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Great Lesser-Known Genre Movies

BEDAZZLED

No, I'm not talking about the 2000 remake starring Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley. That was OK, but nothing to write home about. It's bland at best. If you've seen that version, do not fool yourself into thinking you've seen Bedazzled.

I'm talking about the 1967 original, directed by Stanley Donen and starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. This is a modern (well, 1967 modern) retelling of the Faust legend. Not only can you get serious cuts from the razor wit, it's a viciously wicked satire of religion where God ends up as the villain. This is a brilliant film, a must-see for any fantasy-loving atheist with a sense of humor.

Sample: Peter Cook, as the Devil, has the 7 Deadly Sins working as his servants. Their service, as you might expect, leaves something to be desired. Cook complains, "What terrible Sins I have working for me. Must be the wages."

Tags: Bedazzled, Cook, Donen, Dudley, Faust, God, Moore, Peter, Stanley, devil, More…religion, satire

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Seamonster on November 16, 2009 at 4:39am

The problem with Solaris is that it was boring. The book is far better.

Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on November 16, 2009 at 5:28am

Hey, to each their own, Seamonster. I thought it had something to say.

Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on November 16, 2009 at 6:20am

I guess that'll learn me - I haven't read the book ... YET. Hell, got all this time to myself (being unemployed is SO enlightening!), maybe I should hie myself down to the local library....

Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on November 16, 2009 at 6:13am

If you liked Serenity at all, check out Firefly, the Fox TV series from which Serenity sprang. It is great fun and has wonderful cast chemistry, as well as some very good writing. You can get the four-disc DVD set from Amazon for a song these days.

As for Buckaroo Banzai ... well, you know what they say: "Wherever you go ... there you are!"

Permalink Reply by Richard Healy on January 5, 2010 at 5:01pm

I want to See Sam Rockwell in The Moon at some point, which apparently is all about loneliness and psychosis, and not some daring Frat House prank. So that viewing pending I shall plump for:

The City of Lost Children
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNYG9cXTSds

Flat-out weird but wonderful: the octopus twins, Crank the demented dream thief, the narcopleptic clones, flea assasins, a talking brain in a vat with depression becausehe's a brian in a vat and Ron Pearlman.

Permalink Reply by Howard S. Dunn on January 7, 2010 at 10:41pm

Slightly off topic - but has anyone seen a movie of the following description? (I saw half of it - dozing on my couch - on a wee hour broadcast.)

It looked like it was made in the late sixties or early seventies. The special effects were crap and I wouldn't remark on it except for an uncanny resemblance to a slightly more famous SF/Fantasy film you may have heard of.

In this movie, an old wizard takes an apprentice. There is a feisty princess. There is a roguish, self-interested secondary anti-hero type who helps in the quest (I'm vague on the details.) This rogue has a 'hairy monster' sidekick who - get this - looks like a very tall guy in a costume made from a white shag rug.

Does this remind you of anything. I'm pretty sure a director named George something or other did. But, I have never been able to find out (remember) the title and have never seen it again.

Permalink Reply by Jonel Burge on February 4, 2011 at 3:08am

The Mist link

Most people I talk to haven't seen it--it's a great film with small-time actors who are all amazing in potraying a small-time Maine town that goes completely crazy when the mist rolls in, and there are monsters in the mist. Specifically, a bad situation is made unbearable by a woman who believes that this must be the rapture--she begins citing scripture and starts having converts, the worse things get, and most of these things, she hasn't exactly helped. I don't want to spoil things but religion is a huge player in how a solitary bigot makes a place that is otherwise safe into somewhere dangerous. Directed by Frank Darabont who also did The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, and currently is doing The Walking Dead tv series on AMC.

The Man From Earth link

Pure, glorious science fiction: Suppose a man, manages to live forever, because his body is able to turn over cells perfectly and renew his body? He is mortal and would die just like you and me, except that his body doesn't run down or age beyond the mid-30's, where he is stuck forever. Religion is mentioned but there's so much glorious glorious material and dialogue that I don't want to ruin it.

It's on the top 50 on imdb's Science Fiction movies, but I've met precious few others who've watched it. It's one of my favorite movies and the characters are spot-on. If you're expecting special effects or anything crazy in this, though, you don't get them. It's just professors talking to a friend for the entire movie, but so well done, and well-written.

Both are on the "must-watch" list. I've noticed both of these are science fiction with a light touch...but they are very good. It's about the story, not the budget. *shrug*

Permalink Reply by Lady C on July 19, 2011 at 7:09pm

I loved the 1967 movie!!!! I was alot better than the new one thats for sure!!!

Permalink Reply by Stephen Goldin on July 19, 2011 at 7:17pm

I'm a big fan of Cook and Moore. I got to see their show "Good Evening" live on stage. Wonderfully funny. And there was a great skit in it making fun of religion.

Permalink Reply by Klaus Motan on November 23, 2012 at 3:04pm