Top 5 Counterculture movies...

Movies are an important indication of culture. The type of movies that people enjoy, I think, can say a lot about what they enjoy in life, what their beliefs are, what turns them on or off...  As Nick Hornby said in High Fidelity, it may be shallow, but films, books, movies -- these things matter.

The first time that you meet someone, and are trying to know them better, one of the first questions you ask is, "What kind of movies do you like?" For this reason, I think that outlining what type of movies modern Counterculturalists enjoy, as I did with the bands, can give some clue into what they think and feel, and add another line in the sketch of what exactly a Counterculturalist is.

And so, below I've listed my top five modern Counterculutural movies. Some of these movies may have seen some mainstream success, but for the most part they have become, or will become, cult-classics, and, as with my top five bands, any success or failure these films have had with the greater society really doesn't change the impact these films have had in the Counterculture world. (It is important to note, however, that a few Counterculturalists, sticklers mainly, or posers, have been turned off to these movies when they saw mainstream success. But a majority of them that I have talked to will still laugh and enjoy my list.)

You decide what to make of it:

1.) "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
      Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro, "Fear and Loathing" follows the eccentric and absurd trials of Raoul Duke, the egomaniacal, drug-muddled alter-ego of Hunter S. Thompson, the author of the book on which the movie is based. Duke, along with his attorney, Dr. Gonzo (modeled after Thompson's real-life friend, Chicano activist/layer Oscar Z. Acosta) travel to Las Vegas to cover a story and instead find themselves testing the limits of the physical body and hallucinogens. Modern Counterculturalists have looked to this movie almost as a Bible, modeling it and pushing things as far as they think they can go, or further. I once enjoyed this movie for those reasons, but after reading the book and other of Thompson's work, I've come to understand that the story is not a testament to narcotics, but rather a sad chronicle of the total bummer that the "high, white hope" of the 60s drug culture turned out to be.
QUOTE OF NOTE: "All energy flows according to the whim of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy Him." -- Duke, pondering as he fires a revolver aimlessly into the desert.

2.) "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
       Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, this movie follows a couple, Joel (Carrey) and Clementine (Winslet) who visit a company, Lacuna, Incorporated, to have their memories of each other erased after one of their many fights. However, while undergoing the procedure, Joel takes physical trips through his mind and memories, and falls in love with Clementine all over again, deciding that he wants to keep his memories. The film shows the memories falling apart around him like a building in the middle of a demolition, and Joel fights to save the memory of Clementine. The story involves a lot of psychology and philosophy and finding love in the most despicable of ways and the imagery resembles a terrible hallucination... all subjects that modern Counterculturalists employ.
QUOTE OF NOTE: "How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;" as recited by Mary (played by Kirsten Dunst) from "Eloisa to Abelard," a poem by Alexander Pope, from whence the movie gets its title.

3..) "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
      Starring Martin Freeman, Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def and Sam Rockwell, this film follows Arthur Dent (Freeman), a human who only realized his longtime friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def) was an alien when a group of intergalactic administrators destroy Earth to make way for a bypass. Arthur and Ford team up with Arthur's Crush, Trillium (Deschanel) and the President of the Galaxy (Rockwell) and end up searching for the "Ultimate Question" after a super-computer said that the answer to the "Ultimate Question" was "42." This film delves heavily into philosophy and the meaning of life, a subject that modern Counterculturalists often-times obsess over (and many have told me the meaning of life, while under the influence of one intoxicant or another.) The film is based on Douglas Adams' series of sci-fi stories.
QUOTE OF NOTE: Arthur to Ford, after being transformed into a couch by the Improbability Drive: "I feel like a sofa." Ford to Arthur: "I know what you mean."

4.) "Donnie Darko"
      Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Donnie Darko, a manic depressive/bipolar teen who can see God's path for each of us. He is told by an "imaginary friend" (which is really a vision from the future) when the world will end. Donnie slips steadily into madness (or genius, you're never really sure), but in the end his ability to see those paths gives him the chance to bring his love, Gretchen (Jena Malone) back from the dead. Time travel, philosophy, the question of god in reality, psychology, and a retro soundtrack make this movie a staple of the modern Counterculturalist.
QUOTE OF NOTE: Donnie to his mother (played by Mary McDonnell): "How does it feel to have such a [messed] up son?" Her reply: "It feels wonderful."

5.) "SLC Punk!"
      This film follows two anarchist punks living in Salt Lake City, Utah: Stevo (Matthew Lillard) and "Heroin Bob" (Michael Goorjian). Stevo narrates the film, outlining the criteria of a punk and the problems they face living in the ultra-conservative SLC. Much like "Fear and Loathing", "SLC Punk!" is really a testament to the total failure of anarchy and the eventual devastation that drugs will bring, but this movie is often misinterpreted as an all-out pro-acid binge movie. The ones who do get it,  though, still enjoy it for the simple fact that they know that drugs, promiscuity, anarchy, laziness and wrecklessness are inevitable downfalls, but they still try to do as much of all of the above as they can.
QUOTE OF NOTE: "Final synopsis: Nothing." -- Stevo after deeply psycho-analyzing the anatomy of a fight, a favorite past time of a punk in SLC.

Agree with me? Disagree with me? What would be your top 5? Post a comment, send an email to jhinkley@battlecr.gannett.com... This blog is all about discussion.

Comments

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[school_dubl]

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TRAINSPOTTING

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Oh man, how could you not have put down "Amelie"? I watch that over and over again for her hair...her clothes...and just the basic richness of the movie.

[chan]

what about Dazed and Confused

[RamonGustav]

Have you been turned down by other lenders?

[Philip]

American beauty**

[Philip]

American beaity and fight club?

[Gord]

This is the dumbest list and conversation string on the subject of cinema I have ever come across. If you really want to learn anything about counterculture films, try this site: http://www.subcin.com/counterculture.html

[D Anderson]

some good suggestions above, i'd incude the following too.....

1. pi - absolutley stunning in so many ways. scything take on religion,capitalism and modern society. MUST SEE

2. Buffalo66 - Gallo's lo-fi masterpiece

3. GG Alin & The Murder Junkie - compelling documentary of one man's final night of attempting to disassemble society. Messy

4. Dogtown & Zboys - the kids fight for the right. and change youth culture for years to come.

[Meg]

You've forgotten the most important.. the movie that started it all.. Easy Rider

[Meg]

You've forgotten the Godfather of counter-culture films... Easy Rider

[Jon Bird]

I agree with Ben Larrimar. "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was totaly lame. It's a cheesy corperate Disny flick, and them changing the ending was sucks. Save it for the mainsteam list.
Better List:
1. A Clock Work Orange (I love Kuberick)
2. Suberbia, not the new one, the old school one with Flea in it.
3. Eraserhead
4. Athens Georgia Inside Out, I drink beer with one of the stars of that movie @ least once per week. ORT!
5. Pink Floyd the Wall

There were 2 movies on your list that I love a lot:
SLC Punks, it's a total flash back of my youth.
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
I got sick the first time I seen this film on the big screen. I had to punk. Wow! It was a total flash back of my youth.

[Ben Larrimer]

Interesting list. It strikes me that THHTGTG book is an important countercultural novel, if only due to its complete disregard for convention. The movie, however, seems more of a cute family film that follows conventional plot line and lacks the more cynical commentary which made the book great. (note the altered plot line to include romance, a moral climax and a proper "ending"). IMHO it's actually an affirmation of everything cultural. It takes a book on the fringe of tolerability to the average american and tones it down to sell more tickets.