What are some "bad" movies that you happen to like?

The Cross and The Switchblade

What? They made The Cross and the Switchblade into a movie? I read the book but didn’t know that. Don’t know if it’s good or bad but I’ll definitely have to check it out

It was in the 60s or early 70s. It is so cheezy it is actually artsy good. It would be great to make GIFs. I think it gets better the older it gets. They should've added music like west side story and it would have been really good. It is sooo baddd it is really good.

Love those avenger movies..shame iron man died in endgames..😢

Troy was a good movie though panned by the critics..😊😊

Haha I saw West Side Story. I would’ve liked that I look forward to watching it

Hidalgo. I’m a big fan, I can watch that movie 3 times in a row. It is so deep yet so lame lol.

Let us know how you liked it.

When I was a kid I was fond of the old classic horror films. Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman.
Critics tore apart Dracula 2000. It was released in that same year also. I loved it because it was so original in that it finally gave Drac fans a backstory as to how Dracula became Dracula. Then all of the things that repelled him, silver, crosses, sunlight, made sense.
A very creative idea for the old legend. I loved it.

I watched The Cross and the Switchblade! As a stand-alone, I don’t think it’s a bad movie. A little cheesy at times sure, but not a terrible movie. I don’t mind cheesy either. Cheesy can be fun and it was fun in this movie as well. I also enjoyed the 70’s music in the background. Without going into spoilers, my issue with it is that they took some creative license with it and there were some changes from what was in the book when it’s supposed to be based on a true story and not fiction.

Also, the book really emphasized the powerful work of the Holy Spirit throughout it. It’s super impactful and was an aspect missing from the movie. Think of the amazing things the disciples did in the book of Acts. The book was like that and yet the movie left much do be desired there. Good thing God can use everything for His purposes as not everybody will read the book. However, if anybody has seen the movie and likes reading yet hasn’t read the book, I definitely recommend the book. Don’t get disappointed by the movie.

Sorry I didn’t really like it Scribe. I’m glad you and others like it. He hasn’t seen it yet, but I think my dad will like it. I plan to watch it with him as well and maybe he will be interested enough to start the book? I like David Wilkerson’s ministry and am glad that there are Teen Challenge programs helping people hooked on substances even today. And it’s not just teens apparently but adults as well I don’t regret watching the movie, but I’m glad I read the book first. If anything, it just made me want to go back and re-read the book. If my dad does like it enough to check out the book, I’d like to read it with him

I was trying to think of cheesy but perhaps unpopular or not as highly rated movies I enjoyed and I thought of three from the 80’s. The first 2 had Michael J Fox and the third had John Cusack.

Teen Wolf
High School USA

He turns into a wolf and almost nobody cares because he can play basketball now. The latter has a robot, need I say more? Lol

One Crazy Summer

It had a bunch of odd little things I can’t remember, but I remember a funny beach scene I won’t spoil and one small part where 2 little girls made a face and then literally got stuck that way

You hit the nail on the head.
I am a Teen Challenge graduate. (now named Adult and Teen Challenge to avoid confusion since it mostly adults ages range from 20s to 50s).
I agree with everything you said. The book highlights the dynamic of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as to why many of the students were not relapsing and why Adult and Teen Challenge has a greater success rate than other faith based programs.

You cannot act out in a movie that dynamic. It comes out fake. That is why so many Christian movies are so bad. The actors are trying to "act" out what they think is spiritual and they just come across as weird, nerdy, socially inept or weak and slightly effeminate.
The reality of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an undeniable difference in churches as well. You can tell where it is welcome and people are walking in the reality of that and when it is resisted and not known. But you CANNOT fake it.

The movie is like a Baptist version of a Pentecostal story.

Viggo Mortensen was outstanding in that film. He bought the horse that played Hidalgo.

The slander against the real life man it portrayed and that hit the media before the movie hit theaters no doubt had a lot to do with it being a critical failure. I loved the movie.
The horses! Especially the end. If I ever got rich I'd do the same thing today.
I cried. I always cry at that part. Well, not just that part.

LOL yeah it was an awesome movie. Did not cry though.
Cried my eyesballs out with “Miracle in cell number 13”. Not sure if the cellnumber is right.
But I never saw it coming... There I was crying like a baby and my girl almost peeing her panse for laughing at me.
Even thinking about it wells me all up lol.

What I liked most about Hidalgo is the differences between the rider and the sultan and how God has the last word. Allthough most might not see it that way.

Wow, a “Teen” Challenge graduate, that’s awesome! They came to our church once to speak. Then the movie must especially be meaningful to you <3

And exactly, without the Holy Spirit none of it would have been possible! A missed opportunity. Maybe (since the book was so good) my expectations were too high for the movie, but even mentioning the Holy Spirit more wouldn’t have cost more than a few seconds here and there. Yeah, the guy playing Wilkerson here comes off a bit eccentric and the others seem to get saved too easily, but if I had nothing else to go on I do think I would have enjoyed it more. Normally I’d be glass half full, but here it was half empty when I considered what was missing or changed. Oh well, it’s still not a bad movie overall. And yes, I wish more people knew the reality of the Holy Spirit.

Good news, my dad liked The Cross and the Switchblade! And I definitely felt it was more enjoyable the second time around. One, because it’s more fun to watch with someone else to comment and you laugh more, and two because now I knew what to expect and accepted it wasn’t going to completely match the book. Anyway, perhaps it’s the Holy Spirit at work? He’s still Catholic, but maybe one day he’ll believe that all we need is Christ? Anyone reading can feel free to add him to your prayers; God may be trying to reach him. After we watched, I told him about the book and he wants to read it. Thanks for recommending the movie!

This is an exciting time in the church world wide.

That will be interesting for him to read the Cross and The Switchblade book. Many who have read it once did not notice something very historical concerning the Charismatic movement in the Catholic church. There are about three chapters dedicated to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues among the first generation of students.

Part of that section covers the Catholic Priest, I think his name was Gary something, who interviewed those Teen Challenge students who were accustomed to spending time in the morning praying in tongues and they told him what a difference it made in their lives. He then recorded their testimonies and shared it with Catholic students in a Catholic ministry school who asked for and received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues and thus the Catholic Charismatic movement was born and spread around the world. (at least that is the general history as I recall it)

Occasionally you will read about this priest and the Cross and the Switchblade book and these Catholic students when reading about origins of the Catholic Charismatic movement as part of the history of the Charismatic Movement in general. Sometimes this information will be left out because of the bias of the author.

The Charismatic movement as separate from the Pentecostal movement which is usually defined as those in mainline denominations that stayed in their denominations after receiving the Charismatic gifts of the Spirit. They were often still kicked out later and ended up joining the pentecostal churches like the Assemblies of God or starting their own independent churches so in reality not many were allowed to remain in their denominations.

Catholics being different in that they seemed to encourage this new phenomenon of their parishioners experiencing the gifts of the Spirit and rather than condemn it as heretical they embraced it and for the most part don't persecute those in the Catholic church who claim to have received the gift of speaking in tongues.

I am sure every charismatic catholic has his or her different story as to how well they are received by their fellow catholics but from what I have read they don't get treated roughly like the evangelicals reformists treat those in their churches who claim to have received the gifts. You would expect kinder treatment from evangelicals but they seem to have become persecutors like the catholics of old times once persecuted them.

We are living in a time when we can learn much from the history of the church.

I agree that the book was much better. Probably because of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that comes through the writing that is not in the acting in the movie. Pat Boone was a baptist and they are not too keen on the pentecostal, charismatic message. I don't know how many of the actors were even believers. So acting out a "religious" movie by people who may or may not even know what being born again is all about will always have that "religious" fakeness or just plain "weirds doing weird religious speak" spirit about it. That is why so many Christian movies are so bad.

The book contains a prophetic and Holy Spirit anointed message from David Wilkerson embedded in the telling of the story and those most important elements where the Holy Spirit was so in control of things over and over again. David Wilkerson went on to become one of the greatest prophets of our modern times and left a clear example of how we can experience the same level of insight and anointing if we become men and women of prayer and total surrender to Christ without compromise and a love for righteousness and holiness.

I met David Wilkerson at his home in Lindale, Texas in 1985. I was 22. He told me that God had showed him in prayer about a new generation of young people who would would preach the whole counsel of God. This was in context to a conversation we were having about me needing to resign from leading a Street Ministry and Soul Winning Outreach team at a megachurch in Dallas because the pastor was a false prophet. When he told me that God was raising up a generation of young preachers who would preach the whole counsel of God that was also in context of the message of repentance and holiness that David was preaching at the time. I felt God was talking to me directly that day. Well I am not young any longer, but I am preaching the whole counsel of God and I am able to discern what is the anointing of the Holy Spirit and what is flesh.

Teen Challenge is still one of the greatest ministries on planet earth. God is still using it for His Glory and it is frontline evangelism like it is supposed to be. If you know of anyone who is struggling with an addiction to alcohol, heroine, crack, or anything else and has not been able to quit on their own, google "Teen Challenge center near me" and test them the link or phone number. Tell them they can go their immediately and live there for a year and allow the Lord Jesus Christ to change their lives from the inside out.
I usually tell them, "How long have you been addicted?" and then "What is one year to be free from this death for the rest of your life and to begin the life God has planned for you" Or something to that effect. Usually people are hesitant to commit to a year long residential program no matter how bad off they are. When you remind them how long they have been struggling and the liklihood that they will be in the same condition or worse next year if they don't do something different they usually can agree with that logic and give it a try.

The book is ALWAYS better than the movie

if you watch movie adaptations of books, most times they change stuff around to fit in the 2 hours timeslot, add things in to make more dramatic and chop things out, so it comes across as fake.

A book you can take time to read and savour then becomes a mindless thing to sit through, with actors faking emotions, sound effects, and unnecesary close ups. It takes zero imagination to watch a movie.

I'm a fan of Shaw Brothers kung fu films and Japanese monster movies.