by Well, with the weather being beyond cold, I thought it might be a good time to start a thread for people to suggest some offbeat movies for the Netflix queue. I'm a pretty big film fan, so my wife and I watch a lot of movies, including a lot of foreign stuff. I find that there are tons of really great films out there that few will ever see because they're not promoted and probably aren't ever going to be as profitable as any of the big budget Hollywood films. It would be nice to know there are others out there watching weird shit like me.
So to get started, here are a few of my suggestions to add to your lists:
Kontroll - Hungarian movie, did very well in Cannes in 2004 and didn't really make it anywhere else. It's set entirely in the subways of Budapest and has a strong otherworldly feeling. If you like good visuals, interesting music, and long panning shots, this will definitely engage you. There are some well done comic moments to lighten things up. One of my favorites from the Chicago International Film Festival in recent years.
Yojimbo - If you haven't seen anything by Kurosawa, you should probably rent "The Seven Samurai" immediately. If you're looking for something more offbeat, check this one out. It's a dark comedy from Kurosawa which is a bit off his other films.
Oldboy - Also out of Asia, but consider this their version of Hitchcock. If you are a fan of the genre and don't mind something with a bit more grit, this is an excellent film.
City of God - This was my favorite movie of 2002. It centers around gangs in Rio and the plot is about two friends, one who is a photographer and the other in the gangs. There was only one professionally trained actor in the entire cast. The remainder were pulled from locals and the gangs themselves and put through an acting boot camp. It's fast paced and surprisingly deep.
I'll post some more later if there's enough interest in the thread. I'd like to hear other suggestions as well.
Cheers,
L.
So to get started, here are a few of my suggestions to add to your lists:
Kontroll - Hungarian movie, did very well in Cannes in 2004 and didn't really make it anywhere else. It's set entirely in the subways of Budapest and has a strong otherworldly feeling. If you like good visuals, interesting music, and long panning shots, this will definitely engage you. There are some well done comic moments to lighten things up. One of my favorites from the Chicago International Film Festival in recent years.
Yojimbo - If you haven't seen anything by Kurosawa, you should probably rent "The Seven Samurai" immediately. If you're looking for something more offbeat, check this one out. It's a dark comedy from Kurosawa which is a bit off his other films.
Oldboy - Also out of Asia, but consider this their version of Hitchcock. If you are a fan of the genre and don't mind something with a bit more grit, this is an excellent film.
City of God - This was my favorite movie of 2002. It centers around gangs in Rio and the plot is about two friends, one who is a photographer and the other in the gangs. There was only one professionally trained actor in the entire cast. The remainder were pulled from locals and the gangs themselves and put through an acting boot camp. It's fast paced and surprisingly deep.
I'll post some more later if there's enough interest in the thread. I'd like to hear other suggestions as well.
Cheers,
L.
