I was treated last night to the trailer for talent vacuum Adam Sandler's new film 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' (has that bloke ever made a film of any quality?), together with the latest from the mighty thespian Vin Diesel, 'Babylon AD'. The peak of that mountain of creative output though was the trailer for 'Get Smart', starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, the bloke who isn't Will Farrell out of 'Anchorman' and Anne Hathaway (what could she have been thinking?).

Now I've no idea if these films will sink to the depths of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Sex Lives of the Potato Men' awfulness, but from the trailers they looked sufficiently dreadful to have me sooner watch back to back episodes of 'Songs of Praise' in preference to these stinkers.

What other potentially rubbish films are out this summer and beyond?

Every time I go to the cinema there seems to be trailers for huge amounts of rubbish!

Re Adam Sandler: I always get him and that other one...Ben Stiller mixed up! Think Adam Sandler was in Reign Over Me, which I thought was pretty good, he wasn't playing the fool in it all the time. Was pleasantly suprised!

Possibly the love guru although i'm off to the cinema in a bit. I quite like mike myers and justin timberlake is good eye candy so i'm undecided. Is it really that bobbins? I've heard about people walking out of it...

I've watched some rubbish in my time and the only films i've ever found complete dirge are Dude where's my car? and even that had Ashton Kutcher in it to distract me, I thought that fools gold this year was dreadful and pret a porter which i slept possibly the whole of the film bar about ten minutes. I never did get Hudson Hawk either but apart from that i'll watch any old crap.

oh yeah pirates of the carribean 3... what on earth was that all about? I felt like my coke had been spiked. I had to watch it through the eyes of the eight year old that was sat next to me and just laugh at the funny bits and watch the fight to get any pleasure from that.

I quite liked the wedding singer... :blush: and i really wanted to like Click as i liked the idea.

I was treated last night to the trailer for talent vacuum Adam Sandler's new film 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' (has that bloke ever made a film of any quality?),

Yes, Punch Drunk Love and Reign Over Me are both marvellous films which showcase that underneath the pathetic attempt at being a comedian there is an actor struggling to emerge. Bizarrely these are also the films that Adam Sandler fans tend to have never heard of, or if they have they think they are rubbish.

How about Disaster Movie (or 'Insert Vague Genre' Movie as the franchise has become)? Looks absolute tripe. For next year there is the sequel to Michael Bay's terrible Transformers which I will be choosing to avoid (it furstrated me enough watching the first).

Thing is, I do tend to watch the rubbish as well as the good. It is like a cleansing ritual for my movie enjoyment - if I watch something really terrible then I appreciate the average a lot more. Early this year I watched Meet The Spartans, and that held me over nicely until the summer, meaning that I could even see the merit in The Happening. Thanks to watching The Love Guru I can now appreciate the rest of the year more (ever Get Smart looks amusing). I also have an 'Adam Sandler ruling' in which every 2 years I must watch one of his films just so I can still say he is toss (this is a way to stump those people who inveitably say "Well, he's gotten better in recent years!") Last year I saw Reign Over Me (and enjoyed it), so I am safe until his inevitable comedy next year.

.. and i really wanted to like Click as i liked the idea.

But even Benny Hill tried that concept in a 5 minute sketch decades ago, and it was tired then!

I was treated last night to the trailer for talent vacuum Adam Sandler's new film 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' (has that bloke ever made a film of any quality?), together with the latest from the mighty thespian Vin Diesel, 'Babylon AD'. The peak of that mountain of creative output though was the trailer for 'Get Smart', starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, the bloke who isn't Will Farrell out of 'Anchorman' and Anne Hathaway (what could she have been thinking?).

Now I've no idea if these films will sink to the depths of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Sex Lives of the Potato Men' awfulness, but from the trailers they looked sufficiently dreadful to have me sooner watch back to back episodes of 'Songs of Praise' in preference to these stinkers.

What other potentially rubbish films are out this summer and beyond?

HUH?! Adam Sandler - Happy Gilmore. Little Nicky. Er... er.... Well there's two. Vin Deisel is a surprisingly good actor if he's given a decent role. The Fast and the Furious for one. There was some godawful cop film as well, in which he shocked me with his performance (even if the script was abysmal).

Admittedly the trailers you mentioned are definite 'No-noes' for me.


I point blank refuse to EVER watch the remake of the Italian Job. They should have been flogged for even suggesting it.

I had to absolutely insist on not watching the Love guru the other day. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging looks awful and the thing with the spoilt girl going to public school.

i'm with you guys. love guru is an absolute no no for me. am also going to try* and avoid babylon a.d.

*really hard

...Little Nicky...
Oh yes, that one's right up there with 'Big Daddy' and 'Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo' :hihi: .
...Vin Deisel is a surprisingly good actor if he's given a decent role. ...
You have seen xXx, right? He's rubbish! While his woodenness might be more oak than balsa, he still has all the animation and depth of a teaspoon. He doesn't even have any of the admittedly rather dubious charm of Schwarzenegger, which is why his crappy 'Kindergarten Cop' rip-off was so universally derided.
...Thing is, I do tend to watch the rubbish as well as the good...
I'm sort of with you on that one, but some films are so monstrous that simply sap the life out of you. For example, 'Little Man' and 'Elizabethtown' should never have soiled DVD let alone made it into the cinema.

I had to absolutely insist on not watching the Love guru the other day. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging looks awful and the thing with the spoilt girl going to public school.

I quite enjoyed Angus, Thongs and perfect snogging... it is a teen film but it has a gorgeous cat and Steve Jones in it.

You have seen xXx, right? He's rubbish! While his woodenness might be more oak than balsa, he still has all the animation and depth of a teaspoon. He doesn't even have any of the admittedly rather dubious charm of Schwarzenegger, which is why his crappy 'Kindergarten Cop' rip-off was so universally derided.

Not seen xXx... he hamstrings himself with the action movies, and a lot of the time he's just going through the motions, but give him a half decent part and he holds his own.

Not seen xXx... he hamstrings himself with the action movies, and a lot of the time he's just going through the motions, but give him a half decent part and he holds his own.
The action films are what he's perfectly suited to though. Jumping out of planes, throwing himself off bridges, leaping through burning buildings... he's great at that. It's just the bits in between when he has to engage his brain and form sentences where he struggles.

i like the wedding singer too lol, but I'm not a big adam sandler fan (or ben stiller) a lot of the time it seems to be the same part, different script! Same with Jim 'I'm so unfunny' carey'. I liked him in the first pet detective (i was the right age to find it funny!) but ever since its like nothings changed, same gurney faces ect. Even in his so called 'serious' roles, which makes me think its a nervous tic! So I generally avoid his these days, although my OH likes his films :huh:
I'm not interested in that 'clone wars' I've possibly missed the point, but I just think 'cartoon star wars? why??'
Love guru doesnt look like my sort of film either. And I hate things like the aforementioned 'dude wheres my car', they just seem to consist of some dopey american standing there drooling....reminds me of Patrick from Spongebob squarepants (daughter is a fan, dont ask!)

... 'clone wars' I've possibly missed the point, but I just think 'cartoon star wars? why??'...
It's so George Lucas can add a few more squillions of dollars to his bank account. Animated Star Wars? Ooooh look, an entirely different franchise! Kerching!

Sat in at the moment tryng to decide whether I can be bothered going to the cinema. Had a look at the listings and nothing inspires me whatsoever. Might just have a look on Box Office and have an afternoon schlomped in front of films on the TV!

Sat in at the moment tryng to decide whether I can be bothered going to the cinema. Had a look at the listings and nothing inspires me whatsoever. Might just have a look on Box Office and have an afternoon schlomped in front of films on the TV!

A. C was saying she wants to see the fox and the child the other day!
I might go see that too but i'm scared i'm going to cry and look a wuss. Can't get an evening showing of it as well.

I'm not keen on any romantic comedies, anything starring Adam Sandler, childrens films, or musicals like mamma mia.

You have seen xXx, right? He's rubbish! While his woodenness might be more oak than balsa, he still has all the animation and depth of a teaspoon. He doesn't even have any of the admittedly rather dubious charm of Schwarzenegger, which is why his crappy 'Kindergarten Cop' rip-off was so universally derided.It's hard to judge how good an actor is if the dialogue is exercrable, the character paper thin and the direction is rubbish. Just look at the recent Star Wars films, lots of extremely good actors who look like they are reading lines off a prompt board out of shot.
I've worked with an East enders actor who like many soap stars, most people would simply dismiss, whereas he's actually a very good actor.

I'd also say Adam Sandler in 'Punch Drunk Love' is very good.

It's hard to judge how good an actor is if the dialogue is exercrable, the character paper thin and the direction is rubbish. ...
I don't agree. Stilted, awkward delivery is stilted, awkward delivery whether the actor is attempting Macbeth directed by the Coen brothers or is gracing a remake of Snakes on a Plane. An excellent example of the anti-Vin Diesel would be Samuel L.Jackson. He's graced some absolute stinkers, including the aforementioned Snakes on a Plane and - conveniently enough - xXx. In both he's managed to rise above the crappy dialogue, direction and company to deliver his usual effortlessly excellent performance.
...Just look at the recent Star Wars films, lots of extremely good actors who look like they are reading lines off a prompt board out of shot. ...
That's a fine example, as you're able to compare and contrast the truly wooden Hayden Christensen with those actors who are able to make the best of what they have to work with; Ewan McGregor for example, and ooh look it's that man again...

I don't agree. Stilted, awkward delivery is stilted, awkward delivery whether the actor is attempting Macbeth directed by the Coen brothers or is gracing a remake of Snakes on a Plane. An excellent example of the anti-Vin Diesel would be Samuel L.Jackson. He's graced some absolute stinkers, including the aforementioned Snakes on a Plane and - conveniently enough - xXx. In both he's managed to rise above the crappy dialogue, direction and company to deliver his usual effortlessly excellent performance.
'Snakes on a Plane', was knowingly daft and a very shrewd B-movie, ideally cast with Samuel L. Jackson playing a nice mickey take of his bad ass roles.
Not seen xXx, so cannot comment on it. But even SLJ's not so hot in 'Jumper', wearing his daftest wig yet and as for the recent Star Wars films. :gag:
I've seen plenty of fine actors, look like am-dram rejects in films that are poorly written with awful dialogue and direction. Actors are completely dependent on the script, direction and editing, no matter how good they are - though some get to/insist on changing their lines. Film making is very much a team effort. In fact if the sound is a bit ropey or timing is slightly off, then your acting will appear to take a serious nosedive.

That's a fine example, [Star Wars]as you're able to compare and contrast the truly wooden Hayden Christensen with those actors who are able to make the best of what they have to work with; Ewan McGregor for example, and ooh look it's that man again...
Everyone's acting appears abyssmal in the wretched star wars prequels, even Mr Jackson. Ewan McGregor very obviously thought they were complete rubbish and acted like a kid in a toy factory. They were simply excruiating to sit through.
Harrison Ford was particularly dismissive about the rubbish dialogue he had to speak in the original Star Wars films and it's nowhere near as awful as the later ones.
I saw an early version of the Star Wars script a few years back and it's one of the worst bit of writing I've ever read, remarkably bad in fact on so many levels.
And to go back to the OT, I will certainly be giving the new Star Wars film a miss.

'Snakes on a Plane', was knowingly daft and a very shrewd B-movie, ideally cast with Samuel L. Jackson playing a nice mickey take of his bad ass roles. ...
It was a shoddily-directed mess. Even B movies generally have some semblence of plot and narrative, but unfortunately in Snakes on a Plane those are confined to the first ten minutes where various tortuous script manipulations conspire to get the snakes onto the plane. After that, it's a series of set pieces where said snakes find increasingly gory ways to dispatch forgettable characters and evade Samuel L. Jackson. The only shrewd thing about it - in addition to the casting of Samuel L. Jackson that is - is that that those involved took notice of the internet-fuelled hype and went back to shoehorn in the demanded extra-gruesome goriness and have Sam Jackson do his Oedipal expletive. He is fabulous in it though :D .
...Not seen xXx, so cannot comment on it. But even SLJ's not so hot in 'Jumper', wearing his daftest wig yet and as for the recent Star Wars films. :gag:...
I haven't seen Jumper, but I maintain that you could put some actors in a chicken costume (in fact they did exactly that with the also excellent Tommy Lee Jones in the unofficial sequel to The Fugitive, US Marshalls) and have them read from the Yellow Pages and they'd still act the socks off the likes of Vin Diesel, Hayden Christensen et al.
...I've seen plenty of fine actors, look like am-dram rejects in films that are poorly written with awful dialogue and direction. Actors are completely dependent on the script, direction and editing, no matter how good they are. ...
I simply don't agree. Good actors are good actors, and to say they're completely dependent on factors external to their inherent talent in order to give a decent performance is really rather dubious. They might occasionally appear in poorly-directed films and have to deliver silly dialogue - Jeff Bridges in The Mirror Has Two Faces has some jaw-droppingly naff speeches in a truly dreadful film - but they generally manage to shine. For the less conspicuously talented, well, the silk purses and pigs' ears come to mind.
...Film making is very much a team effort. In fact if the sound is a bit ropey or timing is slightly off, then your acting will appear to take a serious nosedive. ...
Of course it is, which is why a good actor can often elevate a merely pedestrian script and rise above ropey dialogue; the Jeff Bridges example again. Dodgy sound etc doesn't generally detract from an actor's performance; it might be an irritant that spoils your enjoyment of an otherwise good film, but you'd be aware that if the projectionist could somehow fix the fault you'd be back to Jeff being fabulous. No tweaking in the world could fix a duff Vin Diesel performance.
...Everyone's acting appears abyssmal in the wretched star wars prequels, even Mr Jackson. Ewan McGregor very obviously thought they were complete rubbish and acted like a kid in a toy factory. They were simply excruiating to sit through. Harrison Ford was particularly dismissive about the rubbish dialogue he had to speak in the original Star Wars films and it's nowhere near as awful as the later ones. ...
No, the films were excruciating to sit through. To use the the example of the earlier films, you might argue that it was Harrison Ford's charisma, presence and talent that elevated those films above and beyond their rubbish dialogue and by-the-numbers cowboys in space nonsense.

Some good actors can just go through the motions though, I agree. Marlon Brando, for example, but that's probably because his talent really had dwindled later in his career; either that or he'd given up to concentrate on the pies.

I cannot be bothered to respond to people who resort to commenting on obvious typos and ignore examples that go aginst their viewpoint.

I cannot be bothered to respond to people who resort to commenting on obvious typos and ignore examples that go aginst their viewpoint.
Eh? I didn't even notice a typo in your post, and I think I quoted all your examples: Jumper - check (I said I hadn't seen it). Star Wars films: check. I even agreed that some good actors can be less than stellar, or at least become so.

Me - They were simply excruiating to sit through
You - No, the films were excruciating to sit through

Looks like you are correcting a typo to me.

Don't bother watching Jumper. Hayden "Tinhead" Christensen is a dreadful actor, I love Jamie Bell and Samuel L Jackson but neither of them save this appalling dirge.

I should also point out I have first experience of seeing actors work in front of camera and then viewed the rushes and then the final cut. And the good performance doesn't always make it through the process especially as dialogue may be added afterwards or used from a different take.
And if the director is useless and disorganised that can also impede a performance, seen that happen too.

Me - They were simply excruiating to sit through
You - No, the films were excruciating to sit through

Looks like you are correcting a typo to me.
What are you talking about? That I chose to spell 'excruciating' correctly? I've only just noticed that you hadn't, and I'm afraid that even if I had noticed I couldn't bring myself to replicate a spelling error in order to avoid offending your sensibilities.

What I meant was that the films are excruciating to sit through. You seemed to be saying that the actors' performances were excruciating to sit through. I was disagreeing with the point I assumed you were making, not correcting a typo. Apologies if I misinterpreted your point.

You assumed incorrectly.
Either way still no point debating if you make simply make inaccurate assumptions about what you thought I meant.

I should also point out I have first experience of seeing actors work in front of camera and then viewed the rushes and then the final cut. And the good performance doesn't always make it through the process especially as dialogue may be added afterwards or used from a different take.
And if the director is useless and disorganised that can also impede a performance, seen that happen too.
To go back to the original point of this tangential discussion and my original example, Vin Diesel's acting - his delivery of his dialogue, particularly where he has to walk and talk at the same time - is uniformly and consistently poor throughout his films. Post-filming manipulations and directorial intervention aren't responsible for that; it's due to him being a rubbish actor. Same goes for Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom and Arnie (though at least Arnie has some charm stemming from his own awareness of his limitations).

You assumed incorrectly.
Either way still no point debating if you make simply make inaccurate assumptions about what you thought I meant.
In which case you correct the false assumption, express your point a little more clearly, and continue the discussion. No need to go off in a strop.

The action films are what he's perfectly suited to though. Jumping out of planes, throwing himself off bridges, leaping through burning buildings... he's great at that. It's just the bits in between when he has to engage his brain and form sentences where he struggles.

I don't think you've seen a decent performance from him, fair enough. But I'll maintain that he's under-rated as an actor, as I have seen him give a couple of very good performances (and I was surprised as hell).

I will not however be going to see that Daddy Day Care (is that the one?)... it looks bloody awful.

Um... Get Smart. Any takers?