At the age of 16, I started working at a small local video store called 99 Cent Video. Though located a mile from Blockbuster video, Hollywood Video and West Coast Video, the store did fairly well for itself. At the age of 19 I bought a video store. And for the next 6 years, until I sold it, I watched 3 or 4 movies a day, 6 days a week. And during that time, I came upon a lot of movies that look awful but were unexpectedly good. Make this list of top five unexpectedly good movies and share it with people on your Youtube blog. Because of Tiktokstorm social media, you can guarantee a lot of subscribers.
1. American Movie
American Movie is a documentary about one man’s dream of completing a horror film he had been working on for years. The low budget film is awful. But the documentary about trying to complete the film is hilarious. The filmmaker seems like your average everyday loser with hopes and dreams of making it big. But the real star in this movie is his daffy drug addict friend. Keep an eye out for the friend’s story about dropping acid in the emergency room.
2. Being John Malkovich
When this videotape came out, I remember looking at the cover and thinking it was going to be the worst movie I’ve ever seen. The cover had Cameron Diaz looking through a door that was placed on John Malkovich’s forehead. However, the movie was quite a pleasant surprise. Rounding out this cast is John Cusack, who really began his comeback in this movie.
3. Big Fat Liar
I really hate children’s movies. Especially movies that seem to drag the corporate line of Disney and Nickelodeon. They all seem to have the same plot and jokes. I decided to watch Big Fat Liar because it featured one of my favorite actors, Paul Giamatti. And it was a good decision. A funny little comedy about a young man who teaches a dopey adult a lesson. Yes, its the same old song and dance. But Giamatti pulls off the character superbly and the young kids are great in their roles too. A very funny movie if you just want to watch something that you don’t have to pay much attention to.
4. Midnight Run
I am a fan of Robert De Niro. From Casino to Cape Fear to Meet The Parents. He’s a great actor and pure gold in every movie I’ve seen him in. So when a customer recommended Midnight Run, I was shocked to see Robert De Niro star in this film. I had never heard of it before. I was unfamiliar with his co-star Charles Grodin as well. The movie is one of the funniest movies I’ve discovered. Its not a well known cult flick from the 80’s like Meatballs or Fast Times At Ridgemont High. But it is a very funny cat and mouse movie. Definitely underrated.
5. Drop Dead Gorgeous
When this video arrived at my video store, I immediately shelved it. It wasn’t until years later that I decided to watch it. And I can’t believe it took me so long. This movie was a complete parody of documentary movies. Today, you see a lot of movies and television shows using the mockumentary film style. This movie was one of the first to do it in this manner. Featuring Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley and Kristen Dunst. A very humorous look at beauty pageants in rural Wisconsin.