My Favorite Movies That Nobody Else Like
1997’s A Life Less Ordinary
Plot summary: A cleaning man(Ewan McGregor) takes his boss’ daughter(Cameron Diaz) hostage after being fired and replaced by a robot. Meanwhile two angels(Holly Hunter & Delroy Lindo) try to get this unlikely couple to fall in love.
Why I like it: What a great cast. Besides McGregor, Diaz, Hunter and Lindo you also get great character actors Dan Hedaya, Stanley Tucci, Ian Holm and Tony Shalhoub. All under the watchful director’s eye of Danny Boyle who later went on to direct 127 Hours and the Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. Cameron Diaz gives the best performance in the movie as the spoiled rich girl who is capable of anything. The soundtrack is another part of the movie that I like very much. A quirky movie that I never could figure out where it was going….but I enjoyed the ride.
Why people do not like it: The angels are some of the strangest angels to ever appear on movie screens. The movie does not seem to know what kind of movie it is….sometimes it is a comedy, sometimes it is a fantasy, sometimes it is a drama, sometimes it is a musical, sometimes it is a claymation movie and sometimes it is a Pulp Fiction clone. Put altogether you end up with a very bumpy movie ride. A Life Less Ordinary earned only 4.7 million in worldwide box office.
1985’s Fandango
Plot Summary: Five college buddies from the University of Texas circa 1971 embark on a final road trip odyssey across the Mexican border before facing up to uncertain futures, in Vietnam and otherwise.
Why I Like It: The performances of Kevin Costner, Judd Nelson and Chuck Bush as Dorman. Movie has some interesting scenes that include a firework cemetry scence, a tie a car to a moving train scene, a parachute scene and a very humorous last minute wedding. The director, Kevin Reynolds, and Costner went on to make more movies together…Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Waterworld. Soundtrack is filled with many classic songs. One of the few Kevin Costner movies I actually like.
Why people do not like it: After seeing Kevin Reynold’s college short film, Steven Spielberg provided the money for this movie to be made into a feature film. After seeing the results, Spielberg wanted nothing to do with the movie. Fandango grossed $91,166 dollars in North America.
2004’s Wicker Park
Plot Summary: A young Chicago advertising executive(Josh Hartnett) believes a woman(Diane Kruger) he sees in a café is his long-lost love. His conviction leads to obsession, as he puts his life on hold to trail her.
Why I Like It: I love a movie that makes me think, this movie is guaranteed to make you think. The plot twist about halfway through the movie takes a movie that was very confusing and helps explain things in a very original and memorable way. Hartnett and director Paul McGuigan would later make another favorite of mine, Lucky Number Slevin.
Why people do not like it: A very confusing movie. It took me three attempts to watch this movie until it’s conclusion. I can easily see many people giving up on this movie and saying it was one of the worst movies ever made. But remember patience is a virtue. Wicker Park earned 12.83 million during its box office run in North America.
1994’s Fresh
Plot Summary: Michael/Fresh(Sean Nelson) is a 12-year-old drug pusher who lives in a crowded housing project with his cousins and aunt. His father has become a street bum(Samuel L. Jackson), but still meets with Fresh on occasion to play chess. Fresh’s sister is a junkie who sleeps with the dealers who Fresh sells for. As the story progresses Fresh realizes that he doesn’t want to sell drugs anymore, he wants out.
Why I like it: Sean Nelson gives one of the best child performances ever. I would put his role in Fresh up against Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense, Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun, Natalie Portman in The Professional, Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver and Ivana Baquero in Pan’s Labyrinth. Samuel L. Jackson as his chess playing father, is also outstanding in a small but important part. I like how we watch Fresh go from a child with little choices to a child with a master plan that he carries out with brutal consequences.
Why people do not like it: Simply put….. Fresh lives in a very brutal world. It is not a fun movie to watch. It is a brutal world filled with lots of violence, drug use and cruelty and is not a movie for everyone. But if you want to watch one of the best child performances ever check out Fresh. Fresh grossed just over 8.00 million during it’s release in North America.
Well, we see movies which we like. So do not think whether others like your favorite movies or not.
Hey jainismus….yep I am sure there are more that will disagree with me than will agree with me….thanks for checking out my latest movie page.
Great movie page, Cogerson! I have only seen two of the movies on your list. I thought Fresh was outstanding – it almost made my previous page’s list of Hidden Gems. I may do a similar page in the near future, if you don’t mind. Keep up the great work!
Hey thatmovieguy71….glad you agree with me about Fresh. Fresh is a movie my wife will never ever watch….just too realistic and brutal for her tastes. But wow what a performance by Sean Nelson. I am so surprised he did not do more with his career….but he is still pretty young.
I look forward to reading your hub on hidden gems….I am sure I will find a movie or two that I will track down and watch myself.
Cogerson, I’ve seen two of these and I’ve been meaning to watch A life Less Ordinary since it keeps popping up on Sundance because of the festival.
Fresh was a little much but it was definitely realistic in the portrayals and the plot.
Wicker Park was okay but it was so much going on and I hate watching or reading something multiple times for one understanding. I enjoyed this page.
Hey Alecia….well I think it is 50/50 if you will like A Life Less Ordinary. Great soundtrack that I actually bought after a became a huge fan of the movie. I was so happy when Danny Boyle won an Oscar later…as he is still the guy who directed A Life Less Ordinary to me. I agree Fresh is very brutal and realistic and just thinking that some kids have to lead that life is very sad. I often think about how he was willing to sacrifice the queen in his real life chess match with the drug lords. Thanks for stopping by.
I really enjoyed ‘A Life Less Ordinary’, too. I haven’t seen any of the others, though.
Hey Dallas….glad to see somebody else who liked A Life Less Ordinary….the first time viewing the movie it takes the whole movie trying to figure out if Hunter and Lindo are really angels or just two crazy people. A strange but delightful movie. Thanks for the comments.
I found this all very interesting, Cogs. I liked “Wicker Park”, myself, and it was the only one of your picks that I’ve seen. I’m def. gonna check out: Fandango, Fresh, and Swimming with the Sharks. Thanks for the info!
Hey Paradise7…thanks for stopping by. Glad to see you might check out some of these movies. After the first two failed attempts to get through Wicker Park….I thought it was horrible. But the third attempt was the charm….and the funny thing about that movie….it takes almost a hour of screen time before you realize who the movie is really about….thanks for the comment.