Tall Drink of Water

Movie Dictators

It started innocently enough. I invited my friends Dan, Kirsti, and Natalie over to my Roscoe Street apartment to watch movies with Pretty Boys (and Men) in them. Natalie brought her best bud, Jenni. The films that eve: Swing Kids, Much Ado About Nothing (1993), and Desperado.

During the first break, Kirsti mentioned an idea a friend of hers had in college. A person would host a party and choose two or three movies to show. The audience had no say in the matter, and each film had to be shown in its entirety. No fast forwarding and no leaving the room, even if someone had seen the film before, even if it was stupid or gross, even if it was soul killing.

She called it Movie Dictator Night. We all thought it was a great idea, and Kirsti hosted the first official MDN a few weeks later.

Kirsti also mentioned that Kenneth Branagh has no upper lip, and I still can't look at the man without thinking that. Damn you, Kirsti! Damn you to hell!

There are only two rules for Movie Dictator: No porn and no Oliver Stone. Most nights have a theme; mine have included "Ice, Ice Baby" and "Triple Threat." Some people, like Bruce, chose great movies like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. There's other people, like Greg, who will show one bad flick and one "good" one (Trust me, the quotation marks are necessary). Then there's me, who deliberately inflicts heinousness on her hapless viewers.

Some have dropped by the wayside (Maggie, Pam) and we picked up some new blood (Ellen, Andrew, Cinnamon), but the core group of 12 or so remains solid, and I am lucky to count them people as my closest friends. Honestly, the fact that they still talk to me after I foisted The Pirate Movie on them speaks volumes: of their masochism or of their loyalty, I'm still not sure.

Andrew wrote about his first MDN here. If you wonder why we enjoy watching bad movies, read my homage to B-Fest. And last weekend, we compiled a list of everything shown at MDNs since its inception... I want to say five years ago? Check it out.

Droolfest (a.k.a. where Movie Dictator was born)
Swing Kids
Much Ado About Nothing
Desperado

Movies/Shorts/Television Shown at Movie Dictator Nights
The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T
The Baby
Babycakes
Batman serial from the 1940s
Baxter
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best of Everything
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Buckaroo Banzai
Caged Heat
Cannibal the Musical
Casablanca
Change of Habit
A Christmas Story
The Craft
Crossroads (2002)
Cry-Baby
The Cutting Edge
Dames
Dracula (in Spanish)
Dr. Strangelove
A Fish Called Wanda
The Forbidden Planet
Friends Till the End
Fright Night
Funny Lady
Johnny Guitar
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Glitter
Happy Accidents
A Hard Day's Night
Heavenly Creatures
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
JC
Jerry's (Tom Polazzolo)
La Jetee
Last Picture Show
The Last Temptation of Christ
Leave Her to Heaven
Logan's Run
Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town
The MacKenzie Break
Maltese Falcon
Martin
Masters of the Universe
Master of the Flying Guillotine
Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human
Me and Him
Miracle Mile
Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Monsoon Wedding
Mother Goose Rocking Rhyme
Monolith Monsters
Neil Diamond Parking Lot
Norma Rae
Oliver!
Omega Man
On the Waterfront
Piranha II: The Spawning
The Pirate Movie
Purple Rain
Rock and Roll High School
Rejected
Social Sciences 127 (Danny Lyon)
Some Like It Hot
Song of the South
Soylent Green
Spirit of '76
Steamboat Bill Jr.
Tenacious D
Stoney Knows How
Stunt Rock
The Sun's Gonna Shine
Star Wars Holiday Special
Sweet Smell of Success
Swept Away
The Tall Guy
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
This Is Love Story
Top Gun
Three Little Pigs
War Games
The Warriors
What's Up, Tiger Lily?
Wing Chun
The Women
The Worst Witch
Xanadu
Zardoz