Gentle Readers, welcome back to that spottiest of creatures, my blog (only slightly spottier than its creator). I am delighted to be able to reward those of you still checking in with a most excellent new entry in the Guilty Pleasures series from my talented and deep-thinking pal, Aaron. I know you'll enjoy his thoughtful musings on cartoon-based entertainment, and join me in contemplating how an unhealthy obsession with craptacular fantasy films has clearly derailed an otherwise promising young mind.
Please let both of us know what you think, and whether you share this fixation-that-shall-not-be-named. Most especially, if you have a Pleasure of your own you'd care to divulge, anonymously or otherwise, don't hesitate to get in touch. There seem to be more of you than I ever could have hoped; clearly, our only hope is to form a support group. I vote "doughnuts."
Brace yourself, Aaron, here's another comment from Chief G.P. Critic Susan P., who'd better get busy getting a stoopid G-mail address so she can post her own comments, already. (Thanks, SP ;->):
ReplyDelete"Willow is "craptacular"???!!! Are you kidding??? The rest, yes, but Willow??? I actually saw this in a theatre in Montreal on an otherwise unremarkable Easter getaway with a forgettable boyfriend. Direction by Ron Howard, Val Kilmer at his peak cuteness, the hilarious brownies, and yes, the ever-ambling Warwick Davis (and he's actually not hidden inside a full-body costume). My Willow DVD is definitely part of my regular rotation. I've now introduced my kids to it and they love it, too. Yes, I've even watched it with the commentary.
Your list from the 80s has a major hole: The Princess Bride. I'm sure you are now kicking yourself and saying "of course!" No Warwick, but the rest of the cast is stellar. Favourite line: "I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!" A maxim that is definitely T-shirt worthy.
Some recommendations for you that are slightly newer: The Narnia series (in progress), The Seeker, and Spiderwick. Harry Potter, too."
Thanks for the comments Susan.
ReplyDeleteIn my defence, I did say Willow was "...pretty craptacular by today's standards", making it more of a comparative criticism than an outright hate-on. Still, I doubt that will remove any of the sting seeing as you obviously love the movie! I actually enjoyed it too back when I saw it, but as I said, a repeat viewing not too long ago made me sorta go "meh". In comparison was Legend which I also re-watched recently and was blown away by the make-up, creatures, etc. Amazing! But of course, that's just my opinion...
And you're totally right – how could I forget Princess Bride? It's one of my faves too. Maybe because it's sort of a genre-bender, being both fantasy and comedy.
Thanks also for the contemporary list. I'm a fan of the first three Harry Potter movies, but I've hated 4 through 6 (visuals excepted) and am bracing myself for #7, in two parts AND in glorious 3-D! Agh!