ercles on 2/1/2009 at 07:54
Just off the top of my head, to contribute some that haven't been mentioned yet:
The Princess and the Warrior. Made by the same guy as Run Lola Run, but I found it a little more satisfying in that it still featured a lot of the same themes about fatalism etc., but also had more narrative material to it, and more fleshed out characters.
Nine Queens. A very slick Argentinian heist film about stealing stamps, believe it or not. Far more interesting than most other films of the same ilk that I have seen.
Gryzemuis on 2/1/2009 at 13:01
Quote Posted by ercles
The Princess and the Warrior. Made by the same guy as Run Lola Run, but I found it a little more satisfying in that it still featured a lot of the same themes about fatalism etc., but also had more narrative material to it, and more fleshed out characters.
Although I like these 2 films, my favorite Tom Tykwer movie is actually (
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120522/) Winterschläfer (Wintersleepers). Interesting story, slow pace, nice pictures. Tykwer does nice things with colors. It's probably somewhere in my top 50 of movies (while the other 2 are not).
nicked on 5/1/2009 at 14:01
Festen (The Celebration) - Danish (?) film about a family reunion to celebrate the patriarch's 60th birthday that turns very, very dark when some sinister family secrets come out of the closet.
Visitor Q - No words can describe this film.
Swedishman on 6/1/2009 at 23:51
Ok, since my mother tongue is swedish I won't list Bergmans "Seventh seal" or "Wild strawberries" or Moodysons "Fucking åmål", which certainly would be on the list otherwise. *hint hint*
I wont go into much Hollywoodmovies either since people usually know about these movies anyway. And I will try to avoid movies already mentioned.
One director I haven't seen mentioned is the korean Ki-duk Kim. Really beautiful movies. I recommend "Seom" and "Bin-jip".
Eisenstein must be mentioned. "Battleship Potemkin" is his most famous movie and critically acclaimed. But I have another favorite of him and that is "Ivan the terrible" part one. As with all of Eisensteins movies you can see in what kind of state the bolshevik party is in and in "Ivan the terrible" we have the sole leader (Stalin) trying to unite the country and rid it of traitors who try to kill the beloved leader. Eisensteins use of symbols, shadows and light really draws you in to this great movie.
"Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" creates a great atmosphere with the use of great stagearchitecture. From a time when art and movies hadn't split into two areas with a high wall keeping them apart.
Haven't seen much of Fassbinder. One movie of his I have seen and really liked was "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant".
I have one early american movie to recommend too. "The Birth of a Nation" made by Griffith. Not maybe a great movie in itself, but it is very interesting to see the very outspoken racism that is the theme of the movie. We have here a movie from 1915 were white slaveowners strolling around in the fields with the slaves working in the background is presented as an idyllic way of life, were the right for black men to marry white women is presented as a degradation of the whites and were great heroes in the end turn out to be... ku klux klan! When I saw I just sat and sometimes laughed and sometimes shook my head in disbelief.
Kurosawa is hard to pass by without any mention. "Seven samurai" is of course his most celebrated movie and it has been very influential. I myself like "Rashomon" and "Throne of blood" much better. In "Rashomon" we get to hear four persons eye-witness account of a killing. Although they all have witnessed the same scene their accounts of what happened is very different from eachother. "Throne of Blood" is a very good adaption of Shakespeares "Macbeth".
"La Haine" french movie about society, youths and violence. How you fall doesnt matter. Its how you land.
Pasolinis "Salo" is not for the weak-hearted. Not much blood or gore. What is does have is degradation and subjugation. You wont be disgusted by the grossness of the visual, but by the grossness of the relations between the people in the movie.
Honorable mentions: Tarkovskys "Solaris", Watkins "La commune", Fukasakus "Battle royalle", Svankmajers "Alice", Kieslowskis "Three colours" (three movies), Klimovs "Come and see", De Sicas "Umberto D".
Matthew on 7/1/2009 at 09:42
Speaking of Eisenstein, I always mean to locate a copy of Alexander Nevsky but never get round to it.
Thirith on 7/1/2009 at 09:55
Svankmajer's Alice is an intriguing one. I love Dave McKean and it's clear in the film that McKean was inspired by Svankmajer. Some might think it pretentious, though - just don't look for any specific meaning but just bask in the inventiveness and the imagery.
Angel Dust on 7/1/2009 at 10:11
Quote Posted by Swedishman
Moodysons "Fucking åmål"
Ha! I saw this film, which is called 'Show Me Love' in English, the other day and thought it was fantastic. I was going to mention it in here but you bet me to it. :thumb:
Quote:
I have one early american movie to recommend too. "The Birth of a Nation" made by Griffith. Not maybe a great movie in itself, but it is very interesting to see the very outspoken racism that is the theme of the movie. We have here a movie from 1915 were white slaveowners strolling around in the fields with the slaves working in the background is presented as an idyllic way of life, were the right for black men to marry white women is presented as a degradation of the whites and were great heroes in the end turn out to be... ku klux klan! When I saw I just sat and sometimes laughed and sometimes shook my head in disbelief.
Yeah, the blatant racism, which Griffith tried to atone for with 'Intolerance', in this film is pretty shocking but it is a very important film none the less as Griffith was instrumental in the creation of film grammar (Close-ups, cross cutting).
Kolya on 7/1/2009 at 17:51
Quote Posted by Thirith
Svankmajer's
AliceDisturbing film, but quite entertaining.
Quote Posted by Swedishman
Fucking åmål
This movie changed my life. Made me realize a few things about how love should be, that I'd forgotten and buried somehow.
Kyloe on 7/1/2009 at 19:35
Quote Posted by Angel Dust
Ha! I saw this film, which is called 'Show Me Love' in English, the other day and thought it was fantastic. I was going to mention it in here but you bet me to it. :thumb:
Actually, Harvester beat both of you to it on page 2. Nice film by the way.
