Focus- My favorite comedy ever made is Johnny English, but it didn't get a lot of love. Ultimately though, who cares? I appreciate its genius and superb humor, and frankly, that's all that matters. Anti-Focus- There are lots of films that are praised that I find deeply flawed and thus mediocre, despite certain impressive qualities, ("Casablanca", "2001: A Space Odyssey", among ones that I have exhaustively written about on the Pop Culture Board), but as for "hate", I would go with A Beautiful Mind. (Lots of other choices, but I'll stick with one) It's such a stupid, simple-minded, cartoonish portrayal of the "mad scientist" cliche, and is even more hilarious when you're an economist who actually knows who the hell John Nash was besides the portrayal by Russell Crowe. But even beyond that, I don't see the appeal of the movie at all. Is it particularly funny or entertaining? No. Does it have something interesting or relevant to say? No. It's a bunch of stock scenes performed by good actors and a technically strong director (Howard). That's about it. Awful movie.
Focus: Freddy got Fingered. I don't care what anyone says, that movie was fucking genius from start to finish. No joke, my friends and I watched that movie twice in one weekend, sober. Anti-focus: I've written about it before, but I think The Godfather is criminally overrated as a film, though I have to admit I'm biased since I read the book first and though it was much better. Crash: I want to soccer kick every single person who called this piece of garbage a must see.
I actually liked Crash the first time I saw it. But it didn't hold up and the "message(s)" of the movie are eye rollingly bad. But I thought it was hilarious when it snuck in and nabbed best picture over the other overrated Hollywood feel good political circle jerk that year, Brokeback Mountain.
Anti-Focus: 300 - A vast majority of my mates loved this movie, but I can't get past the fact it would have been a modern classic if they'd based it on Gates of Fire rather than some graphic novel (I'm fairly sure I remember someone pointing this out - perhaps on the old board - and I wholeheartedly agree). Yeah, there was gore-a-plenty, but that could've been done basing it on a book with character development, sub-plot and an unpredictable story (even though we all know how the Battle of Thermopylae ends).