JCC Movies that were instantly forgotten.

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles... why the **** did I go to see that?

 

Well even further. Most aren't remembered at all. Just by title alone, here I'll prove it. Let's go back to 1960 for a list since several are maybe old enough here:

1960 The Apartment - never heard nor know what its about. Maybe high actor/cinema people do but main populace? 0/1
1961 West Side Story - okay everyone knows of this
1962 Lawrence of Arabia - another remembered classic. 2/3 so far people would know.
1963 Tom Jones - huh?
1964 My Fair Lady. Several would know. It gets referenced enough. 4/5 known
1965 The Sound of Music. One of the most iconic films ever, everyone knows it. 5/6
1966 A Man For All Seasons. Huh? 5/7
67 In The Heat of the Night. Several know of this and its TV show that came from it. 6/8
68 Oliver! Okay, now there has been SEVERAL versions of this over the years, but really you don't have many talk about it much, but I'll count it. 7/9
69 Midnight Cowboy. The "walkin here" line is one of the most quoted lines though many havent seen the film, and art circles keep it alive. 8/10

So far, we got 8 out of 10 people would know.

70 Patton. War movie famous for the General and his portrayel. 9/11
71 The French Connection. I'm sure art circles talk of it, but what it is about and when has it been referenced outside cinema peeps? 9/12
72 The Godfather. Uh...yeah. even though i havent seen it it is TALKED about a lot. 10/13
73 The Sting. ?? 10/14
74 The Godfather part 2. Nothing else to say. See above. 11/15
75 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I mean, I'll count it, but you don't really hear about it much. 12/16
76 Rocky. Duh. 13/17
77 Annie Hall. I know it's famous with Woody Allen, it gets mentioned a bit. 14/18
78 The Deer Hunter. Uh...who mentions this? 14/19
79 Kramer vs Kramer. Legal drama, but not talked about much really from main populace. 14/20

So 14 out of 20. So only 6, though some like Cuckoo I think aren't really much, but let's pass that for now.

80 Ordinary People. Huh? 14/21
81 Chariots of Fire. Famous for its music, but I hate to say many don't reference it outside of that today. 15/22
82 Gandhi. I hate to say it, when has anyone else talked about this lately in any capacity? 15/23
83 Terms of Endearment. See above 15/24
84 Amadeus. I've actually seen this, I hated it lol. 16/25
85 Out of Africa. Huh? 16/26
86 Platoon. Famous War flick many know. 17/27
87 The Last Emperor. Uh? 17/28
88 Rain Man. It has Tom Cruise in the movie, but other than that who ACTUALLY talks about this outside cinema people today? Plus "rain man" has been used kinda derogatory towards people since. But not many people TALK of the film itself 17/29
89 Driving Miss Daisy. I know Spike Lee hates it. I think outside cinema people, regular populace would know of it by just the title. 18/30

18 out of 30 so starting to slip a lot.

90 Dances With Wolves. It's always mentioned in how other things compare to it more than the film itself lol 19/31
91 The Silence of the Lambs. Yeah...20/32
92 Unforgiven. Clint Eastwood film, but honestly you don't hear much about it. 20/33
93 Schindler's List. Holocaust film helmed by Spielberg. 21/34
94 Forrest Gump. Need I say anything? 22/35
95 Braveheart. Referenced in media a lot. 23/36
96 The English Patient. Huh? 23/37
97 Titanic. Yeah...24/38
98 Shakespeare In Love. Probably more famous for beating out Saving Private Ryan which should of won...Yes, I've seen it. It's an artsy film theater peeps like but eh.. 25/39
99 American Beauty. Honestly I'd say people forgot it but in light of recent controversies...26/40

So 14 films people are like huh?

2000 Gladiator. Right. 27/41
01 A Beautiful Mind. Uh...who talks really about this today? Honestly not many. 27/42
02 Chicago. Okay now THIS is the most epitome of forgotten films on this list. Literally NO ONE mentions this film today. 27/43
03 LOTR: The Return of the King. The last real film on this list that I think people would care the most about. 28/44
04 Million Dollar Baby. Again, no one mentions it. 28/45
05 Crash. It beat the favorite of Brokeback Mountain, but no one cares about this either. 28/46
06 The Departed. Okay, people mention this in mire art circles, crime, gangster, etc. 29/47
07 No Country For Old Men. Uh...yeah I'd say it's looked a lot with the psychological stuff. 30/48
08 Slumdog Millionare. Remembered as the year The Dark Knight got snubbed, but this film itself hasn't been talked a lot about. 30/49
09 The Hurt Locker. Who talks about this today?
So now 30 out of 50.

10 The King's Speech. I've seen it, but eh...if it wasn't for the Royals I think people would forget it. 31/51
11 The Artist. Hmm? 31/52
12 Argo. Again, hmm? 31/53
13 12 Years A Slave. Launched Lupita Nyong'o's career, but not really spoken of...31/54
14 Birdman. Another artsy film but...31/55
15 Spotlight. See above 31/56
16 Moonlight. Honestly, people have forgotten about this. It's more known for the kerfuffle over LA LA Land, but I'll count it. 32/57
17 The Shape of Water. What? 32/58
18 Green Book. Uh? 32/59
19 Parasite. First Korean film winner, talked quite a bit about still today. 33/60
20 Nomadland. Was two years ago and I'm sure most can't tell you what its about. 33/61
21 CODA. Last year's winner, but already starting to be forgotten despite its connection to the deaf community. We'll see. 34/62

So almost HALF of these films mainstream people have indeed forgotten. Not including some of them kept kinda alive in limbo like Cuckoo, CODA Slumdog, etc. I'm not saying these are bad films, even bad films can be remembered *cough* The Room *cough*, but they're not impactful enough to WANT to be remembered. And that's just from 1960, if I go FURTHER back it would be the same thing. Heck if I mention Casablanca, SO MANY would know it, but if I mention something like the Ghandi film, or Crash, or Nomadland just from over two years ago no one would know much outside cinephiles.

 

Lol like I'm right or wrong?

 

You’re not right.

Have you really never seen The Apartment? It’s a Billy Wilder classic. Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray. It’s so good.

edit: you’re a soldier and you don’t know The Deer Hunter? The musical theme from the film is, or at least was, incredibly famous. It’s just beautiful.

 

This must be a joke. Right?

 

I feel like you don't end up an American soldier if you are watching things that depict military service as a negative impact in one's life

 

Ford Fairlane , remember that? it was advertised everywhere.

 

This was such a long post, you likely had much time to think it over and decide to give it up because it makes no sense whatsoever, yet you bravely committed 'till the end. I have to praise the remarkable determination.

 

I do my best.

Only reason I have a slight knowing of the film was AMC way back then showing a commercial for it, that's it. Reading about what the film is about: Vietnam War. Ah, thats probably why I've never seen it. I always watched stuff with my Dad who watched war movies. I've seen WW1, WW2, Korean, even modern war movies growing up, but Vietnam I didn't really watch cause my Dad didn't watch them. Like I saw him watching Platoon once. Once. That's it. Reason for this? My Dad WAS a Vietnam vet, though at the tail end, he none the less was there for a bit and uh...yeah. He could talk about what happened, even the BIG thing that happened in Western Germany, but it was more coming home that was the issue.

I'll still stand by what I said, no one talks about this film really. First Blood? Yes, but not this one. Like I said, I can't say it's bad, it's just people are NOT talking about it really.

 

This is a rhetorical question, but you do realize that just as you mention "Referenced in media a lot" for Braveheart, that a lot of the ones you discounted are also referenced in media a lot?

All of your comments could be shifted to the movie one year earlier, and like two thirds of them would be arguably just as applicable.

 

I mean in the cosmic sense, yes?

 

Classic Arlol

 

Ahem!
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

 

I was tempted to post Moe yelling “di di mau” but then I realized I think there is literally a Simpsons joke for every single movie he has been rattling off. Really puts it in perspective.

 

Yeah, but what's a Simpsons? I don't think people know what that is. No one talks about it.

 

I am not sure I fully understand the question, since I can't think of a metric to determine whether a formerly famous movie can be considered "forgotten" nowadays.
That said, perhaps the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise belong to the category. They surely were very famous back then, and I have the impression that later people kind of simply get tired of them? Now it seems like nobody cares about the whole fantasy-pirates genre more generally.

 

I'm surprised it never led to a resurgence of pirate-related films the way Gladiator and Braveheart led to a revival of historical action epics.

 

I'd say Creed is the only one of the franchise that I'd put up there with the original Rocky.

 

I agree, but I'd put Creed II up there as well.

And I think Rocky III is an absolute guilty pleasure. Yes, more so than IV. IV is garbage.

 

To be fair to AL91, the thread's topic is strange.
They're not asking for promising movies that flopped. They ask for successful movies that ended up being forgotten, which is a rather hard thing to determine. What's a reliable parameter to quantify the forgetfulness of a famous movie?

Also, I don't think Jack even applies, since (1) I wouldn't say people don't remember it, considering in particular that (2) the movie was trashed heavily by critics.

 

i'll see that and raise you most of the rest of david o russells work (not three kings, which slaps)