True Confessions...

        
                Much as I would like to convince myself (and others) that I am a mature, logical, and cultured person sometimes my taste in media baffles even myself. I sometimes come to find that I enjoy a movie or TV episode despite the numerous plot holes and general ridiculousness of the story. Sometimes I will watch something as a child and then let the nostalgia factor blind me to all of its obvious faults as I age. It is a strange phenomena, but it certainly happens. So while I labour my way through my next review I thought I would prepare a little list for you all; here I am to come clean to you, my readers, as to what my Top 10 Guilty Pleasures in media are (and no I don't like Moulin Rouge, nor do I feel compelled to include gems such as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace or Disney's Hercules).

10: High School Musical

            Only the first one, mind…only the first one! Embarrassingly enough, I came into this particular franchise rather late (i.e. about four years after its last threads of preteen popularity had finally disintegrated) when I purchased the DVD at a second-hand shop. I put off watching it for about a month – still a bit contrary about the whole hype surrounding the movies – before I finally sat down and watched the whole thing one Friday night over fish fingers and ranch dressing. And you know what? It wasn’t half bad. Sure it was a bit cheesy and generic, containing enough teen drama to make Twilight shameful and the tritest ending I have ever seen, but I found myself enjoying the music and the characters. Granted the only ones I really connected with were Sharpay and Ryan (go figure) but I still enjoyed this ridiculous movie despite all of my attempts to hate it. It is mediocre and extremely soppy - but if it happens to be playing at someone's house or it's a rainy day with nothing else to do, I will sit down at watch it.

9: Rankin/Bass The Hobbit

            Oh for the innocent days of childhood when Smaug was an evil Santa Claus-bearded-lizard-thing and Gollum an emo frog! Nah, not really…this movie does indeed have its cringe-worthy moments (including, but not limited to, the entire Mirkwood Spiders scene) and a very hairy, beacon-eyed Smaug who drooled worse than a snoozing pug. I think I enjoy this movie mainly because of nostalgia (it was the first Middle-Earth adaptation I ever saw) and because of the amazing music. Trust me: just hear a few bars of any of the songs and you’ll be singing them all day! The animation isn’t great – it is Rankin/Bass, after all – but the storytelling is pretty solid and captures the spirit of the original book and characters quite well. What can I say? I still enjoy watching this film from time to time.

8: Miss Congeniality 2

            Generally I stay as far away from sequels as I can, simply because they very rarely ever manage to live up to the original (the Narnia franchise comes to mind…) and I hate to have my perception of their respective universes altered/lessened by a shoddy sequel. Needless to say, my enjoyment of the first Miss Congeniality movie was so great that when I saw the sequel in a discount shop I broke my self-imposed restriction and laid down the money to purchase it. And you know what? It wasn’t half-bad. It followed the first story along a logical progression of events and didn’t feel tacked on or shoehorned in. The story was a bit corny and had a few unnecessary awkward spots…but on the whole it was a rather enjoyable experience. I wouldn’t place this movie on a list of my favourite films – but it is certainly something worth watching once in a while.

7: Merlin: Goblin’s Gold

            Uh…hehe…I really have no excuse for this one. I just enjoy watching Arthur with donkey ears (and the voice). The humour is juvenile – at best – and the plot leaves much to be desired; yet I still go back and watch it over and over again.

6: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

            I know, I know: it doesn’t follow the book and the changes made don’t really make it a better story. And yet, I enjoyed this movie more than I probably should have (especially considering the fuss I made at Prince Caspian). The thing is: I’ve always been a fan of myths and the stories of the Greek gods, goddesses, and demigods have been no exception to my obsession. So to see them come to the big screen and be (mostly) flawlessly melded with modern day just had me hooked to begin with. The movie has major flaws, I’ll admit, but I still find it quite a bit of fun to watch.

5: 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure

            Perhaps the only Disney Sequel that I have ever enjoyed (aside from Lion King 1½ which is technically a spoof) this is a choice that is pure fluff. I find Cruella funny and I actually find her new sidekick (a stereotypical geeky artist) absolutely hilarious…which probably just proved to all of you just how easy I can be amused by a script making fun of someone. The story is almost nonexistent, the animation is amazingly lazy, and it’s a Disney Sequel – yet I can enjoy it. Who would have guessed?

4: Disney’s Oliver Twist

            This is worth watching just to hear Elijah Wood attempt a Cockney accent. Aside from that, it is a loose retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic story that is humorous and has a surprising amount of heart (largely due to Wood – who plays The Dodger – and Nancy’s actress). Not a movie I watch often – but definitely one I enjoy.

3: Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story

            I remember the first time I saw this move; I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It was, of course, before the long siege of fairy tale retellings began to stakeout Hollywood and to my young, folktale-obsessed mind this was the greatest since sliced bread. This movie has its moments of amazing amidst all of the mediocrity as well as a soundtrack that ranges from dark and spooky to chillingly beautiful depending on the scene. So yeah – its not maybe as well done as something like Hansel and Gretel: Witchhunters, but it’s worlds ahead of Mirror, Mirror and I would gladly watch it over and over again.

2: Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot

            Oh this episode…I have mixed feelings on it. As a reviewer I recognise the painfully contrived and unoriginal story of the script and the Oh-My-Gosh-They-Killed-Rory ending that was not tension building nor tear jerking. But c'mon - it’s got pirates, guys, and a part of me just can’t pass up an opportunity to hear Matt Smith make cracks about Freudian Psychology to a group of seafaring rogues. As a critic I feel that I should hate this shoddy mess. As a fangirl, I just can’t get enough.

1: Eragon

            I’m sorry! Really I am properly ashamed of myself…but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying this movie immensely. I was never a particular fan of the original book series, so that’s probably why the movie adaptation doesn’t seem to tick me off quite the way that it does more passionate fans. Besides – it’s got a dragon! I mean, half the reason I’m excited for The Desolation of Smaug is that there’s going to be Smaug the Dragon as the main antagonist! Never mind that he’s voiced by the amazing Cumberbatch…he’s still a dragon! Now, Eragon is riddled with flaws – a fact which I won’t even try to deny or justify. But if you can look past some of the almost campy over-dramatics and sometimes-contradictory (or threadbare) plot and just enjoy the scenery and the dragon then you should be able to guiltily take pleasure in this film right alongside me.

        So now that I've exposed my lack of taste and culture to you all, it's your turn to tell me. What are some 'guilty pleasures' that you enjoy when it comes to your movies? Do you even consider those on my list to be worthy of a 'guilty pleasures' list and if not, what would you rank as cheesy enough to be considered worthy?