Help Recommend a film.
 

Have you ever went into a video store, and thought, "un-oh what do I rent"?
It happens to me, and i'm sure countless others.

I have seen A LOT of films, and since this is a movie forum, I bet you all have seen as much, if not more films than I.

So be a kind soul and recommend a film (or two), and help out your fellow film viewer. It can be that tiny indie film, foreign gem, or even big hollywood masterpiece that you cant stop talking about.

I'm sure this is good for collecting Karma, for that time when you reach Nirvana (not the band).

: :rolleyes:

How about:

Kung Pow It's actually very funny1
The Green Mile Great film
Lord of The Rings W-O-W.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Again, very funny!
Rope This is Hitchcock at it's greatest
Dial M For Murder Not very well known, but absolutely brilliant.

If you've seen these, just say so!

Rounders. Hell of a flick.

Of course!

Night of The Living Dead This one scares me to this day. Black and White, but sho cares!
Raider's of The Lost Ark Ford is a God in this one. :laugh:

Again, if you've seen these, don't be afraid to say so! Enjoy!

Here's some great movies that not too many people have seen:

Network - Vicious satire on the news-media and a damn fine movie.

Bob Roberts - Tim Robbins' best movie. He plays a shady politician/folk singer running for senate. Devastatingly funny.

Bamboozled - My favorite Spike Lee movie.

Cecil B. Demented - "Patch Adams doesn't DESERVE a director's cut! It was long enough already!":laugh: John Waters is a sick genius.

As you can tell, I like satire films. I honestly wouldn't recommend these to the folks that come into my video shop, but people here might get them....

You've probably seen almost all of my favorite films, but maybe not Instinct. Try it. I think it is the most underrated movie of all time.

Keep them coming. Personaly i've seen "LOTR"(good cinematography), "Bamboozled" (not bad, though Spike Lee's constant preaching gets annoying), "The Green Mile" (Shawshank's better),
"Raiders" (great action film), "Rounders" (Malkovich is great with the oreos).
"Cecil B Demented" (sorry, but this looks like it was all shot in one take...ala Ed Wood).
"Night Of The Living Dead" (I love the suprise sudden ending...shocking).

I'm going to be watching "Network" shortly.

Recommendations from me (if you wanted some) are

-"The Celebration", "Once Were Warriors", "Election", "Menace 2 Society", "Run Lola Run",...
also a good film that is hard to find is "The Traveller" (with Bill Paxton, and Mark Wahlberg).
I also liked "You Can Count On Me", of course "Evil Dead 2", and if you like comedy, try to find a film called "The Godson".

favourites for a friday night

Favourites:
Evil dead- 1,2-dead by dawn or 3-army of darkness

twisted humor:
Dogma , jay and silent bob strike back, mallratts,chasing amy, clerks,pulp fiction.

war( 'ish type ):
blackhawk down, platoon, high crimes, behind enemy lines, saving private ryan, casualties of war

other good ones:
snatch, along came a spider, alien ( s ), princess bride, lotr

1. Donnie Darko
2. Mulholland Drive
3. Kalifornia
4. Ghost World
5. We Were Soldiers
6. Body Double
7. The Man Who Wasn't There
8. The Royal Tenenbaums
9. Strange Days
10. Bringing Out the Dead

HAVE YOU SEEN ALL OF THESE?

• Ring
  I just want to promote the original now when everybody's talking about the american remake. Personally I think the japanese version was very creepy.
  
• La Pianiste
  Saw this very original and daring film yesterday. If you like challenging films and don't want movies done after the same old tireing forula, see this one. Warning for "odd" sex scenes!
  
• Funny Games
  Directed, like La Pianiste by Michael Haneke and equally challenging. Violence is very often meaningless and that is what this movie is about (among other things).
  
• The Killing
  One of Kubrick's least talked about movies but maybe one of his most influential ones. If you wonder where Tarantino got a lot of his inspiration, check this one out.
  
• Rear Window
  Perhaps my favourite Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart is always enjoyable.
  
• The Celebration
  Arguably the Dogme '95 film that gained the most from being done within that movement. The story is like nothing else and the way it's made just makes it more realistic and disturbing. Not a first-date-movie.
  
• The Thin Red Line
  I of course have to put my favourite film here on this list. I'm sure you've seen it - if you haven't, you're mad. It kicks the **** ouf of Saving Private Ryan which, of course, stole the show at the Academy Awards that year.
  
• No Such Thing
  A beautiful and funny tale by Hal Hartley. Humanity has sank so low that even the devil is disgusted by it. What is eerie is that it was made before 9-11. (You see what I mean if you see it).
  
• Gummo
  Some people say they hate this film because it's "weird". I think it's admireable that someone like Harmony Korine makes a totally uncompromising film during an age when every god damned film is supposed to appeal to everyone from Granny, 83 yrs old, to John Jr, 8 yrs old.
  
• Menace II Society
  Say what you want, to me this film felt real all the way through.

About Spike Lee's "preaching". Spike Lee is the only black super star filmmaker today (the only black "auteur" if you like). His films have a totally different approach and are about totally different things than the works of other directors. Also I believe he feels a responsibility to tell stories that noone else tells, and therefore some persons can experience his films as "preaching". I think his films are brilliant even - but also because - they raise a lot of problematic questions about a lot of things. I know other directors that on the surface are non political or non socially engaged but that are preaching the same conservative crap in film after film without anybody saying anything about it......

Well, on a personal note, I'd recommend you try and see as many of Akira Kurosawa's earlier films as possible. You can't go wrong there :D

The Castle of Cagliostro

Hell. Yes.

Aaah, that's true! But you just can't miss two of which he did a little later on in his career: Ran and Dreams.

I have not seen "Instinct" yet.
I have seen that whole list Lord Slayton.. and its a very good one; though I have failed to see "We Were Soldiers"... maybe sometime.

I will have to check out the old version of the "Ring", because I keep hearing good things about it. For those of you looking for it, the correct spelling of the old one is "Ringu".

I'm also going to check out Kurosawa's "Yojimbo".

"Rear Window" was good, but my favourite Hitchcock film was "Strangers On A Train", I really never liked the way he coloured his films ie..green sweater, with a brown jacket, orange hat and a purple car.

I've never even heard of that "Castle of Cagliostro" film.

yada yada yada, thats all for now.

Cagliostro is an anime/manga film [one or the other] by the same guy that made the current animation hit, Spirited Away. Spielberg called Cagliostro one of the best action films in history.

And yeah. It is a really, really fun film to watch.

as much as i like miyazaki, and as much as i like lupin III (i'd guess monkeypunch is a fan too), i've gotta say i think cagliostro gets way too much recognition for what it is. it's great slapstick, but shoot, if all you want from the guy is physical humor, you'd be just as well, if not better off looking for some short series: sherlock hound in particular, and even some of the lupin III tv episodes that miyazaki directed and storyboarded (and yeah, all this stuff is available in the us).

as for the other stuff, i liked bamboozled too, but frankly, it borrows a little too heavily from network (which is on most counts a more impressive film) for me to really recomend it over the likes of, say, she's gotta have it, mo' better blues, clockers, and jungle fever.

while you're checking out yojimbo, dont forget to grab my personal fave of the genre, 'sanjuro'.

i havent seen gummo, pidzilla, but i have seen julien donkey boy...how do the two compare ((if at all?) which would win in a duel, etc etc)

Not really a fan of Anime is I. Wow, that kind of sounded like Frankenstein, after a night out with Kieth Richards.

I will check out "Sanjuro".. If i'm not mistaken it's the sequel to "Yojimbo". I also believe "Last Man Standing" was based on "Yojimbo", as well as some Clint Eastwood film.

My favourite Spike Lee film was "Do The Right Thing", it was his most brilliant work. Though I love watching The Sam Jackson scenes in "Jungle Fever".

In regards to "Julien Donkey Boy", if you liked "Gummo", you will get a kick out of it. I recommend though either watching it alone, or with other "film people". The improv is spectacular, Spud from Trainspotting does a really good job, and the father has some of the funniest scenes put to film.

My favourite is the scene when Spud's character tells his father a poem he wrote, and his father calls it crap. The father then goes on to describe a scene in "Dirty Harry" which he calls "real art". All in his German accent.
You will also get a kick out of the father drinking cough syrup out of a slipper, in his underwear.

I also (just to mention) found the films "Detroit Rock City" and "American Psycho" very underrated.

I don't think anyone has listed any of these yet...

1. Amelie
2. Sling Blade
3. Edward Scissorhands
4. Leon - The Professional
5. American History X
6. Braveheart
7. The Crow
8. Lady Hawke

yeah, i've also heard it said that sanjuro is the 'sequel' to yojimbo, but, much like the man with no name, mifune doesnt go by any temporal logic in picking his sequels....hmm, on reading what i just said, i'm not so sure it makes sense, but it sounds cool (like a spaghetti western preview), so i'll leave it be.... but between the two, i'd go sanjuro all the way (not that you shouldnt see yojimbo as well...)

re: do the right thing: that's one of my faves too, but i didnt say anything cause i just assumed you'd seen it based on your bamboozled reply.

re: julien donkey boy: i'm not sure if you were replying directly to me, but you may have misread, i did see julien donkey boy, but not gummo...and yeah, the nutty father (aptly played by the great director, werner herzog) was the best part.

havent seen detroit rock city, but if it's anything like red rock west (which i assume it is on account of a similar title), i'm there.

You've hit on part of why I liked it so much!:laugh:

And yes, I'm a big fan of Lupin III. It is kind of hard to come by other flicks besides "Castle of Cagliostro", though...I have a bunch of not quite official vhs tapes of Lupin III (some jerk taped them off a Laser Disc, I think. Terrible picture quality....)

I've only seen Cagliostro, so I am sort of uninitated. But I liked it. I had the time of my life watching it. I shall look out for the others, though alas, the chance of me finding anything is slim.

Actually, my brother says they're going to be releasing the original TV series from Japan on DVD soon, as well as some of the other movies.

I'm not sure what your taste is or what you're looking for but, here's some other suggestions......


• Captain Blood (1935)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
• The Sea Hawk (1940)
• A Star is Born (1954)
• Laura (1944)
• All About Eve (1950)

• Tap
• Roxanne
• Bowfinger
• Nurse Betty
• Finding Forrester
• Scent of a Woman
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• Dangerous Liaisons
• The Joy Luck Club
• Witness
• Presumed Innocent
• Body Heat

Yeah, in America, perhaps, MP. Things are tougher to get a hold of here. But here is hoping nevertheless, eh?

Okay then, how 'bout these?

1. Dead End (1937)
2. A Boy and His Dog (1976)
3. Eraserhead (1977)
4. Naked Lunch (1991)
5. Wizards (1977)
6. The Pit and the Pendulum (1990)
7. The City of Lost Children (1995)
8. Miracle Mile (1989)
9. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
10. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Here's a couple off the cuff or off the top of my head

DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY (Maddin, 2002)
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, HER LOVER (Greenaway, 1989)
DOWN BY LAW (Jarmusch, 1986)



Wow I'd love to hear some comments on Miracle Mile it doesn't get mentioned that often.

As for Henry that is one seriously, messed up, distrubing and twist film. The Scene were the watch the videotape they made is got to be one of the sickest scene of all-time.

Seen them all Caitlyn (except Lady Hawke)... "this is for Matilda", a great line from "Leon".

LordSlayton, I've only seen about five on that list, I will look into the rest.
"Oh you are sick"- - Eraserhead.
I agree that "Henry" was a twisted film.

Aniko, I'm not to fond of the style of films that you've listed in purple. Call me crazy, but I prefer awkward or sad endings. I've seen pretty much all the films in blue, and in my opinion "Bowfinger" was really good.

And L.B, "Down By Law" is going on my list. I really loved "Dead Man".

No problem, not many of my friends in real life do either. :laugh:

Keeping that in mind, how about...
Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

It really is a beautifully done film, and it made me a fan of Gong Li. The only reason I don’t include this one on my favorites list is because of the ending. For me it was a real tearjerker....you may like it.

I love all 4 of these films great choices. Presumed Innocent is a great murky low key neo noir. Scent of a Women, while probably not my favorite from director Breast it's still ana amazing film. Didn't Pacino win an oscar for this role ? Witness awww, with Danny Glover as one of the heavys what brillant casting. The Joy Luck Club up to this point in time I don't think i've every cried so much watching a film actually I think I cried all the way threw it.

I second these. Especially the last two. :yup: Both incredibly entertaining.

I haven't seen "Julien Donkey Boy" yet so I don't know what it's like compared to "Gummo". I hope I will get a chance to see it soon though....

I forgot one of my all time favourites:

Dazed and Confused

and while we're on Linklater anyway, I think Slacker is a must-see.

I'll keep "Raise The Red Lantern" in mind. I'm pretty sure that's a Japanese film.

"Slacker" was a really weirdly unique film. The way the story unfolded was something I've never seen before. To bad the film quality of it was really horrible. Or maybe I just rented a really old tape.

Has anyone seen "Chasing Amy"? A really great love story, with one of the most sad/ funniest endings ever.
Another movie that is almost great is "Falling Down". All of the Michael Douglas scenes were brilliant. To bad the Robert Duvall plot really weakened it.

"Never trust a nervous man, unless you have a gun on him"
- Elmore Leonard

Waking Life is one I'm recommending to people a lot currently, as well as Suburbia, both of which are by Richard Linklaeter. I didn't really like the movie he did with Ethan Hawke walking around France for the whole thing, it seemed fake to me somehow (I didn't even think enough of it to remember the name of it), but I usually like his films.

"Raising the Red Lantern" is actually chinese, but it's very good.

I haven't seen "Waking Life" but I have seen "Suburbia" and "Before Sunrise", which is the title of that Ethan Hawke film. I still think "Dazed and Confused" is the best of the ones I've seen. "Slacker" is very inspiring though, I think. It makes you wanna make an indie. :rolleyes: And the low-budget look of it is because it's a..... low-budget film. Considering that the entire production costed $23.000, which is nothing, and that it's a work strictly by amateurs, I think it's very good. I think the funniest character in it is the guy who spends his life reading and writing about JFK.

"Chasing Amy" was pretty good. I loved "Clerks" also when it first came out but then when I saw it again some years later the feeling wasn't exactly love, even if it's still a cool little film.

Another cool little film that I like is "Buffalo 66". Anyone else that likes it?

"Buffalo 66" was really funny. Vincent Gallo is great, and I heard that he is working on a new indie film.

Before I take off for the day, I would also like to add the films,

-"The Limey"... Soderbergh's most creative film. The editing is really strange.
-"American Movie"... a really funny documentary about two indian hillbillys trying to make a film.

Also the film "Seconds". The first half of this film is spectacular, and probably the best suspense put on film. Though as soon as Rock Hudson enters the film, it spirals downwards.

"The Limey" is really good. I like it a lot....

You have a good memory...I had to look it up. Yes, Al Pacino won the Oscar in 1992 for that role.

I agree, I don't think I've cried harder watching any other movie. I cried and sobbed throughout it. This was such a moving film...I loved it.

Recommand Top 75 Neo Noir's

52 Pick-Up (1986)
8 Million Ways to Die (1986)
Absolute Power (1997)
Angel Heart (1987)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Best Seller (1987)
Betrayed (1988)
Big Easy, The (1987)
Black Widow (1987)
Blade Runner (1982)
Blood Simple (1984)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Bound (1996)
Breathless (1983)
Carlito's Way (1993)
Cop (1988)
Cop Land (1997)
Dark City (1998)
Dead Bang (1989)
Desperate Hours (1990)
Devil in a Blue Dress (1994)
Driver, The (1978)
Frantic (1988)
Game, The (1997)
Grifter, The (1990)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Hammett (1982)
Hustle (1975)
I, the Jury (1982)
Internal Affairs (1990)
Jade (1995)
Jagged Edge (1985)
Johnny Handsome (1989)
Kalifornia (1993)
Kill Me Again (1989)
Killer Inside Me, The (1976)
Killing of a Chinese Bookie, The (1976)
King of New York (1990)
Kiss of Death (1995)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Lady in Cement (1968)
Last Boy Scout, The (1991)
Last Embrace (1979)
Last Seduction, The (1994)
Liebestraum (1991)
Limey, The (1999)
Long Goodbye, The (1973)
Long Kiss Goodnight, The (1996)
Mike's Murder (1984)
Morning After, The (1986)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
Night Falls on Manhattan (1997)
Night Moves (1975)
No Way Out (1987)
Pacific Heights (1990)
Point Blank (1967)
Presumed Innocent (1990)
Red Rock West (1992)
Rising Sun (1993)
Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)
Sea of Love (1989)
Sharky's Machine (1981)
Shattered (1991)
Slamdance (1987)
Snake Eyes (1998)
Still of the Night (1982)
Thief (1981)
Tightrope (1984)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
True Romance (1993)
Underneath (1995)
Usual Suspects, The (1995)
Who'll Stop the Rain (1978)
Wild Things (1998)
Zero Effect (1998)

damn, lbj, that's an impressive list, even alphabetized for easy reference. how would you classify these two animated films (assuming you've seen them): batman, mask of the phantasm; and jin roh? i'd strongly recomend both. also noticed you mentioned the great 67 hitman movie, point blank, which for some reason i think resembles the previously mentioned soderbergh entry, 'the limey', but i generally prefer the former, anyway it's definately worth checking out.

shoot, too many good movies mentioned to respond to them all, but a couple that stick out: raise the red lantern: yeah, i really dig how bleak zhang yimou's endings always seem to be, another great one, but a little more obscure, is 'the story of qu jiu', also starring gong li (and those of you who really appreciated her looks and acting in the likes of raise the red lantern and the shanghai triad, should especially see this one for her plain jane, pregnant peasant role, which she pulls of excellently).

seconds> greatness, been years since i've seen it, but i liked it even better than a better known frankenheimer classic (the manchurian candidate).

hmm, i'll have to scan for some more that i missed and have forgotten.

What a great title. I have to check this one out.

Well Well L.B J, The John Holmes of lists. I'm sure a few of these are going to be going on my "to see" list.

I have not seen "The Manchurian Candidate" yet, but that as well is on my list.

Wasn't "True Romance" amazing? That is one movie I can watch over and over, and not get bored.

Has anyone seen "Once Were Warriors"? Wow, this was really powerful.

I just bought the new True Romance SE love it. While it's an all out B film the script by Tarantino does raise it up to another level. Plus that cast is amazing and Scott's treatment of the characters and there surroundings are moody atmospheric and very well paced.

As for The Manchurian Candidate just watch this great conspiracy thriller again a few days ago. Sinatra is on fire. If anyone ever was to question his ability as an actor I would tell them there simply crazy check out The Manchurian Candidate. He's also great in The Naked Runner plus many other films but, anyone wanting to check the man out should check this two bad boys out for sure.

Broadcast News. My favourite movie.

It's amazing that this 1987 film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, yet nobody seems to talk about it anymore, and a great deal of people have never even heard of it. I think it's absolutely brilliant. William Hurt, Holly Hunter and especially Albert Brooks are all great. Jack Nicholson and Joan Cusack are excellent in support.

See it. Now.

I also bought the "True Romance" SE D.V.D. I was one of the first people in Canada to by it. I left my igloo very very early, so early in fact, that I almost tripped on some hockey player doing squats.

Anyways, the D.V.D was superb, and i've already watched it three times. Gary Oldman is so funny "sit down and have an eggroll, we got everything here from a diddle eyed doe, to damned if I know."

I can not stress this fact enough...EVERYONE rent True Romance, you will love it.

Whatcho talkin about Willis? Broadcast News? I may check this out, but whenever I try to draw up some mental pictures of the film, visions of "Network"and "W.K.R.P in Cincinnati" keep jumping up.

......maybe that's a good thing.

I just saw the documentary "Dogtown and Z Boys". It's the origin of skateboarding, and even though I am not into skateboards, this film made me think... damn I should have got into that. A learning experience.

Another film I kind of liked was "Made" with Vince Vaughn - who was really, really funny in it. Watch it for a laugh.

"Storytelling" was a really good dark film.

My list is getting thin. Keep them coming -- The films I've recently kicked off my list are ..."Being There" "The Manchurian Candidate" "I Shot Andy Warhol" "Sliding Doors"........

I'm in love with Coffy (1973) right now, starring THE Pam Grier. She's bada$$.

Couple of recent video releases (hope they weren't mentioned already):

Reign of Fire - Really a lot of fun. Dragons, Post -apocalytic landscape, sneering heroes. Great!

Wit - Was originally a HBO movie but is now on video. Emma Thompson is fantastic as a stuck up professor dying of cancer.

The Boondock Saints, This Movie ROCKS HARD!:yup:

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a relatively new movie, just released on DVD for that matter, I'd recommend checking it out if you like dark humor. It also has some very suspenseful moments, easily one of vals best movies. there is a preview at kkbbcasting.com

If Anyone is interested in increasing their global cinematic experience, here are a few flicks from New Zealand i would reccomend:

In My Father's Den Dir. McGann, 2004 Probably the best film to come out of New Zealand in the last 5 years. Pacing is a bit slow- but worth it.


Vigil Dir. Vincent Ward, 1984 One of the best NZ flicks of all time.It's often written off for being too slow, or criticized because not a whole lot happens, but i think this is one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen. Speilberg expressed his impression with this movie in the late 80's. See this movie.


Goodbye Pork Pie Dir. Geoff Murphy, 1981 This is a hilarious NZ road movie, and a hell of a lot of simple fun. Also displays quite a bit of the NZ landscape, if you are interested. From the director of Young Guns 2 and Under Seige 2, but if you can let that slip for a few hours- then check this one out.

lol

I recommend The World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro. It is a heartwarming little film with Hopkins in one of his best performances. I also recommend Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic...hilarious stuff from the hottest funniest woman in comedy today. I loved it.

I saw that trailer a few days ago for the first time and it does indeed give that feel of the nice little film you say it is. ;)

Smiling fish & goat on fire is a good movie that not many people have heard of or seen. I think? Kikujiro is a great japanese film by takeshi kitano.

Seriously? This has to be one of the worst films ever made. Ever. From the ridiculously bad special effects, to the inane, eye-rolling battle scenes, to the silly, over-glossed post-production bizzareness, I couldn't find a single redeeming quality in this film. Even Milla's ass couldn't save this one. Yeah...that's 1.5 hours of my life I'll never get back...

Braveheart
Some Like It Hot
Leathal Weapon
Pulp Fiction
Battle Royal
The Rock
Almost Famous
The Fly
Run Lola Run