Andy from Fandango Groovers came up with a group blogging activity for a bunch of us to share the 8 discs you’d want with you on a desert island. Despite that I already live on an island (one with giant trees and no desert though), this isn’t exactly a list of what I’d rescue in case of a fire. This isn’t necessarily a list of my favourite movies, these are the movies that I can watch any time, all the time. As a collector, rather than a serial renter, I have a tendency to do a lot of rewatching so I think i just to cruise through the shelves and figure out which ones have got the most mileage. So without further ado, should Amazon deliver to the next desert island I’m stranded on, these would be the titles I’d have in my possession:
Under Siege (1992) – First on my list, first to come to mind. I could watch this every morning with my Corn Flakes. The mix of action, factual and Erika Eleniak will not be denied. This is Steven Seagal schlock at it’s finest.
Return of the Jedi (1983) – I’ll be shocked and maybe even offended if I’m the only one to list a Star Wars movie in these lists. As pretty much the only thing of it’s kind for many years, all the Star Wars films have been prone to multiple screenings for decades. If you’re gonna be stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere, why not go the distance and head to a galaxy far, far away?
The Big Lebowski (1998) – I could very well be approaching the triple digits of the times I’ve seen this Coen brothers masterpiece. It’s perfect for an infinite number of watchings in that it completely lacks a point or even a conclusion.
The Island (2005) – There is no question that I give Michael Bay a hard time about just about everything, but there is something irresistible about The Island that I can’t put my finger on. In the end, Bay delivers the kind of mindless action pablum that can be repeated without end.
The Fifth Element (1997) – Bruce Willis might have gotten top billing here, but it’s Gary Oldman that I can watch unendingly. Tricky, Mila Jovovich, Tiny Liston and even the guy who played Apone in Aliens are along for the ride. Sprinkle in a large assortment of supermodels as background talent and you’ve got something you can watch until your coconut DVD player stops working.
Joe vs. the Volcano (1990) – I assure you that Joe vs the Volcano and The Island are not in here because of any “desert island” connection. Joe vs the Volcano remains one of my favourite movies of all time, Dan Hedaya and all. “I know he get the job, but can he do the job?”
L.A. Confidential (1997) – The music, the sets, the diverse array of characters, the complex story, Russel Crowe beating dudes to a bloody pulp, LA Confidential could be the only movie on TV for the next 5 years and I’d be happy.
Office Space (1999) – “Hey Peter, man! Watch out for the cornhole, bud.” Maybe it’s because it imitates life so closely that I feel like I’m watching it even when I’m not watching it. Funny as hail, and the finest example of Mike Judge’s work, Office Space would be my desert island’s feature film when I have a case of the Mondays.
[...] Steve from The Film Cynics [...]
I’ve watched the Island at least five times now and like you, I don’t know why I like it. There’s just something about it and it’s so watchable, perfect for desert island viewing!
Each time I watch it I need a refresher on how the heck they survive falling off that building you see in the trailer, so it somehow stays new to me. It’s a shiny looking movie with attractive people doing cool things, so what else can you ask for from a movie on a desert island?
[...] The Film Cynics [...]
[...] Steve from The Film Cynics [...]
LA Confidential, THAT’S RIGHT, THAT’S MY MAN STEVE!!! I also have it on my desert island. Love the Office Space and The Big Lebowski picks, some cult classics there.
No Castor, you da man! There’s just so many threads in LA Confidential that you can come up with about a hundred different reasons to watch it. Next time, I’m gonna do the “music only” option with the audio and see what that’s like. Looking forward to checking out your list.
Another points from me for picking L.A. Confidential. Crowe’s awesome as Bud White, but Guy Pearce is phenomenal as well. “Rollo Tomasi”… oh that scene in the kitchen when Kevin Spacey murmurs that name, still takes my breath away every time I watch it!
Yeah, there’s so much to love about LA Confidential, but it still seems like there’s too many people who haven’t seen it. I used Rollo Tomasi in a sentence the other day, and the guy I was talking to had no idea what I was talking about. Ingrates! It’s funny that the all-american cops portrayed in this film are both Australians – I love it when that happens.
Yeah I know, what’s wrong with those people?!
“It’s funny that the all-american cops portrayed in this film are both Australians” — YUP, and you won’t ever know it from this movie because their American accents are spot on! I was telling Castor the other day that I read in EMPIRE (or Total Film) that James Ellroy was so blown away by Guy Pearce’s performance in this and calls him the greatest actor of his generation.
This is a great list! Love to see Jedi get some love! And you gotta respect someone who has an affinity for films like Under Siege and The Island (though the latter is a bit spot on, eh?).
Yeah, it wasn’t until I put Joe vs The Volcano on the list that I’d realized I’d been making some ironic picks. How about the The Island’s irony that despite the title, there isn’t an island in the entire film?
Isn’t the raffle to go to an Island though? See, I didn’t even care enough to remember. I didn’t hate that film as much as everybody else. It’s Michael Bay. I mean, what were you expecting. Plus, I love Kurtzman and Orci… the guys that wrote it!
Yeah, I guess the island was the metaphor hanging over the whole story. I had no idea they wrote it, but that totally makes sense as far as explaining why I like it so much! They’re the dude that made Star Trek cool again!
Did Transformers, Fringe and MI3 as well… good stuff!!!!
You surely went with comfort food over everything else, no? Not a bad choice at all, but the reason I didn’t (this goes for your Star Wars comment as well) is that I’ve seen them all enough that I felt I didn’t necessarily need them. I love Fletch to death, but after what feels like a thousand viewings, it felt wasteful to bring it to my island. Ditto the SW flicks, Pulp Fiction, Lebowski, Office Space, etc. I went with things that intrigued me the one or few times I saw them that would keep my head busy for many more hours.
Still, I LOVE so many of the movies you’ve got here, and I’m digging the irony of picking The Island, bad as it can be.
There was another consideration that I didn’t mention in my post: These would be movies that I’m sure I would have grown to hate by the time I was either rescued or had built a coconut Blockbuster. These were films I was willing to sacrifice at the altar of my own convenience never to be watched again.
LA Confidential = Awesome
I was surprised by Under Siege though. Well played!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, Under Siege is my kryptonite: I am powerless against it and it is probably slowly killing me over time. It’s the only role that kept Seagal from seeming like a douche…mostly. That, and Gary Busey in a dress = awesome.
Gary Busey in or as anything is awesome. He’s such a charming freak!
I actually like a few of Segals movies, but I was always more of a Van Damme girl myself. And my choice there would have been Universal Solider!
What Van Damme has over Seagal is only he could pull off a movie like JCVD. The closest Seagal has ever/will ever get is that stupid sherriff reality show he’s got going. As you can see, my loyalty is paper thin.
Gary Busey has something special in him to make it that he could be the best/only reason to watch Point Break. “Hey Utah! Get me two!”
Now that is a list. Apart from The Island of course, which has two lead actors who cannot act and a director who cannot direct
I cannot tell a lie – it is not a strong film and Bay’s least popular. But it is so totally watchable: chases involving hoverbikes? Come on! It’s plugged right into my pleasure centre!
Love seeing Joe vs. the Volcano on here!
I’m not arguing that with you!
Apparently I can’t get around it anymore; I have to see “LA Confidential.” Your pick of “The Island” knocked me sideways because I personally consider it DiCaprio’s worst movie ever, but hey — to each his own, right? Because you included “Office Space,” you are uncompromisingly awesome. I elected to take “Idiocracy” with me, but either way there has to be a Mike Judge movie on any island.
The truth is worse than you know: You’re thinking The Beach, I’m talking about Michael Bay’s The Island with Ewan Macgregor and Scarett Johansen.
LA Confidential is dripping with awesomeness and must be screened at least 5 times to soak it all in.
I look forward to crusing through your list.
Some great movies here, not the Star Wars movie I would have picked! Thanks for taking part.
Thanks Andy! With Jedi I was going for pure entertainment value and the offering of some actual closure. Empire’s got it going on, but for a desert island I’m going to want a film that ties some ends up… and that also involves speeder bikes, Jabba the Hutt, and Force Lightning.
Good point about Jedi, there is a lot to like about it and even at its weakest parts it is a better movie than all the prequels. For me Empire Strikes Back is by far the best movie but A New Hope is the only one that works on its own.
You know what I really like doing? Watching Attack of the Clones and skipping through any scene involving Anakin and Padme and their “relationship”. It actually turns it into a pretty cool movie. That’s the true genius of DVD, the ability to skip through the garbage of an otherwise decent movie.
Thanks for spearheading this, Andy. Who knew it was gonna blow up like this? I’m glad I jumped on when I did, just randomly clicking through the LAMB newsfeed.
Haha everytime I try to watch The ISland, Ross McG jumps through my window, slaps me across the face, snaps the DVD in half and jumps back out again. Though after your recommendation, I might try again.
You have two of my all time top ten up there (RotJ and LA), sweet list
Sounds like Ross McG is some kind of android sent from the future to protect you from the evils of Michael Bay, or a movie-blocking interloper that wants to interfere in your cinematic happiness. Either way, I think it’s time for a booby trap of some kind.
The Island has many tricks to entertain – not the least of which are Djimon Hounsou and his band of hover-bike riding mercenaries. Also – one of my favourite car chases ever with train wheels flying all over the place. Now THAT’S destruction.
Now I know we have Fifth Element in common but holy crap, I thought I was the only person who liked The Island. And I also agree that I like it for a reason I can’t explain. Maybe it’s because it is to damned gorgeous the rest of the plot and dialog goes out the window.
Also, kudos for a SW flick. If it ain’t Empire, Jedi is still an awesome choice to bring along. Fine list Steve!! Oh and make sure you ask for no salt on your margarita or I suspect you’ll have to write a letter to the island’s board of tourism:P
Yeah, I think that while The Island may barely pass in the substance department, it blows everyone away in style. I guess it kind of has that in common with Fifth Element.
If all goes well on this desert island I might be showing it my oh face. “Ohh! Ohh! Ooohhh!”
[...] From the successful multi-blog event headed up by Fandango Groovers, I have found that one of the participants has a similar quasi-fondness for this film. That said, I figured this was the perfect inpsiration [...]
Transformers walks a very fine line of fun and typical Bay schlock, I haven’t felt the need to get into Fringe, but MI3 managed to bring that franchise back from the edge of irrelevance. I forget what their next project it, but those guys have definitely got talent and can give depth to just about anything.
What really chaps my ass is that The Island doesn’t have a 5.1 audio track on the North American DVD release (even if it says it does on the sleeve) and it’s still not available on bluray.