Customer Reviews

The Worst Movies of All Time: Or : What Were They Thinking?

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed this book if, for nothing more than it is refreshing to read something that doesn't extoll the cinematic masterpiece all film books seem to call their subjects.

While some of the choices may seem harsh, I must agree with most of them, (I will even admit to hating myself for the fact I can watch Grease 2, even though it is an undeniably bad film!) and some just made me cackle with delight. (The chapter on 'A Star is Born' is chock full of painful truth!) And I was surprised to find some films in there (The 10 Commandments...but I like his arguments).

I recommend this book for an enjoyable read, but not as a serious film reference.

Michael Sauter is a very good writer. Their are so many books anymore on the best movies of all time that is person decided to write a book that was totally the opposite. One of my favorite parts is were he attacks all of the fallow ups horror movies like Friday the 13th and Halloween have spawd. I have never heard anyone do a better job of making fun of somthing.

One of the things I like about this is that this person writes with a sense of humor and wit, with self-depracating charm and cynicism, that you have to "get it," to get it.

It's a good overall review. I disagree with some of the other reviewers, though. Perhaps they left their third-person lookers-on personas by their front doors. When it comes to this genre, that's an unfortunate thing to leave behind!

Too bad. They missed out.

Do another one, Michael!

As a movie buff, I read just about everything I can get my hands on containing to movies. When I first saw this book, I thought to myself, "All right! A book devoted to bad movies!". I found this book to be quite entertaining. The introduction explaining what makes a movie bad should be a must read for anyone who thinks that only Ed Wood and Roger Corman can make a bad movie. The sections following each movie listed proved to be both entertaining and informative; giving a description of the film, how the movie was made, and what went wrong. I learned a few tidbits of information and Hollywood history that I had never heard before. Of course, Michael Sauter is biased in his views especially when it comes to the great Cecil B. DeMille and Bruce Willis, but those biases don't cause a distraction. Overall a delightful, fun, and entertaining book.

This was a fun book, but it could have been better. Number one problem--it didn't go for the jugular. I was hoping it would go out on a limb and go after the really, really bad campy movies, but instead it chose the more obvious, more mainstream bad flicks--you know, the ones that everyone and their mother agreed were bad, like "Paint Your Wagon,""1941" and "Heaven's Gate." We all know they were bad, so writing about them again just seems like restating the obvious ("Oh, no--not another essay about "Ishtar!"). Problem number two--you might take issue with some of the films in here. The Ten Commandments one of the worst films of all time? Campy, yes; bad, no. Don't get me wrong--this is a cool book for any movie buff, but you might finish it wanting more. In that case, get Bad Movies We Love"--that might be right up your ally.

The Worst Movies of All Time is a superb introduction to the joys of watching bad movies. As the author explains in the introduction, a bad movie isn't always a low budget flick containing fourth rate actors under the direction of an untalented director. Many bad movies are relatively well made but terrible on account of bad acting, a stupid plot and an uninspired script. However the author does have clear biases such as his hatred of Bruce Willis and Cecil B. DeMille and some of the films simply should be there such as The Ten Commandments and Armageddon. However most of them truly do belong there and this book has provided me with a useful and entertaining insight into some of Hollywood's worse stinkers. The entries are very well written with a description of the plot, the making of the movies, things that went wrong and why they are so bad. It has also introduced me to the excruciatingly awful wonders that are Christopher Columbus: The Discovery and Hudson Hawk. Not only that the book has also provided me with an invaluable basis in which I can enjoy bad movies as much as good ones. Highly recommended.

for every movie geeks, i recommend to get this book to recognise that your veiwpoint is right. now i become a bomb movie hunter. expecting the author would write about the golden raspberry awards.

for every movie geeks, i recommend to get this book to recognise that your veiwpoint is right. now i become a bomb movie hunter. expecting the author would write about the golden raspberry awards.

I just wish this book were about 10 times as long. Thoroughly entertaining and hysterical look at megabombs throughout the ages from SHE to BOOM! to CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: THE DISCOVERY, touching on the obvious (HUDSON HAWK) and the forgotten (INCHON!). The end of the book touches a little too heavily on the B movies (which have been analyzed to death in other works), and ignores the opportunity to barbecue other Hollywood fiascos. Let's hope Part 2 is on the horizon.

Michael Sauter rounds up the usual suspects here-"Ishtar","Xanadu","Heaven's Gate",in fact,if you've read any of the Medved books,there's really no need to read this one,since it covers much of the same territory.You could quibble with some of his choices,for instance,he seems to have a thing against Bible movies.(Frankly,I find them just boring,not "Bad".)He even has the gall to pick on Jack Webb's movie "The D.I."!Come on now,that movie is a camp classic!The search for a murdered sand flea is priceless!I do give him credit,though,for including "Manos-The Left Hand of God" in his book.Believe me,this movie is appallingly bad!Next to this,"Plan 9" looks like "Gone with the Wind."