Welcome to TG10s. This year, echoing another publication, we are posting our top 10s, and taking votes from you. Keep reading The Twin Geeks for lists from our regular writers, as well as some extra special selection of lists from some amazing guests.
Charlie Roxburgh is the director mastermind at Motern Media, responsible for many of our most celebrated films on the site. In his second site appearance, Charlie has crafted one of the most specialized lists of all — absolutely perfect fodder for programming with friends. Much like his movies, his ideas continue to bring us together and help us appreciate cinema in a new way.
10 Movies Abrim Personality (That Aren’t Particularly Harrowing or Uncomfortable to Watch, so I Like To Share Them With Friends)
(in alphabetical order)
Ants! aka It Happened at Lakewood Manor (1977)
ANTS! aka IT HAPPENED AT LAKEWOOD MANOR (1977)
So sunny, so likable, so emotionally heightened! This TV movie does a fantastic job of balancing fun characters with a pleasantly scary enemy: ants that have a stronger-than-normal bite.
Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned (2010)
Overflowing with Nevada character. If one were to quibble, one may find it slightly meandering. But why quibble? RIP Ted V. Mikels, who, back in 2009, was nice enough to watch our movie Monsters, Marriage, and Murder in Manchvegas and provide us with a blurb.
Blood Cult (1986)
It may have been banned from two Midwestern Campuses–as purported on the VHS box–but Blood Cult is welcomed into our home with open arms. Charles Ellis as the elderly Sheriff Ron Wilbois leads a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-of-them cast. I find the gore to be cartoonish enough to not be harrowing.
Fiend (1980)
This complete gem from Don Dohler has it all: wonderful characters, interesting small town locations, and some excellent indie filmmaking skills. The more you watch Fiend, the more you get won over by its infinite charm.
The Great Skycopter Rescue (1980)
When house guests arrive, after we allow them a moment to put down their bags, freshen up, etc., I just might ask, “Say, do you feel like you’ve been inundated with skycopter-related content lately?”
If they answer with something like “No. Sadly, my life has been decidedly skycopter-free. If only there were some way to rectify this situation.”
That’s my cue to fire up my VCR, insert my Skycopter Rescue VHS, and let them be delighted by its positive energy, its can-do spirit, and its titular skycopters.
Motorcycle Gang (1957)
The unique and omnipresent slang, heightened emotions, and pleasantly cheap motorcycle action combine to create a crowd pleasing picture.
The Pit (1981)
The Pit is a miracle of a movie, where seemingly many things went wrong during filming, and every last one of these issues ended up making the movie more fun to watch. It’s bright and sunny, energetically played, secretly sophisticated, utterly confused, and infinitely watchable.
Pressure Point (1997)
If I feel like watching a regional action movie with friends, I’ve been known to look to David Giancola and his Edgewood Studios to bring the entertainment. Throw Don Mogavero into the mix as the leading man, add some scenic Vermont locations, and you’ve got a fun movie!
Teenagers from Outer Space (1959)
There’s just something about this movie’s combination of earnest emotions, stilted dialogue, and all-American trappings that makes me happy. My wife and I recently showed this to one of her younger brothers and it held his attention.
Woodchipper Massacre (1988)
For my money, one of the greatest “will-a-feature-film-into existence” movies in American Cinema History. Jon McBride and his young cast are fantastic, and I am an absolute sucker for a movie made in someone’s house and/or backyard.