Movie endurance

[Ralph]

My folks have come over to stay for a few days and last night decided we should watch some TV and dear old Mum insisted on watching what she described as a really funny movie "Big Business" which stars Bet Midler who I've never been keen on. Well I sat through what I would descibe as 90 minutes of endurance... I don't know if anyone's seen this film made back in '88, it's a kind of screwball comedy - I'd describe as a girly film for sure. Last time I had to sit through such punishment was "How to lose a guy in 10 days" when I got dragged along to the cinema by a girlfriend.

Plus I escaped for a few minutes but the tape was run back so I wouldn't miss anything!

I think comedy can be great if it's a style everyone enjoys but it's the worst otherwise. Oh my mum likes "Keeping up Appearances" - I politely refused a viewing

Anyone else ever do a bit of movie endurance, praying for the end to come!

[Rob McCow]

Oh, the wretched films that I've seen....

I'd like to highlight 'As Good As It Gets', which isn't bad in itself but the story seems to stop at about 120 minutes, before the film limps on to some kind of happy ending.

There was the summer that my sister and I spent travelling around Europe, during which time we saw several films (subtitled mostly) all of which were awful. Pearl Harbour, which was like 7 rubbish films tacked together was painful, although the Italian cinema did insert an intermission. Tomb Raider and Evolution were both bad, Tomb Raider was just weak and predictable but Evolution was shockingly cheap. I hated Shrek too. On the plus side, we did also see Citizen Kane at an arty cinema in Milan, which was cool.

And Harry Potter! Grief! 2 and a half hours of people muttering 'Harry, you're going to be a powerful wizard!' to some whining little sod. Awful!

[MacNimon]

A few years ago, my wife wanted to rent a video...I made the mistake of sending my wife to the video shop with the idea that anything she picked would be worth watching. (In other words, I couldn't be bothered going myself...) I thought that she would pick a comedy of some sort, which would be bearable. What did she come back with? Danielle Steele's Fine Things, a 'drama' about childless couples who were trying to have kids! It was awful, the boredom set in almost instantly....it's hard to believe that it only lasted 90 minutes or so.

Needless to say that was the last time she chose a video by herself....serves me right for being so lazy in the first place, though!

[Wayne]

I had to endure E.T. one family christmas many years ago. That's the only one i can remember, offhand. Oh, apart from a similiar experience with A.I. which i went to the pictures to see with ex g/f.
Speilberg's made some great films, but he's made some naff ones, too!

[Dirk Gently]

Women can be evil sometimes. Making you guys sit though films you wouldn't touch.

[Wayne]

My folks have come over to stay for a few days and last night decided we should watch some TV

So you won't be treating your parents to the lesbian delights of 'The Vampire' Lovers' then, Ralph?

[Ralph]

So you won't be treating your parents to the lesbian delights of 'The Vampire' Lovers' then, Ralph?

Er no!

[Alex]

Women can be evil sometimes. Making you guys sit though films you wouldn't touch.

My ex made me watch Dirty Dancing AND Grease in the same week once...if it hadn't been at the start of the relationship where I was still very loved up I don't think I would have coped at all!

I've also a friend who comes up to London once every six weeks or so, and we always struggle to find a film we'd both want to see. The thing is that he keeps on winning vouchers to see films for free, so in the end I feel I have to let him choose as he's sorted it out so I don't have to pay. But despite that, I still haven't quite forgiven him for making me see Starter For Ten...It was just so horribly predictable, and when I'm single I really don't enjoy romantic comedies.

[Captain Tancredi]

Oh, the wretched films that I've seen....

I'd like to highlight 'As Good As It Gets', which isn't bad in itself but the story seems to stop at about 120 minutes, before the film limps on to some kind of happy ending.

There was the summer that my sister and I spent travelling around Europe, during which time we saw several films (subtitled mostly) all of which were awful. Pearl Harbour, which was like 7 rubbish films tacked together was painful, although the Italian cinema did insert an intermission. Tomb Raider and Evolution were both bad, Tomb Raider was just weak and predictable but Evolution was shockingly cheap. I hated Shrek too. On the plus side, we did also see Citizen Kane at an arty cinema in Milan, which was cool.

And Harry Potter! Grief! 2 and a half hours of people muttering 'Harry, you're going to be a powerful wizard!' to some whining little sod. Awful!

I saw the first Tomb Raider film in a little fleapit in Aberystwyth on a Friday night- it was one of those independent cinemas which has a small bar, so the atmosphere was a little bit like an adult version of a Saturday morning kids' film club.

My own version of torture would be about 15 years ago when we went over to my cousin's in Widnes one bank holiday and her middle-aged husband was absolutely fascinated by a trashy Barbara Cartland adaptation with Ian Bannen as the villain.

[Jeff]

I had to sit through "Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood", and also I had to see "Where the Heart Is" (which has the stupidest character names you could possibly imagine) in a theater full of women... the place reeked of cheap perfume.

After that crap, "The Notebook" actually seemed pretty good...

Pray for me cousins. Pray for me.

[Pip Madeley]

I once had to sit through Godzilla. Man that was painful - could've done with less hype and more script. I remember shouting to my mates about the fact that Godzilla completely changes size from scene to scene.

[Jeff]

I had to watch "Dude, Where's My Car?" once. True story.

"Dude, Where's my car?"

"Where's your car, dude?"

"Dude. Where's my car?!"

"Where's your car, dude?"

etc...

[Alex]

I really like Dude Where's My Car. I know I shouldn't, but I do. I'm trying to think of ways of persuading folks it's good, but can't. Erm, other than that it has a pre-Alias Jennifer Garner looking very sexy in it a lot of the time.