Favorite Movie Titles (Rename the lousy ones)

[NewMaxFranklin]

Inspired by DG's "Numbers or Names" thread. What are your favorite movie titles? And which do you think could have been better? If you could rename movies that had lousy titles what would you name them?

Favorite Movie Titles of mine:

Raiders of the Lost Ark Works for me.

Fight Club The formation of the "Fight Club" is the inciting incident in the film. The turning point that sets up everything that follows. So, the titles makes sense. It's also generically descriptive. You know your gonna see some fighting.

Lousy Titles:

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Ok. I expect a lot of people to mention Attack of the Clones. But, this title is just as bad, if not worse. The Phanton Menace? Who's the Phantom Menace? Palpaine, I think? He's the antagonist! In "Empire Strikes Back" the Empire was the driving force in the story. But in Ep 1 most of the badguy stuff was offscreen. What we saw was exposition and a couple Jedi Vs Sith fights.

Why not drop the "Star Wars Episode 1," first off. We shouldn't need #'s to keep the movies strait. Then, call the movie something descriptive. "Battle for Naboo" is pretty cheesey. Um... Hmmm. It's hard to come up with a good title for a bad movie. Who's the main character in that thing, anyway?

Gattaca I don't know what "gattaca" means. It's a good movie. But, it bombed big-time. I think the reason it bombed was because of it's lousy title. It doesn't make you want to see the movie. I'd have called it "The Tomorrow People," which describes the gentically engineered people who make up the upperclass (and sounds sci-fi); Or "The Invalid," which is what the main character's type is referred to as, underscoring the "underdog hero" aspect of the film.

Unbreakable Another movie I really liked that didn't do much Box-Office business. I'd have given it a more descriptive title, like "The Unbreakable Man."

K, I've typed enough for now.;)

[Nightflower]

Well, I think all the movies of late seem to have really lousy names, even if they might be good movies. "The Others", "The One", "Thir13een ghosts", "Attack of the Clones"...

Yeah, "Iron Monkey" too, even though I loved it, but just for it's sexual connotations ;) (My friend keeps yelling "Fear mah iron monkay!")

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by NewMaxFranklin
Gattaca I don't know what "gattaca" means.
It's been a year or more, but wasn't the facility where they trained, aka their school, called Gattaca? Like I said, I could be mistaken. And you're right, it doesn't make you want to see it. When I saw previews, I thought horrible thoughts. Saw it on video, loved it.


Unbreakable Another movie I really liked that didn't do much Box-Office business. I'd have given it a more descriptive title, like "The Unbreakable Man."
See, I don't think that would work, because that's almost ruining the plot. Plus, sometimes single-word titles can grab attention easier (less sylables for the general public to remember).

But, hey, whatta I know?

[Nightflower]

I like Unbreakable. It didn't tell me what the movie was about, and neither did the previews, but no offence, "Unbreakable Man" sounds really cheesy.

[Jimmy Kustes]

Originally posted by Nightflower

Yeah, "Iron Monkey" too, even though I loved it, but just for it's sexual connotations ;) (My friend keeps yelling "Fear mah iron monkay!")

I haven't seen Iron Monkey nor Monkey Bone, but the titles crack me up.

As for Fight Club, the motto for our school's film club is "First rule of film club: watch movies!"

[DarkAngel]

Originally posted by NewMaxFranklin

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Ok. I expect a lot of people to mention Attack of the Clones. But, this title is just as bad, if not worse. The Phanton Menace? Who's the Phantom Menace? Palpaine, I think? He's the antagonist! In "Empire Strikes Back" the Empire was the driving force in the story. But in Ep 1 most of the badguy stuff was offscreen. What we saw was exposition and a couple Jedi Vs Sith fights.

Actually, I loved the title "Phantom Menace" because it sounds great and describes the presence of evil in the movie so perfectly. TPM takes place in a time when the Jedi are flourishing and Sith haven't been seen for many, many years. As TPM begins, we see that the Sith have returned, but not in blatant fashion. Sidious is manipulating things behind the scenes, making the evil he represents a very shadowy presence. Very much a "phantom menace." Even by the end of the film, when Yoda and Mace know the Sith are back, they don't realize the extent of what that means and what lies ahead. They aren't even aware that the most powerful Sith ever, Sidious, is in the same room with them. The Sith in Episode 1 are definitely a phantom menace, lurking and waiting to strike when the time is right.

If I had to pick my favorite movie titles, they'd probably be Bond titles. I've always loved the sound of "Diamonds are Forever", "Tomorrow Never Dies", "You Only Live Twice", and others.

[Maxie Zeus]

Well, let's see. There are the interchangeable one-word titles like "Deceived" and "Deception" and "Shattered" and "Revenge" (and "Unbreakable") which could refer to anything and could probably just as easily be licked and pasted on each other as on the film they were actually attached to. Then there are the ones stolen from songs: "My Girl" and "When a Man Loves a Woman," for instance, which mostly just push a button and make for easy soundtrack choices for the (bad) trailer. Also those meaningless titles like "Nothing But Trouble" or "For Love or Money" that express nothing except impoverished imaginations in the marketing department.

These complaints, by the way, apply equally to classic films. "Vertigo" and "Singin' in the Rain" and "Some Like It Hot" are instantly recognizable, but only because of the film, and not because the titles themselves are so great.

Good titles should either say something about the content or be evocative. "The Charge of the Light Brigade." "Batman." "The End of the Affair." These at least refer to key characters or events in the film. Evocative titles like "Valkenvania," "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" or "Torrid Zone" make you want to take a closer look at the film.

[DR. BELCH]

Maxie Zeus:
Evocative titles...make you want to take a closer look at the film.
That's what attracts me to a lot of new movies while I browse Yahoo TV--that and seeing big names. Of course, in movies like Candy, even monickers like John Astin, Richard Burton and Walter Matthau couldn't save that dog, which felt like a skin flick trying to be artistic. But in the case of Picking Up the Pieces, with Woody Allen and Cheech Marin, it worked, because it was a likable movie. There's nothing worse than a good actor wasted in a turkey.
But my favorite title of all time has to be the low-budget horror flick Sssssss (1973). Imagine trying to explain it to someone--"Tell me the title of the movie and stop hissing at me." Or being the TV critic discussing the video. There should be more otomotopeia movie titles out there.
Worst title out there would be the Three Stooges short "Sweet and Hot" (1958). Sound like a porno. Another would be "I Can Hardly Wait" (1943). The original working title, "Nothing But the Tooth", considering the plot, sounds a heap better.

[NewMaxFranklin]

Ok, Ok. You guy's are obziously not cray about the The Unbreakable Man idea. So, I'll explain my choice. (If you don't care; go to the next paragraph... Nnnnnn-now.) Unbreakable is too ambiguous. Sure, once you see the film the title makes perfect sense. But, you have to see the film first. That's the purpose of the title, isn't it? If someone tells you they wrote a novel called "Fish;" Your first question would be: 'What;s the book about? What kind of story is it? etc. Because the title is short and ambiguous. It could be a story about fishing. It could be a story about a fish. It could be a metaphore used to describe a very talented swimmer. It could be a mutant, horror film. It could be anything. "Unbreakable" could be about someone who invents a new type of plastic, for all we know. But, "The Unbreakable Man" hints to you.
1) It lets you deduce that either Sam Jackson or Willis is (or could be) "unbreakable."
2) It sounds like a comic book name. Which fits the plot and desribes the stroy to some extent.

I agree that "Singin in the Rain" though one of my favirite films, has a lousy title. It could be argued that because the scene where Kelly sings and dances in the rain is the most memorable moment in the film, it justifies the title. But, that scene is an island in the story's geography. It's like calling "Iron Monkey": "Fighting on poles, above fire." (Hey! "That sounds like "Riding In Cars, With Boys." Another lousy title.) Singin' should have had a name that referenced the transition from silent film to talking pictures, IMO. An "American In Paris" is an example of a superior title. "The Sound of Music," also blows (as a title.)

[TuffyCatt]

In my a opinion, I really don't think there is really is a perfect way you can name a movie. It depends on how the creator wants it to be (there may be some hidden meaning in the title or the title may just be straight forward) and how their audience sees it (one person might see the title as meaning one thing, while another might see it as meaning something else, if that make any sense). You really can't please everybody with the title of your movie. I've never really worried about the titles of movies...I figure that the people who made the movie generally know what the movie is really about, so they can come up with the most appropriate title. However, I think titles should at least be catchy and rememberable and make you curious to see the the movie. See, I think "Unbreakable" was a really good name...It's easy to remember and stands out, because you want to know what the movie is about.

Anyway, I don't think I've ever found a movie where I thought the title was terrible...Although I tend to like titles that have deeper meanings than simply being the title of the movie...

[optimal321]

Well, i thought Mask of the Phantasm was a pretty good pick. It sort of symbolizes the difference between Batman and Andrea, and the driving force that really separated them. Just like Bruce's cowl has a special meaning to his character, Andrea's mask defines her. And even though the Phantasm doesn't get much air time, and the movie ends w/ a big fight between Batman and the Joker, the real enemy that causes Bruce the most pain is the mask of the Phantasm.

[Samhaine]

I thought Almost Famous was a really good movie title. It defined not only the main character, but also the band he was writing about, and even the romantic interest in some ways.

Basically, if I like the movie, I generally think the title can work.

However, when you think about it, Chasing Amy wasn't one of the most defining titles (yet, I absolutely loved the movie).

[RockItShipper]

The bad: Captain Corelli's Mandolin... maybe it's just me, but it sounds like a porno...

[killercroc]

Gattaca I don't know what "gattaca" means. It's a good movie. But, it bombed big-time. I think the reason it bombed was because of it's lousy title

It's a string of DNA. A T G and C all stand for part of the genetic code. I don't know if Gattaca is any certain thing or it was just a way to make a word out of those letters. I have to say though, the name kinda made me want to see it. It was such a freaky name, I was intrigued.

[Samhaine]

Good call Croc. I would never have thought of that.

Hmm, when you think about it that way, it was a clever title.

[James]

Originally posted by NewMaxFranklin

Fight Club The formation of the "Fight Club" is the inciting incident in the film. The turning point that sets up everything that follows. So, the titles makes sense. It's also generically descriptive. You know your gonna see some fighting.


Yuk, don't like this. Gave the wrong impression and was the reason I didn't watch it until 2 years later. It sounds so base and superficial and leads you to believe this could potentially be a dumb film. This film deserves a far better title!!!



Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Ok. I expect a lot of people to mention Attack of the Clones. But, this title is just as bad, if not worse. The Phanton Menace? Who's the Phantom Menace? Palpaine, I think? He's the antagonist! In "Empire Strikes Back" the Empire was the driving force in the story. But in Ep 1 most of the badguy stuff was offscreen. What we saw was exposition and a couple Jedi Vs Sith fights.


I think Lucas was again trying to invoke images of early Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers serials.... perhaps not very mass consumer friendly, but I think the title was hardly going to affect the box office... I quite like the cheesy title - it does remind me of old Crabbe's stint as Mr Gordon.... Attack Of The Clones goes too far though!



Gattaca I don't know what "gattaca" means. It's a good movie. But, it bombed big-time. I think the reason it bombed was because of it's lousy title. It doesn't make you want to see the movie. I'd have called it "The Tomorrow People," which describes the gentically engineered people who make up the upperclass (and sounds sci-fi); Or "The Invalid," which is what the main character's type is referred to as, underscoring the "underdog hero" aspect of the film.
[/B]

Gattaca bombed because it's not a the flick for average joe. Sci-Fi can put some off, serious sci-fi topics are quite often a no no when it comes films, especially sci-fi topics which revolve round no blood, no space guns and certainly no green men. Good movie, but it could hardly be expected to blast the box office. I like the title :)

[DR. BELCH]

--when I heard the title Gattica, I was thinking of the famed prison riots at Attica Prison in the seventies. I haven't seen the movie, but I guess it doesn't have anything to do with prisons, eh?

Rocky may have something about the mandolin...pear-shaped base, long fretted neck, four or five strings...[in Beetlejuice voice, thick with emotion] She's a girl after my own heart. [snort] ;)