Community Recommendations

skypilot: you asked for it

Looking for movie recommendations? Post a question in this thread, and I'll do my best to come up with something you'll enjoy.

WHAT I CAN GIVE YOU?

More of the same...

If you liked a certain movie and want to see more like it, I'll try to help.

... or just anything that's good.

If you're not looking for a particular kind of movie, you just want a good movie, I can help. Just say two or three movies you like (any movies you like!) and I'll try to come up with something based on your style.

But you don't have to give me examples. I can still tell you what I've liked and why.

JUST WHO DO I THINK I AM?

I love stories.

And I love language. I'm always impressed by good dialogue.

Bad can be good...or at least interesting.

I'm a fan of B movies, cult films, Mystery Science Theatre. Not everyone has fun watching bad movies, so I don't  recommend The Tingler to everyone. On the other hand, Pan's Labyrinth is a very different kind of movie, and I would recommend that movie to anybody. (Well, not nine year olds.)

Re:skypilot: you asked for it

SkyPilot

(from that old Eric Burdon and the Animals song, right?)

Have you seen any of the following thriller/dramas that you would recommend:

Insomnia (2002)

In the Bedroom (2001)

Read My Lips (2002)

Red Lights (French; 2004)

Bound (1996)

Tell No One (French; 2008)

Charade (1963)

The Last Seduction (1995)

Death and the Maiden (1995)

Red Rock West

Blindness (2008)

PS. I like your emphasis on story and dialogue.

JIMBELL

Re:skypilot: you asked for it

JimBell:

Insomnia (2002)

In the Bedroom (2001)

Read My Lips (2002)

Red Lights (French; 2004)

Bound (1996)

Tell No One (French; 2008)

Charade (1963)

The Last Seduction (1995)

Death and the Maiden (1995)

Red Rock West

Blindness (2008)

 

By the way, anyone who's seen these movies, feel free to jump in! I don't claim a monopoly on this thread, I just commit to making regular responses.

Of the movies you mentioned, I have only seen Insomnia (2002). I would recommend it for a lot of reasons. It's a surprising and intense thriller that breaks some 'rules' of the genre, but stays dangerous all the way to the end.

If I were you I'd start with the American version, and if you're interested in an even darker take on it, watch the original Norwegian version (1997) where the the detective is played by Stellan Skarsgaard. The chief difference  between Skarsgaard's detective and Pacino's is that Skarsgaard is far more depraved. Pacino is no white knight in the American version, but Skarsgaard's detective is closer (morally speaking) to the murderer.

This change has a big effect on the story's tone, because characters in the American Insomnia are concerned with how far you can fudge the law when putting away murderers, molesters, etc. The Norwegian Insomnia is more observational -- you watch a detective (who belongs in prison) try to put someone else in prison. Very atmospheric, distressing, compelling.

One last thing, and this applies to both movies: by the end you'll feel exhausted, like the insomniac detective. I say that as a compliment to the films and as a warning to you. 

I know porcupine just saw Blindness (2008) and he might review it in the FilmCouch coming out this Friday. Not sure about that.

I want to see Tell No One! Please tell me if you see it, or any other of the films you mention. 

Regarding my name skypilot, you're on the right track. I like that Animals song a lot, and you may have noticed it's about an army chaplain. I'm into slang from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and "sky pilot" was slang for "preacher." I'm currently in grad school for Old Testament studies, but I'm more interested in teaching and writing than I am in becoming a pastor.

cheers,

adam