Great Bad Movies (article) by Betty Jo Tucker on AuthorsDen

“Anti-classics are the most fascinating films ever made,” writes author/actor/film critic Phil Hall in THE GREATEST BAD MOVIES OF ALL TIME. “They defy classification and occupy multiple genres -- each one is wonderfully warped in its own twisted way,” he explains

If you’ve ever been shocked while watching a particular movie and found it hard to believe the film even exists, you might have been viewing one of the 100 motion pictures Hall selected to include in his splendid new book. According to Hall, these films stand the test of time. “They continue to baffle us.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I confess to enjoying bad movies, probably because I love to talk and write about them afterwards. One of the filmmakers mentioned in Hall’s book really made sense to me. “I don’t care if you like my movie – I only want you to enjoy yourself,” he declared. Thanks to Hall for compiling this provocative list and for his insightful, entertaining descriptions of why each motion picture made the cut.

I was elated to find certain of my favorite bad movies chosen for this distinction. Mommy Dearest, Catwoman, The Iron Petticoat, The Blue Bird, At Long Last Love and The Conqueror definitely deserve to be called anti-classics. Fortunately, after reading The Greatest Bad Movies of All Time, I have a better understanding of why I am completely shocked and baffled by them -- yet find each film so enjoyable anyway. Yes, Hall can be tough. For example, he shows no reverence for screen legends. Even icons like John Wayne, Mae West and Buster Keaton come under his candid scrutiny.

Hall’s impeccable research for this project, his impressive knowledge of the cinema, and his proven skill as a writer combine to make The Greatest Bad Movies of All Time a real treasure for movie lovers everywhere.

(The Greatest Bad Movies of All Time is published by BearManor Media and will be available on August 12, 2013. Click the website below for more information.)

Web Site: BearManor Media

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The first time I saw Regina King was in one of the MISS CONGENIALITY films with Sandra Bullock. She did more than hold her own. So I expected great th

Reviewed by - - - - - TRASK

Reviewed on July 14, 2013

007 James Bond Rules....

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Reviewed by Shirley Long

Reviewed on July 12, 2013

I can say with truth that the movie Mommmy Dearest staring Joan Crawford And Betty Davis is an old favorite classic that I love to watch whenever it comes on tv. I Alwys enjoy these old movies.

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Back when I was a student, I watched a lot of movies, either free or very cheaply. I seemed to get something out of almost every one, regardless of how bad they were. I particularly enjoyed underground movies, mostly shorts… Some that won awards like Chinese Fire Drill. The Flaming Creatures was a cult favorite of the underground movies and quite shocking.

Several of the movies that you wrote about from Hall's book I have not yet seen. Will try to get around to old movies when I get to old to write. But a couple of memorable bad movies that I remember were Norman Mailer's Maidstone (he gave us a long, boring talk before he showed us the movie), Cleopatra, and Waterhole #3. At the time, I disagreed with students who laughed at a movie version of Edgar Allen Poe's Telltale Heart, audience members who announced loudly that they didn't like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf because it was in black and white, and “hip” Stanford students who regularly watched “camp” movies like Treasure of the Sierra Madre (a classic in my mind).

It looks like Hall's book might be a guide on what to watch.

Ron