Movie recommendations for two geeks....

I'm not feeling up to going out tonight, so we're staying in, ordering the hottest curries we can find to break up this crap in my lungs, and watching a movie... but what movie??

Common Likes: Thrillers (but not dumb ones), SF and Fantasy, Brit-com, Spy Flicks (we liked the Bournes, The Saint, some of the Bonds). Good plotting a must. Intelligent Asian action (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero) Anime is sometimes okay, but both very picky.

Dislikes (from both sides): Teen comedies. Bad action (Van Damme, Rambo). Romantic comedies. Pure avant garde. American "horror" (Freddie, Jason, etc) where grossout trumps scare factor.

Any recommendations? We have an incredible video store handy that stocks almost everything.

On edit: Older flicks are okay, too. There have been a lot that we missed over the years.

reviews -

http://www.horrorview.com/Onmyoji.htm

strange, the review of Onmyoji 2 links to the review of the original Onmyoji... anyway, both are great!

Look interesting!

just AMAZING

Shawn of the Dead

...sound, yet no per se dialog. hm, sounds like a riddle but its:



instead, and very-very hilarious...

So I should see another reference to him soon. This stuff always comes in threes. BTW, this is a fine choice, as is Playtime.

:hi:

sorry to have missed your previous post though

Have you seen/heard of Battle Royale? It's a Japanese movie. The premise is disturbing and the movie is somewhat gory, but not in the Freddy/Jason/Slasher way.

We liked Heavenly Creatures and Identity and Memento.

This one sounds really interesting.

It's about this program set up in the future when kids are out of control behavior wise. A class of students is sent to an island and only one can leave at the end of 3 days. In other words, they all need to kill each other off. Once you get past the initial discomfort of such a plot the movie itself is well done.

DH still has veto, but with a short list to consider..... :evilgrin:

I also liked Traffic and Man on Fire.

21 grams turned us off because of the fundie and the whole premise about a soul weighing something. We tried it and got 20 minutes in.

Training day sounds interesting, and I'm not sure I've ever seen a bad Denzel Washington movie.... (hell, I'd watch him reading the phone book....)

Man on Fire looks good, too.

Thanks!

I suggest the European version of "The Vanishing", which is a great, creepy thriller without a drop of blood in it.

How do you feel about subtitles?


Also good: The Spanish Prisoner, Kingdom Hospital, The Ring, Jacob's Ladder...

In fact, we watched Hero and CTHD with subtitles because we found the english dub to be poorly done and badly culturally translated.

Is Kingdom Hospital the S. King mini?

Spanish Prisoner - the DH is not a David Mamet fan, though I don't mind him. So that one goes on the "when he goes to Silicon Valley in May" list.

I have Jacob's Ladder... I'm a Tim Robbins fan.

Thanks!!

But Riget, the Danish series it was based upon,is absolutely brilliant. Highly recommended.

And yeah, The Vanishing (Spoorloos) is also quite good.

You're like the first person I've ever met who's recommended this movie!

I LOVE it!



David Fincher directed it, and it's a great film. I can watch it over and over.

Plus it's got a cameo by Joe Frank!

david

pretentious. Whenever I see one of these threads, I think about a bunch of "comic book guys" (like on the simpsons) recommending the most obscure art-house movies (it would seem, with the sole purpose of showing their amazing movie knowledge) instead of paying attention to what the poster seems to like. Given the description of movies the OP likes, I think they will LOVE this one. Incredibly well done.

City of Lost Children



to show how cool I was (heh heh heh), but then I did read something in the post which led me to believe they might not like it.

Great flick, though! Especially if you like strange, cool visuals. Best on a really good TV or in a good theater that can project vivid colors.

david

I never thought of it as particularly Arty... but then DH is into Geiger.

However, until we get the InFocus back from the shop, it's a no; our 19 in. TV is just not good enough.

What Infocus do you have? I have a 750, I think, and it's the most wonderful thing I've ever bought. The geometry of my house is just such that I can arrange it to have a screen about the size of a small arthouse theater's. It's sooooooo wonderful!

I kinda want something more powerful, though.

How much is it costing to get yours fixed?

david

It's still under warranty (barely) so the fix is free, just taking forever.

We bought it for $300 with 4 months left on the warranty.

I know I'm being picky, but the DH was not the theater and film buff that I am, so we're a lot more limited on what we will and won't watch (or what we will watch together), and what's currently on the TiVo interests him not at all, and Pay-per-view is a vast wasteland of crap right now.

David Fincher is a total art-house director who makes mainstream movies. The game was great. And I dislike Michael Douglas in general.

Thanks!

The Bone Collector? Jeffrey Deaver novel w/Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Good thriller.

Black Widow with Debra Winger and Teresa Russell is good for mystery/suspense type plot and characterization.

You didn't say if you could handle subtitles.

One of my favorites is a French film called "The Visitors," which is hysterical. A knight and his manservant get sent forward in time to modern day France and hilarity ensues.

It reminds me a lot of a Brit comedy. You almost forget after awhile that you're reading subtitles.

Make sure to get the French version and not the lame American remake.

FSC

Saw it when it was in the theater and bought it when it came out on DVD.

Bone Collector sounds incredible.

We saw Black Widow.

Subtitles are fine.

Cat's Eye Trilogy...Stephen King and Dino Di Laurentis
PowWow Highway..fantasy/reality by George Harrison's Time Bandit productions
Baghdad Cafe...great cast, great soundtrack

And DH is not good with repeating films (save Dr. Who, Red Dwarf, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and a few others....)

Thanks for reminding me of Baghdad Cafe, though ... I may watch that one Sunday when DH goes to his Playstation event.

Pcat

"I....i'll be callllliiing yoouu" Was sorta icky when one of the phone companies used that song for awhile...

chick flicks and no dick flicks--try a good old movie--like Gilda--Rita Hayworth is trashy, trampy and oh so vampy & scampy!

I'm a huge fan of Hayworth (and several other 30s and 40s actresses).

Hm....

Thanks!

chick flicks and no dick flicks--try a good old movie--like Gilda--Rita Hayworth is trashy, trampy and oh so vampy & scampy!

Both finally out on DVD.

Was it not some sort of really controversial flick in its day?

Betty Blue has missed me entirely.

Both would probably hit DH's "No Drama" sensor, though. So they're on the May list for when he's out of town.

It's a bit comic-bookey, and some semi-bad acting in places, but nothing with Jennifer Connelley can be bad...





Nothing!

david

Thanks!

it's kinda an iffy choice, because I could easily see a lot of people hating it. But it was kinda Matrix before there was the Matrix. The photography is really cool, vivid colors.

Again, it's probably a bit too comic bookey for some people's taste.

Let me know what you think (although if your Netflix list is anything like mine, it'll be years before you see it!)

david

top. So I put this in the #10 slot. I like all kinds so I am sure this will be worth of a saturday or sunday afternoon viewing. "Entertaining" doesn't have to mean well written, well acted, or even well made. Sometimes I am just looking for something fun to watch. Thanks!

He's great!

Thanks for the recommendation! Sometimes I think we skip stuff because we don't know enough to make a decision yes or no so it ends up a no.

Thanks!

I forgot about Momento! Best movie EVER!

david

Thanks!

Stargate SG-1 - first part of season finale
Stargate Atlantis - first part of season finale
Battlestar Galactica

I know, our geek cards are going to be revoked, but 1) commercials drive us both batty (and TiVo isn't perfect for getting rid of them) and 2) We just never caught the SG fever because we don't watch a lot of TV (FSTV and Dead Like Me, plus movies without commercials are it).

And neither of us can get past the whole religious aspect of Battlestar Galactica, either the old version or the new. Sorry, but these two atheists get enough of it in the real world... entertainment is for escaping it.

Thanks!

The darky hilarious "House of Cards" series from BBC (about the rise of a Conservative backbencher who rises to become Prime Minister... Ian Richardson is the incarnation of comic, knuckle-wringing evil.

"A Very British Coup"... a hard-Left candidate sweeps the British polls and becomes Prime Minister, much to the shegrin of the establishment and the CIA.

And did I mention "The Spanish Prisoner"?


From IMDB:

"The Spanish Prisoner" comes closer to Hitchcock than anything I've seen in a long, long time. The cast is excellent; I haven't seen Campbell Scott in a movie since he was much younger, but he really turned in a great performance, loaded with nuance and subtlety. Steve Martin is truly outstanding--I think it's fair to say that this is one of his career's best performances. The only clunker is Rebecca Pidgeon; her character is poorly written, and she's not much of an actress. Just between you and me, I think she only got the job because she's sleeping with the director (she's Mamet's wife). Ed O'Neill even shows up halfway through the film with a nice cameo. "


They're right about Rebecca Pidgeon; she is awful in this and everything. Of course, Mamet isn't very good at writing female roles, bu even by wooden acting standards, she sucks.

DH despises Mamet (for the wooden females as well as for what he calls silly posturing....)

The others sound fabulous!

Pcat

I thought I was the only one.

But I really enjoyed The Spanish Prisoner, and I even own Glengarry Glenross. Beyond those two, though.... meh.

PBS when it was on Masterpiece Theatre several years ago. It was masterful..
There are at least two series

It's about the trader that brought Bearings bank down, very good imo.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131566/

Mmmm.... Ewan MacGregor....

Thanks!

I rented it on a rec. form the Sci-Fi group and was pleasantly surprised. It's got a few hokey sections but it's a good story. Overall, I liked it.



Jay

Wow. Thanks!

So, I'm recommending a movie that I have never seen. Supposed to be about government takeover by the military. I want to see it but can't find it. Anybody else know about SDIM?

I'll know more when I see the box at the shop!

Thanks!

He sat there and bitched about the conspiracy theories it has bred. :eyes:

Thanks!

of their time.

DH hates conspiracy theories. Serious distaste. So it's a battle sometimes for him to suspend disbelief.

(That remake was crap, was it not?)

Great film. It's a Brazilian gangster movie that tracks it's main characters from their childhood. Simultaneously a fun movie and a disturbing one.

Check it out:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317248/

Not sure if it will fly, but it's worth a suggestion. (Neither of us were fans of Pulp Fiction; he for the cinematography, me for the derivative film making that is Tarantino's stock in trade...)

Thanks!

The point of the movie isn't "look at me, I'm the hippest fucking director in the universe. Bask in the radiance of my encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture." It's a compelling story with characters who have more depth than anything you'd find in a Tarantino flick. The cinema effects aren't the meat of the story, but just a garnish. And while there was wit and humour, there is still a pretty powerful portrayal of poverty in the third world. (How's that for alliteration?) While this movie had good laughs and action, it also rattled my cage a bit.

And thanks for the reassurance!

Just popped into my head. Very weird John Frankenheimer film. A must-see, but creepy.

Yes, creepy fits this one. I saw it in a film class in college. All I can say is that I was glad to leave the class room for a nice, bright, sunny Southern California day.

Thanks, CA!

Almost to excess. He's on his 2nd copy, now on DVD, after wearing out the video copy.

What little he watches multiple times, he watches many multiple times.

or the one from the italian job... close...

CGI, although I was FLOORED ( pun intended ) when I saw that the helicoption inside the building wasn't! :wow:

I meant the original!

Are you serious... that wasn't CGI?

who they hired to do that scene. It's in the DVD extras. Despite seeing it, I'm still sorta skeptical, but they showed him practicing the maneuver. After that whole John Landis "I'm gonna shoot fireworks into a helicopter until it crashes, but not before the rotor blades slice two of my actors in half" routine, I'm surprised ~anyone~ worth any dollars was within the same block of that stunt.

Oh, and edit: If I've seen the original, I don't remember seeing it :beer:

I missed those extras... stupid late fees!

If you get a chance to see it, do. The original was better - IMO, anyway.

everyone needs to watch it once a year.

Also Emir Kusterica's "Underground" epic film covering Yugoslavia from WW2 to UN action - 3 hours, subtitled but great music and riveting film.

Also "Delicatessen" -- French post apocalypse comedy that is truly dark and funny.

If your video store is, indeed, incredible, then they should have these.

Tut-tut

I love Brazil, and you may be right... it may be time for another viewing!

Delicatessen... hm. Sounds really interesting.

Underground... yes, they have it; I've rented it and then run out of time.

Thanks!!

particularly since you like Gilliam

Not his best, but far, far from his worst.

I'm still annoyed that Quixote didn't happen....

A Canadian movie shot on a $50,000 budget. Don't let that put you off. It's a taught psychological thriller. It does have a couple of grissly bits, though, but nothing excessive.



From IMDB:


"Cube is a movie that explores human nature and our instinctive urges for survival vs our humanitarianism. Not a new concept, I know, however this movie does it in style, with a plot so simple that it could only be the work of a conceptual genius. I don't intend to give too much away, as the power of the film lies in it's mystery, but I will say that this movie could almost be classified as disturbing, not due to its content, but rather the thoughts that it instills in the audience. I found myself rather shaken as I left the cinema, feeling as though I had been exposed to an ugly, hidden side of humanity and society. Don't get me wrong, this movie is definitely worth seeing, I would even be so bold as to say that it must be seen! I must admit that there are few movies I have seen that have had such a profound affect on me, and I don't think I am alone in my feelings.

Trivia: Not only are the characters named after prisons but they reflect the prisons themselves. Example: Kazan (the mentally challenged character), in Russia is a disorganized prison. Rennes (the "mentor") was a jail that pioneered many of today's prison policies. Quentin (the detective) is known for its brutality. Holloway is a women's prison, and Alderson is a prison where isolation is a common punishment. Leavenworth runs to a rigid set of rules (Leaven's mathematics), and the new prison is corporately owned and built (Worth, hired as an architect)."

That sounds incredible. wow.

It all takes place in identical cubic rooms with portholes on each side. The characters wake up in these rooms (witn no memory of how they got there) and determine that the rooms are part of a vast, three-dimentional maze. Although the rooms are all identical (although lit by different colours), some are safe to enter, while others are armed with a diverse selection of undetectable killing machines.

The characters attempt to escape the maze. That's the plot.

Beautiful fantasy fiim, great music and some funny lines.

If you have good speakers, all the better. The music really is grand.

she thinks it's rediculous. I 100% disagree. Personally I like really aggressive scores to films, and Vangelis is particularly effective in this one.

Great movie, make sure you watch it widescreen. It's one of the best films you can use to show how important letterboxing is.

Anyway, IMO probably the best live action Fantasy movie ever made. Buries Jackson's silly Lord of the Rings.

david

have the movie to watch on the tellie. Have the soundtrack to blow the wondows out from time to time.

Yep, so much better than LOR.

We keep hearing rumors that it will happen.

a Bosnian film directed by Emir Kustarica. about a group of Yugoslavians who go underground during WWII to avoid the war, are left down there by their scheming leader only to emerge during the Balkan War to assume they were still fighting the Nazis. Funny as hell.

A friend castigated me for watching it when the family was away, saying I could have watched more daring fare - but this film stimulated my BRAIN!

Have you seen Black Cat, White Cat? I'm about ready to pull the trigger on that and buy it (even though its PAL).

Tut-tut

i thought underground was the only one after finally being released a year or so ago. the only other film of kustarica's I've seen is Time of the Gypsies, which was also good, but not as good as Underground.

I think I bought Delicatessen from a seller who also carries BC/WC.

Tony Gatlif is another good Gypsy documentarian -- check out 'Swing': very cool coming of age film where a kid from the city swaps a Walkman for a manouche style guitar to get in with the kids from the Gypsy camp. He takes lessons from a middle aged Gypsy named Tchavolo Schmitt, who is a great guitarist in real life (in the Django tradition) somewhat of cross between DeNiro and Hanks as a screen presence. Gatlif's big film is 'Latcho Drom' - which is wonderful film of nomadic music, moving from Northern India, through the Mediterean area and into France: very little dialog. Schmitt is in this film also, near the end.

Tut-tut

They are both several years old but I really enjoyed them. The Limey has Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda. Panic has William H. Macy.

We enjoy both of them very much, so they end up on our prefs list.

positively joyous phenom:

Undercover Blues another very funny movie

a good TV series that you somehow never got to watch, like Sopranos, Dead Like Me, Sex and the City, etc.

Victor Victoria

Spirited Away if you haven't seen it

Blank.

We have this theory... silly as it is... that the Cusack's character from BOD grew up to be Blank in GPB. I know, goofy... but if you look at them as bookends between 16 and say, 30... and think about how one's life changes in those years....

TV series are tough for DH; weird attention span. But I'm looking forward to a couple when he goes away.

I've seen Victor Victoria several times.

Thanks!

Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner with an awesome supporting spot by Stanley Tucci.

one of my unsung favorites

THE classic black-and-white murder mystery--romantic, twisty, surprising, sexy. And less than 90 minutes long! A must for anyone boning up on "the essentials."

Serial Experiament Lain, Evangelion Death:Rebirth and End of Evangelion

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