Recommend me a fucking amazing film

[wooders1978]

Just popping into let folk know "Calm with horses" is gonna be in Netflix in the next fortnight. Get it watched. Xx

[Small Man Big Horse]

Has anyone mentioned Blindspotting? Fucking amazing and on Netflix now

Thanks for the recommendation, I watched it tonight and thought it was pretty fantastic, it has a lot to say and does so in a fascinating manner.

[Ron Superior]

Bumping this thread because I saw a film this week that really stayed with me, Mug.

https://youtu.be/V2i1A5X00dI

I think the film looks beautiful, the guy who plays Jacek gives a brilliant performance, there are some great extra ideas, and some really funny and touching moments. It's currently on BFI Player.

Also mainly posted this to keep this thread going cos I think it's great and I've discovered some great films through it.

[WestHill]

Saw 'Playground' (2021) at the London Film Festival and it blew me away:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11087960/

[Small Man Big Horse]

Also mainly posted this to keep this thread going cos I think it's great and I've discovered some great films through it.

Likewise, and I really appreciate everyone's suggestions.

Detour (1945). One of the very best film noirs of all and it's barely an hour long, so you can slip it in between films as a cinematic amuse bouche.

Though alas this time I didn't click with one:

Detour (1945) - Acclaimed film noir that at 68 minutes has a short running time and a fairly simple plot, where poor old Al Roberts (Ann Savage) is picked up by bookie Charles Haskell Jr (Edmund MacDonald) while hitchhiking, only for the bloke to cark it, and in a paranoid fit Al decides to try and pass himself off as Haskell rather than inform the police. Then in a fuck me that's a coincidence moment he picks up a woman (Ann Savage) who knew Haskell and that he's faking it, and she attempts to blackmail him. The performances are decent and Savage is particularly great, and the dialogue's occasionally memorable, but it's a slight film and one I didn't really gel with. 5.6/10

I know I'm in the minority though, and the majority of critics adore it, so am very likely to be in the wrong.

[phantom_power]

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway is free on Amazon Prime now. It is amazing, not necessarily in the sense of being good but just amazing that it exists. If you like low budget sci-fi quirkiness with bad acting and lots of ideas give it a go

[zomgmouse]

it's very odd - also really liked Crumbs by that director

[Small Man Big Horse]

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway is free on Amazon Prime now. It is amazing, not necessarily in the sense of being good but just amazing that it exists. If you like low budget sci-fi quirkiness with bad acting and lots of ideas give it a go

I liked that to a certain extent but sometimes found the weirdness a little exhausting. I'm intrigued enough by it to check out his other work though, and have downloaded Crumbs to watch at some point soon.

Bumping this thread because I saw a film this week that really stayed with me, Mug.

https://youtu.be/V2i1A5X00dI

I think the film looks beautiful, the guy who plays Jacek gives a brilliant performance, there are some great extra ideas, and some really funny and touching moments. It's currently on BFI Player.

Thanks for the heads up about this, I've just finished watching it and found it quite captivating.

Mug (2018) - Polish drama about how a man's family and local community react where after an accident he has a face transplant, and no longer looks the way he used to do. It's an unusual piece, a slice of life film which feels very real and is an insight in to both cruelty and kindness, and it's beautifully shot as well, and a rare occasion where I wish it was a little longer as it makes the mundane quite fascinating. 7.7/10

[kalowski]

Detour (1945). One of the very best film noirs of all and it's barely an hour long, so you can slip it in between films as a cinematic amuse bouche.

Seconded. Or thirded if someone has already seconded it.

[Ron Superior]

Mug (2018) - Polish drama about how a man's family and local community react where after an accident he has a face transplant, and no longer looks the way he used to do. 7.7/10

Glad you enjoyed it SMBH. I've been working my way through her other films since enjoying this one so much. Body was good. I didn't finish The Other Lamb, her first English language film, yet. It wasn't bad, just seed a bit more one-note than her other films. Will probably return to finish it. Annoyingly I just missed her latest film in my local cinema cos it was the week I had COVID.

A film of a similar kind of feel that you may also enjoy is Jumbo. Handles a slightly unusual story well, well balanced characters, good performances, looks great. I thought it was lovely.

https://youtu.be/3IvTKnqnOck

[Fr.Bigley]

Sexy Beast A film about a fat Cockney that's pressganged into robbing a post office by a very angry Ghandi. Lovejoy also makes an appearance, though no antiques are featured. 4/5.

[zomgmouse]

Glad you enjoyed it SMBH. I've been working my way through her other films since enjoying this one so much. Body was good. I didn't finish The Other Lamb, her first English language film, yet. It wasn't bad, just seed a bit more one-note than her other films. Will probably return to finish it. Annoyingly I just missed her latest film in my local cinema cos it was the week I had COVID.

A film of a similar kind of feel that you may also enjoy is Jumbo. Handles a slightly unusual story well, well balanced characters, good performances, looks great. I thought it was lovely.

https://youtu.be/3IvTKnqnOck

I really didn't get along with Body (though it was the first of hers I watched and was maybe expecting something else) but slightly enjoyed Mug a bit more. Her latest one that you missed (Never Gonna Snow Again) is the one I've liked the most so far. In any case there's something that feels like it's missing something I can't quite put my finger on.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Glad you enjoyed it SMBH. I've been working my way through her other films since enjoying this one so much. Body was good. I didn't finish The Other Lamb, her first English language film, yet. It wasn't bad, just seed a bit more one-note than her other films. Will probably return to finish it. Annoyingly I just missed her latest film in my local cinema cos it was the week I had COVID.

I'm definitely going to check out her other work now, thanks for that, and I'm really sorry to hear you had COVID by the way and you've full recovered soon.

A film of a similar kind of feel that you may also enjoy is Jumbo. Handles a slightly unusual story well, well balanced characters, good performances, looks great. I thought it was lovely.

https://youtu.be/3IvTKnqnOck

I remember seeing the trailer for that and being amused by the concept, onlyy to completely forget about it, but will definitely check it out at some point soon.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I remember seeing the trailer for that and being amused by the concept, onlyy to completely forget about it, but will definitely check it out at some point soon.

And for once, quite unusually, I wasn't a dirty rotten lying scoundrel.

Jumbo (2020) - A woman thinks she's falling in love with a theme park ride, and appears to be communicating with it,

Spoiler alert

while it often shoots it's oily load all over her.

[close]

So perhaps it's not always that subtle, but it is a surprisingly affecting film, and one with a simple message about caring for loved ones even if they have unusual fetishes. Seductively shot it looks pretty stunning throughout, the performances are all fantastic, and it pulls off it's unusual concept with aplomb. 8.0/10

[Ron Superior]

I really didn't get along with Body (though it was the first of hers I watched and was maybe expecting something else) but slightly enjoyed Mug a bit more. Her latest one that you missed (Never Gonna Snow Again) is the one I've liked the most so far. In any case there's something that feels like it's missing something I can't quite put my finger on.

Yeah, Body did kind of fall between being 3 different kinds of films. If it had been pulled off successfully it would have been great, but again I was kept on board by the brilliant performances. Really want to see Never Gonna Snow Again now. It's typical, films of that level never get shown near me (it was on at a small cinema in Alton), and the one time one was I couldn't go.

I'm definitely going to check out her other work now, thanks for that, and I'm really sorry to hear you had COVID by the way and you've full recovered soon.

Yes thanks, all good. Was wiped for a day, then just had 6 days of bingeing on Documental and films I don't normally get to watch.

Glad you enjoyed Jumbo too. A really lovely film.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The Man Who Stole The Sun

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0194426/

Highly recommend The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0194426/), a Japanese film written by Paul Schrader's brother about a giddy, handsome young science teacher who designs his own nuclear warhead.  It's one of the most entertaining, genre-bending movies I've seen in awhile, and never less than eminently watchable.  Wish this director had done more stuff, but this film resolutely ended his flash-in-the-pan directing career.  It actually reminds me a bit of The Stunt Man in the way it's a lucidly directed mad b-movie with a-movie trappings that defies all expectations and categorisations. Apparently the director suffered from radiation poisoning in utero so it was a fitting subject for him.

I'm still very slowly making my way through the recommendations in this thread, and finally got to this today, here's my letterbox'd review:

A high school science teacher builds an atomic bomb but then cannot quite decide what to do with it.

Spoiler alert

It's a fascinating thriller for the first two thirds which plays out in a way which could be considered quite realistic, especially when it comes to the police's attempts to track him down, but then the final half hour is strangely absurd and violent, yet it's not to the film's detriment,

[close]

it shouldn't work but it somehow does, or did for me at the very least. 8.5/10

I really did love this, and would agree that it's a fucking amazing film, so thank you both for recommending it.

[Thursday]

Haha wonderful that you got to it eventually.

[TrenterPercenter]

Just popping into let folk know "Calm with horses" is gonna be in Netflix in the next fortnight. Get it watched. Xx

Great shout & brilliant film.  Felt very similar to Dead Man's Shoes but completely different story.  Thanks for the recommendation Wooders!

[zomgmouse]

inspired by this thread to have a look at some of the 4.5- or 5-star-rated films on letterboxd that I watched this year that SMBH hsan't seen (and think he might like) to recommend and have got:

Sonatine
Mafioso
Death By Hanging
The White Meadows
Pulse

[TrenterPercenter]

Nightcrawler
Martyrs (very graphic horror but is brilliant don't read any spoilers)
Hell or High Water
Layer Cake
Kite Runner
Lion
Peanut Butter Falcon
The Invitation
The Wrestler
La Haine
A Prophet

Also as someone said Sorcerer and Wake in Fright are excellent

[TrenterPercenter]

Few more

13 Tzameti
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (the whole trilogy is great)
All Is Lost
Ravenous
House (Hausu 1977) Japanese film will seem completely mad but fun and then when you understand what it is about you get why it is so good).
Clue
Possession

[Small Man Big Horse]

inspired by this thread to have a look at some of the 4.5- or 5-star-rated films on letterboxd that I watched this year that SMBH hsan't seen (and think he might like) to recommend and have got:

Sonatine
Mafioso
Death By Hanging
The White Meadows
Pulse

Thanks for those suggestions, I've seen Sonatine (but back when it was released, not since the advent of imdb) and rated it highly, and I'll definitely check out the rest.

Nightcrawler
Martyrs (very graphic horror but is brilliant don't read any spoilers)
Hell or High Water
Layer Cake
Kite Runner
Lion
Peanut Butter Falcon
The Invitation
The Wrestler
La Haine
A Prophet

Also as someone said Sorcerer and Wake in Fright are excellent

Few more

13 Tzameti
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (the whole trilogy is great)
All Is Lost
Ravenous
House (Hausu 1977) Japanese film will seem completely mad but fun and then when you understand what it is about you get why it is so good).
Clue
Possession

I really appreciate your suggestions too, I've seen and absolutely adored Hausu, it's one of my favourite ever films, and also really loved Clue, Possession, and the Lady Vengeance Trilogy, while I liked Peanut Butter Falcon, The Wrestler and La Haine, so I look forward to checking out some of the other films you recommend.

I won't be watching Martyrs though, I've read enough in the past about it that it's way too horrendous for my fragile brain!

[TrenterPercenter]

I won't be watching Martyrs though, I've read enough in the past about it that it's way too horrendous for my fragile brain!

There is no getting around it there is a good reason why people walked out the cinema when it was first shown but this is the thing out of all of the torture porn films this one is "purposeful" i.e. it is actually not gratuitous because everything has a reason but you have to get to end to find out why.  I hated the film up until the end at which point I was like fuck me that is brilliant.

[Small Man Big Horse]

There is no getting around it there is a good reason why people walked out the cinema when it was first shown but this is the thing out of all of the torture porn films this one is "purposeful" i.e. it is actually not gratuitous because everything has a reason but you have to get to end to find out why.  I hated the film up until the end at which point I was like fuck me that is brilliant.

I don't doubt you at all, but for the last couple of years I've been too fragile for anything which isn't gory over the top nonsense, that's just started to change and I've found some enjoyment from certain serious horror movies, but I've heard enough about Martyrs to know it's not for me right now.

[Egyptian Feast]

It is definitely worth a watch, but you're absolutely right to avoid it for the time being if that's how you're feeling. I thought it was great, but couldn't imagine putting myself through it again, especially not at the moment. The violence is pretty severe from the beginning and although the payoff justifies everything, it's a tough watch at any time.

[itsfredtitmus]

anyone know a good film to watch to watch idly in the background? ta x

[Crenners]

Martyrs

[Egyptian Feast]

lol

[prwc]

Films I've seen and loved recently that you may too:

What Happened Was...
Housekeeping
Peking Opera Blues
The Astrologer (the Craig Denny one, not the James Glickenhaus from the same year with the same title it's often mistaken for)

[Junglist]

Dinner In America.

Best film of the year.