Dumb Kwestion #28

Ok, last night I did something I almost never do.  The wife and I sat down at the sofa to watch a movie (on DVD), something we certainly enjoy doing regularly.  The film we had just gotten from our local library was "Jupiter Ascending" starring Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum.  It looked to be an interesting scifi/action kinda film.  After about 30 minutes into it we both started complaining about some very obvious flaws in the film (not something we usually do).  After around an hour my wife asked if we could turn it off and watch something (anything) else.  I completely agreed.

So the question is, have you ever (or do you often) find yourself turning off a movie before you have finished it.  Turn off a t.v. show without seeing the whole episode....or even put down a half-finished book and never pick it up again?

I remember in high school my dad, my best friend, and I rented the very first Fast And The Furious movie because everyone talked it up [I was in high school].  We got about 20 minutes into it when we unanimously agreed that it was absolutely terrible so we went back to the video store, returned it, and got Dirty Harry instead... which is excellent.

Rarely do I turn off movies though there have been a few others.

I walked out of a movie at the theater once because the movie was so stupid I couldn't take it any longer.  I almost walked out of The Desolation of Smaug and would have done so if my son wasn't enjoying it.  My wife and I have turned off several movies and/or shows that were either boring, way cheesy or vulgar.

I have walked out of the theater for 2 movies.

The Waterboy with Adam Sandler
Austin Powers 3 Goldmember

I wound up seeing AP 3 years later and kind of liking it.

I do not rent movies,  ever.  I always either buy something I have seen before and know is good, or I buy something I want to see and got a good deal on.

So I never stop watching at home because I already bought it.

I bought an ultraviolet copy of Jupiter Ascending for $6, haven't watched it yet.

NoOneIsHere wrote:

I bought an ultraviolet copy of Jupiter Ascending for $6, haven't watched it yet.

Let me know if you make it through the entire movie.

Will do...lol

I did it today with Exodus - Gods and Kings

metaldude wrote:

I did it today with Exodus - Gods and Kings

I decided to skip that one, and the recent Noah movie.

I skipped Noah but tried out Exodus. Exodus was good visually but needed a better script.

I came close to walking out of the theater once or twice. A couple of times I did turn off the DVD. Can't remember what movies they were.

If a movie doesn't interest me or isn't funny after I have started it, then it stops and that's that.  If it doesn't hold my attention, then why torture myself?

With most books, I will make myself plod along until I find something I liked about it if possible.  However, I will put a book down if I just can't get into it.  If I put it down, then I probably am not coming back to it.

Well, just like everything else around here, I'm the weirdo. If I start a movie or book, I have to finish it. The only exceptions I've ever made were a movie (whose name I don't recall) that my wife and I rented thinking it was an action film, only to find out it was softcore porn.

Case in point - I watched The Big Lebowski over the weekend. Heard lots of good about it. I didn't like it - for several reasons - but I watched it right to the end.

ishmael81 wrote:

I watched The Big Lebowski over the weekend. Heard lots of good about it. I didn't like it - for several reasons...

That is one of my favorite movies of all time...  I can laugh hysterically every time I've seen it, and I have seen it many many times.  What didn't you like about it?  Who did you watch it with?  With a movie such as that, it's pretty imperative to watch it in a group - preferably with others who have already seen it.  It's one that gets funnier the more times you watch it due to all the little subtleties and such.  Lots of bad language though, so if you're put off by that, it'd be difficult to enjoy.

ishmael81 wrote:

Well, just like everything else around here, I'm the weirdo. If I start a movie or book, I have to finish it. 

You and me both, I almost never stop a film or book I have started.  I have given up on a few tv series over the year but almost never a book or movie.

kerrick wrote:

ishmael81 wrote:

I watched The Big Lebowski over the weekend. Heard lots of good about it. I didn't like it - for several reasons...

That is one of my favorite movies of all time...  I can laugh hysterically every time I've seen it, and I have seen it many many times.  What didn't you like about it?  Who did you watch it with?  With a movie such as that, it's pretty imperative to watch it in a group - preferably with others who have already seen it.  It's one that gets funnier the more times you watch it due to all the little subtleties and such.  Lots of bad language though, so if you're put off by that, it'd be difficult to enjoy.

I use those words sometimes too so the language didn't bother me. There were funny parts, but as a whole... I didn't think any of the characters except Dude and Walter had any real depth.


They really could have went somewhere with Donny' character (since Steve Bescemi is, you know, awesome) but it was forgettable at best.


The plot was mildly humourous and the secondary characters were more forgettable than Donny -Julianne Moore as Maude was so full of stereotypes... how many times have we seen the feminist artist type like her?

What was the purpose of The Jesus character? I love John Turturro but that character slowed the film, I thought.


And frankly, if the Dude had been played by anyone but Jeff Bridges, it would have been forgettable too.

My wife and I have no problem stopping a movie or show that isn't interesting.  After all, we've got plenty of other DVDs to choose from

Sometimes. I have a hard time watching episodes of shows that include things getting mixed up/swapped. I find the confusion overwhelming.

xenonlion wrote:

Sometimes. I have a hard time watching episodes of shows that include things getting mixed up/swapped. I find the confusion overwhelming.

 Can you give us an example?

Staybrite wrote:

xenonlion wrote:

Sometimes. I have a hard time watching episodes of shows that include things getting mixed up/swapped. I find the confusion overwhelming.

 Can you give us an example?

Nope. I can't think of one. They do it in a lot of shows. Something gets mixed up for the whole episode until the very end.

Yes I do.
When I start watching a movie and after some time I don't like it I stop watching.

There are many times I wish I could stop a movie....heck, there are times I want to poke out my eyes so I don't have to see one ( my eyes are terrible anyway so no great loss ).....but since I'm watching with my wife and kids I put up with the nonsense.

Nothing scary, nothing blows up, no one gets killed, nothing goes too fast.....these are the movie rules at my house because my wife can't take it if anything remotely interesting happens in a movie.

bassdude wrote:

There are many times I wish I could stop a movie....heck, there are times I want to poke out my eyes so I don't have to see one ( my eyes are terrible anyway so no great loss ).....but since I'm watching with my wife and kids I put up with the nonsense.

Nothing scary, nothing blows up, no one gets killed, nothing goes too fast.....these are the movie rules at my house because my wife can't take it if anything remotely interesting happens in a movie.

  Probably wasn't meant to be funny, but I nearly wet myself laughing.

That was funny. We have three movies rules at our house.

1. No porn.
2. If it's for adults (language, violence, etc) we can't watch while our kid is awake.
3. Either spouse holds the right to veto a movie on any grounds but can also feel free to do something else during the movie.

I took advantage of rule 3 to read a book during The Lake House. Blech.

I never really watch movies in the first place. I might stay for a few minutes and then leave.

Sometimes the SyFy disaster movies are just too stupid to stay up for.  We have our own rating system for films though.

Good
Good for a Hallmark Christmas movie
Good for a SyFy original
Eh
Bad
Bad even for a Hallmark Christmas movie
Bad even for a SyFy original
Worse than Meteor.  (An NBC disaster mini-series starring Christopher Lloyd (who was dead within the first half hour, lucky him), Jason Alexander, Billy Campbell, Stacy Keach, and some other known actors.  The best part of the movie for me was the texts I got from my wife who was upstairs flipping back and forth between this and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while I was downstairs watching and working.  Eventually we were cheering for Voldemort to avada kadavra the meteor.)