Well, if you're going to be weird, you may as well go WHOLE HOG!Apr 16 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Questionable Films of Questionable Taste. Some taste good, others....
You have to have a definite....taste for Cult Movies. It's the sort of....taste that some people develop, perhaps during pregnancies, for maple syrup on pizza (I've done that), or fresh earthworms (done that too), or a big bowl of macaroni and cheese (HAVEN'T done THAT!). There are cult movies that are more cultish than these, but these are my ten favorites. What makes a cult movie a cult movie? Well, the easiest way is to get banned somewhere, and then a bunch of outraged wannabe movie-goers will hunt down copies of the movie and watch it in secret. Another way would be to have a highly-devoted fan base who can't go a week without drinking in some aspect of the movie. With those qualifications in mind, it also helps matters if the movie is BAD. That can mean poorly executed or just in questionable taste. And, since I'm an expert on both... Here's the list: 1) Freaks (1932) My favorite both for it's obscurity and for the wonderfully twisted story, this movie was banned in England and the States for several decades. It's the first gift my sweet wife Melissa ever gave to me (for my birthday in 1999), and it's entirely befitting our messed up relationship. Freaks is a story about Circus Freaks: Siamese Twins, German Midgets, a man with no arms and no legs...just a torso and head (we call him "Jimmy Dean") (we're going straight to hell), pinheads, the Fat Lady, Hercules, and other unusual examples of humanity. It's remarkable mostly because the "freaks" were all played by genuine sideshow performers who wanted to send a message about man's inhumanity to man. It's a remarkable film; you can probably find it in the "cult classics" section of Hollywood Video. 2) Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Probably the best known and loved Cult Film, everyone should have the experience of seeing the midnight showing at least once in their lifetime. The most audience-participatory of all the films on this list, the music and ridiculous story combine to make a unique theatre-going evening. 3) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Those of you who don't call this a cult film haven't had the experiences with it that I have. I really REALLY like this movie, but what I HATE is how it's been ruined for me by the couple of dozen people I've known (in Utah) who will quote the film in lousy British accents until I'm ready to kill 'em all. I can't hear "NEE!" anymore. I can't hear "I'm not dead yet!" anymore. I can't hear "Spankings! YES, SPANKINGS!!" ....well, maybe I can still hear that one. The cadres of loyal, memory-gifted Monty Python fans have seen this a million times, and have ruined the movie for me. It's a cult film. 4) A Clockwork Orange (1971) One of Stanley Kubrick's oddest films (and that's saying something), it was introduced to me by a group of friends who really really liked it. To the point that it disturbed me a bit. Come to find out, it's a favorite among highschool outcasts, and go figure. The anarchic stylings of Alex are the outcry of those who perceive themselves as the intellectual elite, and these tend to be the same kinda people who go for cult films. A marriage made in....uh, a library. 5) Harold and Maude (1971) Another weird one, about a 20 year old guy whose obsession with death leads him to an unlikely relationship with a 79-year old woman. The two of them forge a friendship and more over the course of the film, which explores our own ideas and fears about life, death, and love. A lot of people really REALLY like this film, it made me uncomfortable, and then it made me think. And goodness knows I don't want to do that. 6) The Last Supper (1995) This one I thought was a lot of fun, because it seems like something I'd end up participating in. You know how there are some people who are just so...irredeemable that you feel like you could just toss them in a meat grinder? Welp, this movie is about a bunch of liberal college students who decide to do that. They have a nice little dinner party and invite people over whose political views they disagree with (a racist, a male chauvenist pig, an anti-environmentalist...) and then they kill them, reasoning that the world is better for the loss of this persons ideas. An intriguing film about what makes people like this tick. It still seems like a good idea sometimes.....good thing I'm such a Nice Guy. 7) Swingers (1996) Vince Vaughan and Jon Favreau star in this flick that's about the new nightclub scene--how to fit in, what the point is, all that kinda stuff. My little brother and his friends treat this movie like their Bible, and it does't bring them much luck, from what I understand. Still a fun movie to watch, getting into another "scene" than one that I run in. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had any kind of "scene". What a loser. 8) Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (1996)(1988-1998) This applies to the movie, but more especially to the television series. As Mike, Joel, Crow, and Tom Servo ripped apart decades of bad movies, these shows' legions of fans kept the series alive. Some of the funniest smart-aleck comments ever made (and I'm INCLUDING Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show) at the expense of performers...and yet some people just don't get it. And THAT, my friends, makes it a cult classic. 9) Heavenly Creatures (1994) Kate Winslet, pre-Titanic, stars in this VERY disturbing story about two girls in New Zealand who develop a fantasy-based friendship and fictionalization of their own lives...when their parents try to separate them, they begin to plot the parents' deaths. Sort of "Anne of Green Gables" on crack. What makes this more disturbing than your usual teen angst film is that it's based on actual events that happened in New Zealand. If you do decide to see this one...be careful. It really depressed me for a few days, and that's rare. 10) Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) My incredibly geeky friends and I call this "Star Trek: The MotionLESS Picture". I'm qualifying it as a cult film because 1) the Trekkies are the biggest bunch of cultish freaks out there in one united body...and 2) ONLY TREKKIES would enjoy this horridly paced film. A slow movie that does nothing to advance the lives or careers or storylines of anyone we care about; I do hear that a re-edited version of this is coming out on DVD this summer, and the editing improves it. We'll see. Some honorable mentions: Pink Flamingos Sweeney Todd Labyrinth Brazil Pulp Fiction Reservoir Dogs Fargo The Big Lebowski Some of which I've seen, some of which I've liked, but I've mostly hated. More on some of those later. Sniff around my other reviews--you'll find them. And I promise I won't talk about maple syrup on pizza or eating earthworms on any other review.  |
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