If you like noir you gotta see...

207.67.53.106

Posted by Harmonia on March 5, 2006 at 11:07:27

In Reply to: Great underappreciated movies, some recommendations? posted by edta on March 3, 2006 at 17:17:40:

...The Grifters. (Director Frears was just warming up with The Hit. This one is his dark and twisted little masterpiece.) Great cast in this Jim Thompson tale and lots of sly references to other classic noirs. Angelica Houston and Annette Benning were Oscar nominated and John Cusack should been. One of my favorite modern noirs. Also check out Frear's Dirty Pretty Things of a couple year's back.

I assume you've seen Blood Simple, Red Rock West, The Limey, Layer Cake, Body Heat and other modern noirs. An excellent noir that is often overlooked is the Michael Caine film A Shock To The System - highly recommended. Older Brit noirs worth revisiting include The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa.

An independent, noirish film that is still tumbling in and out of US general release is The Dying Gaul - a super, nasty little film that should be out on DVD soon. Don't miss it if it opens near you though. If you like mind benders don't miss Cache at your local art house - in current release.

I absolutely loved Michael Wintrebottom's 24 Hour Party people, an hilarious take on the Manchester music scene. Be sure to check out this same teams Tristram Shandy, A Cock & Bull STory which is in current release now. Also check out Winterbottoms cultish sci-fi flick Code 46, the very interesting The Claim (a remake of Jude The Obscure set in the Klondike) and the excellent Welcome To Sarajevo. Winterbottom's films are quite different from one another. (24PP and TS are the closest in style and content. If you like Winterbottom, you might also want to check out Go Now, Wonderland and In This World.)

Here's some other terrific independent films foreign and domestic you may (or may not) have missed:

Safe
No Man's Land
The Return
Y Tu Mama Tambien
The Devil's Backbone (highly recommended, super ghost story)
Lone Star, Eight Men Out, Matewan, Men With Guns (a John Sayles fest)
City Of God
Amores Perros
The Station Master
Japanese Story
Three Colors Trilogy
Run Lola Run
Once Were Warriors

I very much liked two small elegiac films of a couple years ago, Innocence (from Australia) and the undiscovered British gem Last Orders (a terrific cast inclduding Hellen Mirren, Michael Caine, David Hemmings. Bob Hoskins and Ray WInstone.)

My favorite Chinese film: Raise The Red Lantern

A trio from Oz: The Last Wave, Proof (the original, with a young Hugo Weaving and an even younger Russell Crowe),

A trio from Nic Roeg: Walkabout, Performance, Don't Look Now.

A Charlie Kaufman fest: Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich.

I also strongly second-third-fourth the rec for The Conversation, one of the best American films ever made IMO.

Animation: Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Wallace & Gromit (all of them including the shorts - they're all great including the current W&G: Attack of The Wererabbit), The Iron Giant.

For cult flicks you must see the previously mentioned Donnie Darko and Bubba Ho Tep. Also will second the rec below for The Hidden. Then there's the hilarious cultie from down under The Cars That Ate Paris. See Sid & Nancy if you haven't already.

Speaking of Paris, have you seen Wender's Paris, Texas? I assume you've already seen Lynch's Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive et al. Before he made Rings Peter Jackson was a cult fave for the hilarious zommbie flick Braindead. Also must see cult flicks would be the French pair Delicatessen and City Of Lost Children.

Docs:

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
The Corporation
Rivers & Tides
Winged Migration
Murderball
The Fof of War
Capturing The Friedmans
Enron, The Smartest Guys In The Room
Why We Fight (in current release)
Darwin's Nightmare (in current release)
The Trials of Henry Kissinger

I can think of more but these should get you started ;-)

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Great underappreciated movies, some recommendations? - edta 17:17:40 03/03/06 (38)

"Near Dark" - Ken Perkins 13:49:08 03/06/06 (0)

"The Brother from Another Planet" - dwill123 15:30:01 03/05/06 (0)

If you like noir you gotta see... - Harmonia 11:07:27 03/05/06 (0)

Re: Oh, "It's All About Love" - Jeff Starrs 10:49:03 03/05/06 (0)

"Cruising." Al Pacino's second-best film and a classic thriller. nt - tinear 06:13:06 03/05/06 (1)

Revolution was good too! (nt - Eldragon 06:52:20 03/05/06 (0)

Matewan - Eldragon 19:56:18 03/04/06 (1)

Good one... and starring a very young Chris Cooper. He fell off the - tinear 04:52:10 03/05/06 (0)

They Live, The Hunted - laznos 19:43:17 03/04/06 (2)

Re: They Live - Jeff Starrs 08:57:36 03/05/06 (1)

I like it but can hardly stand watching it. nt - clarkjohnsen 11:48:29 03/05/06 (0)

Thanks guys. I have a half dozen or more want to sees. Keep 'em coming! nt - edta 18:49:24 03/04/06 (1)

Re: "Following" - Jeff Starrs 09:00:57 03/05/06 (0)

The Hidden - Prisoners 18:38:23 03/04/06 (1)

Re: Good one - I enjoyed it, also...(nt) - Jeff Starrs 09:18:51 03/05/06 (0)

Just watched "The Conversation" last night - mishmashmusic 17:44:24 03/04/06 (5)

Re: Just watched "The Conversation" last night - rico 13:24:51 03/05/06 (1)

Certainly in the sense... - Harmonia 12:13:31 03/08/06 (0)

Not surprising since... - Harmonia 09:55:37 03/05/06 (0)

A movie for our time with NSA eavesdropping on Americans. - edta 18:47:40 03/04/06 (0)

Re: Just watched "The Conversation" last night - edta 18:38:14 03/04/06 (0)

Here's a few - Jack G 11:59:44 03/04/06 (0)

Search and Destroy; Schizopolis; Flirting with Disaster; Plan 10 from Outer Space nt - clarkjohnsen 08:47:29 03/04/06 (0)

"Mystery Train" - Hepcat 08:32:10 03/04/06 (0)

Re: The Devil's Backbone & Chronos... - Jeff Starrs 07:17:06 03/04/06 (0)

Sexy Beast * - mr grits 06:23:32 03/04/06 (0)

"Q" the Winged Serpent - JDK 22:34:29 03/03/06 (1)

Forgot about that classic! n/t - Prisoners 18:35:40 03/04/06 (0)

Re: Great underappreciated movies, some recommendations? - PhilJ 20:53:12 03/03/06 (2)

The Hit is also Tim Roths 1st film; music by Eric Clapton (nt) - grinagog 21:00:27 03/03/06 (1)

Re: The Hit is also Tim Roths 1st film; music by Eric Clapton (nt) - PhilJ 04:57:18 03/04/06 (0)

Titus - Bersani 20:33:27 03/03/06 (0)

Re: Recommend the Qatsi trilogy, Godfrey Reggio - grinagog 19:42:41 03/03/06 (0)

A couple - jbmcb 19:40:44 03/03/06 (1)

Re: A couple - edta 18:41:29 03/04/06 (0)

Wim Wenders best movie (imo, of course) is - tinear 18:27:48 03/03/06 (2)

Re: Wim Wenders best movie (imo, of course) is - edta 18:43:30 03/04/06 (1)

They're as good as any ever filmed. nt - tinear 06:13:41 03/05/06 (0)

Follow Ups

If you like noir you gotta see... - Harmonia 11:07:27 03/05/06 (0)

You can not post to an archived thread.