolute mostest is Inception, because that one made sparks shoot out of my eyes and the hate flow like lava. I mean it gave me Fury. And I see it's not here. None of those other movies were as overhyped and yet more disappointing than that one, to me. Except for Tom Hardy, of course. He never disappoints.

Posted by: Chickaboom at January 7, 2011 12:05 PM

@Lennon: The reason PTA "sacrifices" storytelling for character development is because There Will be Blood is a character study. It's also a metaphor for the American dream, but it's mostly about one man in the same way Citizen Kane is about one man. Actually, those two movies have a lot in common, more than just thematically, but also the two men behind the camera.

Anyway, yeah, whether someone likes the movie or not, TwbB is one of the best movies of the last decade. I'm talking just objective filmmaking: the cinematography, the script, the performances, the music, the sound design. It's really a perfectly crafted film. Like Janis said, how one could not be enthralled by the opening, I just don't get. It's masterful in technique, and the plight of a single man overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds should have universal appeal.

Plus, "I drink your milkshake. I drink it up!"

Posted by: RobP at January 7, 2011 12:09 PM

RE: Boondock Saints Hate: It really is less about the movie, and more about Troy Duffy. The film itself is relatively harmless, though it's incredibly banal and immature and wallows in machismo, but it's also fun and Willem Dafoe chews scenery better than just about anybody. But once you see Overnight and learn just who Troy Duffy is and what he's about, man... Yeah, I hate the movie because I hate his gorram existence. The AV Club did a review of the sequel's commentary track and it just re-confirms my hatred. To put it succinctly: Ugh.

Re: Scott Pilgrim as most entertaning movie of 2010 as proffered by ChristianH: Nuh uh! Kick-Ass was the most entertaining movie of 2010!

Posted by: RobP at January 7, 2011 12:15 PM

RobP, Admittedly I didn't see that in the theater, and I saw Scott Pilgrim twice. But Kick-Ass felt too...illogical to me? Does that make sense? I mean, Scott Pilgrim's world is insane and impossible, but if there's one thing that film does perfectly, it's create its own world with its own rules that it follows again and again. Kick-Ass couldn't decide if it was in the real world or some comic book fantasy world. I just never really felt I grasped the rules of what was happening. I think. Not to say it wasn't entertaining, but I had tears in my eyes from laughter from Scott Pilgrim, and I still pump my fist when I watch him beat Jason Schwartzman.

Side note: Does anyone listen to Doug Loves Movies? Edgar Wright was on there and told a great story about Michael Cera signing Scott Pilgrim blu-rays, and at one point he apparently wrote, "Michael 'I'm Not In Zombieland' Cera." See, that's why I love that guy!

Posted by: ChristianH at January 7, 2011 12:47 PM

Slash said something I have to reiterate...

What really helps is not giving a shit what other people think... not only of the movies, but of your opinion of the movies. It strikes me that there seems to be a vast swath of people out there who seem to really CARE what other people think of their POSE, vis a vis movies, and how cool they are and how cool the movies are (and books, and music, and all art, really).

This is how we get stuck with those uber-hip fucks, those chi-chi, groovy asswipes with feathers sticking out of their twats, dictating to a small but oh-so-important segment of TOUT New York what's IN "this season." Christ, I swear, the vast majority of us never made it out of junior fucking high, we're so goddamned desperate to be told what to like and to be approved of, to have everything from our clothes to our cars to our homes to, yes, even our own so-called OPINIONS approved of. Well, they ain't really our opinions, then, are they? They're just us, latching on to what we hope will be approved of by the loudest douchebag in the room.

Fuck that. I'm lucky. I was a pariah from day one, and it freed me up to like what I liked, and damn the torpedoes. I've never stopped. So when I say, I adore Love, Actually and There Will Be Blood and fucking hated No Country for Old Men and Lost in Translation, anyone who knows me well enough knows I'm saying it as my own honest opinion, not to elicit anyone else's approval -- or to become a member of the Contrarian's Club, for that matter.

(As for the rest of them... I honestly do not have strong enough feelings about them to write anything else.)

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at January 7, 2011 12:54 PM

First off: BEAUTIFUL LIST. I even agree with the seeding. Ok here we go:

10. LOVE - Though I understand why people hate it.
9. LOVE - Not sure how you can hate this film.
8. LOVE - (Again, understand the hatred.)
7. LOVE/HATE - Depending on my mood.
6. HATE - Most overrated movie of the 21st century.
5. LOVE/HATE - Loved it, hated it, then loved it.
4. LOVE - Not sure this movie can generate much hate
3. Meh - I like it but...
2. HATE - I take it back. THIS is the most overrated movie of the 21st century.
1. HATE - Screw you America for loving this film.

Posted by: Littlejon2001 at January 7, 2011 1:11 PM

Scott Pilgrim > Kick Ass, agree with everything ChristianH said for the reasoning why.

Posted by: TrickyHD at January 7, 2011 1:35 PM

I loved almost every one of these besides Avatar and Lost in Translation, and to be honest, I need to give lost in translation another shot, I was in high school or middle school when that came out... People thought Scarlet Johanassen could act when that came out...
Also, Avatar is the biggest rip off in ten universes, they even stole unobtainium from the movie the Core... Yep, I'm a bigger nerd than you... Not fatter, just more nerdy... Though I could be fatter, or more rotund as I like to put it...
...
Ellispes, that is all...

Posted by: Zachary at January 7, 2011 2:39 PM

I think RobP put it better when he wrote in his own colorful way - "Hate comes from expecting to like, even love, a movie and having those expectations stomped on by a coke-addled gorilla."

Never quite looked at it that way before, but he's right on the money. Fortunately for me, the feeling of hatred for wasting my time with a particular movie is usually short-lived. After I experience the bitter taste of disappointment, an attitude of healthy indifference soon follows. After all, anyone who watches a significant number of films every year should expect a fair amount of disappointment. Hell, one of my greatest pleasures regarding movies is discovering the hidden gems almost nobody around you heard or seen before (childish, I know). That implies combing through a lot of material, knowing full well most of it will most likely turn up to be crap. But it all pays off in those moments when you discover such films like Donnie Darko, which I watched in the only movie theater exhibiting the film in my country, together with a crowd of two other people. The same could be said for The Fountain.

What I'll never understand is people hating other people just because they either love a film you hated, or hated a film you loved. I understand the displeasure one might feel for the hate someone might express for something you like, but hating an unknown person for it? For all you know, he could turn up to be someone you could be friends with. Just because you don't share the same taste in films or even philosofies regarding movie making, doesn't mean you can't be friends and even learn something from each other. Some of the more interesting discussions I had about movies were with people with polar opposite views about what movies should aim for. Besides, who is to say a film you hate one day, won't end up charming you later in life. It happened to me before, more times than I can say. Do you really want to hate someone over a movie?

Anyway, about the list:
10. There Will Be Blood - Not seen it yet

9. The Social Network - Not seen it yet. Wasn't really interested, but recently learning that Sorkin of West Wing fame wrote the thing, I definitely need to check it out before the oscars.

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Hated.

7. Love, Actually - Enjoyed it, but whenever I catch it on tv, it always feels an unbalanced movie. Love the segments with Laura Linney and her brother, Liam Neeson and his kid, and the crazy singer and his agent. The other ones leave me cold.

6. Juno - Loved it, because NOBODY TALKS LIKE THAT :-) Together with Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, the only times Cera is bearable.

5. Napoleon Dynamite - Not seen it yet

4. Boondock Saints - Hated. One of the most boring films i've seen in recent memory. It actually made me fall asleep for a while, only to wake up to a nightmare inducing vision of Willem Dafoe in drag. I fast forwarded the rest of the film and groaned my way to bed, knowing that image would haunt me in my sleep.

3. The Royal Tenenbaums - Hated for those reasons in the post.

2. Lost in Translation - I liked, but didn't love it. In fact, at the time it left me close to indifferent. I found it overrated, but now, everytime someone mentions it, I find myself having fond memories of some scenes in the movie. I would like to watch it again to confirm my previous impression.

1. Avatar - Loved it. More so without the 3D gimmick.

Posted by: King Mob at January 7, 2011 4:01 PM

@Zachary

That term has been used before the Core came out, although not in a movie, at least not to my knowledge. In any case it's hardly an original term in both Core or Avatar.

Posted by: King Mob at January 7, 2011 4:09 PM

My brother referred to Avatar as 'Space Pocahontas'. As great as that description is, I've never seen it and never will.

Where's Garden State on this list??? Never have I ever seen a movie with so much backlash directed at the people that loved it (I loved it, I will admit it).

Posted by: ShanskiW at January 7, 2011 11:52 PM

Finally got around to watching Inception, loved it...except, what the eff with the ending, does the top stop spinning or not!!! Argh!

Posted by: TrickyHD at January 8, 2011 2:11 AM

I refuse to watch Avatar. REFUSE to.

Posted by: Maggi at January 8, 2011 4:03 AM

I hope no one thought my calling MARTIN's assessment of people who disliked TWbB as arrogant was meant to imply he is stupid. I meant to imply (or directly state, rather): "if you think I'm stupid for not enjoyingthis work, then you are an arrogant asshole."

The next time someone tells ME that they don't see exquisite beauty in the molecular structure of Taxol, or the mind-boggling simplicity/complexity of a virus particle, I suppose I must be authorized to assume they are an idiot through and through. Really, I could go on and on about why both are more breathtaking, nuanced, and unbelievably Sci-Fi than any movie. But to do that would be to call my whole family and most of my wonderful friends idiots! To each his own.

Posted by: Vince Noir at January 8, 2011 9:43 PM

There are people who hate The Royal Tenenbaums? What is wrong with them?


What's wrong?
We're not annoying hipsters hating everyone around for not being smart enough.

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