# REALLY "one of a kind" movies. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394 "2003-10-30T05:50:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/1 "2003-10-30T05:50:39Z")
I was just wondering…anyone care to add to a list of _really_ “one of a kind” movies? …my first nomination would be **“Who is Julia?,”** a touching, sensitive, movie tackling the complex emotional and psychological issues effecting a brain transplant patient. In fact, I think it’s the _only_ movie involving a brain transplant ever made that _wasn’t_ a horror flick. And one of that 9 that didn’t star Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, or Peter Cushing. Next would be **“Colossus: The Forbin Project.”** Which ends with the villain… …Not only _winning_, but having succeeded in _taking over the world._ …However you feel about that, it’s damn novel. Those are the only ones I can think of. For now at least. Now, any other movies don’t have to be “big and flashy,” they don’t even have to be weird. The only criteria is that some major element of the film be _really_ unusual, to the point of making the movie almost “one of a kind.” …And preferably that uniqueness being something other than filming technique, or cinematography, or any other “technical” aspect. So _Timecode_, _Blair Witch Project_ and _Rope_ don’t really count. So…any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/2 "2003-10-30T07:26:40Z")
**Harold & Maude** # ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/3 "2003-10-30T09:29:00Z")
Peter Weir’s _Fearless_… from structure to story, I’ve never seen a movie like it, before or since. _Eye of the Beholder_… some love it, more hate it, but none can deny that it’s unique and unpredictable. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/4 "2003-10-30T12:11:19Z")
Being John Malkovich. Especially near the end, and in the restaurant scene. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/5 "2003-10-30T14:06:28Z")
Oh, yeah, I remember **Fearless**. Heckuva movie. The only time I’ve seen Rosie Perez in a movie and she wasn’t annoying as hell. **The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari** is one-of-a-kind for set design, fer sure. (But in the middle of **Casino Royale** there’s a marvellous _homage_ to it…) ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/6 "2003-10-30T14:13:44Z")
Oh, yeah, I remember **Fearless**. Heckuva movie. The only time I’ve seen Rosie Perez in a movie and she wasn’t annoying as hell. **The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari** is one-of-a-kind for set design, fer sure. (But in the middle of **Casino Royale** there’s a marvellous _homage_ to it…) ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/7 "2003-10-30T15:04:17Z")
Argh. Sorry about the double post. ---
**Author:** ![gaba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gaba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaba)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/8 "2003-10-30T15:15:15Z")
“The Company of Wolves” by Neil Jordan. The plot structure, the characters, hell, the very IDEA behind that movie is something disturbingly unusual. At times you think it’s a spooky fairytale, but there’s so much post-modern, and profoundly surreal elements in it it’s a wild ride. probably the only movie I’ve seen that recreates an Alice in Wonderland type of consciousness in such an enjoyable manner. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/9 "2003-10-30T15:19:32Z")
Another vote for _Harold and Maude_. Others I can think of: _Brotherhood of the Wolf_, _Withnail & I_, _Swimming to Cambodia_ (although its sequel, _Monster in a Box_, is very similar), _Don’t Look Now_ (in fact IMO most Nicholas Roeg films are unique both within his own oeuvre and in a wider sphere - qv. _Walkabout_ and _The Man Who Fell to Earth_). ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/10 "2003-10-30T15:39:03Z")
Yet another vote for _Harold & Maude_ and\* The Man Who Fell to Earth\* I’d add _Repo Man_, \* Lipstick\* _Fantastic Planet_,_The King of Hearts_ & _Bambi Meets Godzilla_ ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/11 "2003-10-30T15:42:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by octothorpe \* > \*\ ***Harold & Maude** > > # \*\* You know, I’m not that creative and I’d appreciate it if people would stop posting my answers before I do! ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/12 "2003-10-30T16:09:11Z")
**Memento** : Though the backward structure was done first in another film it was a very different kind of story (about marital infidelity) **Porco Rosso** : an animated adventure set in 1920’s Italy where the hero is an aviator who is also a pig. All the other characters are human. I thought the basic premise of **Monsters Inc** (ie. monsters using screams as an energy source) was quite original and I don’t think it’s been done anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/13 "2003-10-30T17:37:03Z")
Brazil ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/14 "2003-10-30T18:12:52Z")
Run Lola Run ---
**Author:** ![joemama24\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/15 "2003-10-30T19:44:44Z")
The Fifth Element ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/16 "2003-10-30T21:18:02Z")
_Eraserhead._ It has been said that if there is any movie that can cause you actual damage, it is David Lynch’s _Eraserhead._ ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/17 "2003-10-30T21:21:35Z")
How about **Slacker**? ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/18 "2003-10-30T21:28:46Z")
**CyberPundit:** I think the movie you’re thinking of is the film version of Harold Pinter’s play _Betrayal_. Kevin Smith’s _Dogma_ is pretty darned unique. Here you have some heady theological discussions, really meaty emotional stuff, and this is tempered with a rubber poop monster and Salma Hayek dancing to New Edition’s “Candy Girl” in a pink bikini. Oh, and Ben Affleck in a badass set of wings. I didn’t know anyone else had that fetish. Flawed as it is, I love it and I can’t think of another movie like it. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/19 "2003-10-30T21:28:51Z")
_Night of the Hunter The Bad Seed_ It’s possible that someone tried to remake or “pay homage” to these movies, but either I’m not aware of them or they failed miserably. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394/20 "2003-10-30T21:48:47Z")
_American Splendor_ is unique for how it blends documentary elements with re-creations and outright fiction and a bunch of other stuff in an attempt to capture a guy and his art. Nothing like it has ever been done. What’s that Shatner movie that’s in Esperanto? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-one-of-a-kind-movies/210394.md?page=2)