Movies that pleasantly surprised you.

[mike5150]

yup...kiss kiss bang bang... boy did that movie surprise me...(wait am I in the right thread)......DAMN DIRTY HIPPIES!!!!

[Cosmic Muse]

While my choice is not as grandiose as others in this forum, I will say that the sequel to that awful Dungeons & Dragons movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God really surprised me with how it was a vast improvement entertainment wise than its predecessor. Yes, the earmarks of a low budget are obvious, but the story is so much more enjoyable than the original. I was expecting something on the cheese level of the original, but boy was I surprised.

[Doctor Who?]

Assault on Precinct 13 (remake), 16 Blocks (add some F-bombs and it would have been the perfect ending to the Die Hard series... as it is, it's still better than Live Free or Die Hard), Children of Men (I had heard that it was a sloppy BJ to illegal immigrants, so I decided I could wait to rent it. Thankfully, it's a great movie, politics aside), Ratatouillie (absolutely nothing in the commercials made me want to see it, but I went on faith since it was a Pixar/Brad Bird joint. I was greeted with cinematic excellence), Dawn of the Dead remake (don't like zombies, don't care for horror movies, didn't want to watch a remake of a classic- ended up being a hell of a lot of fun).

Goddamn politics, making me go cross-eyed.

I don't know about you, but I could read page after page of political bickering and grandstanding! I mean, it's not like I don't read about it in newspapers, magazines, and blogs, watch it on the news, and listen to it from the goobers at the college I go to every damn day! I say an internet forum used to discuss movies, with a topic about pleasant film surprises is the PERFECT venue! I need the pointless contention in EVERY FACET OF MY DAILY LIFE.

Thank you for saying what I have been feeling since at least 2003.

[mrbasehart]

I normally hate tweener films and their blatant pandering to such a narrow demographic that most people would rather rip out their eyeballs than watch them but there are some exceptions:

She's the Man: Another modern update of Shakespeare - this time Twelf Night - starring Amanda Bynes.  She's very good in it, and it has some nice supporting roles for people I quite like. 

Aquamarine: Holy lesbian subtext Batman! Starring Jojo and Sara Paxton - who makes me feel very guilty - as an outsider and the mernaid she meets respectively, the quite startling homosexual undertones probably won't be caught by the people that it's aimed at, nor I am I sure that it's entirely unintentional.  I thought this movie was going to be awful, and that I was glad I was going to be paid to watch it, but like the title thread states, it was a pleasant surprise.

[Doctor Who?]

I also have to say dawn of the dead(2004),it was not as good as the original sure but I still enjoyed it when i went in expecting to hate it.

[daltysmilth]

I really enjoyed "Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer".  It's loads better than the first one.  I might even say it's on par with X-2: X-Men United.  It's at least better than X-Men 3. 

[Doctor Who?]

I loved FF2 too.

It is now one of my favorite Comic book movies,it captures the feel of the comics perfectly.

Also i went  back and watched FF again,and this time I realy like the first movie too.

I hated it the first time around but now i love them both.

[gbeenie]

Goddamn politics, making me go cross-eyed.

ANYWAY, in order to stir up more controversy, I'm going to say this: Scary Movie 3 was also a pleasant surprise for me and is probably my favorite Scary Movie... erm... movie of the whole damn series.  I actually rank it better than the first one (if only because I dislike raunchy humor, and Scary Movie had more than enough of its share of raunchy humor).  I can't watch the second or the fourth one at all.

Huh. The third is the one I didn't see at all. I barely registered the second one's existence, and the fourth one only attracted my attention because it came so quickly after #3.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

I also have to say dawn of the dead(2004),it was not as good as the original sure but I still enjoyed it when i went in expecting to hate it.

Was that the one with Ving Raimes and Matt Frewer in a small part?  I enjoyed that one, too.

Great use of a Richard Cheese song in the soundtrack.   

[gbeenie]

I also have to say dawn of the dead(2004),it was not as good as the original sure but I still enjoyed it when i went in expecting to hate it.

Was that the one with Ving Raimes and Matt Frewer in a small part?  I enjoyed that one, too.

Great use of a Richard Cheese song in the soundtrack.   

That was the first place I heard of Richard Cheese; I'm crazy-go-nuts for him now.

[RoninFox]

I also have to say dawn of the dead(2004),it was not as good as the original sure but I still enjoyed it when i went in expecting to hate it.

Was that the one with Ving Raimes and Matt Frewer in a small part?  I enjoyed that one, too.

Great use of a Richard Cheese song in the soundtrack.   

That was the first place I heard of Richard Cheese; I'm crazy-go-nuts for him now.

First time I heard him was walking by a Hot Topic in the mall.  Heard this weird lounge music that seemed completely out of place and had to investigate.  I nearly fell over when I recognized the lyrics as "Come Out and Play".  Hearing he was on the Dawn of the Dead soundtrack was then the main reason I wanted to see the movie.

[anais.jude]

This is why I try to avoid a lot of things; I can't un-hear/un-watch/un-read stuff that's unpleasant.

YOU WATCHED IT; YOU CAN"T UNWATCH IT

i have been reading four pages of pollitcal bickering just to get to say that,

before i talk about a movie, i just want to know why this thread isn't locked, when there was some sticky stuff going on, but the poertry thread was and that happened was people started talking about postmodernism. tripehoundredux has more power than i realized.

i was pleaseantly surprised by she's the man and ten things i hate about you. i also don't go in for tween movies. but my biggest and most pleasant surprise was A knight's Tale. I hated the idea that they weren't being faithful to middle english phrases, but Alan Tudyk anbd Paul Bettany completely made the movie for me!

[Dim of the Yard]

before i talk about a movie, i just want to know why this thread isn't locked, when there was some sticky stuff going on, but the poertry thread was and that happened was people started talking about postmodernism. tripehoundredux has more power than i realized.

i was pleaseantly surprised by she's the man and ten things i hate about you. i also don't go in for tween movies. but my biggest and most pleasant surprise was A knight's Tale. I hated the idea that they weren't being faithful to middle english phrases, but Alan Tudyk anbd Paul Bettany completely made the movie for me!

Tripe was also the one who started the thread in the first place.  The person who starts the thread is able to close it any time they wish.

And I second the Tudyk/Bettany thing in A Knight's Tale.  I thought they played off of each other really well, and were, in my opinion, the best parts of the movie.

[daltysmilth]

Let's hope that that is the last we'll see of political bickering we'll see on this forum.  And I say that as a lifelong, straight ticket member of the Whig party.  I don't care what you all say, I'm in favor of abolition!

[Doctor Who?]

What right does the Washington have to tell me if I can or can't have slaves?

That's what state goverments are for,this is just a power grab.