My Top 10 Favorite Movies + 1

I’m really weird about movie watching. The way my ADHD is set up, a movie has to catch my attention in the first 3-5 minutes before I completely lose interest. And even then if I am at home watching a movie, I will pause and Google tf out of something that interested me or something that I didn’t understand. So sometimes it can take me days to watch a movie, because we all know the black hole of information that is Google lol. Plus I like to watch my movies with the caption on so I can focus. I almost get an immediate attitude and debate how much I really want to watch something once I realize there is no closed caption.

I tend to watch silly comedies, “Hangover, “40 Year Old Virgin, and “Girl’s Trip”, movies with great fashion in it or centered around fashion, “The Devil Wears Prada”, “Clueless”, old Hollywood classics with costumes by Adrian, Edith Head and Orr Kelly, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Gilda” and urban/Black movies like “Dolemite”and “Thicker Than Water”.  I also like really weird or just made it to video movies like anything by John Waters, movies starring old rappers, video girls and comedians and whatever else I see that catches my eye.

I rarely see mainstream movies, but lately I have been forcing myself and just last week I watched “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” with my father. Hated it! I was not a fan… Too much shoot ’em up, bloody, gory, loud action scenes and a few one liners. But here are ten movies that I do love, plus one film that influenced an early photo shoot of mine that I hope to never see again!

The List:

The Women: Made in 1939, by George Cukor, this movie is hilarious and glamorous, starring Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell and a few other Hollywood stars that were dressed for the GAWDS by costume designer Adrian. I feel like this could have been the inspiration for all the Real Housewives franchises based on the messy, catty, gossipy characters with enough money, clothes and drama to last until their next cocktail.

Gridlock’d: Everyone loved ‘Pac’s out of control character Bishop, in “Juice” but for me- this 1997 classic was hands down my favorite! He plays Spoon, a junkie trying to get clean after his friend (Thandie Newton) OD’s.  It tells the story of how Spoon and his homie Stretch (Tim Roth) try to get clean and enroll themselves in a detox program and all the obstacles that they face in a day.

I’m Bout It: My favorite movie of all time. You would have to understand my deep love for Master P to get why I live for this ghetto ass cult classic that came out in 1997. No, it is not the best when it comes to acting, plot, story line or anything else cinema worthy lol, but it was so trill and the hype surrounding it helped push it to the top of the hood classics list of straight to DVD movies (which btw, in my opinion P definitely started that trend. Argue with me if you in the comments lol!). I was fourteen when I threw my first event- a “I’m Bout It” viewing party in my mom’s apartment (ahem- yes while she was at work) for all the neighborhood teens in my Decatur, Ga. apartment complex since I was the first one to get it on VHS. I charged $3 a head, $5 if they wanted popcorn and drinks. I made a small fortune and learned how to entertain a crowd, thanks P!

Friday: This classic buddy comedy was hilarious when it came out in 1995, and is still the best of Cube’s Friday franchise. Starring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube, I can quote the whole movie from the beginning to the end and definitely wanted that A-Z weed poster Smokey had taped to the wall in his room.

The Mack: Speaking of movies I can quote- I usually have to watch this 1973 Blaxploitation film by my damn self cause I break out into script like I was filming the remake lol. Starring Max Julien as Goldie- a pimp with a heart- and Richard Pryor as his hilarious sidekick, this film has it all, fashion, style, jive talk and did I mention the costumes? Your favorite rapper’s have quoted and used “The Mack’s” dialogue in many songs and videos. The infamous Player’s Ball scene especially.

Foxy Brown: Y’all know who got me hipped to Pam Grier movies? Foxy Brown the rapper… I remember reading in one of my music magazines back in the day that she had asked Pam Grier for permission to use her name and got her blessing. I was confused until I saw the movie and witnessed all that awesome ass kicking in those fly ass costumes and Pam Grier’s voluptuous body as she saves the day in this 1974 classic. Respect!

Willie Dynamite: Talk about down on your luck- as fly and flashy as Willie Dynamite is with his furs, hats and color coordinated accessories- he just can’t seem to shake the man. He runs into a stream of bad luck, loses his hoes, his tricked out ride and more. This film starring Roscoe Orman (who went on to play Gordon in Sesame Street) was made in 1974 and is considered to be a Blaxploitation film, but it feels different. Oh, and nobody has EVER EVA EVA EEEEVAAA walked down a flight of stairs with as much style and grace as Willie “Swag Daddy” Dynamite!

Gigi: I grew up watching plenty of Shirley Temple movies on TMC and this film reminded me of my love for musicals when I saw it a few years ago. It’s about a young tomboy named Gigi (Leslie Caron) in 1900’s Paris who is in training to become a courtesan. She ends up winning the heart of rich Parisian playboy (Louis Jordan), but for me it was all about the fabulous fashion put together by Cecil Beaton. When I think about the subject though, the movie was kinda creepy seeing as how they were raising this child to be a glorified well read and cultured whore. But if you look back, lots of Hollywood movies are centered around whores or celebrate them, including the fashion set favorite “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

School Daze: Ironically, I did not see this Spike Lee joint until my freshman year in college. If you ask many HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) grads what made them attend a Black school, they will say either “A Different World” or “School Daze”, or both. School Daze was basically about a guy (Spike Lee) wanting to pledge a fraternity at college, but it dealt with so much more in our community- class struggles, light skin vs. dark skin, Greeks and non Greeks, sexism and so much more. It is just as powerful and impactful today in 2017 as it was when it came out in 1988. Also it was a (soon to be) star studded cast, launching the careers of Laurence Fishburn, Tisha Campbell, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison and more.

Mahogany: Made in 1975, starring Diana Ross the Boss and Mr. Colt 45 himself, Billy Dee Williams- this rags to riches love story is probably one of my favorite fashion movies of all time! Diana plays Tracey, a fashion designer living in the rough and tough inner city slums of Chicago who puts herself through fashion school, makes it all the way to the top just to find that love and success don’t always match up. Once I found out Diana designed most of her costumes, I was sold forever!

*Pink Flamingos: Listen. Honestly this isn’t my favorite in fact, I would never voluntarily see it again. And I can’t even tell you about this film because I worked so hard trying to erase the images from my mind while trying to preserve the incredibly self styled characters in this 1972 John Waters directed movie. But it’s so bizarre and indescribable that I’m kinda glad I did see it cause I feel like I’m a part of a clique of a random group of weirdos who has seen this grotesque, trailer trash, campy film lol. It stars infamous drag queen actress Divine as Babs Johnson,the protagonist trying to keep her title as the “Filthiest Person Alive” and I will just leave it as that… I got hip to John Waters by watching “Hairspray” with Ricki Lake and later “Crybaby” with Johnny Depp. This ain’t that.

What’s really ironic to me is how relevant the movie is today when we look at how far people go to become internet famous, stunting for the gram and ridiculing themselves and others just to go viral on social media. This wild ass movie was ahead of its time, but if you decide to watch- please watch at your own risk! Don’t say I didn’t warn you lol.

Like I mentioned before, the costumes were incredible and I styled a Pink Flamingos inspired photo shoot back in 2013, that you can read about here. The dramatic use of color, shape and attitude inspired this really fun shoot:

 

Those are my top ten favorite movies of all time (with the exception and addition of Pink Flamingos!) Have you seen any of them? If so which ones and what are your favorites? Tell me about a really bizarre movie that you will never see again in the comments below!