Allison: We’re Not Film Snobs

Jesse’s essay this weekend (and really, what else was that but an essay) got me thinking. Are we film snobs? As a general rule we certainly prefer independent and foreign films but they also tend to be intelligent and unique which are characteristics that we prefer in entertainment.  It doesn’t mean we have a problem with those who don’t. You wouldn’t call someone a film snob because they tend to like only buddy comedies, right? Or 2-hour car explosions? Or vampire passion? And then I thought, wait, we like that stuff too when it’s done well. We even like some of that stuff when it’s not done well for no explicable reason.

So then I thought, I have no idea how to define a movie that I “like.” There are movies that are fantastic, but I would never recommend because I doubt others would think so. There are ones that I loved and have no idea why because I shouldn’t. There are ones that I’m not sure I even liked but watched multiple times and couldn’t stop thinking about for days on end. There are ones I would never ever watch again but it took my breath away.

For the purposes of proving we’re not film snobs, however, I decided to compile a list. These are not recommendations (though many are worth watching). Some make no sense on this list, but I’m being fair and impartial. Some we didn’t even like. These are just films we felt it necessary to see multiple times (at least in part), or they had such a dramatic effect on our psyches we had to mention them. Maybe the way to prove we’re not film snobs is to admit that we’ve seen these at all, which means the premise appealed to us enough to take the time to consider them.

So, yeah, it’s basically a meaningless list for the sake of being a list. I bet you can’t wait to waste your time reading it.

Without further ado, in no particular order,

Our Allison’s Blog “We’re Not Film Snobs” Compiled List of Films We’ve Seen and/or Left Our Jaws Open:

Disclaimer (ok, a little bit of further ado): This list is not comprehensive. Since everyone has different tastes and tolerance levels, these are not recommendations. In fact, several would be far from recommendations. This is also limited to relatively recent films. Oh, and it’s off the top of my head so I’m sure I’m missing dozens if not hundreds (see the first sentence). (I did have to research the countries, dates, and some native language titles. If I had known all those, I would have stopped here and declared myself the Queen of Film Snobs).

And now:

Last King of Scotland (UK, 2006)

Ever After (USA, 1998)

In Bruges (UK, 2008)

Das Experiment (Germany, 2001)

Donnie Brasco (USA, 1997)

Ondskan (Sweden/Denmark, 2003)

Ella Enchanted (USA/UK/Ireland, 2004)

Memento (USA, 2000)

Ha-Buah (Israel, 2006)

Rory O’Shea Was Here (UK/Ireland/France, 2004)

Requiem for a Dream (USA, 2000)

Kontroll (Hungary, 2003)

De Tweeling (Netherlands, 2002)

The 27 Club (USA, 2008)

Center Stage (USA, 2000)

The Recruit (USA, 2003)

Nói Albínói (Iceland, 2003)

Penelope (UK/USA, 2006)

Atonement (UK/France, 2007)

Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles (France/USA, 2004)

Starter for 10 (UK/USA, 2006)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (multiple)

Cold Mountain (USA, 2003)

Elf (USA/Germany, 2003)

Moulin Rouge! (USA/Australia, 2001)

Amores Perros (Mexico, 2000)

La Habitación de Fermat (Spain, 2007)

Zoolander (USA/Australia/Germany, 2001)

Batman Begins (USA/UK, 2005)

Enemy at the Gates (USA/Germany, 2001)

Amelie (France/Germany, 2001)

Lagaan (India, 2001)

Le Silence de Lorna (Belgium, 2008)

Dans Paris (France, 2006)

Politist, Adjectiv (Romania, 2009)

Pride & Prejudice (France/UK, 2005)

The Hole (UK, 2001)

Candy (Australia, 2006)

Sleepy Hollow (USA/Germany, 1999)

Monsoon Wedding (India, 2001)

La Science des Rêves (France/Italy, 2006)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (USA, 2003)

Three Kings (USA/Australia, 1999)

The Dream Catcher (USA, 1999)

The Others (USA, 2001)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (New Zealand/USA, 2001)

Delirious (USA, 2006)

The Boondock Saints (Canada/USA, 1999)

Underworld (UK/Germany, 2003)

Stage Beauty (UK/USA/Germany, 2004)

I’ll be merciful and stop there. We could probably fill an entire website with this subject. If you haven’t seen a single film on this list, you’re probably not reading this blog. If you have, you’re probably wondering how these films could possibly be on the same list. That’s ok. It’s just a random list for the sake of being a list. We love lists here at the blog.