In honor of yesterday's post about James Franco, today's list is about things that forced me to reevaluate my feelings about them by the sheer power of their awesomeness. In an effort to stay on topic, I've only included things that are related to movies, music or TV. Honorable mentions, then, go to black olives, decaf coffee and dental floss.
1. Planet Terror
I have an unofficial list of movies I will never see, and right at the top is every zombie movie ever made. I can handle most scares that horror films can dish out, but for some reason, zombies absolutely terrify me. I think it's the relentless chasing and the fact that you can't reason with them.Whatever the reason, I avoided zombie movies like the plague (because that's how they become zombies, you know). Then one day, I decided to watch Planet Terror - it was kind of a whim, and of the two Grindhouse films, I wanted to watch it first because I was sure I would like Death Proof more. And of course, I loved it. I know it's not a typical zombie film - the "zombies" are way grosser than most, and it has a much goofier, funny tone - but it changed my mind about the genre as a whole. As a direct result, I even watched Shaun of the Dead for the first time - although I've seen Hot Fuzz more times than I can count, I had deliberately avoided Shaun because I didn't think I could handle it. Thanks to Planet Terror, I could and did, and it was wonderful.
2. "Bad Romance"
At work, we used to listen to a Top 40 station; I sat right next to the radio, so I was the only one who could really hear the songs. What sucks about Top 40 stations is that they play the same handful of songs a million times a day, but the slight benefit is that they have to space out the repetitions a little, although that does mean that you can set your watch by the most popular song of the week (I kept track one day - they played Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" literally every hour, on the hour, all day). Lady Gaga, though, was a special case - she had four songs out at the same time (that is, "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi"), so the DJs believed that, instead of playing one of her songs per hour, each of the four could be played once per hour. I was going insane. I didn't really like her music anyway, but hearing four almost-identical songs practically back to back, eight times a day, made me despise it. And then, "Bad Romance" came out. I can't explain this phenomenon, but this song is so brilliant, it retroactively made me love all of Gaga's other music. The station played "Bad Romance" with their usual clockwork precision, but I actually started calling in to request it. Seriously, my obsession with the song was so huge, I Googled "lady gaga mind control." I really believe that there's some kind of primitive response to that song - maybe like a simple chord progression - that makes everyone love it. I didn't find any evidence, but I did find this site. Interesting read. Anyway, "Bad Romance" is a great song, and it changed my mind about Lady Gaga. Great video, too.
3. Cube
I used to love Saturday afternoon movie marathons on SciFi. It's where I first saw Saw, although I'm sure it was nothing like the filmmakers intended. I also caught a few glimpses of Cube, a few different scenes over several weeks. It's super low-budget, and when you watch in snippets, it looks it. It's also almost impossible to understand if you don't watch the whole thing, so for a long time, Cube was kind of a joke between my sister and I - a shorthand for "terrible movie." For whatever reason, we rented it from Blockbuster and sat down to make fun of it from beginning to end. And wouldn't you know it, it was great. The acting is still a little weak and the characters are kind of sketchy, but the story is thrilling and complex. That super low budget is actually deceptive - it's even lower than you would think, but the effect is really impressive. They only constructed one cube and lit it with different colors to make it look like different rooms. I was totally fooled by that simple switch, so you have to love that ingenuity. My sister and I were floored by the film, and we've both seen it dozens of times since then. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend you do so. I've also seen the two sequels, Cube 2: Hypercube (available on Netflix Watch Instantly, but you should really see Cube first) and Cube Zero. Cube 2 has a notably higher budget and tries to up the ante with some mathematical principles I didn't really get. Some very good effects, but the story isn't really up to par. Cube Zero, on the other hand, is a prequel and actually does a pretty good job of filling in the gaps, although I kind of liked the lingering mystery of Cube - who was in control and why?
4. Kristen Wiig
I love my SNL, but I couldn't stand Kristen Wiig when she first started. I thought she was overrated and not very funny. I'm not a big fan of catchphrases or recurring characters, which she does a lot, so that may be a factor. I think her first season or two were kind of weak anyway, and the best female roles were still going to Amy Poehler, as they should have been. But after Poehler left, I started to appreciate Wiig more. I really like her Penelope character, even if the sketches are kind of formulaic, and the Surprise Party sketch above has crept its way into my daily vocabulary. I love her versatility and her willingness to go so far for a laugh. I could do without Target Lady, but in general, I think she's great. I've only seen her in a few movies so far, but I'm excited to see more - Whip It and Adventureland are high on my list.
5. Anaconda
Is "velcro movie" a real term? I can't remember where I would have heard it, but it's the perfect description of Anaconda. No matter what I'm doing, if Anaconda is on TV, I am glued to it until the end. Like most rational people, I thought it was pretty average the first time I saw it. The first few times, actually. When your two stars are J.Lo and Ice Cube, in the mid-'90s, you're starting at a disadvantage. To their credit, they both give it everything they have, as do the rest of the cast - Owen Wilson, Eric Stoltz, Kari Wuhrer, Jonathan Hyde and of course, Jon Voight. Even as the relative quality of the effects diminish over time, it actually gets more enjoyable with each viewing. The absolute highlight, as you would know if you've seen it (and if you haven't seen it, you are crazy), is the scene where the anaconda swims by with the face pressing out from inside. That's the main reason I even watch the movie over and over again. It's total genius. If I could, I would frame a picture of it and put it on my wall.
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