MY TOP 15 GUILTY PLEASURES MOVIES.
Here’s MY definition of a Guilty Pleasure Movie which could be
different from other peoples. To begin with, since I’m a self- appointed movie
critic, I go to see most every kind of movie… the good, the bad and the
ugly, and have no guilt for doing so… it’s my job so to speak. So, for me the
test of whether the movie is a Guilty Pleasure is whether I liked the movie
and, for whatever reason am slightly embarrassed or hesitant to admit to
it. In other words, I may have varying degrees of guilt about the
pleasures I experienced in the enjoyment of these movies. They may contain corny humor, or revel in
pseudo-intellectuality; they may be dated in the worst way or contain
special effects so hokey you can't help but grin at their moxie for trying.
Then there is always the sexual tone. Often, we can't explain why it is we like
these movies; we just do. Often the movies are not all that good..even in the B
category or less…other times they quite good but may be considered TOO much of
a “chick flick” of gross-out film. In any event, here are My top 15 GUILTY
PLEASUE MOVIES with and without explanation.
The order is from most
guilty to least guilty.
1.
ONE MILLION YEARS BC (1966)
starring Raquel Welch whom I had a “thing” for back then as I do now with
Scarlett Johansson. Here’s the movie poster… need I say more. Who cares about
the story or anything else !!1
2. KILL BILL VOLUME I and II (2003) These were a two film
set by Quinton Tarantino , at his best, starring the amazing Uma Thurman…
truly a one-woman army…. the body count in Volume I alone was beyond
comprehension along with all the remarkable Kung Fu moves. The other
stars were Daryl Hannah, one truly mean lady (“not”.. a lady that is) and
David Carradine. I actually experienced more pleasure in Vol. II than in Vol I,
but not by much.
”
3. AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED
ME (1999)
Austin Powers and Dr. Evil are
back from their first movie, “Austin Powers; International Man of Mystery”..and
Dr. Evil has invented a new time machine that allows him to go back to
the 60's and steal Austin Powers’ mojo, inadvertently leaving him
"shagless". This film, as the others, is something of a
“soft” gross-out but is absolutely hilarious as the other Powers’ movies
including the last one, the last: “Austin Powers in Goldmember”. They were
hugely popular… I’m sure they show up on many people’s list.
4.
ROAD HOUSE (1989) Patrick
Swayze plays Dalton
who lives like a loner, fights like a professional and loves like there's no
tomorrow. He’s the best bouncer in the business. His
nights are filled with fast action, hot music and beautiful women. It's a dirty
job, but somebody's got to do it, and he does it most of the time with his
shirt off and with a swagger..sort of a “dirty dance-step swagger.. The
mean guy is Ben Gazzara and the hot blond is Kelly Lynch.
5. MAD MAX (1979) This was Mel Gibson’s first
big movie and it was so successful there were two sequels. This set
a new standard for violence and awfully mean and nasty characters. It is a couple of years in the future... the highways
of Australia are ruled by violent gangs who have turned the highways into a
battleground as they loot gasoline and terrorize the innocent. Max (Mel
Gibson)is a policeman who had everything... until, a murderous motorcycle gang
led by the evil Toecutter burns Max’s partner to death and murders his
wife and son, This makes him go off his rocker, and Max decides to take the law
into his own hands as he sets out to get his revenge on the motorcycle gang and
become the road warrior known as "Mad Max".
6.
GREASE (1978) “Grease is
the word”. Good
girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and greaser Danny (John Travolta)…they fall in love
over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same
high school, the relationship is tested and turned upside down. Great fifties
music with some fine ole fashion dancing.
You’ve got Danny Zuko ( just love that name), leader of the greaser gang
"T-Birds". And there’s Rydell High; the "Pink Ladies"
and hip-hopping, knee-slapping music..a fun, sing-along movie about
a different kind of high school life..great characters.
7. CHARLIE”S
ANGELS (2000 & 2003) Another twosome of movies with lovely,
sexy ladies, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. The action
doesn’t get any “hotter” than this .It’s a campy take-off on the famous
TV series that really works quite well …good action, fun dialogue and 3 hotties
doing great action sequences..all done mostly tongue-in-cheek.. just the right
touch.
8. SPEED
(1994) Get ready for rush hour. “There's a bomb on the bus!" The acme
of high tension and suspense and one of the best “is it the red-wire or
the-blue-wire” films. What a ride and what a way to bring Keanu Reeves and
Sandra Bullock to the big screen along with the wily veteran Dennis Hooper.
Just like when no one wanted to go to the beach after “Jaws”, I couldn’t ride a
bus for a couple of years after seeing this flick.
9.
BREAKFAST AT TIFANNY’S
(1961) Audrey Hepburn plays that daring, darling Holly Golightly
(again, love the name) to a new high in entertainment delight! While it has
its flaws, there's no denying that Audrey Hepburn still looks ravishing and
Henry Mancini's music still makes us swing . And then there was “cat” and
the many other colorful characters but none who came close to topping holly.
10. AIRPLANE (1980) The
greatest spoof ever made, taking every disaster-movie cliché and twisting it
until all the comedy is extracted. All the more ingenious in comparison to the
lame mess of sketches that is 'spoof' today . This is a forerunner of the dumb
and dumber characters but not so dumb as not to be really funny and almost
believable. Great laughs
11. ONCE
UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968) One of the greatest
Westerns of all time and almost no one has seen it. By the famous “Spaghetti
Western” director, Sergio Leone, who made Clint Eastwood famous as the man with
no name, he carries forward in this movie his vision of the
old-school grandeur of the West. It’s
an epic story of a mysterious stranger with a
harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful
widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad. Henry Fonda is
the meanest of characters here with Charles Bronson as the stranger and the
beautiful Claudia Cardinale as the damsel in distress.
12. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
It’s
rare for a comedy/horror movie to be both funny and
frightening. Shaun
decides to turn his very dull life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend,
reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire
community of zombies. One of the strangest, most gruesome romantic comedies
you’ll ever see.
13. PLANET OF THE
APES (1968) This trippy piece of new-Hollywood sci-fi mixes
in issues of race, science, even politics, with turn-of-the-species-upside-down
shocks and thrills…plus Charlton Hesston’s bronzed chest in almost every
scene.. that didn’t do anything for me.. but the ladies loved it/him.. The
twist ending alone lands it on most high “pleasurable” moment lists.
14.
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBITT (1988) A toon hating
detective is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove his innocence when he is
accused of murder. Roger
is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the
studio hires a detective to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly
raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect.
Groundbreaking interaction between live and animated characters . AND,
the cartoon character “Jessica” is one of the hottest, sexiest, female
characters to grace, or should I say, slink across the screen.
15.
DIRTY DANCING (1987) Let's see if
we can get through this without any mention of "Baby" and
"corner". Oh, what the heck!!!. Great tunes, romantic
wish-fulfillment and a '60s innocence make this a “guilty pleasure” populist
classic. And it stars none other than the hip-swinging Patrick
Swayze. What
immediately comes to mind: First dance. First love. The
time of your life .
*********************************************************************************************************************
WELL,
as they say , “That’s it folks’… those are my “guilty pleasures” and I’d love
to hear from you as to what you’ll admit to .
