Reccoment a Favorite Film or TV Show

Cafe Society
1

In this thread I’m asking you to name one of your favorite films or TV shows. It does not have to be one that you enjoyed for any special reason. You just plain liked it and want to share it with others. It brings a smile to your face whenever you think of it.

I’m thinking funny movies would be a natural choice. However, it does not have to be a comedy. It can be just any movie or TV show you like for any reason.

You don’t have to limit yourself to just one. You can name as many as you like. If convenient, please post a link to the movie in IMDB or Wikipedia and maybe its IMDB rating . Sometimes some of our favoirite movies can have more than one entry in IMDB or Wiki and some people place a good deal of faith in the IMDB rating.

I know that I do. Even though many times the amount of enjoyment I derive from a film has very little correlation with the rating it got, I still seem to want to know what that rating was.

I want to start the ball rolling with a funny silly movie, “Due Date” (2010) (6.6) (IMHO very underrated and it deserves at least 7.5)

I have heard many people rail against this film. They really don’t like it.

I have seen it many times and it never fails to crack me up. Zack Galifakinakis just does it for me in this film. I don’t know why. I usually do not like his work - especially when he works with some of the other actors he has grown up with (like Jonah what’s his name). Sometimes I think his talent is just plain stupid and awful. But this movie just works wonders for me. I especially enjoyed the scene with the two children. IMO, it was just very funny stuff.

I really do not like this guy in many other of his films. But this one just gets to me.

I also just do not like Danny McBride. I strongly disliked him in Eastbound Going Down. But in this film, even though his scenes were not too funny, his overal contribution just worked for me.

And Julliette Lewis? She always turns my crank. Many times she turns it all the way. IMHO, she is a wunnerful, wunnerful comedy actress and I just love her work. Yes!

If you have never seen this film, I hope you will take my word for it and give it a shot. If you do, I hope it will turn your day around and turn your frown upside down.

Funny, funny, funny! I hope you will like it.

2

Here are eight not quite as famous films from my favorite 100 movies:

After Hours (1985, U.S., dir. Martin Scorsese)

Play it Again, Sam (1972, U.S., dir. Herbert Ross)

The Great Dictator (1940, U.S., dir. Charles Chaplin)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012, U.S., dir. Wes Anderson)

Slacker (1991, U.S., dir. Richard Linklater)

Blood Simple (1985, U.S., dir. Joel Coen)

Chungking Express (1994, Hong Kong, dir. Wong Kar-Wai)

La Jetée (1962, France, dir. Chris Marker)

Charlie Wayne writes:

> Even though many times the amount of enjoyment I derive from a film has very
> little correlation with the rating it got, I still seem to want to know what that rating
> was.

I think it’s not very important to know the rating after you’ve seen the film. There’s a tendency to shift your reactions to the movie to fit with other people’s reactions. It’s useful to look at the ratings (and other things, as I’ll explain) before you see the film just so you can make some sort of decision whether there’s any point seeing the movie at all. There have been far more movies made over the entire history of cinema than you will ever have time to see. My estimate is that something around a million films have been made. You should use IMDb ratings; recommendations of your friends who seem to know what they’re talking about; reviews of critics you consider reliable; books, articles, or websites with interesting lists of great films or great underappreciated films; posts on message boards like this; and whatever other sources you can find to choose what films to see. It’s also useful to read the reviews and not just the ratings, since often the verbal description of a movie tells you more than just the number attached to it. Use all this to decide what few movies to see in your busy schedule. Then do your best to ignore those ratings and what the critics have said about the film as you watch it. Ratings and descriptions are worthwhile for eliminating the movies that just aren’t worth your time.

3

I recently enjoyed quite a lot a Canadian TV show: “The best laid plans”.

It’s a political satire about a speechwriter required to run an unwinnable campaign in his region against a candidate with 90% approval, with a guy who hates politics and is only allowing his name in the ballots because the protagonist assures him there’s not a chance in hell of winning.

And then everything starts going right for his campaign, which is bad, because he must lose at all costs.

4

As far as movies go, some of my favorite ones to watch that are not necessarily critically acclaimed are:
Sahara
Mystery Men
Frequency
Tremors

5

I’ve recently been watching “Suits” on Netflix, and I’m really liking it. It’s clever, bold, and funny, and just entertaining.

Another show I’ve really been enjoying on Netflix is “Drop Dead Diva.” I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this show - it should have been stupid, irritating fluff, and instead I was very entertained by it. I only got three seasons on Netflix, and I’m jonesing badly for the rest of it now!

6

“Dirty Work” with Norm MacDonald, Artie Lange, and Chris Farley. I always like Norm’s dry humor, and IMO this is a very funny caper movie. A scene, bar fight and frat house revenge.

“Hot Rod” with Andy Samberg, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher, and Bill Hader. This one slipped under my radar until recently. It’s one of those “so stupid it’s funny” movies, if you like Wayne’s World or Pee Wee’s Big Adventure you’d probably like this. A scene where the gang introduces themselves to Isla Fisher’s character.

“Trailer Park Boys”, Canadian TV series and movies. It is filmed documentary-style like Reno 911 and if you like Reno 911 you’ll probably like this. It’s about some nice but hapless ex-cons living in a trailer park in Canada.

7

I’m typing on a phone so I can’t really get into it here but I’ll nominate Psych.

8

Movie: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? I have, and still could, watch this a hundred times. I think it’s just wonderful. Juliette Lewis is in it, too. (I could name many more movies, but the only ones I really enjoy watching are the old classics on TCM. My default TV station.

TV: Dirty Jobs. I miss this show, and Mike Rowe, SO much :(. When I’m flipping through the program guide, I find myself automatically checking the Discovery Channel for a second, to see if it’s still on.