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Top 10 Cult Films You Need To See

They’re the films you may never have heard of, but once you watch them, you’re converted! You need to tell your friends about them, you scour the aisles of stores trying to find that DVD or Blu Ray edition you heard about. You search online to buy it completely legally and not Torrent it at all because that would be wrong. This is our Top 10 Of Cult Films you need to see.

 

Popcorn

 

The Top 10 Cult Films You Need To See

Before I begin with the countdown, let’s just acknowledge that the idea of a ‘cult’ film that not many people have heard of, is fast becoming a thing of the past. The beauty of the Internet is that movies are no longer region specific. They’re no longer time specific. That’s what makes now awesome.

I’ve also included some ‘extras’. If you see a film on the list that you enjoyed, there may be another film that’s similar in style or genre that you could also sink your teeth into.

Number 10: RocknRolla

Rocknrolla

Guy Ritchie films are sort of like Kevin Smith films when it comes to cult followings (but bigger names in them usually and they probably make more money when they first hit cinemas). But I think it would be remiss to not mention at least one of his films. He tends to go in and out of Vogue (See, Madonna reference. /drops mic. /picks up mic because it’s the start of the list and will need the mic for later).

Why RocknRolla?

Because if you’re going to introduce any friend to the Guy Ritchie Universe, this is the movie you should show them.
It’s the perfect example of what makes his films great to watch. Quick and clever dialogue, twisting story lines that merge together into a tapestry of cool and of course the “swoosh, swoosh, swooop!” sound that Guy Ritchie does so well.

Guy Ritchie has a habit of casting the perfect actor for the role and his selection of British actors is always superb. But what’s really great about this film, is the amount of actors that also have geeky ties, is off the chain- Idris Elba (Prometheus, Pacific Rim) Thandie Newton (Run Fatboy, Run) Tom Hardy (Dark Knight Rises, he’s that big dude….With the face mask, talks about pain a lot) Tom Kebell (Wrath of the Titans), Jeremy Piven (voiced Elongated Man, Justice League Unlimited), Ludacris (Gamer).

Above all else, if Mark Strong isn’t a reason to put a movie into a list, then I don’t want to know about reasons, lists or movies!

Number 9: The Drunken Master.

Drunken master, jackie chan

While The Drunken Master did incredibly well in Hong Kong, it’s not a film you’ll hear mentioned a lot when people discuss “films you need to see”. But it is a film you need to see, as long as you like Kung Fu and Jackie Chan and if you don’t, why do you not like things that are awesome?

Without giving away too much of the storyline, the movie centers around the main character Wong Fei-Hung learning the fighting style of The Drunken Masters. It’s comedic as it is clever, at least as far as the staging of the fight scenes go. There is a degree of ‘slapstick’ to it, but it’s cleverly done.

If you’ve found yourself a fan of movies like Man With The Iron Fists, Kung Fu Hustle, or anything with Jackie Chan in it and have yet to watch this, it could be right up your alley. You may also enjoy watching the large number of sequels that apparently exist.

Number 8: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

What would you say if I could give you a film that had Batman and Iron Man in it? You’d say I was a crazy lady!

And you’d be right, but for the wrong reasons….

Kiss kiss bang bang

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the joining together of Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr. and Michelle Monaghan (who makes the BRIEFEST of appearances in Constantine, though if you watch the extras you see she had a much bigger part).

Yes, it’s a detective movie, but it makes fun of the entire genre. It’s like, if Agatha Christie and Kevin Smith had a kid and that kid wrote a movie script, this would be the movie they would write. If you imagine hard enough, you can pretend it really is Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne teaming up to take down criminals the old fashioned way.

If you enjoyed this film, but wanted something a little more Sin City, then try Spirit.

Number 7: Batman: Under The Red Hood.

Animation movie adaptation of comic books are the bomb! Under The Red Hood is one of the best examples of a movie made of pen strokes being better than movies made with people. There are many great animation movies out there, so don’t think this is the only one worthy of your attention.

For me it just boils down to one thing- I have a sick fascination for the Robin that died.

 Under the red hood
The Red Wedding was one of the most shocking things most people have seen on television so far. But the death of Robin was a tidal wave that didn’t just hit Batman fans everywhere. Both were similar in that it was disturbing, but something you had an inkling would happen. Also the words “What is dead may never die, but rises again” does seem to fit rather well into the story arc of Robin dying.

Under The Red Hood deals with the chaos that follows the death of Jason Todd at the hands of the joker. The physical and emotional gore, in my mind, are played out perfectly. It’s that good. The action scenes and script knit well together to give you the kind of bloody experience that leaves you a bit more thoughtful after it’s all over.

Number 6- The Dark Crystal

The-dark-crystal-original

This film should NOT be a cult film, it should be a staple for all households, especially those with children in them. Sure, it’s completely terrifying, but I used to watch it every chance I could and I’m fine. -EYE TWITCHES- . I would have watched this film upwards of 100 times as a kid, which is saying something for a time when you had to rewind everything just to watch it from the start.

Set on an alien planet, it follows a Gelfling who is on a quest to restore balance in his world. The two ‘sides’ of the world comprise of the evil Skeksis and the peaceful Mystics, though there are many more species than just those two.

It’s aged pretty well, for what it was and what it was doing at the time. Of course, when you have people like Jim Henson and Frank Oz behind it, it’s always going to be able to battle off the ravages of time a little better than other movies. If you do manage to find it in a store, I highly recommend getting any version that includes the ‘Making Of’ and commentary. The scale of the world they created for this film was immense and captivating. It makes the film look like a mere snapshot when you realize just how much work they put into it.

As for the parts of the world that make it into the final cut of the film, it’s dark, completely scary and if after watching it you have a fear of birds for the rest of your life, I’m not going to blame you.

Number 5-District 13 and District 13: Ultimatum.

If you enjoy movies where society has been split down the middle and where straight laced police officers have to team up with criminals to set the world right, while sometimes dressing up as ladies…..you’re going to really dig these.

 Think Escape From New York meets Tango and Cash but with parkour and a character with Anime hair. YOU LOVE THAT MOVIE ALREADY!

See? Anime hair.
See? Anime hair.

Admittedly, I’ve been a bit sneaky and included both movies. But they’re fit in well together and you should watch them back to back. Go on, treat yourself.

Number 4- Tales From EarthSea from Studio Ghibli.

There are few universal truths, but one of those truths is that Studio Ghibli work is always visually stunning.

Tales From EarthSea is no different.

Tales from earthsea

You may remember the movie, with Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon….He’s Danny Fricken GLOVER!),Shawn Ashmore (X Men, Animorphs), Chris Gauthier (so many geeky things!)  It was okay. You may have even read the books that the story is based on. The books are much darker and deeper than the movie.

Even if you’ve never heard of EarthSea or didn’t necessarily get into the universe, this animation is still one you should watch. Why?

Because it’s Studio Ghibli.

As always, it’s breathtaking. They manage to put on the screen, a world that is dark and horrifying and somehow never make you want to look away. They take a storyline that is convoluted and dilute it just enough for it to become clear, not watered down. The voice acting? Get out of here! There are big names on the English dub. But I much prefer the Japanese, dubs have improved over the years, but they never quite seem to be as good as the original way it was intended to be said.

This is a movie you could probably show an 8 or 9 year old, without them becoming too scared.

Number 3: Dead Snow

This film can be summed up in two words:

Nazi Zombies.

Dead-snow

Or three words:
Nazi Zombie Gold

Dead Snow demonstrates how you can combine classic Horror Rules (like, don’t get jiggy with people or go to stay in an abandoned part of anywhere without phone reception or you’ll die) with a contemporary feel (the girls don’t all break their ankles and spend the rest of the movie screaming while something noms their face).

There are some dark humor moments, but it’s mostly a lot of blood splatter and suspense.

With rumors always rife that there will be a Dead Snow 2 because of course people are dumb enough to steal Zombie Nazi gold for a second time, you’ll want to get your Dead Snow 1 watching in now. If this becomes a series of movies, this is not a marathon you may wish to take part in. (You can actually make it possible, by helping it to crowdfund it today!)

I have only watched this film once and doubt I will ever watch it again. Or go skiing. It scared me that much.So obviously, you need to see it.

Number 2- Rare Exports.

All stories change over time, which is why the Cinderella we all grew up with didn’t involve the severing of toes just to fit into very important shoes. So, why should the story of Santa be any different?

Rare exports

 

Imagine a Santa badder than Bad Santer and angrier than Futurama’s Santa.

This movie tells the story of the ‘original’ Santa (well, their version of what the ‘original’ Santa is) and why the Naughty List really wasn’t what you wanted to be on. It also has an important environmental message- If you contribute to global warming/destruction of natural habitats, an ancient supernatural being may eat your face.

That ‘original Santa’ is back and wreaking havoc. Luckily, there’s a group of disenfranchised, viking descendants who are all about wearing jumpsuits and kicking butt and they’ve already put their jumpsuits on…..

If you enjoy this then definitely look into seeing Troll Hunter. It’s like the Blair Witch Project, only you definitely see the Trolls. Plus the mythology within the movie is wonderfully put together.

Number 1: Chasing Amy.

There was ALWAYS going to be a Kevin Smith film in this list. In fact, the list could have easily just been made up of View Askew movies.

I can hear you now “But WHY Chasing Amy? Why not Clerks? Or Mall Rats? Or Dogma? Jersey Girl? WHY CHASING AMY?”

Chasing-amy

Because Chasing Amy is perfect.

Yes, it’s been incredibly well received. But unless you hang around with a whole lot of Kevin Smith fans, chances are the majority of people you know, don’t know what Chasing Amy is. And even if you do hang around with Kevin Smith fans, it’s not necessarily the first movie that they love.

As a geeky movie, you couldn’t ask for more. It’s about comic book creators! One of the best insults of all time, in any movie ever, is in Chasing Amy and is oozing with geek goodness. For lovers of the View Askew universe, you get to meet Alyssa Jones, older sister of Tricia Jones (from Mallrats). Alyssa is a character that, if you’ve watched all of the other View Askew movies, tends to appear a lot in stories told by the characters.

But more than that, this is a movie that I think every human should have to watch, before going into an adult relationship. Chasing Amy can teach you a lesson that’s better being learned by watching a film, than making the mistake yourself. It has possibly the longest Silent Bob speech ever and for good reason. If you’re a fan of Kevin Smith, or just good advice in general, then this is the movie you need to see. As long as you pay attention and don’t just roll your eyes while waiting for the next sexual reference, you can become a little wiser just by watching a film.

It’s also probably one of the only R-Rated films that can make that claim.

And if you disagree with me? If you think that Chasing Amy isn’t one of the greatest films of all time?

YOUR MOTHER WAS A TRACER!

Of course, there’s no such thing as a Top 10 of Cult Films You Need To see because there’s just too many great ones out there. Tell us your favorites in the comments!