The Boston Bachelor

BY THEBOSTONBACHELOR.COM / July 7, 2008

Here’s to the movies who’ve never received their full amount of deserved respect from audiences and critics alike:

10. The Highest Honor

One of the best war movies you’ve never seen. The ending will have you standing on your coffee table–knife in hand.

9. The Last American Virgin

The most underrated teenage sex comedy of all time, with a twist that would never make it past the studio heads today. In other news, I hear a remake is currently in the works…

8. Repo Man

The ride gets crazier as the film progresses. Hoo ha! File under the “brilliantly insane.”

7. In the Company of Men

Welcome to the working week. Two office yuppies hatch a plan to date the most desperate woman they can find (in this case, a deaf typist), shower her with affection, then simultaneously dump her without warning. “I think she’s got one of those voices. You know, like a dolphin. Like having a Sunday chat with Flipper.”

6. Secretary

A young woman, fresh out of her stay at a mental institute, discovers her S&M side while working as a secretary. Every woman I know who’s seen this movie (regardless of age and level of conservativeness) has loved it. If you don’t know why after watching it, then you’re completely clueless.

5. Nightmares

A collection of 4 short horror films. Worth watching for the second story alone: What happens when you reach the 13th level of “The Bishop of Battle?” No one knows, until now.

4. Leon

One of the best action movies ever created. Style for miles and miles, but with depth and heart beneath it all. Just make sure you watch the International or Deluxe version which features 24 minutes of footage that was deemed too “sensitive” for American audiences.

3. The Virgin Suicides

“You know, most people will never taste that kind of love. But at least I tasted it once, right?” To the unrequited high school love that was once in all of us. Spellbinding.

2. American Psycho

The 80s. Excess. Greed. Sex. New Order. Expensive condos. Designer leather. Blood. Say what you will, there’s something in the air.

1. The Crow

Words fail to explain, but there’s some undeniable force in this movie that will not be stopped. It goes beyond the prototypical plotline, characters, special effects, and even goes beyond the freakish on-set death of Brandon Lee. Take extreme love and extreme hate, mix it in a cocktail, and drink it down with the lights off. Welcome to your catharsis.

Honorable Mention:

Bloodfist - Fuck the CGI and levitation wires of today, this is how martial-arts fight-to-the-death movies should be done.

Affliction - Two brilliant acting performances by Nick Nolte and the late James Coburn mark this harrowing gem of a movie.

The Shape of Things - Neil LaBute strikes again.

Twelve Monkeys - A worthy adaptation of La Jetee.

Vanilla Sky - One of the few instances where a remake bests the original (Abre Los Ojos).

Branded to Kill - Despite being filmed over 40 years ago, this tale of a yakuza hitman on the run from Japan’s “No. 1 killer” remains one of the most innovative action movies ever made.

-The Boston Bachelor