+11
I saw 28 Days Later in the theater at a ridiculously late showing (ridiculously late for me and my sister on a weeknight, maybe a 10:30pm start?). I really dug it. This was when they did that weird thing where they showed the alternate endings after the movie, leading to much confusion from some of the audience.
Anyway, my sister and I left the theater around 12:30am and walked back to where we'd parked our car, in a garage. The entire garage was empty. The attendant was gone. And after watching the film, we hustled back to our car with increasing speed in the eerily empty space. It was basically like that Key & Peele sketch.
A few weeks afterwards, my sister made me a duct-tape wallet with an embedded picture from the film. With a very little maintenance, it is still the wallet that I use to this day.
That said, it was a late cut from my own list, but I'm thrilled to see it make the countdown. For a film that got a lot of attention for its visual elements (like the shots of Jim in an abandoned London or that image of the graffiti on the staircase), it has some real emotional heft. I love the bonding that takes place between Jim, Selena, Hannah, and Frank.
It's a movie that is scary and tragic but also a bit optimistic, and that's the kind of mix that I like in a horror film.
I haven't seen Synecdoche and I just haven't been in a rush to do so. I remember it getting mostly positive reviews when it came out, but it's never appealed to me.