Thursday, March 3, 2011

Movies

I have a couple of really silly movies that I absolutely adore, and those I love have often been very accommodating and let me see them more than once in their presence.
I'm not talking about the kind of movie that the whole family wants to watch (Love Actually, Casablanca, Dr Strangelove, Being There, Out of Africa) or well-made but girly movies (the six-hour-long Pride & Prejudice) or even popular geeky movies (the Lord of the Rings extended editions).  I'm talking about movies that no one else likes that I do.

We can start with the one that's least offensive to everyone else, and that's Say Anything.
(via)

I love Say Anything.  I love how the father uses the phrase "to champion mediocrity" as an insult, I love that In Your Eyes is played throughout the film, I love that Lloyd Dobbler says that his father wants him to go into the army but "I can't work for that institution."  I love that Diane Court is afraid of flying.  I love that she gives him a pen when they break up, and then gives the same pen to her father.  Oh, and I love that he serenades her plays a song on the radio outside her bedroom window.

I first want to say that I know one other person (Kuzu!) who likes this movie, but my family, my other best friend, and my ex-boyfriend have all watched this with me, and that takes endurance and true love.  There is one word for this, and it is Stardust.
This happy face on Claire Danes describes my emotion when I watch this film.  (via)

I love that Take That plays the credits song.  I love that they made a Neil Gaiman book into a movie (not Coraline, but still, Coraline was good too).  I love that the story is somewhere between geeky adventures and true love.  I love that Robert deNiro is in this film as a cross-dressing sky pirate.  I have seen this at least three or four times, and I'm not going to stop now.  Because it is excellent, and I don't care what other people say.  They still watch it with me (thank you, family and Mike and WW)

Okay, the last one is Labyrinth, and that's the one that polarizes everyone.  Because seriously, either you love David Bowie as the Goblin King or you don't.
This is one of my favourite scenes.  (via)

It's not even that, though.  You can like David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust or as a cocaine-ridden genius without liking this film.  I will be the first to admit that the film is not very well made or anything.  It's not cinematographically ground-breaking or incredible.  It's David Bowie singing songs and dressed up strangely.  Either you like this or you don't.  It's like dark chocolate - either you like it or you don't.  There isn't a lot of middle ground.  But I still adore this movie.  I saw it when I was about eleven at my friend Miriam's house and fell head-over-heels for the Goblin King and just never stopped.

So... those are the films I'm embarrassed about liking but still adore.  Do you have any movies or books or music like that?

3 comments:

  1. are you kidding? labyrinth is such an awesome (terrible) movie. for me, it's the combination of bowie and muppets that make me want to watch it over and over and over...

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  2. Awesome! I've never seen any of them, but now I'm so gonna! I mean John, come on!

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  3. Biz - yes, it's quite possibly my favourite ever. And it's what made me fall in love with David Bowie, so I guess it's fate
    Photohogger - yes, do! And then tell me what you think!

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