What films do you love, but no one else seems to “get” in quite the same way?
For example, I love:
Miami Blues - Not raved about, but I just love this black comedy, great soundtrack and worth seeing if only for the scene with Jennifer Jason Leigh nekid except for those skimpy knickers.
An American Werewolf in London - One of my favourite horror films. Also, the casting and script were excellent. The scene with the werewolf at the tube station still has the power to scare! Most people I know don’t seem to even be aware of this film…
Ghost Ship - Seemingly universally panned by all and sundry, but I love it! A clever and unique storyline, and some great horror set pieces.
Camp - Critically panned, instantly forgotten, and I really liked it. OK, there was a lot of really lame stuff, but also some true gems. Really only enjoyable if you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time immersed in the culture of High School theater geeks/queens who take themselves really seriously. Stephen Sondheim has a cameo! That has to count for something!
Magnolia - Not at all in the same category as the above, but this one definitely divides people pretty sharply, and I think the ones who dislike it are in the majority. One of my favorite movies of all time, and more often than not when I mention it to someone they react with disgust. This is often, though by no means always, a good indicator of whether or not a person is someone I care to spend a lot of time around.
LC
P.S. - That second one reminded me of a story. My best friend absolutely loves the movie Stealing Beauty. About a year and a half ago she started dating this girl, and a few weeks in, they watched the movie together. Asked what she thought when the movie was over, this chick apparently expressed a fairly negative opinion. My friend never called her again.
I’m kind of wondering if you seriously have to be gay or deeply into camp to get Sordid Lives? It seems like all the people I know who love it are gay or very gay-friendly. Everyone else is like, “WTF?”
I bought my boyfriend the DVD for Christmas. We both love the damn thing, and I swear the first thing I’m going to do when we open the gifts is steal the SL disc and make LJ icons…
The Mosquito Coast - I love this movie, but most people I know either haven’t seen it or didn’t like it. I think it’s a great, tragic story and it’s one of Harrison Ford’s best roles. River Phoenix and Helen Mirren are also very good.
There are people who cry everytime they watch that movie. In Tennessee even.
Most of the movies I feel strongly about are the ones that I saw as a kid and have sentimental value to me. These include such classics as The Beastmaster, Flash Gordon,Clash Of The Titans, the Treasure of the Four Crowns (in 3D), Sword and the Sorceror, Hawk the Slayer, Krull (even though dude didn’t break out the Glaive nearly enough). I also recall watching Grease 2 everytime it came on Showtime one summer. Even though it was horrible, some mystic force compelled me to watch it again and again.
The Big Hit comes rapidly to mind. Tis a delightlful action-comedy romp, and anyone who says different is doomed to a life of servititude to the dread king of Inferno’s Abyss, the wicked Moga Trord.
There are several movies like those that no one else seems to want to watch, but I just love. “The Mouse and His Child” is so creepy to me in a really cool way, but everyone else seems to think it’s just lame.
I was thinking about starting a thread like this. I was going to call it “A Movie I Love That You Don’t Even Like” because I saw one of my favourites again - Let It Ride with Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr and Jennifer Tilly. It’s not highly thought of, I gather the script writer tried to disown it and yet I love it. It’s a weird almost mystical story about a racetrack gambler having the day of his life. Full of quirky characters and laughs, but best of all it seems to understand gamblers (at least as I know them) better than any other film. Typical of this understanding is one of my favourite movie moments ever - huge spoiler (don’t look if you may see the movie).Prior to the running of the last everyone wants to know what Jay’s backed. He says he has a small bet on the favourite. Looney tells the crowd, who groan and go back to what they were doing. Then Jay confides that he has put it all on the horse that winked at him. Looney turns triumphant and yells “He pissed it all away” and the whole racecourse cheers. Whoever wrote that knows gamblers.
Ishtar – a nice little comedy with an undeservedly bad reputation.
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy – most people get fooled into thinking it’s a sex comedy. It’s actually one of Woody Allen’s bleakest dramas, detailing the impossibility love.
Movie Movie – delightful parody of 30s films – two for the price of one!
Hearts and Souls – nice little supernatural drama. Like “Ghost,” but sweeter.
Black Moon – I mean the Louis Malle film. Very obscure, no plot, practically no dialog – but fascinating.
It’s My Party - a HUGE tearjerker with Eric Roberts and a great ensemble cast. I may be the only person in the world who thinks Roberts is extraordinary in this role, and most people I know think the movie is glurgey and depressing. I think it’s beautiful.
Threesome - Three not-so-great actors (Stephen Baldwin, Lara Flynn Boyle and Josh Charles) and a fairly contrived storyline, but for me it’s one of those “been there, felt that” movies I happened to see at just the right time for it to touch me. Plus I think a good chunk of the dialogue is hilarious.
I love the movie Orlando with Tilda Swinton. Most people I know have never seen it. It’s based on the book by Virginia Woolf, and it’s VERY BIZARRE, but I adore it!!! Harborwolf watched it with me once, and he just dismissed it as “artsy crap”.