comment #1

actionman says ...

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Two of my favorite titles of all time. And two great films.

The Shawshank Redemption is a film that comes to mind when thinking about a movie with a certain degree of quality while having a terrible title. I am not sure what else you could have called that film, but my guess is that the title didn't help the studio when it came to box office returns.

comment #2

Rich S. says ...

I always loved They Shoot Horses, Don't They? A movie about....marathon ballroom dancing.

comment #3

drbob says ...

"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" sounds a little too high brow for a light hearted comedy. And, I would guess that less than 1% of the poplulation understood the Preston Sturges reference - so what's the point.

comment #4

le corbeau says ...

So a not so great remake of High Sierra gets I Died a Thousand Times... and one that actually improves on it in some ways gets stuck with the utterly generic Colorado Territory.

comment #5

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

As much as it is part of my cherished childhood, when you stop and think about it STAR WARS is pretty cheesy. I can still hear the disdain in my father's voice whenever he would say it in relation to my various paraphernalia related to the film.

comment #6

R. Hunt says ...

"The Shawshank Redemption" would have been even worse if they had kept the story's original title: "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"...

And am alone in being put off by the unnecessarily wordy titles of "Pecious Based on the Novel by Sapphire" and "The Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans"?

comment #7

Rich S. says ...

On the noir front, I always liked 20,000 Years in Sing Sing. You'd have to be one bad mofo to get a sentence like that. A bad mofo like Spencer Tracy.

comment #8

Floyd Thursby says ...

Best title ever for a mediocre film: Kiss the Blood Off My Hands.

comment #9

Sean says ...

SHAWSHANK and THE HUDSUCKER PROXY were the same year, prompting more than one "think piece" about "bad" move titles. I think those're both great. Suppose SHAWSHANK had been titled, per Rich, 20,000 YEARS IN SHAWSHANK or something memorable but not uselessly vague. Or suppose it had been something uselessly vague like AGAINST ALL ODDS (which is what the OUT OF THE PAST remake was saddled with). It's a lose-lose. But a Shawshank sounds like something you don't want, and if that movie has anything to sell, it's redemption.

"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" sounds a little too high brow for a light hearted comedy. And, I would guess that less than 1% of the poplulation understood the Preston Sturges reference - so what's the point.

Bob, the movie's credits also purport it to be adapted from Homer. The highfalutinness is one of the jokes, that's the point.

comment #10

Sean says ...

In fact, let's make it a trifecta for the Coens with the improbably title for a serial killer movie, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

comment #11

btwnproductions says ...

I DIED has been available from the Warner Archive since September.

comment #12

thebuddha says ...

Great Title, Awful Film:
Death to Smoochy
Lord of War

Awful Title, Great Film:
Shawshank Redemption
Mysterious Skin
The Prestige

Know I will think of more later

comment #13

Mark says ...

The Sixth Sense = terribly generic title/respected film.

Bruce Willis has a thing though for shitty titles: Striking Distance, Perfect Stranger, Mercury Rising, Tears of The Sun, The Story Of Us, Lucky Number Slevin, Mortal Thoughts, Color of Night, Look Who's Talking Too. (JK. LWTT is a fairly great title.)

There Will Be Blood is a great title, but doesn't agree IMO.

comment #14

drbob says ...

"The highfalutinness is one of the jokes, that's the point."

I know, I get it. But, the fact is the title and the highfalutinness didn't do the film's box office any favors. It did well mainly because the soundtrack caught fire.

comment #15

Chris Willman says ...

"I Died a Thousand Times" is not nearly as good as its title... but what could be? If memory serves (and I'll admit, it's been a while), it's still pretty good. I think I first saw it in Drew Caspar's noir class at USC, and Caspar wouldn't have been showing it if it were worthless. The main problem is the casting of Shelley Winters as an object of desire, but it's not fatal. Some great widescreen lensing.

drbob: Not everyone thinks a movie title should serve only to heighten its box office potential.

comment #16

Jean says ...

Dare I say - The Hurt Locker? I love the title, but it certainly didn't help the film's cause at the box office. I've brought the film up in conversations (with people who are actually pretty damned intelligent) only to get blank stares in return ("Huh?" "What's that, a sports movie?").

comment #17

Gaydos says ...

I said it at the time and still believe it: "Reservoir Dogs" is the one of stupidest titles (commercially speaking) of all time. I think the fact that this entertaining, landmark film only did $2.8 million theatrically proves my point. Imagine folks talking about going out to the movies and facing that conundrum.

comment #18

Eloi Manning says ...

I love Ben Affleck's short film's title:

"I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney"

comment #19

Mark says ...

$3M for Reservoir Dogs is actually pretty good. Cost $1M to make, and only distributed to maybe 60 theaters. This year's Bronson would have loved to sniff $3M in 2009 dollars.

comment #20

Terry McCarty says ...

Gaydos wrote:

I said it at the time and still believe it: "Reservoir Dogs" is the one of stupidest titles (commercially speaking) of all time. I think the fact that this entertaining, landmark film only did $2.8 million theatrically proves my point. Imagine folks talking about going out to the movies and facing that conundrum.

Saw it at the original AMC Century City in 1992. Regardless of the title, people weren't ready for Tarantino at that time.

comment #21

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

"8 Million Ways to Die" -- very entertaining film, but as much as I love the title, it didn't help it much at the box office.

comment #22

Josh Massey says ...

Twenty years later, Return to Snowy River Part II: The Legend Continues still annoys me (It's nonsensical. Either name it Return to Snowy River or The Man From Snowy River Part II).

Also, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.

comment #23

crazynine says ...

"Regardless of the title, people weren't ready for Tarantino at that time."

And some people never are-- I'm guessing he'll be along soon enough (it's like throwing the Batsignal for morons up).

Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead-- interesting title, lousy movie.

Snatch-- awful title, good flick.

Lakeview Terrace-- HORRIBLE title, good flick.

The Hudsucker Proxy. 'Nuff said.

Dr. T and the Women needed Mr. T to be entertaining.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a great title, lousy film.

The Constant Gardener and Million Dollar Baby. Huh?

Brokeback Mountain was a terrible title for a good film, for obvious reasons (anything else would have garnered a lot fewer snickers).

Pretty much every Bond film has an awful title independent of the quality of the movie.

... and finally: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

comment #24

Gaydos says ...

Mark: We both have 20/20 hindsight. I still think it should have done better in theaters. In comparison, "Orlando" did twice the business around the same time on a similiarly skimpy budget.

But that's hardly a socko title either!

Then there are movies that did great business BECAUSE of the title. I'm sure "La Dolce Vita" and "Never On Sunday" made money because of what those titles suggested you would experience in the theater.

Maybe "Nine" should have been retitled "More Mistresses Than a Golf Champion Can Handle."

comment #25

Jude-the-Obtuse says ...

(As an aside, great alt title for a great movie: Build My Gallows High, aka Out of The Past)

Great Title, Lousy Movie:
The Mephisto Waltz
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Tears Of The Sun

Great Movie, Lousy Title:
City of Industry
Blow
Bulworth
Tucker: The Man & His Dream

comment #26

Charlie Meadows says ...

I still stand by The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed Up Zombies. Ah, Ray Dennis Strickler! Between that and Rat Fink A Boo Boo, you are the king of unbelievable movie titles!

comment #27

raygo says ...

The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea

comment #28

raygo says ...

And ... (a Sarah Miles double feature) ... The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing

comment #29

Nick X says ...

Taxi Driver is a dull, lame title for a great film.

Boogie Nights is a silly, stupid title for a great film.

comment #30

lipranzer says ...

Silly movie, great title: ITTY BITTY TITTY COMMITTEE.

comment #31

Gaydos says ...

Ear of the Beholder: When I was a little boy in Sunday school and they were distributing tickets for screenings of "The Ten Commandments," I got excited because thought it was a war movie.

This tells you oodles about my lifelong priorities, both as a film fan and as a Catholic.

PS: Is it only people who work at Variety who know the theory about movie titles with gerunds usually failing????

For every "Saving Private Ryan" there are a thousand "Julie Walking Home's."

comment #32

arturobandini2 says ...

Lousiest title for a lousy movie: Phffft

Awesomest title for an awesome movie: Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August

comment #33

Circumvrent says ...

David Mamet's new play on Broadway is called simply, Race. His last two films were Spartan and Redbelt. That guy can't come up with a title to save his life, though I do love the evocativeness of Glengarry Glen Ross.

I've always disliked Out of Sight as a title; I realize it's from a source novel, and I get the mood/feel It's trying to get across, but there was a better title out there, I just know it. It's especially funny coming from Soderbergh, who always has great titles.

It's a lousy film too, but The Happening is pretty fucking lousy title.

comment #34

dangovich says ...

Half Past Dead--great noir/western title wasted on a Seagall movie.

comment #35

701 says ...

It's a terrible movie, but I've always thought that FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! had pretty much the best title ever.

How could you NOT want to see what that was all about?

comment #36

frankbooth says ...

Some Guy With a Strange Face is Looking For You to Kill You is one of my favorite titles ever. Never saw the film, which in all probability sucks. But what a title! Leave it to the Italians.

comment #37

frankbooth says ...

I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned The China Syndrome or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Both of these titles had to be explained to audiences prior to the respective films' releases.

comment #38

DeeZee says ...

"Never Too Young To Die". Doesn't even come close to describing the "brilliance" of that film. And I guess Shock Treatment.

comment #39

DeeZee says ...

Oh, yeah, and where the fuck was the Kingdom in Indy 4?

comment #40

Noah Cross says ...

"The End of the World in Our Usual Beds in a Night Full of Rains" was always my charades pick.

comment #41

Gordon27 says ...

40 comments and nobody mentions two of the greatest titles ever:
'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' - it tells you nothing, and yet, it tells you everything
'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' - a title so evocative that the movie doesn't even need to be exceptionally gory. (Patton Oswalt has a great routine citing this as the best title ever)

I swear, though, I have a friend who works at a movie theater that told me that, when the remake came out, somebody was looking at the marquee and asked him in all seriousness, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre... so, what's that movie about?"

comment #42

PrisonJake says ...

My favorite movie subtitle always has been and shall be 'The Wrath of Khan.'

'Gods and Monsters' is an epic title for such a tight character drama.

comment #43

Bob Violence says ...

"Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend" is such a great title that the movie (which I actually have a small soft spot for) can't possibly hope to live up to it

comment #44

Mr. Buckles says ...

What is up with you people, I leave the message boards for a little while and you trash the house.

The Hudsucker Proxy is not a bad title - it fits the material beautifully. It plays on the concept and parlance of corporate management and uses a name that feels true in a goofball way to the time period. Realize and don't make me pull your cards.

No Country For Old Me? Some of you (SEAN) are slamming that? I want what you are smoking b/c you are high. A) That's the name of the novel it is based on - not the Coens title (you don't mess w/ Cormac McCarthy, B) the titles kicks 100% ass - don't even need to account for taste.

COOL TITLES, BAD FILMS
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - kind of cool pulp title never saw it but heard not so terrific things

From Dusk Till Dawn - can't defend this dreck, directing is totally hamfisted..

Johnny Mnenomic (Keanu gets even w/ A Scanner Darkly)

Vantage Point - awful, awful, awful even if free on cable

BAD TITLE, COOL FILM

Star Wars - agreed. If they were releasing Ocean Wars no one would scream "Classic sounding!"

Ulee's Gold - what a head fake of a title that is.

The Weather Man

Wonder Boys - let's face it, this title sucks but a sensational movie and book. I guess I should take this up w/ Chabon.

comment #45

raygo says ...

Some titles are meant to evoke conversation ... hence this thread. Doesn't make them all bad or stupid.

comment #46

Gaydos says ...

And the winner for greatest title of all time:

Werner Herzog for "Even Dwarfs Started Small."

comment #47

le corbeau says ...

Two titles i can remember actually getting laughs (derisive) as their trailers played:

Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
(what's the sequel going to be, Farto?)

The Last of the Dogmen (serious-looking western suddenly conjures up images of guys with beagle heads and floppy ears)

comment #48

le corbeau says ...

"Taxi Driver is a dull, lame title for a great film."

Naah, it's stark and simple, which is powerful. Martin Amis had a little thing on this once, you can tell which are Joseph Heller's important books because Catch-22 and Something Happened sound important, and Good as Gold doesn't.

comment #49

daleanne says ...

those are really cheesy titles! I wonder if the movie is as cheesy as its title...
Grants For New Business

comment #50

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comment #51

juliechen says ...

"I died a thousand deaths" probably won the Most Cheesiest Title Ever!
note, Most & Cheesiest was on purpose
Julie fettverbrennungsofen

comment #52

sunny80 says ...

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