Octopus Overlords

I was discussing some older movies with coworkers and "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" came up. It has been probably 40+ years since I'd last seen it so I went looking for it on the streaming services and was able to find it streaming free on Roku.

Even accounting for it being very much a product of it's time, man, this movie just did not hold up for me. I looked forward to certain scenes that I remembered from watching it years and years ago and they just all fell flat. I don't think I so much as chuckled even once during the entire two and a half hour runtime.

There's not a single likable character in the entire ensemble cast. This was a movie stacked with comedic talent from the 40's through the 60's and it was just a completely jumbled mess.

I was disappointed that a movie I had been holding fond memories of turned out to be such a mess on a rewatch.

I'm almost afraid to go looking for another older movie we discussed, "Murder By Death" but I've seen that one more recently (about 10-15 years ago) so I'm hoping that one still holds up.

More recently, I purchased a cheap DVD copy of "Scavenger Hunt" from 1979 and I coerced our eldest daughter into watching it with us. While it still worked as a comedy despite the many dated references, our daughter pointed out just how casually racist much of the humor was. While it's a terrible excuse, we explained to her that "that's just how movies were back then." I can't, nor should I, defend against that.

Midnight Madness is the one I have, and have not gone back to.

A couple of years ago I watched Murder by Death and thought it was still funny for someone who knows the detectives and tropes being parodied.

I tried It's a Mad ... Mad World and Cannonball Run recently. I enjoyed them both in my youth but they were painfully unfunny now. I didn't finish either one.

Yeah, I know what you mean about 'Mad Mad World'. I find it to be an incredibly tedious movie. I have a memory of it being very long too, which just doesn't help things.

Brian wrote:While it's a terrible excuse, we explained to her that "that's just how movies were back then." I can't, nor should I, defend against that.

I don't think it's an excuse, just a fact. Times change, movies are a static slice of time. That doesn't make the racist/sexist/homophobic tropes of the past correct or excusable, but it's absolutely true that movies of the past reflected a different level of societal acceptance of those tropes than movies of today. I just look at it as a teaching moment.

A lot of '80s movies fall into this. I'm a child of the '80s so I went through a phase where I was collecting every movie I could get my hands on from that era. But eventually I stopped because so many of them were filled with cringey problematic things. I just didn't enjoy watching them anymore.

But I think that's perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with having loved a movie as a kid then finding out you don't love it as an adult. Where we get in trouble is trying to judge our past selves against our current standards. That guilt is unfair and serves no purpose.

But to answer the specific question, Wayne's World.

Hawk the Slayer.

As for cringey, I rewatched Revenge of the Nerds about a year ago, and it's about as bad as it gets. It covers every possible stereotype, all held together with a sticky paste made of sexual assault. And yet, I still enjoyed it.

I can't remember which one it is, either the first or second Lethal Weapon, but there's a scene where Mel Gibson's character uses pretty much what would be considered excessive force on an innocent black man at a crosswalk, and it's played off for laughs, but on a recent watch, I couldn't help noticing just how in bad taste it is. Some of those movies have aged poorly.

We’ve tried showing lots of my favorite movies as a kid to my own kids and they generally fall completely flat. Even the ones I figured would be a “can’t miss” left them yawning. We watched “Christmas Vacation” this weekend and none of them even chuckled once. 14 year old didn’t like it because there was “too much swearing” and the 10 year olds both just said they thought it was boring.

The only two that have ever connected with them were “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Labyrinth”.

Skinypupy wrote:We’ve tried showing lots of my favorite movies as a kid to my own kids and they generally fall completely flat. Even the ones I figured would be a “can’t miss” left them yawning. We watched “Christmas Vacation” this weekend and none of them even chuckled once. 14 year old didn’t like it because there was “too much swearing” and the 10 year olds both just said they thought it was boring.

The only two that have ever connected with them were “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Labyrinth”.

Princess Bride?

I don't like the modern comedies and most of the olde ones don't hold up.

I watched "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with my daughter a couple of weeks ago and that one fell completely flat as well. That movie is in my top 5 horror films of all time, but seeing it through her eyes was a completely different experience. The body count is not all that high, there's very little gore, and the whole concept of a "murderous redneck family" was completely lost on her. She didn't find it particularly scary or interesting.

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 1:32 am

Skinypupy wrote:We’ve tried showing lots of my favorite movies as a kid to my own kids and they generally fall completely flat. Even the ones I figured would be a “can’t miss” left them yawning. We watched “Christmas Vacation” this weekend and none of them even chuckled once. 14 year old didn’t like it because there was “too much swearing” and the 10 year olds both just said they thought it was boring.

The only two that have ever connected with them were “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Labyrinth”.

Princess Bride?

Daughter kinda liked it, twins thought it was "lame".

I'm one of those people that loves "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." I probably watch it about once a year. My favorite way to see it is when every couple of years the Music Box Theatre here shows it. Best way to see it is with a crowd of people.

And my love of this movie may be strongly influenced by nostalgia. I love seeing this huge cast in the movie, and all of the little cameos of long-gone actors. When I watch it by myself, I don't find myself laughing that much. But I do still enjoy it.

A movie that has not aged well at all for me, personally, is Blazing Saddles. I find that a very unfunny movie now.

I've mentioned it before, but I don't think Highlander holds up well at all. I loved it as a teen but it's painful to watch now.

I'll concur with '80s sex comedies. Revenge of the Nerds wins for overall awfulness, but even things like Sixteen Candles are a bit too rapey for today's world. Doesn't mean I won't watch them and laugh, but I don't anticipate introducing them to my kids.

Animal House falls into the same bucket, albeit not from the '80s. Too much casual racism and sexism. Still, unfortunately, quite funny.

Sometimes I catch some classic Connery or Moore Bond flick late at night, and I'm often baffled at how they were so exciting back in the day. The other day I watched a painfully slow scene where a geriatric Moore was scaling a cliff in For Your Eyes Only and it almost put me in a coma. I loved that movie when I first saw it!

Skinypupy wrote:

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 1:32 am

Skinypupy wrote:We’ve tried showing lots of my favorite movies as a kid to my own kids and they generally fall completely flat. Even the ones I figured would be a “can’t miss” left them yawning. We watched “Christmas Vacation” this weekend and none of them even chuckled once. 14 year old didn’t like it because there was “too much swearing” and the 10 year olds both just said they thought it was boring.

The only two that have ever connected with them were “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Labyrinth”.

Princess Bride?

Daughter kinda liked it, twins thought it was "lame".

Ouch. Tough crowd.

When I was a kid I thought History of the World pt. 1 was hilarious. I watched it again as an adult and it didn't seem very funny at all.

McNutt wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 12:11 pm When I was a kid I thought History of the World pt. 1 was hilarious. I watched it again as an adult and it didn't seem very funny at all.

It's definitely cringey, but I still think it's pretty funny.

It also has one of my absolute favorite throwaway jokes.

"Crocodile Dundee" is a movie I loved when I saw it at the theater in the 80's, but after watching it recently I realized it is no longer funny. At all.

I still love the movie, but Ferris Bueller is a bit of an asshole.

I watched Crocodile Dundee not to long ago with my son. I thought it was just as funny. The "he's a fag" line was unfortunate, but everything else held up well.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:42 am

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 1:32 am

Skinypupy wrote:We’ve tried showing lots of my favorite movies as a kid to my own kids and they generally fall completely flat. Even the ones I figured would be a “can’t miss” left them yawning. We watched “Christmas Vacation” this weekend and none of them even chuckled once. 14 year old didn’t like it because there was “too much swearing” and the 10 year olds both just said they thought it was boring.

The only two that have ever connected with them were “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Labyrinth”.

Princess Bride?

Daughter kinda liked it, twins thought it was "lame".

It's obvious there is something wrong with them
You shoukd take them to the doctor or trade them in for a different set.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2023 8:28 pm

Brian wrote:While it's a terrible excuse, we explained to her that "that's just how movies were back then." I can't, nor should I, defend against that.

I don't think it's an excuse, just a fact. Times change, movies are a static slice of time. That doesn't make the racist/sexist/homophobic tropes of the past correct or excusable, but it's absolutely true that movies of the past reflected a different level of societal acceptance of those tropes than movies of today. I just look at it as a teaching moment.

A lot of '80s movies fall into this. I'm a child of the '80s so I went through a phase where I was collecting every movie I could get my hands on from that era. But eventually I stopped because so many of them were filled with cringey problematic things. I just didn't enjoy watching them anymore.

I agree. I'd also be willing to bet that 30 plus years from now, some movies people like now will be seen as problematic then.
It's like Thanos. Inevitable.

So, it's not as if I thought this film was all that great, but more 'iconic' - so I sat down with my daughter to watch "Gremlins".

Holy shit that movie is pure garbage. I still apologize to my daughter for asking her to watch it with me.

Unagi wrote:So, it's not as if I thought this film was all that great, but more 'iconic' - so I sat down with my daughter to watch "Gremlins".

Holy shit that movie is pure garbage. I still apologize to my daughter for asking her to watch it with me.

I watched this with my 9yo son around Halloween and he enjoyed it for the most part. His only complaint was that some parts were a little scary, but he otherwise thought it was fun.

I don't think it's aged that badly either. Sure, it's pretty thin on plot and acting isn't great, but it's still fun...or maybe just acceptable because I loved it so much as a kid. If you want garbage, watch the sequel...yikes...

Unagi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:07 am So, it's not as if I thought this film was all that great, but more 'iconic' - so I sat down with my daughter to watch "Gremlins".

Holy shit that movie is pure garbage. I still apologize to my daughter for asking her to watch it with me.

I haven't seen Gremlins in 30+ years. I have very fond memories of it as a kid...sounds like I should probably just leave it that way.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:53 am

Unagi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:07 am So, it's not as if I thought this film was all that great, but more 'iconic' - so I sat down with my daughter to watch "Gremlins".

Holy shit that movie is pure garbage. I still apologize to my daughter for asking her to watch it with me.

I haven't seen Gremlins in 30+ years. I have very fond memories of it as a kid...sounds like I should probably just leave it that way.

This was exactly my position before I decided to bring my daughter into the fold.


There is one point in the movie where Phoebe Cates character lets on that Christmas is a hard time of year for her. She goes on to talk about how her father just disappeared one Christmas Eve. Only a week or so later they found him stuck and dead in the chimney, dressed as Santa. He briefly comforts her with a ‘that must have been horrible’, and then the movie just totally moves on. My daughter actually said “Okay, what the “f” was that? What the hell?!”
Just a sample of some of the cringe moments we experienced.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:42 am

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 1:32 am

Skinypupy wrote:We’ve tried showing lots of my favorite movies as a kid to my own kids and they generally fall completely flat. Even the ones I figured would be a “can’t miss” left them yawning. We watched “Christmas Vacation” this weekend and none of them even chuckled once. 14 year old didn’t like it because there was “too much swearing” and the 10 year olds both just said they thought it was boring.

The only two that have ever connected with them were “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Labyrinth”.

Princess Bride?

Daughter kinda liked it, twins thought it was "lame".

Are they going through the phase where you recommending something guarantees that one or the other will tell you it sucks? They're at the right age to start 'arguing' with their parents as a way to exert independence (especially the 14-year-old - the 10s are more likely to just go along.)

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 11:53 am They're at the right age to start 'arguing' with their parents as a way to exert independence (especially the 14-year-old - the 10s are more likely to just go along.)

14-year-old is actually really chill. We rarely have any issues with her trying to push boundaries. She's got a really good head on her shoulders. The 10-year-old twins, however, are a pain in the ass. They would both argue with me for hours if I told them the sky was blue.

So yeah, that totally could have had something to do with their reaction.

Man, I totally disagree on Gremlins. My kids absolutely love that movie and I think it still holds up really well.

ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:59 am Revenge of the Nerds wins for overall awfulness

Exactly one of the movies I thought of when I saw the title.

Porky's fits into this same rapey theme as well.

There's a lot of movies that lose most of their appeal based on computers and the internet. Hackers, Wargames, The Net (which was never good).

aaaand then they move on.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 1:26 pm Man, I totally disagree on Gremlins. My kids absolutely love that movie and I think it still holds up really well.

I agree that Gremlins holds up pretty well for me and my teenage daughter liked it when we went to see at the theater in one of those revival showings....

...but she had the same reaction to that Christmas story about her dad getting stuck in the chimney - "what the hell was that?"

Malificent wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 2:06 pm ...but she had the same reaction to that Christmas story about her dad getting stuck in the chimney - "what the hell was that?"

The old man who is killed by the tractor that crashes into his house... That was another scene that didn't 'replay' the way I had remembered it.

My memory: some old menace got what he deserved!
Actually: he was not all that bad a guy, and he's just totally run down for kicks.

Gremlins is a horror film.

Yeah, the dead chimney dad is a weird beat in the movie - kinda surprised it made it through editing. I wonder if there's a story behind it - like maybe they were trying to justify it as a family movie? Maybe that's what passed as tugging heart-strings in the 1980s. Usually I just guess, "cocaine" and that seems to work out.

What I do think holds up for movies from the 1980s are the practical FX. In my experience, when you show a kid that has been raised on CGI insanity for everything a movie that uses puppets, makeup, stagecraft, etc... to do something it is more interesting. YMMV.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 2:12 pm Gremlins is a horror film.

This concept was why my daughter agreed to watch it, as she loves just about all horror films (that she's seen). I think she very much enjoyed the gremlin puppetry but the story/scare fell massively short of her anticipations.

Unagi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 2:04 pm

aaaand then they move on.

As Isgrimnur aptly observes, keep in mind Gremlins was a comedy horror film. As I understand it, this was intended as a black comedy reference to a familiar urban legend from back in the day when the movie was created. Courtesy of the Wikipedia entry for Gremlins:

wikipedia.org wrote:Devlopment

…

The film mentions an urban legend in which Kate reveals in a speech that her father died at Christmas when he dressed as Santa Claus and broke his neck while climbing down the family's chimney. After the film was completed, studio executives insisted upon its removal, because they felt it was too ambiguous as to whether it was supposed to be funny or sad. Dante refused to take the scene out, saying it represented the film as a whole, which had a combination of horrific and comedic elements. Spielberg did not like the scene but, despite his creative control, he viewed Gremlins as Dante's project and allowed him to leave it in. A parody of this scene is featured in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

EvilHomer3k wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 2:03 pm There's a lot of movies that lose most of their appeal based on computers and the internet. Hackers, Wargames, The Net (which was never good).

I haven't seen it for a while, but I feel Wargames would retain its appeal as an artifact of the pre-mainstream-internet world. Anyone into technology rolled their eyes at Hackers and The Net even in their time.

Unagi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:07 am So, it's not as if I thought this film was all that great, but more 'iconic' - so I sat down with my daughter to watch "Gremlins".

Holy shit that movie is pure garbage. I still apologize to my daughter for asking her to watch it with me.

not surprising, coming from the director of "Ready Player One"