My Netflix Queue is Empty
By
Aggelakis,
Posted on: 2010-05-27 15:56 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
I'm assuming you have seen Gattacca. An excellent thinking sci-fi film exploring the journey of a man striving to achieve beyond his genetic 'station'.
Freaking love that movie. Amazing musical score.
Based on your tastes that I've seen so far I think you'll at least appreciate Lost in Translation.
Add me to the pro In Bruges camp. A great independent movie about mob hitmen. If you like your comedy dark and British....give it a spin.
And if you haven't already, speaking of Brit films........ Layer Cake. See Bond before he was Bond.
@Mental Maden @Maden Mental
"....you are now tackle free for life."-ShoNuff
An empty Netflix queue? That's impossible for me to imagine, seeing as how mine is always at max.
Do you like documentaries? Because I can recommend a whole bunch of those, since you seem to be getting a lot of recs for sci-fi and fantasy. (Although I did enjoy Zombieland quite a bit, a film I haven't seen mentioned yet.)
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
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I should mention that I am very hard to please when it comes to anime. I can count the ones I've liked on one hand. On one finger, in fact. Perfect Blue. That's the one. I have seen others, some of them I didn't hate, but that's the only one I liked. |
Originally Posted by ketch
Obligitory anime recommendation!
5 cm per Second: A series of short stories that detail the seperation of young friends. It's really beautifully animated and has an excellent score. Probably the one film outside of something Miyazaki that I would use to introduce someone to anime. |
Looks like this one isn't yet available on Netflix. I'll bookmark it and might take a look, especially if it becomes available on Instant Watch. But like I said, very hard to please.
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Originally Posted by Chazzmatazz
I'm assuming you have seen Gattacca. An excellent thinking sci-fi film exploring the journey of a man striving to achieve beyond his genetic 'station'.
Freaking love that movie. Amazing musical score. |
@Quasadu
"We must prepare for DOOM and hope for FREEM." - SirFrederick
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Yes, both In Bruges and Lost In Translation are 4-star movies for me.
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Originally Posted by MentalMaden
Based on your tastes that I've seen so far I think you'll at least appreciate Lost in Translation.
Add me to the pro In Bruges camp. A great independent movie about mob hitmen. If you like your comedy dark and British....give it a spin. |
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
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I think a friend of mine has that on DVD and tried to get me to watch it a couple years ago... if memory serves she was taking it with her everywhere she went for a while. I will have to give it a try.|
Originally Posted by MentalMaden
And if you haven't already, speaking of Brit films........ Layer Cake. See Bond before he was Bond.
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Originally Posted by Ironik
Do you like documentaries? Because I can recommend a whole bunch of those, since you seem to be getting a lot of recs for sci-fi and fantasy. (Although I did enjoy Zombieland quite a bit, a film I haven't seen mentioned yet.) |
Zombieland! That's one of those I wanted to see and forgot about. Thanks!
@Quasadu
"We must prepare for DOOM and hope for FREEM." - SirFrederick
I'll throw my hat in the ring as well...
1) The Commitments-About a working class band in Ireland. Stars Colm Meaney (sp) for from Star Trek The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Also, a few of the Corrs are in it.
2) Swimming With Sharks-Kevin Spacey as the boss from hell...it plays a lot like the Usual Suspects in how the story unfolds.
3) Heavenly Creatures-Kate Winslet stars, directed by Peter Jackson. Based on a true story, and a disturbing one at that.
4) Dr. Strangelove-Peter Sellers, James Earl Jones (don't blink), George C. Scott-"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here....this is the WarRoom!"
5) Howl's Moving Castle-All Japanese Animation is odd, but not all of it is horrifically strange.
6) Constantine-Keanu Reeves, character created by my favorite nut job Alan Moore (during his Swamp Thing run).
Also, good movies other people have mentioned: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Watchmen (by my favorite nut job who had his name taken off of it), From Hell (by my favorite nut j...ahhh skip it).
Also, I highly enjoyed the latest Star Trek movie, and then the wife and I watched Star Trek 2,3,4,6. Shame there was never a 5....
Proud member of the Cole-a-lition.
Fighting to make every reality, a better reality.
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Based on your reactions to the suggestions of mine that you've seen, I think we have fairly congruent (i.e. "good" lol) taste in film. I'm feeling pretty good about the unseen ones now. (Drop Defendor to the far bottom, or off. I mainly recommended it, because I had just finished watching it 10 minutes before reading your post. lol.) Yeah. Errol Morris = fantastic. Fog of War was phenomenal.|
Originally Posted by Quasadu
I think a friend of mine has that on DVD and tried to get me to watch it a couple years ago... if memory serves she was taking it with her everywhere she went for a while. I will have to give it a try.
I do like docs. I have checked out a few on instant watch since I rebooted Netflix. I'm a huge fan of Errol Morris, in particular, and have seen most (but I'm sure not all) of his films. Zombieland! That's one of those I wanted to see and forgot about. Thanks! |
Zombieland was quite fun. Discards the zombie movie cliches that get in the way of telling a smart story, but keeps enough to be true to the genre.
I feel like I am now challenged to find a satisfying anime recommendation for you. Have you seen any Miyazaki stuff? Spirited Away would be the first recommendation, but all his stuff is good, though some more children-oriented. Cowboy Bebop (both series and movie) and Samurai Champloo are also pretty much universally beloved by those that have seen them.
Battle Royale - A must see for campy but interesting anthropological study of humanity - if not, totally absurd in the best kind of Japanese way and keeps you interested. Lord of the Flies meets Survivor with random weapon lottery and schoolgirl outfits.
Black Dynamite - A now cult classic film featuring Michael Jai White in blaxpoitation at it's finest. I rofl'ed at this movie, but it's a slow build to the true hilarity.
NightWatch - Russian awesome. Can't even begin to describe how cool and inventive this movie was. Derivative? Perhaps a bit. But the execution was phenomenal.
Gamers: Dorkness Rising - A quiet, low budget comedy about a D&D troupe with personality problems. Acted out. Great movie to feel better about being a DM in a failed campaign. I was rolling at points. Very entertaining, and you'll never see Bards as useless again!
Pitch Black - I have got to admit, I expect some hate for this one. But this was a well developed story of an anti-hero and Vin Diesel delivered. I liked this movie from beginning to end and didn't find any problem with it - I was in it for character and concept over plot.
The Count of Monte Cristo - Guy Pearce/Jim Caviziel version - This movie stirred me intellectually and even Luis Guzman turned in a respectable performance. That's saying something from the guy throwing out "The Brian" in Waiting.
Memento - Entire movie happens in segments, chronologically backwards. Meant to help you identify with the main character, who has no short term memory. People you liked at the beginning of the movie are revealed for their motives at the end, which of course would have been a very boring movie if played forward. This movie is one of my all-time favorites.
The Story of a Petless MM with a dream
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Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
This entire post should receive some kind of award for being both hysterical and fantastic.
Well done. |
5-star documentaries:
Spellbound -- about the national spelling bee. The filmmakers were tipped as to who the contenders were likely to be, so they started following them a year before the big bee. Throws in some history of the bee, too, including a short interview with the very first winner (!).
Man On Wire -- this is like a thriller, full of cool, crazy people. The title comes from the arrest warrant NY's Finest wrote for the focus of this film, Philippe Petit, who stretched a tight rope between the Twin Towers and walked it.
Word Wars -- about a national Scrabble championship and the odd fellows who play at that level. (It's better if you've read Stefan Fatsis' book "Word Freak," but not necessary.)
Food Inc. -- You may never eat chicken again, but day-am is this a good movie.
Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight -- this is not an artsy documentary, non-flashy with a simple structure, but it's about Milton Glaser, so it doesn't need to be. You point the camera at a genius and let him speak. No one outside of design knows who Glaser is, but you've seen his work. Every time you go to the grocery store, you are walking through his design of traffic flow and product labeling. He also did that famous Dylan album cover and came up with "I ♥ NY."
Trumbo -- this is about Dalton Trumbo, brilliant screenwriter who was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Funny, smart and interesting, it makes history entertaining because Trumbo is so entertaining.
Who Killed the Electric Car? -- an interesting look at GM's electric car project.
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
Wanted. Very awesome action flick loosely based on the comic book. One of my favorites.
Pandorum - Sweet sci-fi flick about a derelict ship. Gets you thinking a bit.
Someone already mentioned Layer Cake. Really cool gangster thriller.
You said year or two..and this movie is from around 2007, but Hot Fuzz is a must see.
Knowing. What can I say, I think Nick Cage is awesome. Damn good futuristic thriller.
Oooooooo documentaries.
American Movie- about an amateur (very amateur) filmmaker trying to make a horror movie. Only something real can be this odd. A fun fun movie.
Dig!- If you're into indie music. It follows two bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols throughout their careers. Great insite into friendships and rivalries in music.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston- Another music doc, but trust me the subject, Daniel Johnston, is so unique you don't have to be a music lover to get sucked into this one. Example- his father telling the story of Daniel in a schizophrenic state causing him to crash the plane they were both flying in and the photo taken after of Daniel smiling while being loaded in an ambulance. It is a fascinating movie.
@Mental Maden @Maden Mental
"....you are now tackle free for life."-ShoNuff
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I wish there was someone else that has seen it to back my recommendation. All I can say is that, other than its distinctly Japanese setting, it avoids the trappings of the genre. It's just a simple story about how time and distance separates two people. It very easily could have been filmed with actors, but I think some of the beauty is in the setting that would have been difficult to capture.
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Originally Posted by Quasadu
I should mention that I am very hard to please when it comes to anime. I can count the ones I've liked on one hand. On one finger, in fact. Perfect Blue. That's the one. I have seen others, some of them I didn't hate, but that's the only one I liked.
Looks like this one isn't yet available on Netflix. I'll bookmark it and might take a look, especially if it becomes available on Instant Watch. But like I said, very hard to please. |
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doesn't look like they have any dvd's available in my distribution area |
Originally Posted by ketch
Obligitory anime recommendation!
5 cm per Second: A series of short stories that detail the seperation of young friends. It's really beautifully animated and has an excellent score. Probably the one film outside of something Miyazaki that I would use to introduce someone to anime. |
Lots of good stuff so I won't comment on all of it, but thanks everyone for all the recommendations!
A few comments:
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Saw this one a long time ago - good flick|
Originally Posted by Larcen3
1) The Commitments-About a working class band in Ireland. Stars Colm Meaney (sp) for from Star Trek The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Also, a few of the Corrs are in it. |
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| 6) Constantine-Keanu Reeves, character created by my favorite nut job Alan Moore (during his Swamp Thing run). |
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| Also, I highly enjoyed the latest Star Trek movie, and then the wife and I watched Star Trek 2,3,4,6. Shame there was never a 5.... |
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Originally Posted by Chazzmatazz
Based on your reactions to the suggestions of mine that you've seen, I think we have fairly congruent (i.e. "good" lol) taste in film.
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I feel like I am now challenged to find a satisfying anime recommendation for you. Have you seen any Miyazaki stuff? Spirited Away would be the first recommendation, but all his stuff is good, though some more children-oriented. Cowboy Bebop (both series and movie) and Samurai Champloo are also pretty much universally beloved by those that have seen them. |
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Originally Posted by RedSwitchblade
Gamers: Dorkness Rising - A quiet, low budget comedy about a D&D troupe with personality problems. Acted out. Great movie to feel better about being a DM in a failed campaign. I was rolling at points. Very entertaining, and you'll never see Bards as useless again!
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| Pitch Black - I have got to admit, I expect some hate for this one. But this was a well developed story of an anti-hero and Vin Diesel delivered. I liked this movie from beginning to end and didn't find any problem with it - I was in it for character and concept over plot. |
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Originally Posted by Ironik
5-star documentaries:
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Originally Posted by SilmaneX
Wanted. Very awesome action flick loosely based on the comic book. One of my favorites.
Pandorum - Sweet sci-fi flick about a derelict ship. Gets you thinking a bit. You said year or two..and this movie is from around 2007, but Hot Fuzz is a must see. |
Hot Fuzz was great, and Shawn of the Dead is probably the best zombie movie ever made.
And with that I am outta here but I will check in on this thread in the morning. Thanks for all the great stuff so far and keep 'em coming!
@Quasadu
"We must prepare for DOOM and hope for FREEM." - SirFrederick
Q,
Are you just going for movies? or are TV stuff fair game?
I started watching Gamers: Dorkness Rising, and thought it would suck horribly because of the film quality. It actually turned out to be a great little film. Must see for a DnD player.
Documentaries:
The Atomic Cafe
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (If you are interested in some insight on the scandalousness of how movies are rated)
Food Inc.
Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
I am also very hard to please when it comes to anime, but I did like two of the three stories in Memories. The first story is great, the second is good, and the third is out of place with a character I didn't like.
Oh, I'm about to watch Thirteen Days again. Great movie if you haven't seen it.
I've also recently become highly addicted to Rescue Me and Arrested Development if you are looking to get into some TV stuff too.
All of these are available on instant queue.
King of Kong is also excellent.
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
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I actually thought it was solid. Much better than I expected (3/4 stars). |
Originally Posted by Quasadu
Re: Constantine: I saw maybe 15 minutes of this somewhere near the end I think and remember thinking it was visually interesting but poorly written and acted.
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I'm with you on Pitch Black. I understand why some people love it. It does some original things and builds good tension, but I felt it just needed something more to put me in the fan category.
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I have my doubts about Wanted and Pandorum - they both kinda looked like they might be worth watching with a few beers in me, but I am not expecting much mental stimulation from them. Hot Fuzz was great, and Shawn of the Dead is probably the best zombie movie ever made. |
I saw Hot Fuzz about a year ago and it blew my mind. It's like 4 different kinds of movie thrown into one, but it somehow actually works. I liked Shaun OTD a lot too, but not as much as Hot Fuzz.
I too thought Pitch Black was meh. But the sequel, Chronicles of Riddick, I found that very entertaining. Visually striking, and a twisted spin on the usual sci-fi/fantasy hero's journey.
Just make sure you do NOT get the director's cut. It added some goofy stuff. Thank god for good editors.
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How could I have forgotten that one. Great flick. You'd swear it was written.
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Originally Posted by Ironik
King of Kong is also excellent.
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@Mental Maden @Maden Mental
"....you are now tackle free for life."-ShoNuff
A few more you may well have seen, but worth mentioning just in case:
1. The Usual Suspects.
2. L.A. Confidential. Good cop, bad cop, ?? cop.
3. Reservoir Dogs. Bang, bang, bleed, bleed.
4. El Mariachi. Led to Desperado and then Once Upon a Time in Mexico
5. A Better Tomorrow. John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat, et al. Bang bang! More earlier Woo/CYF films I liked were The Killer, Once a Thief, and Hard Boiled.
6. Touch of Evil. Orson Wells directed, wrote, and co-starred. Crime and Police Corruption galore. A great panning non-stop single tracking camera scene in this one.
My Deviant Art page link-link
CoH/V Fan Videos
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Me too. And Pandorum seemed like it could've been a good sci-fi mental ride like Sunshine (2007), but it quickly degenerated into a sub par zombie/slasher flick.
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Originally Posted by Chazzmatazz
I thought Wanted was giant disappointment.
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If you haven't watched them, then do everything you can to watch the anime's Tokyo Godfathers and Millenium Actress.
Tokyo Godfathers focuses on three Homeless people (Gin, a gruff alcoholic, Hana, a gay crossdresser, and Miyuki, a 16 year old runaway) who find an abondoned baby on Christmas Eve. The trio decide to find the baby's parents, and crazy hijinks ensue. It's both hillarious and really, really touching.
Millenium Actress focuses on Genya Tachibana, a director who is making a documentery about the actress Chiyoko Fujiwara. Having reached old age, Chiyoko has withdrawn from the public life. As Chiyoko recounts her life, much of the retelling is interspersed with "clips" from her films. Also, one of the subplots is Chiyoko's quest to reconnect with a subversive dissident artist she ran into as a teenager (And develops a crush on). Much like Tokyo Godfathers, it's both hillarious at times, and incredibly touching. It is also one of the very few movies (Up being another) to make me cry.
Obligitory anime recommendation!
5 cm per Second: A series of short stories that detail the seperation of young friends.
It's really beautifully animated and has an excellent score. Probably the one film outside of something Miyazaki that I would use to introduce someone to anime.