12.26.2008

Netflix Anyone?

What's that, you say? You have a long couple of weekends and are looking for something good to watch but don't feel like braving the theater crowds? Here's a "top ten movies that I found very enjoyable but that you* may not have heard of" list for ye. You can thank me later.

  • Fear and Trembling: A Belgian translator attempts to fit into her new role in a Japanese corporation. Based on Amelie Nothomb's autobiographical novel. Whimsical, masochistic, twisted, and hilarious.
  • Kontroll: Brilliant and innovative drama of the lives of the Hungarian underground metro ticket inspectors; funny, dramatic, and clever with a pulsing, throbbing soundtrack.
  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Best seen with an uber-nerdy B.A. in English under your belt and, possibly, a philosophy minor in your pocket.
  • Living in Oblivion: Dark, low-budget indie movie about the making of a dark, low-budget indie movie. Plus, Buscemi.
  • Croupier: Film noir crime drama starring the compelling Clive Owen. For a great double feature, try out I'll Sleep When I'm Dead as well.
  • Swimming with Sharks: The definition of "the boss from hell" played with utter perfection by Kevin Spacey in this black dramedy.
  • Kung Fu Hustle: I saw this for free at the Smithsonian and did not know what it was about but trust me when I say that my sides really did split.
  • 8 Femmes: A French musical murder mystery comedy. Good pick for those who enjoyed Gosford Park.
  • Following: Yet another film noir that preceded the amazing, mind-boggling Memento.
  • The White Balloon: Heartbreaking and simple, it was my first introduction to the the Iranian film genre.

*excluding upyernoz, gunnar, and LB

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm torrenting all the ones i can find.

baj said...

oh man, i'm so out of it these days that i had no idea what you meant by 'torrenting'. the first thought that came to mind (b/c i KNEW it wasn't a misspelling) was that it was some sort of rental deal like netflix but it was based in toronto.

let me know what you think of the flix! there were several others that i wanted to list, but they were rather... racy/alt/wacked out. maybe another time.

Anonymous said...

A. Torrenting copyrighted fillums is illegal and hurts the poor film industry. I shall commence suit immediately.

B. I have seen of these: Croupier and Swimming with Sharks. Both good. I have netflixed Fear and Trembling and Kontroll. I shall report thereon once said films have been viewed.

baj said...

soph - a. thank you for your vigilance. i hope your attempt to protect intellectual property rights results in vast amounts of attorneys fees and/or swag.

b. i look forward to your review. please submit it in 1000 words or less. each. by friday.

Anonymous said...

3. I watched Kontroll last night, and found it very cool. Then I read the wikipedia about the Hungarian metro and things made much more sense.

baj said...

IV. Sense? Who told you that you were allowed to make sense of anything? >:( Glad ye liked it!

Anonymous said...

yes well my ISP is throttling my downloads, so this isn't going so great for me.