Ever slap down $10 for a ticket for a film so foul you choked on the popcorn? It's time for payback. Film critic Bob Mondello has caught the worst offenders of the past 10 years.
First, some ground rules. The film has to have burned a big enough American audience to be worth talking about — at least 4 million people at, say, $7.50 a pop, or roughly $30 million. That excludes Paris Hilton's The Hottie and the Nottie, which only made $27,000 in the United States — though it made $1.5 million in Russia.
Second, to recognize the singular dreadfulness of each movie, we're breaking the list into categories. We'll start with Worst Romance of the Decade.
Mondello first considered Gigli, with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. But somehow the public knew better and stayed away from it, so it was disqualified.
"On the other hand, they did go to the Matthew McConaughey picture Fool's Gold," Mondello tells NPR's Guy Raz.
McConaughey and Kate Hudson star as a divorced couple searching for hidden treasure. The two spit venom at each other through most of the film. "They were amazingly bad, and it was clear that they had complete contempt for the material," Mondello says. "It was enough to put me off the whole genre."
Mondello's Worst Science Fiction flick was an easy pick: John Travolta's salute to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, Battlefield Earth. Travolta plays the leader of aliens who have enslaved humans in the year 3000.
"You just wanted to die while you were watching it." Mondello doesn't give it much hope of coming back as a cult classic, either. "It was long and just sort of exhausting. And it's dark and it isn't fun. You wanted it to be fun, but it's just terrible."
The NY Times reports that two World War II Japanese submarines, including one meant to carry aircraft for attacks on American cities, have been found in deep water off Hawaii where they were sunk in 1946. Specifically designed for a stealth attack on the US East Coast — perhaps targeting Washington, DC and New York City — the 'samurai subs' were fast, far-ranging, and some carried folding-wing aircraft. Five Japanese submarines were captured by American forces at the end of the war and taken to Pearl Harbor for study, then towed to sea and torpedoed, probably to avoid having to share any of their technology with the Russian military. One of the Japanese craft, the I-201, was covered with a rubberized coating on the hull, an innovation intended to make it less apparent to sonar or radar; it was capable of speeds of about 20 knots while submerged, making it among the fastest diesel submarines ever made. The other, the I-14, much larger and slower, was designed to carry two small planes, Aichi M6A Seirans that could be brought onto the deck and launched by a catapult. The submarines were meant to threaten the United States directly, but none of the attacks occurred because the subs were developed too late in the war, and American intelligence was too good. 'It's very moving to see objects like this underwater,' says Hans Van Tilburg of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 'because it's a very peaceful environment, but these subs were designed for aggression.
The Navy's USS Port Royal discharged about 5,000 gallons of raw sewage into the ocean over the weekend and the state health department said it was never notified about the release.
The State Health Department advised the public to stay out of the water fronting the reef runway between the Keehi Channel to the Pearl Harbor Channel.
The advisory comes after the health department's clean water branch confirmed Tuesday the Port Royal had released thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the ocean.
Have this been a commercial company this would have never gotten overseen.The Navy's USS Port Royal discharged about 5,000 gallons of raw sewage into the... more
It was a sight to see for many Friday, as a navy vessel sat idle on the reef south of Oahu.
The USS Port Royal ran aground last night during sea trials.
A handful of people came to Lagoon Drive to get a closer look. Monique Escoto, a wife of a Navy diver wanted to see for herself. "He's been out there since about 8 o'clock this morning said he'll probably be out there all night," Escoto said.
Navy officials say the vessel ran aground about a half mile south of the Airport's Reef Runway.
Officials say the crew was conducting a normal procedure transferring passengers from the vessel to a smaller ship.
They also say the vessel had recently been dry-docked for repairs.
Navy Captain Gureck says, "The ship had completely her regular scheduled maintenance sea trials is what you do to take the ship out to make sure everything was fixed properly."It was a sight to see for many Friday, as a navy vessel sat idle on the reef south of... more
Si è ricordato oggi l'attacco a Pearl Harbour, avvenuto 67 anni fa, in piena Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Ben 2000 veterani si sono radunati per ricordare le 2350 persone morte sotto le bombe giapponesi.Si è ricordato oggi l'attacco a Pearl Harbour, avvenuto 67 anni fa, in... more
Blair Gadsby is a rare individual. One who not only sees the truth (regarding 9/11 and many other topics) for what it is and doesn’t shrink away from it, but also cares enough to do something about it, to make a difference.Blair Gadsby is a rare individual. One who not only sees the truth (regarding 9/11 and... more
"President Bush has asked his defense and interior secretaries to look into designating Pearl Harbor and other historic World War II sites in the Pacific a national monument.
A May 29 presidential memo to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said such status could offer the sites additional protection.
"These objects of historical and scientific interest may tell the broader story of the war, the sacrifices made by America and its allies, and the heroism and determination that laid the groundwork for victory in the Pacific and triumph in World War II," Bush said.
The letter, posted on the White House Web site, doesn't say what specific places Bush has in mind aside from Pearl Harbor.
Parts of the naval base are already under some form of protection or have historic designation.
The USS Arizona, an underwater grave for over 1,100 sailors and Marines unable to escape the ship before it sank during the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack, is currently part of the USS Arizona Memorial run by the National Park Service.
Ford Island, where several of the Navy's battleships were moored during the attack, is a National Historic Landmark.
The island, located at the center of Pearl Harbor, is home to historic airplane hangers that survived the aerial assault. A red and white striped airplane control tower on Ford Island delivered the first radio broadcast of the attack.
Next door to Pearl Harbor, the top Air Force commander in the Pacific today has his headquarters in a building that served as barracks for Army airmen in 1941. Bullet holes left by Japanese machine guns are still visible on the outside of the structure's concrete walls.
Outside Hawaii, crucial battles were fought at Midway, Wake and Guam islands. All are still U.S. territory.
Today, Midway is mainly a wildlife bird refuge and key node in the island chain making up the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument that Bush established in 2006. The former naval base, where the U.S. defeated Japan in June 1942 to turn the tide of World War II in the Pacific, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Many areas — particularly Pearl Harbor, Hickam Air Force Base, and Guam — that would likely be eligible for inclusion in the monument are still actively used today by the U.S. military.
Making them part of a monument could complicate daily operations for the services. But Bush's memo told Gates and Kempthorne that national monument classification shouldn't interfere with the military's business.
"Please consider in your assessment that any proposed actions should not limit the Department of Defense from carrying out the mission of the various branches of the military," Bush said.
The Antiquities Act of 1906 gives the president the authority to make national monuments of "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest." The president doesn't need Congressional approval to do designate monuments.
Other national monuments include the Statue of Liberty, designated by Calvin Coolidge in 1924, and the Grand Canyon, made a national monument by Herbert Hoover in 1932".
By Audrey McAvoy, Associated Press Writer
With all this negative talk about Bush I thought it would be nice to add something to make it a little balanced. Maybe."President Bush has asked his defense and interior secretaries to look into... more
For anyone who still has doubts about 9/11, weigh up the facts and the overwhelming amount of evidence supporting the reality that the events were one big set-up.
This film exposes the lies and disproves every aspect of the bogus 9/11 commission report put forth by a corrupt government.
Judge for yourselves, but investigate the facts and evidence before jumping to a conclusion.
A comprehensive list of over 100 lies and omissions in the 911 commission report can be found in this link:
A very comprehensive listing of facts about 9/11 in this documentary. A must see!For anyone who still has doubts about 9/11, weigh up the facts and the overwhelming... more
If there is one movie you need to watch
WAKE UP AND SEE THE TRUTH BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE FOR YOU TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!!If there is one movie you need to watch
WAKE UP AND SEE THE TRUTH BEFORE IT'S... more
The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 is generally thought of as the incident that singularly provoked the United States into the Second World War. In response to this President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a speech that pushed the public away from the isolationist dogma and into the realm of responsibility.The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 is generally thought of as the... more
