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  • 13 Shameless ’80s Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended

    13 Shameless ’80s Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended


    These shameless ’80s comedies had a rowdier sense of humor than the films of today. They didn’t worry if you were offended — they just wanted to make you laugh.

    Porky’s (1981)

    Kim Catrall in Porky’s. 20th Century Fox.

    It will never stop amusing us that the guy who made Porky’s, the great director Bob Clark, also made A Christmas Story. (He also made the horror movie Black Christmas and the kids movie Baby Geniuses. Talk about range.)

    Porky’s is one of those ’80s comedies that kids were often shielded from, which in retrospect makes sense: Though it was presented as a freewheeling comedy, it’s filled with weird humiliations, often of a sexual nature, and of course includes a peeping scene that doesn’t meet modern standards of consent.

    But to call back A Christmas Story, Bob Clark didn’t give a fuuuuuuuuuuudge.

    Trading Places (1983)

    Paramount – Credit: C/O

    At one point, Dan Aykroyd disguises himself as a Jamaican. That isn’t great. And some people have objected to the scene where a gorilla takes a bad guy as his mate. Maybe that isn’t so funny in retrospect.

    But other elements ofTrading Places are incredibly good, including the film’s very smart take on nature vs. nurture, and its smart observations about all the assumptions our society makes about who deserves to be rich.

    We love it’s then-modern update on the screwball comedies of the 1930s, and Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Lee Curtis are all extremely good. It’s one of our favorite ’80s comedies.

    Better Off Dead (1985)

    Warner Bros.

    John Cusack plays Lane Meyer, a teenager who attempts, repeatedly, to remove himself from this earth after he’s dumped by his girlfriend, Beth Truss (Amanda Wyss) for cocky blonde guy Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier).

    The whole plot would never fly today, nor the slapstick jokes around a teenage boy trying to end himself. But the entire movie is such masterful absurdist comedy that no thinking person could possibly take it seriously.

    Also, like many of the movies of the time, it features some dicey Asian characters, but at least they’re good at racing and have girlfriends. We’d say they’re much cooler, at least by high school standards, than poor Lane is.

    Finally, Diane Franklin (above, with Cusack) is excellent as Monique, a notably smart, capable and cool dream girl. So there’s that. This is maybe the most ’80s of all ’80s comedies.

    The Man With Two Brains (1983)

    Warner Bros.

    The whole setup of this dark screwball comedy will feel a tad misogynistic to some: Steve Martin plays a mad neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, who falls in love with femme fatale Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner), then builds up resentment as she declines to consummate their marriage.

    Meanwhile, he falls in love with a disembodied brain, Anne (voiced by Sissy Spacek) and begins searching for a body in which to house her. Along the way, he roots for one attractive woman to die, and ponders killing another. It all crescendoes in a joke at the expense of compulsive eaters.

    It’s not in the same league as The Jerk, a previous collaboration between Steve Martin and director Carl Reiner, but it has some very funny scenes.

    Heathers (1988)

    New World Pictures

    Heathers is the most pitch black of ’80s comedies, and embodies fatalistic Gen X cool. It was written by Daniel Waters as a kind of counter-point to the generally sunnier John Hughes comedies of the day.

    The film stars Christian Slater as a charismatic teen lunatic who enlists popular girl Veronica in his plot to start offing popular kids, and staging things to make it look like they did themselves in — enlisting nefarious props like mineral water to makethe crime scenes more convincing.

    Remember, this was the ’80s, when the idea of deadly suburban high-school kids seemed hilariously absurd. A recent attempt to revive Heathers as a TV series was delayed and derailed by multiple incidents of real-life school violence that may the idea seem very unfunny to modern viewers.

    Coming to America (1988)

    Paramount

    There’s something to offend everyone in the brilliant comic grotesquerie of Coming to America, a movie that goes after almost every demographic but respects all variety of hustles. Eddie Murphy takes the Richard Pryor trick of playing several characters in the same scene and, with the help of make-up, perfects it.

    Coming to America has countless jokes that young, modern audiences may find shocking, but hey: They were also shocking when the movie came out. Eddie Murphy and his collaborators just didn’t care. They wanted hard laughs, and they got them.

    Airplane (1980)

    Paramount – Credit: C/O

    Airplane is loaded with questionable jokes, including June Cleaver herself speaking jive. It’s deeply inappropriate — and also one of the funniest things that has ever happened in a movie.

    Kudos to David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker — synonymous with ’80s comedies — for coming up with the idea of Barbara Billingsley delivering the line, “Oh stewardess? I speak jive.” And also for the 7,000 other great jokes in Airplane, one of the all-time greatest comedies that don’t care if you’re offended.

    The ZAZ team also came up with two more of the all-time great comedies on this list.

    More on Airplane (and the Next Two Movies on This List)

    Paramount – Credit: C/O

    “When we do screenings of Airplane! we get the question if we could do Airplane! today,” David Zucker, one-third of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker trio, recently said in an interview with PragerU. “The first thing I could think of was, ‘Sure, just without the jokes.’”

    He also complained that modern Hollywood is “destroying comedy because of nine percent of the people who don’t have a sense of humor.”

    Top Secret (1984)

    Paramount – Credit: Paramount

    This film, the second Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker classic on our list, features muscle-bound, gun-totin’ Black French character named Chocolate Mousse. At one point a bad guy is mounted by a bull. An extreme facial disfigurement gets one of the movie’s biggest laughs.

    Top Secret is also, for our money, maybe the funniest movie ever made: It’s an absurdist caper that crosses a Cold War spy thriller with an Elvis movie, with perfectly orchestrated sight gags that get better with ever watch. The backward bookshop scene? Mesmerizing.

    Top Secret also includes one of the all-time best jokes of ’80s comedies: “My uncle was born in America. But he was one of the lucky ones. He managed to escape in a balloon during the Jimmy Carter presidency.” That’s a great setup and payoff, whatever your politics.

    The Naked Gun (1988)

    Paramount – Credit: Paramount

    The final Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker film on our list, The Naked Gun features a dizzying, hilarious array of risque jokes, all of which are terrific. The building statues sequence is a standout.

    It’s also the only film on this list to co-star a man once accused of double homicide — a rarity among ’80s comedies.

    No one is apologizing.

    Sixteen Candles (1984)

    Credit: Universal Pictures

    John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles has gotten a lot of criticism, in retrospect, for the stereotypical Long Duk Dong character (played by Gedde Watanabe) and a scene that makes Anthony Michael Hall’s character seem predatory, in retrospect.

    Watanabe told NPR in 2008 that he was a “a bit naive” about taking on the role of Long Duk, though he still has affection for him.

    As for the other thing: Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), who is presented as the dream guy of our heroine, Samantha (Molly Ringwald), passes off his unconscious girlfriend, Caroline (Haviland Morris), to another guy, Ted (Anthony Michael Hall, with Morris, above). Jake tells Ted, “Have fun.”

    The next day, Caroline and the Ted conclude that they had sex. He asks if she enjoyed herself, and she says, “You know, I have this weird feeling I did,” which is the movie’s way of justifying the guys’ behavior.

    Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

    Universal – Credit: Universal Pictures

    Fast Times is the one of those ’80s comedies that is may be more offensive to religious conservatives than people on the left, because it takes the side of a high school student, Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh, above right, with Phoebe Cates), who has an abortion after a smooth talker gets her pregnant and then turns out to be a worthless deadbeat.

    Like Porky’s, this was one of those movies that kids in school yards spoke of in whispers — as one of those ’80s comedies that parents definitely didn’t want them to see.

    It may have just been because of the famous Phoebe Cates pool fantasy sequence, but we don’t think so. The movie’s presentation of teen realities was a much bigger threat to the Moral Majority, the religious fundamentalists who thrived through the 1980s.

    Liked Our List of Shameless ’80s Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended?

    Spaceballs Zuniga Vespa
    20th Century Fox – Credit: C/O

    You might also like these two ’80s lists: The Best Cocky Blond Guys in ’80s Movies, and the Best Cute Brunette Friends in ’80s Movies.

    You might also like this list of 12 Rad ’80s Movies Only Cool Kids Remember, featuring quite a few ’80s comedies.

    Main image: Fast Times at Ridgemont High.



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  • 12 Animal House Stories That We Bet You Haven’t Heard

    12 Animal House Stories That We Bet You Haven’t Heard


    Here are 12 Animal House behind the scenes stories, including one about an actress, pictured above, who wasn’t in the movie.

    But First

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    There are many who consider 1978’s Animal House one of the best, perhaps even the best, comedy movie. It’s iconic, though those posters of John Belushi’s Bluto in his “COLLEGE” sweatshirt were too ubiquitous, and hopefully college students are a little more creative with their décor these days.

    The popularity of Animal House changed comedy, and changed film. It inspired many movies, including some outright imitators. Slobs-versus-snobs comedy, college comedies, raunchy, gross-out comedy, it was all taken to a new level of popularity starting with Animal House.

    The movie also helped bolster, or start, several notable careers. That’s why Animal House is worth delving into even further. So here are the Animal House behind the scenes stories.

    Three Character Names Were Taken from a Previous National Lampoon Project

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Animal House is technically titled National Lampoon’s Animal House, as it was the first film produced by National Lampoon, the famed humor magazine. In addition to the magazine, the folks at National Lampoon would do one-off projects.

    In 1973, they produced the book National Lampoon 1964 High School Yearbook Parody, a full fake yearbook for the fictional C. Estes Kefauver High School in the fake Dacron, Ohio.

    Needless, to say, a ton of detail went into the 176-page fake yearbook. Time Magazine called it “the best comedy writing in the country” at the time. Doug Kenney, one of the writers on Animal House and the first editor-in-chief of National Lampoon, was able to mine some content from the fictional yearbook he helped produce.

    Larry Kroger, aka Pinto, and Mandy Pepperidge, are both characters in the 1964 High School Yearbook Parody. The name Vernon Wormer is also used, but in the yearbook he’s a gym and civics teacher.

    Chris Miller, Not Kenney, Brought Personal Fraternity Experience to the Script

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Kenney may have had an anarchic, no-holds-barred comedic style, but he was no Bluto. While at Harvard, he had been a member of the hoity-toity, elitist Spee Club. John Christian Miller, aka Chris Miller as per his credit on the Animal House screenplay, may have gone to Dartmouth, another Ivy League school, but Kenney considered him the expert on the fraternity experience among the National Lampoon writers, according to NPR.

    Miller had actually started writing memoirs about his frat experience, a book he titled The Night of the Seven Fires, but he had abandoned it.

    Fortunately, he had kept his manuscript around. Miller ended up turning in a chapter from his memoir because he was facing a deadline, and it earned him a role as one of the credited writers on Animal House. Several of the nicknames of characters in the film are taken directly from Miller’s frat brothers.

    Not Everyone Got the Roles They Wanted

    Columbia – Credit: C/O

    Ivan Reitman would end up with a successful career as a comedy director. He directed Ghostbusters, after all. Reitman was a producer on Animal House, but he also wanted to direct. At the time, though, he had directed one film, a low-budget Canadian cult comedy. That did not suffice for the producers at Universal.

    Ultimately, fresh off the success of the raunchy comedy The Kentucky Fried Movie, John Landis was hired to direct.

    Reitman had gotten The Second City’s Harold Ramis involved in the film, and he is a credited writer. While working on the script, which took nine drafts, Ramis wrote the role of Boon with himself in mind. Landis thought he looked too old for the part (though nobody seemed to give 28-year-old John Belushi much grief) and offered him a smaller role. Annoyed, Ramis declined.

    John Landis Took a Lot of Credit for Shaping Animal House

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    In a conversation with Digital Movie Talk, John Landis called the original script for Animal House “the funniest thing I had ever read” but also “really offensive.” He said there had to be “good guys” and “bad guys” in the movie, so he created the idea of the villainous fraternity, compared to the “good guys” of Animal House.

    The director also helped shape the cast. Originally, Animal House would have effectively been a Saturday Night Live movie. In addition to Belushi, who ended up in the film, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd were all originally thought of as being part of the cast as well.

    Landis, though, wanted unknowns with dramatic backgrounds. That helped pave the way for Kevin Bacon and Karen Allen to make their film debuts. With his brash personality, Landis unsurprisingly rubbed some of the other creatives on the movie the wrong way. Harold Ramis has said that Landis always called Animal House “my movie,” which frustrated the writers who had spent years on the screenplay.

    Donald Sutherland, the Biggest Name in the Movie, Missed Out on a Big Payday

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Animal House was a cast with unknowns by and large, aside from TV star John Belushi. Oh, and Donald Sutherland, one of the biggest stars of the 1970s and a big get for the film.

    Landis has told Variety that getting Sutherland to agree to take on a small role effectively got the movie made. So how did that happen?

    Landis dropped out of high school, but lived in Los Angeles so he dove into the film business with both feet. As a young man, he got a job on the crew of Kelly’s Heroes, which involved going to then-Yugoslavia for filming.

    While there, he would sometimes do Donald a solid by babysitting his son, none other than Kiefer Sutherland. The two became friends, and Landis got Sutherland to appear in both Kentucky Fried Movie and Animal House.

    Notably, Universal offered Sutherland $25,000 a day for two days of work or two percent of the film’s gross. Presuming the movie wouldn’t be a big hit (and he wasn’t the only one), Sutherland took the guaranteed cash. That decision, in the end, would cost him roughly $14 million.

    An Academic Got a Chance to Avoid Making the Same Mistake Twice

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Animal House had a script. It had a director. It had a cast. All it needed was a location to serve as Faber College…and that proved to be a problem. Since the movie was a period piece, set in 1962, the film needed a campus that had a timeless look. Every campus with that look would read the script and quickly decline to allow shooting.

    The film almost got to shoot at the University of Missouri, but then the school’s president read the screenplay, and that was that.

    Landis and company finally made it to the University of Oregon. The school’s president, William Beaty Boyd, also had concerns, but he also had a working memory of a similar experience. While an administrator at Cal, the school was approached to shoot The Graduate there. Cal declined because the movie “lacked artistic merit” and The Graduate was shot at USC. It then became a huge hit.

    Boyd didn’t want that to happen again. He ran it by university officials who agreed that, while raunchy, the film was a funny take on college life. All Boyd and company asked in return was that Oregon never be mentioned in the movie.

    Life Imitated Art at Times

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    The actors playing the members of Delta House were put up in a hotel in Springfield, Oregon together to bond. Bond they did, though Belushi and his wife Judy stayed at a house in Eugene (home of the university) to help Belushi stay clean during filming. Fun times were had in the hotel, but a trip to the campus did not work out as well.

    Some female students from Oregon invited the cast to a frat party. The actors went, but quickly found out that the frat had not invited them, and they were very much not welcome.

    A Small Budget Led to an All-Hands-on-Deck Approach

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Landis got a budget of $3 million to make Animal House, a slim sum even for a comedy in 1978. Corners had to be cut everywhere. During the 32-day shoot in Eugene, Landis did not have a trailer or an office, and it was three weeks before he could watch any of the dailies he shot.

    Landis’ wife Deborah Nadoolman, a costume designer, was around to help as well. She didn’t do too much “designing” on Animal House, though. Instead, she bought most of the costumes from local thrift stores in Oregon.

    On top of that, she and Judy Belushi joined forces to make the togas for the famed toga party scene as well.

    Two Notable Scenes Were Done in a Single Shot

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Comedy, especially physical comedy, often plays quite well if you can get it to play with as few cuts as possible. If you can do it in one shot, even better.

    Flounder was not the slickest of characters in Animal House, but Stephen Furst was an actor, not a real guy. During the scene in the grocery store where Flounder is tasked with catching assorted items being thrown his way, Landis and Tim Matheson were just off screen tossing the items at him.

    Landis did not necessarily expect Furst to nail it, but he managed to catch every item and crush the whole thing in a single take, much to the director’s amusement, and amazement.

    Then, there’s perhaps the most-famous scene in the film, the food fight. Other than Bluto’s clarion call, the actual fight was shot all in one take. Landis told the actors to have an actual food fight and to play for keeps. If you watch the scene, you can tell they listened to his advice.

    It Was Successful Pretty Much Right Away

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Sometimes, a famed movie doesn’t hit immediately. When you are born, it’s been established as a classic, so you only know that reality. Or, perhaps, you just don’t remember when it actually came out, which isn’t surprising if a movie isn’t a hit.

    But Animal House was not some slow-burning cult classic. No, it was a huge hit.

    It helps that Landis and some of the cast went on a national tour to promote the movie. It also helps that Universal organized toga parties to promote the movie on college campuses around the United States.

    While the movie was not a hit internationally, in its first run it made more than $120. million domestically. It was so successful it got a re-release in 1979. Until 1984’s Ghostbusters it was the highest-grossing comedy movie.

    No One Could Crack a Sequel

    Universal – Credit: C/O

    Pretty much right away, the writers had an idea for a sequel set in 1967. The whole thing would be a take on the hippie scene in San Francisco.

    Miller and Lampoon writer John Weidman took a crack at putting together a treatment, but Universal turned it down, reportedly because the hippie-tinged More American Graffiti had tanked in 1979.

    In 1982, National Lampoon producer Matty Simmons co-wrote a screenplay set five years after the first movie, and a full screenplay was produced. It didn’t go anywhere, though.

    There Was a TV Show, Though

    ABC – Credit: C/O

    Delta House had a pilot, written by the writers of the film. Not only that, but John Hughes was a writer on the show. They got the actors who played Dean Wormer, Flounder, Hoover, and D-Day to reprise their roles as well. If that wasn’t enough, a promising young actor named Michelle Pfeiffer had a regular role as, um, The Bombshell. That’s all she is known as.

    Of course, Delta House couldn’t get Belushi, so Bluto was replaced by his heretofore unmentioned brother Blotto, played by Josh Mostel. On top of that, an ABC sitcom could not traffic in the same style of raunchy humor that made the movie stand out.

    Delta House only aired 13 episodes before ending.

    Liked These Animal House Behind the Scenes Stories?

    Comedies That Don't Care If You're Offended
    Credit: United Film Distribution Company

    You might also like these stories of Kentucky Fried Movie, the film that led to both Animal House and Airplane.

    Main image: A promotional image of Michelle Pfeiffer in Delta House. ABC.



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  • The Top 10 Movies of 1977, a Year That Changed Film Forever

    The Top 10 Movies of 1977, a Year That Changed Film Forever


    Here are the top 10 movies of 1977, ranked by domestic box office. The film at No. 1 permanently changed the kinds of movies that get made in Hollywood.

    10 — Semi-Tough

    United Artists – Credit: C/O

    Burt Reynolds was such a huge star in 1977 that he starred in two of the films on this list. Semi-Tough is a sports comedy that features a love triangle between the very 1970s cast of Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson and Jill Clayburgh.

    The United Artists release, which came out November 11, earned over $37 million, making it No. 10 on this list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    9 — Annie Hall

    United Artists – Credit: C/O

    Widely considered Woody Allen’s masterpiece, this romantic comedy starring Allen and Diane Keaton, as the title character, was not only a commercial but critical smash: It won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actress (for Keaton) and Best Director (for Allen) — as well as Best Screenplay for Allen and Marshall Brickman.

    The film, released by United Artists, debuted April and earned $38.2 million. It’s No. 9 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    8 — Oh, God!

    Warner Bros – Credit: C/O

    George Burns (right), who was 81 at the time of the film’s release, plays God, who visits normal-guy grocery store assistant manager Jerry (John Denver, left).

    When Jerry agrees to spread God’s message, his wife Bobbie (Teri Garr) isn’t sure it’s the best idea.

    The film inspired a trilogy that includes one of the film’s on this list. Released by Warner Bros. on October 7, it earned $41.7 million. It is, you guessed it, No. 8 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    7 — The Spy Who Loved Me

    United Artists – Credit: C/O

    The third James Bond film to star Roger Moore (left) — who is No. 4 on our list of James Bond Actors, Ranked — pairs him with Soviet agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach, right) as they try to stop a plot to end civilization in favor of a new undersea world.

    They’re bedeviled by Jaws — not the shark from the top-grossing film of 1975, but the henchman played by Richard Kiel.

    Released by United Artists on July 13, The Spy Who Loved Me moonraked in $46.8 million. It ranks No. 007 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    6 — The Deep

    Columbia Pictures – Credit: C/O

    This thriller stars Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte as amateur treasure-hunting divers who come across the cargo of a World War II shipwreck, which puts them at odds with local criminals. It was co-written by Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel Jaws and co-wrote the film.

    Released by Columbia Pictures on June 17, it earned $47.3 million. Its No. 6 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    And Bisset is on our list of Stars of the 1970s Who Are Still Going Strong.

    5 — A Bridge Too Far

    United Artists – Credit: C/O

    Richard Attenborough’s World War II drama stars a plethora of great actors, including Sean Connery, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, and the recently departed Ryan O’Neal. It’s also co-written by the great William Goldman (All the President’s Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride.)

    Released by United Artists on June 15, it collected $50.8 million. It comes in at No. 5 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    4 — Saturday Night Fever

    Paramount Pictures – Credit: C/O

    With a soundtrack that defined the late ’70s, this John Travolta disco drama follows Tony Manero (Travolta) as he splashes paint and dances up a storm in Brooklyn. It’s based on the New York article “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night” which author Nik Cohn later admitted he mostly made up.

    Audiences didn’t notice, or didn’t care. The Paramount Pictures release, which came out December 16, hustled up $94.2 million. It is, of course, No. 4 on the list of the top 10 movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    It also earned a place on

    3 — Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    Columbia Pictures – Credit: C/O

    Stephen Spielberg’s followup to his hit Jaws, which reunited him with Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss, wasn’t as big a hit as the shark epic — but few movies are.

    Close Encounters — the second movie on this list to feature Teri Garr (who would reunite with Dreyfuss for 1989’s Let It Ride ) — earned $116.4 million after its November 16 release by Columbia Pictures. It’s No. 3 on the list of the top 10 movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

    2 — Smokey and the Bandit

    Universal Pictures – Credit: C/O

    This Burt Reynolds-Sally Field action comedy — about a Trans-Am on a mission to distract from a truck full of beer — was the No. 2 film domestically with a total haul of $127 million. This is one time the Bandit ended up in second place.

    By the way, all of these domestic box office totals are from Box Office Mojo, a fun site we highly recommend exploring.

    Interestingly, Smokey and the Bandit debuted on May 27 — just two days after the No. 1 movie on our list.

    1 — Star Wars

    20th Century Fox – Credit: C/O

    The 20th Century Fox film, which eventually became known as Star Wars: Episode IV — a New Hope, was the top film of 1977 with a domestic gross of $307 million. (Adjusted for inflation, that’s $1.3 billion.)

    George Lucas’ story of Luke Skywalker’s quest to rescue Princess Leia from the Death Star — and her quest to lead the Rebellion to use some secret plans to blow up said Death Star — launched the second-most successful franchise in film history. Star Wars films have made more than $5 billion, trailing only the $11.8 billion for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The incredible box office receipts of A New Hope (we still just call it Star Wars) helped open studios’ eyes to new ways of making money — not just through films, but endless merchandising in the form of action figures, remote-controlled R2D2s, and lightsabers.

    It changed the kinds of movies that got greenlit, and signaled that ’70s audiences — who had grown accustomed to downbeat endings — were ready for optimism. Movies would never be the same.

    Liked This List of the Top 10 Movies of 1977, Ranked by Domestic Box Office?

    Dr. No Behind the Scenes First James Bond 007 Movie
    United Film Distribution Company – Credit: C/O

    You might also like this list of All 11 Star Wars Movies, Ranked Worst to Best or this list of 12 Rad ’80s Movies Only Cool Kids Remember.

    Main image: A publicity still of Jacqueline Bisset in The Deep. Columbia.

    Editor’s Note: Corrects main image.



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  • 13 Shameless Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended

    13 Shameless Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended


    These shameless comedies don’t care if you’re offended — they only care about making you laugh.

    Not Another Teen Movie (2000)

    Credit: C/O

    A brutal but affectionate takedown of teen movies from Lucas to She’s All That to Fast Times at Ridgemont High to The Breakfast Club, Not Another Teen Movie is a blitzkrieg of offense filled with sex, bathroom jokes, insane violence and surprisingly acute social commentary.

    Where else can you see Chris Evans misusing a banana, white kids who pretend to be Asian, and football players split in half?

    Not Another Teen Movie could cut every offensive joke and still be very funny, but it gets extra points for the sheer audacity of keeping them in.

    White Chicks (2004)

    Credit: Columbia

    Marlon and Shawn Wayans play Black FBI agents who impersonate rich white socialites to infiltrate a pompous Hamptons social scene — and break up a conspiracy. Along the way they learn how white people act when they think no one of other races are around, but also start to see the world from a woman’s perspective.

    If you’re not offended by something in White Chicks, you aren’t paying attention. The Wayans take down privileged white people, but also everyone else, and make points about our weird racial and sexual hangups along the way. White Chicks always keeps you guessing about how far it will go, and it goes pretty far.

    Airplane (1980)

    Credit: C/O

    June Cleaver speaking jive is deeply inappropriate — and one of the funniest things that has ever happened in a movie.

    God bless Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker for coming up with the idea of Barbara Billingsley delivering the line, “Oh stewardess? I speak jive.” And also for the 7,000 other great jokes in Airplane, one of the all-time greatest comedies.

    You can question its taste if you want to, but you’d be better off just going with the laughs. There are a lot of them.

    Team America: World Police (2004)

    Credit: Paramount

    It’s impossible to take any self-righteous actor seriously after watching this puppet-movie spy thriller that despises Kim Jong-Il, but hates Sean Penn even more.

    Puppet love scenes, projectile vomiting that goes on much too long, unapologetic jingoism — Team America, from the creators of South Park, is a mockery of gung-ho nationalism, but also a compelling defense of American foreign policy at its best.

    There’s also a fantastic metaphor involving three different body parts that we think about way more than we should.

    Borat (2006)

    Credit: 20th Century Fox

    Sacha Baron Cohen impersonates a sexist, anti-Semitic, generally clueless Kazakh journalist who makes Americans feel free to say things they wouldn’t ordinarily say. He’s gloriously ignorant, but his guilelessness brings out the worst in people who should know better. (And also, very occasionally, the best.)

    Borat’s behavior is wildly offensive, but he’s so demented that you can’t help but feel sorry for him, and Baron Cohen and his team manage to strike a perfect mix of revulsion and vulnerability. What’s most impressive is how much of it Baron Cohen had to improvise on the fly, in tense and often dangerous positions.

    The 2020 sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, is also terrific.

    The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

    Comedies That Don't Care If You're Offended
    Credit: C/O

    With wall-to-wall gratuitous flesh and racial humor, The Kentucky Fried Movie is the modern-day definition of problematic, but it’s also a perfect time capsule of the freewheeling 1970s: It spots and skewers genres from kung-fu to Blaxploitation to women-in-prison movies in quick-hit, take-it-or-leave it sketches that are perfect sendups of a whole slew of grindhouse classics.

    It’s also an important movie, believe it or not — it was the breakthrough for its director, John Landis, and for its writers, the comedic team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, who would soon go on to make Airplane.

    Kentucky Fried Movie is one of those comedies that Gen X kids spoke of in whispers because so many of their parents banned them from seeing it. It has a well-earned reputation for what we used to call a dirty movie. It really is, in a way that still feels subversive, wrong, and thrilling.

    Also Read: The 12 Best Movie Plot Twists, Ranked

    Coming to America (1988)

    Credit: Paramount

    Are you Black, white, Jewish, Christian, African, American, young or old?

    There’s something to offend you in the cartoonish grotesquerie of Coming to America, in which Eddie Murphy plays people fitting into almost all of the demographics we just listed, mercilessly mocking them all.

    Coming to America takes shots at royalty, the nouveau riche, and the scrappy underclass, but is most focused on gender dynamics. It’s such a sharp judge of human behavior that the only appropriate reaction is awe.

    Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

    Credit: C/O

    Monty Python takes on the ultimate sacred cow: the story of Jesus. It looks as magnificent as Hollywood’s biggest Biblical epics, which makes its takedown of pomposity all the more subversive and hysterical.

    A great many great bits and routines darkly culminate in the deranged cheeriness of the final musical number, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

    It’s all quite sacrilegious, and that’s the whole point.

    Tropic Thunder (2008)

    Credit: Paramount

    Tropic Thunder always walks a thin line, but especially with Ben Stiller’s Simple Jack character and Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Kirk Lazarus, an Australian actor who really, really commits to playing a Black character.

    The film mocks actors desperate for awards, and it’s uncomfortable — but also funny. Stiller has admirably stuck to his guns, standing by his movie.

    “I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder,” Stiller tweeted last year when someone erroneously said he had apologized for the film. “Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it.”

    The Jerk (1979)

    Credit: Universal Pictures

    “I was born a poor Black child,” Steve Martin’s Navin Johnson explains at the start of this absurdist masterpiece, and it all builds up into a righteous kung-fu takedown at his hideously tacky mansion that features maybe the only time in history it’s been totally OK for a white guy to scream the most offensive of all racial slurs.

    No one else could have pulled of the balancing act except for Steve Martin, whose special purpose is to make us all laugh.

    We won’t pretend to be objective here: This is maybe our favorite movie out of all comedies, ever.

    South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)

    Credit: Comedy Central

    South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut seeks out sympathy for the devil: We’re supposed to root for Satan himself as he tries to escape an abusive relationship with Saddam Hussein.

    There’s also lots of violence against kids and flagrant anti-Canadian propaganda.

    But of course, Canadians were too nice to get offended.

    Blazing Saddles (1974)

    Credit: Warner Bros.

    Blazing Saddles is filled with gags big and small, some of which will work for you and some of which won’t. It has quite a few race-based jokes, but the film is very much on the side of Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little), a Black sheriff trying to bring progress to the Wild West.

    The American Film Institute ranks Blazing Saddles as the sixth-funniest movie of all time, but director and co-writer Mel Brooks disagrees: “I love Some Like It Hot, but we have the funniest movie ever made,” Brooks told Vanity Fair in 2016, not caring if you’re offended.

    The five films that landed ahead of Blazing Saddles on AFI’s list were, from first to fifth, Some Like It Hot, Tootsie, Dr. Strangelove, Annie Hall, and Duck Soup.

    Bottoms (2023)

    Ayo Edebiri stars as Josie and Rachel Sennott as PJ in Bottoms, an Orion Pictures Release. – Credit: C/O

    We’re happily including Bottoms for everyone who thinks today’s comedies are afraid to be funny. In fact, it’s on our spinoff list from this one — 15 Shameless New Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended.

    Bottoms is about “teen girls who start a fight club so they can try to impress and hook up with cheerleaders,” explains writer-director Emma Seligman. It breaks a lot of rules about what kind of violence it’s considered decent to present onscreen — the girls really do fight, and don’t always win — and resists recent play-it-safe rules that dictate that LGBTQ+ characters have to be saintly or victimized or both.

    “I think every human deserves to see a relatable, complicated, nuanced version of themselves on screen. And I don’t think that I’ve seen it enough for me to feel recognized,” says Seligman.

    Liked Our List of Shameless Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended?

    Inspiring Movies Glory uplifting movies
    Glory, Tri-Star Pictures.

    You might also like this list of “Based on a True Story” Movies That Are Actually Pretty True or this list of 12 Rad ’80s Movies Only Cool Kids Remember.

    Main image: The Kentucky Fried Movie.

    Editor’s Note: Corrects main image.



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  • 13 Pathetic Horror Movie Villains Who Really Aren’t That Scary

    13 Pathetic Horror Movie Villains Who Really Aren’t That Scary


    These horror movie villains don’t pack much of a punch. Honestly, we’re surprised they can even hurt a fly, let alone people. Here are the 13 weakest, most pathetic horror movie villains we can think of. Spoilers follow.

    The Snowman in Jack Frost (1997)

    Weakest, Most Pathetic Horror Movie Villains
    A still from Jack Frost, A-Pix Entertainment – Credit: C/O

    In this 1997 straight-to-video slasher comedy, a serial killer on the way to his execution is exposed to chemicals that cause him to disintegrate and fuse with snow, turning him into a killer snowman.

    Although Jack Frost commits very brutal killings — like shoving an axe down one guy’s throat — his looks make him one of the least scary villains ever. Basically, the only difference between him and the beloved children’s character Frosty the Snowman are his arched eyebrows made of sticks and the fact that he’s missing a top hat.

    Plus, how easy would it be to kill Jack Frost? All you’d need is a hair dryer or something else hot to melt him away. He’s mostly able to pull off his crimes because he has the element of surprise, since people assume he’s a regular snowman and don’t suspect that he’ll kill them while their back is turned.

    The Old Woman in Devil (2010)

    Jenny O’Hara in Devil, Universal Pictures – Credit: C/O

    This 2010 horror movie was based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan. Directed by John Erick Dowdle, it revolves around everyone’s worst nightmare: getting stuck in an elevator. But it has a sickening twist — one of the elevator’s passengers is secretly the devil.

    Spoiler alert! The devil turns out to be the one you’d least expected: an old lady played by Jenny O’Hara.

    However, even though her voice gets super deep and demonic and her eyes turn black, there isn’t much really scary about her appearance. All of her heinous killings are done in the dark. And she’s ultimately foiled because her main target — the guy whose soul she wants to claim — confesses his sins, rendering her powerless. She vanishes, just like that.

    It’s obvious to point out, but something else worth noting here is that it would be super easy to overtake this character, known only as Old Woman. Her only power is the element of surprise and the fact that she’s possessed by the devil himself. Otherwise, she’s pretty toothless, and she’s not very scary looking at all. This is not the type of devil that would give anyone nightmares, making her a rather pathetic horror movie villain.

    Chucky in Child’s Play (1988)

    Chucky in Child’s Play, United Artists – Credit: C/O

    While the idea of a children’s doll possessed by the soul of a serial killer is pretty unsettling, there’s an argument to be made that Chucky himself is not that scary. He’s arguably one of the more pathetic horror movie villains.

    He’s just a doll. And honestly, in the decades since the original Child’s Play was released in 1988, horror movie dolls have gotten a lot scarier (just look at Annabelle from The Conjuring universe). The scariest thing about Chucky is his piercing blue eyes that are frozen in a permanent stare.

    But although it takes multiple gun shots to finally take him down in the original film, it doesn’t seem that hard to subdue a little doll the size of a toddler. Just disarm him by taking his knife away and throw him in an incinerator or something. He doesn’t have any crazy abilities other than bleeding like a real human, which makes him relatively easy to kill.

    In the grand scheme of horror villains, Chucky is pretty gentle.

    Pearl and Howard in X (2022)

    Mia Goth as Pearl in X, A24 – Credit: C/O

    Nevermind that you could knock them both over with a feather — Pearl and Howard are both more creepy than they are actually scary in X, the first installment in Ti West’s trilogy starring Mia Goth.

    Sure, Pearl is deranged. She’s a vengeful old woman hell-bent on killing the porn actors who are renting out she and her husband Howard’s cabin. But she could easily be overpowered by anyone with an ounce of muscle. Same goes for Howard. He’s pretty much just Pearl’s minion anyway. Pearl obviously wears the pants in that relationship.

    Although Pearl is pretty dastardly and we wouldn’t want to encounter her in a dimly lit barn, the odds are good that most people could take her in a fight.

    The Rabbits in Night of the Lepus (1972)

    A still from Night of the Lepus, MGM – Credit: C/O

    They’re literally just rabbits. No special effects to be seen here — the terrifying creatures that taunt a small town and kill people are just actual bunny rabbits.

    This film is infamous for its failure to make these little guys seem scary. To shoot scenes like the one pictured above, they just let some bunnies lose on a miniature set to make them look giant. But even with the perspective, it’s pretty obvious that they’re just regular bunnies.

    For attack scenes, they had actors dress up in bunny costumes, which makes the whole thing even funnier. You can watch one bunny attack scene here — in the shots of the real bunnies, they’re actually really cute, even when their little bunny faces are smeared with blood.

    The Cookie in The GingerDead Man (2005)

    A still from The GingerDead Man, Full Moon Entertainment – Credit: C/O

    This one requires little explanation as to why the GingerDead Man is a pretty pathetic horror movie villain. He’s just a cookie! He would literally crumble in a glass of milk.

    Look at his face in the picture above. Sure, it’s a face only a mother could love. But is it particularly scary? Not really.

    The weakness of this cookie villain is similar to the aforementioned Jack Frost above. It’s hard to believe why the protagonists of the film didn’t figure out a way to kill him faster. This particular cookie is, like Jack Frost, possessed by the spirit of a serial killer — but this time it’s because his ashes were mixed in with blood and cookie ingredients. A witch’s curse allows him to come back to life. But does he really have that much strength or power? We doubt it.

    The scariest thing about him is that the serial killer who the cookie embodies is played by Gary Busey.

    Karen in Honeydew (2020)

    Barbara Kingsley in Honeydew, Dark Star Pictures – Credit: C/O

    We won’t try to argue that the plot of this 2020 horror film is one of the most messed up and psychologically disturbing ones we’ve witnessed in a while. But we will argue that the main villain, an old woman named Karen (Barbra Kingsley), shouldn’t be so hard to conquer.

    With the help of an old man named Eulis, Karen lures a young couple into her home through deception. From there, she tricks them into eating her food and later drugs them in various ways, including with gas masks. From there, she lobotomizes her victims and eats their flesh, cannibal style… yeah.

    But Karen herself is arguably physically weak and could be overcome if everyone teamed up on her.

    The problem is that Karen does her work while her victims are knocked out, which is ultimately how she overcomes otherwise healthy adversaries like the protagonists Sam and Rylie. But if they had taken her out when they had a chance, before she drugged them, they could have easily gotten away. Fun fact, this movie also features Lena Dunham!

    Brahms in The Boy (2016)

    Brahms in The Boy, STX Entertainment – Credit: C/O

    In 2016’s The Boy, the villain is a porcelain doll named Brahms. His creepy parents are convinced that the doll is actually their late son. At first, he seems inanimate, but then it’s revealed that he’s actually alive, possessed by the spirit of their murderous little boy.

    But honestly, Brahms isn’t that scary. He somehow has the ability to overpower a grown man, but then when he tries to overpower his nanny, Greta (Lauren Cohan), she uses his own trick against him — invoking the rules by which he lives.

    So if Brahms can be subdued that easily, couldn’t Greta just smash him with a hammer or something? He’s just a little doll, much like Chucky. He doesn’t seem like he would realistically be that hard to kill.

    The Goblins in Troll 2 (1990)

    A still from Troll 2, Epic Productions – Credit: C/O

    In this hilariously bad movie, Troll 2, the villains are a pack of vegetarian goblins who turn people into vegetables so they can eat them.

    That premise is already pretty goofy. Why not have the goblins be carnivores? That would be scarier. Nope — these goblins eat vegetables only, please. But instead of eating veggies and calling it a day, they decide to trick people into drinking a potion that dissolves them into vegetables.

    Although they look pretty unsavory, their masks are so misshapen that they look like something you’d find for your hard in Spirit Halloween. They’re also tiny. And, again, they survive on vegetables. How hard could it be to kill them? Case in point (and spoiler ahead): simply eating a bologna sandwich renders a person’s body poisonous to the goblins. The fact that the goblins win out in the end is honestly so disappointing.

    The Clowns in Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)

    A still from Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Trans World Entertainment – Credit: C/O

    The clowns from this 1988 B-movie cult-classic are more funny looking than they are scary.

    True, one punch from an extraterrestrial clown’s boxing glove can knock a man’s head clean off. But still, these strange little alien men look more like demented fun house animatronics than horror villains.

    We must admire the artistry that went into the practical effects — the details of their lifelike, weird little clown faces are something to be admired. But these aren’t the kind of horror movie characters that inspire nightmares, unless you’re six years old. But to be fair, horror movie characters have gotten a LOT more sinister and disturbing since 1988, so maybe in their day, these clowns were a bit scarier in context.

    The Leprechaun in Leprechaun (1993)

    A still from Leprechaun, Trimark Pictures – Credit: C/O

    Jennifer Aniston looks plenty scared in the 1993 horror film about an evil leprechaun who hunts down a family he believes has stolen his pot of gold. But in reality, this little Irish man has very few scares in him.

    We’d argue that the titular leprechaun is actually a pretty pathetic horror movie villain. Again, we admire the artistry of the practical effects — it’s actually a real actor in this little leprechaun suit, played by Warwick Davis. But he doesn’t really send shivers down our spine. Also, his Irish accent is not very Irish sounding.

    If you want a real scare, listen to some stories about the culturally-authentic supernatural folk of Ireland — the fairies. Leprechauns are mostly an American concept. In Ireland, the superstition around faeries, also called “the good people,” is no joke.

    The Bunnyman in Bunnyman (2011)

    Bunnyman still, Osiris Entertainment – Credit: C/O

    This 2011 horror film is based on Virginia’s urban legend of the Bunny Man — a man in a bunny suit who threatens people with an axe. In the movie, the Bunnyman in question wields a chainsaw instead.

    But really, he’s just a guy in a bunny suit. And the suit itself isn’t scary at all. It’s just a regular bunny costume not unlike one you might find at the mall when little kids take pictures with the Easter bunny.

    We’d actually argue that the bunny suit in Donnie Darko is much scarier in appearance. However, this Bunnyman eats people’s flesh after murdering and dismembering them, so that is pretty scary. He just doesn’t look like much.

    Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son (1993)

    Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son, 20th Century Studios – Credit: C/O

    In this 1993 horror movie, Macaulay Culkin plays a sort of real-life version of Brahms from The Boy. He’s a nasty little boy who likes to hurt people on purpose.

    But he doesn’t have any supernatural abilities. He’s just a sociopathic, or perhaps psychopathic, little kid. He could easily be stopped if someone put him in a time-out — they just might have to keep an eye on him, because he’s really good at outsmarting adults who underestimate him.

    Overall, he’s got to be one of the all-time least intimidating horror movie characters. He’s basically just a little guy who really needs therapy.

    Like This List of 13 Pathetic Horror Movie Villains Who Really Aren’t That Scary?

    Michael Imperioli
    Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos, HBO – Credit: C/O

    You might also like this list of 7 Horror Remakes No One Really Needed — which featured unexpected movie deaths galore — or this list of 12 TV Characters Who Deserved to Die.



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  • 13 Movies About the World’s Oldest Profession That Don’t Sugarcoat Anything

    13 Movies About the World’s Oldest Profession That Don’t Sugarcoat Anything


    Pretty Woman is among the many movies about the world’s oldest profession that make it seem kind of glamorous. These movies don’t.

    Klute (1971)

    Warner Bros.

    The first film in Alan J. Pakula’s Paranoia Trilogy — which also includes The Parallex View and All the President’s Men — this dark thriller stars Jane Fonda as Bree Daniels, who believes she’s being stalked by a deadly john. She works with a detective played by Donald Sutherland who of course thinks he can save her, in every sense.

    Fonda (above) won her first Best Actress Oscar for playing Daniels, a complex character who initially seems to enjoy her job — except for the part of being stalked, of course.

    Midnight Cowboy (1969)

    Credit: C/O

    The first and only film with an X rating ever to win Best Picture, Midnight Cowboy tells the seedy story of Joe Buck, a Texas boy who moves to the big city and dresses up as a cowboy to sell his wares. He falls under the shaky wing of Rico “Ratso” Rizzo, played by Dustin Hoffman, who gets to deliver the often-imitated line “I’m walkin’ here!”

    Directed by John Schlesinger and written by Waldo Salt, the film is notable for its empathetic portrayal — especially by 1960s standards — of low-level street hustlers, and its willingness to just spend time with its characters without judgement or false moralizing.

    There’s a long story behind the film’s rating, which was later changed to an R.

    Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

    Credit: C/O

    At first, it seems like Mike Figgis’ drama is going to go along with the heart-of-gold trope as Elisabeth Shue’s Las Vegas sex worker, Sera (above), tries to save Hollywood washout Ben (Nicolas Cage) from his plan to drink himself to death. But then things get darker and darker, especially in a horrific scene in which Sera takes on multiple awful young clients.

    Leaving Las Vegas is a sad, sad movie, but Shue imbues Sera with dignity and supreme likability throughout, even as her plans collapse — and she still holds onto her dreams.

    Cage won a Best Actor Oscar, and Shue was nominated for Best Actress but lost to Susan Sarandon for her role in Dead Man Walking. Sarandon is great but Shue absolutely deserved to win for a harrowing, tough performance in one of the most bluntly sad movies about the oldest profession.

    Monster (2003)

    Credit: C/O

    Charlize Theron played hard against type as she de-glammed for this searing, uncompromising Patty Jenkins film inspired by the story of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

    Suggesting that Wuornos first descended into murder out of desperation, mental illness and self-defense, Monster makes you kind of sympathize with a serial killer — until you definitely don’t. Wuornos’ claims of self defense soon turn into empty justifications.

    Theron deservedly won a Best Actress Oscar for the role.

    Taxi Driver (1976)

    Credit: C/O

    The young Jodie Foster is heartbreaking as a child so caught up in street life that she doesn’t comprehend how horribly she’s being exploited by the smooth-talking Sport (Harvey Keitel) in this masterful collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader.

    With Mean Streets, Taxi Driver is one of the best and most-imitated time capsules of 1970s New York City grime, and it’s a testament to the film’s narrative virtuosity that by the end we’re rooting hard for obvious psychopath Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) to do what needs to be done.

    De Niro and Foster were both nominated for Oscars in this, one of the most enduring and harrowing movies about sex trafficking.

    My Own Private Idaho (1991)

    Credit: C/O

    A highlight of 1990s indie filmmaking, this Gus Van Sant drama follows narcoleptic hustler Mike (River Phoenix in one of the best roles of his too-short life) in a journey from Portland to Idaho to Rome with fellow hustler Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves).

    The film is a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, and Reeves believed in Van Sant’s script so much that he rode over 1,300 miles by motorcycle to convince Phoenix to make the movie with him. Its one of the most even-handed movies about sex work to focus on men.

    Requiem for a Dream (2000)

    Credit: C/O

    If you want to convince people not to do heroin, show them Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky’s brilliant but painful adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s novel about people who turn to drugs to escape reality — and end up in a much worse place than they started.

    Things turn out especially horribly for Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly, above), whose despair culminates in a party scene you’ll wish you could forget.

    Sin City (2005)

    Credit: C/O

    This early mostly black-and-white masterpiece, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller based on Miller’s graphic novels, does nothing to minimize the struggles of the hardworking women of Old Town.

    But it also stresses that pretty much all of them — including the very blue-eyed Becky (Alexis Bledel, above) — can very much hold their own.

    When one would-be john Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro) pulls a gun on Becky, she intones: “Oh sugar. You just gone and done the dumbest thing in your whole life.” Then her reinforcements arrive and things go very badly for Jackie Boy and his boys.

    Vivre Sa Vie (1962)

    Movies About Sex Work That Don't Sugarcoat Anything
    Credit: C/O

    In 12 vignettes, Jean-Luc Godard directs his then-wife and muse Anna Karina in this tough drama about a struggling woman who works in a record shop, mourning her collapsing marriage and dreaming of stardom.

    Instead, she descends into the world’s oldest profession, and things only get worse from there.

    The film’s bittersweet title translates to “My Life to Live.”

    Tangerine (2015)

    Credit: C/O

    Director and co-writer Sean Baker may be the greatest chronicler of modern-day hustlers, and Tangerine, shot on iPhones, is one of the best films of our relatively young century. It follows to transgender sex workers (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor) who stage a donut-shop confrontation with a cheating boyfriend.

    Comic, tragic, totally empathetic and gorgeous throughout — especially the drive-thru carwash scene — Tangerine is also, according to Rotten Tomatoes, it’s No. 4 on the list of the best Christmas movies ever made.

    The Florida Project (2017)

    Credit: C/O

    Sean Baker’s followup to Tangerine is another wild, brutally honest look at the life of a woman selling herself — one in perhaps even more desperate straits than the protagonists of Tangerine.

    The film stars first-time actress Bria Vinaite as Halley, who works out of a cheap motel on the outskirts of Orlando’s magic kingdom as she tries to shield her daughter (Brooklyn Prince) from the hardship of her life and make their sad surroundings feel like the happiest place on earth.

    Willem Dafoe (above, with Vinaite) earned an Oscar nomination for his role as motel manager Bobby, who doesn’t need money to have endless generosity. This is a real faith-in-humanity movie, even when things seem impossibly bleak.

    Almsot every Sean Baker film is in some sense about the world’s oldest profession, including the next one on our list…

    Anora (2024)

    Anora intimacy coordinators Anora easter egg Red Rocket easter egg
    Credit: C/O

    Baker’s 2024 story about a dancer and escort who finds herself in a relationship with a Russian oligarch’s son seems like a Pretty Woman fantasy — at first.

    But then Ani, aka Anora, discovers some grim realities about her new beau’s life. The movie is somehow frank, suspenseful, very funny and deeply sad, all at once.

    Anora cleaned up at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director for Sean Baker, Best Actress for lead Mikey Madison, and more. It also won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

    Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    Credit: C/O

    If you’ve never heard of this film, you’re not alone — but film cognoscenti who took part in last year’s prestigious Sight and Sound poll declared it the greatest film of all time. You can decide for yourself next time you have three hours and twenty-one minutes to spare, because that’s the runtime of this French film, made by Chantal Akerman when she was just 25, about a widowed single mother who supports her son by entertaining male clients in her humble apartment.

    Whether its the best movie ever made is up for debate (among those who’ve actually seen it, at least) but it’s one of the most remarkable movies about the oldest profession in the way it presents it, nearly 50 years ago, as just another job.

    Liked This List of Movies About the World’s Oldest Profession That Don’t Sugarcoat Anything?

    Credit: C/O

    You might also like this list of movies that do sugarcoat the world’s oldest profession.



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  • 15 Classic Black and White Movies That Are Still a Pleasure to Watch

    15 Classic Black and White Movies That Are Still a Pleasure to Watch


    if you think classic black and white movies are dull, we hope this list will change your mind.

    The General (1926)

    Credit: C/O

    The next time a CGI movie makes you sigh with its lack of style and verve, you’ll feel especially awed by The General, a silent black and white movie masterpiece that pretty much epitomes the concept of pulling out all the stops.

    Buster Keaton’s character helping the Confederate Army hasn’t aged well. Everything else has. A bit of a bomb in its time, The General is stunning now thanks to its clockwork inventiveness and derring-do. It’s hard to believe anyone made anything this ambitious, so early in the life of cinema.

    Keaton, known as the great stone face, throws his body into violent-yet-comic hazards without changing his expression — a skill he developed while being kicked around vaudeville stages by his father, hence the nickname “Buster.” Okay, maybe that didn’t age so well, either.

    Metropolis (1927)

    Credit: C/O

    Fritz Lang’s silent, expressionistic Metropolis somehow still feels futuristic and avant-garde nearly 100 years after its release.

    Operatic and vast in scope, it’s a visual feast that moves much slower than modern films — which is a sheer joy if you can allow yourself the time.

    Also, it’s moral, literally spelled out in the final inter-title – feels especially relevant in the age of A.I. It is simply: “The Mediator Between the Head and the Hands Must Be the Heart.”

    Originally 153 minutes long, Metropolis has been frequently recut, and while we aren’t big fans of chopping down a great director’s work, we think you can grasp the gist of the film with one of the shorter versions.

    It Happened One Night (1933)

    Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night. Columbia Pictures. – Credit: C/O

    One of two Frank Capra films on this list. It Happened One Night is a screwball comedy that inspired countless road movies and rom-coms, almost none of them as good.

    Clarke Gable and Claudette Colbert have electrifying chemistry as, respectively, a newspaper reporter on the make and a socialite on the run, trying to reunite with her husband. Yes, husband: This movie is fairly gleeful endorsement of extramarital love, and It Happened One Night could get away with that sort of thing because it came out just before the restrictive Hays Code took effect.

    It also endorses showing a little leg (shame!) while hitchhiking (shame! shame!). It may leave you with the impression that life was a little more fun about a hundred years ago.

    Casablanca (1942)

    Credit: Warner Bros.

    When people say they love old movies, this is likely the old movie they’re picturing. It’s perfect from beginning to end.

    Ingrid Bergman, who also appears later on this list, is captivating as Ilsa Lund, a woman torn between love and her duty to fight fascism. Humphrey Bogart, as her ex-lover Rick, is as good a male lead as any movie had ever had.

    But Casablanca is a movie where every single person is giving it their all, from director Michael Kurtiz to writers Howard Koch and Julius and Philip Epstein.

    Everyone has their favorite moment, but ours is “I’m shocked, shocked” which we think about every time we read the latest headlines.

    The Postman Always Rings Twice (1944)

    Credit: C/O

    If you ever long for the good old days, watch this one to remind yourself that people of the past were anything but naive.

    John Garfield makes being a drifter look like a good life choice when his character, Frank, wanders into a service station operated by the stunning Cora (Lana Turner). Unfortunately, she runs it with her husband.

    Frank and Cora work out a little scheme to take care of that obstacle. It goes about as well as you’d expect if you’ve ever seen a ’40s noir.

    Double Indemnity (1944)

    Credit: C/O

    The most fun movie ever made about insurance, this noir extravaganza sizzles off the screen in moments like the anklet scene — aka the “how fast was I going” scene — between Fred McMurray as an insurance man and Barbara Stanwyck as a scheming client.

    It never goes too fast, which somehow makes it all the more wildly seductive.

    It inspired many (often color) films, including 1981’s very good Body Heat, but we still prefer the black and white movie.

    High Noon (1952)

    Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in High Noon. United Artists. – Credit: C/O

    High Noon seems to fly by as it unfurls in real time over the 85 tight minutes leading up to the title. Gary Cooper plays Will Kane, a New Mexico marshall ready to ride into the sunset with his new bride Amy (Grace Kelly).

    But Frank Miller, a brutal outlaw Kane once sent to prison, will arrive in town at noon, as his gang is ready to meet him. Everyone would understand if Kane slipped out of town to let someone else deal with the disaster to come.

    But that’s not what he does.

    It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

    Credit: C/O

    Did you make it through another holiday season without watching this Frank Capra gem?

    If so, like many of us, you may wrongly remember it as a sweet little affair. But no. The film is surprisingly honest about how much failure and struggle are part of the cost of living, and makes a clear-eyed case about why it’s still worth it to press on.

    Also, we have to agree with this tweet about how the phone scene between Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart, despite its lack of anything gratuitous, is pretty hot.

    Notorious (1947)

    Old Movies
    Ingrid Bergman in Notorious. RKO Radio Pictures. – Credit: C/O

    The Alfred Hitchock films of the 1950s and ’60s could get a little slow — but Notorious crackles from start to finish thanks to the presence of one of the all-time greatest actresses, and magnetic lead characters.

    Ingrid Bergman is magnificent as Alicia Huberman, whose virtue and morality are in constant question. She juggles endless demands and expectations, keeping her intentions a mystery until the very end.

    Cary Grant as T.R. Devlin, a U.S. agent who recruits her. When people start falling in love, things get very tricky.

    All About Eve (1950)

    Credit: C/O

    From the start of theater critic Addison Dewitt’s very unreliable narration (wryly delivered by George Sanders), you know you’re in excellent hands with this showbiz satire written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

    Bette Davis plays a Broadway star who won’t give up the spotlight, and Anne Baxter is Eve Harrington, a shrewd manipulator ready to take her place. It’s a dynamic we’ve seen a million times since, from The Devil Wears Prada to Showgirls, but no one’s done it with more wit than All About Eve.

    When a young Marilyn Monroe is the seventh or eight billed person in the cast, you know you’ve got an incredible lineup of actors.

    The Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

    Credit: C/O

    TMZ might want to take notes from this noir classic, a story of a showbiz columnist, J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) who rules Broadway with a velveted fist.

    Ruthless press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) toadies up to him, but proves to be pretty clever himself, as he tries to break up a relationship between Hunsecker’s little sister Susan (Susan Harrison) and a jazz guitarist.

    It’s also one of the most beautifully shot black and white movies — the lights of Broadway have never felt so hot.

    The Apartment (1960)

    Credit: C/O

    You’ll find yourself saying again during The Apartment: They made this in 1960? A Mad Men-era story of sex and ambition — and an obvious Mad Men influence — the film is about a young clerk on the make (Jack Lemmon) who has to loan out his apartment to executives who use it for secret trysts with vulnerable women, including one played by an adorable, and vulnerable, Shirley MacLaine.

    You quickly finding yourself rooting hard for the have-nots in this film about refusing to bend over for the man.

    MacLaine, Lemmon, director Billy Wilder and screenwriter IAL Diamond reunited three years later for Irma la Douce, which revisited some of the themes of The Apartment. It’s not a black and white movie, but don’t hold that against it.

    Psycho (1960)

    Janet Leigh in a promotional image for Psycho. Paramount. – Credit: C/O

    We know, everyone thinks first of the shower scene. But Psycho hooks you long before that with its setup: Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane robs her boozy boss to flee across the Arizona desert to the arms of her deadbeat boyfriend. It’s juicy as hell, even before she checks into the worst possible hotel.

    The only thing that keeps Psycho from perfection is its stodgy expository ending that feels unnecessary now, but may have been helpful for a 1960 audience that hadn’t yet seen a million movies about psychos.

    You know how Shakespeare plays can feel cliched, but only because they were the first to do something that later inspired countless shallow imitations? Psycho is exactly like that.

    The Third Man (1949)

    British Lion Film Corporation – Credit: C/O

    Joseph Cotten plays pulp novelist Holly Martins, who arrives in ghostly postwar Vienna to investigate the death of an old friend, Harry Lime. But things aren’t as they seem.

    The highlight is an utterly chilling little monologue by Orson Welles as he and Cotten ride a Ferris wheel and look at all the little people below.

    Breathless (1960)

    Credit: C/O

    We could tell you about all the great film deconstruction critic-turned-director Jean-Luc Godard is doing in this sexy, breezy girl-and-a-gun French crime thriller, but just watch it. You’ll be blown away by how fresh and cool it feels all these decades later.

    Also, if you’re not a fan of subtitles, a lot of it is in English. This is one of those black and white movies that may sound like it’s going to be a challenge, but turns out to be as fun as anything you’ve ever watched.

    Liked This List of Black and White Movies That Are Still a Sheer Pleasure?

    Old Movies of the 1960s That Are Still a Pleasure to Watch
    Credit: C/O

    You might also like this list of the 1960s Classic Movies That Are Still a Pleasure to Watch. Several are, yes, black and white movies.

    Main image: Ingrid Bergman in Notorious. RKO Radio Pictures.





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  • 13 Movies About the Adult Entertainment Industry That Don’t Sugarcoat a Thing

    13 Movies About the Adult Entertainment Industry That Don’t Sugarcoat a Thing


    Here are 12 films about the adult entertainment industry that don’t sugarcoat a thing.

    Of course, it’s hard to generalize about a multibillion-dollar industry that has existed nearly as long as film itself, headquartered for decades in the San Fernando Valley over the Hollywood Hills from the mainstream Hollywood studios.

    When Hollywood looks to its Valley neighbors, it often does so by sugarcoating things — treating the industry as silly and amusing — or playing it for horror, with the implication that the adult entertainment business leads inevitably to violence.

    The following films are noteworthy for their blunt presentation of the industry. For the most part, they present it as an underground, unregulated economy where some people get along just fine — but others find themselves disappointed or worse. If you are looking for adult content, you may explore the best milf onlyfans pages.

    Hardcore (1979)

    Hardcore
    Credit: C/O

    Hardcore — recently part of a Paul Schrader retrospective on the Criterion Channel — is a fascinating but not completely successful film. George C. Scott plays Jake Van Dorn, a very religious Midwestern dad who has to travel to seedy Los Angeles when he learns his daughter, Kristen (Ilah Davis) has entered the adult entertainment industry.

    The film is a fascinating look at how the adult entertainment business functioned in the late 1970s. But Scott’s transformation from everyman to shrewd undercover avenger isn’t totally convincing. And it feels a bit melodramatic that Kristen descends so quickly into very violent films.

    Still, Season Hubley is excellent as Niki, Jake’s guide into the seedy underworld. it’s fun to imagine an older and more accomplished Schrader remaking this film with someone like Liam Neeson, the master of dad-on-a-rampage movies.

    Videodrome (1983)

    Universal Pictures – Credit: Universal Pictures

    David Cronenberg’s 1983 film fairly brilliantly presages the rise of the internet and our willingness to surrender some of our humanity in the service of technology, but it starts with a journey into old-fashioned adult entertainment.

    Max Renn (James Woods), president of a small UHF station, stumbles upon a broadcast signal of very alarming videos. This leads him to Nicki Brand (Debbie Harry) an explicit radio host with dark predilections.

    Max’s investigation of her disappearance leads to him having a Betamax cassette inserted into his torso, and his eventual effort to transcend our sick sad world and “leave the old flesh.” It’s all very metaphorical, but feels especially relevant in the age of artificial intelligence.

    Boogie Nights (1997)

    New Line Cinema – Credit: C/O

    You knew this would be here. For about the first half of Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterful second film, Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg, in his best role) finds a chosen family under the tutelage of Valley filmmaker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds). Jack’s partner Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) and rising starlet Rollergirl (Heather Graham) even have kind of a mother-daughter dynamic.

    But as drugs and — gasp! — video take hold, Dirk descends into darker and darker stuff, and it quickly becomes apparent that the romanticized good times of the ’70s aren’t sustainable in the ’80s.

    Lots of people would love to live Dirk’s high-flying ’70s life, but no one would want his wretched existence in the ’80s.

    Demonlover (2002)

    Adult Entertainment Industry
    SND Films – Credit: C/O

    This French neo-noir corporate drama by Oliver Assayas stars Connie Nielsen as a sneaky, ice-cold executive involved in a French company’s acquisition of a Japanese company that makes very gross anime.

    The film is surprisingly frank in its presentation of said anime, but all the executives involved in the negotiations seem to see the material merely as a product, not a thing to be judged. There’s a great metaphor here about transactional relationships.

    As is often the case in dramatic portrayals of the industry, the more mainstream films portrayed in Demonlover (we use the phrase “mainstream” very loosely here) are a gateway into violent content in which people really get hurt. Or worse.

    After Porn Ends (2012)

    Lisa Ann in After Porn Ends. – Credit: C/O

    Documentarian Bryce Waggoner released three volumes of this excellent series with a simple but arresting concept: Adult entertainment performers simply explain what they’ve been doing since leaving the industry. (Waggoner directed the first two, and the third was directed by former adult performer Brittany Andrews.)

    The series removes artifice and fantasy to reveal the people of the industry as just people — some of whom are thriving, and some of whom are mightily struggling.

    It raises questions about stigma, exploitation and reinvention, without telling anyone how to think or feel.

    Lovelace (2013)

    Radius-TWC – Credit: C/O

    Amanda Seyfried (above) is excellent as Linda Lovelace, one of the most contentious figures in the history of the adult entertainment industry.

    She became a sex symbol for starring in what became one of the most mainstream and profitable of all adult films. But years later she wrote in her memoir, Ordeal, that she was violently forced into the business and all sorts of animalistic degradations.

    Lovelace handles her story sensitively and sympathetically, never crossing the line into the kind of exploitation the real Linda Lovelace tried to escape.

    King Cobra (2016)

    IFC Midnight – Credit: C/O

    One of the most common criticisms of the industry is that it exploits women. King Cobra is all about gay adult product, so the gender component is removed.

    But that brings into more stark relief other potential forms of exploitation: namely older people exploiting younger people, and people with money exploiting those without it. (These are also problems, of course, in supposedly respectable fields.)

    King Cobra is based on a true story — the source material is the book Cobra Killer by Andrew E. Stoner and Peter A. Conway, about the the life and early career of former adult actor Sean Paul Lockhart (Garrett Clayton, above).

    Written and directed by Justin Kelly, it’s a little-seen but captivating film with a top-notch cast that also includes Christian Slater, Molly Ringwald and James Franco, who is also a producer on King Cobra.

    American Porn (2002)

    PBS – Credit: C/O

    Journalism doesn’t get more serious than PBS’s Frontline, and in 2002 the Oscar and Emmy winning documentary program investigated the business of adult entertainment, charting its rise and the reason for the demand.

    If Hardcore provides a fascinating but melodramatic look at the industry in the late 1970s, this Frontline doc is a fascinating investigation of the state of the industry in the early 2000s, when the internet was radically shifting the dynamics of the business and making adult product more accessible than ever before.

    You can watch the entire documentary — and every episode of Frontline — for free online via your local PBS station.

    Red Rocket (2021)

    Simon Rex as Mikey Saber and Suzanna Son as “Strawberry” in Red Rocket, from director Sean Baker. A24 – Credit: Simon Rex as Mikey Saber and Suzanna Son as “Strawberry” in Red Rocket, from director Sean Baker. A24

    One of the best films on this list, Sean Baker’s Red Rocket is a judgment-free portrait of Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) an adult semi-star forced to return to his Texas hometown while on the outs from the industry.

    Mikey believes he can wheedle his way back in by convincing Raylee (Suzanna Son), a 17-year-old donut shop employee who goes by the name Strawberry, to join him. He also strings along his ex, Lexi (Bree Elrod) and her mom Lil (Brenda Deiss), so he can live with them while he gets back on his feet.

    Packed with excellent first-time actors, the film feel visceral and alive, adroitly blending comedy and sadness. It avoids moralizing, yet you’ll probably come to hold some strong opinions about Mikey.

    Baker is one of our greatest filmmakers, who uses stories about sex work to make broader points about hard work in general. His latest, Anora, is up for six Oscars, including Best Picture.

    Starlet (2012)

    Besedka Johnson, left, and Dree Hemingway in Starlet. Music Box Films – Credit: Besedka Johnson, left, and Dree Hemingway in Starlet. Music Box Films

    Almost every Sean Baker film involves some element of investigating sex work, always empathetically and evenhandedly.

    Baker and co-writer Chris Bergoch came up with the concept for the Mikey Saber character in Red Rocket while doing research for Starlet, when they realized how many male actors live off of female talent.

    Starlet follows Jane (Dree Hemingway), a 21-year-old rising star who strikes up an unlikely friendship with 85-year-old Sadie (Besedka Johnson).

    Money Shot (2023)

    Netflix – Credit: Netflix

    Director Suzanne Hillinger’s documentary about one of the most prominent websites for adults isn’t interested in anything salacious. It just sets out to normalize — and humanize — the people who just happen to make adult content for a living.

    “To me, it was really important the way that we shot the interviews, for example — that the environment around each interview subject is very much a part of the frame, that these are people in their homes, with details and lives and plants and pets and shoes in the background,” Hillinger told MovieMaker.

    Again, about the dashes — we know there’s nothing wrong with the word “shot,” but algorithms don’t, particularly when it’s paired with the word “money,” and we want people to be able to see these articles rather than having them buried by robots.

    Pleasure (2021)

    Movies About the Adult Industry
     SF-Produktion – Credit: C/O

    A Sundance darling that gained lots of initial attention for its blunt depictions, director Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure is the story of Linnéa, a small-town Swede played by Sofia Kappel (pictured) who travels to Los Angeles to try to break into the industry.

    The film is notable for its multifaceted presentation of the adult world. Some of Linnéa’s experiences are good, but others are horrible, including a scene in which she technically consents to a violent scenario but does so only under considerable coercion and pressure. She soon finds herself contributing to the abuses.

    Bonus: X (2022)

    Ti West asked Mia Goth and every actor on X: Why the hell do you want to be in this movie?
    Mia Goth is Maxine, a young Texan looking for stardom in X, from Ti West. Photo by Christopher Moss. A24 – Credit: Sofia Kappel is Bella Cherry in Pleasure, from writer-director Ninja Thyberg

    All three films in Ti West’s X trilogy — the other two are 2022’s Pearl and 2024’s Maxxxine — seek to demystify the adult entertainment industry while exploring the stigma around both sex and violence.

    X is the most blunt about it. The film takes place on a very DIY adult film location — a Texas farm — where the older couple who own the place seem to disapprove of the young people’s shenanigans. But things are more complex than they seem.

    In all three X films, the main protagonist is a young woman — always played by Mia Goth — trying to use her sex appeal to get ahead. It doesn’t usually work out as she planned.

    Liked This List of 12 Films About the Adult Entertainment Industry That Don’t Sugarcoat Anything?

    Movies About Oldest Profession That Don't Sugarcoat Anything
    Vivre sa vie. Panthéon Distribution – Credit: C/O

    You may also like this list of movies about the world’s oldest profession that sugarcoat things quite a bit.

    Main image: Sofia Kappel as Bella Cherry in Pleasure, from writer-director Ninja Thyberg. SF-Produktion



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  • The New Year That Never Came

    The New Year That Never Came


    In December 1989, whilst the Western World was gearing up for Christmas celebrations, things looked markedly different in Communist Romania. Ruled with an iron fist by Nicolae Ceaușescu, the country was on the brink of revolution. Overthrowing the much maligned leader resulted in violent bloodshed across a number of towns and cities, with protests in the city of Timișoara paving the way for Bucharest to stage its own revolt. 

    That is the backdrop for writer / director Bogdan Muresanu’s historical drama, The New Year That Never Came. It’s just four days before Christmas and Romania hovers on the precipice of change. Whilst the festive television broadcasts prepare to praise Ceaușescu, the citizens of the capital are disillusioned and scared. This feature length debut sees six different stories intersect as Romania decides its own fate. 

    This chapter in history is perhaps one that Western cinema, in particular, is not entirely familiar with, despite its bloody and dramatic consequences. Muresanu keeps the pace steady throughout, encouraging viewers to truly embed themselves in the lives they are seeing on screen. He provides a sense of what was really going on – the paranoia, spying, censorship and violence that was rooted in the regime right until the very end. Even the most ardent of Ceaușescu supporters are quick to burn their files and disavow the very rules they so heartily imposed. It’s fascinating and complex, as all pivotal moments in history are. By placing the story in the hands of ordinary people, Muresanu keeps things authentic and engaging. 

    The New Year That Never Came Glasgow Film Festival 2025

    Margareta (Emilia Dobrin) initially joined the party through choice and genuine belief. Now, as she packs up her belongings and heads for a tiny, state-appointed flat, she is jaded and disillusioned with the regime. Her son, Dinca (Iulian Postelnicu), runs a flagging student informer ring. Florina (Nicoleta Hâncu) is a theatre actress, drafted in at the last minute to perform the New Year’s message. But she cannot bring herself to “ass kiss”, in light of recent tragedies. Gelu (Adrian Vancica) is a manual worker who is potentially facing jail time, if his son’s letter to Santa is read by anyone in authority. Vlad (Vlad Ionut Popescu) and Laurentiu (Andrei Miercure) are students who are planning to defect by crossing the Danube in the dead of night. 

    The screen feels drained of colour as Muresanu uses a palette of smoky greys, arid browns and steel blues. Apartments are weighed down with dark, old-fashioned furniture and clashing patterns of mustard, cinnamon and chestnut. Televisions and radios flicker on and off to assert that the army are simply doing their job to protect good citizens; protestors are a terrible threat to civilised society. Students, in their uniforms of tracksuit tops and shaggy hair, are attempting to defect. Indeed, a leading television star has also done so – ruining the planned New Year’s message. Every scene, every conversation feels laden with a danger that no one dares articulate. Instead, it’s in what these characters don’t say where the truth lies. 

    The New Year That Never Came Glasgow Film Festival 2025

    Muresanu also revels a little in the absurdity of the situation. Florina asks her domestic abuser neighbour to beat her up, too, so she can avoid her television appearance. “Don’t you have a boyfriend to do that for you?” he replies. We then see her slapping her own face with a large rubber fly swatter instead. Gelu panics that he is headed for prison when his son states – in a piece of school work – that his father’s wish is for “Uncle Nick” to die. He insists his son re-write the piece, lest he find himself facing the firing squad. Laurentiu, having received the beating of his life from a man in military uniform, is made to sign a false confession even as the regime collapses. Margareta tries to kill herself but cannot because the government has switched the gas off in her apartment block. This is not to say we are encouraged to laugh at these characters, but rather the ridiculousness of the regime itself. 

    Ravel’s Bolero is used to bring the film to its conclusion, lacing the fates of all the characters together with the fate of the country. It is chaotic as Muresanu alternates between characters in their final moments of life under Ceaușescu. It is a frenzied and violent bid for peace and prosperity; for freedom. Archival footage of the packed streets and determined citizens – the scale of it really is incredible to behold – bring us neatly to the credits along with the prominent percussion of the music. It is a very powerful moment of cinema. 

    Whilst the pacing might prove too slow for some, Bogdan Muresanu’s drama, The New Year That Never Came is an interesting exploration of a dramatic chapter of history. It blends private stories with public consequences seamlessly and is made compelling by some very strong performances.

    The New Year That Never Came is screening at the Glasgow Film Festival 2025. Get your tickets here.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xLEClUljJQ

    Mary Munoz
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