Guilty Pleasures, come on admit it!!

Dude, thats Guilty!!

Today I want to talk to you about “guilty pleasures”. We all have them, whether they are foods we like that we shouldnt, songs that we love and sing in the privacy of our cars, or movies that we watch and enjoy even though we know that critically they suck!!!

Just so we have no confusion, lets first define exactly what a guilty pleasure is…

A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. The “guilt” involved is sometimes simply fear of others discovering one’s lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes. Fashion, music,and junk food can be examples of guilty pleasures.

There we have it, straight from wikipedia. We feel actual guilt from enjoying something that someone else tells us is rubbish. When it comes to films there are loads out there that I enjoy and would gladly put on our Front Room Cinema on a horrid rainy day.

Here are my, in no particular order, top ten…

1 ) Dude, Wheres my Car?

Dude, Where’s My Car? is a 2000 American stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott as two young men who find themselves wasted and forget where they parked their car.

I just love the stupid humour of this film. It makes me laugh so much everytime I watch it. Never gets old. In fact I still quote this in everyday conversations, “Sucky Boyfriends” and “Whats mine say?” (yes I am giggling like a girl as I type)

2 ) Die Hard

Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which was previously made into a 1968 film starring Frank Sinatra. The film was produced by Lawrence and Charles Gordon, along with Joel Silver.

It stars Bruce Willis as NYPD officer John McClane, Bonnie Bedelia as his wife, Holly, and Alan Rickman as thief Hans Gruber.

Was this not the best Action film ever made??? Was it not the basis that every action/hero movie from the late ’80s / ’90s was made? The ultimate in guilty man pleasure!! Yippee Ki Yay!!! Not only that but it has one of the best English actors in history as the evil villain.

3 ) The Goonies

The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. A band of children from the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, hoping to save their homes from demolition, go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of One-Eyed Willie, a legendary 17th-century pirate.

What I love about this film is that it never aged. The adventure is still relevant now. I recently watched it with my girls and Daisy loved it!! Especially the truffle shuffle. She makes me do it all the time! And of course Sloth’s “Hey you Guyyyyysssss!!!” echos out often in our household!

4 ) Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon is a 1980 science fiction film, based on the eponymous comic strip character Flash Gordon, created by Alex Raymond. The film was directed by Mike Hodges and produced and presented by Dino De Laurentiis. It stars Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Chaim Topol, Max von Sydow, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, and Ornella Muti.

This is one film I remember going to see at the cinema with my Father as a child. It has a special place in my heart. The scene where Flash has to stick his hand in holes in a stump still gives me shudders to this day!!

5 ) The Fast and The Furious (all the films actually, including Tokyo Drift!!)

The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. Directed by Rob Cohen, The Fast and the Furious was the first mainstream film to feature the Asian automotive import scene in North America.

I don’t know what it is about this film that gets me all excited. I would never own a car like the ones they drive. It would look so ridiculous in the UK. But I just so enjoy the mindless fun that we get from following the over blown and un realistic racing!! Awesome!

6 ) Punisher : Warzone

Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 American comic book Action film directed by Lexi Alexander; based on the fictional Marvel Comics vigilante/anti-hero The Punisher. It is the 3rd film to depict Marvel Comics character of Frank Castle “The Punisher”. The film is a reboot which follows the original telling of Frank Castle’s war on crime and corruption rather than a sequel to 2004′s The Punisher, or 1989′s The Punisher and is the first film to be produced under the Marvel Studios and Marvel Knights production banner, which focuses on films for mature audiences. Irish actor Ray Stevenson replaced Thomas Jane as Frank Castle. In the film, Castle wages a one-man war against a horribly disfigured mob boss known as Jigsaw (Dominic West). Punisher: War Zone was released in North America by Lionsgate on December 5, 2008, and was released February 6, 2009 in the United Kingdom.

I know, I know, everything is wrong about this movie. I shouldn’t like it. But, it is so mindlessly violent and Ray Stevenson’s portrayal of the character is so mean that I finished the film with a huge smile and had a re watch the following night. Its one for the boys, but I love it!!

7 ) A Knight’s Tale

A Knight’s Tale is a 2001 American action-adventure film directed, produced, and written by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany as Geoffrey Chaucer, and James Purefoy as Sir Thomas Colville/Edward, the Black Prince. The film follows the story of William Thatcher, a peasant masquerading as a knight, along with his companions in the world of medieval jousting. William poses as a knight and competes in tournaments, winning accolades and acquiring friendships with such historical figures as Edward, the Black Prince of Wales and Geoffrey Chaucer.

Pure Sunday afternoon goodness. Full up on a large roast and a few glasses of wine you settle down in front of the TV with your lovely family and put this on. Heaven. I love the use of modern music in this period comedy action movie. Alan Tudyk is very good too and plays a slightly off centre role similar to the Alpha role he took in the ill fated TV series “dollhouse”.

8 ) Batman

Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance. The film, in which Batman deals with the rise of a costumed criminal known as “The Joker”, is the first installment of Warner Bros.’ Batman film series.

By far the best of the Batman films, with the exception of the Nolan reboots. It was dark and scary. Jack Nicholson played an amazing Joker completely mad and psychopathic. It looks camp by today’s standards but at the time I found it haunting. I would watch this tomorrow!!

9 ) Fired Up!

Fired Up! is a 2009 American teen comedy film directed by Will Gluck and written by Freedom Jones. The main plot revolves around two high school football players (portrayed by Eric Christian Olsen and Nicholas D’Agosto) who create their lie to attend cheerleading camp for the summer and get close to its female cheerleaders.
A very silly film, but an absolute blast. I love it even just for one line, “The Fountain of Troy move is ‘prohibidado’”. If you have been putting this one off because it looks sill, yes it is but my word is it fun!

10 ) The Mummy

The Mummy is a 1999 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Kevin J. O’Connor, with Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language, spoken with the assistance of a professional Egyptologist. It is a loose remake of the 1932 film of the same name which starred Boris Karloff in the title role. Originally intended to be part of a low-budget horror series, the movie was eventually turned into a blockbuster adventure film.

Brendan Fraser t his best in this one. It does Tomb raider better than Tomb raider could ever do. It sits there close to my heart. Like a camp Indiana Jones. Great!!

There we go, I shared mine, how about yours?

I know my list is never going to win any awards, nor are the films. But it seems that for so long now we have been concentrating on serious and HIGH BROW films (I am looking at you oscars!!), its nice to relax, grab a drink and some popcorn and watch a movie that makes you smile from ear to ear, and importantly makes you feel guilty!!

C