Movie Buffs love to talk about great cinematography and the best performances out there–it’s a lot of fun. But I’m curious to know your guilty pleasures. Those films that are really quite crappy when you think about it, but who cares? They hit a nerve and you have seen them numerous times. So what’s your guilty pleasure?
Science Fiction? Here are two cheesy science fiction films. So beneath Space Odyssey: 2001, but I love the chemistry of the characters and the ridiculous plots don’t bother me at all.
Love Stories? I thought Hugh and Drew were charming and I love British 80s pop (I know, I know). James Gardner made me ball like a baby. I didn’t care I was watching a Harlequin Romance.
Action? Lot’s of holes in these plots, but I still have fun watching them anyway. Two of Sean Connery’s worst films.
Comedy?
Crocodile Dundee is a ridiculous film. Why have I seen it so many times? I have no idea. I find Paul Hogan in this one charming and whats-her-face hysterical. What a wardrobe. I’m embarrassed to say I would watch it again. I can’t get enough of Simon Pegg. Even if the plot is outrageous and blue-blooded robots attack. He makes me laugh.
Okay, I’m really embarrassed. Tell me some of your guilty pleasures in film.
Cindy Bruchman 
Groundhog Day – Bill Murray *squish*, Pretty Woman – Julia Roberts – how can you not laugh when she laughs?, and Paul – another great Simon Pegg film. I could go on … 🙂
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Groundhog Day is not a “crappy” movie. It’s a philosophical masterpiece 😉 Yes, I was thinking of Pretty Woman. He’s so tall dark and handsome and she’s so cute. Good choices 🙂
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I’m watching one right now. Cutthroat Island. Not the greatest, for sure, but far too maligned as it’s entertaining. Frank Langella a hoot as the fun villain of the piece. The Rock is outstanding, I think. ID4 and The Fifth Element are on my list, as well. Tango and Cash, Road House, Wild Things, Deep Blue Sea.
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Hi Michael–ahh, I love Frank Langella and Geena Davis. Yes, it’s easy and comforting. Love your list; thanks for sharing 🙂
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Most Nic Cage Movies of the Last ten years would fit into this category for me.
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Hi there, Richard! Yes, I love Nic Cage –he’s such a great actor, but you are right, National Treasure is a wonderful guilty pleasure as well as Ghost Rider.
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The Rock is a favourite of mine as well, I saw it in theatres on its release, and funnily enough it was on television over here again last night. I love Independence Day, Crocodile Dundee and Crocodile Dundee 2 too.
I always enjoy revisiting 1970’s car chase caper movies such as Smokey and the Bandit and The Gumball Rally, although my ultimate Sunday afternoon switch-your-brain-off-flick is Hatari!
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Wow Really? Last night? I think it’s a lot of fun even though it’s horrible. Smokey and the Bandit! Yes! Terribly fun 🙂
Hatari–you got me there. Never saw it. 🙂
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Thankfully I no longer have a VCR, so I got rid of the tapes, but Charlie Chan movies. They still come on now and again on broadcast TV, and when they do, I’ll sit down and watch. They have everything going for them: mysteries that aren’t particularly mysterious, comedy that isn’t particularly funny, and an amiable Chinese police detective, most successfully played by actors who were not Chinese. My favorite one is probably Charlie Chan in Panama, in which you see a German spy disguised as a Panamanian fisherman snooping around the canal zone to trying to steal American naval secrets, as represented by a seaplane lumbering off a catapult mounted on a battleship turret.
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Thanks, John for commenting. Charlie Chan! Ha! What a cool choice. That reminds me of a fun film starring Tony Randall The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao.
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Hi, Cindy:
Michael raises some prime Guilty Pleasures that I’ll go along with.
Personally, I’ll add a low budget gem from China, Infra-Man . Which merges bits and pieces of the Japanese sci-fi import, Ultra Man . The forerunner of the nemesis of every Power Rangers episode in hugely blonde wigged and black skin suited, Princess Dragon Mom .And her army of over the top Slinky and vegetable based (Mace launching robot, Giant Apspargus) henchmen. And lots and lots of badly dubbed dialogue and “Chop Socky” action.
Would also add one the best executed tributes to Saturday matinee serial with Flesh Gordon . That adds spoofy, soft core porn and fetishes to the old Buster Crabbe staples. All the way down to a kinky “Wang, The Perverted” (Ming, the Merciless) ridiculously funny Penisauruses (Don’t ask!) and an odd bend to Flesh’s sparklers for rocket exhaust space ship.
Buckaroo Banzai and His Adventures in the Eight Dimension is another good one. A well done, character driven execution on the old Doc Savage theme. With a “Who’s Who” of starting out talent, who are “Go To” people today.
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Wow! Your matinee experiences and the whole Flesh Gordon stuff reminds me of the time my uncle snuck my brother and I in the trunk of the car in 1968 to the drive in and we saw John Astin in Candy. He wasn’t a very good baby-sitter 😉
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I openly enjoy a lot of “bad movies”, with no guilt about my feelings attached to them. For instance, I LOVE movies such as Independence Day, The Rock, and The World’s End, and feel no shame to admit it! However, if I could think of movies that I DO feel a tad embarrassed to admit I like them, I’d probably have to go with the likes of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, or something like Remember Me.
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Chris, NOOOO, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Julietis a marvelous modern twist to Shakespeare. It worked for me, even though the gun shots didn’t blow a hole in Juliet in her coffin in the church. But the acting, the party, the fishtank, the “boys” with their swords, the setting in Venice, CA, Claire Danes was a perfect Juliet, the hideous mother–oh, I could go on and on. Be embarrassed if you liked Baz’s The Great Gatsby 😉
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Another great topic you have here 🙂
ID4 and the league of extraordinary gentlements are also my guilty pleasures along with Evolution, that alien movie with Elijah Wood in it (I forgot the title),
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Hi NOV, missed Evolution. That will have to remain your guilty pleasure. 😉
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Ooooh, a lot of my faves are the guilty pleasures variety Cindy! It’s always fun to talk about ’em. I totally agree w/ The Rock, ID4, and that other one w/ Connery. Lots of movies by my crushes easily fit into the category, Flash Gordon is one (ONLY for Timothy Dalton) and the TV movie Attila w/ super sexed-up Gerry Butler as a Mongolian warrior (yes, VERY VERY guilty!!), and lots more!
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🙂 You have such great taste. Let’s see. Super sexed up….hmmm. I would pick Gerard Butler in Phantom of the Opera–althought, it’s not the least bit crappy–I love that musical. Delish!
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I’d have said so too Cindy, but this is what GB looked like as Attila: http://image.toutlecine.com/photos/a/t/t/attila-2001-tv-05-g.jpg and http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/cbf/d6d/cbfd6def-89c9-4fa3-9133-bfd074476d23 😉
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Hubba Hubba!
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Two words… Miss Congeniality. I did do a top 10 though: http://wherethewildthingsare14.wordpress.com/2013/11/28/my-top-10-cinematic-guilty-pleasures/
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Hi Abbi–awesome choice! A lot of Sandra Bullock comedies would fall in this category. Sorry, I don’t think we were “friends” back in November. Let me go check it out! 🙂
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I’ll give you a number of the movies on your list. Definitely good guilty pleasures, those.
I’ll also add Tommy Boy. And White Men Can’t Jump. And Demolition Man.
Hmmmm. Apparently, all of my guilty pleasures come from the 1990s. 🙂
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Ha, Josh. You were no doubt young and enjoyed films without considering quality, just gut-fun. Tommy Boy. What a good one.
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Yeah. Late teens. Early twenties. Probably the ripest age for stupid entertainment. 🙂
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Resident Evil all the way! 🙂 And A Cinderella Story, Deep Blue Sea…I have so many..haha! Can’t remember them all!
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Hi Kim! You inspired me the other day,… A Cinderella Story and just about anything Drew Barrymore is in would qualify 🙂
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I’m a history nerd so mine is National Treasure. It’s such silly fun and I loved all the little historical tidbits
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Yes, I am as well. National Treasure is a GREAT example of fun indulgence. 🙂
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You caught me off guard … again !
Of that bunch i’m looking at the Croc.
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad … I like that cyclops … and the babe.
Jason and Argonauts … I always dreamed of beating Jason to the Fleece.
Tarzan movies … hanging out in the jungle appeals to me.
I’m sure I have a dozen more … can’t think of ’em right now …
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Ha Ha. Love Jason and the Argonauts and 7th Voyage. I had a lot of respect for Harry H. –his claymations were wonderful. Tarzan is a good choice. King Kong as well 🙂
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Everyone’s entitled to a guilty pleasure movie sometimes.
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What’s yours?
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I would probably say Armaggedon.
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Excellent choice!
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I love 80s swords and sandals stuff from the 1980s – The Beastmaster, Conan (and its sequels) and a little known, but much loved film The Sword and Sorcerer. The Game of Thrones of their day!
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Hiya Dirk. Yes, guilty as charged! Add ‘Deathstawker’, ‘The 13th Warrior’ and ‘Legend’. 🙂
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