Sep 26 2008
What is a B+ Movie?
There are movies that reside on the middle of the new release wall at Blockbuster made by unknown directors and well known actors that need to fill out a contract. They are direct to video and unrated director’s cuts. Mixed in amongst them are foreign films, sequels to movies you’ve never heard of, and flicks that hope to gain your attention with box covers that look deciptively similar to big budget films.
These are the movies that when I hit the lottery I want to rent by the armful and spend a week at a time immersing myself in. These are the one’s you catch at 3am on cable and wonder how did it get made, what the hell is going on and why didn’t anyone tell you about this? They are not B movies, they are B+.
B+ movies are better than they should be. What keeps you watching is well done stunt work and gratuitous nudity. It’s amazing scripts with bad special effects. It’s original takes on familiar patterns. It’s incredible acting framed by mediocre lighting. It’s pet projects, experiments and blatant attempts to freak you out. It’s the best in cinema with a side of film school cautionary tales.
Not every movie in the middle rack is a B+ movie. Some are simply B movies. Some are just crap. My goal in this blog is to convey to you what I love in these films, introduce you to no name movies that hit the bullseye and maybe discuss where a few missed the mark.
B+ Movies. Because B doesn’t have to stand for Bad.
