“‘I shall not cause harm to any vehicle nor the personal contents thereof, nor through inaction let the personal contents thereof come to harm’.”

Frequently, cult films achieve their status after suffering through the indignities of critical pannings and poor box office showings only to emerge years later as sleepers, championed by a vociferous minority who see gold where others only saw dreck (Showgirls, anyone?). Alex Cox’s Repo Man (1984) is the rare cult favorite that received accolades during its initial run.  In his July, 1984 review in the New York Times, Vincent Camby wrote, “Repo Man. . .is a most engaging reprieve from Hollywood’s general run of laid-back comedies of simulated nastiness and half-baked nonchalance”.

Since then, Cox’s debut film has made it to the top of dozens of lists including several Best of 1984s, one of the top 25 movies made about LA, and an impressive rank of Number 7 on Entertainment Weekly’s Top 50 Cult Movies.

What’s not to love about Repo Man? 1980s Los Angeles with its thriving punk scene, a young Emilio Estevez, secret government agents, a mysterious Chevy Malibu and the thrilling, delinquent exhortation to “get sushi and not pay”. As Camby wrote 27 years ago, “exactly what happens in Repo Man. . .can’t easily be synopsized”, yet the experience of the film is every bit as enjoyable as it was when it debuted.

photo credit: Alan Light

Will you be watching the Oscars on Sunday?

Whether you’ve already printed out your Academy Award Bingo cards or you can’t even name a single nominee for Best Picture, the Library can help you prepare for the big event.

Browse our rental collection for a variety of films nominated for the 83rd Academy Awards. We have DVD representation from many of award categories: from Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress to Art Direction, Make-Up and Soundtrack!

Here’s a test for you Oscar buffs: can you name the category/ies for which these films were nominated?

• Alice in Wonderland
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Kids Are All Right
• Inception
• Iron Man 2
• The Social Network
• The Town
• Toy Story 3
• The Wolfman

“Everybody betrayed me! I fed up with this world!”

Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (1998) defies description.  Wiseau-Films would have you believe that this movie is “an electrifying American black comedy about love, passion, betrayal and lies” on par with the work of Tennessee Williams. Critics marveled at the unrelenting awfulness of the film– from the gaping plot holes and poorly dubbed dialog, to the egregious use of a greens screen and the bafflingly bad acting (”When Wiseau speaks in The Room, he sounds like Borat trying to do an impression of Christopher Walken playing a mental patient”, IFC). An anonymous cast member claimed the film was intended to be a drama and that Wiseau has repackaged The Room as a comedy in order to make “the best of an extremely bad job” (EW).

Whether you think it’s uproariously funny, extraordinarily bad or a strange combination of the two, there is no denying that The Room has cult appeal.  Midnight shows of the film are staged with Rocky Horror Picture Show-like participation from zealous audience members. And a particularly exemplary clip went viral in 2003 and achieved official meme status from the folks at Know Your Meme. Just Google “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” and you’ll see not only how far-reaching the meme is, but have an opportunity to see Wiseau at his “best”.

For the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring Cult Films from our DVD collection.  Look for reviews here on the blog, selected DVDs displayed in the collection and more!

Do you have a favorite cult film you’d like to recommend? Wondering why we don’t have a must-see movie?  Join the discussion on our Facebook page.

And don’t forget– we take requests! Drop a DVD recommendation in our suggestion box or send it along electronically. We’re always looking for great movies to add to our collection!

Check out the Library events calendar to see what’s happening in the Library.

Main exhibit case:
Celebrating Black History Month

On display are selections from the Library’s collections by or about African Americans.

For information about exhibiting your work in the library, see the Library Exhibit Policy or contact Rebecca Cremin, Library Coordinator, at (630) 942-2978.

The Library will remain closed all day on Thursday, February 3. Normal hours will resume Friday, February 4. For the most up-to-date information on the College closing, visit www.cod.edu.