Top 5 Guilty Pleasures
Lets not beat around the bush, we all watch and love films that we really shouldn't. For some of us its that big dumb action movie, for others its chick flicks, but for all of us its the films that we can watch without thinking about, a degree of escapism that only film can provide. Since I've recently been watching quite a few films that I probably shouldn't have done, I thought I'd make a list of my personal top 5 guilty pleasures... make sure to leave your own in the comments section!
#5 Mean Girls
Mean Girls was a film that came out in my early teens, and for some reason is a film I keep going back to. I think its a mixture of the immensely quotable one liners and phrases, and the brilliant script penned by Tina Fey, this teen film is much more than a typical affair thanks to her fantastic sense of humour and down to earth narrative. I cant help feeling however that there is something very eerie about watching this film now, seeing Lindsay Lohan give her career best only to have become what she is today is pretty unsettling and ironic given the films themes. In any case I think Mean Girls is fantastic, and while I might feel bad for loving it, I could definitely do worse.
#4 The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Rocky Horror is the definition of camp. Its exploitative, rude, sexy and downright mad, and its definitely one of my guilty pleasures. Theres something about the way the film manages to balance itself between parody and a genuine narrative that I cant get enough of. The references to old sci-fi and horror B movies makes my inner geek squirm with delight, and the songs aren't half bad either. The obvious hit from the film/show 'Time Warp' is actually one of my least favourite songs, theres a wealth of great campified numbers in this musical, including one featuring Meat Loaf himself! The narrative is pretty irrelevant considering the nature of this film, its a film which parody's the genre, yet rarely crosses the line into self parody, making it still feel like an original work rather than a retread. I couldn't talk about Rocky Horror without praising Tim Curry's absolute blinder of a performance as Frank-N-Furter, which is surely one of his best. In conclusion, a masterclass in camp and parody, which doesn't dare to take itself seriously.
#3 The Little Mermaid
Theres something about this (in my opinion) underrated Disney classic that makes it slightly more embarrassing to love than any of the others. While this may not be Disney at its finest, its certainly no Lion King or Pocahontas, it is a personal favourite of mine. My love for The Little Mermaid stemmed from my childhood, where I would watch the film over and over again, and the sheer nostalgia factor of it makes it worth watching even now. It doesn't help that the songs are pretty damn amazing too, Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl and Part of Your World being personal highlights... My list wouldn't be complete without a Disney film, and I guess this is the one that most fits the guilty part of the list.
#2 Pride and Prejudice
I'm going to admit it now, I'm a sucker for a good old fashioned period drama, and this one is at the top of the cringe list. The fact that this is the version that I enjoy over the BBC one, which most claim is the superior version, doesn't help. Theres something about getting caught up in a narrative that makes you really listen to the dialogue being spoken, using traditional language that encourages you to open your ears and hear the poetic sentence structure rolling off the tongue of a posh English country girl, that engages me. I know it might sound stupid, but some of the stories found in these kinds of dramas make me feel slightly better about the world and cheer me up after watching the latest petty squander between two crettins on Jeremy Kyle. In any case its still a very guilty pleasure of mine, hence it coming in a close second on my list.
#1 Grease
I expect this cheesefest to come in most people's guilty pleasures lists, its pretty much impossible not to like, well that is unless you're a completely miserable and cynical human being! While the film may be completely ridiculous and overly camp, it manages to still lift my spirits and get my toes tapping. The songs are pretty much pop culturally iconic by now, and get any party going even to this day, they may be a bit camp but my god they're catchy! After recently seeing this film at the drive in cinema in Manchester, the only one of its kind in the UK apparently, its made me love it even more, and that kind of setting is absolute perfection for seeing Grease. An iconic musical which most of us are ashamed of loving, it has to come at #1 on my list.
That rounds off my top 5 guilty pleasures, do you agree with me? Tell me what your guilty pleasures are in the comments or send me a tweet @Karlrichings or @thatfilmfeeling!
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