I normally find myself overwhelmingly disagreeing with these lists...but the guy writing these two makes some valid points.
My humble opinions on the lists:
20. Blade Runner: Disagree with the writer big time on this one. I’d agree Scott did better work on Alien, but Blade Runner is still amazing and many years ahead of its time. Minority Report better? Ha ha ha!!! <—(flame bait :-)
19 & 16 Shakespeare in Love and The English Patient. Both were vastly overrated, IMHO. I was never able to finish ‘Patient, actually. Too dull.
15. Giant. I speak blasphemy here, but...I never thought James Dean was that great an actor.
14. American Grafitti: I really liked this one. Overrated? Maybe. But still a great movie.
13. The Matrix: Agree. Amazing F/X, but IMHO eXistenZ and Dark City had much better acting and storylines.
12. Annie Hall: This is the only Woody Allen film I’ve ever seen. I thought it was quite funny, but have nothing to compare it with.
10. Titanic: It’s easy to pick on the biggest grossing movie of all time (IIRC). No film could live up to the hype surrounding Titanic. It’s a well-made film, though not my personal favorite.
9. Some Like it Hot: I’d agree Wilder has done much better movies. Stalag 17 is one of my all time favorites.
8. Chinatown: Y’know, I’ve never seen this one.
4. Fargo. Oh yah! I liked Fargo, and thought it was quirky fun, but I didn’t see it as the masterpiece some do.
2. Raging Bull: While it’s not my favorite Scorsese film, I think the writer really, really doesn’t “get it” if his primary criticism of the director is that his characters aren’t sympathetic.
1. The Graduate: This film has always made me feel stupid. In the sense that after watching it I always asked myself...”and?” As in “And, is that all there is?” I thought it was okay, but nowhere near the accolades it has received over the decades.
>>20. Blade Runner: Disagree with the writer big time on this one. I’d agree Scott did better work on Alien, but Blade Runner is still amazing and many years ahead of its time. Minority Report better? Ha ha ha!!! <—(flame bait :-)<<
I think the OP was attracting flames. Just the look and feel and the REALITY of the movie was worth watching. Again, understated special effects that appear to be everyday is what creates an ambiance that is the envy of every Sci Fi movie since.
BTW, a few that would make my own personal list of overrated movies (all MHO, of course).
MASH - Maybe I’m just not an Altman fan, but I thought MASH was a merely okay movie with a couple really good performances (Duvall’s Frank Burns, for example).
Reservoir Dogs - I know it’s considered by many to be QT’s best work, but this one didn’t work for me. Given the cast, and the fact that it was a remake of a very good Hong Kong action film (City on Fire), RD should have knocked the socks off. Instead, we get a mailed-in performance from Harvey Keitel, so-so dialogue, and just kind of a dull movie. I’ll take Pulp Fiction any day!
Philadelphia - To this day there are folks who clamor that it should have been nominated for Best Picture and so on. Hanks put in an amazing performance, but the rest of the movie basically stunk. Even for a “message” movie, Philadelphia was heavy-handed and melodramatic. It felt more like a Lifetime network movie of the week than a Best Picture. And the way the late, great Jason Robards was squandered as a one-dimensional villain - ugh!
Agree, Blade Runner is a great movie.
Thanks for reminding me about Annie Hall. That was the last Woody Allen movie I liked, and as I left the theater, I turned to a friend and said “Best Picture,” a prediction that came true.
I also agree with the placement of Raging Bull on the list. Impossible to like a movie when the “hero” is a dirtbag (worse in real life, apparently, than even the movie shows).
You need to watch "Play It Again, Sam". It's the only Woody Allen movie that I thought was truly funny, with Woody Allen, for the most part, playing himself (or at least what I imagine him to be).