Every year, at the end of the Academy Awards, while the auditorium erupts in cheers upon the announcement of the Best Picture winner, as they are somewhat obligated to do, many viewers at home instead shake their heads and raise their eyebrows.
That's if they don't throw popcorn or worse at their TVs.
While those who did so when La La Land was announced as the winner in 2017 would end up getting their revenge in what remains one of the biggest blunders of Oscar history, others are still reeling at some past winners, which they believe were more worthy of a Razzie than an Oscar.
Taste being subjective, plenty of people still find themselves confused by some films which won countless awards, received across-the-board raves, and are considered classics or masterpieces, but they find to be utterly unbearable.
Often finding themselves in an unpopular minority and having to keep their opinion to themselves, similar to Seinfeild's Elaine Benes and her unique disdain for The English Patient.
"Which film that’s universally praised do you find utterly repulsive?"
Any Downers
"My best friend really enjoys movies that make you anxious and uncomfortable like 'Uncut Gems' and 'Good Time', but I firmly do not like those kinds of movies."
"I know it's the point, but i find no joy in the level of discomfort I feel while watching them."
"Some other honorable mentions:"
"Spring Breakers."
"High Life."
"Climax."- nuut_meg
Not Exactly Authentic
"'The Greatest Showman'."
"Mostly on the grounds that the real P T Barnum was a f*cking monster."- LostMercenary99
"'Pocahontas'."
"The real John Smith was a f*cking sick bastard and the true events most definitely weren't a love story at all."- CagedKage
pocahontas GIFGiphyWho The "Devil" Was Is Debatable...
"'The Devil Wears Prada'."
"I just wanted everyone in that movie to die in a fire."- PothierM
Tearjerker, Or Sleeping Pill?
"'The Notebook'."
"I don't know if it's universally praised but I f*cking hate it."- sara_c907
One Of The All Time Creepiest Shower Scenes...
"F*cking 'Elf'."
"Every damn Christmas."
"To be fair I can’t really stand Will Ferrel in general."- cook-isation
will farrel ross geller GIFGiphyThe Title Could Refer To The People Leaving The Theater...
"'Fast and Furious', just a terribly written extremely corny show."- tds542
Fern Gully Did It Better...
"'Avatar'."
"All day long."
'Those blue miserable tw*ts."- akbarkhan666
There Was Bound To Be One...
"I don't know about utterly repulsive, but I have a hard time seeing why everyone loves 'Citizen Kane'."
"And I understand that there was movie making before 'Citizen Kane' and movie making after 'Citizen Kane' such that it informed movie makers going forward as to how it's done, let's say, but after a certain point we, the audience, don't see that anymore, and it's just another movie."
"And then I hear people say well it highlights social hierarchy under capitalism and such, but a lot of movies do that."
"And then there's the twist at the end which is not much of a twist which is the point, I suppose, but the whole thing seemed like a letdown when I finally watched it."
'As a result while a lot of people say it's their number one movie ever or at least in their top 10, it's on my top 10 list of movies not to watch again."- emjaysea
citizen kane applause GIFGiphyWhy Not Just Do A Documentary?
"Most Biopics."
"I think it's atrocious how they create hyperreality by over romanticizing the life of a famous person."
"Out of all the awful biopics however, i despise 'Bohemian Rhapsody' the most."
"The scene where the band supposedly invents 'We Will Rock You' on the spot makes my skin crawl."
"How did that movie end up winning so many awards, despite all the plot inaccuracy's and the poor editing."
"It is really beyond me."- Biemolt
Maybe Too Realistic?
'Not utterly repulsive, but I'm in the minority for thinking that 'Nomadland''s Best Picture win was a joke."
"It was barely a movie and relied too much on performance exploitation of actual people for its thin-as-f*ck narrative."
"Honestly, it might be my least favorite BP winner of recent times, yes I'd say that even 'Crash', 'The Artist' and 'Green Book' were better."- SamwisethePoopyButt
Not To Mention That Fake Baby...
"'American Sniper'."
"Shameless piece of 'Merican' propaganda, and I couldn't help but laugh at Bradley Cooper's portrayal in the first half hour."- mos_meth
Bradley Cooper Baby GIFGiphyTruman Capote Would Agree...
"Breakfast at Tiffany's."- LucyVialli
He Did Not Have Them At Hello...
"'Jerry Maguire'."
"It was just TOO. DAMN. LONG."
"The 'Show me the money' bit was funny, but it happened early on in the film, and the rest dragged on forever."- Brilliant_Tourist400
We All Know "Moonlight" Was Better...
"'La La Land'."
"The music was utterly forgettable and the plot felt like it was written by a bunch of Hollywood executives jerking each other off."- Aviator506
Emma Stone Love GIF by La La LandGiphyNeedless to say, everyone's taste is different, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Meaning there's bound to be an argument at the next "movie night" you have with friends over whether to watch Citizen Kane or Spice World.
And you should feel no shame in expressing which movie you want to watch.
Or rather, "what you really, REALLY, want" to watch...
Budding chefs know a thing or two about what makes certain dishes taste so good.
Interesting points were brought up when Redditor onegrayhair asked:
"What culinary hill are you willing to die on?"
People shared cooking tips and how some foods should be prepared a certain way.
Poor Construction
"Nachos should be built wide not tall."
– DBroncos515
"I hate when the chips at the bottom don’t have all the cheese and toppings, but the chips on top have too much. Balance is key to a great plate of nachos!"
– yo_kashlee
Jaws Have Limitations
"We need to make burgers wider not taller."
– John_Lives
"If I have to disassemble a burger to eat it, it’s missing the point, isn’t it?"
– JediTigger
Just Let It Stew
"Homemade chili is almost always better the next day."
– burritokiller1971
"And most soups and stews."
– wjglenn
Add Some Zap
"Worcestershire sauce can work magic."
– dberis
Resourcefulness
"Being poor isn’t a culinary crime. It takes talent to make cheap food taste as good as my mom did."
– urbancowgirl42
The Good Stuff
"Life is too short to not use butter."
– jasontronic
Breaking Food Conventions
"Breakfast is a construct."
"Eggs, bacon, French toast for dinner? Yes."
"Steak, potatoes, asparagus, 'dinner' roll for breakfast? Also yes."
– TheBeneGesseritWitch
Too Good To Dismiss
"That cheap bag of frozen peas and diced carrots you get at the grocery store is an outstandingly versatile source of nutrition. And tasty too."
– UncleIrohsPimpHand
People had plenty to say about rating recipes.
Unfair Critique
"When you're baking from an online recipe, don't change three or four ingredients "to make it healthy" and then leave a one star review about how bad it is."
– cliff99
Inaccurate Reviews
"Don't leave a 5-star review on someone's recipe while saying 'This was a great recipe... after I made these 10 changes!' At that point, you're not rating that person's recipe, you are rating YOUR OWN recipe. That person's recipe must not have been so good if you had to make so many changes."
"Also, don't leave a 5-star review on someone's recipe while saying 'This recipe looks great, I can't wait to try it!' Why skew the ratings when you haven't even tried it yet?"
– randomentity1
Snobbery Is Tasteless
"Being snobby about food to the point where you're hindering someone else's enjoyment is not a positive personality trait."
– swordcowboy
Taste Buds Don't Lie
"If it tastes good it tastes good."
– Danielwols
Some questioned people's capabilities in the kitchen while others straight up forbade them from doing something that is unfavorable.
The Complaint
"People who hate cooking with stainless steel don’t know how to cook with stainless steel."
– 3Me20
There's A Dress Code
"DON’T WEAR YOUR APRON INTO THE BATHROOM."
– andre3kthegiant
"I've called people out for doing this. It's disgusting. This isn't a hill to die on, this should be common sense. People be dumb."
– Aldayne
Cross-Contamination–Bad
"I had to call a girl out again for putting a container of raw meat on a cold station."
"She complained that I 'always call her out on that.'"
"Yeah no sh*t, you're the only one tryna catch state health code write ups.'
"e/ she saw the post and I made her cry, oops."
– ChefBoredAreWe
Don't Interrupt The Cook
"Get out of the kitchen if I'm cooking. Out out out I don't want your help."
– Justice171
Not All Salads Are Good For You
"I live in the Midwest, I love the Midwest but just because you call something a salad does not mean it is healthy and an acceptable side dish to your main course. Snicker-marshmallow-mayo-whatever is not salad."
– ArachnesChallenge
You Control The Outcome
"Recipes are a guide, not a rule book. You are allowed to just decide to make things and like it. What will it be called? Who the f'k knows. It can taste good anyways. Just wade through it."
– BirdLawyer50
All About The Consistency
"If you can't drink it through a straw it's not a milkshake."
– Recdrumz
I don't consider myself a cook, but I do pat myself on the back for some of the dishes I do know how to make well.
One of those is Japanese curry. And while I can't keep from serving and eating what takes at least an hour-and-a-half to make, I do find that my leftover tastes infinitely better the next day.
I make a HUGE batch of curry sauce so I can continue enjoying it for the next few days. There's something about leaving it in the fridge and heating up portions at a time that really activate the spices.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Non-Americans Divulge The Truths About The U.S. Most Americans Aren't Ready To Hear
There are plenty of things to be proud of as an American citizen and how dare anyone challenge that notion.
Right?
"Redditors from foreign countries, what's something us Americans aren't ready to hear?"
These are what non-Americans think of our food and food consumption.
How Sweet
"You all eat too much sugar."
– whtsinthename
Overindulgence
"The amount of food you waste is insane."
– Commercial_Quarter_6
"Theoretically, due to our obesity epidemic, it seems like half the food we eat is “wasted” in the sense that we didn’t need to eat it."
– OmegaSexy
Tasteless
"A lot of your favourite food brands make better versions of their products here. America often gets the short end of the stick."
– YodasChick-O-Stick
Not Lovin' It
"The quality of your fast food is absolutely horrible compared to that of Canada’s. I’m referring to the same chains, Burger King, McDonalds etc."
– earthmang2two
The things we do and how we go about our way living in the U.S.A. get closer inspection.
Insufficient Transportation
"Why don’t you have more trains?"
– TheGreenJackdaw
The Thing About Lobbying
"Lobbying is essentially legal bribery."
"It baffles me how every elected official is essentially sponsored by a bunch of companies or "movements" that are essentially comporations in disguise."
"Also, corporations don't care about you. At all."
– II7sevenII
Healthcare
"Staying alive isn't something that should cost more than the person's networth."
– LorckFrak
It's So Taxing
"The way you add tax to everything at the till is mental. Just tell me what it costs on the fricking label!"
– Sufficient_Vanilla18
An American Idol
"Treating your president like someone you worship is bizarre."
– Appropriate_Sun6311
"To be fair A LOT of us Americans think that’s bizarre too."
– babble0n
The Gospel Truth
"The Church in the rest of the world looks at the American evangelical right and cannot understand how you get from 'love one another' to where you guys are at.
– anteel
We probably haven't put much thought into these out-of-sight/out-of-mind scenarios.
Until now.
Too Much Exposure
"American bathroom stalls are exposed as f'k, a grown man could crawl under one of em and the vertical gap has a big enough gap to make full on eye contact with anyone walking by."
– CowDeer
The Non-Global Event
"The world series only happens in the U.S."
– Kommonwealth
Bad Construction
"Building houses out of cardboard is a bad idea!"
– StoicDonkey
I have to say, the concept of tipping in our country is completely bonkers to me.
Doling out some extra cash to incentivize good service only sets expectations, and not always in a good way.
The truth is, if a restaurant server, or housekeeping staff at a hotel, or bellhop attendant are paid decent enough wages from their employers from the start, they would already be hard workers.
Why should it be up to us to ensure we are provided with good service when companies skimp on paying their employees livable wages?
I've traveled around the world enough to know that tipping is an egregious, and faulty system.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
What makes you cringe when you see a movie advertised for the first time?
Although there have been some half decent adaptations the biggest “well that's going to suck" red flag for this writer is seeing the movie is adapted from a novel I have read.
If you haven't read the book typically the movie is good. However, if you know and loved the book, seeing the film adapt the story away from the beloved literature can be painful to watch.
This always leaves a tricky choice for the adapters themselves as well. Do they stay truer to the book and make a movie that's hours long or make a nip and tucked version to fit it into 120 minutes?
One thing for sure is there are many signs of a would be flop of a movie. TerabyteAIX wanted to know more.
They asked:
“What just screams 'this movie is gonna suck'?"
Que unimaginative fireworks here…
“When the main male character (teen) meets the main female character (teen) for the first time and it's just like: Sparkles! Sparkles! Time slows! Love at first sight!”
“No but like they actually make it slow motion and add like a billion special effects with the guy just staring open mouthed at her. It's so dumb.” GraceOfTheNight
This!
“Forced exposition: characters saying stuff unnatural to fill in the audience on backstory.”
Example: "Ugh, what would mom and dad say? ‘I don't know; they're gone. They died when I was three, remember?’” ypsm
GiphyWhen it’s a money grab…
"Beloved childhood story, starring three actors that were hired not because they'd be a good fit, but because they have loads of name recognition. Limping into a theater near you this summer! Our accountants rave 'This'll sucker some money from some fans!" CaptValentine
“Like that Star Wars when they show Han Solo at the end of the trailer. He's 75 years old but he's still wearing the same clothes and standing in the same ratty ship next to chewy. ‘Hey remember this guy? Yeah we got him here come see the der der deeerrr’” Historicmetal
A bad sign…
“When it's a comedy and the trailer isn't even funny - like, they couldn't even find 15 seconds of humor in their movie." bdbr
Glad you had fun—however….
“When all the cast talk about what a blast they had making the movie. That's a bad sign." Pytia007
“It's like only talking about how great the atmosphere or service is at a restaurant, that's not why you are going there." timesuck897
Super cringe…
“Movies that try hard to use today's memes or slang lol. Like you are trying tooo hard to be relatable and it's cringey” idkwhat2putasmyuserr
“And given how long it takes to produce a movie vs how fast memes move on it's always a dated reference too.” ReallyHadToFixThat
Giphy“I couldn't care less…"
“I remember when Batman Vs Superman came out, Warner brothers must have realised how big a piece of crap this movie is so they tried this with a bunch of new TV trailers only there weren't any positive reviews. The solution? Add a bunch of random peoples tweets that were positive. I burst out laughing." insane_knight
“I've noticed this trend in the media in general. I see numerous articles that pull random tweets as if their opinion has any merit. I couldn't careless what @queefburglar69 thought about the Senate spending bill, and apparently the writer didn't either because they couldn't be bother to interview anyone." Jezus53
People Break Down The Nicest Celebrities They've Ever Met | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
They always say, "don't meet your heroes." But here's the thing, sometimes your celebrities are actually just chill, normal people who are overjoyed to meet ...The word does not mean what you think it means…
“When the commercials all feature one or two word reviews, like "Dazzling", "Spectacular", or "Epic".” stinky_cheese33
“And there'll all from the same reviewer” Weekly_Noodle
Stinkburger with an extra side of one star reviews…
“In the 80s and 90s there was a trend where if there were NO positive reviews for a movie the commercial for the film would be people coming out of a screening raving about how hilarious/exciting/scary the movie was. That marketing trend is done but at the time that was a guarantee that the movie was a real stinkburger.” Groovy_Chainsaw
When even the stars stay away...
“A sequel with none of the original actors except for that one guy's dad.” Steph_Allen
When we get excited to spend money at the local theater we look forward to a good show.
But if you see any of these film red flags, there's a good chance your popcorn will be better than your movie.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
Most inventions were made with the idea to bring progress to humanity, not to harm it. However, that is not always how things turn out. A prime -and sad- example of this can be found in the life of Alfred Nobel. Most people know his name as the creator of the Nobel Peace prize without a second thought as to what drove him to make such an award.
The tragic truth is that Alfred Nobel invented dynamite with the intent to help with industrial uses. After seeing the horrendous usage of his invention to kill so many people so easily he lived the rest of his life under the weight of an all-consuming regret. That led him to use his fortune to create an award for those who have done incredible things for humanity and peace.
Redditor IndependentHungry840 wanted to know other inventions that met a harmful ending and asked:
“What invention has done more harm than good?"
Constant media panic…
“24 hour news media. It is absolutely one of the most toxic, miasmic, foul things we could have ever come up with." wiredsignal
“What makes it worse is the "news" isn't just news, it's ONLY bad news. There's never an hour of only uplifting, happy stories that happened today. It's just a constant barrage of fear-mongering and misery." AdamNRG
Lead poisoning causes lower IQ and behavior disruption…
“There used to be lead in gasoline; they thought it would improve engine performance. Not only did it ruin people's lungs, many believe that it caused an increase in violent crime, because things like muggings almost disappeared after lead was taken out of gas.” doowgad1
“I'm pretty sure it was proven that after the invention of leaded gasoline, the average IQ dropped. And leaded gas was around for a pretty long time.” Marksman18
“Violent crime massively spiked in the US from about 1970-2000, right when atmospheric lead concentration spiked as well.” Agent_Orange7
Smoking is just bad all the way around…
“Cigarettes. Supposed to relieve stress and help the user feel in control due the nicotine inside which is of course highly addictive. Not to mention the myriad of other harmful things inside of them (Methanol/Rocket Fuel, Arsenic, Stearic Acid/Candle Wax, etc.)" Toa-Magnus
“The worst part is, cigarettes replaced tobacco pipes, which have substantially lower health risks, due to the fact that you don't inhale from a pipe at all, just "sip" the smoke and blow."
“Cigarettes' ease of use and popularity has also lead to tons of small tobacco growers just going straight out of business because the high temps cigs burn at and the filtered tip make the actual quality of the tobacco "less important" insofar as our friend Big Tobacco is concerned. Not to mention that same accessibility making childhood smoking much easier to pick up and hide."
“If you're a long-time smoker and have trouble quitting, you could at least consider transitioning to pipes, the learning curve isn't steeper than a few nights in google, and the smoke smells way better for bystanders than everyone's favorite acrid cancer stick. I mean, it ain't good for you, but it's leagues better than cigarettes." Strudel_Meister
This right here!
“Private prisons, the peak of modern slavery, prisons are meant to be reforming facilities/keeping criminals in check, not a business but if your country thought slavery was okay back then, why it wouldn't work now.” PsychologicalTart602
Education time: Part of the dehumanizing experiences to which prisoners are subjected work to only further isolate them from society making it more difficult to reintegrate upon release. The psychological damage and lack of prosocial connectivity coupled with social stigma and scare resources helps ensure a continuation of the crime cycle with extraordinarily high recidivism rates.
This means the United States prisons stay full so they can keep lining the pockets of the private ownership essentially incentivizing the people who run these correctional facilities to keep any true rehabilitative programming to a bare minimum.
Asbestos, not the fire proof miracle we thought…
“Asbestos insulation." Ancient-Pause-99
“I live where the asbestos mine just shut down ten years ago. You can't get your house tested for asbestos because it's literally in everything, so even brand new houses would test positive from the surroundings. All the other rocks from the mine were used all over in sidewalks, roads, Street lamps, etc.” RoselleLS
Eli Whitney’s inventions…
“Whitney's cotton gin in the 1790's. Made slavery profitable. When I took a class on antebellum economics a argument that had support was that before the 1790s slavery was in decline.” CSMURPHRUN
“Then Eli went on to develop mass production and gave it to the North allowing them to mass produce rifles with interchangeable parts. This led to the North's victory. Eli Whitney had arguably the largest impact on American history of any single person. Essentially providing the tools to start the civil war then end it.” Louis_A_Devil
Social Media Platforms…
social media followers GIF by The Orchard FilmsGiphy“Social media ironically has made it harder to actually socialize with people and imo is responsible for a huge portion of social anxiety around the world." BradRogriguez
“The issues caused by social media are much deeper than just lack of in-person connection and social anxiety. Mental health overall in teens and young adults is on a decline, and misinformation is spreading rampantly, people are even more divided than ever ideologically” kiwidog8 |
“the original social media."
“The guy who invented the megaphone said he felt responsible for Hitler's rise. Before that, the most people you could really talk to at once was like 100. After that, one speech can reach millions.” skeetsauce
“Oh sh*t. The megaphone was the original social media.” Shermione
The lie detector test…
“Polygraph test. Its a stress test, in no way was it ever supposed to a ‘lie detector’. The inventor was beyond horrified and destroyed at the ‘monstrous misuse of his technology by law enforcement’.” MurrayMan92
Keurig…
“I think the way Keurig has evolved is hilarious. They started with the hugely wasteful cups that lots of people used. Eventually people realized how wasteful they were and pressured Keurig to make reusable cups. Now they're just a normal coffee machine.”
“They came from nowhere, invented a new technology, and eventually just ended up using the same old technology as their competitors and somehow ended up coming out on top” Lemon_Tile
While good intentions proceeded these inventions there certainly were grave consequences. It shows the bad sides of humanity in that if it can be weaponized it will be.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.