Some might call these guilty pleasures. Now, me? Personally? There’s no such thing as guilty pleasure – you like what you like and there’s no shame in that. However, it’s also unarguable that some films have suffered so many slings and arrows of outrageous critical misfortune that it can be hard to voice one’s appreciation for them in polite company. SBS On Demand has put together a whole collection of infamous Razzie-worthy films, but there’s a fair chance you’ve got a soft spot for at least a couple of these. And if you’ve got a taste for trash? Well, you’re in for such a good time…
Showgirls
Fresh off the success and notoriety of Basic Instinct ( is now streaming), Dutch provocateur Paul Verhoeven reteamed with screenwriter Joe Eszterhas for this torrid Los Vegas epic that charts the rise of ambitious dancer Nomi Malone (Saved by the Bell’s Elizabeth Berkely) as she claws her way to the top of the glittering showbiz heap, butting heads with glamorous queen bee Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon) and falling into the orbit of sleazy impresario Zack Carey (Kyle MacLachlan). Universally derided upon release, this sordid saga is now a genuine cult classic, in no small part due to Paul Verhoeven being generally right about everything.
Stream free On Demand
Showgirls
drama • lgbtq • 1995
drama • lgbtq • 1995
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
If you thought that Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood took too many liberties with the Tate/LaBianca murders, strap in – this tasteless microbudget schlocker takes the cake. Released the same year as QT’s opus, this shameless exploitation flick reframes the murders as a combination of supernatural thriller and home invasion horror (okay, fair play on the second) as Sharon Tate (former tween star Hilary Duff wondering where it all went wrong) experiences premonitions of bloody murder… before experiencing straight-up bloody murder. For extra flavour, Lydia Hearst, daughter of kidnapping victim and convicted bank robber Patty Hearst, plays Manson family victim Gibby Folger.
Stream free On Demand
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
horror • thriller • 2019
horror • thriller • 2019
Anonymous
When the director of Independence Day throws his hat into the Shakespeare authorship ring, you know you’re in for a good time. Roland Emmerich, working from a script by John Orloff, picks Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) as the true author of the Bard’s plays, with playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) acting as his catspaw - only he’s pretending to be drunken failed writer William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) for… reasons. It’s all got to do with a question of royal succession, and you’ve got to love an overcooked conspiratorial costume drama.
Krull
This turgid 1983 fantasy flick was born in the shadow of both Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian, and it shows. Ken Marshall is the heroic Prince Colwyn, who must rescue Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) from the evil Beast and his army of slayers, with only his trusty sword and the magical glaive, a kind of mystical boomerang doohickie, to help him. Well, that and a band of stalwart allies, including Freddie Jones, Robbie Coltrane, and Liam Neeson. Some fun practical effects aside, this is complete pants – but its relentless earnestness makes it hilarious.
Super Mario Bros.
Forget the recent cartoon and get this madness into your sensorium. Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, the creators of Max Headroom, the first ever feature length live action video game adaptation sees plumbers Mario and Luigi (Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, who admit to being drunk on set) battle Dennis Hopper’s King Koopa in an alternate New York City populated by evolved dinosaurs. If you always thought Mario would be better as a dystopian tale of trans-dimensional revolution, this is the movie for you. Also, Mojo Nixon shows up.
Miami Connection
Miami Connection
Miami Connection airs on SBS VICELAND Wednesday 27 March at 11:15PM and will be available to stream on SBS On Demand for a limited time after broadcast.
Trespass
Camp connoisseur Joel Schumacher’s final film is an OTT revenge melodrama that sees noted madman Nicolas Cage and our Nicole Kidman as an upper-class family who fall victim to a home invasion spearheaded by none other than Ben Mendelsohn – you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck in the overacting department on this one. Trespass is a sweaty, unpleasant little thriller that mistakes convolutions for cleverness, but it’s a lot of fun watching actors of this calibre chew on so much pulp.
Adoration
Variously known as Adoration, Adore, and Perfect Mothers, and based on the novella The Grandmothers by Doris Lessing, this French/Australian co-production brings the squick with Naomi Watts and Robin Wright as lifelong friends who embark on affairs – with each other’s sons (Xavier Samuel and James Frecheville). Now, there’s certainly a way to approach transgressive material like this, but director Anne Fontaine (The Innocents) and screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) are so po-faced and self-serious that the whole thing descends to unintentional farce.
