Misunderstood films from the 90's - 00's

“Misunderstood” is a collection of online pieces that defend critically panned films, box-office flops and forgotten features from 1990 until 2010. These are films that still, to this day, have a bad reputation or simply never come up in conversation. All films discussed are mainstream productions, meaning they had some form of studio backing and were widely circulated in theaters. They also, upon release, were reviewed in major outlets across the country. They are also available nowadays on a large number of on-demand media platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Instant Watch, HBO Go and/or Netflix. Part of the appeal of revisiting mid to large-scale, financially disappointing films is that it allows casual filmgoers to revisit the past two decades of film and reignite debate and conversation. ❧ “Misunderstood” consists of seven 300-1000 word write-ups in the form of online posts intended for a film-centric site like Slant Magazine, The Film Experience or IndieWire. My thesis project would ideally be broken down into weekly posts, with one entry (meaning one film review) posted each week. If the column receives enough hits, my goal is to continue probing the past, beyond the two decades I’ve written about here, in search of box office flops or critically skewered films that deserve a second look. ❧ “Misunderstood” highlights how much money each film made at the domestic box office compared to the film’s overall production budget. These numbers are pulled from the website Box Office Mojo. I also include the film’s Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer rating as a way of underscoring what the critical consensus was for each feature. Below the tomatometer, I include a direct quote from a reputable film critic who more or less summarizes the general critical consensus surrounding the film at the time of its theatrical release. ❧ In each of my writings, I break down why the film drew the ire of film critics, scared away moviegoers or, if the film was well received, why it no longer comes up in conversation or critical writings. I then do my best to articulate a robust defense of the feature before encouraging readers to give the film a second look. Should the piece get posted online, I intend to include a high-resolution scene from each of the films (most likely a vimeo link or YouTube video) below my review as well as links to the film’s availability on different media sites. ❧ Readers should feel encouraged to create their own lists and explanations of films they believe were unfairly criticized or under appreciated at the time of their release. The site’s comment section would require an “up-vote” system in place, much like the one they have in the comment section of Reddit. Whichever comments receive the most votes on the site will then be published as a “Reader’s Approved Guide to Misunderstood Films” of whichever decade we’re currently discussing, continuing the dialogue beyond my own writing.