Philosophically Good Movies Thread

[Calrid]

^ 2001 definately

Hmm cant really think of any atm, but here’s a few of the top of my head…

Altered states
The man who fell to earth
Silent Running
Brazil

Any star trek stuff with the borg in.
Any jet li film in the Chinese language.
Anything with Russian peasants suffering.

Trouble with films is that to be good they often need big budgets [not always of course], and hence a contemporary theme. Currently its all about stripping the earth of resources or using humans as batteries [matrix] instead of say tidal/wave/wind energy.

Humanity will need to address these issues shortly, hence super advanced aliens most likely will have already found ways around the problems. Equally I doubt if their mission would be to colonise by destroying humanity or colonise at all, they would be more advanced than us.

Man Bites Dog cost £1000.

Belgian film, disturbing and dare I say it amusing? But a good insight into the psychopath.

You're right though low budget generally means low quality.

[FilmSnob]

"Everything is expensive in cinema."

[Amorphos]

'Man Bites Dog' yea I bet it is amusing, I find most things amusing, the more disturbed the better usually.

[Calrid]

'Man Bites Dog' yea I bet it is amusing, I find most things amusing, the more disturbed the better usually.

Not going to be easy to get a hold of, but once seen never forgotten. In some scenes they actually were in real situations, like the restaurant scene, could barely afford to pay their bill, and one of the "actors" actually did vomit. I think when you have a good story, money is not so important. I saw it on VHS, about 10 years ago. A cult classic.

Here's the low down though, film crew follows a killer around documenting his psychotic incidences. Ben is a charismatic serial killer who discusses at length whatever comes to mind, be it architecture, philosophy or classical music. That's all you need to know.

The film is shot in black and white and was produced on a shoe-string budget by four student filmmakers, led by director Rémy Belvaux. The film's writers, Belvaux, Poelvoorde and Bonzel, all appear in the film using their own first names: Poelvoorde as Ben, the killer; Belvaux as Rémy, the director; and Bonzel as André, the camera operator. The genesis of the idea came from shooting a documentary without any money. This film is rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "strong graphic violence".[3]
The censored film poster

Although it is never shown or suggested in the film itself that Benoit kills a baby, the original poster features an image of a baby's pacifier with spattering blood coming from an unseen target at the end of Benoit's gun. For foreign release posters (not including the Region 4/Australian release), the baby's pacifier was changed to a set of dentures.

The wiki contains spoilers I'd give it a miss.

[Calrid]

Trouble with films is that to be good they often need big budgets .

Really? Most Hollywood films are bullshit.
Some of the best films I have ever seen were indies or films shot with a small budget.
Usually the more hyped the film, the more it sucks.

All of Blair Witch Project was made for under 750,000 dolla.

Cloverfield, District 9, Super 8 and Chronicle we owe to that one beautiful gem of a spine chilling tale.

Blair Witch IMHO was about as scary as finding a hair in your soup. I was genuinely not impressed by it, perhaps because of the hype. That said some people were terrified, I can only assume they live in smurf land.

[FilmSnob]

Blair Witch IMHO was about as scary as finding a hair in your soup. I was genuinely not impressed by it, perhaps because of the hype. That said some people were terrified, I can only assume they live in smurf land.

I nearly shit my pants every time I watch it.

Cinematic genious.

If you didn't like it, it is 100% because you didn't give it a chance. You were probably thinking "when does the witch rip someone's face off?" instead of "WHERE IS THE GODDAMN MAP?!?!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!?!?!?!?????!!!1?"

The secret to enjoying a mockumentary is to let your mind believe it is a legit documentary while you are watching it. Otherwise, it's like watching Hamlet and saying "that is SO fake, the skull is made of plastic!"

[Calrid]

Blair Witch IMHO was about as scary as finding a hair in your soup. I was genuinely not impressed by it, perhaps because of the hype. That said some people were terrified, I can only assume they live in smurf land.

I nearly shit my pants every time I watch it.

Cinematic genious.

If you didn't like it, it is 100% because you didn't give it a chance. You were probably thinking "when does the witch rip someone's face off?" instead of "WHERE IS THE GODDAMN MAP?!?!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!?!?!?!?????!!!1?"

The secret to enjoying a mockumentary is to let your mind believe it is a legit documentary while you are watching it. Otherwise, it's like watching Hamlet and saying "that is SO fake, the skull is made of plastic!"

Hmm, you might have a point. But Blair is not a mockumentary, it's just well, perhaps I am alone in this, a bad film.

Mind you I am fairly bullet proof when it comes to horror movies, ever since I saw The Exorcist at 14 and then read the sequel by candle light (call me legion for we are many, now that's scary), things just don't seem so very scary any more. Real life scares the shit out of me though.

I am a horror buff, I've been scared by some things and some movies. But teenagers running through the woods, man I've chased down and killed many teens, they were scared, but not me. Tip for Blair Witch nine: OMG I Just Don't Like Believe, This is So Happening To Me: don't scare them so much, it's so much better when you run them to exhaustion and then eat their heart and souls.

Off camera of course, nothing says fear like a Kentucky fried heart.

Incidentally Brazil is one of my favourite movies, if you haven't seen it, then you must! Terry Gilliam does do some very iconic films, if you liked 12 Monkeys and The Fisher King then check out his earlier work in Brazil, the guys a genius of the strange, and yet Brazil is a satire of American consumerism, and downright governmentalstupidity: the terrorists cannot win!

[fuse]

I didn't care for the Blair Witch Project either. I think I had a hard time with it because the 3 main characters acted like idiots and totally killed any chance of immersion for me. I guess there was supposed to be an evil power about the woods, but it just wasn't convincing to me. I liked Cloverfield a lot better.

Brazil was good. De Niro was the man in that movie. Brazil is about the absurdity of enormous bureaucracy.

[Calrid]

I didn't care for the Blair Witch Project either. I think I had a hard time with it because the 3 main characters acted like idiots and totally killed any chance of immersion for me. I guess there was supposed to be an evil power about the woods, but it just wasn't convincing to me. I liked Cloverfield a lot better.

Brazil was good. De Niro was the man in that movie.

Tuttle was impressive.

But then De Niro could fart into a balloon and set it on fire and it would be superb acting. The guys a bit of a God.

[fuse]

But then De Niro could fart into a balloon and set it on fire and it would be superb acting. The guys a bit of a God.

I would pay to see that. For the sheer hilarity.

[FilmSnob]

perhaps I am alone in this, a bad film.

More people like it than don't by an aproximate ratio of 20:1 in my experience.

[Contra-Nietzsche]

Agora (recent movie about the philosopher Hypatia)


Marcus Aurelius (this movie is the biography of Marcus Aurelius, Meet Joe Black starts on it's ending scene, in a very similar room talking to death)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBxM39NlrIk&feature=related[/youtube]


John Adams (HBO Series- Adams is the most important Machiavellian Philosopher in the history of the world, much more advanced than Nietzsche)


The Seawolf (Jack London's Story about a Nietzschean Sea Captain)


Old Ass Cartoon on Plato's Cave


The Mysterious Stranger (old claymation of Mark Twain's last and greatest work, one of pure philosophy)


Fellini's Satyricon (based on the first roman novel)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bGZvV0YGGQ&feature=fvst[/youtube]

Pitch Black (based off the work by Johannes Kepler in 1620, the OLDEST science fiction novel. Only Voltaire can claim a older work, and it's quite small.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somnium_%28Kepler%29

Bicentennial Man (Based on The Man With the Positronic Brain)


The Picture of Dorian Grey (1945)


Gattica


Scipione l'africano (1937)

This movie is the reason why people gotta put 'no animals were hurt in the making of this film' at the end. The legions in the movie were conscripted into actual units and sent off to occupy Libya- though with more advance technology hopefully.

Metropolis (1927)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16TLqSJHZ9o&feature=related[/youtube]
(they found the missing parts of the movie, but this isn't the link to the full one)

Top Gun

you can be my wingman anytime

[FilmSnob]

Top Gun

you can be my wingman anytime

A propos...

[Amorphos]

Thanks for the info calrid.

Contra-Nietzsche

Agora was a good film I thought.

I have been watching john adams, very interesting chap [I am only on 2/7 so no spoilers please]. I would have liked to see a bit more on the background to the situation. however in the last episode I saw, when john adams goes to france and comes face to face with its aristocracy, I think the image that came to mind made the situation more than clear ~ and they were his allies!

[Calrid]

perhaps I am alone in this, a bad film.

More people like it than don't by an aproximate ratio of 20:1 in my experience.

Popularity is no indication of merit.

20:1 people like England over Russia, 20:1 people are misinformed.

By the way I think you pulled that figure out of thin air. If it was 20:1 the movie would be a classic, but it isn't and it never will be, it is and always will be dead as a dead thing which has died in the 90s from being, like, dead. It's a poorly made film on a "shoe string" budget, that tries too hard, and leaves a lot to be desired in the horror genre. For example the end, it's more of the same oh my God stuff that might of worked well in moderation but by then you are "oh my Goded out" by the repitition of samey plot devices, not twists, no great writing and certainly no horror any more. It sets up well enough, but it loses the plot very quickly, it's a shame because any decent director could of made that a convincing creepy tale, like maybe The Thing, or The Ring. Horror does involve psychology, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is scarier than BW, and that had none of the horror of the psychological, BW overplays it's hand and ends up leaving me at least cold. Watch a decent horror for a change is my advice. I maybe 1:20 but I've seen scarier children's books.

[FilmSnob]

perhaps I am alone in this, a bad film.

More people like it than don't by an aproximate ratio of 20:1 in my experience.

Popularity is no indication of merit.

20:1 people like England over Russia, 20:1 people are misinformed.

By the way I think you pulled that figure out of thin air. If it was 20:1 the movie would be a classic, but it isn't and it never will be, it is and always will be dead as a dead thing which has died in the 90s from being, like, dead. It's a poorly made film on a "shoe string" budget, that tries too hard, and leaves a lot to be desired in the horror genre. For example the end, it's more of the same oh my God stuff that might of worked well in moderation but by then you are "oh my Goded out" by the repitition of samey plot devices, not twists, no great writing and certainly no horror any more. It sets up well enough, but it loses the plot very quickly, it's a shame because any decent director could of made that a convincing creepy tale, like maybe The Thing, or The Ring. Horror does involve psychology, The Texas chainsaw massacre is scarier than BW, and that had none of the horror of the psychological. Watch a decent horror for a change is my advice. I maybe 1:20 but I've seen scarier children's books.

Let me guess, Avatar fan?

[Calrid]

Let me guess, Avatar fan?

Avatar is not a horror movie. So no, as far as the subject goes not. I admit Avatar was a good movie for it's type, action, ok the plot was a little corny but then it's an action film, who's expecting something clever, I've seen better but it aint shit. Apocalypto was better, historically inaccurate but in that film you were constantly being entertained. Avatar tended towards the sentimental poor old Indians thing a little too much, with their awesome if naive knowledge of the planet. White mans guilt, meh build them a casino.

[Stoic Guardian]

Dances with wolves did it first. Except the woman he slept with was white not blue.

[Stoic Guardian]

Troy.

[Calrid]

Dances with wolves did it first. Except the woman he slept with was white not blue.

Yeah blue is a turn off for me on skin. Call me old fashioned but more natural colours like red, yellow and black are kinda in my mindscape. Hell I usually go white, call me conservative.

Troy is a really good movie, I never really understood the haters on this one, sure it was not like Homer wrote it exactly, but it wasn't bullshit; best example of the story I read, other than The Illiad obviously (class) was by David Gemmel, a trilogy that had all the heart and soul of Homer, without the magic bullshit. By which I mean like Troy it put everything in a context that didn't rely on myth. A story these days at least does not require the magic, war is war, and the cast are not special in their abilities.

I remember reading the original Illiad at school, and being disappointed we never read all the chapters. It's a masterpiece of story telling, not as far fetched as The Odyssey, but it loses nothing for that.

[Stoic Guardian]

I've haven't read the Illiad, I plan to. I read Ulysses when I was younger.

The fact that the movie is differant from the poem makes absolute sense in every way.

1. Movie adapatations of written stories are always cutting suff out of them due to time constraints.

2. Why Make an exact copy on film of an epic poem thats been around for over 2,000 years.

3. The changes in story actually follow along the oral tradition of reinterperating a story while keeping the majority of it the same.

[volchok]

Other than that I agree with you. Care to mention what films you are talking about ~ just out of interest?

You want suggestions of indie films?
I've seen so many...

Beginners
In search of a midnight kiss
Mr.nobody
The vicious kind
The entitled
P2
Confessions (one of the best films I have ever seen)
Into Eternity (documentary)
Buried
Enter the void (amazing)

All of Blair Witch Project was made for under 750,000 dolla.
Cloverfield, District 9, Super 8 and Chronicle we owe to that one beautiful gem of a spine chilling tale.

I didn't see Blair Witch nor Super 8.
I hated Cloverfield and Distric 9.
I am really interested in watching chronicle though.

[FilmSnob]

I am really interested in watching chronicle though.

If you didn't like Cloverfield or District 9, then save yourself the trouble.

All of these movies are so similar that they might as well have been directed by the same person. This is mostly due to the plot, character and "movie flow" limitations of a true first person, or rather first camera perspective.

They are all, as of yet, the purest form of fiction movie-making.

Like the difference between a best-selling horror novel and a well told campfire scary story. I'll take the campfire story any day of the week.

'Course, not everybody likes movies for the story-telling. Some prefer rich, well structured photography, for example, or dopamine-rich plots and explotions. The former I can understand, and so can any Kubrick fan. The latter is for Transformers fans who haven't yet discovered that they can get the same effect but better from different kinds of drugs.

[Amorphos]

volchok

Interesting selection, I will have to look into them.

_________________

Generally speaking I like a plot that isn’t some manner of cowboys Vs aliens, or good guys Vs bad guys, multiculture agenda, feminist ~ which so many films are [and I am afraid so many American films especially].

How about aliens that havent come to do any manner of harm to us, that it is they who are vastly superior rather than us measly earthlings e.g. star trek where humans are going around teaching people human politics lol ~ even vulcans who were far more advanced in learning space travel.

It would be nice to see someone come and tell us that we are full of shit, and why!

[FilmSnob]

volchok

Interesting selection, I will have to look into them.

_________________

Generally speaking I like a plot that isn’t some manner of cowboys Vs aliens, or good guys Vs bad guys, multiculture agenda, feminist ~ which so many films are [and I am afraid so many American films especially].

How about aliens that havent come to do any manner of harm to us, that it is they who are vastly superior rather than us measly earthlings e.g. star trek where humans are going around teaching people human politics lol ~ even vulcans who were far more advanced in learning space travel.

It would be nice to see someone come and tell us that we are full of shit, and why!

Mars Attacks is a good counter argument to your argument about aliens, but it's ok because it is highly satyrical and very funny.

On a more serious note, you can try

Best goddamn alien movie I can think of by far.