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| spoiler alert - there are only 3 movies from this mural on the list... |
It's a sad day when I click on a link to Business Insider where they have a breakdown of box office bombs that went on to become cult movies because, you know, nothing screams out cult movies like a list in Business Insider.
Am I bitter? Maybe. Maybe just more annoyed. I used to do a few lists once or twice. Then I realized there was no reason why my list is better than say, yours or your mom's (other than my own sense of humour embedded in the list reasoning). But I read this list anyways and thought to myself; if everyone knows these are cult movies, are they still cult movies? Is Mormonism still a cult because it's a weird offshoot of another bigger religion that is followed by a certain type of people who get along great with each other but have trouble relating to the rest of the world? Doesn't that also describe people who watch cult movies?
So I went through the list and I'll give you a list of the list. These were movies that did relatively poor at the box office but found life afterwards in either DVD, VHS or TV. The definition of a cult movie by the writer is pretty all encompassing, so I'm going to score the writer's idea of a cult movie with mine.
1 - Donnie Darko
Cult status? Yes
Why? Trippy time travelling story involving kid on severe meds in a period 1980's piece.
Director mentioned? No - but it was Richard Kelly
Also known As - the director of the future cult movie Southland Tales, starring the Rock and Sarah Michelle Gellar
Interesting Fact - I heard the director was paid anywhere from $9000-$14000 to make it. The budget was over 4.5 million. Drew Barrymore co-starred and produced it. She made much, much more.
2 Heathers
Cult status? Yes
Why? Another dark comedy about high school clicks and teenagers obsessions with death, fashion, and social standing. Slater made trench coats cool and now a big red flag in school dress codes.
Director mentioned? No - Michael Lehmann
Also known As the director of one of Bruce Willis's biggest bombs; Hudson Hawk
Interesting Fact - After this movie, everyone started comparing Christian Slater as the new Jack Nicholson. Neither liked the comparison.
3 Fight Club
Cult status? 50/50.
Why? The original author (Chuck Palanuhk) is a cult figure in the literary world. Hard to say any movie starring A-List Hollywood stars would be considered 'cult'.
Director mentioned? No, but it was David Fincher
Also known as one of the biggest name directors today. Won an Oscar for the Facebook bio-drama, Social Network among many other awards.
Interesting Fact - It's often overlooked with the bigger twists but Tyler Durden tells (Ed Norton) he is not his job while the whole movie shows that (Ed Norton) IS his job.
4 Dazed and Confused
Cult status? Not really
Why? D and C is probably the director's most profitable and accessible film considering the rest of his career.
Director mentioned? No, but it was Richard Linklater
Also not known As the director who basically invented rotoscope animation. See other Cult Movies; A Scanner Darkly, Waking Life
Interesting Fact? Linklater did a 'Relationship Trilogy' not centered on fantasy or science fiction. It's a lot of talking.
5 Office Space
Cult status? Yes
Why? Did you not get the memo on those TPS reports?
Director mentioned? YES!, it was Mike Judge who wasn't mentioned as also being the creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill.
Also not known As the man who created the smartest cult sci-fi comedy of all-time; Idiocracy.
Interesting Fact? OK, I'm going to have to go ahead and get you to just watch this movie...
6 The Big Lebowski
Cult status? Yes
Why? Ever hear of Lebowski Fest? There you go then...
Director mentioned? Oddly enough, no because they were the Coen Brothers, who have won so many awards it is sickening.
Also not known as the guys behind another cult movie; Raising Arizona, starring Nicolas Cage in his prime and the guys who won some Oscars for No Country for Old Men.
Interesting Fact? leads this list in created memes, but that's just my opinion, man.
7 Clue
Cult status? Sure, why not. I read something about it on Gawker once.
Why? It had 3 different endings depending on which theater you were in.
Director mentioned? No, Jonathon Lynn
Also not known as the guy who directed Marissa Tomei to an Oscar for 'My Cousin Vinny'.
Interesting Fact? I haven't seen it.
8 Shawshank Redemption
cult status? No.
Why? It's based on a book by Stephen King, starred Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and is a pretty basic 'love/life/freedom' buddy tale.
Director mentioned? No, but it was Frank Darabont
Also not known as the guy who does good adaptions of Stephen King books like The Mist and The Green Mile
Interesting Fact? Came out the same year as Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump
9 BladeRunner
Cult status? Sure
Why? It's had so many re-edited versions, the original is probably pretty hard to find.
Director mentioned? No, but it was Ridley Scott
Also not known as the director of Gladiator and Thelma & Louise
Interesting Fact? It has been considered one of the more realistic sci-fi movies with very little used in the way of special effects.
10 The Room
Cult status? if you stretch the definition a little.
Why? because it is so bad Ed Wood called from beyond the Grave. He wanted his shtick back.
Director mentioned? Yes, Tommy Wiseau
Also not known as the man who took a selfie for his IMDB page.
Interesting Fact? None. Never seen it nor want to.
11 Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory
Cult status? No
Why? I know of nobody who has ever said 'hey we should get high and watch Willy Wonka'.
Director mentioned? No - but it was Mel Stuart
Also not known as the man who prefers making documentaries.
Interesting Fact? This would be a good movie to watch high.
12 Troll 2
Cult status? No.
Why? Ever hear of Troll 1? Me neither.
Director mentioned? Nope, Claudio Fragassio
Also not known as Drake Floyd (because that just sounds more American)
Interesting Fact? Just because you saw a strange little movie you heard about from one of your weird friends who worked at a video store doesn't make it a cult movie.
13 Citizen Kane
cult status? No.
Why? This film is legendary, often cited as the #1 movie of all time on most critic lists.
Director mentioned? Oddly enough, no. It was Orson Welles.
Also not known as the man who created havoc doing a radio broadcast of War of the Worlds to a gullible American public
Interesting Fact? Nobody was there to hear the immortal words; Rosebud, making the whole plot of the movie impossible.
14 Vertigo
Cult status? No
Why? Being called a classic movie is not the same as being called a cult movie.
Director mentioned? Yes, Alfred Hitchcock
Also not known as 'whooooooo.... I feel dizzzyyyy'
Interesting Fact? The first movie where the bad guy gets away with it. Maybe. I could be confusing that with another Hitchcock movie...
15 It's a Wonderful Life
cult status? No
Why? Because it was shown every Christmas for fifty years.
Director mentioned? Sorta. It was Frank Capra.
Also not known as the guy who spearheaded putting a director's name above the actors for marketing purposes
Interesting Fact? like the next 'cult movie' it was picked up for cheap by a TV network and just replayed to death and into history.
16 The Wizard of Oz
Cult status? No
Why? like previous, it was played every year for fifty years. Everybody who lived in the sixties and seventies has seen it or heard of it.
Director mentioned? Victor Fleming,
Also not known as the guy who also directed Gone With The Wind in the same year.
Interesting Fact; Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind were both nominated for Best Picture, making Wizard of Oz the only cult movie on this list to be nominated for Best Picture.
17 Rocky Horror Picture Show
Cult status? YES in a landslide.
Why? Time travelling transvestite aliens that like to dance and has a thing for Meat Loaf (the singer).
Director mentioned? Nope, Jim Sharman
Also not known as the guy who didn't do anything else after making the King of all Cult Movies
Interesting Fact? launched Tim Currie's career, showing sometimes dressing up in drag is the right thing to do career-wise. Did the opposite for Meat Loaf's movie career until Fight Club.
That's it. My critique of a list of semi-cult movies. Final score; 7 of 17 movies qualify as a cult movie under my rules. And seeing as how it is my blog, it's my rules.
Next time; My own selection of Cult Movies that are way better than this list.
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