Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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| Image by Tumisu from Pixabay |
Talk is cheap but speech is free.
What a bombshell discovery.
It's the one in which you and you alone, as well as everyone else, can choose the topic of debate.
Therefore, make sure to register that topic in the comments section below, before it's too late and we're forced, by time, to move on to contemplating the contents of Captain Britain's third issue in our Thursday post.
What’s in your Academy Of The Overrated? Books, comics, films, music, whatever - and why?
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter - the appeal's lost on me. To me, all the characters require a good slap! Comics with Beta-ray Bill. His head resembles a sheep. ( To SDC members who are B-r B fans - my apologies. ) Emily Blunt films - I think she's a poor actress. Oasis & the Spice Girls - neither were to my taste. I hate most modern stuff - so could easily think of others!
ReplyDeletePhillip
Great subject to annoy folk with Matthew lol
ReplyDeleteComics. The Death of Superman. This was a great opportunity to expand interest in comics but the tale was a series of poster pages rather than focusing on an important story.
Killing Joke. Fantastic art and a good story but basically it was just a normal Batman tale .
Books
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho. Reviews of this books heralded it as a deep coming of age classic. It was in fact a pretty basic tale ( albeit well written) I got the ending 10 pages in
Catcher in the Rye - Salinger - Another hyped up book with a really annoying protagonist in Holden Caulfield.
Movies.
Ok I may lose my fanboy/geek status here but the first 3 Star Wars movies are so overrated , they are enjoyable movies with great characters but the storyline has been done previously
Music.
Ok Charlies not going to like this but Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is simply not the best album ever, it's not even the Beatles best album ( Abbey Road?) I love the Beatles but Sgt Peppers is inconsistent and has so many filler tracks . A day in the Life is a classic but for me that's it.
Pet Sounds. Beach Boys. I like the BBs but this is another over hyped album a couple of stand outs the rest are skips.
Spice Girl. Seriously bland. Girl power my bahookie .
I'll get my coat.
My list begins and ends with the first MATRIX Movie. Nothing comes anywhere close to that, for me.
ReplyDeleteb.t.
Over rated vs. hated ( Like Conway killing Gwen). I don’t think anyone has ever acclaimed amazing Spider-Man 122 and 123 as excellent and thus possibly overrated. Thus I only hate it or them so I will not discuss that.
ReplyDeleteMatthew, thanks for the topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with McScotty about the original Star Wars films being overrated and about Pet Sounds but not about Sgt Pepper.
I also agree with b.t. about The Matrix.
When it comes to novels, I found Wuthering Heights totally unengaging,
The Brothers In Arms album by Dire Straits. A huge comedown after Love Over Gold and the live album that came after that.
ReplyDeleteOnly Fools And Horses. Sickly and full of cheese. Just like everyone watching it on Christmas day after the queen's speech.
Champagne. Alcoholic drinks should be a treat, not a chore.
Celebrations. Because mini mars bars and bounties are mars bars and bounties, not chocolates.
Ironed t-shirts. Yes, I can tell the difference, but the difference isn't worth the time investment.
Smartphones. Nice to have a camera and FB messenger but what else do you need when out and about? I watch the telly, play Championship Manager, write my blog, mess with my investments and surf the netbook the sofa, so do all these on the iPad.
netbook —-> net on
DeleteSeems like all the Cool People think RUBBER SOUL is better than SGT. PEPPER these days. I dunno — I like em both.
ReplyDeleteb.t.
Off topic but Charlie thinks Revolver and Abbey Road are best. Sgt Pepper over rated… it’s possible. The more youtubes I see about Sgt Pepper I almost think that it was critics and other musicians that enjoyed it the most. I have no idea about sales, though.
ReplyDeleteOver rated music:
ReplyDeleteDylan
Oasis
Queen
Springsteen
Books:
All Religious texts except Hesse Sidhartha.
Shakespeare
The Great Gatsby
Comics:
Miller’s Batman thing.
Simonson Horse-face Thor
All reboots for Marvel and DC.
Maybe (maybe) a whole lotta Spidey
People:
Kennedy
Reagan
Gerry Conway
CH has so decreed
MM - this is a great topic. I am sort of waiting for Colin to let us know anout xmas tunes!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteGrealish
Rice
Saka
Hard to disagree after Arsenal just lost to er, Fleetwood Town.
Delete-sean
Bourbon
ReplyDeleteWhiskey
Friexenet
Comics: pretty much anything written by Grunt Morrison. His All Star Superman in particular has to be the most overrated comic book series ever. I couldn't even get through the second issue.
ReplyDeleteTV: 'Breaking Bad'. I watched when it was free on Channel 5. People kept telling me it would get better, but I finally gave up about halfway through the second season. That was more than enough angry middle class white man wish fulfillment fantasy for me, thank you very much.
Tbh I'm dubious about the whole notion of 'quality TV'.
And I agree with dangermash about 'Only Fools and Horses'.
Film: agree with Paul on Star Wars - well, the first two anyway, which are the only ones I've seen all the way though - and b.t. about 'The Matrix'. Which reminds me that I saw a couple of John Wick films recently. What a load of rubbish they were.
And going back a bit, there's 'The Dear Hunter'. That actually won Oscars? Seriously?
Music: agree with Paul again, on 'Sgt Pepper'. Athough frankly I don't much care for the Beatles generally. And I definitely don't understand the appeal of Brian Wilson.
People: Andrew Burnham (I refuse to buy into his image, and call him Andy). Today marked his first 100 days as prime minister, and what has he actually done in that time that makes him any different to Sir Keir?
He talks a lot about changing stuff... after the next election. And then says that he isn't going to hold one any time soon.
And don't get me started on him crying about the Union at the Labour party conference...
sean
Sean, perhaps you'll approve of today's budget - apparently Healey is going to tax the banks.
ReplyDeleteHot chocolate is definitely over-rated (the drink not the band) and so is sport, especially football.
And Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, Chicago Italian Beefs, and in general the dry, tough turkey (itself) at Thanksgiving! CH
ReplyDelete(Sean - Yep! When League 4 beats the reigning League 1 champions, it is a beautiful thing!)
I agree with Colin on Hot chocolate, sounds amazing but tastes like damp cardboard mixed with a single Malteser, awful stuff.
ReplyDeleteSean, I'll give Burnham the benefit of the doubt for now but I fear your right, it's the same old stuff in a new black t shirt.
Going to agree with Sean, Paul and Charlie about Sgt. Pepper. Imho, "Revolver" is the Beatles' best.
ReplyDeleteOther 'overrateds' on my list:
Comics- The Punisher. A cool guest star and foil, but never found him appealing in his own book.
Venom. Highly overused.
Film- the Dark Knight films. Guess I'm burned out on Grim 'n' gritty.
Music- AC/DC. Always left me reaching for the "off" switch.
Foreigner. Rather bland in my book.
My list:
ReplyDelete99s - I enjoy a cornet and I enjoy a flake. Separately.
Tax write-offs - you’ve likely just bought something you neither wanted nor need.
Mustaches - why make yourself less attractive?
Taylor Swift - how about leaving some crumbs for the rest of the industry.
Money in football - Because it’s been soooo much better since the early 90s (not).
Hypocrites - who rely on internationally streamed football broadcasts while bemoaning the demise of the game.
It’s a laugh innit.
DW
Colin, a serious hit on the banks, that's more than a token gesture? I'll believe it when I see it.
ReplyDeletePaul, I bet Burnham's black t shirts are ironed!
And politics aside, am I the only person who finds stuff like this to be completely cringe? -
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ft739rokkiw
-sean
ReplyDeleteHere’s a few. It’s tough, because a lot of these people have done great work. Just not as often as we’re told, though.
Elaine May and Mike Nichols.
Christopher Nolan
Sam Mendes - he has not done great work. A lot of Mike Leigh [despite just having watched ‘Nuts In May’ again and found it perfect]. Ridley Scott Guillermo Del Toro, sadly.
The Who
The Clash
Bob Dylan
Springsteen
Technique by New Order [it’s a nice listen and everything, but it doesn’t have anything to match Bizarre Love Triangle or True Faith or Perfect Kiss etc].
John Byrne
Chris Claremont
Spiderman - never got into this character til the recent Marvel films, the first of which I really enjoyed.
Some agreements / disagreements…
Agree on… Moustaches. Dear god why.
Grant Morrison. I cannot understand what made All Star Superman supposedly all that amazing, either.
The Matrix [I went to see that in 1999 having spent the preceding years working my way through Philip K Dick’s novels. To say it felt like weak tea is an understatement].
Only Fools And Horses, yeah.
Andy Burnham, or indeed any ‘personality’ politician. The cult of political personality is absolute nonsense. No single person, no matter how charming, can flip a switch and make everything better.
Disagree on…
The Beatles are a weird one. There seems to be a push further and further back into their catalogue, to the point where I expect someone at some point to declare that their unrecorded soundchecks in Germany are *truly* their best material. I grew up with Sgt Pepper, so I’m slightly biased, but it doesn’t have a filler tack on it. Possibly Fixing A Hole and Getting Better are a bit trite. But come on.. Lovely Rita! Good Morning Good Morning! A Day In The Life! An amazing triple-header.
I came late to Pet Sounds, but approaching it as a beautiful-sounding art object, it’s unimpeachable.
I liked Catcher In The Rye. AND - bonus! - I didn’t want to go out and assassinate anyone afterwards.
Hot Chocolate. A good one is amazing. Like coffee, really.
Thanks everyone for sharing!
Sorry about the mad formatting there.
DeleteMatthew - I absolutely loved 'Catcher in the Rye' too when I read it, aged about 20. One of my favourite books, without a doubt. Re-reading it, a few years ago, Holden doesn't come off so well. Nevertheless, it's still in my top ten, unquestionably, for old times' sake!
ReplyDeleteI suppose, with some things, they compare with what went before. Claremont, at the time, with characters he took over, provided more back-story, compared with previous writers. That 'depth' really appealed to me, as a kid. Likewise, with Byrne, compared with previous, and contemporary artists, seemed incredibly modern, and "cool", when he first appeared on the scene. Regardless of the X-Men and Iron Fist, Byrne's Captain America's consistent quality was unmatched. Others did equally good Caps, but not consistently, issue after issue, for so long. M.P. isn't a Claremont & Byrne fan either, however, and he knows his onions - so you're by no means alone! Did you read C&B contemporaneously (comparing them with previous creators), or years later? That might, perhaps, make a difference.
I don't get Only Fools & Horses, at all - yet I absolutely love Just Good Friends, which is by the same writer/creator!
Strangely your post, which could have been negative, seems a breath of fresh air, this week, on Speak Your Brain!
Phillip
I came to C & B individually, after their white-hot collaborations had come and gone.
DeleteI was reading X-Men and New Mutants because I liked Smith and Sienkiewicz art on those two, and picking up Byrne's Alpha Flight and the odd FF.
I think I was picking up the Byrne comics trying to like him and understand why other people did. I was 12.
Hmmm… never in my wildest days did I think there would be discussions about the merits of hot chocolate on Steve does Comics, lol!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely in agreement with MM that a serious hot chocolate is like a serious coffee. Truly.
That said, I think the Americanization of getting coffee, which presumably started with Starbucks… That whole experience is not only overrated, but a royal pain in my ass. A true coffee house a la Vienna or Paris is glorious. But Starbuck’s burnt Ethiopian coffee, trying to decipher Starbucks-speak (talls, grandes, oat milk or soy milk or…) to me reeks of the nouveau-rich stereotype.
I went into one of those pompous coffee houses Friday morning in Chicago. I was becoming increasingly irritated because it was seemingly impossible just to order a small decaf with a splash of real cream. But, suddenly the place redeemed itself, because there was a large sign that said “you will not find pumpkin spice anything here! “
And if there is anything on this planet that Charlie thinks is overrated, it’s “pumpkin spice.” And mind you, we are in peak pumpkin spice pomposity right now because Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner!!! Lord help me! The Only possible shot of redemption I see coming my way is hearing Andy Williams singing “it’s the most wonderful time of the year “starting in a few days here!
I loved the first three series of Only Fools & Horses (1981-83) when Grandad was in it - the scene when they are cleaning the chandeliers was hilarious - but I found his replacement, Uncle Albert, to be rather irritating and the series became more and more like a soap opera with the addition of Raquel and that other one. It's regarded as one of Britain's greatest sitcoms though.
ReplyDeleteI also think fresh fruit is over-rated and I'd rather TINNED fruit anyday. I love tinned pineapple but I once tried the fresh variety and it was a horrible experience - cutting it open made a complete mess and the juice contains a chemical which makes your lips sting plus of course you have to get rid of the inedible skin. None of those problems occur with a tin of pineapple rings!
Charlie, you and I agree that LAST CHRISTMAS is definitely over-rated as a "Christmas" song!
Only Fools is like anything on the BBC. The first couple of series are fresh, and then they throw money at the creators to keep pumping it out year after year.
DeleteI had forgotten that we had an exceptional hot chocolate on a visit to Fife a couple of years ago made with real home made chocolate . However, in general hot chocolate bought in most coffee shops and over the counter is vile.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree on coffee houses like Starbucks etc being pants.Europe and Australia ( and other regions/ countries) do coffee so much better it's almost a different drink.
I also like Fools and Horses but I have to agree it did go on a bit.
Another overrated TV show for me was Dads Army a big favourite of many I know, but I never found it funny.
Colin you don't like fresh fruit, I knew your Glasgow heritage ,( on your dad's side) would come through lol. I love fruit fresh and tinned fruit in juice ( tinned in syrup is just sugar)
Sean. I'm still cringing at that Burnham video.
So are you gents recommending Only Fools and Horses? It is available through our librsry system on DVD. CH
ReplyDeleteCharlie, I'd recommend the first five or six seasons. As others have said, it carried on for way longer than it should have done.
ReplyDeleteThans Steve! We’ll give it a try. I have to wonder if it will seem dated because it started in the early 80s?
ReplyDeletePaul, when it comes to tomatoes I prefer fresh to tinned (tomatoes are the only fruit I eat on a daily basis) but when I buy tinned fruit I always choose fruit in juice rather than syrup.
ReplyDeleteEven though Dad's Army is a classic it did drag on too long and it was never the same after the death of James Beck (Private Walker) in my opinion. The film adaptation from 1971 is peak Dad's Army I'd say.