Easy A (2010)
My love of teen comedies is not overly developed. It’s pretty much this one, Clueless, and Mean Girls. Like both other movies, Easy A is funny because it’s clever, and it directly addresses the garbage-ass way our society treats girls and women, and the garbage-ass way us women treat each other.
It was surprisingly ahead of its time too, in the way that it addresses the need we have to be more sex- and just generally female-positive as a culture. We’re still so god damned puritanical!
Also, not only is Emma Stone undeniably charismatic, making you really want for things to turn out well for Olive, but Amanda Bynes as Mean Girl (or at least not so nice Serial Gossip) Marianne is equally perfect.
Interstellar (2014)
I really, really like this movie – but with one GIANT caveat – I don’t think the Nolans could write a passable female character if their lives depended on it. Every Nolan movie I can think of is just filled with empty dumpster women. They are consistently flat and vapid twits, and this movie is no exception.
However, Interstellar manages to transcend the fact that neither of the Nolans has ever actually met or spoken to a living, breathing female person. It’s a really fantastic hard sci-fi featuring space travel, quantum physics (I thiiiiiink – not gonna lie, I don’t know fuck-all about quantum anything, but still, I’m pretty sure that’s whats going on there. Otherwise, general brain-melting space science), and time wonkiness. Aside from the writing on the lady-characters, this movie is REALLY GOOD.
The cast is absolutely stellar (even the horribly written female portion). There’s a little John Lithgow, Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine, and David Oyelowo.
The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience (2019)
At 30 minutes, at first I felt not so good about listing this as a favorite movie, but then I remembered that it was fucking amazing. So I got over that feeling entirely.
Bash Brothers is a visual album about former Oakland A’s superstars Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, aka the Bash Brothers – so-called either because they were both prolific home run hitters, or because of their celebratory forearm bumps whenever a home run was had. I’m honestly not sure, since I was still really young during their heyday. But, as an avid baseball (and Lonely Island, tbh) fan, I am aware of the Bash Bros nonetheless. Also, probably worth noting that they were both discovered to have been using steroids, so… It was all a very ‘of the times’ scandal.
Akiva Schaffer and Andy Samberg are absolutely perfect as McGwire and Conseco respectively, and the whole ‘experience’ is an absolute laugh riot. If you haven’t seen it, I really can’t recommend it enough – it’s only a half hour, after all – what do you have to lose?
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
I honestly had no intentions of seeing this movie until my partner talked me into it. I thought it was going to be terrible because of the Joss Whedon connection (I have a pretty intense love/hate relationship with him that I won’t discuss any further than to say that I don’t understand how someone who made a Buffy I loved so hard (movie) could also make a Buffy I was so quickly and thoroughly bored by (the TV show – I’m not going to debate this with you. I even tried watching it again last year – it’s thoroughly not my kind of trash).
Anway … I’m glad I saw Cabin in the Woods because not only is it funny, clever, and batshit crazy, but it helped me realize that even though I expected to struggle with Drew Goddard’s output because of his Buffy/Joss Whedon connection, it turns out I don’t at all – he’s pretty great. I think I just don’t see eye to eye with Whedon creatively – not everyone involved in that show.
I respect a movie that smacks you in the face with every bad thing you can think of. It’s fun!
Krampus (2015)
I watched this again the other day in the spirit of the holidays, and I’ve got to say – it just doesn’t get old. This time I watched with the director’s commentary track, and it actually cleared up a few questions I had about the film. Like, I was always sort of bothered by Krampus’ weird rictus face, but it turns out that’s a mask! I bet half of you already knew that – I saw this mf-er in the theater and I somehow missed the eyes moving behind the mask. I sort of just thought Weta was messing with me.
I have to say, beyond the incredible creature work, this movie has a really standout cast. Toni Collette and Conchata Ferrell are my absolute favorites, with David Koechner and Krista Stadler coming in a very close second.
It’s a good Christmas film for when you just aren’t really feeling all that much in the holiday spirit. Or if you want to watch evil gingerbread men try to kill somebody.
Cooties (2014)
Cooties was my intro to Spectrevision – who also produced Mandy and The Boy which are elsewhere on this list. I mean, I already knew I loved Elijah Wood as an actor, but turns out his passion for weird horror is also a thing that I really love about him!
So, Cooties is a delightful zom-com in which children eat tainted chicken nuggets (chicken nuggers are nightmare fuel for me as it is), and turn into a crazed zombie horde. It takes place primarily in the elementary school where this (again) fantastic ensemble cast works. There are such stars as Elijah Wood, Nasim Pedrad, Rainn Wilson, Leigh Wannell, Kenneth from 30 Rock, that lady I used to always think was Kristen Bell but isn’t (Alison Pill), and that dude from Lost.
Tragedy Girls (2017)
It has been a long time since a movie came out that I loved so instantly and with such ferocity as I love Tragedy Girls. For a movie about two unhinged girls, it’s also a really sweet tale about the power of female friendship.
But there’s, like, also a shitload of murder and mayhem, which is nice.
Basically, these two high school girls run a true crime blog. There is a serial killer loose in their town, and they manage to trap and imprison him because they want him to teach them to do what he does – see, if they are doing the killing, they never run out of material to write about.
And long story short, they end up being quite good at it.
Suspiria (2018)
I hear some folks took issue with this movie. Ignore them. The general consensus seems to be that because it isn’t the original, it isn’t any good. Here’s the thing – the original is fantastic. It’s weird, beautiful, and hideous. The 2018 film inspired by Argento’s original of the same name is … weird, beautiful, and hideous, but in a different way. It is the same basic story, but it’s also a little different because, you know, it’s not the same movie. A shot-for-shot would have been boring and pointless. That movie already exists – a re-imagining is much more interesting!
This one was the same premise, but it tells itself somewhat differently. It’s still a dance company (although in a still lovely, but less stunningly beautiful than Argento’s set), there’s still witchcraft shenanigans. It’s just a slightly different movie now.
And it’s really good. And long. And there are some fantastic performances by the cast (namely Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton), and there are some really fucked up, gory goings ons.
Crimson Peak (2015)
Guillermo del Toro gets me, y’all. His aesthetic is my aesthetic. His way of teasing romantic elements from horror speaks to me. Also, I have a thing for gothic hauntings.
Ummm, Crimson Peak, if you’ve not seen it (and you should), is a sort of V.C. Andrews-style Victorian haunted house movie.
In typical del Toro fashion, the movie itself is absolutely beautiful. He picks a color palette, and he hits it hard. The movie is all exactly as the cover would lead you to believe – reds, icy blues, and shadowy blacks. It’s absolutely mesmerizing. And the ghosts are perfectly disgusting (and one of them is Doug Jones!).
Yeah, I don’t care what anyone has to say – I love this movie.
The Girl With All The Gifts (2016)
We currently live in a world that is nonsensically over-saturated with completely unoriginal zombie fare. So there is little I like more than new zombie stories – and The Girl with All the Gifts felt fresh.
First of all, the zombification is caused by a mutant fungal disease (the resultant zombies are referred to as hungries), and some second-generation hungry children are found to be immune to the “worst” of its effects – the eradication of free will (although not, unfortunately to the hunger for flesh). These “gifted” children are relegated to special schools where they are being tested in an attempt to find a cure.
I know it doesn’t sound terribly different, but you’ll have to trust me here. I don’t want to spoil any of the film’s wonderful surprises, so you’ll just have to watch it for yourself!
- For the record, this movie is based on a book of the same name by Mike Carey, which is still on my TBR shelf – but I do own it, and fully intend to get to it ASAP!
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Do you love Kurt Russell, westerns, and cannibals? Me too!
I don’t know what else I should really have to say about this movie except that if you like genre-benders or slow-burns, this guy might be for you. It’s western, it’s action, it’s horror, it’s drama. It’s occasionally funny, it’s frequently bizarre, it’s fairly gory.
It has Kurt Russell looking fine with his Old West suit and his fancy facial hair.
You should just watch it.
Deathgasm (2015)
If you’ve read any number of my movie-related posts, you’ve probably gathered that I’ll watch just about anything black magic or cult related. Deathgasm is both of those things.
It’s also another entry in Kiwi Horror (which may or may not be a term, but it’s gonna be here, because there’s some truly great stuff coming out of New Zealand!).
Basically, some kids in a band find sheet music that will summon a demon. Which they don’t know until after they’ve played it. The demon possesses the residents of the town, and gory, hilarious violence ensues. They have to stop a demon apocalypse!
Turbo Kid (2015)
I honestly can’t say enough good things about this movie. I own it, I’ve watched it several times, and it never gets less fun.
It’s a throwback (1997-style) post-apocalyptic indie Canadian masterpiece.
And if you’re wondering if that’s Canada’s Michael Ironside on the poster, it is! He plays Bad Guy Zeus!
Orphaned teen known only as The Kid takes on the persona of his favorite comic super hero Turbo Rider in order to save The Wasteland from the evil villain Zeus.
It’s equal parts Mad Max and a kid adventure movie.
High-Rise (2015 – shiiii what a year for movies, eh?)
Based on J.G. Ballard’s novel of the same name, High-Rise tells the story of the descent of the residents of a “self-sustaining” luxury apartment tower block in the 1970s.
The complex has every conceivable modern convenience (including shopping) leaving the residents increasingly disinterested in the world outside the high-rise.
Perhaps inevitably, the complex’s infrastructure begins to crumble, and tensions begin to mount among the residents until total chaos reigns.
This movie is lots of fun, and the performances are pretty stellar – Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston absolutely kill, and Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elizabeth Moss are all great as well.
Train to Busan (2016)
Another zombie flick – this one felt fresh too, though! Cuz they’re stuck on a train with a bunch of zombies, hurtling through a zombie horde-filled South Korea.
I like that while it is thoroughly a zombie movie, this one is pretty heavy on the drama as well (that’s gonna be a thing that carries over to the next entry as well, FYI).
Honestly, I barely made it through to the end of the movie without bawling my eyes out like an idiot. Train to Busan is bleak and IT IS HEAVY.
The Night Eats the World (2018)
Remember how I just said that zombie drama was going to be a thing for a second? Well, strap in, cuz The Night Eats the World is equally heavy – and equally good.
This time we’re in Paris (perhaps you noticed the Eiffel Tower in the poster?). Sam falls asleep at a party, and when he wakes up the next morning, the entire world has fallen apart. The streets of Paris are overrun by zombies, and he’s trapped inside his ex-girlfriend’s apartment.
He barricades himself inside and slowly unravels as he’s forced to spend more and more time alone – until suddenly he’s not alone anymore.
If you’ve seen The Quiet Earth, this reminds me a little bit of that one, which I consider to be very high praise.
Green Room (2015 -seriously at least half my list must be from 2015)
Survival horror. Punks. Nazi killing. Why would anyone not love this movie?
Shawn and I were able to attend an early screening of this one (and I got a cool shirt!), and I’m glad we did. It was a fun one to see in the theater.
This was Anton Yelchin’s last theatrically released film before his extremely sad death (not sure I’ll ever not be sad that we lost him so soon and under such a traumatic, freak-accident circumstances). I think knowing it was his last role makes it all feel a little more important. Patrick Stewart, Alia Shawkat and Imogen Poots also give impeccable performances.
However, that’s not to take away from this incredibly well-made bit of survival horror. It’s tense, scary, and gory. There are some really incredible bits of prosthetic work Pat’s (Yelchin) shredded arm being top among them. That one’s going to be with me for life.
Basically, a touring punk band witnesses a group of Nazis killing someone at a remote bar in the Pacific Northwest. So, naturally they must die.
Seriously, see this movie.
Crawl (2019)
I’m not sure I’ll ever be done talking about this movie. Creature features are fun anyway, but this one legit had me yelling at the screen repeatedly. It all starts when Hailey heads into the path of an oncoming Category 5 hurricane in an attempt to locate her missing father.
It’s well paced, and the alligators are terrifying. Like they are in reality – I spent enough time living around them to develop a healthy respect for them.
This movie also has the distinction of being directed by Alexandre Aja (who also did Piranha 3D) and produced by Sam Raimi, so you just know it’s gonna be good.
It doesn’t disappoint, I promise.
I’m not ruling out going into more detail on this in a near-future post since Shudder is releasing a TV series next month, so I’m going to keep this kind of spare in the interest of not shooting myself in the foot.
A teen boy’s entire tribe is slaughtered by the treacherous son of a neighboring chieftan. The boy, Hongi, must avenge the deaths of his family members in order to appease their spirits, and so sets off on a dangerous quest for vengeance.
His quest takes him through the Dead Lands, a forbidden area ruled over by The Warrior – a cannibalistic remnant of a dead tribe.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)
I love Alan Tudyk (yargh). For the record, I’m a huge fan of Firefly (I knowwww but whatever, it’s my life. My relationship with Joss Whedon’s output doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but me), and Wash was a huge part of why.
This movie is so funny. I laughed a lot. I love the twist on mountain hick killers – namely that they aren’t those guys – at least not on purpose.
