# If you could recommend just one DVD **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2005, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411 "2005-03-01T09:14:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/1 "2005-03-01T09:14:03Z")
Just joined Netflix and can’t wait to start getting the goods. I have 400+ slots to fill in my queue. If you could recommend just one DVD, what would it be? Looking for anything good and different, hopefully something off the beaten path. My one recommendation for you would be “The In-laws”. The original with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. One of my favorite comedies that I didn’t even realize was out on DVD till just now. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/2 "2005-03-01T09:48:09Z")
Hm. _Mystery Train_ or _Withnail & I_ for “indie” comedy (or _Ghost World_ or _The Big Lebowski_, if you haven’t seen them). _Ikiru_ or _The Bicycle Thief_ for classic foreign. _Before Sunrise/Sunset_ or _About A Boy_ for modern romantic comedy. _Fast, Cheap & Out Of Control_, _To Be And To Have_, or _Spellbound_ for documentary. _Kitchen Stories_, _The Man Without A Past_, or _The Man On the Train_ for modern foreign. _Out Of The Past_ for classic film noir. _Videodrome_ for weird thriller. _The Killing Fields_ for political drama (and the original _Manchurian Candidate_ for classic political drama). Maybe _Dark City_ for sci-fi - not really my genre, and I assume you’ve already seen _Bladerunner_. _Schizopolis_ for avant-garde. That should be a good start. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/3 "2005-03-01T12:15:11Z")
\*\*Shaun Of The Dead. \*\* Best movie of 2004. I’ve watched it with both audio commentaries and the zombie-meter so far, and I’ll probably watch it again soon. I do need english subtitles 'cause of the strong english accents. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/4 "2005-03-01T13:23:48Z")
_Strange Days_, 1995. It’s New Years Eve on the eve of the Millennium, and Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) is a scummy conman who deals porn that jacks directly into your brain. Complications arise when he discovers a rape/murder on one of his tapes. He and his best friend Mace (Angela Bassett) try to solve the murder and escape vicious cops who may number two – or 200. Great cyberpunk movie. _Arabian Knight_, 1995. Adapted from A Thousand and One Nights, a shy, almost silent cobbler tries to woo a princess. Some of the most beautiful, strange animation ever. Also called _The Thief and the Cobbler_. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/5 "2005-03-01T13:39:37Z")
_Tampopo._ Because it’s definitely good, and it’s _definitely_ different 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Desperate\_Welfie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Desperate\_Welfie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desperate_Welfie)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/6 "2005-03-01T13:57:00Z")
Drama - Boondock Saints Comedy - Life Less Ordinary ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/7 "2005-03-01T14:13:26Z")
Patch of Blue - Sydney Poitier and Elizabeth Hartman. I had no idea it was on DVD until I checked just now. I know what my next movie purchase will be. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/8 "2005-03-01T14:17:15Z")
_Millenium Actress_. Bit of a slow start, but otherwise an all-around good movie. A journalist and his camera man are interviewing an elderly actress who used to be the star of a studio that is being torn down. There’s no english language track though (it’s anime), so if you don’t like subtitles you might want to stay away. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/9 "2005-03-01T15:21:25Z")
**The Usual Suspects** , if you haven’t seen it. Also **Unforgiven**. **Runaway Train**. Awesome performance by Jon Voight. **Sorcerer**. Four men running from their pasts wind up in Central America. With nothing to lose, they agree to cart six boxes of highly-volatile TNT (the nitro has leaked out and could blow with the tiniest bump) in trucks over 200 miles of hazardous jungle terrain to stop an oil well fire. It’s a nail-biter. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/10 "2005-03-01T15:31:56Z")
I second the nomination for **The usual Suspects** – a wonderful film. In the same sort of mode: **Insomnia** with Al Pacino ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/11 "2005-03-01T19:41:19Z")
I’d recommend **Brain Donors,** but AFAIK it’s not out on DVD, ☹ so I’ll go with **Galaxy Quest** instead. Funny, funny, fun stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/12 "2005-03-01T20:39:20Z")
Pretty much anything on [this list](http://www.harrisonline.com/heard/movies2know.htm). _Sneakers_ if you are a technophile. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/13 "2005-03-01T21:03:16Z")
Boogie Nights. ---
**Author:** ![august9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@august9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/august9)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/14 "2005-03-01T21:06:00Z")
Hmmm - just one? It’ll have to be _Local Hero_ (1983). Scottish comedy drama, very funny and entertaining in a slightly ironic, low-key way. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/15 "2005-03-01T21:55:07Z")
> [@Desperate Welfie](#): > > Drama - Boondock Saints What’s the deal w/ the sequel? It’s way overdue. ---
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/16 "2005-03-01T22:17:37Z")
Thanks for all the great recommendations. I’ve seen quite a few of them already but I did manage to find a couple to add to my queue. Looking forward to seeing **Shawn of the Dead**. Mississippienne recommended **Arabian Knight**. Sounds really interesting. Amazon carries it but Netflix unfortunally does not. Another movie that I found that I like to recommend is **Breaking Away**. I remember catching this on TV years ago and thought it was great. Looking forward to seeing it again. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/17 "2005-03-01T22:40:53Z")
Don’t miss _The Princess Bride_. If you haven’t seen it, I envy you. If you have seen it, see it again. This is one of those movies that gets even better with re-viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/18 "2005-03-01T22:44:14Z")
> [@bclouse](#): > > My one recommendation for you would be “The In-laws”. The original with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. One of my favorite comedies that I didn’t even realize was out on DVD till just now. I own it and love it. 😃 For my selection it would have to be **Seven Samurai**. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/19 "2005-03-01T23:02:20Z")
_Fargo_ ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411/20 "2005-03-01T23:06:49Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > _Fargo_ I thought it would be the one where you camped out in the theatre for a month with your bucket of popcorn. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-recommend-just-one-dvd/292411.md?page=2)