Looking for some inspiration
I loved Arrival picked it at random one day. Blew my mind really unique film, incredible
Same! Just watched it maybe 4 weeks back and then Project Hail Mary. Great movies in their own way.
I loved how phm in some ways referenced the linguistics themes arrival had, but kept it brief to not to be a direct rip off.
The short story is heartbreaking, Ted Chiang
Heat (1995)
It was just one of those movies that for some reason I’d never watched until about 6 months ago. I heard it was great and ,as it turns out, it certainly is.
Probably still the best gunfight ever put on film.
Crime 101 is a pale imitation but still OK.
Heat always reminds me of Ronin (1999), a worthwhile watch if you liked Heat.
Sinners, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Lord of the Rings trilogy (saw it in theaters last year, it counts). I also really enjoyed Megalopolis but understand it’s not a perfect film, kinda gonzo.
If you like Cthulhu type stuff then Nic Cage starred in an adaptation of Lovecraft’s “Colors out of space” that my wife and I both really enjoyed.
A lot of people missed the 2008 adaptation of Speedracer done by the Wachowski sisters (same people who did the Matrix) which is a real shame because it’s one of the all time best movies in existence so obviously recommend that.
If you’ve never seen Iron Sky it’s a fun smaller budget film. Velocipastor is too (really recommend this one drunk with friends though). Oh, and Yoga Hosers too. Those three are so dumb but fun.
And finally, a few movies I’ve not seen yet but everyone I trust with film opinions have raved about: Hundreds of Beavers, Asteroid City, The Shadow Strays
Iron Sky is way, way better than you’d think.
As some who grew up watching the original Speed Racer, I fully expected the movie to be awful. Despite all the cheesy graphics it actually works! It was a decent homage to it’s origin.
If you like Cthulhu type stuff then Nic Cage starred in an adaptation of Lovecraft’s “Colors out of space” that my wife and I both really enjoyed.
If you are into classic Nic Cage “overacting”, then this film is also very enjoyable. So many hilarious moments.
Bugonia. Skip trailers and go into it knowing nothing but the basic plot. It’s a wild ride.
I added it to the list thanks
No problem! It’s a bit violent and has some gore. Just a friendly heads up. Jesse Plemons is amazing.
Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Film from the 50s just hits different some times. I think this movie is especially poignant given the ramping up of military action globally.
Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence.
- The Running Man. It didn’t make a lot of buzz, but it’s a fairly faithful adaptation of one of my favorite Bachman books from one of my favorite directors: Edgar Wright (The Cornetto Trilogy).
I enjoyed The Long Walk for the same reason. Very faithful adaptation of my favourite Bachman book, although I am hoping for a director’s cut. I didn’t see any trailers before watching so I was very surprised and pleased to see who the actor for The Major was. The interactions between all the kids is just great.
So you enjoyed the remake of The Running Man over the Schwarzenegger version? Or was it just a different beast?
Not op but different beast. The new one has plenty of action but much better crafted than Arnie. Love me some over the top action but the new one is much more grounded, not as dark as the book, a really good balance and I liked it a lot.
I thought the long walk was excellent but it’s so sad I can never watch it again
How bleak is it? King is often bleak AF
I wouldn’t go so far as to call it bleak. (Threads is bleak.) It’s intense; had to pause it a few times while watching it, but it isn’t without encouragement or hope. Just…very much so a movie released in 2025.
Great thanks I might give it a whirl
Jojo Rabbit.
STALKER 1979 based on the sifi novel Roadside Picnic, and was the inspiration for the video game series of the same name. It reminded me of Annihiliation 2018 but less horror/action, and more lamentations on humanity.
This movie was crazy slow but worked surprisingly well. Especially compared with the book. The book was great but the movie manged to take it all to another level.
I watched Andrei Rublev recently (also Tarkovsky), it was pretty good. Visually stunning of course.
If I start movies like this past like 4pm, I’m going to fall asleep 100%>
I don’t think I saw anyone mention it: Sorry to Bother You. Great movie about class struggle and fighting the corpo bullshit.
Great movie. Went in blind and enjoyed it.
Another good movie kinda like Sorry to Bother You was The American Society of Magical Negroes. It’s a comedy about the title troupe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Society_of_Magical_Negroes
The Secret World of Arrietty. An adaptation of The Borrowers, it has great determined teenage girl energy and gorgeous artwork that they really made the most of.
Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite films, so I’ve been slowly going through the Studio Ghibli catalog.
Porco Rosso is my favourite so I recommend that next if you havent seen it :)
I did! Fio is great.
“I’d rather be a pig than a Nazi”
I think Spirited Away is my fave Ghibli… Hard to say though.
Ghibli movies are the only foreign stuff that I will watch dubbed as they always get a stacked voice cast.
The English dub of Tororro is fantastic with Dakota and Elle Fanning back when they are actually children.
Weapons (2025)
How creepy is it? I’m looking at it now. I had nightmares for a week over Netflix haunting of hill house
Yeah, it’ll probably mess with you then.
Thanks for the heads up!
Fantastic planet (1973), I saw it a couple months ago and it stuck with me for awhile. Both the art style and the narrative.
Great movie. And I love seeing the retro animation and hearing the retro score.
- M: Really great acting and camera work
- Atatürk: I was really surprised on the great production since I’ve never really seen a Turkish movie
- Das Boot: Heard so mich about it but never really came around to wazch it until I has a long train ride. I really loved it. Make sure that you watch the series instead of the movie (it’s a longer cut and contains everything that’s in the movie)
- Mr K: Really Kafkaesque. I don’t get why it’s scored so low.
- The menu: Great acting amd cool story
- Late night with the devil: I rellay like films taking place in one confined environment.
- Adam’s Apples: I like Mads Mikkelsen and I like the movies of that director.
- Bullet Train: again a confined place, funny and action driven movie that’s easy to watch.
- The Rocky Horror Picture show: Just saw this at the beginning of this month for the verx first time at a cinema that had a whole participation bag. It was really fun how the audience shouted stuff, threw rice,… Had sometimes a bit trouble to follow the movoe while preparing for the next thing to do (it’s easier if you already know the movie) but still would do it again.
Anders Thomas Jensen is IMO the best Danish director. It’s usually the same gang that stars in the movies but they do an impeccable job. I suppose you have also seen the more recent Riders of Justice and The Last Viking too?
I’ve seen Riders of Justice but not The Last Viking yet, since I didn’t manage to go to the cinema. But I’ll definetly will watch it once the blu ray is released
I can wholeheartedly recommend it, it’s already released on BluRay in Denmark, so you should be able to see it soon.
Thanks for letting me know. I jusz checked and it seems to be the 8th of May in Germany
Love Bullet Train! I would also recommend
Hard to pick one, here are a few:
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Triangle of Sadness
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Challengers
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Conclave
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The Wrestler
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The Drama
Part of me likes The Drama because it’s very well made, the performances are all great.
But a big part of me is disappointed. At first I was confused. But since then, I’ve become more and more negative about the movie.There was nobody with any empathy or compassion for Zendaya’s character. Nobody to push back on those who only reacted with vitriol, disgust, or at best shock and disappointment.
Everyone who contemplates what she did, was abused, ostracized, or at best ignored by everyone on their life. And nobody gave her any credit for getting through. The movie is too one sided. There’s no real debate. And I thinks it’s worse for it.
That was the point, though, I think. It’s a commentary on how society treats violence and mental health as individual, isolated character flaws rather than as systemic problems. Having a female & feminine character be the violent/troubled one was a brilliant choice imo because it goes against our stereotypes and further highlights this. That uncomfortable feeling you have would probably be less so if it was a character you expected to have issues like that
Maybe.
I’d like to think that.
But it seems a rather generous, to me.It would need to spend more time on flashbacks for that. Show us more about how shitty kids were to her. Show us her parents were always too busy. Really hammer in the idea that her life was painful and lonley. Then, when we see nobody today cares to even try understand any of that, it would mean more.
But all it gives is one breif scene with a girl shoulder bumping her between classes. That little, feels like it was added as a small justification for herself. Not something that would make it understandable by most people.
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Wolfwalkers. Exceptionally beautiful visually, story is incredible, it’s at least slightly queer coded, has a “how to be a wolf” tutorial that is entirely too effective at making me weep for some reason (my canid fursona isn’t even a wolf! but I’d still take it).
and it very expertly points out just how incredibly destructive and evil Christianity and the British empire have been
