In case of a zombie apocalypse

The title is pretty self-explanatory. These are the people we'd want around to save our asses when the nasty decaying corpses would attack. We've omitted characters with similar traits (eg. Michone). We've rated them according to their survival instinct and skill as well as their capacity for compassion (if they didn't have any, why would they bother helping us?) 

1. Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead. This guy is like Bear Grylls of the zombie world. He'd probably survive almost anything, since he is incredibly self-reliant. The reason he is #1 is because he would definitely save those weaker than himself. And because in the beginning you think that a character like his isn't very compassionate, but boy, does he prove everyone wrong.

2. Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. Hah, we bet you didn't see this one coming. Scarlett doesn't seem to be the most compassionate of humans, but nonetheless she does protect those around her, though begrudgingly so. But it is precisely because of her lack of warmth and her calculating character that she is able to make those difficult decisions that no one else is willing to make.  

3. Michael Vronsky from The Deer Hunter. Just check out his description on our previous list. We really don't need to elaborate why he's a perfect fit for this list. Why he's #3 is the film itself, since it's a drama, the movie doesn't really explore his survivalist side except briefly in the war.

4. Ripley from Alien(s). We took both films, since she emerges victorious through each.  You should be familiar with her character; if you were to be with her in dire circumstances, that means you'd probably make it. 

5. Selena from 28 Days Later. She is, at first, a pure survivalist and very capable as well. Her caring side needs maybe a bit tuning, but she does, eventually, reconnect with her humanity.

6. Mulan from Mulan. Now here we have a highly compassionate person, she would in all likelihood even die to save you. In the Disney-universe she is pretty kick-ass, but in relation to these others, she is a bit softer in character. 

7. Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark. In this character's case, it's the combination of his smarts and his physical ability that would make him good company in a zombie-infested world. 

8. Karen from Blade. She is on this list simply because she's so persistently smart. She has no noteworthy physical skills,  so it's a testament to her quick wit that she manages to survive in a world where people like her normally wouldn't. She's also the main reason we like this film.

9. Richard Hannay from The 39 Steps. Being on the run is a good test of your stamina and your problem-solving skills, we'd guess. This particular fugitive excels in both.

10.  John McClane from Die Hard. This idiot is just so ridiculously headstrong that he'd survive because he would simply refuse to die.

  

We've crossed over to the dark side

Right.......It's so painful to even think about what we're about to write right now that we don't even want to go to the topic...It's time to reveal our guilty pleasures. When we say guilty pleasures, we mean guilty pleasures. Ie. we're actually embarrassed to confess that we like these films. Some we can say that we like (but they're such b-movies that one can't call them good films with a straight face), but others...We'll let you be the judge on what gives us most shame. Without further ado:

1. Tremors. Now here's a b-movie that's so ridiculous and entertaining it's almost a good movie. It's so cheesily funny you just have to enjoy it. 

2. Lethal Weapon. If we had to choose between action or some other lighter genre, we'd pick action. You've all seen this, need we even explain why we like it?

3. Tarzan. Here's a film that wouldn't be on this list if not for two things. Sappiness and 90s' Phil Collins. Really Disney?? Really??

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. We know that most people like this movie as it is. We were both in our teens when we saw it the first time and we were pretty stoked, but after some contemplation and education in good film, this has definitely become a guilty pleasure. It was like The Mask of Zorro; it had been so long since a decent adventure film so we made it into a bigger deal than it really was.

5. Enchanted. Wow, now we're getting deeper in our shame. We have no excuses, this movie just works. 

6. Hairspray. We like the 60s, okay? And the music does get stuck in your head.

7. Confessions of a Shopaholic. And the hits just keep on coming.... We don't even have words for this one. But hey, it passes the Bechdel test, so suck it!

8. Clueless. All the references to Emma weren't lost on us. Also, Paul Rudd was pretty adorable.

9. Broken Arrow. Okay, we want to just dig ourselves graves and never come out again. These last two movies are truly horrific. We mean, awful disasters. This one is not the last simply because John Travolta's overacting is so hilarious. 

10. Hard Rain. Holy shit brain!!!! We don't know if our brains suffered strokes or whatever, but having two Christian Slater movies that we like (and neither is Prince of Thieves which is bad too but at least it has Alan Rickman). We want to fall off the face of the earth.... We told you, it was going to be something shameful. Now you can pat yourself on the back and say "good job, at least you don't have two embarrassingly 90s Slater action movies on your guilty pleasure list".

Pick of the month

Love with the Proper Stranger (1963, Robert Mulligan)

We're surprised that this movie doesn't have a higher profile in modern film society. It has two really legendary actors who weren't merely eye-candy. They could actually act too. First of all, we think this movie is one of the best romantic films ever made. Although, in reality, we couldn't point out the romance, but it still exists in the movie. One needs to watch the film in order to understand that paradox. 

Also, don't be put off by the idea. The surprise pregnancy idea is very overused nowadays (and often badly so), but heck, they really went deep here. And that's simply because the writing is brilliant. These are real characters who do what normal people would do in such a situation. It's no fairytale romance nonsense. Both leads are very sympathetic, even though the guy, at first, comes off as a bit of a...douche. But he's not. For a female character in a romantic film, Angela kicks ass. Holy cow is she awesome! 

Pay special attention to the dialogue, it's what make these characters so deep, complex and relatable. It's the last classic romantic comedy (although it's more of a dramedy, the same as The Apartment).