We thought it was time to share some films that you've been told not to watch but are secretly pretty good.
Jawbreaker
The plan to kidnap Liz, one of the most popular girls of Reagan High School, goes horribly wrong when her three friends, Courtney, Marcie and Julie, three of Reagan High School's most popular girls, plan to kidnap another member of their clique: Liz.
Things go wrong when Liz chokes to death on a jaw-breaker. The leader, Courtney,
will stop at nothing to keep their secret.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
Showgirls
A young drifter called Nomi (Elizabeth Berkley) arrives in Las Vegas with barely any belongings but a dream to become the city's top showgirl. As she begins clawing and pushing her way to the top, she begins to wonder if it's all worth it.
Available on MUBI.
Cruel Intentions
Cruel, rich city girl Kathryn makes a bet with her equally unbearable stepbrother Sebastian to sleep with the new headmaster's daughter: Annette. If he succeeds, he'll win the one prize he hasn't been able to quite grasp. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Sebastian really begins to fall for Annette.
Available on Amazon Prime Video.
Starship Troopers
A thinly veiled satire of Western military, Starship Troopers has seen
new life in recent years. In the future, Johnny Rico and his friends join the
Mobile Infantry. Rico progresses from recruit to eventual officer against the backdrop of an war between mankind and a spider-like species known as “the Bugs”.
Available on DisneyPlus.
I would suggest that Starship Troopers is not “a thinly veiled satire of Western military” at all. It is rather it is an attack on the fascism inherent within states. There is a for example distinction between citizens and civilians, with the former having served in the military and the latter not. There is also clearly the enemy, who are non-human and therefore inferior even when they are provoked into wat and are quite successful. But as aliens — bugs — they are derided and denied any mercy. While the original novel by Heinlein promotes the gung-ho machismo of the Starship Troopers, the film’s director grew up under Nazi rule in the Netherlands and experienced similar attitudes from such poli…