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.
Cogerson, a very interesting list. I haven’t seen Fresh but will have to look for it now. I’m not sure why people don’t like Swimming With Sharks more (but then again I’m a Kevin Spacey fan). And I happen to love Fandango! There’s a great line in it, something to the effect, “If you ever thought you loved a woman then you loved her.” Personally, I think it is a real feel-good film.
Hey Bethperry. Glad to see you like two of the movies on the list. I think Swimming With Sharks loses many people because it is about movie making and that is not a popular subject. But Spacey is awesome in the movie….and he really earns his Horrible Boss title in that movie. As for Fandango…it is filled with great lines like you mention. I love the lines that say….”You are the rudest person I have ever met” response…”Well somebody had to be”….I love Costner’s role in the movie…one of the few Costner movies I like…thanks for the visit and the comment.
Ever since I saw the movie A Life Less Ordinary back in high school I have LOVED it! It’s always been a favorite of mine. It’s nice to see someone else appreciates it too!
Hey danielleeu….so glad to see somebody else that likes A Life Less Ordinary….it is such a wonderful strange movie with some many great scenes and lines….and I love the music as well.
I’m almost ashamed to admit that I haven’t seen a single one of those movies. I’m curious now. 😛
Hey priley84…its ok…I imagine there might only be a few people in the entire world that have seem all 5 of these movies.
You are the movie king! Who else would write about movies mostly unheard of and do a great job. Very interesting though I’d never heard of them. Guess they are the equivalent of the ’50s “B” movies as far as popularity goes, not necessarily production costs. Will be keeping my eye open for those titles.
Thanks for the title tillsontitan it is greatly appreciated. Hopefully you will enjoy at least one of these titles if you ever come across them…thanks for stopping by.
mckbirdbks struckout, never swung the bat, one, two, three, four, five. Haven’t seen any of these. Only recognized one title. Ok I’ll go back to reading a book now. Great information as always Cogerson.
Hey Mckbirdbks…..thanks for taking a moment away from one of your books, to check out my latest and not so great page. It is greatly appreciated.