Zardoz – Sean Connery
In 1974, Sean Connery was so anxious to put James Bond behind him, he agreed to appear in a trippy post-apocalyptic sci-fi in which he plays a simple-minded warrior in a bright orange mankini. Written and directed by John Boorman, Zardoz is very much a product of its time. Some think it’s terrible, others think it’s a misinterpreted classic, but everyone agrees it’s super weird.
The Island of Dr. Moreau – Marlon Brando
H.G. Wells’ original novel The Island of Doctor Moreau is pretty weird to begin with, given it’s about the half-man half-animal creations of a mad scientist. The infamous 1996 film adaptation makes it even weirder thanks to Marlon Brando’s insistence on wearing thick white makeup, putting a bucket on his head and having a diminutive companion. Small wonder the film ruined the legendary actor’s reputation.
Freaked – Keanu Reeves
By 1993, Keanu Reeves was already one of the hottest up-and-coming actors around, when he appeared under heavy makeup as Ortiz the Dog Boy in surreal low budget comedy Freaked. Reeves took the role (without receiving screen credit) as a favor to his Bill & Ted co-star Alex Winter, who co-wrote and directed the film. Unfortunately, not even Reeves’ presence stopped Freaked from flopping hard.
Tusk – Johnny Depp
2014’s Tusk stars Justin Long as a man transformed into a walrus. In case that wasn’t odd enough already, writer-director Kevin Smith also cast Johnny Depp – then at the height of his blockbuster fame – as an ineffectual French-Canadian detective. Depp reportedly did it because his daughter Lily-Rose Depp is close friends with Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith (both of whom also appear in the film).
Xanadu – Gene Kelly
An utterly bizarre mishmash of roller disco musical and abstract fantasy, 1980’s Xanadu is so notoriously bad, it inspired the formation of the Golden Raspberry Awards. Yet for all the film’s astonishing weirdness, nothing boggles the mind so much as the fact that seasoned musical legend Gene Kelly agreed to co-star, in what proved to be his final film appearance.
All About Steve – Sandra Bullock
As beloved as she may be, Sandra Bullock has appeared in her share of total stinkers (remember Speed 2?). However, no Bullock movie proved so odd as 2009’s All About Steve, in which the rom-com queen plays a crazy woman stalking would-be beau Bradley Cooper. It’s painfully unfunny, and seeing the usually loveable Bullock play so unlikeable a character is a strange, unpleasant experience.
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over – Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone was in a lull professionally when he agreed to play villain The Toymaker (plus his multiple alter egos) in 2003’s Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. The gaudy, nonsensical family adventure boasts Stallone’s weirdest performance, but the action icon says if he hadn’t made the film he “would have been disowned by my six-year-old”, who was a huge fan of the Spy Kids movies.
Battlefield Earth – John Travolta
When Battlefield Earth hit screens in 2000, leading man and producer John Travolta had spent many years trying to bring this adaptation of the L. Ron Hubbard sci-fi novel to screens. However, audiences were not prepared to see the Grease icon as a nine-foot alien with dreadlocks and a theatrical cackle. Critics blasted the film, and thoroughly weirded-out audiences stayed away in droves.
Jupiter Ascending – Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum had become one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men by 2015, which made it a little surprising to see him cast as a genetically engineered part-dog alien super-solider with rocket boots in space opera Jupiter Ascending. The madcap, ultra-ambitious film from writer-director duo the Wachowskis left viewers and critics utterly baffled, with most parties finding Tatum more attractive without pointy ears and guyliner.
Catwoman – Halle Berry
Halle Berry was still riding high from her historic 2002 Best Actress Oscar win when she landed the biggest payday of her career ($14 million) to headline comic book movie Catwoman. Unfortunately, this reimagining of the Batman antagonist – in which she has actual cat powers, and dresses like a dominatrix for no discernible reason – turned out to be one of the most misguided blockbusters ever.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle – Robert De Niro
After decades as arguably the most respected actor in the world, Robert De Niro took everyone by surprise when he signed on to play bad guy Fearless Leader in 2000’s cartoon adaptation The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Seeing the Raging Bull Oscar-winner don a monocle and quirky accent, in which he parodies Taxi Driver’s “you talkin’ to me?”, is a profoundly odd experience.
The Mummy – Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise has remained a megastar thanks to his knack for identifying a sure-fire hit. It’s a mystery, then, why Cruise agreed to make 2017’s The Mummy, Universal’s jaw-droppingly misconceived attempt to launch a monster movie cinematic universe. The film’s disastrous performance means we’ll never see the sequels which presumably would’ve explained what Cruise’s character was meant to have turned into by the bizarre climax.
The Book of Henry – Naomi Watts
Few Hollywood stars have balanced fame and acclaim with a tendency to sign onto the wrong projects the way Naomi Watts has. She took top billing in 2017’s The Book of Henry, a jarring mish-mash of family drama and provocative, hard-edged thriller, in which Watts plays the single mother of a genius child who dies suddenly, leaving behind a plan to rescue an abused child.
Gigli – Al Pacino
Thanks to its deeply flawed script and direction and terrible lead performances from Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, 2003’s Gigli already makes for a very strange viewing experience before Al Pacino shows up. Sadly, the screen legend’s supporting turn as the bad guy proves that even an appearance from one of the greatest screen actors alive can’t save a terrible movie.
The Happening – Mark Wahlberg
Nine years after The Sixth Sense made writer-director M. Night Shyamalan Hollywood’s new golden boy, 2008’s The Happening killed that winning streak for good. The bizarre eco-horror sees an epidemic of mass suicides prompted by a toxin produced by nature itself, taking revenge on mankind. Mark Wahlberg took the lead, looks utterly bemused throughout, and has since openly dismissed it as “a really bad movie.”
Hulk – Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly had just won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind when she teamed up with esteemed director Ang Lee for what promised to be an unconventional, intelligent superhero movie, made just as the Marvel movie boom kicked off. Unfortunately, 2003’s Hulk wound up one of the weirdest, most misjudged comic book adaptations ever, veering on a dime from would-be hard-hitting drama to high camp.
Swiss Army Man – Daniel Radcliffe
Before writer-director duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert released their Oscar-hoarding hit Everything Everywhere All At Once, they made their feature debut with 2016’s Swiss Army Man, in which Daniel Radcliffe portrays a corpse who helps Paul Dano’s marooned man survive in the wilderness. Radcliffe had already taken some unexpected roles since Harry Potter, but no one ever anticipated him portraying a flatulent dead body.
The Fountain – Hugh Jackman
After finding fame as Wolverine in the X-Men series, Hugh Jackman was keen to show his range, and 2006’s The Fountain certainly enabled him to do this. Set across three disparate timelines, writer-director Darren Aronofsky’s abstract drama casts Jackman and Rachel Weisz as ill-fated lovers in the 16th century, the present and the far future. Some viewers were deeply moved; many more were just confused.
12 Monkeys – Bruce Willis
When you’re arguably the biggest action heroes of the era it takes a lot of guts to take the lead role in something as bleak and bizarre as 12 Monkeys. Bruce Willis takes the lead in Terry Gilliam’s 1995 sci-fi drama as a man sent back in time to save the future – but his mission goes wrong as he is placed in a psychiatric hospital.
Being John Malkovich – Cameron Diaz
Five years on from her show-stopping debut in 1994’s The Mask, Cameron Diaz surprised many by stepping away from her usual glamorous roles to play the dowdy, insecure Lotte Schwartz in Being John Malkovich. Even without Diaz being almost unrecognizable, director Spike Jonze’s surreal 1999 movie – in which a portal enables people to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich – was already plenty weird.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show – Susan Sarandon
Before Susan Sarandon became one of the most esteemed actresses of her generation, she made an early appearance in what has often been called the greatest cult film ever made: 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Based on the stage musical, the sexually-charged homage to B-movie horror remains a strange spectacle, and few would have thought that meek Janet Weiss would later win an Oscar.
Crimes of Passion – Kathleen Turner
Almost immediately after finding fame in Romancing the Stone, Kathleen Turner flew to the other end of the cinematic spectrum with Crimes of Passion, director Ken Russell’s hugely provocative sexually-charged, blackly comedic thriller. Turner plays a fashion designer who moonlights as a prostitute, and is stalked by a deranged Reverend (Psycho’s Anthony Perkins). The censors were not amused; it was heavily cut for an R-rating.
Brick – Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was still best known for his role in sitcom Third Rock From The Sun when he took the lead in writer-director Rian Johnson’s first movie, 2005’s ultra-low budget thriller Brick. Though it revolves around high schoolers, the script and dialogue are in the vein of an old-fashioned, hardboiled detective story. Somehow, Gordon-Levitt convinces as both a lovelorn teen and a Bogart-esque gumshoe.
The Tree of Life – Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt has always balanced A-list leading man status with weirder, quirkier roles (e.g. True Romance, 12 Monkeys, Snatch), but 2011’s The Tree of Life was too much for some. Essentially a coming-of-age drama set in the 1950s, the action flits backwards and forwards in time, exploring abstract themes about the origin and meaning of life. Critics adored it, but it alienated many viewers.
Southland Tales – Dwayne Johnson
Back when he was still known primarily as The Rock, wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson took a role in a movie that seemed guaranteed to take his career to another level: 2006’s Southland Tales, the second film from Donnie Darko writer-director Richard Kelly. However, Kelly’s incoherent, over-ambitious dystopian future vision left critics booing, and audiences stayed away, arguably knocking Johnson’s career back a few years.
Inland Empire – Laura Dern
Laura Dern has worked closely with David Lynch for many years, which means she’s been in her share of weird stuff. However, none of it was so bizarre as Lynch’s to-date final feature, 2006’s Inland Empire, in which Dern portrays an actress whose role in a film begins to permeate her life. The actress admits not really knowing what the film was about whilst shooting.
Buffalo ’66 – Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci was 17 and keen to leave Wednesday Addams behind when she appeared in 1998’s Buffalo ’66. Written and directed by Vincent Gallo, who also plays the lead, the abstract drama follows a troubled man released from jail who abducts Ricci and forces her to pose as his wife. It’s a very quirky indie piece which, despite Gallo’s controversial reputation, remains a cult favorite.
The Jacket – Daniel Craig
It’s a little hard to believe that, only a year before debuting as James Bond, Daniel Craig took a profoundly unsexy role in 2005’s unorthodox sci-fi drama The Jacket. Adrien Brody takes the lead as a mental patient who inexplicably travels through time, whilst Craig plays another inmate, a deeply troubled man with shoe polish black hair who tried to kill his own wife.
Cloud Atlas – Tom Hanks
The Wachowskis and co-director Tom Tykwer’s 2012 adaptation of David Mitchell’s novel Cloud Atlas is an ambitious venture indeed. The three-hour epic sees Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant and others portray seemingly disparate characters in different places and time periods. Some critics loved it, but many viewers were utterly baffled: understandable, when we see Hanks go from Irish gangster to post-apocalyptic nomad (amongst others).
Mother! – Jennifer Lawrence
Writer-director Darren Aronofsky alienated the mass audience once again with 2017’s Mother!, an abstract horror which starts out seeming to be about a couple in a country house, but gradually unfurls into a grandiose Biblical allegory. Jennifer Lawrence takes the lead, and the small audience that showed up for the film was taken aback to see the Oscar winner take on such strange, grim material.
Caligula – Helen Mirren
Back in 1979, Helen Mirren was still predominantly a stage actress with only several films to her name when she joined such luminaries as Malcolm McDowell, Peter O’Toole and John Gielgud in a biopic of infamous Roman Emperor Caligula. However, the resulting film – produced by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione – proved a garbled mess, spiced up with incongruous graphic sexual content (not involving the principal cast).
Irréversible – Monica Bellucci
Just as Monica Bellucci started making waves in Hollywood, one French production starring the Italian actress had a seismic impact: 2002’s Irréversible. The hugely controversial film balances an abstract structure (events shown in reverse order) with highly provocative and graphically violent content, much involving Bellucci’s character. Once seen, director Gaspar Noe’s film is never forgotten, though you’ll never want to watch it a second time.
Crash – James Spader
Not be confused with the 2004 Oscar-winner of the same name, director David Cronenberg’s 1996 film Crash features James Spader as a man who, following a car accident, becomes part of an underground movement of people who fetishize vehicular crashes. It was Spader’s next film after 1994’s family-friendly blockbuster Stargate, so many were taken aback to see the actor venture into such dark, provocative territory.
Earth Girls Are Easy – Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum has always played things bit quirky – but even by his standards, 1988’s sci-fi musical rom-com Earth Girls Are Easy is a bit much. Covered in blue fur, Goldblum plays one of three aliens (the others being a similarly furry Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans) who crash land on Earth in search of human women, and find one in Geena Davis.
The Lobster – Colin Farrell
Yorgos Lanthimos is another filmmaker who leans toward the weird, and he gave Colin Farrell the oddest role of the actor’s career in 2015’s The Lobster. The surreal comedy casts Farrell as a recently dumped man who has 45 days to find a new partner, or he will be turned into a lobster. The results are as unnerving as they are darkly hilarious.
Only God Forgives – Ryan Gosling
On paper, Only God Forgives sounds like a standard action thriller, with Ryan Gosling cast as a gangster and Muay Thai fighter out to avenge his brother’s murder. However, the 2013 film – which reunites Gosling with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn – is an abstract art house drama that’s very low on action and high on weirdness. Beat-’em-up fans were left distinctly underwhelmed.
The Lair of the White Worm – Hugh Grant
Six years before Four Weddings and a Funeral catapulted him to superstardom, Hugh Grant appeared in Ken Russell’s 1988 horror The Lair of the White Worm. Loosely adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel, the film sees an ancient snake cult revived when archaeologists uncover an ancient serpent skull in the English countryside. Director Russell takes his usual melodramatic tendencies and turns them up to 11 here.
Antichrist – Willem Dafoe
One might have thought that after the controversy Willem Dafoe had to deal with after playing the title role in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, he would avoid any films with possible Biblical associations. Nonetheless, Dafoe appeared in director Lars von Trier’s 2009 film Antichrist. The abstract and extreme horror film divided critics and audiences, but left a big impression nonetheless.
The Bad Batch – Jim Carrey
Thanks to his comedy roots, Jim Carrey has long been synonymous with motor-mouthed roles, yet 2016’s The Bad Batch casts him as a character who never speaks, and plasters him in makeup that renders him almost unrecognisable. Writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour’s surreal, slow-paced post-apocalyptic thriller (also starring Jason Momoa, Suki Waterhouse and Keanu Reeves) polarized critics.
Lifeforce – Patrick Stewart
Before Star Trek: The Next Generation made him a household name, seasoned stage actor Patrick Stewart made one of his earliest film appearances in 1985’s Lifeforce. Stewart’s brief but memorable cameo sees him possessed by an alien vampire woman and attempt to seduce leading man Steve Railsback before having a total psychotic break and having his head drained of blood. It’s an eye-opener for sure.
Terminal – Margot Robbie
Before she was Barbie, Margot Robbie led the neo-noir thriller, Terminal. Set overnight inside a train terminal, the film mixes together murders, assassins, a teacher and a waitress in an attempt to generate intrigue. All Terminal manages to achieve however, is confusion, with Rotten Tomatoes proclaiming it a film, “for only the most hardcore of Margot Robbie completists.”
Mandy – Nicolas Cage
Picking just one ‘weird’ film from Nicolas Cage is almost impossible. The iconic actor has made a career championing the strange, with no project deemed too bizarre, including Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy. Released in 2018, Mandy tasks Cage’s character with rescuing his girlfriend from a literal, figurative and metaphorical Hell. A riddle wrapped in an enigma, trapped inside a puzzle, deciphering Mandy just causes headaches.
The Voices – Ryan Reynolds
Before he became synonymous with basically playing himself in every movie, Ryan Reynolds was making some very interesting projects. Of these, The Voices is perhaps his best. He plays the shy and awkward Jerry who lives at home with his pets. Sounds innocent, but after his cat, Mr. Whiskers, spurs him on, Jerry begins to amass a collection of talking dismembered heads.
Suitable Flesh – Heather Graham
Heather Graham is one of Hollywood’s greatest risk takers. Her latest movie, Suitable Flesh, is a horny throwback to nineties horror and the erotic thriller. In Suitable Flesh, Graham plays a psychiatrist who becomes entranced with her new patient. Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, Suitable Flesh quickly gets very, very weird, with plenty of clothes shed and bodies swapped.
Beau is Afraid – Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix has a reputation of being slightly kooky, and he puts this persona to fantastic use in Ari Aster’s 2023 movie, Beau is Afraid. Aster’s Beau is Afraid is a brain-melting, anxiety-dream that is forever turning in on itself. Be warned, at just under three hours, this is one film that snacks and a strong bladder are essential for.
Doppelganger – Drew Barrymore
Before she became a queen of the romantic-comedy genre, Drew Barrymore was a wild child. Her credits during this period ventured into interesting territory and Doppelganger is easily the strangest. She stars as Holly Gooding, a young woman who must do battle with her evil twin who potentially doesn’t exist. A clear inspiration for James Wan’s Malignant, Doppelganger offers unbridled cheesy chaos.
Velvet Buzzsaw – Jake Gyllenhaal
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is the master at picking quirky projects. An actor that likes to embrace society’s strangest, his turn in Dan Gilroy exists on its own level of odd. Set in the world of high-art, Velvet Buzzsaw chronicles a strange series of deaths tied to the peculiar artwork by a mysterious artist.
Downsizing – Matt Damon
Despite starring box-office magnet Matt Damon, Alexander Payne’s Downsizing failed to find an audience. The plot sees Damon’s every-man Paul decide to shrink in size to just five inches tall. A social satire with some strong messaging about both climate change, and the economy, the premise of Downsizing was just too complicated for audiences to appreciate.
Freeway – Reese Witherspoon
A young Reese Witherspoon playing Red Riding Hood sounds like quite a sweet prospect. However, in reality, 1996’s Freeway injected the well-known children’s story with a biting adult edge. Witherspoon plays potty-mouthed teenager Vanessa, who has to travel across state after her mother is arrested. Kiefer Sutherland portrays the predatory wolf character that Vanessa finds herself entangled with, resulting in mayhem and bloody violence.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Kirsten Dunst
Break-ups are hard, but not for the characters in Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind. In this world, people can erase bad relationships from their memory. Kirsten Dunst stars as the receptionist of the company offering this technology, witnessing the fallout when Joel (Jim Carrey) discovers that Clementine (Kate Winslet) has erased him from her mind.
Come to Daddy- Elijah Wood
Keen to shake his Frodo Baggins image post The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Elijah Wood has played an intriguing list of killers, psychopaths and losers. In 2019’s Come to Daddy. Wood plays Norval who has returned home to reconnect with his estranged father. After his father dies and suddenly, Norval finds himself fighting eccentric criminals, one of whom is armed with a ‘poo pen.’
Infinity Pool – Alexander Skarsgård
Director Brandon Cronenberg, son of David Cronenberg may have only directed three feature films so far, but all champion the Cronenberg weirdness. His latest film, 2023’s Infinity Pool, is no exception, telling a depraved and debauched story involving leashes, clones, and an abundance of fluids. True Blood titan Alexander Skarsgård plays James, an author caught in the middle of the gooey madness.
Colossal – Anne Hathaway
Colossal may star Anne Hathaway, but it is far from a typical project for the star. She plays Gloria, an unemployed writer struggling with alcoholism who somehow manifests a giant monster in Seoul whom she can control. It’s a very zany premise for a film, but one that also tackles the sensitive topic of abuse and coercive control.
Synchronic – Anthony Mackie
Directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson have a reputation for creating the type of science-fiction movies that fry your brain. 2019’s Synchronic is a perfect example and stars newly crowned Captain America actor, Anthony Macki. Mackie plays one half of a pair of paramedics whose investigation into a series of inexplicable deaths leads them to a new designer drug with side-effects that include time-travel.
Prometheus – Charlize Theron
Thirty-three years after directing Alien, Ridley Scott created its prequel, Prometheus. The film sought to explain the origins of the xenomorph, but was instead a confused muddle of ideas, with much of Prometheus revolving around a strange black goo. Though bizarre, Prometheus drew many high-profile actors including Charlize Theron whose character could have survived, if only she knew how to run in a zig-zag.
Labyrinth – David Bowie
Although more famous as a singer, the late David Bowie had a long and interesting acting character. Of all the film choices during his career, Labyrinth is perhaps the oddest. In Labyrinth, Bowie plays Goblin King Jareth, who steals the baby brother of protagonist Sarah. Bowie spends much of Labyrinth singing songs surrounded by goblins, trying to outshine his codpiece.
I Know Who Killed Me – Lindsay Lohan
Having spent most of her teenage years trapped in teen movies, as soon as she entered adulthood, Lindsay Lohan embraced the darker side of cinema. Her most noted attempt to reinvent herself was in the critically-panned I Know Who Killed Me. The movie holds a 9% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes and almost killed her career thanks to its nonsensical plot and clunky script.
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Jamie Lee Curtis
Directed by the Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once is one of the most genre-bending curiosities in cinema history. The story follows Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn as she travels through the multiverse attempting to prevent its destruction. Joining the chaos, and letting her fingers get turned into sausages, is Jamie Lee Curtis. The horror icon won an Academy Award for her portrayal of auditor Deirdre.
The Lighthouse – Robert Pattinson
Since skyrocketing to fame in the Twilight Saga, Robert Pattinson has done everything he can to eradicate his Edward Cullen image. He’s been doing an excellent job, seeking out projects that are very far removed from glittery vampires. The jewel in the crown is Robert Eggers The Lighthouse, which sees Pattinson and Willem Dafoe go slowly insane during a stay in the eponymous structure.
A Cure For Wellness – Mia Goth
Thanks to Ti West’s X and Pearl, and her recent hire in Marvel’s Blade, scream queen Mia Goth is on the precipice of global domination. She’s been working for years, however her proclivity for eccentric films have kept her under the radar. Gore Verbinski’s A Cure For Wellness allowed Goth to get peculiar, playing mysterious ‘wellness center’ resident Hannah who inadvertently causes trouble for hero Lockhart.
Accidental Love – Jessica Biel
In 2008, Jessica Biel signed up for Nailed. However, the project was marred with issues and wasn’t released until 2015. Biel stars as a waitress whose behavior changes after she gets a nail accidentally lodged in her head. Initially envisioned as a satire, the long period between filming and release meant it was re-branded Accidental Love, and repackaged as a romantic comedy, with disastrous results.
Dark City – Kiefer Sutherland
Dark City is an under-seen neo-noir science-fiction gem. Directed by Alex Proyas, Dark City presents a complex conundrum about the soul. In Dark City, amnesiac John Murdoch tries to clear himself from murder charges whilst evading the ‘Strangers’ , a mysterious group who play puppet-master as people sleep. A pre-Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland stars as Dr. Schreber, a man in league with the Strangers.
Masters of the Universe – Courteney Cox
Long before playing neurotic chef Monica in television phenomenon Friends, Courtney Cox got her big break in the 1984 Bruce Springsteen music video, Dancing in the Dark. She followed this with a star role in 1987’s Masters of the Universe. The first, and only, live-action version of He-Man cartoon, Masters of the Universe committed the ultimate sin of immediately leaving Eternia in favor of Earth.
Tammy and the T-Rex – Paul Walker
Every actor has to start somewhere, and for the late Paul Walker that somewhere was Tammy and the T-Rex. Before he was racing cars with Vin Diesel, Walker played Michael, a teenager whose brain gets transplanted into the body of a robotic tyrannosaurus. Desperate to be reunited with the love of his life, girlfriend Tammy (played by Denise Richards), Michael escapes and the pair go on the run.
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer – Nicole Kidman
Fans of director Yorgos Lanthimos know that trying to untangle and decipher any of his movies is a fool’s errand. The director has a unique voice with each of his films having an element of waking dream to them. His quirky outlook has not deterred Hollywood’s greatest however, with Nicole Kidman begging to be cast in messy spaghetti movie The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Hercules in New York – Arnold Schwarzenegger
With Hercules in New York one of his early acting credits, it’s amazing that Arnold Schwarzenegger went on to have such a successful career. The film cast Schwarzenegger as the son of Zeus, Hercules who is sent to Earth, where he embarks on a career in bodybuilding. The role wasn’t a stretch for Schwarzenegger, but the film’s incoherent plot was for audiences.
Marrowbone – Anya Taylor-Joy
2017’s Marrowbone features a raft of up-and-coming talent, including The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy. The plot tells of a young family who fight to stay together by pretending that their mother is ill, rather than dead. Taylor-Joy stars as the love interest for the eldest son, finding herself confronting an even stranger truth than expected.
Killer Joe – Matthew McConaughey
Arriving in the wake of a slew of romantic-comedies, Matthew McConaughey surprised viewers when he appeared in William Friedkin’s Killer Joe. McConaughey plays Joe, a killer for hire who agrees to murder a young man’s mother in exchange for a night with his virginal sister. In Killer Joe, McConaughey single-handedly turned a legion of viewers off of fried chicken.
The Neon Demon – Elle Fanning
Whereas her elder sister Dakota grew up appearing in blockbusters, Elle Fanning has taken a quieter path to fame. Her first success came in J.J Abrams’ Super 8, but it was her turn in 2016’s The Neon Demon that really turned heads. Highlighting the perils of the fashion industry, in The Neon Demon everyone is beautiful on the outside, twisted on the inside.
Species – Sir Ben Kingsley
Thirteen years after winning an Academy Award for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Ben Kingsley surprised the world by appearing in Species. The film chronicles the escapades of sex-crazed female-alien hybrid Sil, and is beloved for its trashy charm. Kingsley stars as Sil’s scientist creator, and stands out like a sore thumb. His casting in Species remains one of Hollywood’s greatest and weirdest mysteries.
