# Anyone seen these movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285 "2004-02-03T05:21:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gyt\_fx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@gyt\_fx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gyt_fx)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/1 "2004-02-03T05:21:04Z")
I’ve got a list of movies that I’ve formed over the past month or so that have been suggested to me. Some by friends, some on this board. I was wondering if any of you have seen these movies, and could possibly review them for me? Say if there good and what not. NO SPOILERS If you post any spoilers to any of these movies I will send my helper monkey on a private mini-helicopter to hunt you down and personally castrate you slowly with a plastic spork. Memento Suicide Kings Cube Lost Highway Jacob’s Ladder Blade Runner Ordinary Decent Criminal Along Came a Spider Unbreakable The others Sneakers Primal Fear Equilibrium Gosford Park The Conversation Ordinary Decent Criminal Kalifornia Matchstick Men (I enjoy Drama movies, with a twist of comedy/horror/suspense/thriller/action/etc. mixed in there. Movies with a good plot and an overall good movie, but not BORING.) ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/2 "2004-02-03T05:55:59Z")
I’ve seen _Blade Runner_ and I enjoyed it, but it’s a very slow kinda film. It’s very atmospheric, but the plot isn’t particularly exciting. It just kinda unfolds. ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/3 "2004-02-03T06:00:34Z")
Wow, the only one I’ve seen on your list is Memento. Is it good? Well, yeah, but it’s also disturbing. It’s one of those movies that you’ll think about long after you’ve seen it. If you enjoy film noire, you’ll like it. It’s definitely different and intriguing. I can’t say more than that without spoiling, so I won’t. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/4 "2004-02-03T06:18:21Z")
Memento – Very much worth seeing. Successfully pulls of a difficult gimic and has enough story to make it worth while. Suicide Kings – Not much here, but not terrible either. A good example of Christopher Walken being Christopher Walken Cube – Can’t really recommend it, the concept doesn’t really carry the whole movie, but there is some cool stuff. Lost Highway – Haven’t seen it. Jacob’s Ladder – Eh. Blade Runner – Seriously overrated, in my opinion. I fall asleep whenever I try to watch it. But I recognize that I’m missing something that works for most other people. Ordinary Decent Criminal – Haven’t seen it. Along Came a Spider – Terrible, terrible movie. If you have to see an Alex Cross movie see “Kiss the Girls”. It isn’t great but it is Shakespeare compared to this one. Unbreakable – I liked it very much and appreciated what Shyamalan was doing. But reactions are wildly divergent. The Others – I enjoyed this very much, but try not to think too much while watching it. If you figure it out too soon it may be boring. Sneakers – Crap. Dredge. Offal. Primal Fear – See Edward Norton become a star. I’m not much impressed by the movie as a whole, but it is worth it for Norton. Equilibrium – Haven’t seen it. Gosford Park – Definitely worth seeing, though still overrated. Some people found it confusing. I found it dull. But the performances are fun to watch. The Conversation – Definite see. Coppola before he completely bloated. Hackman is great. Ordinary Decent Criminal – Still haven’t seen it. Kalifornia – Haven’t seen it. Matchstick Men ---
**Author:** ![WereOtter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ac91a4/32.png) [@WereOtter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WereOtter)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/5 "2004-02-03T07:21:34Z")
I enjoyed _Sneakers_ very much. It’s an amusing techno-thriller starring Robert Redford. It’s kind of dated, but it still works well. _Memento_ is a brilliant film. You really have to pay close attention, due to the innovative and complex nature of the screenplay. It’s a crime-mystery with a unique point of view. A must-see film if you’re in the mood for puzzle to work out. _Gosford Park_ is a period piece, I thought it was very slow. _The Others_ is also slow, but if you like ghost stories, it’s good one. Nicole Kidman stars. _Bladerunner_ is an intelligent sci-fi action-flick with Harrison Ford. Very well done. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/6 "2004-02-03T08:26:25Z")
_Equilibrium_ - decent action scenes, semi-decent plot. Heavy-handed with the morality, but impressive fights. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/7 "2004-02-03T13:09:29Z")
I would second both these comments: > [@](#): > > obfusciatrist said: > Gosford Park – Definitely worth seeing, though still overrated. Some people found it confusing. I found it dull. But the performances are fun to watch. I didn’t find it confusing, but it dragged a bit in places. Definitely agree that the performances alone make it worth watching. Even with the draggy parts, it was still a good movie. My mother has to watch it with the subtitles turned on so she can understand all of it. Those silly English accents confuse her! 😉 > [@](#): > > WereOtter said: > Memento is a brilliant film. You really have to pay close attention, due to the innovative and complex nature of the screenplay. It’s a crime-mystery with a unique point of view. A must-see film if you’re in the mood for puzzle to work out. Absolutely. Not one to watch while doing something else, like folding laundry or with the kids running in and out. You must give your full attention to this one. When I rented this one, I watched it three times. It was fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/8 "2004-02-03T14:37:55Z")
Memento - I enjoyed it a lot; as long as you don’t mind a sometimes-confusing plot and like intrigue, you should like it. Cube - A great premise, I thought, but woefully executed. Lost Highway - Weird in the extreme, but hey - it’s David Lynch! I liked it. Jacob’s Ladder - Also quite weird. Excellent work from Robbins and Culkin and Aiello. I loved it. Blade Runner - Very good sci-fi. Good to see Ford, anyway. Look for the director’s cut (I think there’s one, anyway). Along Came a Spider - Good adaptation of the Patterson book, and Freeman is always fun to watch. I liked it. Unbreakable - Not quite as good as Sixth Sense, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Loved Willis and Jackson in it. The others - Scared the poop out of me. Great ghost story. Sneakers - Kind of cute and silly at the same time, but well done by a GREAT cast. Only real downside is the ending. Gosford Park - I didn’t like it at all, but I think you just have to be in the right mood for it. It did get rave reviews, after all. The Conversation - The 1974 movie? Outstanding. One of the best of the seventies. Look for Harrison Ford in a small role, too. Hackman at his finest. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/9 "2004-02-03T14:47:16Z")
Memento — really enjoyed it. the way its done keeps you watching to find out what happens. Suicide Kings — is this the Christopher Walken Mafia one. If so, Walkens always worth watching, and Dennis Learys really good in it too. Cube — excellent low budget sci fi with inventive ideas, falls down a bit at the end though Lost Highway — if you can understand this, e-mail me, because ive seen it 4 times and am none the wiser. worth watching for the party scene. Jacob’s Ladder — outstanding film Blade Runner — directors cut or original? i prefer the original. Ordinary Decent Criminal — you’d be better off watching The General, of which this is a remake. still good, but check out the original. Along Came a Spider — standard fare thriller, morgan freemans good. Unbreakable — good concept, falls apart a bit. worth watching once. The others — alright. pretty easy to guess the ending i found. Sneakers — its alright. Primal Fear — not seen Equilibrium — entertaining matrixy style action, the fightings really good, the plots a bit thin Gosford Park — not my thing The Conversation — not seen Kalifornia — got bored halfway through and switched channels. twice. Matchstick Men – not seen. want to though ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/10 "2004-02-03T14:57:26Z")
Don’t think about it. Of the movies I’ve seen (nearly all of them) the worst one is _Sneakers_ and it’s OK. I think you could just watch the lot and not feel that you have wasted your time. I’m assuming that _Cube_ and _Lost Highway_ are as good as the rest of your list. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/11 "2004-02-03T15:02:13Z")
I’ll try to be brief on the ones I’ve seen. Many of these I’d count among some of my favorite recent flicks. **Memento:** Good movie, nice twists. Don’t buy it – watch it the first time to see it, watch it again to make sure it “played fair.” Then stop watching it. **Suicide Kings:** This movie is one of the most underrated flicks I’ve ever seen. If I had to point at one movie that would make a great stage play, THIS is the one. **Cube:** Good sci-fi flick with a mathematic twist to it. Recommended. **Lost Highway:** Haven’t seen. Heard it was nearly plotless but artistic. **Jacob’s Ladder:** Whoo, haven’t seen this one since early high school. I remember liking it quite a bit, and there’s a nice twist in it. **Blade Runner:** Most movies with a dark, dystopian view of society borrowed liberally from Blade Runner and Alien. A nice homage to film noir in a sci-fi setting. **Ordinary Decent Criminal:** Haven’t seen, heard nothing. **Along Came a Spider:** I try to stay away from Morgan Freeman/Ashley Judd pairings. Actually, just Ashley Judd movies in general. **Unbreakable:** Better than people gave it credit for. Comic book fans will be especially happy. **The Others:** It’s not fair for me to review this one, since I figured out the twist about 20 minutes in. I found it boring and overwrought, but I know I’m in the minority. **Sneakers:** Haven’t seen since high school, either. I abstain, since I don’t remember much of it, other than Dan Aykroyd and Robert Redford are in it. **Primal Fear:** Decent little flick. Been a long time since I saw it, but Gere’s always pretty good, even if he typically plays the same character in every movie. **Equilibrium: This** movie surprised me, and pleasantly. Hadn’t heard much about it, but this movie deserves a lot more press than people give it. 1984 meets Blade Runner, and Christian Bale is fantastic. **Gosford Park:** Ugh. How this one was up for Best Picture a few years ago is beyond me. **The Conversation:** Haven’t seen this one. **Ordinary Decent Criminal:** Or this one. **Kalifornia:** It had a **Cape Fear** feel to it, but I knew it was Brad Pitt, so it was hard to suspend disbelief. Still, fairly enjoyable if you’re looking for a good thriller. Can somebody tell David Duchovny that he doesn’t have to say everything in the same tone of voice? **Matchstick Men:** Haven’t seen, but every report I’ve heard was that the flick was great. It floundered at the box office thanks to its release date and fellow B.O. competition. Probably will gain a nice afterlife on home video and DVD. Hope that helps. Again, that’s just my opinion, but I’ve probably seen 1500+ movies in my life, so I’m not a random yahoo. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/12 "2004-02-03T15:12:04Z")
[The General](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120706/) This ones in B&W, and stars Brendan Gleeson rather than Kevin Spacey, but I prefer it. Highly entertaining, as long you dont mind cheeky villains defending their property and families. might be harder to track down than Ordinary Decent Criminal though. As **dont ask** said, youre not going to far wrong with nigh on all these films. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/13 "2004-02-03T15:41:29Z")
Jacob’s Ladder - Unremarkable Blade Runner - Classic film noir type Sci-Fi. Avoid the director’s cut. It’s much better with the voice over narration of the original version. Unbreakable - not what it advertised as, by a long shot, but interesting enough. Sneakers - Excellent. Kind of like pop music when compared to other movies in this list, but also one of the most enjoyable of the list. Gosford Park - Did you read the book? You should. Good movie. The Conversation - VERY SLOW, but also very good, if you’re into double cross / double meaning / trust no one type of stuff. Paranoia fuels this film. Kalifornia - Weird. Wild. Wonderful. Dark and disturbing. Must see. If I didn’t list and comment on it, I haven’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/14 "2004-02-03T15:42:31Z")
My 2 pence worth: Not only is The Conversation a tremendously good film, I think it makes a great double feature with The French Connection. Anyone who can take two roles as different as the ones Gene Hackman played in those films and pull both of them off so well is a truly amazing actor, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/15 "2004-02-03T17:33:14Z")
**Memento** - I sometimes think I’m one of the only three people on the planet who didn’t like this one. An interesting gimmick but the gimmick can only carry what is otherwise a so-so movie so far. (IMHO anyway.) OTOH, everyone else seems to like it. **Suicide Kings** - Never saw it. **Cube** - Started off well but pretty quickly degenerated into cliche. **Lost Highway** - One of the better David Lynch in my opinion. Fairly weird and surreal but, hey, it’s David Lynch, what did you expect? **Jacob’s Ladder** - Excellent. \*\*Blade Runner \*\* - Also excellent. I go against the crowd and agree with **NoClueBoy** here; I think the original (with voiceovers) was better than the Director’s cut. (Assuming you can find the original anywhere.) **Ordinary Decent Criminal** - Never saw it. **Along Came a Spider** - Decent enough. More of a popcorn movie than most you have listed but not a bad way to pass two hours. **Kiss the Girls** was better though. **Unbreakable** - Not one of my favorites. I’d rate it so-so. Shyamalan starts to indicate that maybe _The Sixth Sense_ was a fluke. **The Others** - Very atmospheric and (I thought) well done. One of my favorites on the list. **Sneakers** - Another fun popcorn movie. **Primal Fear** - Never saw it. **Equilibrium** - And another fun popcorn movie. Obviously another film inspired by _The Matrix_ but one of the better ones. **Gosford Park** - Didn’t particularly care for it. A very depressed _Upstairs/Downstairs_ is the only way I can describe it. **The Conversation** - Never saw it. **Ordinary Decent Criminal** - Never saw it. **Kalifornia** - Pure cliche. Yet another “OMG! One of us is a killer!” film. **Matchstick Men** - OK popcorn movie. Watch it then go watch _The Sting_ to see a con movie done better. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/16 "2004-02-03T17:42:38Z")
Memento - Great movie Suicide Kings - I may have slept through this, but not necessarily because its bad Cube - ?? Lost Highway - I wasn’t crazy about it. Jacob’s Ladder - Good movie Blade Runner - Good movie Ordinary Decent Criminal - ??? Along Came a Spider - Good movie Unbreakable - Good movie The others - I didn’t like it Sneakers - Great movie Primal Fear - Great movie Equilibrium - ??? Gosford Park - Loved this movie The Conversation - Good movie Ordinary Decent Criminal Kalifornia - Good movie Matchstick Men - ??? ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/17 "2004-02-03T17:48:36Z")
Memento - totally brilliant, marvellous. As close to a perfect film as you’ll ever come. Cube - enjoyed it quite a bit. Amazing what you can do with a tiny little budget. Blade Runner - great, but a lot greater if you manage to get hold of the version with the original ending. A bit dark. It’s not a feelgood movie. Unbreakable - really liked it. Amusing twists to good story. Sneakers - amusing little film, but nothing amazing. It’s a good, self-contained story that ties up perfectly, but it’s not the kind of film that makes you go “ooh!” and “aah!” either. Primal Fear - average-to-mediocre except for one thing: Edward Norton. The man rules. It’s worth to see just for his performance. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/18 "2004-02-03T19:29:28Z")
Add me to the chorus singing the praises of **The Conversation** ; put it at the top of your list. One of the best American films ever. ---
**Author:** ![Mephisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Mephisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mephisto)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/19 "2004-02-04T01:32:03Z")
**Blade Runner** Whether you’re looking for action, mystery, or philosophy, you can find it in _Blade Runner_. This thoughtful Gothic science fiction movie is like an an Edgar Allan Poe story with androids–lots of doom and gloom, some strange ideas, general creepiness, and a somewhat ambiguous ending (people like to debate the nature and fate of one or two of the main characters). I will respectfully disagree with those who think you should avoid the Director’s Cut, without the Harrison Ford narration. I think the Director’s Cut is far superior to the original version. But hell, this movie is so good that you might just want to watch both versions. A true movie classic. I decided to put this movie on the top of your list, where it belongs. 🙂 **Memento** Weird movie. You’ve probably not seen many like this. Not in my Top Ten or anything, but I liked it. I’m not really sure how much to say about this without ruining it. **Cube** I really can’t comment too much on this one without giving away the ending. Or non-ending. To me this film was just a long middle, without much of a beginning and, like I said, not much of an ending, either. It’s a neat idea, and like somebody else mentioned, it has a neat mathematical twist,. However, this film has little of real substance to it. _Cube_ has it’s fans, but I’m not one of them. **Jacob’s Ladder** It’s been years since I’ve seen this flick. As I remember it, it was one of those “is this real or not” type things. That is, there are some very strange, seemingly impossible things happening. Are they dreams? Hallucinations? Reality? What? I think I know the answer, but I won’t say what it is. I will, however, mention that I’ve seen some debates about what’s going on with the “reality” in this movie, so it evidently confuses a lot of people. It probably confused me, too, but like I said, it’s been years since I’ve watched _Jacob’s Ladder_. Perhaps I’ll rent it in the near future and we can compare notes. **Along Came a Spider** Is this the let’s-find-the-killer movie with Morgan Freeman? If it is, um, not bad. Worth the rental price, I guess. **Unbreakable** Do you like comic books? Would you like to see a super-hero comic book story acted out with Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis? If so, you’ll probably like this movie. It’s not brilliant or anything, but it is neat. Unique. I liked it, but didn’t love it. It is, however, something I might pick up again someday if I want to rent a movie and can’t find anything new. **The Others** Yawnfest. It has a surprise ending that you will probably figure out long before the end. Also, very slow. Boring. _The Others_ might be a good prescription for insomnia if not for the dreams this film’s thick, heavy, creepy atmosphere might bring on. **Sneakers** I have generally good memories of this film, but nothing really stayed with me. I can barely remember what it is about. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285/20 "2004-02-04T02:20:09Z")
I’ve only seen a few of these, so I’ll just stick to those: Blade Runner: Absolutely essential sci-fi classic. Make sure you see the Director’s Cut: the voice over in the original is purposefully lame because Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott resented it being forced on them by the studio. You may have to watch it more than once to pick up exactly what’s happening, though. Unbreakable: An exteremly polarizing film. I loved it. Most people (but by no means all) seem to have hated it. There’s not much middle ground. I definetly recommend watching it just to see which camp you fall into. Try not to have any expectations about it before you watch it, though. It is a “comic book movie,” but not at all in the way you would expect. Sneakers: Haven’t seen it in a long while, so my recollection might be a little fuzzy, but I remember this as a cute little action-comedy. It’s hard not to like it, but if you never get around to seeing it, you’re not missing a whole hell of a lot. Primal Fear: Edward Norton’s typical brilliance almost perfectly balances out Richard Gere’s pervasive suckiness, leaving the movie as a whole a fairly uninteresting beige. Avoid unless you’re a huge Norton fan. Matchstick Men: Great movie. The ending makes more sense than you may suspect upon first viewing. Nicholas Cage is entirely on top of his game in this one. [/QUOTE] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-these-movies/227285.md?page=2)