MovieChat Forums > Ben Mankiewicz Discussion > Does This Moron Ever Get Anything Right?

Does This Moron Ever Get Anything Right?

posted 6 years ago by Underdog_73 (770)
5 replies | jump to latest

He clearly doesn't watch these movies, then makes an ass out of himself attempting to discuss them.

He claimed the silent version of The Wizard of Oz was the exact same story as the 1939 version. Not even close. Idiot.

During his intro to His Kind of Woman, he claimed Robert Mitchum was a gambler flying to Mexico under an assumed identity. Wrong again. He used his own identity and never attempted to use another. someone else wanted his. A huge difference.

Ben is a true dipshit, with an intellect level mirroring developmentally challenged preschoolers. How does someone this stupid, with a fetish for incest porn, get and hold a job with a channel that's supposed to have some class?

[–] FredBurroughs (22312) 6 years ago

On which show does he talk about incest porn? Is TCM trying to reach a new audience?

[–] Underdog_73 (770) 6 years ago

He talked about it on The Young Turks. You might still be able to find the clip YouTube, but he worked hard to make it disappear; the same way he had iMDb remove all negative topics about him. In any case, a Google search will bring up sites that have the video clip. Granted he brought it up as a joke, but it was really creepy and it did not fit the conversation at all. I think it's because they were reviewing a kids' movie that it really felt out of place.

[–] eYeDEF (5050) 6 years ago

Curious why you continue to bother with his reviews when he causes you so much angst.

[–] Underdog_73 (770) 6 years ago

A valid curiosity, I suppose. I usually FF through his intros. It's when I watch a movie live that I sometimes find myself subjected to them. I'll still usually pause an FF if I'm not otherwise distracted.

That said, the amount of errors attributed to him, during the few times I actually view his intros, says quite a bit. I can't explain why this guy irks me so much. I think it's because he's such a combination of arrogance and ignorance that he becomes so unlikable.

[–] liscarkat (19427) 6 years ago

I think "moron" is a bit strong; however, there's something about him that bothers me sometimes. I think it's because I want to see somebody like Osborne who sincerely loved the movies and took them seriously, but Mankiewicz comes off a bit smirky. It's as if he enjoys the movies in a sort of hipsterish ironic way, as amusing relics of a quaint time. He rarely, if ever, seems to immerse himself in them on their own terms. Muller is by far the best TCM host since Osborne, and I wouldn't mind seeing him extend his hosting duties beyond noir. The Australian woman and the guy who does a great young Robert Osborne impression are okay, too.