Top 5 Most Overrated Movies

Writing a blog is really just stringing several entertaining sentences together. It isn't something one needs a degree for. It isn't complicated. So, maybe I am not qualified to judge the artistic endeavors of Hollywood, but must we let them treat us like lemmings? "Lemmings", you may be saying to yourself, is harsh, but it is truth. Disagree? Then why did every female ages nine to dead feel the need to jump on the "Twilight" bandwagon? It is sensationalized, over dramatic, pretentious rubbish. Why is it that ninety percent of the human race thinks that "Ironman" was Robert Downey Jr.'s best work? It was sub-par at best. The narrow view that humanity has when it comes to the wonders popular culture has to offer is disturbing, for a narrow view is just a shallow view standing up. It hurts me to see the miraculous work of understated artists passed up for the emotional farce of movies like "Crash". For such atrocities, I harbor a pure disgust which has lead to this, "Top 5 Most Overrated Movies".

Before I get started, let me clarify what makes a movie overrated. In order for a movie to be overrated it must (in conjunction with being well liked) have won several big awards such as Oscars or Golden Globes, done very well in the festivals circuit, have a major cult following, be in "1001 Movies To See Before You Die", or be on other respectable lists of great movies. If it doesn't meet one or more of these standards then it isn't overrated, it is just bad. I understand that I may be sacrificing some sacred cows here, but there are movies I love that I am sure others hate. So, let's call it even.

5- "Saw II-VI" 2005-2009:

What would happen if the masses didn't realize they were being fed a "B" movie plot line with "C" movie acting? The answer: "Saw". The first "Saw" was actually really great. Very original with a plot line that wasn't overpowered by the "shock factor". It was intelligent, but mainstream and entertaining enough to have a following, which is a sweet money making combination, and I can appreciate that. Fast forward to "Saw II". Sometimes I wonder if Leigh Whannell, the writer of "Saw", is completely disgusted with the lack of respect his creative property has been treated with since the original, or if he is the puppet master. Does he pull the strings and ensure that each year his new ways for people to be tortured are displayed on the silver screen? There is no substance there. It is just creative ways to kill human beings, our own species. Consider this; if they made the same movie, but used puppies instead of people, the whole world would be outraged. Pay attention to the next "Saw" (and trust me, there will be a next "Saw"). It is just one shocking image after another to cover up the poor plot they have run so thin.

4- "Clerks" 1994:

Color me crazy, but I don't think that two hours of minimum wage employees talking about genitals and how hard their lives are constitutes as great art. It isn't even entertainment. It's silly and juvenile. The style was innovative, but what is the use of innovation without the talent necessary to properly execute it? Again, let's look past the shock factor and see the refuse we are being fed for what it is.

3- "Casablanca" 1942:

Thats right, I said it. "Casablanca" is OVERRATED. This may be the most sacred of all the greatly loved films that I am going to sully in this, my eighth, blog. I don't even feel the least bit bad about it. If "Casablanca" lovers do not want this film to continue to appear on "Overrated" lists all over the world, then stop talking about it as if it were cinematic gold. To many it is considered the greatest film not only of its time, but of all time. Therefore, when people see it their expectations are set unreasonably high. If the film doesn't do it for them, the disappointment is misconstrued with dislike making the movie feel much worse than it actually was. The result of this is an alienated audience. If critics and individuals would simply say, "It was good," or "I enjoyed it greatly," then all would be well in the world of the movie buffs. Those who love it wouldn't have to hear it spat upon, and those who didn't love it could simply appreciate it for what it is.

2- " Titanic" 1997:

When I was in the fourth grade, I begged my mother for months to let me see this movie. All of the cool girls had seen it, and I being, um, less than cool thought that seeing it would bump up my popularity status at least a degree. Finally, when I was a senior in high school I said, "Mothers be damned! I am watching this movie". And I did. Imagine my disappointment. "That was it?!" That was the dross on which my adolescent resentment had been growing like mold on bread? A silly, unrealistic love story? I am okay with unrealistic love stories now and then, but not when I am supposed to believe it really happened. It is insulting. I am too much of a realist to believe that Rose (Kate Winslet) held on to a couple of days of romance with a man she hardly knew for the rest of her life. It's silly fodder and I am having none of it.

1- "Forrest Gump"1994:

I can appreciate the "cutesy" parts of it. I can even understand the entertainment factor. I even like Tom Hanks for the most part. But there are two things I just don't get; A. What is this sick obsession with the baby boomer era? It was a great time, but "Forrest Gump" over-idealized it to a degree I have never seen before; B. Why did it have to drag on and on? Why, why, why was it so so long? The characters were all fully developed after the first five minutes, so there is no excuse there. It was as if they were trying to say, "Watch me! I am long and I have something important to say. I will take my time saying it so you know just how important I am". The combination of the self praise and unbearable length made it hard to relate to.

"Forrest Gump" felt as if someone were trying to hide depth in a shallow pool by darkening the waters. There was nothing there. What I am trying to say is that I get it. In fact, I see it so clearly I could have done this movie in 2o minutes or less. It would go like this; Sitting on a bench, life is like a box of chocolates, braces on your legs, meet Jenny, go together like peas and carrots, war, think about Jenny, war hero, Bubba-Gump shrimp, Captain Dan, think about Jenny, a series of unintentional run-ins or creations of pop culture icons, Jenny does bad things, you and Jenny get it on, AIDS, a kid, Jenny dies. The end. Roll Credits. Applause. Thank you! I'll be here all week.