#sogooditsbad

[thazeri]

When your #sweettooth has got you up late, head on over to Voodoo doughnut! With traditional flavors and original creations, they're bound to hit the spot. They even have vegan and gluten free options! Don't forget the Voodoo Doll: Raised yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly topped with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stake. #sogooditsbad (at Voodoo Doughnut Austin)

[fatalleycat]

How does he cope with this?! Going to a screening of Tommy Wiseau's 'The Room' in full "Oh Hai Mark" Wiseau cosplay! Just so you know, I did not hit her. #theroom #newglobetheatre #tommywiseau #cosplay #ididnothither #ididnot #ohhaimark #somuchhair #brisbane #sogooditsbad #thecitizenkaneofbadmovies

[fromthewastes]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1mLCPWiuhk)

One of my favorite things to come out of the 80′s... Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone... I never tire of watching it.

[elliottf]

Holiday breakfast. croissants dipped in hot chocolate. #vscocam #breakfast #chocolate #croissant #pastry #nomnom #food #foodporn #sogood #SoGoodItsBad #holiday

[hi-levelhumor]

So Bad It's Good and Funny

A few weeks ago, I had the (dis)pleasure of watching a film entitled Battle: Los Angeles. It has to be good; Aaron Eckhart is in it, right? Wrong. In the film, aliens from another planet invade Earth, with a plan to colonize earthlings and use water for fuel. A team of marines has other plans, which include defeating the aliens and saving humanity, among other things.

This movie was not supposed to be a comedy. I repeat (for emphasis), this movie was not supposed to be a comedy.

There is just something about bad movies, music, etc. When I first watched Vertigo, the Hitchcock classic, I couldn’t help but smirk at the special effects. Why do we laugh?

One reason might be irony. I went into Battle: LA certainly not expecting an Oscar winner, but at the very least decent dialogue and plot. Instead, I heard the line “It’s okay, I’m a veterinarian.”

The veterinarian was attempting to justify her expertise in performing an autopsy on a deceased space invader. This just doesn’t make sense. Aliens aren’t animals, they’re otherwordly!

Besides irony, one other reason might be that failure, or subpar work is funny. These filmmakers attempted to create a work of art that would entertain and excite you. Instead, you’re sitting here laughing at how that line of dialogue is not the least bit realistic (granted, aliens attacking Los Angeles isn’t very rational either).

Laughing at how bad something is may not be the most “classy sense of humor”, but it exists. It’s like laughing at someone for slipping on ice, except; instead of slipping on ice, they produced a predictable movie with bad dialogue. You might feel a little guilty, but you do it anyways.

The nice thing about bad movies is that everyone can talk, and rarely get annoyed. While watching Battle: LA, we discussed if aliens could be kept as pets, why aliens never come in peace anymore and why one should always write a will.

The DVD even started skipping at one point, and no one cared.

My story is just one example, but there are countless others. What does “it’s so bad it’s funny” mean? Some people out there may have genuinely enjoyed Battle: LA, which makes me feel bad about laughing at its awfulness. What about the special effects in Vertigo? 60’s moviegoers were probably in awe of the film’s special effects, while I, in the Michael Bay era, found them cheap and silly.

And what about television shows, movies, and music that realize “so bad it’s funny” is actually a legitimate source of humor?

The best example I have of this is the Canadian television show, Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place. The entire show is actually a parody of low-budget sci-fi 80’s television shows.

I first saw this show when I was watching television with my brother at my grandparents’ house. My brother and I almost believed this was a real 80’s television show up until the commercial break. Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place never acknowledges that it is not an actual 80’s sci-fi television show. The show’s commitment to the genre makes it a truly unique piece of art that demonstrates the power of “it’s so bad it’s funny”.