The list of movies produced annually is far to overwhelming for one person to view, and in that list there are often-times gems of movies that are overlooked and quickly forgotten.  The Blockbuster movies are often a safe bet for quality of entertainment, but there are often quality films with minimal promotion budgets that can rival their big brothers in viewing pleasure.  Often, one dicovers these small release films by stumbling upon them at a video-rental shop or especially by “word of mouth.”  It is to that end that I address the sharing of films that are viewed by our community that would be highly recommended for the viewing pleasure of us all.  With that, allow me to make the following recommendation of a film that I recently viewed on DVD that I enjoyed very much.

“Girl With A Pearl Earring” is about a young girl who is sent to work as a maid for the household of the Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. It is a very nice story, albeit fictional, about a famed painting titled as such as the film.  The film has so many sequences that could qualify as stills on their own merit of artistic qualities and beauty.  While watching the film, I often thought of the “Pageant of the Masters,” an on-stage presentation of famous paintings and sculptures that are recreated through the use of actors, props, and backdrops, that is held annually in Laguna Beach, California.  (BTW, this was filmed in Eindvijand’s neck-of-the-woods, although I couldn’t figure out exactly what town that was?)

Well then, I hope you enjoy this film and I look forward to the recommended films for viewing that I am sure will follow.

Hey tpj, I’m moving this thread to The Couch, where it’s more appropriate.  And I’ll respond with my laundry list after I get home from work.

If you haven’t seen “Triplets of Belleville” yet, you really should. It’s an animated film about a grandmother trying to rescue her Tour De France cyclist grandson from the clutches of the French Mafia with the help of a trio of has-been vaudeville musical divas. It’s charming, odd, has beautiful animation, and is definitely something different than the traditional animated fare usually available. =)

I also want to recommend “Bubba Ho-Tep”, but to be honest, I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. Hopefully son though.

Girl With a Pearl Earring was filmed here .  Oh the magic of the internet.  (Actually, let’s take a moment and huzzah IMDb in general.)  I probably won’t see it.  I’ve got a 99% mental block against seeing movies of books I’ve already read.  And since I saw the whole LoTR trilogy *and* read the books, looks like I won’t be seeing a movie-of-a-book for a while. 

As soon as I stop noodling around with my brother’s new iBook, I’ll post my movie thoughts.  I promise. 

I met Bruce Campbell when they showed it here, it is a pretty decent flick.

But since you mentioned great animated movies there is one that I really love: The Waking Life god I love that movie. It isn’t the normal animated movie, but it is an awesome one.

I am sure once I get some sleep in me I will have some more to put on the list.

I second Bubba Ho-tep, and I have seen it. Bruce Campbell IS Elvis. Great movie! Nothing like a horror movie starring a bunch of senior citizens.

I also suggest Session 9, a great movie that will make you hug the back of your couch. Not a Hollywood-style horror movie, but a horror movie that gets in your head. Fans of the Silent Hill series of videogames need to make this a must-see.

In The Mouth Of Madness is also a movie I suggest watching. This is a movie where either you get it or you don’t. If you do get it, it will be about 10 minutes after the movie is over, and it will hit you like a ton of bricks.

Others to come soon.

Too tired to edit, so a continuation.

I also suggest for viewing two HBO specials that came out years ago. Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2.

These are documentaries about three kids who allegedly killed some smaller kids using witchcraft/satanic worship as a motive. Thrown in is heavy metal music as a motive as well.

This is one of the few movies that Metallica lent their music to, during the period where they let no music into movies so it was a big deal.

The first movie deals with the trial of the three “Robin Hood Hills Killers”. It shows what was known, talks with families of victims and “killers”.

The second movie is a revisit to the town, where new evidence points to someone else as the killer. I am not going to ruin it for anyone, but the twist is quite sickening.

Worth a viewing.

2004 That I’ve Seen: Saved!

Musical: Singin’ in the Rain is the best thing ever put on celluloid.

Modern Foreign Film: Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt) changed my life.

Foreign Film: Riffifi with it’s near 30 minutes of silent bank heist.

Western: Tombstone is where Val Kilmer proves that he’s worth something.

Spaghetti Western: Once Upon a Time in the West makes amazing use of the anamorphic lens.

Movie that was Butchered for its U.S. Release: Leon: The Professional which is much more uncomfortable than the release in the States. And that’s good.

Heist: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels was better before Guy Ritchie made it a second time (Snatch)

Comedy: Monty Python and the Holy Grail is. Now go watch it or I shall taunt you a second time!

Book Adaptation: The Princess Bride‘s brilliance is inconceivable.

John Hughes: Some Kind of Wonderful made it ok to be the tomboy.

Teenage Non-Hughes: Say Anything was filmed in Fremont, WA —the center of the universe.  One day I’ll scan photos of me and the giant troll.

Cameron Crowe: Untitled (Almost Famous) is the DVD version, which blows me away every time.

Apocalypse: Fight Club is better than the book.  (Palahniuk’s best is Survivor anyhow.)

Teen Giggle: Bring it On is about cheerleaders, who are dancers who have gone retarded.  Sparky Polastri.  I shall say no more.

Animated: The Nightmare Before Christmas makes me happy.

Hitchcock: Strangers on a Train has super subtext.  Chiasmus.

Shakespeare: Titus is proof that Julie Taymor is a genius.

Well, that’s about all I’ve got for now.  Next time I’ll cull from something broader than my DVD collection. 

[quote author=“jinkies”]Hey tpj, I’m moving this thread to The Couch, where it’s more appropriate. And I’ll respond with my laundry list after I get home from work.

Thanks jinkies for putting this thread in its appropriate place. (BTW, where did I originally post this? I could have sworn that I posted it here in the “Couch?”) And, good list of movies. I happened to watch “Bring it On” last night and I thought it was good and worth watching.  It reminded me at times of the movie “Drum Line.”  I thought Drum Line was good (not great, but good).  Back to BIO, there where high shool issues that my wife (from The Netherlands) couldn’t relate to.  Sometimes, you have to have grown up in the U.S. to be able to relate to some of these teen-type movies.
 
You know, I’ve seen the trailer for “The Tripletts of Belleville” and it didn’t really appeal to me, but now that you mention it ks I’ll give it a go.

Great feed back! I’ll have to look up some of those bizzare titles on the web.

(Edit is: Silly me, I originally posted this in the Lounge. Duhhh! )

Watch American Splendor, and be happy.  Amelie is a wonderful foreign movie.  The same director has also made a very good, but rather less accessible and more confusing movie, called The City of Lost Children.  The plot is a little muddled, but if you want to see kick arse production design and cinematography, check it out.  I’d recommend The Thin Blue Line for documentary, but it hasn’t been released on DVD yet.  :x

Those are some often-overlooked gems that come to mind.  I will update when I think of others.  Maybe I’ll delve into some more classical things, since those I’ve listed above are all recent films.

La mala educacion (Bad Education) is a typical Pedro Almodovar movie. Great cinematics, lots of drama and gender confusion and a big dash of “Spanishness”. Wonderful…

If you loved any of his previous movies, this is a must-see.

I love that film. You can keep your Miracle on 34th Street and Wonderful Life shmaltz, TNMBC is MY christmas movie. But then everyone thinks I’m a bit strange. Following that the same group made James and the Giant Peach which was no where near as good. The story was OK but the animation was noticeably poorer.

I’m a real fan of animation so my favorites are
The Emperors New Grove
Ice Age
Anything with Wallace and Grommet.
Chicken Run
Dinosaur

I still have a fondness for Altered States, A film that is actually a lot better than most people who watch it realize.

I have the extended DVDs for the first two Lord of the Rings films and once I get the third I’m going to have a massive Hobbit weekend.

EDIT:
How could I have forgotten What Dreams May Come.

Oh Yeah! TNBC is Classic!  I especially like the song “What’s This?”

Downshifting for a minute…
There is a Japanese film titled “Shall We Dance” (with English subtitles) that is very well done with a convincing actor that falls in love with dancing as a secret release.  I think that it is a pleaurable foriegn film worth watching, and apparently so does “Hollywood.”  It seems that an American version starring Richard Gere will be released later this year.  I don’t know how it will compare to the original Japanese version, but if it is half as good it will be worth watching as well.

[quote author=“geoduck”]
I’m a real fan of animation so my favorites are
The Emperors New Grove

Have you seen “Cats Don’t Dance”, geoduck? If you haven’t, I’ll add that to the Must See list. Its the same director (Mark Dindal) so it has a similar style and the same manic energy. Country Cat moves to Hollywood to become a star, and finds himself up against second-class citizen status, and an evil child actress named Darla Dimple.

It was the first and only film by Turner Feature Animation. When Ted Turner sold his assets to Time-Warner, it was buried in favor of “Space Jam”. It was out in the theaters only a week. I saw it twice.

I think you’d like it. =)

If you’re looking for a list to avoid, here it is:

http://www.imdb.com/bottom_100_films

They have such gems as “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”, “Police Academy 6: City Under Siege”, and “From Justin to Kelly” on there.  I think it’s safe to just aviod all of these.

[quote author=“Jon Stanard”]If you’re looking for a list to avoid, here it is:

http://www.imdb.com/bottom_100_films

They have such gems as “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”, “Police Academy 6: City Under Siege”, and “From Justin to Kelly” on there.  I think it’s safe to just aviod all of these.

I’ve seen that list before, and the last time it was ‘Gigli’ at the top of the list.  Their current #1 was so poorly marketed that I had to click the link to find out what it was about.