The 10 most overrated movies of all time

Okay, now for the fun part. Keep in mind, this is not a list of movies I hate, it is just a list of movies that won too many awards, acclaimed by too many critics, or seen by too many people given their quality (or lack thereof). Here goes.

To head off any complaints, Titanic is not on this list. I don't think it should have won a dozen Oscars, but I enjoyed the pacing, story and effects of this movie.

10. The Godfather, Part III: Viewed on its own, this is a decent movie. However, it pales in comparison to its two prequels, arguably two of the greatest movies of all time. This third installment, which was nominated for seven Oscars, including picture and director, has a muddled story, and some truly laughable moments, like Andy Garcia's ear-biting scene, Sofia Coppola's entire performance, and the end of the movie, which looks an awful lot like Arte Johnson's Tyrone F. Horneigh on Laugh-In. I will admit that Gordon Willis' cinematography deserved the nomination.

9. Avatar: This is the top-grossing movie of all time. The plot was a clone of Dances With Wolves (see below), and the high-tech effects made this movie look like a long cartoon. I heard it's better in 3-D.

8. Inception: This was a visually stunning movie. That having been said, I didn't understand a damn minute of it.

7. Dances With Wolves: I actually enjoyed this movie. However, it somehow beat Goodfellas, another one of the greatest movies ever made. Joe Pesci deservedly won his supporting actor award, but it's unbelievable that Scorsese lost out to Costner for what I think is the best directed movie ever.

6. Napoleon Dynamite: So many people thought this was hilarious. I didn't laugh out loud a single time at this dull movie. The only information I took from this is how much the title character looks like former Eagles QB Nick Foles.

5. Gladiator: This umpteenth take on the sword and sandal epic was just mediocre and had lousy digital effects, especially considering it beat out Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, and Traffic for Best Picture.

4. Shakespeare in Love: Meh. Although Steven Spielberg finally won, deservedly, for directing Saving Private Ryan, this blatant piece of Harvey Weinstein Oscar bait won the big prize.

3. Gandhi: This is a typical epic biopic, and it could just have easily been made in the 1950s. Not to diminish the importance of this important Indian revolutionary, but its epic style has been done dozens of times before, and it beat out E.T.!

2. The English Patient: Another undeserving Best Picture winner. A surefire cure for insomnia, this flick is overlong, glacially paced Oscar bait. This beat out Jerry Maguire and Fargo, both much better movies.

1. Forrest Gump: I do not hate this movie. This is on the top of the list because it beat not one or two, but three far better movies for Best Picture. This was in 1994, and this decent movie about a mentally challenged individual who experienced a whole bunch of historic events. Yes, it was cool how they digitally inserted Tom Hanks into shots with several presidents, but beat far superior movies like Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction, which is one of the best movies ever made, revolutionized the movie industry as we know it, and instantly turned my brother into a movie buff.

The 10 most underrated movies of all time

So, a lot of movies are really underrated. Sometimes it's because they were unfairly savaged by critics, sometimes it's because they are flops at the box office, or sometimes the movie's budget is so big, and expectations are so high. Here we go.

10. Pump Up The Volume: Christian Slater stars as an introverted high school student, who becomes an underground disc jockey. He eventually is pursued by the FCC as they try to pull the proverbial plug. This 1990 film was way ahead of its time, tackling issues like teen suicide and the potential problems with standardized testing.

9. Bubba Ho-Tep: Bruce Campbell is Elvis, who woke up after a 20-year coma. Ossie Davis is a man who claims to be JFK. This unlikely pair discovers a mummy who feeds on the souls of the elderly. Enough said. This has become a cult classic.

8. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: A lot of you may not have heard of this movie. This is not long before Robert Downey Jr. hit pay dirt as Iron Man, and quite a while after Val Kilmer was "Iceman." It was written and directed by Shane Black, who wrote the first two "Lethal Weapon" movies, creating the iconic characters of Murtaugh and Riggs, and director of "Iron Man 3," which was a big leap over the mediocre second entry in the series. The movie has Downey's character accidentally ducking into a movie audition after his friend was killed and acing the audition. He is paired up with a Kilmer's character, an openly gay private eye. The two characters end up in the middle of a murder investigation, and all sorts of chaos ensue. The action and dialogue are both great, and this is a fine addition to the buddy-cop genre.

7. The Dark Knight: This was a wonderful movie that redefined and revolutionized both the comic book and action genres. Although Heath Ledger deservedly won posthumously for Best Supporting Actor, the film was not nominated for Best Picture. Because viewership was low for the Oscars, this prompted the Academy to change the rules and nominate up to 10 films for Best Picture in a very confusing process which I won't even attempt to explain.

6. Won't You Be My Neighbor: One of the best documentaries I have ever seen, and one of the best movies of 2018, this biography of Fred (Mister) Rogers was somehow not nominated for Best Documentary Feature. This is a travesty!

5. Life Itself: See above. Another great documentary, a no-holds-barred look at the life of film critic Roger Ebert, was also denied a documentary feature nomination.

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story: Everyone likes to throw shade at this movie because it grossed "only" $84 million on its opening weekend. People are blaming this movie for the death of the Star Wars saga. In reality, although not a masterpiece, it was a decent action movie with stunning visuals, and a surprising amount of character development. For the record, the plan is to put all Star Wars movies on hold after Episode IX later this year. Supposedly, director J.J. Abrams and the crew are sweating every detail to end the Skywalker saga with a bang, as opposed to the semi-mess that was Episode VIII (The Last Jedi).

3. The Cabin in the Woods: This is, hands down, one of the greatest horror movies ever made. It's not just a horror movie, it is a deconstruction of every horror movie, and provides an explanation for horror movie tropes. It is unpredictable, creatively written and pays homage to several horror and slasher movies (the great Joss Whedon was a co-writer). By the way, make sure you watch the last 20 minutes, when, frankly, all hell breaks loose.

2. The Cable Guy: So, I guess people at the time weren't used to seeing Jim Carrey in a more serious role, and I guess a lot of people, and critics, just don't like black comedy. This is about a man (Matthew Broderick), who is mentally disturbed, and gives him "the works" in exchange for his friendship. The results are bizarre, to say the least. The funniest scene in the movie takes place at Medieval Times where this exchange between Broderick and Janeane Garofolo as the "serving wench" takes place: 

"Can I get a knife and fork?"

"There were no utensils in medieval times, hence there are no utensils at Medieval Times. Would you like a refill on that Pepsi?"

"There were no utensils, but there was Pepsi?"

"Dude, I've got lots of tables."

Then, the two main characters battle in a great parody of the Star Trek episode "Amok Time," with Carrey providing the music.

Oddly enough, at the movie's climax, Carrey's character says about "Waterworld" (see below):

"I don't know what the big fuss is about. I saw that movie nine times. It rules!"

1. Waterworld: This Kevin Costner film was doomed from the start. At one point, the entire atoll set sank into the ocean, and the final price tag exceeded $200 million, the most expensive movie ever made at the time. However, what we have here is a very good action movie. It's derivative of Mad Max, (this time on a dystopian world almost entirely covered with water) and the acting is just okay, but the set decoration and action scenes are very well staged. There is also plenty of witty dialogue, thanks in part to Joss Whedon, who worked on the script, and Dennis Hopper, as the film's villain, The Deacon, who delivers most of these lines... 

When trying to stop their own gunner from blowing them out of the water: "Maybe he doesn't answer to Chuck. Call him Charles."

On the main character, a human who has "adapted" to the new world, with webbed feet and gills: "It's the gentleman guppy. You know, he's like a turd that won't flush."