Blade Runner, but not the theatrical version with the phoned-in narration. Director's Cut or Final Cut. It's a beautifully-shot noir film whose special effects hold up even today, and has a very interesting take on the nature of humanity.
The original, with Harrison Ford's voice-overs, was perfect.
The various-re-releases such as the Director's Cut ruined it.
I hate Director's Cuts! They invariably make great movies worse. Why can't Hollywood leave well-enough alone? Why do they feel the need to mess with something that was great to begin with?
Always used to be Children of Men and/or La cite des enfants perdus. First is the most intense movie I have ever seen, some scenes literally blew my mind. Latter is very dark whilst beautiful and sweet, like Amélie but better - more techfriendlly.
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Castaway on the Moon: funny movie about a man that 'bootstraps' his life on a 'stranded island' after a failed suicide attempt:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1499666/
Groundhog Day. It's a comedy with some dark elements in it. And it's also something that I would like to experience myself so long as I could resume normal time when I wanted to. A day with no consequences would be fun.
it is in fact possible, though in a different way :) You need to achieve nirvana (look up buddha writings, Zen interpretations, nagarjuna's core points, nisargadatta's "i am that" NO BS spoon feed, in that order. And may be add-in bhagavata gita for a fun read). HTH.
Enter The Void. A powerful parade of colors that takes you through the different stages of death. One does not simply watch this movie. One experiences it.
When I saw it more than half the audience walked out. There was even a couple that walked out just before the credits started rolling (for those who haven't seen it, it's almost three hours long).
The Matrix, first movie, I love how everything has a parallel with our own world, also a lot of the movies ideas, messages have underlying concepts in Buddhism, which is just cool.
The story of how the heroine matures in front of our eyes as the weight of the world is placed upon her shoulders was really moving to me. Coupled with beautiful hand-drawn animation and an overall sense of gentleness and wander, it's been an real favorite for me which I enjoy watching time over time.
Spy Game - starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.
Guess it's the only spy thriller out there, that talks about the dirtier side of espionage, yet how it's up to the inhabitants of that dark corner, to not sell their souls.
Koyaanisqatsi. It reminds me how big the world is and how everything is ultimately connected together in some way or another. Plus, good music and no dialogue which is a bonus.
Yes, Koyaanisqatsi is my favourite too. This is a film with no characters, plot, or dialogue. Instead, it offers 90 minutes of images set to music. The film begins with shots of nature, such as clouds, lakes, and mountains, and slowly moves its way into civilization, with roads, mines, cities, factories, and endless throngs of people. Watching this film is a unique experience, and really allows you to see the world in a different light. Plus, it's great art.
I think movie media (with subtitles) is one of the best ways to learn a language. I have been trying to learn Mandarin for a few months now, so can you please make some more suggestions? Thanks!
I am not sure if it is relevant. The most famous Chinese dating show now has a channel on youtube and the show supports English subtitles. I just took a look at it. The translation is very accurate and they show English and Chinese at the same time. I think it can be very helpful for you in learning English. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmGYsqlsbdQ
Hey, I have found another youtube Chinese movie with subtitle. You probably have heard of this movie. It is Lust Caution, a very very famous movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQgpbC4hvHg
I was just looking through all the Chinese movies I know on youtube.. It seems that most of them do not have subtitles... I will keep looking and see if I can find a few more.
Saving Private Ryan. It's the first time I had any kind of idea as to the suffering these people went through to give us our freedom. I know it is a film, and it is dramatized, but you watch that and it will give you some sense as to what it must have been like that. After watching that, and then Band of Brothers, the famous phrase "For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today" made a lot more sense to me.
Many enjoyable films posted already. No one has mentioned 'Primer' (2004/Shane Carruth). Respectable as hard sci-fi, and inspiring as an independent project (Carruth did almost everything himself.) I suggest watching before you read anything about it.
For non sci-fi, 'Old boy' (2003/Chan-wook Park) was memorable - fun concept, well acted and a good ending too.
- It's gorgeous. Not like a movie, but like a collection of hundreds of beautiful pictures.
- It's geeky. I had to watch the movie dozens of times and read the script to understand all the allusions and references.
Drive. Blown away by it. Thought it was another car racing film after seeing the trailer, but it was actually IMHO the best film in 2011.
Edit: Forgot the why: Minimalistic. Beathiful Story and propably the best music editing in a film.
Cannot say one favorite. But Children of Heaven impressed me a lot when I saw it first. Perhaps because I saw the innocence of children that we have long lost..
Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle are also very good.
I think my favourite is Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind. A beautiful love story talking about how hard it is to forget your true love, how regrets can consume you and that everyone deserves a second chance.
Search online for the script. The original was posted somewhere, and you can learn how the story had much more depth in its original form, but due to time constraints and editing a good 1/4 of the script never made it to the screen. Well worth tracking down!
I've never been into silent films, but last year my brother conducted a performance of Metropolis (live orchestra of the film score) and I was blown away by how good it was!
I second 2001. Way ahead of its time in special effects and realism about space. The cinematography is Kubrik at his best. Plus it was the first film I ever felt was mind expanding.
Edit: Harrison Ford on his narration: "It was simply bad narration." http://web.archive.org/web/20080603083514/http://www.harriso...