Here is a partial list of movies the FREAKS really love-although very few other people seem to.
(This list contains movies that either failed at the box office, were
skewered by critics, or both)

THE LIST

The 13th Warrior-From the Micheal Crichton book, EATERS OF THE DEAD. This movie is ten times better than Jurassic Park, and a hundred times better than Sphere or Congo. Yet the critics were ambivalent, and this movie was practically ignored by the movie going public. Why?

Vibes-O.k. It's a cheesy film, I'll admit it. But this film is also surprisingly funny, with a great performance from a pre-Independance Day/Jurrasic Park Jeff Goldblum. You know, when he could still act? Great score by John Horner(a little too much pipe music, but good) and several songs by Cyndi Lauper. Who could ask for more?

Memento-kudos to the critics, many of whom were blown away by this film. But how many people actually watched this movie? It is literally a breath-taking film, if you can keep up with all the twists and turns. You feel as though you have actually entered the world of the brain-damaged protaganist. And Guy Pearce almost nude ain't bad, either.

Velvet Goldmine-Not one of the reviews I read really understood this film. And except for us two FREAKS, the only ones who seem into this movie are gay men. Now, I can understand why-a naked Ewan McGregor and nearly naked Jonathan Rhys Meyers are both good reasons to watch it. But the movie is so much more than nudity, drugs, and glam rock. I get something new from it every time I watch it.

Eye of the Beholder-The critics savaged this Ewan McGregor-Ashley Judd film, and I'm absolutely sure that three fourths of America couldn't follow the plot. The film is a deep,psychological, sometimes slow movie that you really have to think about-and you know how little Americans like to think. It's a film about obsession, and a twisted love affair between two deeply f*cked up people. Much, much better than I expected, after Double Jeopardy & Kiss the Girls.

Any Akira Kurosawa film-This man was a total genius. A true visionary. Critics love him, but his movies aren't well known in the good ol' U.S.A. Many, many American films have been rip-offs of his movies-not very good rip-offs, either. Watch the originals, and marvel.

Buster Keaton movies-Pick one. This man could do physical comedy better than anyone before or since. Charlie Chaplin sucks ass next to him. And some of the stunts he performs are eye-boggling. Every film of his I've seen has been astoundingly funny.

Ravenous-Critics and audiences alike weren't sure what to make of this black comedy, whose main subject was cannabilism. How do you make cannabilism funny? Well, the director managed. Excellent performances by Robert Carlyle and Guy Pearce.

The Seventh Sign-This is one of the best Apocalyptic/End of the World movies, with great performances by Demi Moore, Micheal Biehn, and especially Jurgen Prochnow as a christ figure come to Earth to end the world.(Why do they keep casting him as villians? He's not very good at those kinds of roles)

Strange Cargo-A little known film starring Clarke Gable, Peter Lorre, & Joan Crawford. It's about a man sent to the french Guyana prison colony, who promptly escapes with a small group of prisoners and Joan in tow. This film also has a mysterious, christ like figure, and a very interesting ending.

The Last Action Hero-Admit it-you went to the theatre to see Arnie kicking ass. What you got instead was a thoughtful, intellectual, and sometimes bitter movie that raised some very heavy philosophical questions. You weren't expecting that, and so this movie tanked at the box office. But re-watch it sometime with a less critical eye, and you might be surprised at how good it actually is.

Oscar-Sylvester Stallone plays a 30's ganster named Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone, a man with alot on his mind. The comedic timing in this movie is both deft & fast, and it never loses its way or drops the ball. Who could have known that Stallone could carry off such a smart comedy?

The Horseman on the Roof-This movie was griped about because the critics didn't like it that the main characters didn't have sex. But it takes place at the turn of the century seventeen hundreds to eighteen hundreds, so why is it surprising that two people don't just jump into bed together? It gives them time to develop feelings for each other, and the chemistry between them to strenghthen. It's a good, interesting story, about a man & woman on the run together. She's a Countess with an older husband, he's an ex-soldier on the lam. They find love in the middle of chaos and terror.

Princess Caraboo-Based on a true story about a maidservant turned con-woman in Regency England, Caribou is a rousing story about a girl who rises above her station in life and convinces everyone but a reporter that she's a Javanese Princess escaped from slavers.

The Ghost & the Darkness-Based on a true story, this movie is an excellent adventure story about an Irish engineer sent to build a bridge in Africa for the railroad. Val Kilmer gives one of his better performances, and the story is engrossing. What's creepy is that this story is based on true events, about two eerie killer lions who slaughter dozens of men by hunting together in tandem.

Smilla's Sense of Snow-Set in Denmark, this movie is the story of a young woman caught between two worlds-her father is Danish, but her mother was an Inuit from Greenland. The only things she likes are math and snow-which she has an instinctive feel for. A good mystery is at the heart of this movie.

Immortal Beloved-Gary Oldman was made to play Beethoven. This movie makes me cry every time I see it-and the visuals are lush, set to a back ground of Beethoven's music. The scene showing him swimming in a starry lake at night while Ode to Joy plays triumphantly is magnificent and breathtaking.

Anna & the King-a box office flop, this movie is much better(in my opinion) than the musical starring Yule Brenner. Chow-Yun Fat is great as the King of Siam, a man trying to learn to live in two worlds to save his country from English rule. Jodie Foster is good as Anna, the determined English woman come to teach the King's children english, and learn a few things herself.

Willow-A marvelous fantasy movie, wholy original and not the least bit cheesy, which most of the sword and sorcery type epics were. Val Kilmer has one of his better performances in this movie, as a scheming swordsman. The Nelwins aren't just aww shucks cutesy little people, they have a life and dignity of their own. And Warwick Davis is marvelous as the epitomous Willow, a man who desperately wants to find some magic within himself.

Angels & Insects-An odd film, not for everybody-the main plotlines are ants and incest. Still, an interesting film, if you're not offended by the storyline. And it's worth watching just for the butterfly scene.

Without a Clue-A Sherlock Holmes story where Watson is the true genius, and Holmes is a bumbling actor hired by the Doctor to play the part of his fictional detective. Ben Kingsley plays the harried Dr. Watson, and Micheal Caine is hysterical as the faux Sherlock Holmes. Howlingly funny from beginning to end.

Jane Eyre-This Franco Zefferelli interpretation of the Charlotte Bronte book is the best I've ever seen. Critics complained that the lead woman was homely, and that there was no chemistry between the lead characters. But the girl Jane Eyre was supposed to be plain; and the two leads define the term 'soulmates'. Maybe it's a woman thing; perhaps their performance is too quiet and nuanced for male critics, who are just waiting for the sex to begin.

The Apu trilogy-I've only seen the first of these movies, made in India about a boy named Apu. It literally ripped my heart out. It was done in black and white, which lends it a presence & shadowy quality. A magnificent film.

The Piano-Let me just say, that this FREAK doesn't care for this film all that much. But my best friend and fellow FREAK loves it, so I'm adding it to the list. All I liked about it was the music, but she just kept playing the same thing over and over...Ahh, well, different strokes for different folks..

The Dark Crystal-Ditto for the above. I think this film is way too slow & uninteresting, but she loves it. So does my ten year old nephew, for some reason. Maybe they're deeper than I am, and get more out of it(that is entirely too possible). What can I say, I liked Muppet Treasure Island better.

Kind Hearts & Coronets-I think this is just a case of a movie so old no one knows about it anymore. It features Sir Alec Guiness playing no less than eight different characters, all people of the same noble family, who are murdered by a distant cousin who wants to inherit. There's a lovely plot twist at the end, and Sir Alec's performance is marvelous. It really seems as if he is eight different people.

Radioland Murders-Like Willow, another George Lucas idea people didn't warm to. The movie is a deft and well-timed comedy about a 30's radio station,where someone is bumping off station personnel. Comedic mayhem ensues, as a hapless writer tries to solve the who-dunnits before he's arrested as the murderer.

Moll Flanders-Much better than I ever would have thought it could be. This is the life story of a prostitute, who makes good in the end. Based on a 17th century book.

The Zero Effect-This Sherlock Holmsian comedy starring Ben Stiller and Bill Pullman is very funny. Pullman is quite good as Darryl Zero, a lunatic genuis who can solve any crime, but holes up in his apartment and won't see or speak to anyone. Ben Stiller is his assistant and only contact with the real world. Zero subsists on a diet of tuna fish, Tab cola, and drugs. His mind runs so fast that it outstrips his ability to catch up. When he falls for a female blackmailer he's tailing, his world literally crumbles.

The Name of the Rose-Sean Connery is a priest during the Inquisition, who comes to a remote monastery to solve a murder mystery. Christian Slater gives a good performance as Connery's assisatant, a young acolyte tempted by the flesh. The mystery turns out to be much deeper and stranger than just a murder.

Dark City-A noir-ish sci-fi movie, starring the delectable Rufus Sewell. Much better than A.I., with excellent performances by everyone but Kiefer Southerland(he's the only off note in this symphony).

Serpent's Kiss-Odd movie starring Ewan McGregor as an 18th century englishman posing as a Dutch designer of gardens named Meneer Chrome. A wealthy merchant hires him to design an extravagent garden, although his real reasons for doing this are to ruin the man. Along the way, he falls in love with the merchant's odd, unearthly daughter.