Cult classics

What is a cult classic? A cult classic is a film that has garnered a dedicated and energetic fan base. It's that film that you hear quoted often, but you might not have heard of it. Today, we're going to look at some cult classic films that have made their mark on pop culture.

Side note: for the sake of time and length, some directors have been limited to one film. There are some films listed that are just one out of many amazing cult classics from the same director.

Number 1: Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino

W'e kicking off the list with a heavy hitter. Two hit men, a gangster's wife, a boxer, and two thieves in love all come together in this Tarantino classic. Tarantino's gift for quick dialogue and storytelling is a marvel to behold.

Other greats: Death Proof, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill.

Number 2: Big Lebowski directed by the Cohen Brothers

"The Dude" Lebowski is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name, and goes on a wild journey to get restitution for his soiled rug. The witty dialogue and trippy storyline make this one of the Cohen brothers finest.

Other greats: Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading

Number 3: Clerks directed by Kevin Smith

Clerks follows two convenience store clerks as they deal with annoying customers, play hockey on the roof of the store, and talk about movies. This film captures the mundane yet interesting life of a retail employee. This film happens to also be Kevin Smith's directing debut, made in black and white to save money.

Films to mess with your mind.

Plots to films these days tend to be pretty easy to follow; This character goes on a quest, finds love, rinse, repeat. However, once in a while, you find a film that twists reality. You find a film that sends you on a crazy, psychedelic roller coaster ride. Today, we're going to talk about three of the trippiest, crazy films out there!

Number 1: Fight Club directed by David Fincher

Fight Club follows our insomniac, office working narrator (Edward Norton) as he befriends Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a soap salesman. The two decide to open and underground fight club where men can go to release their aggression in hand to hand combat. Soon fight clubs pop up across the country, but something more than just a fight club begins to evolve.

Number 2: Momento directed by Christopher Nolan

A man with short term memory loss (Guy Pearce) on a quest to find the person who murdered his wife (Carrie-Ann Moss), with her killing being the last full memory he has. While we see him on his quest, another story line plays at the same time, filling in the gaps and building on the suspense.

Number 3: 2001: A Space Odyssey directed by Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece centers around a pair of astronauts sent to investigate a mysterious foreign object on the moon's surface. The pair is guided by a clever and ominous A.I, HAL 9000. While the film is very long, it's filled with mind blowing visuals and a killer score that make it one of the greatest films of all time.

Why Selma should have won.

For those of you who are aware, the Oscars weren't that long ago. I was unfortunately not able to view the show until yesterday. I remember scrolling through my Twitter and Facebook the night of and the morning after the ceremony and reading the usual Oscar comments; who wore it best, the funny jokes Neil Patrick Harris made, and the joy and sorrows of who won. The performance at the Oscars that I enjoyed the most was Common and John Legend performing "Glory", the best original song nominee from the film Selma. When I saw the posts saying it won best song, I was overjoyed. I thought Selma was an amazing film and was excited to see that it earned some recognition. What I failed to realize was that it was only nominated for two categories: Best film and best original song. Where were the other nominations? Surely there would be more. Best director? Best actor? Nothing else?

The Oscars always have been somewhat bias. After all, the academy decides, not the people. I don't want to delve too far into this topic for now, however, I will share this video and article from The Huffington Post about diversity at the Oscars and ask everyone to think about the time we live in and the impact this win could've had.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/20/oscars-diversity-problem_n_6709334.html