Cult Hall of Fame Additions

We know there are some movies that have achieved cult status, like Donnie Darko (still haven't seen it) or The Rocky Horror Picture Show which spawned numerous theaters simultaneously showing the movie and the cosplay/show live. Weird movies from the legendarily bad Ed Wood are also cult. Popular and culturally relevant films like Fight Club and The Matrix are also considered cult. Then, what is a cult movie actually? Obviously it has to have a cult-like following, hence the name. Duh. Usually it is obscure and unpopular with the mainstream. Often revolutionary or ultimate guilty pleasure. Basically cult movies are based on audience reactions.

I'm going to propose new films to be considered cult. Why? Because right now I'm in between classes and I'm dreading the idea to walk to the next class just to sleep. That's half-true but I just adore weird films that people dismiss right away. Mostly, I'm listing critically-reviled and hated-by-most-audience films. Mostly from the new millennium. So, don't judge. Don't add films that the whole world knows is good. (Like anyone's gonna bombard my comment section).

National Treasure (2005)
If you look at the past 15 years, the most fun you'll ever have watching a popcorn flick is this movie. There's Pirates of the Caribbean, my personal favorite but it needs your full attention. There are budding superhero films, but they are too gritty. But we have in our midst a full on Nicolas Cage family-friendly adventure with Sean Bean as the villain--that's like cinematic treasure is it? It's also one of the few movies where Sean Bean doesn't die. This type of movie made The Da Vinci Code popular. Messing around with history and stuff. This is gold. This film is the kind of film that you can watch repeatedly everyday. Pure fun. I'd rescue this movie when the world ends.



Eagle Eye (2008)
What I like about this movie is... Shia LaBeouf is still sane! This film is quite prophetic in some way. It might be ahead of its time. Maybe not. The whole film genre about AI is quite similar but this one's pretty awesome. There's that awesome scene just before midway thru the film, the one that ends with the car in the river/sea/lake/water. It has quite a silly climactic scene with that trumpet which just makes it just right for my taste.





Jennifer's Body (2009)
This film is so nice. Scripted by the talented Diablo Cody, it is destined to be a cult movie. But what happened? It's too good for 2009. The soundtrack is such a good compilation. There's Megan Fox post-Revenge of the Fallen, Amanda Seyfried post-Mamma Mia. Boatload of cameo too like Chris Pratt and Lance Henriksen. Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons is also in the cast. This film remains one of my favorite horror-comedies. Let's face it, it's not gonna rank up as high as Evil Dead series but it still has its unique merits.


G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009)
I don't get why people hated this movie. This movie is a full non-stop action--mind you that's a phrase. I'm not referring to the literal exhausting non-stop action like Furious 7. G.I. Joe paced its action and story really good. I know the visual effects is so bad by 2009 standards and Channing Tatum couldn't act that well yet. But it's such a fun movie. The cast is amaziiiing. Out of nowhere there's Joseph Gordon-Levitt before his cult stardom from (500) Days of Summer. I'd watch this if it comes up on TV on a rainy Saturday for sure. I like this movie so much I hated when they bring new people in the sequel, even when those people are Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. [update Jun 24: apparently Channing Tatum hated this film, well you're so bad here but the movie's not as bad as your acting skills]


Sucker Punch (2011)
I have confessed my love to this film numerously in this blog alone. It is a very high-concept action film, filled with awesome moments. Amazing color grading if you like your movies over-saturated--Snyder-style. Crazy action sequences, killer rock-n-roll covers soundtrack, lovely cast.. Man, I can keep going. It is also one of the few Hollywood films to feature an all female ensemble protagonists. This is just a misunderstood film. And to make it better, Zack Snyder just got to release an R-rated cut pronto. I can actually watch this movie over and over again.



Still coming up: your world on fire...and blood.

To The Dreamers

Finally kicked off the summer movie season! My first movie for the summer is Tomorrowland, which stars George Clooney and Britt Robertson, directed by Brad Bird of The Incredibles fame. This film is a rare bird since it is technically an original film, although roughly based on Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland section. I am championing originality as always--and any major promising sci-fi film, Imma gobble it up and add it to my religion. It is scripted by Bird and Damon Lindelof a.k.a. the guy behind Lost and Prometheus that you bullied into exiting Twitter. Don't be confused because this is not about the origins of that EDM festival.

The story is about Casey who found this mysterious pin which can transport her to a world beyond ours (wink-wink at that European alternate title). She then teams up with previous residents of that futuristic utopia Frank Walker and Athena (played by the talented and screen-stealing Raffey Cassidy) to go back to that place. They began on this quest to save the world and Tomorrowland altogether.

Movie-wise, the film is ably directed by Brad Bird whose first foray to live-action is so good that this film is like a walk in the park. That house invasion scene plays out like an action scene from an animated film complete with reaction shots mostly by Ms. Robertson. However, with such message and story the film kinda falls short in telling the story itself. Some of the supporting story are cut short which is sad. I want more of that little Frank Walker and also that history with Tesla, Edison, Verne and Eiffel and all the built-in mythologies. Not to mention the story is that same old 'chosen one' type. But the jokes are spot-on and the movie is funny and also touching especially in the end. The cast is great. George Clooney could use some more jokes though. Love Britt Robertson and especially Raffey Cassidy who plays Athena. It's such a great marketing tactic not to focus on Athena because she is such a pleasant surprise in the film. Some nice surprises are also in the form of the humanbots Keegan Michael Key and Kathryn Hahn in a short but hyper memorable scene in that geek store. Effects are so fine and it's jaw-dropping that some of the Tomorrowland scenes are filmed in an actual location in Valencia, Spain.

Nevertheless, I'm quite bummed when we didn't get to see more of Tomorrowland itself. Even after the third act we didn't get to see it. However, what I really love about the film is its optimism. Embodied in Britt Robertson's Casey Newton who is actually a doer in our times. This film is actually more than the promised futuristic spectacle but it also carries the message of hope. The problem presented in the movie is actually real and happening right now. We know the world is headed in the wrong direction but we sometimes just talk about it or making it worse without taking steps to actually prevent it. On an unrelated yet related note, I went to Toyota's plant and saw their mission to create AI, which as various bleak dystopian movies and scientists predicted will enslave humans and stuff. Then why are we still creating it? It's a lot of nonsense right? While Tomorrowland might not be a perfect film, or even the breakout film of the summer, the message carried in it is important and I hope more people see it in the future.

Here's to the dreamers. Here's to the people who are taking action. Here's to you making that difference. Tomorrowland: rated 3/4

Next up: your world on fire