What's the BEST film from the Michael & Harry Medved book "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time"?

It's a diverting list, to be sure.

Like any such "worst", it all is up to the individuals opinion.

The arguable ones might well end up as an interesting list of points.

But then again, some doofus' point of view just ends up being etc...

"Boy, did I get a wrong number!" is a genius title.

He's right about:

Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1971)
Lost Horizon (1973)
The Omen (1976

the omen remake is way more LOL than the original, which is really zzzzzzzzzz

The Omen is a good bad movie tho. I'm gonna vote for Ivan the Terrible. I understand him hating something like Last Year at Marienbad, even if he's wrong and a dick.

Awesome in their own way :

Airport 1975 (1974)
The Ambushers (1967)
The Conqueror (1956) (John Wayne as Genghis Khan! Recommended)
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946)
Eegah (1962)
Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1973)
The Horror of Party Beach (1964)
King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
The Last Movie (1971)
Lost Horizon (1973)
Myra Breckinridge (1970)
Robot Monster (1953) (Cocteau meets Ed Wood!)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Solomon and Sheba (1959)
Trouble Man (1972)
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Zabriskie Point (1970)

wtf :

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Last Year at Marienbad (1962)

I guess they hadn't seen "Even Dwarfs Started Small" dept :

The Terror of Tiny Town (1938)

Actually am I right in thinking that these books kick-started the Ed Wood revival, or was it something else?

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Medved's an idiot

naming Ivan the Terrible and Last Year at Marienbad pretty clearly punches the Medveds' philistine ticket. (tho I can envision many ILXors laughing thru Ivan, which doesn't challenge the point.)

Valley of the Dolls IS fucking crap by any standard. (and Alfredo Garcia is close)

(as for Jerry Lewis, I haven't seen Three on a Couch in, oh, 30+ years, but I think Which Way to the Front? may be the most painful comedy of all time by a significant comedian)

but I think Which Way to the Front? may be the most painful comedy of all time by a significant comedian

Ha ha. What can I say, I laughed, several times!

but in astonishment, i'm sure (a la Valley of the Dolls)

Oh no, I don't mind admitting to being puerile as all hell

oh man, that scene where Jerry and Kaye Ballard are just sort of shrieking at ezch other...

are you people nuts, the Omen is fucking awesome

What's that nightmare where Zero Mostel yellows up to play a Japanese detective?

"Rhinoceros" with Mostel and Gene Wilder is abysmal too

Even though I love Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia I've never been able to stay awake to the end of it.

The Trial of Billy Jack

Americans, is this worth seeing?

Why Americans?

I got the feeling the Billy Jack films used to turn up on TV a lot in the US, and virtually never here (UK), I could be wrong.

Anybody who hates Valley of the Dolls is ke-razy.

The Last Movie (1971)

This is actually quite bad really, now I think about it.

But hardly one of the 50 worst films of all time

Not in a world with 2 City Slickers movies.

Valley of the Dolls just *is* so much what it *is*, it's fabulous. Though not as good as the book.

I'm very fond of the book, don't think I've sat thru the whole movie.

Nicole, you're not claiming the intentional achievement of entertainment in VoD, are you? Aside from the theme song, maybe? cuz Patty Duke would disagree with you.

Valley of the Dolls can be hated or loved, it's all about Beyond the Valley of the Dolls anyway.

Actually they did a book about Hollywood financial disasters that was ok, although I think it was mostly written by Harry Medved.

Hollywood Hall of Shame, and on balance it is their best book, no question.

"Rhinoceros" with Mostel and Gene Wilder is abysmal too

-- Tom D., Tuesday, 25 March 2008 13:34 (34 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Nooh.

Nicole, you're not claiming the intentional achievement of entertainment in VoD, are you?

No, but it is so singularly wonderful.

are you people nuts, the Omen is fucking awesome

It would be if it didn't take itself so damned seriously (and the remake's even WORSE in that regard). The ONLY good thing about The Omen v1: that ridiculous Gregorian Chant bullshit that starts up every time that nanny gets sand in her snatch or Damian looks cross-eyed at something.

ugh Gregory Peck.

I have only seen four of these: Myra Breckinridge (1970), The Omen (1976), Valley of the Dolls (1967), and Zabriskie Point (1970).

They all have some merit, though The Omen is a bit meh - there are plenty of better horrors. Valley of the Dolls I don't remember much about aside from it being quite a slight film, and as stated upthread, it will never compare to the genius that is Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. I did really like Zabriskie Point, but it's one of those films that I forget has a plot - I can remember images, but if it is actually about something then I certainly can't recall it. The winner will have to be Myra Breckinridge, purely for its absolute absurdity.

I really like the sound of Robot Monster, though. If I thought I could find it then I'd delay casting my vote.

Here's a clip from Robot Monster so you can decide for yourself, god I love this film so much.

"According to my calculations there are still a few of you left!"

"ivan the terrible" is amazing.

"abraham lincoln" is one of d.w. griffith's last and most obscure films - v. weird choice!

IIRC "godzilla vs the smog monster" is kinda boring and not nearly as entertaining as the title suggests.

I must, but I cannot.

I cannot, but I must.

anybody who can't feel the 'IT'S ALL FOR YOU, DAMIEN!' scene hates fun forever

I am morbidly curious: what did Medved have to say about Ivan the Terrible?

Not everyone's cup of tea, I'm sure, but I have the Criterion DVD of it and remember watching one supplement that discusses the film's symbols, motifs, actions and how these are recur--sometimes in parallels or 'negatives'-- throughout the film. There is a strong psychoanalytic bent to it, if I recall--Eisenstein was interested in Freud's writings at the time. I also remember something about as the story progresses, Ivan's movements correspond to various animals, and his movements become more constrained so that by the end of the film, he is supposed to be a hawk (or something like that) and the only feature of his body that moves are his eyes.

Anyway, it's just amazing how much thought Eisenstein put into it.

IIRC he mostly talked about how the French audiences thought it was boring. Read into that what you will.

voted alfredo garcia over zabriskie point. overlooked robot monster somehow, might've voted for it. at long last love is what at long last killed bogdanovich's career right? nothing 'worst' about that.

alfredo ftw

re Peter Bog: no, he made Nickelodeon after that before he got off the A-list, and there are so many worse flourishing today.

I think he concentrated on being a professional Friend of Orson after that.

As I remember it Medved was sniggering at actors mugging and overacting in Ivan The Terrible, and also moaning about it being too long.

Alfredo Garcia is one of Peckinpah's two or three best, wtf Medved.

I just started the worst film poll btw.

Myra Breckinridge (1970)

how is this even a contest!?

0

anybody who can't feel the 'IT'S ALL FOR YOU, DAMIEN!' scene hates fun forever

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the film, and I certainly don't get why anyone would hate on it. But it's not a classic, it's just a bit of fun.

A classic bit of fun!!!

Hehehe, alright alright. It's still not as good as Myra Breckinridge.

I hate fun! ;_;

Alfredo Garcia by a nose over some of the more enjoyable "bad" movies on this list (Terror of Tiny Town, etc.) Definitely one of Peckinpah's best and most disturbing.

(fwiw Stalin was fascinated with Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible and meddled with it quite a bit, from what I've read)

All I know about "The Ambushers" is that Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart sang the rather groovy theme song

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

fwiw Stalin was fascinated with Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible and meddled with it quite a bit, from what I've read)

Kind of off-topic, but Stalin was also fascinated with those popular-songs-redone-using-dog-barks-for-all-the-notes records, and used to force people to dance to them, which is what popped into my head when I read this.

it must be so much fun being a tyrant

The Last Movie is fantastic.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Whew. First time EVER one of my pics won.

I think it's on the recent Pat Garrett DVD profile-doc where one of Peckinpah's colleagues perceptively calls Alfredo a self-indulgent piece of shit.