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08 May 2015 | Features, Film Lists | by Adam Gray

6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

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Few film adaptations of great books capture the spirit and energy of their source material as well as director TerryGilliams Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Yes, the movie is a bit of a chaotic mess, but then, so is the book.

Dr. Hunter S. Thompsons masterpiece is a frenzied and brilliant look at the American Dream gone haywire. JohnnyDepp and Benicio Del Toro, in their lead performances, get to the sweat-soaked, drugged-out core of theircharacters, and help create a film unlike any other.

Of course, any film this flat-out bizarre is going to get a wide variety of reactions. For every fan of the film who extolsits virtues as a cult classic, there are at least five or six just as fervent viewers that decry it as a steaming pile ofgarbage. It shouldnt be that surprising, then, that Roger Ebert hated the film and gave it a paltry one star.

The result, he writes, is a horrible mess of a movie, without shape, trajectory or purpose a one joke movie, if ithad one joke. Depps Raoul Duke (based upon Dr. Hunter S. Thompson) and Del Toros demented werewolf-likelawyer, Dr. Gonzo, are using such a wide variety of drugs throughout the movie that it would be inauthentic to thesource material to make a more straight-forward, coherent narrative.

This is the kind of movie where one moment Duke is checking into a HOTEL , and then next he is surrounded bygiant, blood-thirsty reptile creatures. Gilliam and company crafted a film that is true to the spirit of both Hunter S.Thompson and his book.

7. The Field (1990)

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Writer and director Jim Sheridans filmed adaptation of John B. Keanes stage play, The Field, has always been apolarizing film. Although Richard Harris was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his workhere, this is still a film that divided audiences. A film that left many moved by its tragic, powerful scope had just asmany filmgoers scratching their heads.

The Field remains, all these years later, a haunting and chilling tale of a man too proud to realize the mistakes hesmade until its too late. It is provocative in the way few films are. Surely, this is a story that deserved to be made intoa movie, as cinematographer Jack Conroy captures the breathless beauty and mystery of Ireland in hiscompositions. In his one star review of the film, Roger Ebert writes: this was not a work that called out to be filmed.Once filmed, it calls out to be forgotten.

One of Eberts main criticisms is the field itself. He writes that since the film shows us the field, we can easily seethat Bull and his ancestors have been wasting their efforts dragging that wet seaweed up the cliff to fertilize the field,because the village is surrounded by thousands of acres of prime pasturage.

Of course, a point of the film seems to be that Bull and his family are barely making due, and the laborious chore ofhauling that seaweed up those haggard cliffs on the seaside is a good metaphor for that. Ebert seems to havemissed what Sheridan and Keane were saying in this tragic and astonishing work.

8. UHF (1989)

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Like Shawshank Redemption or the original Terminator, UHF was a movie that didnt do well in the theaters butfound a second life on video. Directed by Jay Levey, UHF is a goofy, silly satire with some of the biggest laughs ofany film of the 1980s. Starring Weird Al Yankovic (in his only leading film role) and a pre-Kramer Michael Richards,UHF remains one of the key cult comedies of the last thirty years.

Its understandable that many critics wouldnt get humor this absurd (although UHF has a sixty-six percent rating onRotten Tomatoes, which is pretty high for this kind of movie). Most mainstream critics at the time dismissed UHF asan unfunny film at best, and as a travesty to cinema at worst. In his one star review, Ebert refers to it as thedreariest comedy in many a month, a depressing slog through recycled comic formulas.

Ebert was not amused at the films multiple movie and television parodies, which include a terrific opening thatspoofs Raiders of the Lost Ark, a game show called Wheel of Fish, Conan the Librarian and, of course, Rauls WildKingdom.

In a comedy, when anything goes, nothing is funny, Ebert says. Of course, by saying this he disregards films suchas The Kentucky Fried Movie, Airplane!, National Lampoons Animal House, Caddyshack and the original NakedGun, which are all comedies where absolutely anything goes.

9. Team America: World Police (2004)

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It took Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the comic anarchists behind South Park, to make a post-9/11 comedy that daredto be provocative and offensive. The genius behind the film is that, for all of its political elements, the film is really justa 98 minute parody of Michael Bay-type cinema, with puppets. Imagine that old television show The Thunderbirds,only with lots of tasteless jokes and much more singing.

Roger Ebert writes, in his one star review of the film, that Team America: World Police is an equal opportunityoffender, and waves of unease will flow over first one segment of their audience, and then another. Ebert, who wasa fan of Mel Brooks also controversial comedies back when many critics dismissed them, seems to have forgottenthe Mel Brooks quote he used in many of his reviews: my movies rise below vulgarity!

Much like Blazing Saddles or Theres Something about Mary, Team America: World Police dared to be shocking at atime when comedies were no longer allowed to be daring.

Ebert seemed to be disappointed that the film, politically, didnt take a side. As Ebert says, it is neither for noragainst the war on terrorism, just dedicated to ridiculing those who wage it and those who oppose it. Ebert, whochampioned many challenging comedies that most serious critics ignored, missed the boat on this one.

10. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

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The last film on this list is Stanley Kubricks chilling and terrifying masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange. Now Ebert gavethe film two stars in his review, but if you read the review, he is describing a one-star movie.

Over the years, Ebert changed his mind on several films that originally left him cold (like Blade Runner and TheGodfather, Part II), but he never changed his mind on A Clockwork Orange (which, interestingly enough, is one ofChaz Eberts, Rogers widow, favorite films).

Even when the reader disagrees with Eberts take on a film, one still appreciates the wit, nerve and pure joy withwhich Ebert writes. From the opening of his two star review: Stanley Kubricks A Clockwork Orange is an ideologicalmess, a paranoid right-wing fantasy masquerading as an Orwellian warning. Eberts biggest complaint with the filmis that our protagonist is a nasty, young criminal named Alex (played in one of the great performances of cinema byMalcolm McDowell).

As Ebert says, it pretends to oppose the police state and forced mind control, but all it really does is celebrate thenastiness of its hero, Alex. A Clockwork Orange, which remains one of Kubricks most challenging works, stars aterrible and violent man. Like Taxi Driver or Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, it follows a person who does and saysthings very different than what most of us might do or say.

Ebert felt that Kubrick glamorized the violence, and also accused Kubrick of hero-worshipping a character that, inmany other films, would be the villain. In his original review, Ebert seemed to predict that argument over the virtuesof A Clockwork Orange isnt going away anytime soon: Well probably be debating A Clockwork Orange for a longtime a long, weary and pointless time.

Author Bio: Adam Gray is a teacher, film critic and writer. He writes about film at his blog:https://topshelfmovies.wordpress.com/.

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1 Comment 1

Steven Flores Yeah, he was wrong about those films. That's OK. He's usually spot-on about everything else.Besides, he hated North and created one of the greatest reviews ever.

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10 great movies that roger ebert hated « taste of cinema_2

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