CultFlicks.net

Rating:

Review

Little Otik is not your traditional fantasy film. From Czech (and if you’re already wondering what and where that is you’re missing the point) Little Otik is about a middle-aged couple with no children. When husband Karel Horák finds a tree stump that looks slightly like a child he brings it home. The couple begin shaping the stump into a child and treat it as such, and then…things happen. The film isn’t for everyone, and based on that synopsis you may discredit it at something wacky from the Czech, “Oh those silly natives!” Not only is that weird and potentially racist, it’s also unfair. Little Otik is a bizarre film, but one that is oddly heartwarming. So if you have a conscious, or a heart that isn’t melted with cold black stiffness, Little Otik may be quite the viewing experience.

Reason to Watch

If I can think of one singular reason to watch it, it’s because it’s from Czech and you owe it to yourself to watch at least ONE film from the country.

Context

The Czech isn’t known for their mainstream appeal, yet Little Otik’s cult following is justified, for it’s bizarre oddities isn’t for the sake of being weird “to be weird” but actually helps craft a touching fairy tale for those who can suspend their belief and entering a fantasy world without expecting Tom Cruise trolls, or unicorns.

Most Memorable Quote(s)

• He wanted to touch me again.
• If it’s going to be chocolate, it’s got to be Charon!

What You Need to Get Through This Movie

Your full attention baby, cause this one has got…subtitles!

Educational Content

• If you can’t make a baby the traditional way, make one with a machete and some crafting tools. These types pee less, whine less, and never steal your wallet or stick their fingers in electrical outlets

Justification for Rating

Little Otik is simply too much for many film fans to handle. it’s almost entirely unrelatable, and is based on an obscure fairy tale. Yet, if you find peculiar films enticing, Little Otik is a foreign gem not worth missing.

Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT45Gmv1Pv4

Review

In this extremely dark and violent comic drama, the “Narrator” a depressed, angst ridden young man is dissatisfied with the world around him. He hates his work and has attempted to mask his emptiness by assembling his “perfect” apartment. In order to relieve his insomnia he’s taken to visiting support groups for patients with terminal diseases. His path changes radically when, on a business flight, he meets Tyler Durden, a charming soap salesman. Tyler doesn’t value a world driven by consumerism and he believes that men can learn through pain, misfortune and chaos. Tyler cheerfully challenges his new friend to a fight. The Narrator finds that bare-knuckle fighting makes him feel alive and soon the two become friends and roommates, meeting to fight once a week. As more men join in, the “fight club” becomes a sinister underground movement that spreads across the country, even though it’s meant to be a closely guarded secret among the participants. As the Narrator and Tyler continue to bond, a strange situation becomes further complicated when Tyler becomes involved with Marla, whom the Narrator became infatuated with when they were both gate-crashing the support-group circuit. As the “fight club” movement progressively darkens where will it all end?

Lots of violence, plenty of shocks, plot twists and a great ending what more could you want?

Reason to Watch

Any film that has a leading British film critic describing it as “an inadmissible assault on personal decency” has got to go straight onto the “must watch” list I reckon. Oh and Brad Pitt with his shirt off, if thats the sort of thing that floats your boat.

Context

Some people apparently saw the film as dangerous and a promotion Nazism, which seems rather overly-dramatic and suggests that these people need to get out more.

Most Memorable Quotes

“The things you own end up owning you.”

“The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club….”

“With a long enough timeline, the probability of survival is zero.”

What You Need To Get Through This Movie

Just in case the urge to re-enact fight scenes takes hold ensure that you only invite round your weediest and most feeble of friends. Smelling salts, first aid kit and route to nearest Emergency Room should all be kept close at hand. Plenty of booze should be made available for Dutch courage before and to mask the pain after the fighting.

Trivia

The home-made recipe for Napalm provided by Tyler was incorrect, for obvious safety reasons. Some sources state that the recipe was accurate in the book upon which the film was based but, in fact, that too was false (at the insistence of the books publishers). If I had known this sooner I would not have wasted a great deal of tasty orange juice in attempting a reenactment of scenes from Apocalypse Now last summer.

Educational Content

1. You can make soap from the fat of humans.
2. Misuse of steroids can land you with a nasty pair of breasts.
3. Messing around with lye is a bad idea, that shit burns!
4. Exercise helps you get healthy, natural sleep.
5. Ikea do some nice furniture.

Justification for Rating

The film is challenging and controversial but is hugely watchable, quotable and enjoyable.

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Rating:

Review

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! should have been the perfect movie. It is an exploitation film from the mid-60’s, encircling around three go-go dancers. Their beautiful and charming, and the fact that the go-go dance gives them a weird wholesomeness that is vacant from a stripper, so if you like your girls dancing as opposed to be ing naked, here you go. They hatch a plan to rob a wheel-chair bound man who assists them in temporary living on his farm. Why we would need an elaborate plan to rob a man who can’t walk is never quite explained. Regardless, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is violent, dirty, and sexual promiscuous- just about the perfect movie ever. yet it lacks any nudity (there is none) which is a clear violation of standard exploitation flair and makes this film unwatchable for a lack of a payoff.

Reason to Watch

Go-go dancing, violence, and Lori Williams just about sums it up.

Context

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! does not hold up over time. For a film that was deemed so controversial upon release, it does stand as rather tame. Yet it remains a polarizing film for its plot structure and characters who seem to have a little depth in a genre that usually didn’t do much for their characters other than allow them as vessels for my violence shit to happen to them.

Most Memorable Quote(s)

• The Old Man: Women! They let ’em vote, smoke and drive – even put ’em in pants! And what happens? A Democrat for president!
• Tommy: I work on this baby the same way, trying to get maximum performance.
• Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen – welcome to violence!

What You Need to Get Through This Movie

The knowledge that your girlfriend will never be as cool as Varla.

Trivia

Russ Meyer named the movie like this because he claims that a movie has everything when it contains speed (faster), sex (pussycat) and violence(kill,kill)

Educational Content

• Killing someone has consequence
• If your son is mnentally ill, name hill “Vegetable” for consistency’s sake

Justification for Rating

The problem with Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is not so much that the film is bad, it’s that the ridiculous plot and inane actions of the characters are not offset by seeing the girls naked. Not that a film NEEDS that to be watchable by any means, but a mid 60’s exploitation film titled Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! that is as hackneyed and bizarre as this one DOES.

Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zktang91b4Y

Rating:

Review

Set in 1991 this Coen Brothers comedy crime caper begins with a simple case of mistaken identity and a peed on rug. The principle character Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski, a laid-back, unemployed, bowling loving, slacker, seeks recompense for his rug from the “Big” Lebowski, his wealthy namesake. The Dude acquires his rug but also stumbles into a hilarious web of extortion, kidnapping, deception and sex.

His bowling buddies, the slightly unhinged Vietnam vet Walter and the mild-mannered Donnie, become embroiled in the constantly thickening plot. When the Dude is called upon to deliver a million dollar ransom for the return of the Big Lebowskis kidnapped wife things begin to go wrong. As the story proceeds, the Dude gets caught up in the schemes of Lebowski’s daughter, encounters an evil porn mogul, a bad cop, an Eagles loving cab driver and a group of European Nihilists.

The film is wonderfully crafted and acted. Jeff Bridges appears to have been born for this role and turns in a stellar comedic performance.

Initially largely under-appreciated by critics, which just proves that they generally know fuck all, but has become a “must watch” cult classic.

Reason to Watch

When a film has inspired the creation of a religion – The Church of the Latter-Day Dude – then not watching would be positively sacrilegious.

Context

Released in 1998 but set in 1991, the era of the first Gulf War. Only the Dude can steal a quote from George Bush Senior and still remain cool – “this aggression will not stand, man”.  Comedy gold.

Most Memorable Quotes

“Nobody calls me Lebowski. You got the wrong guy. I’m the Dude, man.”

“No, Donny, these men are nihilists. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“The Dude abides”

What You Need To Get Through This Movie

To truly immerse yourself in the movie White Russians (Vodka/Kahlua/Cream over ice) and some organic Glaucoma medication are a must.

Trivia

Donnie’s bowling shirts say names like C.K., Roy and Austin, never Donnie.

Educational Content

1. Shomer Shabbos is the Jewish day of rest.
2. If you are laid-back and lazy enough things will work out. If not, what the hey pour yourself a White Russian and smoke a J.
3. Nihilists believe in nothing.
4. Always check wind direction prior to scattering ashes.

Justification for Rating

This is a very clever and funny, funny film. If you don’t agree then all I can say is “Come on, you’re being very un-Dude”.

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Rating:

Review

Do you like video games? Do you like murdering people? Do you think playing video games that murder people is not only awesome, but morally awesome? Death Race 2000 pits you as a viewer, in a game where individuals who are usually burly, unnecessarily aggressive, and drowning in their own testosterone against others where they race, main, and kill each other- to death. the better the kill, the more points. The film, at only 80 minutes, barely gives us any characterization, but not that we expected any from something called Death Race 2000. The film is stupid- extremely almost godly stupid, but unlike many films that are stupid and just not worth watching, Death Race 2000 is more entertaining than any Transformers move of the last decade.

Reason to Watch

Sylvester Stallone plays someone awesome who isn’t Rambo, a career 180.

Context

It is the dystopian future of the year 2000 where people battled for their lives in massive car arenas. In the REAL year 2000, city kids played Nintendo 64 on their 420 resolution tv’s and downloaded songs from Napster at the quick immediate pace of 10 kb a second through their dial-up connection.

Most Memorable Quote(s)

• Matilda the Hun: Whoever named your car the Bull… was only half right! 
• Junior: Here he comes: Machine Gun Joe! Loved by thousands, hated by millions! 
• Frankenstein: You want to make love to me because I drive the Monster and wear this costume. 

What You Need to Get Through This Movie

A Sylvester Stallone plush Rambo doll

Trivia

Producer Roger Corman did many of the driving himself because the stuntmen were nervous they would get nabbed by cops or driving cars that were not street legal

The original role of Frankenstein was offered to Jane Fonda who found the film too ridiculous to humor with words

Educational Content

• You can transform a terribly beat-up Vokswagan into a badass killing machine with Roger Corman on your side
• Nothing is street legal, really

Justification for Rating

It is hard to rate Death Race 2000 because you know if you will like it or not far before you even watch a minute. a 6 sounds reasonable for a movie that should be awful

Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of1UF-qVc18