# Clever movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217 "2018-05-31T19:52:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/21 "2018-06-01T02:31:40Z")
Sleuth (1972) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/22 "2018-06-01T02:38:52Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Sleuth (1972) That (the original) was a great movie, but I’ll do you one better and say Gaslight (the ‘remake’ from '44 with Ingrid Bergman). I always wonder how many people know where the term comes from. IME a lot of people that say it don’t even know what it means. Another one, The Third Man. And, as I always tell people “before you ask, the answer is a zither”. Everyone asks the same question, and the answer is ‘a zither’. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/23 "2018-06-01T02:59:37Z")
[How To Get Ahead In Advertising](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097531/) is a favorite of mine. [Rubber](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1612774/), about a tire that murders people by psychically exploding them, is another favorite. And I can’t forget The Monkees’ [Head](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063049/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) which, like the other two, is not only clever- it’s brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/24 "2018-06-01T03:13:30Z")
_Boyhood_ - fantastic movie. Ethan Hawke is a very creative and cool guy. I met him a few years ago at a friend’s summer house in Nova Scotia. He was super cool. I actually wasn’t sure who he was when he walked up, he looked scruffy and non-celebrity-like, I actually had to be told who he was. I still wasn’t 100% sure who he was though. I swear to God I almost said “you were great in _Memento_” before I remembered that it was a different guy in that movie. Whatever you think of Richard Linklater, he had a really cool and ambitious idea with that movie. _Waking Life_ is also cool but _Boyhood_ has to be one of the most innovative movie concepts ever. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/25 "2018-06-01T12:08:12Z")
It’s not clear exactly what is meant by “clever”. I’m assuming it’s not simply “twist ending” films, but has to do with some clever idea in the making of the film, or embedded in its structure that you don’t notice until later. So , although I love the 1972 version of _Sleuth_, I wouldn’t put that in this category. It’s a “twist ending” (and “twist middle”) film. Nor would I put _inception_ in here. At best, it’s examining an interesting notion (although I actually don’t like Inception very much) What would I consider? **Prospero’s Books** – mentioned before. Wonderful inside–out telling of Shakespeare’s _Tempest_, with sort of animated borders. It’s wonderfully complex film. The naked people are just an interesting extra. I can’t recall any other film done in anything like the same way **The Atomic Café** – A film made from documentaries, TV footage, and newsreels with absolutely no narration – only a couple of explanatory notes at the beginning. Otherwise, it simply lets the original footage – and some very clever editing – tell the whole story. **Incubus** – and entire movie filmed in Esperanto, a language not native to anywhere. Starring William Shatner, no less (Mel Gibson gets honorable mention for filming **Passion of the Christ** entirely in Aramaic and Latin) **Dr. Jeckyll and My. Hyde** – Rouben Mamoulian’s version starring Fredric March (much better known at the time for light comedies) has some of the cleverest shot set-ups I’ve ever seen, and is very unconventional in its story telling. The TV series **M_A_S\*H** did some clever experimental things in its long run: — “Life Time” eighthth season episode from 1979 in which they have a limited amount of time to finish an operation or a patient will be paralyzed. To emphasize this, they put a clock in one corner of the screen, counting down the time left. What I loved was that the clock kept “running” during the commercials, so when you came back after the break there were a couple of minutes missing from the clock. —“Point of View” Seventh season episode shot entirely from the point of vie of one of the patients. **A Scanner Darkly** – Philip K. Dick is both incredibly popular among filmmakers, yet difficult to film. This adaptation solved the problem of accurately depicting the story while showing things difficult to put up on screen by doing the whole thing in rotoscoped animationthat pretty closely matched real life. **Le Dernier Combat** – Luc Besson’s first science fiction film is intriguing in that it a.) is shot entirely in black and white; b.) has not a single line of dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/26 "2018-06-01T12:17:32Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > _Identity_ with John Cusack Good one! ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/27 "2018-06-01T13:12:50Z")
Mr. Arkadin. And here’s something weird. I couldn’t recall the name but knew it starred Orson Welles, but couldn’t find it in his filmography. But when I remembered the name, the film itself is listed (and on Amazon Prime right now). Welles’ character is a wealthy amnesiac that hires someone to discover who he is. Has one of my favorite lines: “After 20,000 years, murder as a business is still in the hands of amateurs.” ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/28 "2018-06-01T13:50:56Z")
Similar to Memento, Pulp Fiction was a great movie, but even better by being chopped up and told in different sequence. And I don’t care what anyone says, I’ve never seen verifiable evidence that there is a DVD option to see Memento in the correct sequence! (LOL, this might end up in Great Debates!) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/29 "2018-06-01T13:54:25Z")
The original Blues Brothers movie was done extremely cleverly. How does one tie together an ex-jailbird, a Catholic school, a batshit ex-girlfriend, Illinois Nazis, some amazing singers and musicians, a country western bar, and “the best blues players in the world?” ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/30 "2018-06-01T13:55:13Z")
_Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/31 "2018-06-01T14:26:26Z")
_The Stunt Man_ More recently, I thought _The Death of Stalin_ was a clever conceit carried through brilliantly. _Citizen Kane_, of course. For TV, the first couple of seasons of _Hu$tle_ were brilliantly constructed plots. And, of course, the first two seasons of _Misfits_. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/32 "2018-06-01T14:29:13Z")
I think there are different types of ‘clever’ films. One like **Inception** shows you early on that things may not be what they seem i.e. layers of dreams. But I think films like **The Usual Suspects** are even better - because you have no idea there’s a twist until you see it. (And then you start remembering all the tiny clues that were cunningly placed earlier.) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/33 "2018-06-01T14:35:51Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Similar to Memento, Pulp Fiction was a great movie, but even better by being chopped up and told in different sequence. > And I don’t care what anyone says, I’ve never seen verifiable evidence that there is a DVD option to see Memento in the correct sequence! (LOL, this might end up in Great Debates!) I own such a DVD. ETA: and to add to the thread, I’ll toss out Matrix. It has become cliche now and many don’t like 2 and 3 but when it was released it was very clever - even though its core concept wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/34 "2018-06-01T14:42:32Z")
Sorry for the double post, but I just thought of another one. Triangle, a time travel movie. By definition TT movies must be clever to be good but this is one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/35 "2018-06-01T15:36:59Z")
_The Last Action Hero_ for all the ways it plays with action-movie tropes. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/36 "2018-06-01T15:40:30Z")
Before I opened the thread I read the title and thought _Memento_. I thought _Looper_ did a better job with time-travel paradoxes than most. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/37 "2018-06-01T15:47:12Z")
I’m a big fan of con artist movies, and my favorite is **Nine Queens**. It’s an Argentinian movie about two con artists who decide to work together to pull off a major heist, and it’s lovely, everything I like about the genre. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/38 "2018-06-01T15:54:29Z")
Being John Malkovich ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/39 "2018-06-01T15:55:38Z")
_ **Galaxy Quest** _. A perfect parody of Star Trek fandom. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217/40 "2018-06-01T16:24:37Z")
This is a spoiler but one of the Final Destination Sequels ends up secretly being a Prequel and you learn that only at the very end when the characters get on a plane that was the plane that crashed in the first movie. It was really well set up and it made me enjoy the movie like ten times more than a sequel in a cheezy franchise deserves to be liked. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clever-movies/815217.md?page=3)