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ObiWanShinobi 11-04-05 10:19 PM

Most thought provoking movies
 
Just thought I would put up another list of movies that hit me hard when I saw them, made me feel somewhat compassionate of the bad guys and made me re-think society.

http://www.hillcity-comics.com/anime..._fireflies.jpg

The japs bombed pearl harbor, committed genocide on the Chinese, and conducted disastrous torture experiments on POWS. However, this movie shows that they too, experienced hurt, that they too were human beings, and that those that which we would consider innocent paid a price.

http://applejedi.org/dvds/images/dvd/se7en.jpg

I still buy packs of ten burritos, but boy is this movie disturbing. It asks the question of what is right and wrong, what our culture is worth, I've seen translations of this movie as a treatise against our culture in particular, however I see it more as Kevin Spacey character being psychotic. Dismissing the symbolism and acknowledging the ending (we all commit sins) one cannot do, a disturbing, but ultimately deep movie.

http://www.moviegrooves.co.uk/images...erman_main.jpg

The movie se7en's antithesis, our culture clashes with another, the ending is about as brilliant as any ending concieved, our purity is no different than a pagan's purity.

http://www.aboutfilm.com/features/pianist/pianist.jpg

Sure, it's another movie on the holocaust (which isn't a bad thing). But this movie portrays someone who gets lucky in his circumstances, survives while others die, we root for him, even though he didn't fight, even though he hid, he did it because the people pursuing him were morally repugnant murderers. We feel sympathy for him, root for him as he survives and witness the atrocious deeds committed by human beings. The same human beings that share our DNA. Not deep as a movie, but thought provoking, why would we do this to people?

http://www.cinemasavvy.com/m/images/mysticriver.jpg

Killing goes unpunished, what does this mean? Pedophillia, what does this mean? Why do things get said and things get done and justice does not get served? Or does it get served. Most debatable movie I"ve seen, right up there with Lord of the Flies in terms of depth. Relationships and their connections, deeper than the plot and acting. Fantastic movie, good, thought provoking, film.

http://courses.lib.odu.edu/engl/dpagano/m.jpg

If you thought se7en was too harsh for you, don't even bother with Fritz Lang's M. We have our culture's worst enemy, a rapist, a pedophile rapist, a pedophile rapist who then kills his strictly female child victims. Now, how could this person POSSIBLY be given passion? How can we feel sorry for this man who kills without regard? How? This movie tackles the subject and induces emotion which you desperately wish to hide, you don't want to, you want to believe kevin spacy character is mentally insane, the clan in wicker man is the devil, the nazis were really aliens from another planet, that the japanese we killed in fire bombings were all kamikazes, that justice would be brought to the killer in mystic river. But, as in all thought provoking movies, the ending we WANT isn't reality in the film, and this movie, M, shows us that their is more to the world than what we view, and socially acceptable is simply another word for hiding a clot in our simplistic view of life.

No particular order here ladies/gentlemen, alternate opinions on my simple diegisis of the situation are welcomed, I encourage to post things that hit you hard in the mind here as well.

Don't just post your favorite movies, however.

For instance, THe Usual Suspects is in all accounts a better film than se7en, but se7en is deeper despite being a weaker film. So I would put se7en on the list because it is more thought provoking than the usual suspects, despite the usual suspects being a better movie.

Iroquois 11-05-05 12:25 AM

One movie that has always managed to provoke thought for me has to be Pink Floyd - The Wall (dir. Alan Parker, 1982)


There's a crapload of visuals and lyrics that can be picked apart and deciphered in this movie. If you haven't heard of it, the focus of the story is a rock star called Pink (played by Bob Geldof - to me, that's the biggest WTF ever) who endures a mental breakdown one night. The breakdown is symbolized by a wall - each thought that leads to his breakdown is a brick that makes up the wall. This guy has had a pretty f*cked-up life - his father died in WWII, his mother obsessively protected him from life, his wife cheated on him - the list goes on. This results in him becoming alienated and filled with misogynistic feelings and hatred for authority. The "wall" in question separates him from the world and he is lost in his mind. Even when his entourage revive him for the show, he's still blocked-out. Pink then interprets the concert as being a fascist rally where he becomes a Hitler figure in an incredibly cyclical way (Jews and gays were the reason Hitler initiated WWII, in which Pink's father was killed; ergo, if Pink kills Jews and gays then there would be no Hitler, no WWII, his father would be alive and he wouldn't be emotionally crippled - amazing stuff, that). At the end, he finally acknowledges the fact that he is to blame for everything and the Judge orders his wall to be torn down.

The Wall is often misunderstood, made as an overlong exploitation music video with one very unsatisfying message (people interpret "the Wall" as being the Berlin Wall - this was 1982 after all). That is not it. What the true message is - is anybody's guess. The final shot of the film is open to various interpretations, just like the glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Work it out for yourself.

You have to believe it to see it.

ObiWanShinobi 11-05-05 12:53 AM

A truly great story leaves the ending up to interpretation.

I go back to the Usual Suspects, as much as I loved it, it still does not possess that raw, what happened? concept within it. Sure, the ending was a kick in the pants, but it was clearly defined, spelled out like in Fight Club so as a 3 year old could understand it (no offense, I love both movies).

I will have to see the wall, it looks incredible. Thanks for the synopsis, it sounds like one of those movies in which the plot doesn't matter, but the experience and translation of said experience is what matters.

Iroquois 11-05-05 01:06 AM

Yeah, The Wall is definitely something else.

Another film that is definitely thought-provoking is Eraserhead (dir. David Lynch, 1977). Althought most of the time that thought will be "WTF?" but there is definitely some messages about urban decay and the life cycle.

ObiWanShinobi 11-05-05 01:10 AM

Interesting, eraserhead has been touted on these forums and David Lynch has gained quite a bit of fame.

However, the only movie I saw of Lynch was Muholland Drive, and that was decent, especially the blatant lesbian sex, however, I found it quite..... lacking in many departments. Perhaps it is my mind that cannot percieve, but if all Lynch movies are like that one then I might not be able or ready to handle something of such magnitude.

Iroquois 11-05-05 01:15 AM

If you've ever seen Un Chien Andalou and Metropolis you might know what to expect. Eraserhead is like a 90-minute surrealist silent film - there are about 20-30 lines of dialogue in the whole movie. Silence has never been more disturbing. And if you think you've seen ugly babies before, you haven't seen this.

Walkabout = another thought-provoking film.

ObiWanShinobi 11-05-05 01:17 AM

I've seen the anime metropolis (and lang's epic is on it's way!) so that must be a good sign.

The only problem I might have is the violence factor, I'm not a prude, but I'm not big on violence as the plot type movies a la Sin City and Ichi The Killer.

Disturbing visuals don't haunt me much if their is something harrowing about the story.

Iroquois 11-05-05 01:27 AM

I've only seen the first 40 minutes of Metropolis and there was no violence whatsoever. Un Chien Andalou has one of cinema's most infamous violent acts when a woman's eyeball is sliced apart.

Eraserhead's "violence" is equally confronting, yet somewhat tolerable (can't say as it spoils the film)

ObiWanShinobi 11-05-05 01:31 AM

Well, I like se7en, so as long as the story means something then violence will not bother me.

Unfortunately, forces at be besides myself currently control what gets rented. So, the future for eraserhead looks bleak until a few weeks. But I'll keep that in mind.

TheUsualSuspect 11-05-05 05:57 PM

http://www.cineforum.bz.it/pellicola...img/ci_pi1.jpg

PI
Max is a genius mathematician who's built a supercomputer at home that provides something that can be understood as a key for understanding all existence. Representatives both from a Hasidic cabalistic sect and high-powered Wall Street firm hear of that secret and attempt to seduce him.

http://www.infilm.com.au/reviews/images/requiem.JPG

Requiem for a Dream
Drugs. They consume mind, body and soul. Once you're hooked, you're hooked. Four lives. Four addicts. Four failures. Doing their best to succeed in the world, but failing miserably, four people get hooked on various drugs. Despite their aspirations of greatness, they succumb to their addictions. Watching the addicts spiral out of control, we bear witness to the dirtiest, ugliest portions of the underworld addicts reside in. It is shocking and eye-opening but demands to be seen by both addicts and non-addicts alike.

http://images.joblo.com/picdarkcity.jpg

Dark City
John Murdoch awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of brutal and bizarre murders. While trying to piece together his past, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of beings known as The Strangers who possess the ability to put people to sleep and alter the city and its inhabitants. Now Murdoch must find a way to stop them before they take control of his mind and destroy him.

http://www.chud.com/demo/Underrated%...quilibrium.jpg

Equilibrium
In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Cleric John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. Whe he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/3...darko_300a.jpg

Donnie Darko
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and tries to deal with people in his town, like the school bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism and worse.

ObiWanShinobi 11-06-05 08:59 PM

I agree with Requiem for a Dream, awesome movie, especially the score and cinematography. Next time I think about drugs that movie always pops into my mind, good job by arorfronsky (?).

Saw Darko, it was too deep for me, I missed alot of symbolism but I understood the story to it. I think it's overrated only because I cannot fully understand it.

As for the rest, never seen them, heard about Dark City though, definetly have to check that out.

blibblobblib 11-06-05 10:19 PM

Irreversable always sticks in my mind after i see it. 'Time destroys everything...' reads the tagline. It most certainly does.

TheUsualSuspect 11-06-05 10:19 PM

See my review of Dark City in my reviews thread to see why I love it so much. GREAT FILM.

ObiWanShinobi 11-07-05 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by TheUsualSuspect
See my review of Dark City in my reviews thread to see why I love it so much. GREAT FILM.
Hmmm, unfortunately I have a queue of six, so I should get around to seeing it at the end of November (I'll put it in my third cycle). Jennifer Connoly is hot.

cinemaniac 11-07-05 04:03 PM

There are some movies that really impressed me; these can be :
1.Old Boy
2.The Village
3.We were soldiers
4.The pianist
5.The Aviator
6.Braveheart and i can add here Patriot
7.21 grams
8.Kingdom of Heaven
9.Gladiator
10.Black Hawk Down
11.Saving private Ryan
oh and maybe some more...
i was more impressed by the realism found by me in them and aslo that ''simplicity'' which actually has more than that- an in-depth meaning.

TheUsualSuspect 11-08-05 12:33 AM

21 grams is a good one.

ObiWanShinobi 11-08-05 02:36 AM

Originally Posted by cinemaniac
There are some movies that really impressed me; these can be :
1.Old Boy
2.The Village
3.We were soldiers
4.The pianist
5.The Aviator
6.Braveheart and i can add here Patriot
7.21 grams
8.Kingdom of Heaven
9.Gladiator
10.Black Hawk Down
11.Saving private Ryan
oh and maybe some more...
i was more impressed by the realism found by me in them and aslo that ''simplicity'' which actually has more than that- an in-depth meaning.
This is really interesting that you chose this route. The historical route really, while I disagree with a few choices, it seems to me that movies that mean the most to you are things that actually happened.

That being said, the only choices I like on that list are saving private ryan and 21 grams. But I definetly respect/see where you are coming from with your list.

SpoOkY 11-08-05 03:23 AM

this thread seems so familiar......hey I have already posted in a thread exactly like this.....and the top 10 games one is a copy as well. I don't mean to slam you twice oBi but try using the search option next time before creating a thread please.

ObiWanShinobi 11-08-05 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by SpoOkY
this thread seems so familiar......hey I have already posted in a thread exactly like this.....and the top 10 games one is a copy as well. I don't mean to slam you twice oBi but try using the search option next time before creating a thread please.
<sigh> I apologize, but isn't it refreshing to see a new look?

I mean how fun would it be to have ONE top 100 movie list. Noone's opinion would matter, it would get lost among the thousands of opinions. It's not like every week a new top ten list is getting posted about the same item. Just my opinion.

Oh yea, head on over to the argument relocation thread. I should've cured your mental illness by the time you stop reading.

Enlightenment is wonderful!

TheUsualSuspect 11-08-05 04:29 PM

Forgot to mention A Clockwork Orange


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