Top 50 Favourite Movies

50. Cecil B. Demented (John Waters, 2000)

To begin my list regarding my 50 favourite films, is this hilarious satire that bashes the mainstream film system in Hollywood specifically in the wonderful style expected from John Waters. The film is “Cecil B. Demented”, directed by John Waters and released in 2000. The film’s plot is relatively straight forward, following a famous actress who is kidnapped by a group of underground filmmakers and is forced to star in their movie where they wreak havoc onto the streets of Baltimore, all whilst gathering a fanbase along the way with the outsiders in the city. The film was released in 2000 at the Cannes Film Festival where it screened Out of Competition to mediocre press with critics such as Roger Ebert giving it a 1.5/4 star review, and given the time the film was released, I suppose I see why. People all over the world were changed by the cultural revolution that had taken place in the 1990s that still have effects on society today. The film also took jabs at the Hollywood film system, which was and still is very problematic, with quotes such as “Hey hey MPAA, how many movies have you censored today?”, or “Patch Adams did not need a director’s cut, the first one was long enough!”, which is said when they invade a screening of the “Patch Adams” Director’s Cut. The film features many of John Waters typical trademarks, the obvious being the film set in Baltimore, and whilst the depravity of his previous films is toned down to the point of almost not being there at all due to the film itself being a product of Hollywood, but the absurdity still remains as seen in other films of his. An aspect I love so much of this film is how John Waters has been someone battling Hollywood and censorship boards for a very long time, with multiple films of his being classified the horrific rating of NC-17 in America. It feels that his own personal experience has largely influence this movie and when writing the screenplay. Whilst Waters was certainly controversial in his works, his movies were never meant to be politically charged romps, but that is where Cecil B. Demented stands out from the rest. He is making his own statement on how Hollywood governs so much power over the creation of art, and in the magnificent documentary “This Film is Not Yet Rated” by Kirby Dick, John Waters explains how one of his movies was classified NC-17, and when John Waters asked what could be done, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) responded by saying that there were so many obscene scenes that they stopped taking notes, in which Waters says that he was very shocked. Back to the movie, it is overall just a lot of fun with political undertones. Stephen Dorff plays Cecil B. Demented, and he is the leader of this group of underground filmmakers. He clearly has a distaste for mainstream cinema and censorship, which is obviously an embodiment of John Waters’ own feelings regarding Hollywood. Melanie Griffith is Honey Whitlock, the mega superstar who is kidnapped and forced to star in their underground film, and her character is an embodiment of how actresses are and Honey Whitlock develops severe Stockholm Syndrome, loving her captors and believing it is the only way. Overall, I love this film for its biting satire on mainstream cinema and how important it is to me.