Just attempting to make a small list of any large field of film will immediately invoke dissatisfaction. It doesn't matter if you cloak it in your own personal favorites, or try to narrow it down to a specific theme. Someone, somewhere will say you're missing X, or have forgotten Y. I get that, and I try not to be one of those people when I scoff at lists I don't agree with.
But sometimes it's just inevitable, especially when the lists talk about super-loved geek fare or cult favorites. Both have die-hard fans, and when it comes to the cult genre, it's fans who adore and fight for a film without having met seas of marketing and press. The movie itself is what inspires the cult following, rising the film from the forgotten piles of dust and into the never-forgotten ranks of cult infamy.
So I have to say, I'm pretty darned surprised at Entertainment Weekly's The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since '83. (It's pretty much this list, without the older films.) At the very least, they narrowed the time frame down, but as soon as I saw "essential," I knew there would be holes, and strangely placed films.
And this is not just because Heathers is nowhere near the top ten. My love of the film is right up there with Erik's love of Megan Fox. I just can't stop talking about it, and often find myself refraining from mentioning little things that remind me of the cult favorite when I write my posts. But while I might be hugely biased -- when it comes to cult films, especially ones between 1983 and now, I'd expect it to be at least in the top half, and not nestled at #19. Especially ranked below Showgirls. SHOWGIRLS!
Other great films that didn't make the top ten include The Big Lebowski, Clerks, and my favorite alien adventure -- They Live. But on the plus side, it's nice to see some foreign fare like Akira, even if most of the films are North American, and the uber-indie nod to the infamous but rarely seen Barbie-led Superstar. And really, Brazil is well-placed at 5, and it's no surprise to see the likes of Evil Dead 2, Re-Animator, and Dazed and Confused on the list. Or heck, even the highly acclaimed Scarface.
But then there's the top film, which seems like a bit of a ridiculous stretch to me, but I guess it helps to have a controversial pick to get people talking.
So that leaves us with what's been left out of the post-'83 list. There's no Lynchian wonder with Blue Velvet. No Tarantino listing for Resevoir Dogs. And while flicks like Akira made it, there's no Run Lola Run. And then what about Dark City, Donnie Darko, Office Space, some John Waters... There's a lot out there.
So, now that you've perused the list -- what are they missing? What did they rank poorly? Or, are you in agreement with the Top 25?
1. Bottle Rocket.
Posted at 9:03PM on Aug 28th 2008 by Zach Hart