Please state what you believe are the most interesting and thought provoking films that you’ve had the pleasure to view. I have unexpectedly received an extra week off from work, so I need something to fill these upcoming days. A few good movies (from whatever decade) would be a nice treat.
Movies I’ve already enjoyed (in no particular order):
Michael Clayton
Spirited Away
Network
The Paper Chase
No Country For Old Men
There Will be Blood
American Psycho
A Clock Work Orange
I really enjoyed the above movies; I’m looking for serious films on par with these, something that feels like a real film.
About a 19th century Belgian priest fighting the authorities against capitalistic exploitation of children and poor textile workers. Aquirre — Wrath of God
About a loopy conquisador going through the Amazon like he was utterly insane — Oh, yes, he was… The Friends of Eddie Coyle
A tourist information film on the attractions of South Boston.
When you say “serious” does that mean you’re ruling out comedies? I personally think that many of the most intelligent and thought-provoking movies are comedies. Take Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, for instance. If that doesn’t have har-hitting analysis of social problems, I don’t know what does. Trying watching the opening scene on YouTubeand see if you don’t agree.
When I say “serious” I mean a film that actually cares about presentation of it’s content in an artistic and sensitive fashion, rather than merely hitting the marks required of, say, a standard blockbuster film.
Thanks for the clip, though, enjoyed it very much.
You should take some of the movies you’ve already liked and look for other movies by the same directors. Since you liked No Country For Old Men, check out movies like Fargo and Blood Simple. Since you liked Clockwork Orange, find some other Kubrick movies. It’s not a foolproof system, but it’s usually pretty reliable.
If you haven’t seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I would add that.
Also, Closer, with Julia Roberts Natalie Portman Jude Law Blah Blah. Both films deal with relationships, but do so in their own idiosyncratic ways. To great effect.
While we’re talking Jude Law (which thankfully doesn’t happen as often as it once did), Gattaca always struck me as being great fodder for discussion.
Amadeus has a truely great performance by F. Murray Abraham. His Salieri is a complex and believable character. Despite his jealosy and underhandedness it’s possible to sympathise with him.
Princess Mononoke is arguably a more thought-provoking film then Spirited Away. It’s themes are man’s relationship with nature, rather than focusing on the delelopment of a single character.
I second the recommendation for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
If subtitles don’t bother you, Burnt By The Sun is a powerful film set in Stalinist Russia. It’s not as bleak a film as There Will Be Blood, until the ending.
I’ll put Hitchcock’s REAR WINDOW at top of the list. On the surface, it’s an enjoyable thriller. But deeper thinking, it makes some profound statements about the human condition. And it stirs up very strange reactions in you as viewer (most people, after watching it in a theatre, walk home trying to stare into windows.)
Personally I didn’t care for Doubt much, but I’m not a big Streep fan. I’ll second the vote for, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, though. I really enjoyed that film.
I’ll second Gattaca. Watch it almost as a fairy tale with science-fiction trappings. City of Lost Children is wonderful and weird, one of my all-time favorite movies. And there’s the excellent Western Unforgiven.