# In which Idle Thoughts watches popular movies most have seen already but that he hasn't. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318 "2015-10-02T23:35:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/21 "2015-10-04T03:01:19Z")
Hello, my name is Slow Moving Vehicle, and I’ve…never seen the _Godfather_ movies. > [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I don’t tend to like Quentin Tarantino movies, though. I’m not a big fan of Tarantino, either, and it took me seeing it a few times, but now I think _Pulp Fiction_ was one of the best movies in the last twenty years or so. > [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > I’m keen to know what you think about this. The book, and then a few years later the film, were genuinely big cultural things where I live. The movie didn’t make much of an impression - except for those two scenes (you know which ones I mean) - but the book was fantastic. I’ve read a couple of other things Welsh has written, and thought they were good. But _Trainspotting_ was worthy of a Booker Prize. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/22 "2015-10-04T06:26:20Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Requiem for a Dream left me stunned, speechless, stultified. It was so raw, so utterly real, and so much like the stories I have heard from real-life people in recovery. The inhumanity addicts show to each other, and the way they cling together despite the horrific behavior. It’s just all right there. > > The stuff gets real, honey. Have a friend on cue to meet for coffee or something afterwards. I loved that movie, which lovingly depicted the triumph of drugs over the human spirit. Plus a truly remarkable score. EDIT: If you haven’t seen them, you might want to check out the [Jennifer Connelly on a pier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05uR2qPUsqg) trilogy: Dark City Requiem for a Dream House of Sand and Fog ---
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/23 "2015-10-04T12:35:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Judge Dredd goes with all Taco Bell. So does Demolition Man 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/24 "2015-10-05T00:16:42Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > True, but I think most folks would enjoy Inglorious Basterds the most. I dunno. I liked it but not all that much. Loved the opening scene though, that’s among his best. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/25 "2015-10-05T02:12:41Z")
One of Tarantino’s greatest strengths is as a writer, especially of dialogue. Some of my favorite moments in _Pulp Fiction_ and _Inglourious Basterds_ are when characters are talking to each other with little or no action. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/26 "2015-10-05T02:50:27Z")
**Idle** , if I were you, I’d start the Star Wars series with Episode IV: A New Hope (first one released, in 1977). If you start with Episode I, you might give up on watching all of them. The prequels were not universally loved. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/27 "2015-10-05T04:07:42Z")
Agreed. Episode IV really is the start of the story if not the chronology. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/28 "2015-10-05T10:10:20Z")
Missed out Fight Club from that list… ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/29 "2015-10-05T17:50:37Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Agreed. Episode IV really is the start of the story if not the chronology. [Machete Order](http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/07/18/the-machete-order-the-best-way-to-watch-star-wars-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of-3388680?lt_source=external,manual) is the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/30 "2015-10-05T17:53:47Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > Django unchained is a bit more accessible than most Tarantino movies I liked Pulp Fiction and hated Inglorious Basterds. I hated it so much it put me off Tarantino movies. I hear good things about Django unchained though, is it at all like Inglorious Basterds? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/31 "2015-10-05T20:46:56Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Tonight’s movie will be a movie I’ve heard about and read about a lot recently: _ **Requiem For a Dream** _. So, what did you think? You have some good times ahead of you with your list. > [@TruCelt](#): > > Requiem for a Dream left me stunned, speechless, stultified. It was so raw, so utterly real, and so much like the stories I have heard from real-life people in recovery. The inhumanity addicts show to each other, and the way they cling together despite the horrific behavior. It’s just all right there. > > The stuff gets real, honey. Have a friend on cue to meet for coffee or something afterwards. After I saw RfaD I said to myself, “Self, we have never done drugs, but we’re stopping right now.” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/32 "2015-10-05T20:50:33Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Machete Order](http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/07/18/the-machete-order-the-best-way-to-watch-star-wars-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of-3388680?lt_source=external,manual) is the way to go. Explained here by a set of experts. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/keSFjjhUyVA/hqdefault.jpg "Machete Order on The Big Bang Theory") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keSFjjhUyVA) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/33 "2015-10-05T21:00:53Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It was great, wasn’t it? Yeah, was quite remarkable - particularly the book. Things like getting on the bus and there’s half a dozen young lads with their noses buried in a copy. We got tickets for one of the preview showings of the film in Falkirk, and that was quite a night, with bottles of booze and joints getting passed around in the cinema. An absolutely unforgettable shared viewing experience. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/34 "2015-10-05T21:31:49Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > I liked Pulp Fiction and hated Inglorious Basterds. I hated it so much it put me off Tarantino movies. I hear good things about Django unchained though, is it at all like Inglorious Basterds? Hate is strong, but except for the bad guy I wasn’t enthralled by IG. I liked Django better, so give it a try. It’s still very “Tarantino” and all that implies. Same with Mulholland Drive - your experience may depend on whether you like Lynch’s other films. I didn’t particularly like Requiem for a Dream either. Parts of it would’ve been more subtle if replaced with Mr. Mackey telling you that drugs are bad over and over. There’s something wrong when the parts starring Marlon Wayans are the most realistic. OP might want to check out _Memento_ (2000) as well. Dark City is good, although the intro is stupid, apparently a director’s cut removes it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/35 "2015-10-05T21:46:05Z")
**IT** - do you want recommendations? If so, anything in particular to aim for (science fiction good, depressing bad, for example)? Until I hear back, I’ll bite my tongue and salute your ambition. Huzzah! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/36 "2015-10-05T23:31:25Z")
The _Batman_ movies are the only ones in that list that I’ve seen. No, I’ve never seen Star Wars, and there’s a perverse part of me that wants that to remain the case, just because it’s so rare for anyone my age. Plus, I already know all the plot points, so I’m not sure I’d get much out of it. I do know I’ve read many, many times that you should not watch Episode 1 first. The order I will eventually watch them in, if I do so, will be the recommended IV, V, I, II, III, VI. It turns the prequels into an flashback explanation for Anakin after you find out he’s Luke’s father. And, no, I’m not spoilering that, as there’s absolutely no way he doesn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/37 "2015-10-06T02:15:47Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I’m not a big fan of Tarantino, either, and it took me seeing it a few times, but now I think _Pulp Fiction_ was one of the best movies in the last twenty years or so. Does it make you feel old that it actually came out 21 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/38 "2015-10-06T03:45:28Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I will watch them starting at episode one and going on from there, in order. Can I pile on to the strong recommendation not to do that? Start with the original (episode 4) and then follow with empire strikes back (episode 5). At that point if you want to continue to Jedi before going to the prequels you can, but I think there is a good argument to be made that Jedi is better seen after the prequels if you don’t know the story. Either way, start with the movie that came out first. > [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Does it make you feel old that it actually came out 21 years ago? Shut up! I do not believe you. I am not that old. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/39 "2015-10-06T05:27:13Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Requiem for a Dream left me stunned, speechless, stultified. It was so raw, so utterly real, and so much like the stories I have heard from real-life people in recovery. The inhumanity addicts show to each other, and the way they cling together despite the horrific behavior. It’s just all right there. > > The stuff gets real, honey. Have a friend on cue to meet for coffee or something afterwards. Yep. Best movie I never want to see again. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318/40 "2015-10-06T06:24:42Z")
So, Idle Thoughts, how was Requiem? I watched it once and I don’t ever need to see it again. It’s beautiful but so powerful and disturbing that you are not likely to forget it very soon. I haven’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-idle-thoughts-watches-popular-movies-most-have-seen-already-but-that-he-hasnt/733318.md?page=3)