NEWS: Chris Gore’s Footage Fetishes: 10 Dick Flicks for a Delightful Evening

Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions of films to add to this growing list.

I took a pole of my friends (all males) and we agreed that Eternal Sunshine definitely put the failure of the relationship squarely on Kate Winslet's shoulders. I think that's why it's so appealing to guys. Not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I truly did. Just an observation.

Gonna have to personally bump Serendipity off in favor of another Cusack flick, Grosse Pointe Blank. It qualifies as a "dick flick" because the entire film revolves around Cusack's character (Martin Blank) sorting thru all of the old feelings and neuroses that are brought up by going back to his home town for his tenth year high school reunion, and meeting up with his old girlfriend; plus he's a FUCKING ASSASSIN! The movie has Martin go from meandering down memory lane at his old school locker to killing a rival assassin with a fountain pen, then taking on a small army of rivals while defending his girlfriend and her father. Plus any flick that has Dan Aykroyd getting his head smashed in with a television has my vote for greatness.

Yea, while Serendipity is one of the rare romantic comedies that doesn't make my skin crawl, it's still fundamentally a chick flick.

And, since I'm posting here anyway, I'll add Garden State.

Garden State is pure brilliance. Gah, why are these movies so much better than "chick flicks"? I'm a terrible chick.

I have a theory about that. So put on your hip waders, because when I theorize the bullshit flows freely.

Women are supposed to be emotional, so when you make an emotional movie about them the characters tend to be generic and pretty bland because they represent all women. What you end up with is a pablum of emotional garbage floating around without any real context to tie it to anything other than a vague feeling.

Men aren't normally seen as emotional, so when you make an emotional movie about men it tends to have very specific and well defined men in very specific circumstances - so you have an actual plot with interesting personalities.

I'd describe the genre differently, I think. I think you're referring to films that bring up things about being a man in thiis world that we don't usually talk about. Guys that aren't at their best, aren't at their toughest, aren't at their hunter/gatherer finest.

My list:
1. High Fidelity (without question)
2. Singles (the Campbell Scott arc)
3. The Brothers McMullen
4. Chasing Amy
5. Grosse Pointe Blank (I defy anyone to turn 28 and not relate on some level)
6. Field of Dreams
7. The Graduate
8. Broadcast News
9. Wonder Boys
10.Before Sunset