Little Devil's Top Movies list with pictures and explanation

As I said on my "Top Movies" list, I would eventually explain what those movies have of appeal to me. And because having Pictures is always nice, here it is [in no order of importance]

2001 - A Space Odyssey

The "all encompassing" movie. If there is one movie I would dub as perfect, it would be 2001. A lot has been written, discussed, deconstructed, analyzed, turned upside down and criticized about it; so I won't bother you with those things. Suffice to say that as both an experience in cinema and a positive take on mankind's evolution, it works wonders. Also the fxs are absolutely fantastic.



2010 - The Year We Make Contact

Very different from 2001 and quite needless as a sequel.
However, it tackles one side of the story that 2001 only glanced over: international politics [it's a cold war movie after all].
The visuals are quite good and with a lot of ambience, the interaction between the Russian and American scientists on route to find out what happened to the Discovery [and afterwards] is tense, uncomfortable and well tackled without going overboard. All this happening while the Monolith on Jupiter continues its unfathomable work. "Tension" would be a fitting description for the entire movie.



Dune [Lynch's version]

I'm quite a Dune saga fan. And what made me a fan of the Dune Saga was this version of it [which is somewhat different from the book, but I am quite glad it is].
Visually the movie is mesmerizing. The sets are fantastic, the wardrobe choice fitting, and the acting is superb from a superb cast. The soundtrack also gets to be unforgettable [and made me want to learn music]
Dune fans will usually despise this movie as much as Lynch himself [though he has his own personal/professional reasons for it to the point of refusing to talk about it in any way shape or form], and the main complaint is Lynch's "liberties" with the story. The second being that the movie gets confusing.
But here's the thing: I don't really mind artistic liberties with the source material, as long as they make sense and don't change the general motif of the story. This - I feel - was respected, even by Lynch including some of his "lynch-isms" [the Weirding Modules, the Heart Plugs, Paul making Rain at the end, Baron Harkonen's skin disease]. I feel if the movie was done exactly like the book we would end with a movie with a ton of needless stuff that would have no purpose whatsoever for the story [and that we did, with the TV version].
It's filled to the brim with fantastic scenes and interesting choices. Some of the visuals [specially the green/blue screen] is outdated and somewhat distracting, but the general mood is all there.



The Mothman Prophecies

I never cared for Richard Gere [the "sexy gentleman" thing is not my cup of tea]. This movie [and Unfaithful] made me change my mind on his acting .
Although based on the book by John Keel, this rendition takes many of the characters and "facts" revolving the Ploint Pleasant curious case and mashes them all into a more big screen friendly version, while dumping some less necessary elements.
Has a lot of ambience, a great soundtrack, and as a moody thriller it is able to create an intriguing narrative. My signature is one of the lines from this movie, btw.



Jacobs Ladder

This one is a very special movie for me. I don't see it as a horror movie at all [though it did beget some modern visual elements in the horror genre], rather a noir/thriller intellectual movie with a great premise, a sympathetic narrative and a fantastic ending.
Also, as a former Philosophy student [well, you never really abandon it] and having a special interest in Metaphysics and the concept of reality, it is only natural that I'm inclined towards it.
However, it's the aesthetics and general sad mood of the movie that really got me. When you squeeze the narrative [and some of the sub-plots] you'll find there is a lot to dissect and really appreciate.
It is also a good exercise in politics and ethics in warfare as well as [in the other side of the spectrum] a dive into unconditional love.
It's my second favorite movie of all time and I highly recommend you watch it not as a horror movie.




Star Trek - the Motion Picture

Before I even knew there was a Star Trek series, this movie [the only good one I consider in the whole ST franchise] introduced me to the ST Universe.
The thing I find quite interesting is that in comparison to the series, you don't really have to watch those first to understand what is going on and who is who and what capacity they occupy. The characters are all introduced in a rather straightforward yet not rubbed in the nose kind of way. As an example take Captain Kirk. You don't really need to watch the series to understand that he is a guy who must have what he wants and is adamant about it. Or even to learn that Spok is a Vulcan who is in search of his own self.
This kind of character introduction is done extremely well.
Although it has some obvious references [2001 being the most blatant] it has a great premise: A Being that is searching for its own Creator and reason to exist. And that is also Spok's journey which interlocks nicely with the main narrative.
It's not without some logical fallacies [see what I did there?] but as a whole, I find it intriguing, visually stunning and a widely satisfactory self-contained story.

__________________

Angel Heart

Before the "twist in the ending" craze was actually a thing to be done ad nauseam, there was Angel Heart.
A Noir movie with a great performance by Rourke [the "pretty boy" from back then]. Although story-wise we may find it generally simplistic for nowadays standards [keep in mind, this is a movie straight out of the end of the 80's] it has a lot going on in terms of narrative [and shock value].
In the end is the "journey of the hero" twisted to the Nth degree with hellish sadism and irony.



Shining [Kubrik's version]

I don't care for Stephen King. I really don't. And apparently neither did Kubrik. I find Stephen King to be utterly boring and needlessly mushy [watch the "other" version of the Shining for a better understanding of what I just said].
So, why this one?
Well, for starters is a damn good horror movie on the outside and a fantastic tango with the audience's visual perception of space orientation. Then it is also superbly acted and filmed.
The soundtrack is also quite interesting and unsettling. Everything blends perfectly and form a very claustrophobic and disorientating movie experience.
A full blown classic with all the merit.



Eraserhead

Eraserhead was my introduction to Lynch after Dune [I was pretty young back then]. And, as youngster I couldn't do anything else but to surrender to the visual panorama of this dystopian nightmare.
It was the movie that woke me up to the aesthetics and the absurd. Obviously, I couldn't understand half of what was going on on the screen back then, but as I grew older and revisited it, it became clearer and less absurd. In fact I consider it to be straightforward in terms of narrative; the only element of the Absurd being the main characters' reaction to his own surroundings, desires and family predicament.
You can taste a lot of Samuel Beckett and F. Kafka in it, as it will permeate Lynch's entire body of work.



The Fly [Cronenberg's version]

As distant from the original as possible. And what a treat it is. The dialogues are absolutely fantastic, the main theme is typical Cronenberg from his earlier career: to go beyond the entrapment of flesh.
But, unlike the original, the process isn't immediate but painfully slow and the viewer is forced to witness as Seth mind changes [another thematic Cronenberg would later tackle on in favor of body horror]
It is both gross and wonderful at the same time, and I believe that's all it could ever be. Cronenberg's best Body Horror take in my very humble opinion.



12 Monkeys

Yes it's a remake of La Jetée, but it goes way beyond it. It's a bleak, sad and sometimes amusing "journey of the hero" with one hell of a sad ending. Gets me every time.
Fantastic performances by Willis and Pitt and an amusing soundtrack.

Naked Lunch

Well, you don't need to be a Burroughs reader to understand what this movie is all about. Though it's a lose interpretation on the book with the same name [by the afford mentioned writer] and pieces of his life, it feels more of an experiment in artistic creativity via drug use and sexual self-discovery [specially because of the visual format]. It's an unsettling movie in many levels, yet a straight forward probing into the process of literary creation. Both grotesque and candid. Highly recommended.



Dr. Strangelove

What can be said that hasn't already been said about this one? Tongue in cheek humor and parody abounds in this satire. You really shouldn't fight in the War Room; it's not proper.





Videodrome

Is reality as we perceive it [the way we perceive it] because of a tumor in the brain or is the tumor the actual manifestation of reality? Is television reality or the addiction to television a manifestation of a reality perceived only by that tumor?
It's a great movie that deals with the weight of the media in our perception of what is real. Cronenbreg would later update this concept to the more modern times with "eXistenZ"
Long Live the New Flesh.




The Brood

Body Horror and the Psyche. As far as I can tell, this is the one movie in which Cronenberg made the bridge between both. The body shows what the mind [knowingly or unknowingly] is busy with in a gruesome way. This dichotomy has a name in this movie: Psichoplasmics.




The Omen [original trilogy]

Movies about the birth, life and death [including rebirth] of Jesus Christ are plenty and you can chose what better suits your fancy.
Movies about the birth, ascension and fall of the Antichrist [in juxtaposition] is spelled "The Omen".
By themselves, the three movies aren't that special [except for shock value], but together they seem to work better.
For me, the highlight of this trilogy - despite the idea being original - is in one monologue that Sam Neil has with a statue of Jesus he keeps in his attic [we all have had bogey men in our attics, one time or the other; in his case is Jesus].
There are some great moments through out, and others quite silly [the ending is cringe worthy]. The main theme "Ave Satani" is gorgeous and powerful.

Inland Empire

Inland Empire is the sum of almost all Lynch's works [with the exception of Dune and - to some extent - Twin Peaks, although you'll recognize some partial feel of it].
And, as a sum, it delivers all you need to to know about a Lynch movie.
This one is, however, a bit more Meta; in the sense that the lead character realizes she is indeed just a character in a movie. The great revealing light in the end of the tunnel is the light that shines upon oneself on the stage, where everything begins and ends. Meanwhile we tend to forget who we are to play the role we are invested in. The road to self-discovery can be daunting, just like Inland Empire shows.

PS - also has an image near the end you'll never forget.



Mulholland Drive

Lynch has a curious tendency to make movies about dreams of personal success and love. And this one is no different. In the end, love is the all redeeming force that elevates the characters.
When you fail to be elevated? Silencio.




Twin Peaks fire walk with me

Who on this Earth has never watched the Twin Peaks tv series?
Shame on you if you didn't.
As with the previous entry on the list, this one is also about love and redemption through love. Fantastic scenes.
Has a lot of "theater of the Absurd" and there's Chris Isaak and David Bowie in there as well.



Lost Highway

By now you've read the last entries. This one is no different. Marylin Manson and Twiggy Ramirez are in it.

I love the first two Omen's but didn't like Final Conflict.

Same as me. The only part of that movie I enjoy is Sam Neils' monologue. The rest of the movie is silly and cringe worthy [specially the ending].
But when you put all the movies together, they are a necessary part of each other.

Legend of the Overfiend [the first one]

Yes. It's an Hentai. It has lots of Demon tentacles sex in it. But that's not the point. The point is the animation is terrific.. And the story... And the Soundtrack.
There are 4 movies out of this and some OVAs. Skip those and watch this movie instead. It's cruel, violent, gruesome, and downright unforgettable.



Sunshine

The premise of this movie is quite inventive for a Sci-Fi. You can see some major nods to other more well established flicks in the genre throughout, but at the core it remains original. There's one dumbfounding element to it [in a character that the script could easily made more relateable and interesting] that feels way too forced in to no avail. But, overall, it's a great spectacle.



The Truman Show

We are still in the day and age of Reality Shows. The Truman SHow gives a take on the sub-humanization of the character whose being filmed 24h a day while showing how incredibly indifferent the viewer is to his humanity, making the viewers as guilty as the man who came up with the concept. It's a humorous slap in the face on general modern media hypocrisy.



The Game [David Fincher]

A great original thriller. And a hell of a spiraling downwards ride. Michael Douglas is SUPERB in his role. The ending gets me every single time




The Others

I never cared for the "other movie" that came out when this one did and seem to have started the whole "twist in the end" craze [I leave that glory to Angel Heart and Jacobs Ladder].
Unlike that "other one", this one has a very interesting premise and a sad tone to it, reinforced by some well placed characters. You gotta love Nicole Kidman's acting.

I've never wanted to watch a hentai more than I do right now. Not even while talking to Minio.

Despite being an Hentai flick, it's also a horror one. The story is unique. You're gonna love it.

Urotsukidoji is surprisingly good, I'm embarrassed to say. I probably haven't seen it for 20 years now, but my bro was obsessed with it before he got married and had a family. I still have a copy of Singapore Sling around here.

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I have all the movies and the OVA's of that saga, but only the 1st one is actually good. The rest is just... meh?

The Mechanist

I have a great respect for Bale as an actor due to this movie. The man looks like a walking corpse ready to dip in his grave. Outstanding delivery of one's self to the Art of Acting. And as it seems, Bale would willingly go on loosing weight if it wasn't for the team making the movie.
So, what do I enjoy about it? Well, besides the obvious acting, it's the punch line .
Could it be better? Yes.
Could it be worse? Definitely
Is it a good movie? Yes, yes it is.




Under the Skin

I watched this movie with a general satisfying amusement. It's one of those occasions in which you are watching a movie and you just know what the maker wants to convey and you watch it unfold. It's not exactly like the book it derives from [I don't care if it is or not] but the content is all there. Specially satisfying watching an Alien becoming alienated of her own self. Visually gorgeous, drawn out to some extent but it wouldn't work if were to be done any other way.




The WItch

This one took me by surprise, being that it's so recent [and 2016 wasn't that fruitful with good movies].
I take my hat off to the actors for mastering an archaic form of the English language and to the beautiful shots that permeate the entire movie. I can't honestly see it as a horror movie per se, rather a period thriller with supernatural stuffing,
There are some beautifully acted scenes, some gorgeous imagery for the eyes to feast and some interesting choices made as a whole.




Incubus [with John Cassavetes]

This is a rather forgotten movie [sadly]. It's basically a slasher movie, but, at the same time, a very unique one. Part of the charm is not what happens in full view but what is described by the characters to each other. There are also some sub.plots occurring in a subtle fashion [specially a possible incest case]. Some parts of it are just goofy [the Grandmother] but as a whole, the gore, violence and the imagery are very raw and powerful [it also spawn a lot of Hentai themes]

Curio: Bruce DIckinson appears singing.