I Need Movie Recommendations

Munster, Go Home on Cozi tonight

M (1931)

Les Diaboliques (original)

Household Saints

The Third Man

Mr. Hulot's Holiday (any Tati)

Dogfight (w/ River Phoenix)

Metropolitan

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Cunt

OP, you never saw "The Color Purple?!!"

Just smoke copious amounts of pot, silly.

I just rewatched Pierrot Le Fou and found it delightful. Gorgeous colors. If you don't mind subtitles, I'd also suggest almost anything from the French New Wave period.

R5 I didn't list every movie I've seen. I listed favorites.

How do you feel about Wes Anderson films, OP?

I'd highly recommend "Rushmore."

Boogie Nights - they are all oddly sweet and off kilter - great cast. I love Burt Reynolds in this movie.

The best movie of 2019

LA BELLE EPOQUE

Director: Nicolas Bedos

Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Guillaume Canet, Doria Tillier

The Pizza Boy -- He Delivers

The entire Merchant Ivory collection should be a pleasant distraction.

The Skin I Live In

Killer Joe

Under The Silver Lake

Manhattan Murder Mystery

East Is East

The Daytrippers

R9 Wes Anderson...I liked Tenenbaums and Mr. Fox a lot, but some of his stuff is too twee and self-consciously kitschy for me. I have to be in a mood to tolerate forced whimsy.

Steel Magnolias, baby. Anne Berlin had six fingers.

Just go through awards lists, since that appears to be your (boring) taste.

The best film of 2006

Das Leben der Anderen (2006)

In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

R9 I think Rushmore and The Life Aquatic have been the best WA movies so far. Am eager to see The French Dispatch.

The best film of 2008

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

A theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

R17 Um, thanks. I went through the Best Picture Oscars list and most don't appeal to me. Except The Apartment, which I love.

The best film of 2007

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

A woman assists her friend in arranging an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania.

The best movie of 1983:

One Deadly Summer (1983)

Oozing sensuality, a young woman arrives in a small town and gets married to the local mechanic. Was it love at first sight? What links her enigmatic presence to the family's piano? Is it curiosity or is it something far more sinister?

The 39 Steps

Nothing Sacred

Pygmalion

The Killers

The Rocking Horse Winner

Nothing But the Best

Arabesque

Melvin and Howard

Letter to Brezhnev

Down by Law

Palookaville

Summer of Sam

Ratcatcher

My Winnipeg

I will share a few of my favorites of all time. Among them "Eve's Bayou" so maybe a similar thread will emerge.

Ma Vie En Rose - it would be easy to reduce this to the story of a trans child but it's not as strident as a movie made today might be (this was 1997) and it's truly lovely. A story any gay child would relate to and find compelling, but also very light and funny in places.

Living Out Loud - Holly Hunter, Danny Devito and Queen Latifah. It's as odd and yet compelling as it sounds. A story about people, not bombs or impossible twists. Added plus: features DL favorite Elias Koteas (he of the large tumescent penis) in a small role.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - A weird mishmash of "guilty pleasure" and "literary film." Part Gosford Park and part soapier aspects of Downton. Half of Downton's cast is in it, along with the smoking hot Glen Powell. The ending is a bit muted but overall, a fun potboiler of sorts despite its WWII content. I can't say that it's one for the ages but it took my mind off my troubles.

What a Man and Schlussmacher - both directed by and starring Matthias Schweighofer. In German with subtitles. In the vein of a movie you might see with Ryan (Gosling or Reynolds) here, but definitely a smart, funny, offbeat vibe.

Almodovar - I love his work, your mileage may vary but if you haven't seen any before, start with the masterpiece, All About My Mother. You may open a vein at the end but it's a beautiful story. Volver, Talk to Her also solid. (Many more to recommend but these are ones I'd suggest to start with.)

The second best film of 2006:

La sconosciuta (2006)

Haunted by a horrible past, a young Ukrainian woman calculatedly insinuates herself into the life of a rich Italian family.

Read Apocalypse Now, then watch the movie. It’s such a narrow list you listed, I just don’t know. There’s always the National Geographic channel.

I can't remember the name.

Some Bitch Played By Frances McDormand Was A Lady For A Day or something like that.

Or was it Amy Adams who played her and Fran was her crabby aunt or something? I forget.

Tootsie is probably the greatest film of all time.

The best film of 2003:

Memories of Murder (2003)

In a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.

One of my favorites...

The best film of 2004:

Le conseguenze dell'amore (2004)

An introverted man's life changes completely when he finds himself attracted to a young barmaid.

How about the Coen brothers' movies, OP? They always cheer me up.

Fargo

Waiting for Guffman

This Is Spinal Tap

The best film of 1995:

Mute Witness (1995)

A mute make-up artist working on a slasher movie being shot in Moscow, is locked in the studio after hours. While there, she witnesses a brutal murder, and must escape capture.

Your list did not have a lot of comedies but there were a couple. I never tire of watching "A Hard Day's Night", an inventive comedic film with lots of great music .

The best film of 1959:

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?

One of the best comedy series:

The League of Gentlemen (1999-2017)

An interweaving narrative chronicling the antics of such diverse characters as: a transgender taxi driver, a family obsessed with hygiene and toads, a fiery reverend, a carnival owner who kidnaps women into marriage, and a xenophobic couple who run a local shop for local people.

I've been in a similar state for a bit, and have have somewhat similar movie tastes.

I watched Misery and American Graffiti a couple weeks ago, and had a good time with my little double feature show.

The Golden Coach

The Lady Vanishes

There Will Be Blood. Not a feel-good movie, but engrossing.

I'm excited to go see Last Night in Soho tonight. Already bought tickets for me and a friend.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Coen brothers did only one of the movies you list, R33.

Best Years of Our Lives, Days of Wine and Roses, Picnic, Sabrina ….. The Heartbreak Kid with Charles Grodin, Cybil Shephard and Eddie Albert ……If you liked The Apartment you could try “Middle of the Night” by Paddy Chayefsky - it is a black and white hidden gem. Frederick March a rich widower who runs a manufacturing company. He falls in love with his young divorced secretary Kim Novak. Everyone around them is appalled. There is great gritty Location footage of the garment district. Lee Grant is fun as His daughter who doesn’t want him to date a younger woman.

Pepe Le Moko

The Lady Vanishes

The Golden Coach

All-time favorite movie: Blue Velvet

Also good: Ordinary People The Bad Seed

I love Whit Stillman movies, especially Metropolitan and The Last Days of Disco.

R25 I sometimes feel like the only person who’s seen Living Out Loud—it’s an under-appreciated gem that I sometimes still think about.

I know this is a lot of reading but this 2015 thread about comfort films has some good titles in it.

[quote]Your comfort movies: Which movies possess the power to put you in a good mood?

The Grifters Cheri Days of Heaven

Body Heat

Notorious (1946) You Can’t Take It with You (1938) - Frank Capra-directed with Jean Arthur, Jimmy Stewart, Lionel Barrymore - kind and whimsical Adam’s Rib - watch Katharine Hepburn graciously give newcomer Judy Holliday the full camera view during attorney-client interview To Kill a Mockingbird - Gregory Peck - A story of one man doing the right thing The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - Humanitarian look at WWII soldiers re-entering civilian life

Op, have you ever watched some of the great epics? The Ten Commandments and Gone with the Wind are almost required viewing to hang at the DL.

Since you did include Clueless, and not hate on all teen movies, I’ll recommend to you my guilty pleasure comfort movie to watch. It’s “Easy A,” which is Emma Stone’s impressive and hilarious debut, and very Gay positive. Her parents are played by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci, who if I could pick my parents it would be them, with many other great other supporting role including pitch perfect Amanda Bynes as a Jesus loving mean girl with Cam Gigandet as her much to old high school boyfriend and Lisa Kudrow and Thomas Hayden Church as teachers. More recently “Book Smart” was also a more sophisticated teen graduation romp that went above the usual rubbish.

“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a nice musical interlude escape, and perfect for this weekend “Donnie Darko.”

Easy A is also great because Penn Badgley is shirtless onscreen a few times.

I hated Clue!

OP wins for the worst OP of the day.

Entertain me! I'm down! But don't make it what you like. MAKE IT WHAT I LIKE, which means I could Google it all myself but I'm also a troll!

Fearless is the best movie ever, but if you're not in a good place, you may not want to watch it. The last 20 minutes will make you sob uncontrollably.

What's Up, Doc? is guaranteed to make you laugh.

Murder on the Orient Express

I always watch the Golden Girls when I am down.

Serious question: Is Clueless a sequel to Clue? I haven't seen either film and am curious if I need to see both to properly appreciate them.

R60 If that is seriously a serious question, no. Clue is an intentionally campy whodunnit murder mystery comedy. Clueless is a 1990s adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma," about an elite, ignorant young socialite with a kind heart who determines it her role in life to condescendingly fix other people's lives by changing them.

R57 I'll look into Fearless, thanks. I saw Melancholia when I was at one of my lowest points and it had a paradoxical effect on me. I didn't find it depressing at all, but actually uplifting because I could relate to the character and the point of view of the movie. Every single person I recommended it to told me it is the worst movie they've ever seen.

I do like a lot of comedies, but I'm just not a fan of Jim Carrey or SNL-star movie type humor. I do love The Golden Girls, I Love Lucy and Absolutely Fabulous as well as (to a slightly lesser degree) Designing Women. I grew up watching them and watched them all my life. I feel like I overdosed a bit at some point. I can practically recite many of the lines of any given episode (and I have a poor memory). The performances never get old, though.

My favorite movies are ones that make me think, whether those are puzzle movies like Kubrick's or (I forgot to list this one) sci-fi like Arrival that live up to their promise.

Thanks for all the recommendations, and happy Halloween.

R61 Based on your last statement I’m going to reup Donnie Darko for today since it’s Halloween, one of the more satisfying time travel movies.

R62 Thanks. I'll rewatch it. I don't count it among my favorites but I did enjoy it.

The House of Sand and Fog A Single Man Fried Green Tomatoes Casino Color Purple The Devil Wears Prada

Another vote for La Belle Epoque (brilliant!) and Das Leben der Underer. The following are non-English, all available for free streaming with English subs somewhere online.

Dear Ex (Taiwan, 2018, gay-themed)

Happy Together (Hong Kong, 1997, gay-themed)

Shoplifters (Japan, 2018))

Coming Home (China, 2014))

Perfect Strangers (Italy, 2016)

Monsieur Hire (France, 1989)

36 Quai des Orfèvres (France, 2004)

Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (France, 1998, gay-themed)

Sorry Angel (France, 2018, Gay-themed)

Gordos (Spain, 2009)

I’m assuming you’re gay so maybe try a movie musical? Rent, Chicago, Dreamgirls?

The Long Long Trailer

How can one watch La Belle Epoque? It doesn’t seem to be streaming anywhere.

R47 Agree, Living Out Loud is a hidden gem. I had not heard of it before when I caught it on cable late one night. What a treat. I love when that happens.

Some recent ones that I liked, St. Maud and Pig with Nicholas Cage. Wildly different movies in tone, but both engaging.

For a cozy movie hug, you should watch Mostly Martha. It's in German and is about a neurotic chef. It was made into an American version with Cathetine Zeta Jones, but stay away! The German one is subtle and sweet with good acting.

I'm glad others liked Living Out Loud.

The best film of 2020:

Adieu les cons (2020)

A seriously-ill woman tries to find her long-lost child with the help of a man in the middle of a burnout and a blind archivist.

Trailer: youtu.be/su_sggzvVVQ

Cinema Paradiso (amazing!)

The 400 Blows (not what all your dirty minds are thinking!)

The Bicycle Thieves

Amelie

JoJo Rabbit

A Ghost Story

Enchanted April

Master and Commander

Adaptation

Shawshank Redemption

Antonia's Line

For Thanksgiving try Home for the Holidays.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

the originals: The Innocents 1961 The Haunting 1963

Stranger by the Lake

The Killing of Sister George

Living in Oblivion

Citizen Ruth

Trouble in Paradise

"Remember the Night" (1940) from a Preston Sturges script, directed by Mitchell Leisen. It's one of the warmest romances with a real edge, it's just wonderful. Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray are at their peak as the leads.

"The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" (1966) a hilarious Don Knotts spooky comedy. If you love a silly, but sweet comedy with heart, you'll love it. Most people who see it enjoy it a lot.

These help lull or jolt me out of a slump, marathon version (leaving out heavily Oscared stuff or mentioned upthread):

City Lights (1931)

L'Atalante

The Stranger in Between

Eyes Without a Face

The Talk of the Town

Flirting with Disaster

The Happiest Days of Your Life

Charade

Something for Everyone

Memento

The Inkwell

Blade Runner

Holiday (1938)

The Seventh Victim

Shadow of a Doubt

Together Brothers

London Spy

"Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot" (1953). In fact, all of Jacques Tati's Hulot films are funny as hell (he was a fabulously gifted comedian, and film maker). The other titles include "Mon Oncle", "Playtime" (1958), "Playtime" (1967), & "Trafic" (1971). See them all, OP. And good luck moving upward and out of your dark period.

Starman

Hell or High water

Agnes Brown

Catch Me if You Can

Two for the Road with Finney and Hepburn.

[quote] "The other titles include "Mon Oncle", "Playtime" (1958), "Playtime" (1967), & "Trafic" (1971)."

Let me do this again: "Mon Oncle" (1958), "Playtime" (1967), & "Trafic" (1971).

Anyway, see them all, OP!

Addendum to R65:

12 (Russia, 2007)

Te3n (India, 2016)

The Lunchbox (India, 2013)

The Photograph (India, 2019)

The Crush with Cary Elwes and Alicia Silverstone

Sylvia with Paltrow and Craig

Billy Friedkin's The Boys in the Band

“The Conversation” with Gene Hackman

“Blow Out” with John Travolta

“Thief” with James Caan

I wonder if you may like Picnic at Hanging Rock, based on your likes? It's a slow mover, but interesting, beautiful, and unsettling. And it explores in a very accurate and thought-provoking way, the relationship of Australians of colonial background and the land.

I'm really sorry to hear you're feeling like this and I hope you are soon out the other side. Sending you a big hug!

The Downton Abbey movie

Thank you to R87 and to everyone who has responded with recommendations. I'm grateful to all of you.

Bigger Than Life

Powertool

In Hot Pursuit

The Bigger the Better

Copperhead Canyon

Chainsaw

A Matter of Size

Arcade on Route 9

Watching: LA BELLE EPOQUE (2019)

tinyurl.com/jtm2uyse

OR

bit.do/fSq5v