As social networking sites such as Facebook become more popular, we're learning more and more about the movie tastes of our family and friends. Sure, some of them will only admit to loving classics such as "Citizen Kane" or "It's a Wonderful Life," but the more honest among them will hit LIKE on pages for movies that aren't really Oscar material.
We convinced some of our staff members to confess to their film guilty pleasures. Share yours in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
'Twilight' saga
I get teased mercilessly by my family, co-workers and (some) friends for this, but I stand by my love for the entire “Twilight Saga” franchise. Are the movies cheesy? For sure! Is the acting good? Not particularly. The special effects eye-popping? Hardly. But the films, like the books, transport my 30-something self back to my silly high-school girl days, when love was all-consuming and the only thing that mattered. I’d argue maybe even farther back, to a little girl’s dreams of a rich and gorgeous Prince Charming who worships every little thing about her and makes life perfect. But beyond the romance, there are also the vampires … those studly vampire guys with their chiseled abs, amazing strength, beautiful smiles and sparkly skin. And brought to life by Robert Pattinson, Kellan Lutz and Jackson Rathbone? Swoon! But let us never speak of the smelly werewolves. (Team Edward!) See you at the theater on Nov. 18! —Anna Chan
'Alien vs. Predator'
I kinda like all of the "Alien" films, for different reasons. But when "AVP" came out the mere name screamed "trashy rip-off" and "plumbing the furthest depths of fan pockets," yet I succumbed — and to my surprise, I found the Paul W.S. Anderson script and direction fun, scary and satisfying. OK, so it turned the whole "Alien" and "Predator" universes on their heads by indicating that Earth was once used by the Predators as their hunting ground for the Aliens, but if you can buy the new "Star Trek" film universe, anything's possible. Here you get a classic haunted house story. A group of diverse folks — including Spud from "Trainspotting" and a good-hearted, non-synthetic Lance Henriksen — enter a hole in the earth and most don't emerge. The film mixes that with horror and mystery, and viewers end up with a new heroine, guide Alexa Woods, to trust and admire. That penultimate scene, where the Predator "marks" her as a warrior? I think I choked up a bit. —Randee Dawn
'Strange Brew'
While 1983’s “Strange Brew” may not be considered a cinematic classic, its frothy mix of low-brow humor, murder mystery and Shakespeare (it's very, very loosely based on "Hamlet") have kept me laughing for years. The brothers McKenzie give away dad’s (voiced by Mel Blanc) beer money, so they use a mouse raised in a beer bottle as a ruse to get free beer. During the film, Doug and Bob battle their evil dog, evil hockey players and an evil brewmeister bent on world domination. The movie is full of great quotes, and a hilarious set-up of “Planet of the Apes” and every other post-apocalyptic movie ever made. I give it two bottles up, and hosers, it’s now on Netflix. —Dave Gostisha
'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'
In real-life, I'm a mom with a mortgage, but apparently in my heart I'm a frat boy, because I own both "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" on DVD. "Dude" has its moments, but "Harold & Kumar" is the funnier of the two. Some of the scenes are gross-out stupid but others are hilarious. Neil Patrick Harris, of course, steals every scene he's in, but what works most for me is Harold and Kumar's friendship. The bold and brassy Kumar knows just how far he can push nerdier Harold and he also knows that his pal isn't the goody-two-shoes brainiac he may appear to be. It also may be the only movie ever with a marijuana-as-housewife dream sequence. —Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
'Autumn in New York'
There are so, so many embarrassing things about the 2000 tearjerker romance “Autumn in New York.” Richard Gere and Winona Ryder fall in love, despite the fact that she could easily be his daughter. He’s a restaurant owner playboy with an awesome Manhattan pad, she’s a perky, quirky girl who designs really weird hats. And of course, she’s dying! It’s “Love Story” with an age difference, much dumber script, and did I mention the horrible hats? I’d like to say that I get hooked in by the movie because it shows a pre-9/11 New York, all warm and golden-toned, like a page in a calendar. But I’m not sure that’s it. Maybe I have a generation-jumping crush on Gere in this film. Maybe sometimes I just need a good cry. Maybe it’s the awful hats. –G.F.C.
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