I have this thing in which I want to rent a ton of movies out of my local library, but the very second I try to figure out which ones I want to put on hold, I seem to forget all of them. So feel free to suggest movies, any movies, even bad movies that will annoy me to know end because anything can be intellectually stimulating. The sort of movies I like: Poignant stories about people triumping over adversity Kung Fu movies. Anime, especially Miyazaki Movies about people who are just so cool. Historically accurate docudramas A drama with comedic elements.
Movies I hate: Romantic comedies with irratating political messages engrained in them. Annoyingly hyper-patriotic crappy films like Independence Day and Armegeddon. Movies about freaking serial killers unless Emily Watson is in it. Most old cowboy movies Stupid teenager comedy movies except for American Pie.
Posted by rayne (Member # 5722) on :
Legend, Labrynth, Never Ending Story, Ewoks, nd the Dark Crystal it's best to see those when you're little and let them help shape your imagination growing up, but it's never too late
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*Claps* I've seen a few of those movies and they rock! The book version of the Neverending Story is so excellent!
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
You NEED to watch movies by Akira Kurosawa. I recommend The Seven Samurai, if you can sit still for three hours, anyway. It's just so... wow. I also loved The Bad Sleep Well, which is harder to find but EXCELLENT.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*cheers* I love Kurosawa! Especially a movie I saw in Japanese movie class called No Regrets in Our Youth. It was about this woman who married a guy who was some sort of political protestor. It's about how she changes and becomes strong. It has such brilliant scenes like the bushes shaking as they seem to mock her. Then you have Rashomon to consider. Another great old Japanese movie I saw was called Love Suicide and it had koken (i think that is what they are called) in it like a bunraku play. So awesome.
Posted by rayne (Member # 5722) on :
based on the other thread you have going, I think you should watch Shine and A Beautiful Mind
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
The Red Violin
Posted by MaureenJanay (Member # 2935) on :
How are you about Jackie Chan?
Some of my favorites of his are Who am I?, Gorgeous, and the Legend of Drunken Master. Warning: Gorgeous might be construed as "romantic comedy" but you know how much better it is in Chinese. I also love City Hunter, which is a chinese Jackie movie based on an old anime. It's hilarious. Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Ordinary People.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*loves Jackie Chan* Especially his Hong Kong movies. They are better than the American movies in my opinion. Then you have Jet Li who is so cute (We need a heart smilie) I lvoe him in Tai Chi Master. Then there is the awesome Peking Opera Blues. If you can get this movie, see it, it's the best. It has some of the neatest scenes in it and Bridgette Lin is in this movie being so cool. Then there is Farewell My Concubine which is a depressing movie and isn't even a Kung Fu movie, it's just in my top ten.
Posted by MaureenJanay (Member # 2935) on :
Yep, Golden Harvest movies are a million times better than the American ones.
You will be happy that Jackie and Jet are doing a movie together not too far in the future. Did you hear about that?
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
They are?!?!? That's so cool! I was just thinking they should do a movie together! Posted by MaureenJanay (Member # 2935) on :
I learned about it at Hollywood Stock Exchange. Almost nothing is known about this movie except that I think it's the one they're working on at the moment. It doesn't have a name yet either. Sorry no more info. Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :
Ghost World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, MST3K The Movie, The Pianist
Posted by Ryan Hart (Member # 5513) on :
Meet the Pest, Gigli, Glitter, Mr. Magoo and Dudley Dooright
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
For a while, I was afraid that my black comedy -- an anime about a cool young Kung Fu expert who loses both legs in a tragic accident but comes back to save his sassy, sardonic girlfriend -- was perhaps too "niche" to find an audience. But now I know Synth would watch it. Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
"Poignant stories about people triumping over adversity." It's not a movie yet, but I want to make a film about this poor guy in WWII, true story. I think he was Polish. So the Nazis capture him; he escapes. The Russians capture him. I think he escapes from them at least once. Then they ship him off to Siberia. This camp is not guarded well because they are in the middle of nowhere. The Russians guard the one train that comes in over the Trans Siberian Railway. If prisoners want to escape to starve in the wilderness with no gear they can. Our hero escapes with a few other prisoners. They proceed to hike thousands of miles with no equipment, all the way to friggin' India! Through Siberia. Through China. Through the Gobi Desert that the Mongols called "the Roof of the World." Through Tibet. Over the Himalayas, the tallest mountains on Earth. All the way to British India, on foot, no maps, no equipment, nada.
Presumably, they took a break then. They had earned one. I have never heard a story quite like it and it would make an awesome film in the right hands. Someday I hope to write the screenplay as a tribute to one man who just refused to give up, NO MATTER WHAT. Kind of puts my dateless weekend in perspective. The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawizc. "with nothing but an ax, a knife, and a week's worth of food." My bad, he had a axe and a knife. Posted by rayne (Member # 5722) on :
My little brother read that in his English/History class last year and he really liked it- like, it was more interesting than the game cube for an entire weekend
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Whoa! That sounds like an interestng story!
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Grand Canyon. Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Two of my favorites might fit your criteria:
Awakenings features really good performances by Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. Based on a real event, it tells the story of a number of patients who, after about 30 years of what everyone thought was complete oblivion, came awake. Great movie that had the misfortune of being overshadowed by Dances with Wolves that year.
Which brings me to my second recommendation, Smoke Signals , based on short stories by Sherman Alexie. It tells the story of two young Indian (the term used in the movie) men who go on a journey to claim the body of the other's long-missing father. It's modern-day, poking fun at mainstream white culture as well as reservation culture. There's also at least one little jibe at Costner's film. Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I don't like Grand Canyon. I got to figure out why that is... I think it's politics or something... hmm I love Smoke Signals! I got to see one of the guys who was in the movie (who is so good looking, by the way.) I loved the part when they were singing about John Wayne's teeth on the bus and the women that drove backwards all day long listening to Dar Williams. And Awakenings is awesome too! Oliver Sach is a cool man. I saw him on this show called the Glorious Accident talking about migraines. He seems quiet.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
"the women that drove backwards all day long listening to Dar Williams."HAHAHA That was one of the funniest parts in the movie.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Warning - I am about to do some shameless namedropping!
quote:I love Smoke Signals! I got to see one of the guys who was in the movie (who is so good looking, by the way.) I loved the part when they were singing about John Wayne's teeth on the bus and the women that drove backwards all day long listening to Dar Williams.
I got to meet and talk with Sherman Alexie for awhile about a year and a half ago at the strangest of places. We have a number of things in common, one of them being hydrocephalus, and he happened to be keynoting this conference I was at. (Probably won't go to another one, but that's another story.) He gave me his phone number and email address, but I have yet to follow up. He was interested in the baby pictures I have on my website and thinking of putting some of his own up.
quote:And Awakenings is awesome too! Oliver Sach is a cool man. I saw him on this show called the Glorious Accident talking about migraines. He seems quiet.
I corresponded with Sachs back about 10-11 years ago. I sent him a chapter from a 1932 book that described the entry of a bunch of "sleepers" into an Oklahoma institution and their "awakening." I got a nice letter back from him and I also got a copy of the original documentary produced by the BBC.
[ October 05, 2003, 07:49 PM: Message edited by: sndrake ]
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
If Farewell My Concubine is in your top ten, you might enjoy To Live, a Chinese film directed by Yimou Zhang (Shanghai Triad) and starring Li Gong (Farewell). It tells the story of an impoverished husband and wife dealing with their daily struggles during China's Cultural Revolution. Although there is a lot of political commentary in the movie, they never take attention away from the personal stories which is the heart of the movie.
Morbo~ I hope you write that screenplay!
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Some days it's a good day to die. Other days, it's a good day to eat breakfast.
I adore Smoke Signals, init?
especially, "I will feed you all!"
Anyway - back to the subject at hand - I reccommend highly Kurosawa's Dreams. Very artsy. Lovely, lovely, lovely. It's especially good for breaking in your cowgirlly roommates.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I have to see Smoke Signals. Is Keith Secola's music in it?(he is a native American rock singer)Someone I know. Jerry garcia? Was that the one he was featured in?
One of my all time favorite movies was "Harold and Maude."
And, OK, I have to say it, "The In-Laws," the old one.
"Vince, stop the car!!!"
"Serpentime, Mel, serpentine!"
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
@ TomD!
Posted by ikantspel (Member # 5752) on :
Try to find Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Movie. It's hilarious!(at least to me, but I'm a freak) [EDIT: someone already recommended this]
[ October 05, 2003, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: ikantspel ]
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I think there's some Indigenous on the SS sountrack
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"GRAMMY Magazine, FEATURES - Native American Pop Moves Toward The Mainstream. A number of artists have the near-term breakout potential that could springboard the genre... Keith Secola (tribal affiliation: Anishinabe) could be the Native Bruce Springsteen. His music talks about the day-to-day lives of Native Americans in language any working-class American can relate to. Secola's songs "Frybread" and "Indian Cars" are already standards on reservation radio. His fierce performances with Secola's Wild Band Of Indians made fans out of Jerry Garcia, Jim Creegan of Barenaked Ladies, Doors' drummer John Densmore and other rock heavies. He's just finishing work on his seventh self-produced album, Native Americana. "
Keith Secola is very, very good, and his song, "Frybread" was in "Smoke Signals."(I saw him this summer. Annie, go see him if he comes your way)
The Jerry Garcia movie was plain old "Smoke."
Now I can go to sleep, but I had to figure all that out. The movie will be my next pick for Netflix.
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
I don't care who you are, everyone should see Amelie.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
sndrake, I loved Awakenings, it was probably one of the best movies I've ever seen. I don't know if I could ever watch it again, but I was in shock for days after I saw it. Wow.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Amelie! Amelie is the best! It should have won Oscar, but what do you expect from people who won't give Emily Watson an Oscar? Anyway, it's a great movie. I saw it once in a movie theatre with a balcony!
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Did you make out with a hot French man in the balcony?
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
If she did, I don't wanna know about it. Because I didn't, and that's a bloomin' travesty.
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
If you like Kung Fu movies and Anime, I reccomend the cartoony Kung Fu/Anime hybrid, the live action Kung Fu superhero movie. A couple of good ones to start with are The Heroic Trio and Storm Riders.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I didn't either. Sigh. But if there are any volunteers....
Posted by Cactus Jack (Member # 2671) on :
Perhaps I could fake a french accent.
I am Cactus Jacque. Posted by AndrewR (Member # 619) on :
Don’t forget some of Akira Kurosawa’s other great Samurai flicks, like Yojimbo, Sanjuro, and The Hidden Fortress. I found Throne of Blood a bit slow, and Toshiro Mufune did the worst acting job at the climax (Kurosawa insisted on using real archers to shoot arrows at him. Toshiro wasn’t acting; he was genuinely terrified. )
For anime, try Akira (if you can stomach the gore) and Ghost in the Shell.
Don’t forget the classics. Lawrence of Arabia (wide-screen only—you don’t want to miss out on the spectacular desert scenery), Casablanca, and just about any Academy Award-winning picture.
And Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder. I’d also recommend One, Two, Three, except that it is a comedy with an overt political message. However, the message is about the Cold War, so it may not be offensive anymore. On the other hand, some may not catch many of the jokes.
And for a historically accurate war drama, Zulu is an absolute must.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I fully second Lawerance of Arabia. Also the suggestion to get it in wide-screen. Barry Lyndon
Hobbes Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Has anyone seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? If so, do you like it?
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
I didn't like Wedding. It was cute and happy and everything, but the portrayal of the fiance was really flat and disappointing. There was no meat to the story, it was just a lame little "let's laugh at how pushy big families are" blah movie. I was surprised at how big the hype was, given I laughed all of once.
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
Now, Bend it like Beckham was a good pseudo-mainstream foreign flick! It was charming, honest, hilarious, and taught me a few things about the Indian subculture in England. Very enjoyable, it did everything that Wedding didn't.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
ALR, I wasn't surprised. I saw the movie before it was in wide release, and I remember thinking that everything in the movie felt familiar - that I'd seen it all before, but I couldn't quite place the source. I figured it was fine, just okay, but really, that should have been my clue that it would be an astounding success. It was like old jeans, it was clean, and the lack of personality on the part of the fiance was a plus - you can fill in your fantasy.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:The book version of the Neverending Story is so excellent!
Perhaps you didn't mean to, but this implies that the movie was first.
Not so.
And the movie sucked whale vomit. The book was simply beautiful.
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Poignant stories about people triumping over adversity
The Secret of Roan Inish Mildred Pierce
Movies about people who are just so cool.
All That Jazz (just released on DVD) Out of Sight From Dusk Til Dawn Fargo
A drama with comedic elements.
Laurel Canyon Metroland Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: Historically accurate docudramas
The Lion in Winter
If you haven't seen it it's time you did. If you have... well, I'm not really all that surprised because it's quite famous.
Also, although they are patriotic, they are classics... so you may have already seen them already as well... they kind of go together in my mind...
"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (B & W), and, Dave
Both are simple and free-spirited patriotic American citizen triumphs over high-level political corruption. Very, very poignant. Very, very good.
[ October 07, 2003, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: Teshi ]
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
Benny and Joon. Everyone in the whole world should see Benny and Joon. It has the best scene in any movie ever, anywhere.
Jen
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I love Benny and Joon. Johnny Depp is so dreamy in that movie.
Posted by T. Analog Kid (Member # 381) on :
No one has mentioned "Glory" or "Black Hawk Down" as historically accurate Docu-Dramas. Both highly accurate, highly moving portrayals, though also both excruciatingly violent.
Possibly they are too mainstream... I don't think either of them are too Jingo. The story of Sergeants Shugart and Gordon alone is worth the rental for "Black Hawk Down". The soundtrack alone is worth the rental for "Glory". consider, too, "Glory" stars Matthew Broderick (who plays with a totally surprising depth and range), Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Cary Elwes (Westley, from "The Princess Bride") all giving career performances.
Speaking of Edward Zwick films, "Courage Under Fire" may be the most underrated film I've ever seen, though I would classify it as a mystery set against a backdrop of recent historical fiction, rather than a docu-drama.
Sorry if these choices were just too obvious...
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
If you can stomach the violent scenes (and they come with plenty of warning if you don't want to look), Glory is indeed an excellent, excellent film. Though it's hard to believe anyone hasn't seen it. Posted by Robespierre (Member # 5779) on :
See anything by Werner Herzog.
As for historically acurate dramas, "The Right Stuff" is brilliant.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Dr. T and the Women really sucks so far right now.
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it's best to see those when you're little and let them help shape your imagination growing up, but it's never too late
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@ TomD!![[Mad]](mad.gif)