Angi Moss Tells The Tale Of Her Top Ten

In no particular order

 1. This Is Spinal Tap-

So obvious, but it seemed wrong not to include it. This movie is on a million "greatest" movie lists for good reason. This movie helped shape a part of my brain (for better or worse), but to be honest, the the first time I watched it, I didn’t quite get what all the fuss was about it. I simply didn’t GET it. Teenagers are dumb. Thankfully, I rewatched it shortly thereafter & it all clicked. Still holds up over all these years. There is simply no better or more accurate film on the subject of rock n roll. 

2. American Werewolf In London-

That tense scene at the beginning in the Slaughtered Lamb is so unnerving….only to be outdone in anxiety by the boys losing their way through the woods. You can barely make out what is happening, but somehow listening to it happen was even worse. I saw this when I was way too young to see this. When a film is as good as this, I guess it distracts the parents enough from the fact that their kids are intently transfixed by gore & boobs. This film really has it all. 

3. Danger: Diabolik-

 James Bond is a boring twat; Diabolik has style. I want to live inside this movie. 

4. Repo Man-

My love of aliens, punk & Harry Dean Stanton all comes together. Actually, this is probably where that love started. I always revered the classic Chevy Malibu after seeing this as a teenager. It’s a sweet ride. Bonus: it kills cops & nosy lookie loos.

5. Zombi-

One of my first tastes of Italian horror and still a favorite. A common trick in horror is to not show the actual dirty deeds. Hitchcock obviously mastered this. Implied violence is scary because your mind will often show you something far worse than what a production can convincingly pull off. In comes 70’s Italian horror to break the trend so beautifully…..I was so excited to finally be shown what I had always wanted to see. Instead of the camera pulling away at the last second, or cut away editing, they dug right in & allowed you to fester along in anguish. You know that zombie vs shark scene? I read that Fulci filmed that in a swimming pool. This movie is a gross masterpiece. Hail the maestro!

 6. Dario Argento's Opera-

 Argento’s Suspiria is always viewed as his best, as well as one of the greatest Italian horror films of all time, and for good reason. However, Opera is rarely ever mentioned & I think it’s every bit as good. If not for the peephole scene alone.

 7. Ghostbusters-

I’ve probably seen this movie more than any other movie. It’s untouchable in my eyes. If you want to say bad things about this movie to my face, we can’t be friends anymore. 8. Frankenstein

My favorite Universal Monster. Creature From The Black Lagoon is a close second, but I always go back to Frankenstein’s Monster. The original misunderstood gentle giant. And the first movie that really taught me about not judging a book by its cover (even though I’m pretty good at it). Aw, shucks. 

9. Holy Mountain-

I am not a religious person, but if Alejandro Jodorowsky started a cult, I’d be a card carrying member. This is his masterpiece.

 10. Barfly-

I always thought Mikey Rouke did a great job as Bukowski, but apparently, Bukowski didn’t think so. He thought Mikey was too much of a pretty boy (if only he could see him now. Woof!). If ol’ Charles only knew that one day Matt Dillon would play him in a steaming turd called Factotum, he may have cut Mikey a break. Really though, it’s Faye Dunaway that shines the brightest in Barfly. So many hilarious & quotable lines between the two of them…almost makes being a helpless dirt bag alcoholic maggot seem worth it.

Honorable mention goes to: Rollerball, Death Race 2000, UHF, Humanoids From The Deep & They Live.

Angi has over 15 years experience with working with movies. Movie theaters, movie sales, movie rentals and was even in a couple. Check out the documentary, AT THE VIDEO STORE (about the rise & fall of video stores) due out in 2015.