The Film Board Mega Recommendation Thread

nedtheshed wrote: »

If you havnt seen them then French horror is kicking ass at the moment.

Martyrs,Frontiers,Ils and Switchblade Romance immediately spring to mind(just disregard the glaring plotholes in the last one and you will do fine)

Good thread idea J_U.

Have you found any other European foreign horror gems?

This is in the other thread but suited to here as well.

My Winnipeg (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093842/)



Would safely say this falls into the love/hate category and I'm definitely in the former one. It's an unusual film in that it's described as a 'surrealist-inflected pseudo-documentary', or as Maddin himself says, 'docu-fantasia'. Can't say I've come across too many like it. If you like your German expressionism, your silent movies, and mix that with a love letter to Winnipeg, then this is for you.


Seconds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060955/)



This one totally took me by surprise. Great and depressing at the same time, with John Randolph being superb for his part. Though it does lose its way slightly halfway through, thanks to some strange Rock Hudson scenes, it picks it up for the finale, and gives us one of the best endings out there. Ahead of its time, that's for sure.


The Hidden (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093185/)



Only caught this recently (recommended to me by someone saying it was a combination of The Thing and The Terminator) and had ****loads of fun with it. It's got the horror, the sci-fi, got the 80s cheese, flamethrowers, some ridiculously funny scenes and MacLachlan doing his whole FBI role before his Twin Peaks days. Just a really entertaining movie.


Chop Shop (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0990404/)



If you like your realism, and you like your City of God type flicks, then this is probably the one for you. Although it's better than that. Bahrani makes it look gritty, makes it slow, but it's a great character study which comes across as natural due to performances from Polanco and co. It's probably closer to reality than most documentaries you come across. Probably should have put this on the top of the list.

Some more...

Kabluey (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816545/)



Charming and funny movie this. It's quirky, but in a good way. Pendergast does a solid job here (Write/Director/Actor), and had me laughing out loud a number of times - a rare thing for me with recent comedies. The Iraq part of the story isn't too overbearing to distract you from the humour.


Quiet City (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914382/)



Definitely for fans of Before Sunset/Sunrise and the like. I've just used the word 'like' there, just as this film tends to do quite a bit, but if you can get by that small hurdle then it's a enjoyable slice of life movie. Part of the mumblecore genre of film, I'd also recommend checking out Funny Ha Ha from Bujalski. Or In Search of a Midknight Kiss. But this one is more accessible for sure.


Keane (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420291/)



I'm sure there's a few Damien Lewis fans about here, so maybe you've seen this one already. Here he plays a schizophrenic who is adamant that he's has lost his daughter. Kerrigan does brilliantly to lead us into Keane's disturbed and fragile mind. It's excellent and disturbing at the same time.

Good thread. Watched a film recently called The Stoning of Soraya M. It's set in Iran and it's about a woman who meets a French journalist and tells him the story behind how her niece was stoned to death by all the prominent male figures in their local village. It's a really excellent film - very compelling, with an unbelievably real and graphic stoning scene, and it's a true story. Really worth a look.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277737/

Can anyone recommend any Middle Eastern movies like this, i.e - based on true stories/compelling viewing? (Preferably not to do with war in Iraq etc!!!)

Any recommendations on a decent documentary. Nothing about animals or the planet cause they are screwed and i dont need a film to know that. O and nothing that would likely be recommended by Oprah or as i like to call her, Satan.

Two that id recommend
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
American, the bill hicks story

Hank_Jones wrote: »

Ok, lets get this thing started.

I really enjoy French cinema and am looking for a few recommendations for French films.

Some I would recommend are:

Amélie - Lovely quaint film starring Audrey Tautou, really well written and very different from films of similar genre.

L'appartement - Extremely well put together film starring Vincent Cassel and Monica Belluci, later remade into the horrible Wicker Park.

La Haine - Gritty film centred around the Paris riots and a day in the lives of three young men from a complex of flats. Again, stars Cassel.

The City of Lost Children - Jean-Pierre Jeunet film with Ron Perlman, uses great set design and interesting colour schemes. Has an interesting story line and good performances all round.

The 400 Blows - Francois Truffaut film about a young boy in Paris in the 1950's and the sorts of trouble he gets himself into.

Delicatessen - Another Jeunet film, this time centering around a butcher shop in a post apocalyptic world. Again, with great colour schemes, as Jeunet always has.

Irreversible - Tough going film starring Vincent Cassel. Rather not say what it is about, but it has some of the best camera work and editing that I have ever seen.

Three Colours Trilogy - Kieslowski's best work in my opinion and pieced together beautifully.

Breathless - Godard/Truffaut film about a young French criminal and his relationship with a young American girl in Paris.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Incredibly shot film which uses techniques I have never before seen. True story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who is in an accident, with his whole body left paralysed, except for one of his eyes.

Good listing - a few there I will def take a look at myself.

Anything by Luc Besson I think is worth a look in terms of production value (often less strong on script):

Angel-A - Quirky and interesting filming techniques...story line is engaging enough - story of a woman who befriends a parisian con artist..
La Femme Nikita- remade by American Cinema, story of a convicted felon trained to be an assassin...

TheManWho wrote: »

This is quite a specific request, but I've just seen "12 angry men" for the first time and now would easily put it as one of my favorite movies. The narrative of having the entire film in almost one location is fast becoming my personal favorite. "The man from earth" is another I love for this very same reason, and I think "Resevoir Dogs" would qualify as well, except being set in a warehouse instead of a room. Can anybody recommend me any other films set almost entirely in one room or location?

Personally I think that the quality of movies set in one location varies a lot but more you can explore are:

Conspiracy (Director: Frank Pierson)
Phone Booth (Colin Farrell)
Panic Room (Jodie Foster)


12 Angry Men is a superb movie.

Others that may qualify:

Clerks
Das Boot
Eraserhead
[Rec]
Cube
Dog Day Afternoon
Delicatessen
Inside
Moon
Elephant
Rear Window
The Mist
United 93
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Das Experiment


Actually I could go on forever, there's a ****load out there that could fall into this category.

As posted on page 1 (seems like the type of film you're after):

The Hidden (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093185/)



Only caught this recently (recommended to me by someone saying it was a combination of The Thing and The Terminator) and had ****loads of fun with it. It's got the horror, the sci-fi, got the 80s cheese, flamethrowers, some ridiculously funny scenes and MacLachlan doing his whole FBI role before his Twin Peaks days. Just a really entertaining movie.

And pictures. Pictures are very, very important!

I might post up a few later on, see if I can think of a few others.

MagicMarker wrote: »

Help people!

I'm home sick and need some movies to pass the time. I'm in the mood for some brainless action/adventure and/or Sci-fi. I'm finding it hard to find movies that appeal to me but that I haven't seen!

While far from mindless I'd highly recommend the following sci-fi films:

John Carpenter's The Thing:


Event Horizon:


Moon:


Now for mindless action here are some of my faves:

Commando:


Showdown In LIttle Tokyo:


The newest Rambo film:


Predator:


That should chase the blues away!

Love this french film,one of my favourites,it has everthing thrown in ,including the kitchen sink.
Vincent Cassel is great in this.I was lucky enough to get the full length version from Canada at the time,as i could'nt find it anywhere else.
Not to be missed IMO.

The film is loosely based on the book L'Innocence des loups ("The Innocence of the Wolves"), by the French zoologist Michel Louis, a study about a real-life series of killings that took place in France in the 18th century and the famous legend around the Beast of Gévaudan. Parts of the film were shot at Château de Roquetaillade. Being a historical drama film, it has anachronistic martial arts fight sequences; it also contains elements of erotica, mystery, horror, politics, romance, and fantasy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237534/

Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7DTv2uBA7I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSjvrlDxlaQ

Here's some recommendations:

Ip Man - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220719/

Starring Donnie Yen, the true (probably embellished) story of Ip Man, the first master to teach Wing Chun, the martial art popularized by Bruce Lee, who was also one of his pupils. The film follows Ip Man from his beginnings in Fushon, the home of martial arts, to his experiences of, and displacement by the Japanese occupation before and during WW2. The film perfectly blends great action set pieces, drama, comedy and tragedy. Quality that has become typical of Chinese cinema.


Ip Man 2 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386932/

The sequel, obviously. Follows Ip Man's time in Hong Kong, his struggle to set up a martial arts school and again the Chinese's struggle with foreign occupation, this time by the British. The film has a slightly different tone to the first, but is nonetheless as entertaining.


Red Cliff - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425637/

Sprawling epic, in two parts, at over 4 hours long, but easily one of the greatest films I have ever seen. Stars Tony Leung among many others, and directed by John Woo. It is visually amazing with set pieces of an unimaginable scale, a story that moves at just the right pace (dispite what you may think based on it's running time), great character development, great acting, the colours, the history, the action. It's perfect. See the original Chinese cut, apparently it got butchered for Western release.

I hear ya. I'd still argue that imdb links are definitely a help, but I appreciate you don't wanna enforce it as a rule.