101 Cult Films I Must See Before I Die

"Yup, that's an ear all right." If you're watching a movie and someone says a line like this while examining a severed ear found on a lawn, you might be watching a cult film. I say "might" because the boundaries of this genre are as fuzzy as the interior of Barbarella's spaceship; a cult film is what any reasonably well-informed pundit says it is, even though several classic movies lumped into the genre were popular mainstream hits.

The editors of 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die have chosen 101 cult films as one of several less intimidating alternatives to their master list of over 1,000 films. Let's see how many of their cult movies I've managed to see thus far...as ever, those I've seen are listed in bold. 

Un Chien Andalou

Reefer Madness

Sullivan's Travels

Out of the Past

Sunset Boulevard

The Night of the Hunter

Rebel Without a Cause

The Blob

Plan 9 from Outer Space

Jazz on a Summer's Day

The Servant

Shock Corridor

Bande A Part

Scorpio Rising

Faster, Pussycat - Kill! Kill!

Blow-Up

Chelsea Girls

Persona

Barbarella

Les Idoles

Easy Rider

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

El Topo

Le Boucher

The Lickerish Quartet

Performance

Harold and Maude

Two Lane Blacktop

Vampyros Lesbos

Vanishing Point

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

The Harder They Come

Pink Flamingos

Superfly

Sisters

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

The Night Porter

Phantom of the Paradise

Grey Gardens

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Sholay

Tommy

The Last Wave

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

I Spit on Your Grave

The Wiz

Zoltan, Hound of Dracula

Mad Max

Life of Brian

The Warriors

The Blues Brothers

Ms. 45

Time Bandits

Basket Case

Fitzcarraldo

Wild Style

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai

This is Spinal Tap

The Toxic Avenger

Blue Velvet

The Hitcher

Manhunter

Withnail and I

Amazon Women on the Moon

Barfly

The Princess Bride

Wings of Desire

The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years

Hairspray

Alice (Neco Z Alenky)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Heathers

Mystery Train

Frankenhooker

Barton Fink

Brain Dead

Dazed and Confused

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Clerks

Shallow Grave

The City of Lost Children

La Haine

Showgirls

Crash

Twilight of the Ice Nymphs

The Big Lebowski

Buffalo '66

Le Diner Des Cons

Run Lola Run

Rushmore

Office Space

Battle Royale

Memento

Donnie Darko

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Ichi the Killer

The Room

Kamikaze Girls

Napoleon Dynamite

Brick

I've seen 46 of these cult films; some of them are among my very favourite movies of all, including Blue Velvet, Buckaroo Banzai, Memento, Brain Dead, Heathers, The Blob, Sunset Boulevard, Plan 9 From Outer Space and Rebel Without a Cause. A few are on my soon-to-watch list: The Night of the Hunter, Out of the Past, Persona, Performance, Superfly, Ms. 45 and Battle Royale. Others way well fall into the "I can't believe you haven't seen..." category: Napoleon Dynamite,  Barton Fink, Manhunter, Two Lane Blacktop, Harold and Maude. I'll get to them; I have to, now that I've made this list. 

Among my friends I'm known to have a somewhat hit-or-miss track record when it comes to suggesting movies the entire group might enjoy. One of the films on this list, Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, probably best exemplifies that phenomenon. We got together to watch a movie at Jeff's place - "we" being Colin, Mike, Pete and Jeff and me. My friends hated it, whereas I thought it had a pretty important point to make and made it well. You can read my review here. 

In my defence, I haven't always been the one to choose a film poorly. I believe it was Dustin who decided we should see Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, another of the films on this list, and while I laughed my way through the film in delight, the rest of our little band, including Dustin, weren't nearly so entertained. 

Jarring Cola Irony

Thursday's lunch at the Jasper Avenue 3 Amigos with Dustin, Mike and Pete resulted in very good food and very poor service. Arriving at precisely noon, our food arrived at the table at 12:55, which meant I had to wolf my food down like a ravenous beast in order to get back to work as quickly as possible. Also, I thought it amusing that the waitress laid down Coca-Cola coasters for our drinks, including my Jarritos Mexican cola (which is also quite tasty). 

Dustin the Renegade Tank Commander

Last night I dreamed that our Dungeons and Dragons group was trying out a different roleplaying game for a change of pace, one set in a world of Conan-like high fantasy but with World War II era military technology. So instead of each of us carrying a sword and shield or what have you, each character had his or her own Sherman tank - and the miniatures, as you can imagine, were wicked cool, with each of us standing in the turret of our respective tanks, overlooking the field of battle.

During this session of play, the evil Thulsa Doom was about to sacrifice a maiden strapped down to a stone (plastic, really) altar atop a green felt-covered hilltop. We moved our tanks into position, but Dustin fired his main cannon early, blowing up both Thulsa Doom and his comely captive. My character raced up the hill in his tank to survey the carnage, and aside from the dead Thulsa Doom, the dead princess and a bunch of dead snakes, I spotted a whole bunch of dismembered innocent bystanders, who were represented on the board by LEGO minifigures.

"Dustin!" I cried. Did you sneak in here earlier and kill all these innocent people?"

"They needed killin'," Dustin replied laconically.

Audrey shook her head while Jeff rolled his head around on his shoulders with a "WHOA! Nice going, dude!" Stephen, even though he wasn't the Gamemaster (who mysteriously never made an appearance), took on a GM-like mien and said "Okay, player versus player it is, then."

Somehow I'd become the de facto squadron commander, and I started to issue orders to destroy Dustin's tank. But before the battle could commence...I woke up.

Colin Dunn's Jovial Chronicles

Tonight Colin Dunn stopped in Edmonton for a whirlwind visit with his old gaming buddies. Scott Friel came up with a great way to  honour Colin's visit: he designed a short mini-adventure for Jovian Chronicles, a game that Colin ran for us before he moved to Vancouver Island, and one for which he's actually written assorted game books. Scott created characters for Steve, Colin, Jeff and Dustin and Mike and I (not pictured); we all awoke in the prison cells of a starship, aware only of our own motives, forced to work together under mysterious circumstances. (I played a space pilot with an addiction problem and conflicted morality.) It was great to see Colin again, and I'm certainly impressed by Scott's ability to pull together a clever adventure in a matter of hours.

Gaming & Guinness VIII: Chariots of Fire

Saturday began with Fortune & Glory, a game that casts players in the roles of 1930s Republic serial heroes, cooperating to stop either the Mob or the Nazis from casting the world into darkness.

With a full complement of eight players our game took forever, though unfamiliarity with the rules was partly to blame. In the end we halved the game goals for both sides (Nazis and fortune hunters) just so we could finish the game without cutting into Circvs Maximvs time.

 Circvs Maximvs is, of course, the epic game of Roman chariot racing, and the closing marquee game of G&G. For the first time this year we had nine racers, thanks to the sudden arrival of Scott's older brother Dustin (left).

Jeff had already won the coveted Caesar's Cup twice in a row, only to have Pete steal his laurel wreath last year. Jeff  was champing at the bit to reclaim his crown, while Pete was eager to match Jeff's back-to-back victories. But what of the other hungry gladiators on the field? Every racer hungered for victory.

My team, on black bases, began the race next to Mike Totman's yellow-based team. I enjoyed an excellent start, whipping my horses into a frenzy to overcome inertia flawlessly. But my opening luck was not to last.

Yes, for one brief, shining moment, I held the lead. The crowd roared!

Thundering hooves kicked up great clouds of fine Roman earth as we raced past the enormous edifice replicating the cup.

But even now the vile Brothers Friel were plotting against me, and against all their fleet-footed betters. Note Dustin's Machiavellian stroking of his Mirror Universe goatee.

Dustin (white team) and Scott (orange team) lashed out with their whips at rival horses and charioteers, their vile calumny raising bloodthirsty cheers from the stadium throngs. "Are you not entertained?" the Friels cried.

Their bloodlust even infected Mike Totman, who attempted to whip my charioteer in passing. But my man was too quick, and snatched Mike's whip away, disarming the rival racer.

With half the racers getting into whip fights, former champions Jeff (light blue) and Pete (fuschia) focussed merely on circling the track as quickly as possible. Here, Rob moves his charioteer into position (in Circvs Maximvs, you move your horses first, then follow with the chariot; this makes it easier to keep track of your moves).

At the halfway point, it was still anyone's race.

And then, vile villainy. Scott whipped Jeff's horses into a frenzy, causing his chariot to flip. I narrowly avoided the wreckage, while Scott simply, callously, drove atop it.

Jeff's racer was dragged by the reins through the dirt, his body taking incredible punishment as Island Mike's racer looked on in horror.

Fortunately Jeff was nimble enough to untangle himself from the reins and make a break for the safety of the stadium. He escaped, narrowly dodging Scott's attempt to trample his fleeing form.

In the final turn I made a fatal error, misjudging my speed and flipping my chariot. Now it was my turn to be dragged through the dust. But I refused to release the reins, reasoning that this close to the finish line I still had a chance of at least reaching the podium. Here I am, right on Pete's tail.

But from behind, the hand of fickle Fate (or, more accurately, fickle Friel) loomed, moving his pale white horses into position.

On a pale horse the reaper came...

"AAIIIEEE!" wailed my driver as Dustin's horses trampled him to death.

I wasn't the only casualty. Right after Dustin trampled me, Scott whipped Rob, causing Rob to flip. And then Scott casually trampled Rob to death just as his brother had killed my hapless racer. This gory finish almost eclipsed the greater accomplishments of the victor, Island Mike himself, new champion! Mike Totman and Stephen Fitzpatrick followed right on his heels, followed by Pete, Dustin and Scott. Only one question remained: how would Mike transport the fragile statue back to Vancouver Island..?

Gaming and Guinness VII

In early May, I left my job at the Alberta Legislature. Fortunately I had little time to wallow in anxiety or sadness, for mere days later the Gaming and Guinness gang gathered at Peter Harris' place to celebrate G&G VII.

This was Pete's first opportunity to host G&G, and he did a fine job, aided by his superb cooking skills and mild OCD. Guests arrived to find the menu and itinerary already prepared!

As a small token of my appreciation and in a nod to this year's G&G movie, The Avengers, I brought Pete a Thor bottle opener.

We opened with Tsuro, a beautifully designed strategy game in which coloured stones representing dragons follow pathways, trying to avoid falling off the game board or crashing into each other. It's a fast, elegant game that grows more fun and challenging with each player added.

We then moved on to Bang!, a card game that emulates the action of a western-themed first person shooter.

Jeff considers his hand.

My hand wasn't nearly as good as Jeff's. Or perhaps he simply has a better poker face.

As always, I shot a whole bunch of photos. I'm particularly pleased with the following profile shots of several of the gang:

Scott looked fashionably geeky in his Star Wars t-shirt.

Pete, as the Sheriff of Bang!, kept his cards close to the vest.

Mike Parlow always reminds me of Count Zaroff from The Most Dangerous Game.

G&G founder Steve is a force to be reckoned with no matter the game.

I even managed to capture a rare image of Mike Totman without his middle finger raised. (Perhaps because I didn't actually snap this photo.)

I don't usually participate in the massive Warhammer battles that usually serve to open G&G, but this year I was responsible for suggesting the terrain type, to wit, the Mojave-like environs seen in several Star Trek episodes. Scott built the terrain, but he graciously asked me to help with the initial layout of the various cliffs, rivers and other features.

I remain astounded by the modelling skills of my friends.

Perennial guest star Dustin Friel dropped in for Rock Band, as he's done several times in the past. Here he is, wailing away on the drums.

This time around I have very few good images of Rob Day. But here he is at centre, enjoying Guinness Jell-O shots.

For some reason Sylvia thinks that G&G is merely an excuse for the gang to get together, er, "on the down low," as it were. It's turned into something of a running joke, since the lot of us are almost blandly heterosexual - at least, as far as I know - well, it hardly matters, anyway. Sylvia's gotten rather jaded about the whole thing, as you can tell from her text messages.

In a true blast from the past, Steve brought over the newest iteration of the Battletech board game we played back in high school. I don't think I've stepped into a giant robot since those halcyon days, and it showed; I spent most of my time hiding half-submerged in a lake. I was ineffective for most of the game, though toward the end I did manage to destroy Totty's mech. The game ended inconclusively overall, though I feel Mike Parlow's team probably would have won the day in the end.

Circvs Maximvs grows more elaborate with each passing year. This year, Pete commissioned his goddaughter to sculpt huge Ben Hur statues for the track. They really add a great deal of grace and verisimilitude to the game!

Awe-inspiring. We certainly put on a good show for the new statues, for out of eight charioteers, four were eliminated, with three deaths!

The gods did not smile on the racers this day.

While I held the lead for a brief moment, it was Pete who ultimately prevailed, ending Jeff's victory streak.

Jeff and I earned second and third place, respectively - and posthumously, crossing the finish line alive but succumbing to the injuries we earned during the race.

With another G&G under our belts, the anticipation begins for next year's gathering, tentatively planned to be hosted by Rob Day in the nation's capital. It should be quite an adventure!

Panorama Mania

For three or four years after I purchased my little Pentax point and shoot, I was enthralled by the camera's panorama feature, which allowed users to easily compose and stitch together panoramic shots to create a super-wide-angle effect. As you can see, the images can sometimes turn out a little distorted, but overall the effect is pretty good, at least to my eyes. Plus you can craft some interesting special effects with a little creative staging. Click to embiggen for the full effect!