Colette Birthday: Movies Colette Has Insisted Izzi Watch

Kickass illustrator, film aficionado, and occasional Tape Freaks contributor Izzi Xiques has compiled another list of films we've forced her to watch! (See her lists on movies Tim's insisted she watch here and here.) 

Tim is responsible for plenty of movies I was resistant to watch but ended up loving, but Colette is responsible for a fair share as well. And when Colette insists on a movie, it usually ends up being extremely kick-ass! So for her birthday, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite kickass films she has brought into my life.

Looper (2012): I was super opposed to watching Looper because as far as I could tell from watching the trailers, it was just another mainstream action flick. But, it was made by Rian Johnson (who I've been fan of since seeing his 2005 crime noir Brick), so I really should have known better. This intelligent film does not disappoint as it dismantles sci-fi tropes and bursts at the seams with heart; it's an unexpected breath of fresh air.

RoboCop (1987): This one I'd actually seen many years ago and had totally written it off as boring. When Colette found out that's how I felt, she insisted I revisit it because she could not accept that it didn’t land with me. Here's what Colette knew about this movie that now I know too: Robocop is a cinematic masterpiece. Honestly, E.D. 209 alone had me hooked, but it's also witty, smart, never takes itself too seriously, and gets gritty AF! I am very glad I gave it a second shot.

They Live (1988): Every time the Tape Freaks household's laundry is done, Colette wears her Atomic Cotton They Live shirt first, so I'm honestly surprised we hadn't watched this film sooner. (And about a week after we watched it the Trylon announced they were playing it on 35mm!) Just before we finally sat down to watch it, Colette told me many pop culture things were going to suddenly make sense, which they definitely do now. Wow. I also discovered that sometimes fight scenes that seem too long are actually just right...

Demon Knight (1995): Okay so Colette didn’t personally show this one to me, but this was her pick for year for her birthday screening last year, and it was life changing. This Tales From the Crypt film is so much fun but really, what could top Jada Pinkett Smith fighting demon Billy Zane to the death? Nothing, that's what. (Well, a sequel that featured Pinkett as the ultimate badass she clearly is could have topped it, but no surprise, they dropped the ball on that one.)