Analysis and questioning

[ealuscerwen]

It's a nice day today. I would like to be outside. The lights in the office keep turning themselves off in an irritating fashion because there's no-one walking around. A very nice colleague of mine who was in for the morning has bought me an enormous coffee from Starbucks. He is clearly one of the good guys.

Comments

[al_fruitbat]

I've always liked Truly, Madly, Deeply - but it is a bit soppy.
Time Bandits is probably the best Gilliam film (although Brazil is also excellent, if you're in a nightmare beauracracy sort of a mood)

All of the above have bittersweet endings though - for pure Hollywood action, the best film of it's type ever is still the original Die Hard.

[ealuscerwen]

I like Time Bandits and seem to remember having seen one scene from TMD, but will put it on the List on the strength of not having seen the whole film. Brazil also added - thanks!

[_alanna]

Slightly off topic, but could we get our Firefly DVDs back pls? Maybe if you're planning on going to bookgroup, we could get them there...? Many thanks :)

[ealuscerwen]

Yes, ma'am.

[_alanna]

Thank you! :D

[cuthbertcross]

Ooh, thought of another World Cinema duo to recommend;

Spirited Away is a Japanese animated film that incorporates lots of bits of Japanese old-god legends; it's about a little girl who gets seperated from her parents during a journey to move house and learns lots about the way the world works when she ends up having to seek help in a mysterious Washouse For the Gods.... Sounds strange but it's fascinating (and friendly enough to rivet my 3 year old neice! She asks to see it every time she comes round here!)

Also if you've not seen it, Delicatessen is a very surreal french film by Jeunet and Carou (?sp.) about a family butchers in post-apocalyptic France who Keep Producing Sausages when other foodstuffs are mysteriously scarce..... :o)

[ealuscerwen]

Spirited Away certainly sounds interesting - on the List, thanks.

[smiorgan]

Someone mentioned Delicatessen, so Amelie should also feature.

Trainspotting if you like Iggy Pop and heroin
24 hour party people if you like 80s music and Steve Coogan
Human Traffic if you like 90s rave music and ecstasy

Hmm... others

(Sword films)
The Duellists
Le Bossue

It's a wonderful life

(Hitchcock)
Rope
Rear Window
North by Northwest

(Lynch)
Blue Velvet
Lost Highway

And the greatest film of all time
Flash Gordon

[ealuscerwen]

You'll be pleased/distressed (delete as appropriate) to find I have seen absolutely none of those films, although I have listened to the soundtrack from Lost Highway. I shall add all those to my List.

Whoops, spoke to soon, I have seen It's a Wonderful Life - just came to put it on the list then realised.

[ealuscerwen]

And thank you for the recommendations!

[onebyone]

Great Movies (TM):

The Maltese Falcon
Casablanca
12 Angry Men
The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, although all three are reminiscent of and influential on Westerns more than anything, which arguably is an irrelevant and most tedious genre. But if one Western is enough for a lifetime, make that one Yojimbo.
Look Back in Anger (Richard Burton's best effort)
Dog Day Afternoon (Al Pacino's best effort)
Taxi Driver (Robert de Niro's best effort)
Optionally, The African Queen (Humphrey Bogart's best effort, but not the best film he's in)

Good stuff that's a bit more recent:

Nikita
Fargo
Memento
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Monsters, Inc.

Stuff that you have to see if the idea is to cure ignorance in the ways of film:

Citizen Kane
North by Northwest, and in general every Hitchcock film ever. Some of them are good, such as Rear Window. Marnie is not. Neither is The Birds. Teh Rubbish more like.
A Clockwork Orange or Full Metal Jacket or Dr Strangelove. Avoid all other Kubrick, or you might fail to overrate him to a socially