Stuart's Ten Films To See Before You Die
Fancy yourself a film connoisseur? A devotee of moving pictures? If so, then you may appreciate this list of films. Rather than simply a list of my favourites, these films aren't necessarily good, or bad, or even watchable... The following have had a profound impact on me, whether through originality, technical prowess, or raw emotion. They are cinema at its best, its worst, and its weirdest.
My Dinner with Andre |
 | Year: 1981 |
| Country: USA |
| Writer: Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn |
| Director: Louis Malle |
| Cast: Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory |
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| Excepting the first and last few minutes, this entire film is a dinner table conversation. Two people at a table... talking. Based on the play by the two leads, Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, this film astoundingly manages to stay interesting for the majority of its duration. One of those few films that plays out in real time (ala Nick Of Time and TV's '24'). Not surprisingly, with all the philosophising going on, Wally and Andre leave a lot of their (I imagine rather expensive) dinner uneaten. |
The Keep |
 | Year: 1983 |
| Country: USA |
| Writer: F. Paul Wilson, Michael Mann |
| Director: Michael Mann |
| Cast: Scott Glenn, Jürgen Prochnow, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen |
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| Okay, I've gone on about this film before, but with good reason. This is such a bizarre piece of cinema. How did it get made? What studio in their right mind would greenlight something like this? The high calibre cast (as well as Michael Mann's presence) only adds to the confusion. It's interesting having Nazis fighting against some sort of inhuman evil: who exactly are we supposed to be rooting for? Almost impossible to watch without falling asleep, this is one of the strangest films I've ever seen... and with so much wasted potential! |
The Wicker Man |
 | Year: 1973 |
| Country: UK |
| Writer: Anthony Shaffer |
| Director: Robin Hardy |
| Cast: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento |
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| Christopher Lee's been in a lot of films, so for him to label this as his favourite, it's gotta be good. There is no other film like The Wicker Man. Classed as Britain's best horror film by Empire magazine, this very subtle thriller is eerie in the extreme. There's nothing lurking in the dark here - it's all out in the open, in a bright and seemingly idyllic community. Very risqué for its time, it was chopped to bits upon original release, but the current DVD release has a director's cut which comes as close as we'll ever get to the original vision. |
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind |
 | Year: 2004 |
| Country: USA |
| Writer: Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth |
| Director: Michel Gondry |
| Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson |
| hoopla.nu review IMDb Official Site Trailer |
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| Okay, so a lot of people have probably seen this film, but it bears repeating just how brilliant Eternal Sunshine is. After a couple of very good films (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), Charlie Kaufman wrote this masterpiece. Not only is it wacky, but it also has heart. An intelligent fly on the brain analysis of the nature of long term relationships and the relevance of love. If you haven't seen it already, do so straight away. |
Se7en |
 | Year: 1995 |
| Country: USA |
| Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker |
| Director: David Fincher |
| Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow |
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| I'd be surprised if you haven't seen this film; and if that's the case, then I'd be even more surprised if someone hasn't wrecked it for you. The film that introduced the world to David Fincher (lets just forget about Alien³), Se7en is horrifying yet intelligent. One of the most gruesome serial killer films, we rarely ever actually see the deeds - they are only alluded to. This is literature, people - intelligent, relevant, riveting. |
Happiness |
 | Year: 1998 |
| Country: USA |
| Writer: Todd Solondz |
| Director: Todd Solondz |
| Cast: Jane Adams, Jon Lovitz, Philip Semour Hoffman, Dylan Baker, Lara Flynn Boyle |
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| The most effective of Todd Solondz's films, Happiness is somewhat of an epic. The ultimate in black comedy, the tragic intertwining stories compete with each other for the title of most f**cked up character. I don't think he'll ever be able to top this film for sheer shock value and originality (and Storytelling certainly seemed a bit like he was winding down). |
Dancer in the Dark |
 | Year: 2000 |
| Country: Denmark / Germany / Netherlands / USA / UK / France / Sweden / Finland / Iceland / Norway |
| Writer: Lars von Trier |
| Director: Lars von Trier |
| Cast: Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare |
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| The most harrowing film I have ever had to sit through. I felt physically ill for much of this film, and the last 25 minutes or so was the most grueling cinematic ordeal I have ever experienced. Lars Von Trier pulls no punches in this film, which though similar to his others (such as Breaking The Waves and Dogville) manages to also be a musical(!) Björk's one and only feature film performance is brilliantly true to life, and I felt she was channeling a lot of herself into the naïve yet compassionate Selma. |
Waking Life |
 | Year: 2001 |
| Country: USA |
| Writer: Richard Linklater |
| Director: Richard Linklater |
| Cast: Trevor Jack Brooks, Lorelei Linklater, Wiley Wiggins |
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| Basically an extended philosophical discussion, Waking Life is unique. The film asks the big questions as the main character ponders the difference between the dream world and 'reality'. It's tough going at times, but the ending is rewarding. The animation is fantastic, using a technique whereby live action footage is drawn over. We're soon to see a similar looking technique in A Scanner Darkly. |
Brotherhood Of The Wolf (Le Pacte des loups) |
 | Year: 2001 |
| Country: France |
| Writer: Stéphane Cabel, Christophe Gans |
| Director: Christophe Gans |
| Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Mark Dacascos |
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| This film shows that countries other than the US can produce high quality, big budget action extravaganzas. The cinematography is spellbinding, the action jaw-dropping, and the plot kind of silly - exactly how these films should be. Christophe Gans is a perfectionist to the extreme - every single frame is in itself a work of art. Here we also have Mark Dacascos in a film that isn't a crappy straight-to-video action movie. Try to see the French/Canadian version which is 12 minutes longer than the international release. |
Show Me Love (Fucking Åmål) |
 | Year: 1998 |
| Country: Sweden / Denmark |
| Writer: Lukas Moodysson |
| Director: Lukas Moodysson |
| Cast: Alexandra Dahlström, Rebecka Liljeberg, Erica Carlson |
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| Teen angst has never been so perfectly portrayed. One of the reasons this film is so effective is because its portrayal of the two girls is completely unselfconscious. Much easier to take than Moodysson's more recent film Lilja 4-Ever, Show Me Love is a beautiful film. |
What do you think? Seen one of these films? Let us know your thoughts.
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