The Faculty - Still My Favourite Robert Rodriguez Flick, Fifteen Years Later.

"How do you know there's not a conspiracy?  

Like maybe The X Files is right."

I fucking love The Faculty!!  Even watching it now, FIFTEEN fucking years later, it is still fucking awesome!  When The Faculty came out in 1998, I went to the cinema FIVE times in one week to see it.  Including twice in one day.  Haha.  This was when I first discovered Josh Hartnett.  Actually, I'd discovered him just a wee while prior in Halloween: H2O.  I'd went to the cinema to see it on my own, and the trailer for The Faculty was actually attached to it.  Watching the trailer again now, man, I'd forgotten just how cool and typical Rodriguez grindhousey it actually was.  

Totally nerding at the fact it was written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Robert Rodriguez, and starred Robert Patrick and Elijah Wood, I was most excited.  Oh yeah....and it was about freakin' aliens!!!  Of course I'm gonna be excited.  ;)  And by the time I got to the end of H2O and realised how much I had totally just developed a massive crush on Josh Hartnett, I was in!!

So the minute it was released, I frolic on off to the cinema, geeking with anticipation...I knew I was gonna like it...I just didn't realise how freakin' much.  Haha.  I instantly just wanted to walk straight back in and watch it again.  This was also back when they sold CD soundtracks in the cinema too which was awesome.  Ever since I'd seen Trainspotting one night, and then went back the next day on my own to watch Hackers and Twelve Monkey's, I had gotten addicted to buying awesome soundtracks after watching the films at the cinema, and then just playing them to death, haha.

To me, The Faculty is Robert Rodriguez at his best, even if it does seem to be one of his more underrated movies.  He made the perfect 90's High School flick, introduced us to a ton of new talent, and gave awesome roles to some of our cult favourites, including Robert  Patrick, Piper Laurie, Bebe Neuwirth, Christopher McDonald, Daniel von Bargen and Jon Stewart...as well as featuring roles from Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen and even Ain't it Cool News head honcho Harry Knowles.

When you look at this young cast 15 years later, and they've all went on to do some amazing things, both in TV and film.  And remember, this was before Lord of the Rings.  What I love about this film, was that it was made for around only $15 million....which in normal Hollywood terms is fucking peanuts! A point that I made out when discussing the fact that Machete had a budget of around $25 million, which even taking into account inflation, is still a lot more!  And that's supposed to be a grindhouse flick!  Doesn't really add up, does it!?!  And The Faculty absolutely annihilates Machete in terms of awesomeness.  And it has a total bad ass cast that aren't just in there for comical aspects.  The special effects are awesome too.  

What actually inspired this post, other than the fact I'd been watching it, was that a filmmaker partner in crime of mine hadn't seen it!!  I know he's like four years younger than me but pfffft....shocking!!  He played American Football, and actually films and documents it and stuff for Gridiron TV, and I was saying that this is probably my favourite American Football kinda film.  I know its not technically about football, but the football team features prominently, and there are some awesome game scenes.  You also have Robert Patrick as the football coach and he's a total bad ass, haha.  I've been a huge fan ever since Terminator 2, and it makes me giggle that I always found the scene with the pencil to be really funny, and always made me think of Mulder and his pencils.  Who'd have known that a few years later he'd be helping save Mulder's life!?! :)  Gotta love me some Agent Doggett!  I love how much into aliens Robert Patrick actually seems to be in real life as well...I've always known him as this total sci-fi guy, and another alien film I really liked him in was the 1993 film Fire in the Sky.  

So yes....a killer cast, an awesome soundtrack, a fun storyline and fucking aliens.  What more could you ask for?  Moooahahahaha.  An Official Facebook page?  Ooh, well well well...lookee what I just found!  Aaah, and  think that when I was hardcore obsessing over this film back in the day, social networking was pretty much nothing.  Aaah, how things change!  

I also came across this pretty cool video review of the film which you might enjoy.  Just ignore the fact that they call Robert Patrick the T-2000.  It still baffles me when people do that!?!  But yes, that random little thing aside, the guys totally get this spot on. :)  Enjoy!