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The Good, the Bad and the Good-Bad (Movie)

37m 36s

The Good, the Bad and the Good-Bad (Movie)

The episode delves into the phenomenon of "good bad movies" — films that are widely regarded as poor in technical or critical terms yet remain deeply beloved and rewatchable due to their absurdity, nostalgia, and emotional impact. Host Rachel Abrams interviews colleagues Maya Salam, Gilbert Cruz, and Taffy Brodessa to discuss their personal favorite such films. Maya champions *Grease 2* for its over-the-top musical numbers and corny humor, while Gilbert praises *Hackers* for its vivid 1990s cyberpunk style and cultural significance. Taffy champions *Face Off*, a surreal, action-packed film with a face-switching plot, which she sees as a time capsule of 1990s pop culture and a symbol of a bygone era of bold, unapologetic filmmaking. The conversation emphasizes that the appeal of these movies lies not in artistic merit but in their emotional resonance, shared memories, and the fun of low-stakes debate. Ultimately, the episode argues that these films represent a vital part of pop culture, offering entertainment and connection in a fragmented media landscape. The hosts conclude by encouraging listeners to engage in debate, noting that the joy of discussing such films lies in the playful disagreement and shared affection for what critics might label as "bad" cinema.

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Hey, everyone, it's Rachel. I wanted to let you know that our colleagues over at PopCast, which is the Times PopCulture chat show featuring Music Critic John Caramonica and Reporters Joe Coscarelli, they have a brand new look. And now they're going to be coming out weekly in both video and audio. PopCast features conversations with some of the biggest names in PopCulture, like Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, and Half-Away Lou Combs and so many others. You can subscribe to PopCast on their YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, you can watch or listen or both on the New York Times app. If you aren't already a subscriber, you can download the New York Times app and get your first month free. And if you already subscribe, we thank you. Okay, here's today's show. From The New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is The Daily on Sunday. No magic is stronger than sisterhood. The film Practical Magic 2 opened in theaters this week. Here's the thing about magic. It won't be silenced. If you weren't familiar with Practical Magic 1, it came out in 1998. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kim and place sisters dealing with a pretty inconvenient generational curse that kills any man they fall in love with. It wasn't the curse, wasn't it? They died because I loved him so much. Also by the way, there are witches. In Practical Magic 2, we learned that Sandra Bullock's character has passed the curse onto her daughters who are also witches. Where witches live in the curse's room? I will never judge you again. The release of Practical Magic 2 has prompted a lot of conversation here at The Daily about a particular kind of movie. Not a good movie, not a bad movie, but movies that are good bad. Because for a lot of movie lovers, the movies that we love the most, they're not necessarily the movies we think are the best. What to you is like a movie that you really love, even though you know that it is bad. Looney Things Back in Action. And if you start asking people about their favorite good bad movies, you'll find they have a lot to say on the subject. Listen, 2003, Joe Dante made this movie because he hated Space Jam. I'm going to make a proper Looney Things movie, and that's like Steve Martin. Like a lot to say. And it's like a subtle critique of capitalism where it's like, you kind of can't stop it. And then transport them back into people to buy the stuff. And it's like, oh yeah, it's like something like that. I would say something about Mary. I love that movie, but it's not in the what's that dumb closet everybody goes into. The criterion. But a night's tale, and they do the dance to Golden Years by David Bowie. It's kind of like very going back to my childhood as like a young straight man, but Jack S2. I mean, I like love high school musicals. Hey, Liv. Twilight. Any classic Adam Sandler movie, like Water Boy, it's the Spice World. I'm so glad that Spice World made it to you for him. The Spice World, dude. These good bad movies occupy a special place in our hearts, despite the fact that they're probably not going to win any Oscars. And so today, we are going to talk about good bad movies. And about what makes a bad movie so eminently watchable. I'm joined in my good bad movie deep dive by my colleague, Maya Salam, who for the last year has been writing a column about good bad movies for the times. And later in this episode, I will gather a couple other of my esteemed colleagues, Taffy Brodessa Ackner and Gilbert Cruz, to tell me about their must see good bad movies. It's Sunday, September 13th. Maya Salam, welcome to the Sunday Daily. Thank you so much, Rachel. I'm thrilled to be here. So Maya, you have been working on this project, which seems very fun, about good bad movies. You have been naming good bad movies. You've been dissecting them. You've been trying to figure out the specific ingredients that make a good bad movie so beloved. And I want to talk about all of those ingredients. But first, let's define what we are talking about. What do we mean when we say good bad movie? Well, first, let me say that everyone has their own rubric, their own parameters, their own boxes that need to be checked for a good bad movie. So there's the way that I define it for the series, but there are no wrong answers really. And for me, it's a movie that has at least one element, but usually more, that are completely over the top, are completely absurd. And the movie must be above all else, highly watchable, highly rewatchable. And while it may not be great cinema, so to speak, they are movies that are infectious, are beloved that people return to again and again and often have a lot of feelings and memories tied up with them. Let's talk about an example of a good bad movie. You have written about all different sorts of good bad movies. Let's pick one Maya, which one should we talk about today? Let's pick Volcano. Volcano. Excellent. Volcano is a 1997 disaster action movie starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Haysh. All right, let's get this guy out of here. You're going to get sent to Volcano. Do you really go here? This is Volcano. All we can do is get out of this movie, with an assist from Don Chito and a young Gabby Hoffman. But really, it's Tommy Lee Jones doing what he does best in the '90s, which is screaming directions under pressure to support him while leading a team. He's basically trying to save the city of Los Angeles from Volcano that is about to erupt. So, OK, I know this movie, for the uninitiated, for people that did not have the pleasure of seeing this film, tell us a little bit more about why it might qualify as a good bad movie. Some of the things that make Volcano a good bad movie are the fact that the main cast, while other people are catching fire, exploding, melting before the main cast barely breaks the sweat. Even though they are the closest to the lava and Haysh and Tommy Lee Jones are more or less just fine, even when they're hanging just mere feet above a lava flow. It's things like this that are good bad gold, honestly. OK, so it's very watchable, it's highly unrealistic. What makes it bad, what makes it the bad part of the good bad of Volcano? Yeah, I usually try to kind of identify one element in all these movies that really is bad. And in Volcano, that is the fact that they try to tie in this metaphor of racial tension in Los Angeles in the 1990s, make the Volcano a metaphor for that. There's a mention of Rodney King, there's a child who is at the end while everyone is covered in ash, realizes that he's color blind because everyone's the same color. Extremely cringey, whoof, he's definitely not necessary to the plot. So basically, this film decided it had to be about more than just a volcano erupting in Los Angeles and in your estimation did not pull that off particularly well. Exactly that. The elephant in the room here I feel like is also the fact that who gets to define what is good. Movie is broadly popular, does that not mean that it's good, does it, is it only good if it wins an Oscar, is it only good if the crit, I mean, this is like an argument as old as time a little bit. So it's sort of interesting to think about who gets to define what even makes a movie good to begin with. I think what I love about these choices and getting to kind of elevate these movies is because when we talk about a lot of movies that are obviously wonderful cinema, great films, you know, they get a lot of attention and as they should. And then, you know, we give a lot of attention to movies that flop epically. But there's this really rich middle and this series kind of does service to that middle because whether these movies were blockbusters and some of them were and whether they were complete flops in every sense of the word, they've managed to remain relevant and a lot of them have like universal name recognition. But even if you've never watched them, you're aware of it, they really worked their way into the pop culture as I guys. And also, people still want to talk about them, right? I have to confess to you, when we were even discussing your series here on the daily, inevitably every single discussion we had turned into producers, editors, hosts, everybody wanted to talk about their favorite movie that might not necessarily be considered good, but that they loved. I wonder what you make of that, that reaction that your series has instilled. I love that question and I love that this has done that, you know, we're living in a time where there's really no monoculture. So there is something really nostalgic and satisfying about getting to have sort of these water cooler conversations that were common once upon a time. How often these days do we talk to somebody and then they ask, have you seen the show? Have you seen this film and not only haven't you seen it, you maybe have never even heard of it. Especially, even me and people in our desk who live in brief television and film encounter that, and that really is a sign of how our pop culture consumption has fragmented. But I think with these good bad movies, I think what they are is the opportunity to banter, the opportunity to have these debates, low stakes debates, because these movies are low stakes. [BLANK_AUDIO] It is fun to get the opportunity to do that. And it's also fun to say, why don't you fight me on it a little bit? Why don't we have this push and pull for something that doesn't really matter all that much? - Okay, I really wanna lean into that idea that we should all be having sort of low stakes fights with other people that somehow that is edifying to our souls. So after the break, that's exactly what we're gonna do. We've grabbed a couple more of our esteemed colleagues, both culture writers. We've asked each of them to pick their most beloved good-bad movie of all time, and we'll have some good, bad, low stakes debate about it. - Let's do that. That sounds so fun. - Okay, we are back. Maya, welcome back. I have assembled all of you here today for a low stakes debate. We have Maya Salam. - We're ready to fight playfully. - I've also got Gilbert Cruz, the Times' new Canon editor, which means that Gilbert is in charge of thinking about great books, great TV shows, great movies, also former books and culture editor. - Great show, thanks for having me. - And we have Taffy, "Broadessor Actor", a novelist, and a writer for the Times Magazine. Taffy, thank you for being here. - It's great to be here. Thank you for having me. - How's everybody feeling today? - Good bad. - Great, I'm confused by you calling it low stakes. - I agree, this is pretty high stakes. - Okay, okay, Maya, you're the one that came up with the low stakes debate idea. Do you want to explain? - What I mean about that is what makes a lot of these good bad movies fun is that they are meant to be watched and to be bantered about, to have funny comments, to watch not so quietly. - Taffy, does that satisfy your question? - I guess so. - A reasonable people can disagree. - I think the thing with Taffy is it's impossible for her to ever talk about movies in a low stakes way. Even if she's talking about a good bad movie, a good movie, a bad movie. - Well, that is slightly terrifying, 'cause. - Okay, okay, Gilbert and Taffy, you are both movie lovers. Are you good bad movie lovers? Are they part of your diet? Is this a topic that you have thought about before? Taffy, let's start with you. - I mean, I feel I have been fighting my whole life to say that if it's good, it's good, and it doesn't matter what it's provenance or it's vintage is, and it doesn't matter, I don't care where a movie went to school. I care that it made me feel something and that it's memorable and that it sort of changes my metabolism and that it locks me in. - You don't care that a movie had a good pedigree. - Yeah. - Gilbert, would you agree with that? - Not really, I think there are good things in this world. I think there are bad things in this world. I think there are good movies and there are bad movies. The way in which those two things come together in the good bad movie is it's something, I think to me, it's points that you find yourself drawn to again and again, even as you are able to identify parts of it that are bad, whether it's the script or the cinematography or the music or various performances can be genuinely bad, in my opinion. However, those are balanced out by other parts of the movie that are so compelling to you that you find yourself, whether because of nostalgia reasons or what have you watching something over and over again. There are many movies that I love and I love them because I think they're genuinely good. However, some of the movies we're going to talk about today are in a different category. I think it's okay for them to be in a different category. - You guys are making the distinction, this sort of distinction as old as Hollywood itself between a movie that is good because we can appreciate that it is good on paper, it is cinematically good, it is, you can see the craft and a movie that is good because you like it. Are we allowed to call movies good just because they are enjoyable and perhaps even popular? - I say yes, but it seems like Gilbert says no. - I think, Taffy, if I said to you, what is the difference between Michael Clayton, one of your favorite movies, which is a good movie, capital G, good movie, and one or two of the movies that you're going to talk about in a few minutes, I think you would put them in different categories perhaps. - You know what, that's a very good question. When we started talking about this, I was thinking again about the proponents of even the discussion and I wondered how everybody else shows their movies since in the vast canon, lowercase C of movies. To me, this was a crushing assignment. - You're raising a good point, which is we should talk about the criteria that you guys are using to define good bad. And Maya, since this is your project, you wanna get, let's run your theory of the case by Gilbert and Taffy and see what they think. - Okay, and there are no wrong answers to this question in my opinion. - We'll tell you if that's true. - We'll see about that. (laughing) - And I do think this conversation about the philosophy of what good means, what bad means, and what good bad means, this is really the point, the conversation that's happening right now. So while they are called good bad, and the way that we break it down is, what makes this movie good? It's actual redeemable qualities. What makes it bad? It's irredeemable qualities. And what makes it good bad, which is the silly, the fun, the completely over the top, you know, maybe it's the corny special effects, the cringey puns, the overacting. It gets to a point where they all loop back into virtues and make the movie what it is. - Gilbert Cannon editor, what do you think? - I, you know, I agree more with Maya than I disagree. I mean, I recently was on vacation and we threw on point break, because the end of the film was filmed near where we were vacationing in Oregon. And I love that movie. I've seen it many times. It has some of the best action scenes that were filmed in the '90s. And then you have Keanu Reeves' line deliveries that are not good. You cannot look at Keanu Reeves and I-M-F-B-I-A-G-N-O-M-N-O-M-O-M-O-M-O-M-O-M. And feel like that was the right take. Like surely there were a couple more takes. Yet the movie is eminently rewatchable, quite amazing in certain parts, even though there are these elements that you can identify as just not great. I can watch a great movie, a Chinatown, a there will be blood and say, I actually, no notes. I don't see a lot that I would quibble with, go with God. But you can always find something in a good, bad movie. That you can make fun of. And when you're watching it in the group, everyone laughs at the same time because it's so dumb. - Exactly that. - I think there's something to be teased out about for each individual person, how much their idea of a good, bad movie is attached to nostalgia in some way. I encounter this when I was younger, when I was a teenager, what have you. I've seen it many, many, many times, whether because for those of a certain age, it was on cable or I had played the DVD over and over again in college. There's a way in which familiarity sort of breathes that affection for a film. - I think a lot of people, when they think of their favorite good, bad movie, there's a good chance that it might be something that they watched, I don't know, as a teenager on their first date, at the summer where they met their first love, like something that just reminds you of a period of time that maybe is frozen in amber in your mind, along with the feeling. And that, to me, is a key ingredient when a lot of people try to think of like what their favorite good, bad movie is, is how it makes them feel, or how they remember it making them feel. - That's how I feel. When I was telling my family why I was watching this movie, I didn't tell them why I was watching this movie. I told them that when I was 17 and had a driver's license, the first thing I did, the first time I drove alone, was I went to the UA in Sheep's Head Bay because they were playing this movie and I, and I was, maybe there were three other people in the theater and I couldn't believe it. I loved it and you can't take that away. When I was just watching it again this morning, I was in Sheep's Head Bay again. And I think as funny as despite all the playful headbutting, we do agree at the end of the day. We do pretty much agree. - You're such a peacemaker, Maya. - Okay, and on that lovely and civilized note, let's say another quick break, when we come back, we are going to talk about the good, bad movies that each of you brought here today for our low stakes, maybe to some high stakes debate. We'll be right back. All right, now I wanna hear everybody's pick for their favorite good, bad movie, Maya. This is your project, so why don't you go first? - It is actually quite difficult to pick my favorite good, bad movie. I decided that I'm gonna go with Greece too. Michelle Fiverr, chomping on a piece of gum in so many different ways, and probably the gum deserved an end credit, to be honest. - Here she is, well, it's gonna be late. Let's go. - Okay, okay, so give us a brief synopsis of Greece too for those of us who might have only seen Greece one. Yeah, so in Grease 2 had first of all twice the budget of Grease 1, it came out in 1982, about four years after the original, which was a blockbuster, cultural phenomenon, critical darling. Grease 2 comes out, released the same day as ET, so you can see how that probably went for Grease 2, but it has become truly a camp classic. Michelle Fiverr's first lead role, and she is the disenchanted leader of the pink ladies. She meets this babe and a half on a motorcycle, Maxwell Caulfield, also giving us a little Superman, half-dork, half superhero. You're a really smart guy, you know that? You must think I'm some kind of dummy, huh? Actually, I think you're kind of terrific. Get out. But there is musical numbers you couldn't believe, it's extremely raunchy, so many sexual innuendos, and just shape the lives of millions, I promise you. Okay, look, look, look. I mean, this just sounds like a good, good movie to me, but I know. What are we doing here? Why don't we drill down? What makes this movie specifically a good bad movie to you, Maya? Trust me, this is not just a good movie, I need to watch it. It is the corneous, the cheesiest. Is there like a specific scene or a line that really kind of encapsulates the good, bad quality of Grease 2? What's the final score? Final score happens later tonight. Truly, the most rebellious thing that these kids in Grease 2 do is go bowling. That's so quaint. And they are so excited about this bowling alley. So this is a big number, not only do you have the entire main cast, the bowling alley is filled with quote-unquote teenagers who all look like they're about 40. This is an earworm, the movie is full of earworms, but they are so corny and cheesy and horny. I didn't understand how horny this movie was, it is so horny that somehow they make bowling the Olympically unsexy sport, sexy. They certainly try, bowling contains multitudes. There are a lot of puns with pins, okay? It is over the top in every conceivable way, which is again, good, bad, gold. But also imagine that you're trying to make Grease 2. It's already so iconic. It's possible you just freeze and you're like, you can't do it. And so it's very true. I have sympathy. I have sympathy. And I think it's earnestness, but I think it's also like desperation. Can I just tell you this before we go to Taffy, I assume, it's next. The weekend it came out, the movies that were also out this weekend in the movie theater were ET, Star Trek 2, Rocky 3, and Polterguest. Grease 2 had no chance. No chance. Gilbert, let's go to you next. I want to know about your favorite good, bad movie. What did you bring us here to chew on today? Boy, I really was on the knife-sedge here, not sure which of the two movies that I watched last night when I definitely should have been doing real work. I was going to talk about here. The first movie I watched, which is not the movie I'm going to talk about, is 1995's Congo, which I look forward to doing an entire separate podcast, Rachel with you about. Yep, great. So that's why Solar Monster Diamonds were never found. The myth of the killer is true. I can't believe it. But the actual movie is 1995's Hackers. Hackers is a film about a group of teenagers who are living in New York and they are hackers. They are trying to break into mainframes and mess around with the phone company. Man, there's too many garbage files. I need more time. And in doing all this, they get on the wrong side of a corporation who sort of seeks the law on them. Games over. Last chance to get out of this without a prison sentence. You're not good enough. So that's the plot of the film, but that's not why I love this movie. Gilbert, why do you love this movie? It is, and this is a word that is overused, so I'm sorry I'm using it. But it is the definition to me of like a vibes forward movie. My own make. I call this the greatest zooks out, featuring artists like like some Hendrix on there, some Joblin, Mama Cass, Berushi, all great artists that are fixated on their own vomit. The vibes come at you very frontally. And the movie ends up being about the costumes. It ends up being about the music. It ends up being about all of the rollerblading scenes. It just ends up being about all of the things that make the feel of the movie as opposed to the actual detail, like the plot details of the movie. That's a nice score for a girl. Thank you. Can you do better? I cannot adequately describe, maybe my account, the way the kids dress in this movie. The cyberpunk fashion really holds up. I feel like you can see it on a runway now. For Burning Man. For Burning Man. Absolutely. There's all shades of lume and all the metallics. The fits are good. I mean the actual fit. They fit well. They are so cool. And feel like kind of the future even now. I don't know. There's a, you know, all these movies are often time capsules. But none are really time capsule, like hackers. It is like series show me 1995, like just all the components of it. Just build it. There is a scene when Matthew Lillard, whose performance in this film, I think is number one for me. I could just watch his scenes and be happy if there's a YouTube super cut that exists of just his stuff in this film. And he's sitting in Washington Square Park watching some old guys play chess. And something beeps and he looks down and says beeper. Yo, I'm blowing up. It's Kate Grand Central. Let's hit it. And then he starts to rollerblade up towards Grand Central Station while a song by the Prodigy Place. And it is at this moment when I just, you know, I leave my body as they say. And I am, I am in good bad nerve on it. There's a lot of stuff that is so dumb. The way that we thought about quote hacking and the way we thought about presenting computers on film was visualizations of like math equations. And you see a person just typing frantically at a computer and then flashes of electricity are going before their eyes. It was this way in which we didn't really understand yet what the internet was going to be. And therefore did not know how to represent it. And therefore could only represent it in the dumbest looking way possible. I call it flying through cyberspace visuals. Definitely. There's so much swooping through like towers of code. Are you saying that that's not how computers work? Rachel's definitely how computers work. I don't know why I suggested otherwise. But when this when hackers came out, do you remember was it considered instantly good bad or was it considered instantly bad bad? I think it was considered bad at the time. And one of the things that maybe we haven't discussed is how it's possible that there needs to be some distance for something to reach this state of film that we are generally talking about here. That a lot of times something can come out and pesky kickkeepers, the critics can say something is bad and yet given a little time or a little distance, it grows a fandom, it grows a cults or people just understand actually this is this is just a good time and I can just have a good time with it. Or you look back and realize that it had something that you took for granted in the moment. Like hackers now stands as a sort of museum piece of to show my teenage children and say this is what we thought computers would do. This is like, this is what we thought it was going to, sorry, this is what we thought it was going to be like. This is the end, my friend. Thank you for calling. Hack the planet. Hack the planet. Okay, last but not least, Taffy, you are up. Okay, here were the contenders. Okay. Armageddon. - Limitless? - I see a limit call. - Conair? - Put. the money back in the box. - Bring it on. - Courtney, this is not a democracy, it's a cheerocracy. - And the answer was, is that for him, ready? - I'm ready. I went with face-off. - I'd like to take his face off, off, off, off, off. - Face-off decides that if it commits to the bit enough, you will go with it. This is so crazy. And yet, it doesn't take itself seriously, exactly. It's more than it takes itself as legitimate. - Okay. - But you were in a coma? Nothing like having your face cut off to disturb your sleep. Were you the news paper? - Tell us what it's about, tell us what it's about. - I will tell you what face-off is in as much as I can because it's a little confusing. Archer and FBI agent is very uptight and played by John Travolta. We open up Kisana Carousel and a sniper played by Nicholas Cage. Shoots him, but it goes right through John Travolta and hits his son, his son dies. Archer, the FBI agent, years later, he has a chance at getting back the assassin. - Caster Troy. - Wait, we still got no sign of Caster. - Polish doesn't fly with a big brother now. Come on. - A thing to know is that he's just a 90s Arab bad guy. You don't even need to explain that, Archer. - You're not having any fun, are you, Sean? Why don't you come with us? - Try terrorism for harm. - This only solution years later is for Nicholas Cage to have his face removed and penance to John Travolta's face, which of course has been preemptively removed. - And they switched face off. - They actually do that in the movies. - Is that where that name comes from? - The outside exactly like Troy's, then we fit his face on top, not a replica of the real thing. Then we simply connect the muscles to your doctor's center. - Listen guys, they're science, they're science. - The procedure's completely reversible. - Do you think that I want to do this? - I know I'm not being coherent, but if I promise the listener, I'm being 20 times more coherent than the movie. - That's what I do. - What if you can't? - The bomb will blow and Caster Troy will win. - There is so much slow motion in this movie. There are so many operatic sequences including opera sequences. There is, it is shot like a music video in the style of the action that plays out on a monitor during karaoke. This is not a good bad movie. This is a great bad movie. - Face off is just wackado. It's stars one of the prime movers in the good bad movie space, Nicholas Cage, giving quite a balls to the wall performance. It is, and it's directed by John Wu, who's sort of like a genuinely good director, who somehow has still made some incredibly good bad movies. I agree with Taffy. I don't always agree with Taffy. I make it a point to disagree with her as much as possible, but I think in this case, she's right. - You know, the thing I remember most about Face off, I was 10 years old when it came out, and I just remember I was so upset, it was rated R, and I was not allowed to see it. - Oh my God, I was trying to see it today. - Rachel, have you seen it since? - No, I haven't, and I really wanted to walk away from this episode with at least one good bad movie that I must watch tonight. - That might have to be it. - Guys, do we all agree that this is what Rachel has to watch? - Nice try. - Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize Gilbert was gonna get cute again. (laughing) I think it's Face off because I think that Face off, even more than hackers is a time capsule of not just what the '90s looked like, and not just what our point of view was, but what we are missing now, which is Bonkers movies. This came out within days of Con Air, which was another candidate for this episode. Guys, we used to make movies. We used to make movies hoping we could make something for everyone, and it's sort of like a tragedy that we don't anymore. And that's why you should watch Face off. I made my case. - Okay, she rests, ladies and gentlemen, if she rests her case, or rests my case. - I have to definitely gonna say Face off is the one for you to watch tonight. I will warn you that the word peach is used as a sexual euphemism, not once, not twice, by three times when it is caged. And also it has multiple endings. You've reached a climax. You think this movie is ended. Wow, what a big shootout scene, but it is not the end. There are at least three endings that any one of them would have made a fine ending, but we get all three. - Two faces, three endings, who can ask for anything more? Gilbert, if you don't think I should watch Face off, what do you think I should watch? - No, I just said that to be contrary, 'cause I'm annoying. - 'Cause the fan and editor, we're just gonna keep saying that. - Taffy? Taffy is correct. - Face off. And I'm gonna go watch that tonight. So thank you, all three of you. Gilbert Cruz, Taffy, Burtesser, Ackner, and Maya Salam for doing this with me today. - I think for all of us, when I say it was our privilege, except for Gilbert, who speaks for himself, and for everyone else. (laughing) - Thank you, Rachel. - Hold you in the locked and ready. Follow Archie Sleeve. - They took and switched. - What? - It's like looking in a mirror, only not. - Plan B. - Let's just kill each other. - Listeners, I did watch it. I watched Face off. I watched as much of it as I could stomach. My official take is that it is just bad. - Whee! (laughing) - Think you're mad, think you're mad, think you're mad, think you're mad, think you're mad, think you're mad, think you're mad. (upbeat music) We hope you enjoyed this conversation, but maybe you think we are wrong about these movies. Maybe you think Face off is a good, good movie. Well, arguing is half the fun. And you can argue with us in the comments of this episode, tell us your favorite good, bad movie. You can find us at nytimes.com/thedaly. This episode was produced by Alex Barantina Antelini and Lane of Richards. It was edited by Wendy Door and engineered by Rowan Nemisto, production assistants from Dahlia Haddad. It features original music by Dan Powell and Mary and Luzano. That's it for the Sunday Daily. I'm Rachel Abrams. See you tomorrow. (upbeat music)

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. The episode explores the concept of "good bad movies" — films that are critically flawed but highly beloved and rewatchable due to their absurdity, nostalgia, and emotional resonance.
  2. Examples include *Grease 2* for its over-the-top cheesiness and sexual innuendos, *Hackers* for its iconic 1990s cyberpunk aesthetic and cultural time capsule status, and *Face Off* for its surreal, operatic style and face-switching plot.
  3. The discussion highlights how personal memory, nostalgia, and shared cultural experiences make these films emotionally significant, even if they lack cinematic excellence or critical acclaim.

Summary:

The episode delves into the phenomenon of "good bad movies" — films that are widely regarded as poor in technical or critical terms yet remain deeply beloved and rewatchable due to their absurdity, nostalgia, and emotional impact. Host Rachel Abrams interviews colleagues Maya Salam, Gilbert Cruz, and Taffy Brodessa to discuss their personal favorite such films. Maya champions *Grease 2* for its over-the-top musical numbers and corny humor, while Gilbert praises *Hackers* for its vivid 1990s cyberpunk style and cultural significance.

Taffy champions *Face Off*, a surreal, action-packed film with a face-switching plot, which she sees as a time capsule of 1990s pop culture and a symbol of a bygone era of bold, unapologetic filmmaking. The conversation emphasizes that the appeal of these movies lies not in artistic merit but in their emotional resonance, shared memories, and the fun of low-stakes debate. Ultimately, the episode argues that these films represent a vital part of pop culture, offering entertainment and connection in a fragmented media landscape.

The hosts conclude by encouraging listeners to engage in debate, noting that the joy of discussing such films lies in the playful disagreement and shared affection for what critics might label as "bad" cinema.

FAQs

A 'good bad movie' is a film that is widely seen as poor in quality or has obvious flaws, yet remains highly enjoyable, rewatchable, and emotionally resonant with audiences. It often features absurd elements, over-the-top performances, or cringey aspects, but still holds a special place in pop culture due to its nostalgic value or infectious humor.

According to Maya Salam, a movie qualifies as good bad if it has at least one absurd or over-the-top element and is highly watchable and rewatchable. While not great cinema, these films are beloved because they evoke strong personal memories and feelings, making them deeply enjoyable despite their flaws.

Volcano is considered a good bad movie because of its absurdity—such as main characters remaining unscathed while others are exposed to lava—and its over-the-top action. Despite its poor handling of a politically charged metaphor about racial tension, it remains entertaining and highly rewatchable.

One example discussed is *Grease 2*, which is praised for its corny humor, raunchy content, and over-the-top musical numbers. Its cheesy bowling scene and excessive innuendos make it a classic example of a film that is widely enjoyed despite poor critical reception.

Hackers is considered a good bad movie because of its vivid 1990s cyberpunk aesthetics, iconic fashion, and memorable rollerblading scenes. Though the plot is weak and the concept of hacking was visually inaccurate, the film's vibe, music, and style have made it a cult favorite and a time capsule of early internet culture.

Face Off is considered a good bad movie due to its bizarre premise, operatic sequences, and over-the-top stunts. It's widely seen as a 'wackadoo' film with multiple endings and a surreal plot, yet it remains popular as a nostalgic tribute to 1990s action cinema and the era's willingness to embrace absurdity.

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