the-young-turk's Top 100

hi, i used to post on here about 4/5 years ago but completely forgot my username, so i'm back with a Mark E Smith themed user. Here is my top 100 films list. It's a pretty personal list. Some popular films some not so much. Think there's two teleplays in there and a couple of pieces of artist-moving-image, but it all falls under the wide umbrella of FILM. Here. We. Go.

EDIT*****: THERE IS NOW A TL;DR FULL LIST AT THE END W NO DESCRIPTIONS ! ! ! ! !

100. Welcome to Leith (2015)

A p conventional documentary on the one hand, but an excellent cultural document on the other. Really charts the rise and activity of the far right throughout the 2010s really well, almost a horror movie in some respects. Seen it a few times now and each time i come away absolutely terrified.

99. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

boooooo I know I know. Aesthetic king and marmite auteur, but probably my favourite Wes Anderson, and it is p much the soundtrack of my teens. Love love love the Walking-Off-The-Bus-To-These-Days moment more than I could ever describe.

98. Les Unwanted de Europa (2018)

I said this list is p persona, which it is, but like also it's just a list i try and keep track of in my own head, so expect some recent releases. Saw this when it was on MUBI and loved. Tracks Walter Benjamin travelling from catalonia to france numerous times, a v slow and mediative film, but reallly felt it captured that eye-of-the-storm calm perfectly. Like violence isn't always loud and brash.

97. Raising Arizona (1987)

my namesake. Absolute fave coen brothers movie, best use of NIc Cage i've ever seeen, and super tender plot at heart, like is anyone really in the wrong ?? (probably), haven't seen for a while now but still have super fond memories for this film.

96. The Family Way (1966)

always always ALWAYS watch this with my family, favourtie Boulting film, also beautiful score by Paul McCartney. Love the Lancashire humour and the bittersweet-career-best performance from John Mills. One of the most overlooked sex comedies ever.

That's the first five! will try and post five a day but may post more than that at a time if i get the chance!!!! hope this is interesting to at least someone ! peace : - )

Hey, first off, welcome back.

Second, if you PM me, I can probably help you find it, and even merge your old account with this new one. No trouble at all, hit me up.

*the-unutterable private messages Yoda*

"Hey, remember me? You said you'd help me locate my old account and let me post under that name again.

Yoda: Yeah, sure, what was it?

the-unutterable: Sexy Celebrity.

Yoda:

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Brit spelling & a Marmite mention. Must be either a Brit or an Aussie.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

That’s right ! From by Liverpool.

99. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Great choice! If you didn't know he was in love with her, when she steps off the bus in slow motion, you should now. Also there is a great narration by Alec Baldwin reminding the audience from time to time they are watching a book.

round 2 ! ! ! i'll probs end up doing more today as am just working from home so boredom will ensue. but until then here are the next 10 !!! (thought i'd treat u all)

95. Domestic Violence (2001)

Not my favourite Wiseman but deffo my second favourite. Before I saw this I thought he was just an institutional specialist, or someone whose documentaries rely on observing some sort of geography (a building, an estate, a town). But this far-reaching and affecting doc has such scope and the issue is so prevalent it's amazing to see it done so well. Love.

94. Heat (1995)

The chrome neo-noir thriller is the perfect late-capitalist response to James Cagney gangster films. Really does away with the 20th century grit aesthetic and leads us into the sort of stuff we expect from 00s action films - c h r o m e.

93. The House That Jack Built (2018)

i love brecht. probably my favourite writer. lars von trier also loves brecht. this film has its problematic moments, as do all of his films, but i love just how narcissistic he can be without it really affecting the quality of work. really don't know where he goes next.

92. Serpent River (1989)

Sandra Lahire's experimental documentary looking at a community of people in Canada living in the shadow of uranium mines has such a violent visual language and i'm here for it. not very widely seen but for those in the UK it is available for free on the BFI Player under the London Filmmakers Co-Op section, tried to post a link but i haven't got 25 posts yet.

91. Detour (1945)

Edgar G. Ulmer is probably best known for his debut film People on Sunday (1930), however this fantastic car-bound noir really found affinity with me. idk if it's the protagonist, who seems to lust for adventure, but through this lust manages to stumble into nothing but misadventure. or maybe it's the wild femme fatale, who seems simply to use what power she has to try and forge some enjoyment out of LA.

90. There Will Be Blood (2007)

PTA. the people's auteur. There Will Be Blood is the sort of film you just sort of assume they stopped making after 1967. its on such a huge, sweeping scale. Obviously, it reminds me of all those great epic melodramas, particularly of course Giant (1946). But it's the epic psychological warfare that really makes this film stand out. yes, there are the massive and gorgeous visuals, but the subtlety of performance and manipulation given by both Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano really make it great.

89. Marvo Movie (1967)

Jeff Keen is one of my favourite experimental filmmakers. he made glorious collages of pop culture similar to Rauschenberg. Marvo Movie is really in here to represent his work, his ideas, and his daring. Really hard to just pick one so here it is.

88. Stand Up, Nigel Barton (1965)

incredible teleplay written by the great Dennis Potter. the film is about a working-class man who gets accepted into an Oxbridge university. when he gets there he realises he's somewhat of an exotic creature, people prodding him to say things because he says them differently etc. really relatable, and forward thinking considering it was 1965.

87. Seven Days (1974)

this is a fabulous experimental film by chris welsby, here is a brief explanation of the concept; "Rotating at the same earth speed as the earth, the camera is always pointing at either its own shadow or at the sun. Selection of image, (sky or earth, sun or shadow), was controlled by the extent of cloud coverage, i.e. whether the sun was in or out. If the sun was out the camera was turned towards its own shadow, if it was in the camera was turned towards the sun."
This film literally puts me in a trance and i love it, could watch for hours.

86. Gulybani (2018)

Gürcan Keltek's Locarno winning short film. It has three completely contrasting aesthetic chapters, each of which i love. the first reminds me of The Mirror (1975) or Loveless (2017) in the way it depicts water. the second is a really washed out look at deserts, which feels like an aesthetic reference but probably one i don't get. and the third is really similar to the gorgeous structuralist ending of Irma Vep (1996). l o v e.

ok so there's another 10. like i said i'll probably post more later on as am just really having fun doing this ! peace : - )

here we go again ! the next 10 in my critically acclaimed palme d'or winning oscar snubbed list.

85. Yellow Submarine (1968)

for one this is a really nostalgic film for me and absolute favourite of child me's. on another hand, i genuinely think this is one of the best animated films ever made, from the humour to the ingenuity of the editing, and the way it turns Liverpool into a fantasy wonderland.

84. My Winnipeg (2007)

Guy Maddin loves movies and i love Guy Maddin. his most personal film, really does well to combine personal histories with national ones. also love how psychological mapping can be so literal on-screen.

83. La Chinoise (1967)

jean-luc godard is super divisive, but i love him, and in particular i love this film. from his flirtation with maoism and disdain for his acclaimed genre pictures, comes this aesthetic glory, which holds some of Raol Coutard's (definitely spelt that wrong) best cinematography.

82. Last Year at Marienbad (1961)

From one arthouse master to another, Renais' magnum opus is absolutely stunning and also completely incomprehensible. the geography of this film honestly keeps me occupied for days, couldn't ask for anything more.

81. The Fog (1980)

now when it comes to personal preference, i'm usually not one for 70s/80s genre pictures. however, i make a special exception for John Carpenter, and in particular The Fog. a completely eerie masterpiece that manages an ensemble (sort of) cast to perfection.

80. Listen to Britain (1942)

Humphrey Jennings really did well to inject a bit of poetic energy into mid century british documentary. Fires Were Started very nearly made it to this list, but was just about edged out by the sheer political genius of Welcome to Leith. Instead, this film captures the mood and tempo of Britain at a crucial time in our history, and stands as a wonderfully crafted cultural document.

79. Black God, White Devil (1964)

when we think of vibrant new wave films with political daring, in Europe/the US we probably think of around 1967/68. This film has that pulsating energy featured in films such as Tout va Bien, however, years earlier, and arguably, with more to lose. cine novo is a mysterious gem of cinema history, and this film is undoubtedly its master work.

78. Right On! (1970)

this one is another pretty hard to see film, this is Herbert Danska's documentation of the work of The Last Poets (a Gil Scott Heron style vocal jazz-funk group). Shot on gorgeous 70s harlem rooftops, with the brilliant political punch of the black power movement, what's not to love.

77. Hunger (2008)

steve mcqueen's directorial debut still blows my mind every time i see it. Unafraid in its depiction of the sheer calamatous violence of the Troubles, and with a beautiful Pasoliniesque centrepice (the long-shot-encounter between Sands and the clergyman), Hunger is a muscular but spiritual masterwork.

76. Palindromes (2004)

todd solondz is a funny one isn't he. When i first heard about Palindromes i naïevly thought it was going to succumb to its gimmick (of numerous actresses playing the same child). I couldn't be more wrong. This film is an importantly brutal depiction of how maleable a child's understanding of sex is, and how easily manipulated they are. The tweeness of the film honestly makes you want to throw up because of the context, i adore it.

ok so there's another 10 !!! who knows when the next 10 will be (v soon). i hope you all enjoy !!! peace : - )

what a troll !!! (literally just trolling myself, if posting 20 entries at once is OTT to you, pls don't stifle enthusiasm) here is the next 10, be sure to vote for me in the Most TL;DR No One Cares entry in the MoFo Forum Awards 2019/2020 : - )

75. The Trial (1962)

100% my favourite Orson Welles. Lots of films have tried to get Kafka right, even those that aren't adapting his work, but this film just seems spot on. Kafkaesque, not in the Metamorphosis style of Weird imagery, but in the bureaucratic eerie sense developed further by writers like JG Ballard. Love.

74. Hale County, This Morning This Evening (2018)

is there any better critique of the ultra-physical black stereotype? a gorgeous, soft, loving, tireless ethnographic masterpiece of a documentary that makes me cry every time i watch it. if it isn't the beautiful cinematography that gets you, the amazing characters that populate the film will.

73. A Sign Is A Fine Investment (1983)

Really interesting investigation into how the relationship between adverts, the product they advertise, and labourers who produce said product, has changed in the UK since the dawn of visual advertising. blew me away upon first viewing and some of the information it shares remain in my "boring facts to bring out at parties."

72. Meantime (1983)

favourite Mike Leigh film, feel out of all of his films this is the one where the characters, casting, and plotlessness work to his advantage. I know that Ray and Liz has been compared to both The Terrence Davies Trilogy, and to a lesser extent The Bill Douglas Trilogy, but I think through its tone and the actions and expressions of the characters, it is much closer to Mike Leigh's masterpiece.

71. Quality Control (2001)

Kevin Jerome Everson is really one of those american directors who is gonna be taught in film studies classes in like 15 years, but until then will just remain a cult figure. A beautiful document of blackness and labour in the 21st century.

70. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Dreyer is one of those directors i hate to love. Just because he's one of those directors teachers and lecturers and critics bang on about, but when you sit down and watch him, even his minor works stand out as amazing. However, for sheer influence (i.e. Vivre sa Vie) this film is the one that surely wins out.

69. The Shining (1980)

up there for my favourite opening shot of any film ever made ever. really don't know what to say about this film that hasn't already been said. amazing.

68. The Theatre of Mr. & Mrs. Kabal (1967)

pre-python, pre-yellow submarine, this film takes everything i love about animation and throws it into one film. Borowczyk is without a doubt my favourite animator, and this film really captures the wonderful essence of his work.

67. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965)

Spy films are really cool. Like really really cool. But spy films that have the energy of a Pere Ubu album are even cooler. That's just a fact. This film should be called The Spy Who Came In From The Cool there i said it.

66. The Spongers (1978)

a teleplay by (possibly) my favourite screenwriter in Jim Allen, not only an excellent document of what life on welfare was truly like in the late 70s, but also really vital representation of disabled people.

ok so. another 10. straight away. what a surprising list. this is really for me but if anyone else is getting a kick pls let me know. peace : - )

a new instalment in this highly anticipated franchise, co-owned by Disney.

65. Broadway by Light (1958)

william klein's dazzling experimental documentary has the sort of flash fabulousness you'd expect from the 1960s. Be it in this, in Mr. Freedom, or Who Are You, Polly Magoo, his eye for aesthetic (and crucially his ability to swiftly and wittily undermine that aesthetic) is nothing short of genius.

64. I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians (2018)

other than Aferim! i've been a big fan of Radu Jude for some time now, and was thrilled to see that this was in the London Film Festival. Utterly Brechtian, tantalisingly controversial, and with numerous references to The Mirror, this film is the perfect companion to his essayistic-still-image documentary The Dead Nation.

63. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

James Dean was one of the greats. Yes he only had three moving picture roles, but from reports of his stage career, and his deep interest in serious and experimental theatre, it is safe to say he's one of the greats. In the three films he starred in he worked with three of the biggest directorial names in Hollywood, Elia Kazan, George Stevens, and Nicholas Ray. There is not even an ounce of competition from the other two intermediate filmmakers, Ray's brilliance shines above them all in this angular teen melodrama.

62. The Case of the Morituri Divisions (1985)

FJ Ossang is a super stylish filmmaker whose underground art-genre hits are very hit and miss. The Case of the Morituri Divisions is one that really stuck with me though, probably because it has just about my favourite soundtrack ever, featuring bands from Throbbing Gristle to Cabaret Voltaire.

61. Medium Cool (1969)

Haskell Wexler is probably best remembered as the cinematographer for In the Heat of the Night, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Conversation. However his 1969 feature Medium Cool really heralds the death of the 60s. With gorgeously shot photography by Wexler fuelling the smooth transitions between characters under the saturated sixties sun.

60. Otolith I (2003)

The Otolith Group are a group of diaspora filmmakers working in the UK. Their work uses elements of genre to create experimental documentaries looking at various lost histories, some fictional, some not. Otolith I looks at the anti-Iraq war movement in the UK from the early 00s from an outsiders perspective - that being the perspective of a race of humans who have escaped the earth and thrive without gravity.

59. The Red Shoes (1948)

Powell & Pressburger always come up as an example of British filmmakers who aren't realists. Which is true but like, outside of that, they're essentially the best directors of cine-operas you will ever see. I know Tales of Hoffman would suit that point better, but The Red Shoes' melodic and operatic tempo really holds a special place in my heart.

58. Taxi Driver (1976)

Taxi Driver is the culmination of three immense talents, one on the road to recovery, two on their way to self-destruction. These talents are, of course, DeNiro, Scorsese, and Schrader. The dark, vaguely experimental, nature of this film is super impressive, especially considering that despite it's suicidal tone it remains emblazoned in popular culture.

57. Culloden (1964)

a cinema verite style documentary about a battle during the english civil war, Peter Watkins narrative documentaries are probably closer to rivalling Ken Loach than Mike Leigh ever was. (Leigh is much closer to poetic approaches adapted by Bill Douglas and Terrence Davies, those middle class folies into working class lives). Culloden is available on YouTube and is a must watch.

56. The Nothing Factory (2017)

ok so this portugese strike film is unlike anything i've ever seen before. Blue Collar, Harlan County USA, Roger & Me, all of these films are excellent at looking at labour relations, however, none touch this Brechtian-punk-rock-musical-cum-revolutionary-fable.

that's it for this installment, tune in next time for more films that are better than anything hitchcock could even dream of ! peace : - )

he's done it again !!!! essentially i'm posting so many at a time because:
a) i wanna get this done
b) i'm going to see the new Wang Bing today so that's most of my day gone w that
c) feels like an initiation and then i can hit you all w a hot takes thread

55. The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (1978)

Raol Ruiz is incredible, saw this for the first time last year and fell in love. Feels like something Peter Greenaway would try and do, but Ruiz does it much much better than any of Greenaway's forays into the art world. Would highly reccomend.

54. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

RIP Stanley Donen. this film gives me endless joy. Be it Gene Kelly's endless talent, or the comic genius of Danny Kaye. Aside from the singin and dancin, this film's visuals are second to none. Absolutely gorgeous and does away with the idea that the pinnacle of the musical aesthetic is Busby Berkley giving people a literal spin class.

53. Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968)

a film about a film who is subject to a documentary which is also subject to a documentary. count me in ! really not as corny as it sounds and absolutely genius.

52. Theorem (1968)

Think i mentioned when talking about Hunger that Pasoliniesque sequence between Bobby Sands and the clergyman? That scene is more of a reference to Pigsty, but with Theorem we get the ultimate Catholic-Marxist art film. Nothing not to love about this film.

51. Day for Night (1973)

Truffaut's best acting role by far. Screw kids and dogs, don't work with cats!

50. Elephant (1989)

The inspiration behind Gus Van Sant's palme d'or winning film of the same name, this film is a mechanical look at violence during the Troubles, and for me is without a doubt Alan Clarke's magnum opus. Only an hour long, the film depicts numerous killings in Ireland, however the characters are given no distinguishing signifiers, meaning the film really illustrates the senselessness of the violence.

>-\ NOW THAT WE'RE PAST 50 THERE WILL BE IMAGES /-<

49. Vertigo Sea (2015)

Split across three screens, this work by John Akomfrah looks at the savage history between colonialism, slavery, and water. With some beautiful imagery and some savage, the same images switch screens, meaning you cannot escape the horrors of what he is showing you.



48. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra's socialist masterpiece is soooo much more than a Christmas movie. This film teaches you about the American experience of the war, what true camaraderie means, and the power of friendship and family. So. Wholesome.



47. B.I.T Plane (1999)

The Bureau of Inverse Technology use what i believe to be the first instance of drone footage to look at the eerieness that lurks beneath the architecture and geography of Silicon Valley. Absolutely love this film and everything Kate Rich has ever done.



46. RedDesert (1964)

Now a few years ago i'd have definitely said L'Eclisse is my favourite Antonioni, but it isn't and (sneak peak) neither is this. But I do love it, and eerie gas coming from the factories, the ghost ship, the box room that sexual energy literally bursts, and Dumbledore looking sexy as hell.



that's the second installment of the day, more pictures to come, pls bare with my need to get this list done.

ok so, final installment of the morning i promise ( lit ignore me if you hate )

45. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Absolutely beautiful and hilarious anti-war film that really does well to illustrate how politicians we think are sworn enemies actually have to be relatively friendly to keep up that illusion. Also Peter Sellers has endless talent.



44. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)

From my native Liverpool comes Terrence Davies magnum opus, that not only takes a painstakingly poetic look at the prevalent poverty in post-war England. But also serves as an artefact to preserve traditional Liverpublian songs, as well as what the sound of Merseyside was pre-Beatles.



43. Black Panthers (1968)

RIP Agnes Varda. My favourite of her films, really illustrates how the Black Panthers weren't this anti-white terror group that the media and history seems to try and pen them down as, but instead as the community project that was absolutely necessary for black people in the 1960s.



42. Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Billy Wilder is what film historians try and say Howard Hawks is. He's the master of genre cinema. Which makes it all the more mysterious that his greatest film is so hard to pin down to a single genre. Part noir, part horror, part melodrama, Sunset Blvd is gorgeously cinematic and has always been ready for its close up.



41. Beau Travail (1999)

Claire Denis is one of those filmmakers that is super hard to pin down. She can make aggressive and hyper-masculine films like this one, or super gentle and loving ones like 45 Shots of Rum. This film, however, has that ending. THAT ENDING.



40. Stonebridge Park (1981)

Stonebridge Park is an early film made by Patrick Keiller (director of the Robinson trilogy). It's a simple shot walking around the pedestrian bridge in Stonebridge Park, however, the narration tells the story of a man planning and executing a robbery. This film blows my mind. Mainly for the way the narrator illustrates the seemingly empty landscape perfectly.



39. Welfare (1975)

Easily my favourite Wiseman, the film is rooted inside a welfare office and over three hours examines the lives of the people who work there, and the people who are there for an appointment. The film shows quite how much work was needed on the American welfare system, and how much personal politics comes into play (when it really should not).



38. Sleep Furiously (2009)

Gideon Koppel's sleepy documentary about a small Welsh town and its inhabitants is part fairytale and part horror film. You get sucked into their way of life and their rhythm. Which is fun and cute, but also horrifying due to its mundanity. Shows the best and worst parts of small town life in the UK.



37. All That Heaven Allows (1955)

I'm gonna be super controversial and say Hitchcock isn't ****. Or more, he makes well crafted films, but they feel soulless, and for no reason. Douglas Sirk is the master of well crafted, meaningful films, that have no soul for the simple reason that he detested the system he worked in. This film is high art, and the sarastic happy ending he was forced to produce is utterly hilarious, and shows quite how much of an influence he was on shows like Dallas.



36. Loves of a Blonde (1965)

Miloš Forman's incredible teen-melodrama has that ironic edge that most American and British teen films miss out on. We know exactly what is going to happen to the "Blonde" in question. Also this film really holds up the idea that The Good Soldier Sveijk is the key text for Czech national identity.




like i said, final instalment for the morning, pls feel free to argue w the Hitchcock statement.

ok so, @Yoda merged my embarrassing old account with what was formerly this one, but it accidentally kept my old password, so I'm gonna post from this one until i can get back into my embarrassing 17-year-old-angst-fuelled account.

35. Behemoth (2015)

Zhao Liang's epic documentary on industrialisation in China. Absolutely beautiful landscape shots that really do well to characterise industrialisation as this sort of eldritch demon.



34. Pickpocket (1959)

Robert Bresson is an absolute master of the craft, it's unquestionable. Each of his decisions, duration, framing, editing, are all so carefully put together that each of his films feels like a delicate artefact. Pickpocket exemplifies these qualities in Bresson, as well as showing how well he can get a performance (or an anti-performance) from an actor.



33. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

From one master to another, Murnau's films feel like Dante on screen. Yes this is more overt in films like Faust, but I think Sunrise carries this element also. The hellscape of the mechanised city, where the Individual is dead, and each person must operate as a cog in its game. When the lovers try to express themselves, dreaming of the openness and freedom of their rural home, of course, the city reacts violently.



32. Bande a Part (1964)

We've had Godard's Maoist period, now into my favourite of his playful genre films. This film is just so much fun, like a modernist jolly round '60s Paris. Even the supposedly serious heist that is meant to be taking place isn't taken too seriously by the oh-so-cool-thieves, who are too busy bickering over the woman they're trying to manipulate.



31. A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)

Ever wanted to watch numerous animals decompose in timelapse while twee-krautrockesque music plays? Add on top of that melodrama camped up to the heavens and you have ZOO.



30. Gallivant (1997)

Psychogeography but make it wholesome. Andrew Kötting takes his heavily disabled daughter, and his elderly grandmother on a walking tour of Britain's coast. The result is a beautiful, poignant, but never pretentious portrait of how difference, memory, and geography are all intertwined, and oh-so-different for us all.



29. La Jetée (1962)

Chris Marker's sci-fi still image short makes even those of us who hate art films gasp. The film has a clever yet simple time travel plot, that manages to seem both completely accessible and horrendously pretentious all at the same time. Nevertheless I love it.



28. Robinson in Space (1997)

The second film in Patrick Keiller's Robinson Trilogy, this film has the fictional Robinson Institute study the events and psychogeographic happenings taking place outside of London, in a similar style to the already-listed Stonebridge Park.



27. Persona (1966)

A Bergman. Not much i can say about this that hasn't been said before, other than RIP Bibi.



26. Enthusiasm (1931)

Dziga Vertov's first sound film, and the film that convinced Charlie Chaplin that sound is worth bothering with. My love for this film probably stems from my love of experimental music, and Vertov's sound collages really prick up my ears.





ok so that's another installment! hopefully i'll be back in my old/new account soon, but if not expect more from this one ! peace : - )

ok so second (probs last as i have to get a train) installment of the day !!! getting to the big boy numbers now

25. Late Spring (1949)

Late Spring is one hundred per cent my favourite Ozu. It has such a wide ranging influence, from teen movies to Claire Denis. But the reason i love it most is because it contains all of the toned down melodrama of any mid-late period Ozu film, but hones it to perfection.



24. L'Atalante (1934)

Jean Vigo's death was such a huge loss. This film encapsulates a whole new type of montage, and a whole new type of melodrama. There's also something to be said about this film and Andrew Kötting's Swandown as an unlikely double bill.



23. Demonlover (2002)

Hentai porn corporate thriller. Love love love this from Assayas. hands down his best film, despite his more subtle approach in Personal Shopper and the structural chaos that was Irma Vep. Also, Sonic Youth's score is genius.



22. A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Cassavetes is really tough to pin down. Some of his films I think are super mediocre, but this film packs a real punch emotionally. Like the performances in this film are second to none. Especially considering one of the main characters is super recognisable from Columbo, like he shakes that role off in a way that many actors who straddle the shadow of a pop culture giant (Mark Hamil, Daniel Radcliffe, Sarah Jessica Parker) couldn't.



21. The Nightcleaners (1976)

Brilliant experimental film by the god-like Mark Karlin, the film is sort of the template for how most documentaries now talk about manual labour, invisible jobs, and strikes. Quite hard to see but well worth a watch if you get the chance.



20. The Last of England (1987)

Derek Jarman's feral cry out against Thatcher, and in many ways against his own body, after (if i recall this correctly) having been diagnosed with HIV just before the film was made. I don't want to ruin this rollercoaster ride, so all i'll say is: hands down Tilda Swinton's best performance ever.



19. Now, Voyager (1942)

My favourite melodrama by far. Packs all of the drama, tension, hilarity of a Sirk film, but is muffled over with what I can only describe as a post-punk vibe. Also, the film feels like you're watching a whole season of a soap opera, which is very effective.



18. Fanny & Alexander (1982)

Talking about the full 7 hour version here. Just everything you want from a film and more, feels like a Russian novel from like the 19th century, Tolstoy etc., but with all of the visual ticks we've come to associate with Bergman.



17. Zorms Lemma (1970)

Hollis Frampton's epic alphabeti spaghetti version of New York is so ! much ! fun ! I love how the rhythm of the film is inconsistent to keep you on your toes, and then just the aesthetic beauty of the images he's shot, love it.



16. Level Five (1997)

Chris Marker makes a video-game-art-film years before it's cool. This film is one of the only films of the 90s that genuinely feels like all the buzz we get about hacker culture, and its totally ludicrous and fictional, yet also a documentary. Wow.



cute, so like i said probs last one for today, hope you enjoy. peace : - )

The art-house rating of this list is 99/100, but I guess that when all Tarkovsky's movies will show up in the top 15.

Spoiler alert ! But there’s actually only 1 Tarkovsky in the list, no saying which though : - )

ok so this is the last 5 before we get into the TOP 10 !!!!!! exciting

15. Brutality in Stone (1961)

Easily one of the most underrated and underappreciated voices from the German New Wave, Alexander Kluge's Brutality in Stone is a haunting portrait of the shocking eerieness of Nazi architecture still present around Germany. A genuine horror movie.



14. I Am Cuba (1964)

Mikhail Kalatozov is probably my favourite post-Silent era Soviet director. This film really does well to deconstruct the history of Cuba and steers away from a more colonial gaze (though it is somewhat ideologically present, not so much visually) that we might expect from a Western film made on the same topic.



13. Handsworth Songs (1986)

The Black Audio Film Collective are one of the most important and influential groups of filmmakers to come out of the UK, introducing the world to such titans as John Akomfrah. Handsworth Songs is the delicate but angry response to racist attacks that happened in the Handsworth district of Birmingham.



12. Radio On (1979)

Perhaps the only British road movie that matters, and with an absolutely gorgeous soundtrack featuring Ian Dury, Kraftwerk, and David Bowie. Radio On is a masterpiece of melancholic neurological mapping.



11. Wavelength (1967)

Michael Snow's Wavelength is one of the most influential experimental films of all time, and really encapsulates everything I love about the structuralist movement of the 60s and 70s. Loved by filmmakers such as Chantal Akerman, the film is the slow zoom to end all slow zooms.



ok so, next up, the top 10 !!! keep ur eyes peeled ! peace : - )

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p e a c e a n d l o v e : - )

ok so..........the top 10 !!! expect short but sweet descriptions but feel free to ask more !

10. A Grin Without a Cat (1977)

Chris Marker's epic Mai68 retrospective doc is up there for one of the best documentaries made from the archives i've ever seen.

Whoo, we did it, with the accounts! Thanks for your patience, glad we sorted it out. Great list.

9. Looking for Langston (1989)

Isaac Julien's take on the Harlem Renaissance is beautiful, fabulous, and super disco.