Movies That Hipsters Love

[Matt]

The term "hipster" has no real definition and it seems the original poster put a bunch of films that are popular with cinephiles who may also be hipster (liking Dr. Strangelove or Clockwork Orange has nothing to do with being a hipster). Some are broadly popular indies, Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, and some are just entire resumes of certain directors (Wes Anderson appeals as much to middle aged film critics as hipsters, so I think that is unfair). And some are just blockbusters like Alice in Wonderland.

Here are a few movies that I know hipsters love and I think for the record are great too:

-Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
-Fight Club
-The Boondock Saints
-Léon
-Harold and Maude
-High Fidelity
-Shaun of the Dead
-Donnie Darko
-Pi
-Requiem for a Dream
-I Heart Huckabees
-Heathers
-Serenity
-Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
-Thank You For Smoking
-Grizzly Man
-Election

And all of those are good movies. In fact I think they're just good movies that appeal to "hispters'" sensibilities. Still great.

I think what really defines a hipster is that they are trying so hard to not try to be cool. Therefore they usually flock to what may normally be seen as a cult movie (Dr. Strangelove) or an off-beat, niche film (Scott Pilgrim), regardless of whether or not they actually like it. They embrace it, simply to be different and show how little they care about what others think (when in reality they flaunt how much they love these movies simply to impress others with their lack of caring). Scott Pilgrim sold pretty fast on Amazon. I am willing to bet quite a few of the people who bought it, haven't watched it since. They bought it to show how cool they are and how little they care because they like a niche movie that bombed. And that is what defines a hipster. So when you think about it, really any movie can be a hipster movie.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Any Quentin Tarantino movie?
Not sure i'd put "Grizzly Man" up as a hipster movie personally.

Edit: Actually Quentin Tarantino is obviously mainstream, so moot.
Still, I think people give him credit for mainly pulp fiction even when they think his newer movies aren't that great, go out and buy/watch his stuff for the sake of it.

 

[Octoberist]

I think what really defines a hipster is that they are trying so hard to not try to be cool. Therefore they usually flock to what may normally be seen as a cult movie (Dr. Strangelove) or an off-beat, niche film (Scott Pilgrim), regardless of whether or not they actually like it. They embrace it, simply to be different and show how little they care about what others think (when in reality they flaunt how much they love these movies simply to impress others with their lack of caring). Scott Pilgrim sold pretty fast on Amazon. I am willing to bet quite a few of the people who bought it, haven't watched it since. They bought it to show how cool they are and how little they care because they like a niche movie that bombed. And that is what defines a hipster. So when you think about it, really any movie can be a hipster movie.

Thinking about it, it's kinda true.

But there's also people who like the scene (hipster movies, style, hangouts, bars, etc) who don't defined themselves as hipsters. I guess they would be the art students?

 

[Octoberist]

Any Quentin Tarantino movie?
Not sure i'd put "Grizzly Man" up as a hipster movie personally.

Edit: Actually Quentin Tarantino is obviously mainstream, so moot.
Still, I think people give him credit for mainly pulp fiction even when they think his newer movies aren't that great, go out and buy/watch his stuff for the sake of it.

Tarantino is mainstream who still kept his indie cred by not working too much in the Hollywood system by selling out. So, he dips his toes in the pool of indie while planting his other foot in mainstream.

He transcended.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I think we should just retire the terms 'hipster', 'emo', 'screamo', and maybe 'gimp'. If for no other reason, so I don't have to hear them anymore.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Isn't a gimp a guy who wears a leather mask?

Tarantino is mainstream who still kept his indie cred by not working too much in the Hollywood system by selling out. So, he dips his toes in the pool of indie while planting his other foot in mainstream.

He transcended.

As soon as Jackie Brown dived (his most mature movie) he immediately went back to making more big budget emulation of more accessible trashy/B-movies movies.
Seems like a sellout to me. But that's not really what I was attempting to argue.

 

[Octoberist]

Hipsters isn't anything new. It just given a stupid name.

Heck, the alternative/grudge era probably made hipsters popular; back then, they were more hippy like.

 

[PyroChamber]

I thought hipsters were into foreign films.

 

[DieSmiling]

I've always thought of hipsters as going against the grain and rejecting mainstream culture for the sake of going against the grain and rejecting mainstream culture.

 

[Bunker]

Agreed, or Matchstick Men or Lord of War as well lol

Lord of War is incredibly underrated.

 

[PyroChamber]

I've always thought of hipsters as going against the grain and rejecting mainstream culture for the sake of going against the grain and rejecting mainstream culture.

In other words, doing it because it's "cool".

 

[HighFivingMF]

Not the ones they say they do.

 

[redhawk23]

Scott Pilgrim sold because of fantastic word of mouth, its an enjoyable movie . enough said. Its not an indyflick. It had a number of decently well known actors (hell it has both captain america and superman) and Universal is hardly an indy studio

 

[redhawk23]

Isn't a gimp a guy who wears a leather mask?




As soon as Jackie Brown dived (his most mature movie) he immediately went back to making more big budget emulation of more accessible trashy/B-movies movies.
Seems like a sellout to me. But that's not really what I was attempting to argue.

Jackie Brown was the only movie QT didn't write himself, perhaps its just not the kind of movie he likes to make.
Inglourious Basterds is hardly a cookie cutter movie of the week. Who the hell was Death Proof targeted at? The man makes the kinds of movies he likes to watch.

 

[Anubis]

Good for you. Now go eat a bag of turds.

.....What kind of turds?

 

[Tron Bonne]

Isn't a gimp a guy who wears a leather mask?

Yeah, more or less

 

[Anubis]

Well, a guy who wears a leather mask and can fit all sorts of things in his neither regions.

 

[HighFivingMF]

Jackie Brown was the only movie QT didn't write himself, perhaps its just not the kind of movie he likes to make.

And Jackie Brown tripled it's budget. So the guy's logic makes less sense.