What movie (or series) really speaks to you, but which most people don't seem to "get"
... and, if you know ... why?
ETA: I'm honestly not looking for movie recommendations here. Oftentimes, a "regular" movie for the masses, just happens to hit the perfect note for one or a few people. I'm interested in those "it's special for me, because..." stories.
We have a dozen different "what's the best ___", but I haven't seen this discussion here in awhile.
My first pick here would have to be Mystery Men, which—for me—ranks as one of the best comic book / superhero movies of all time, right up there with the first X-Men and Ironman. However, broad critical concensus, as well as everyone I've ever shown it to, seems to be, "meh, that was cute; what else ya got?"
I honestly have no idea why this movie resonates so strongly with me, and not with the gen pop. My best guess is that I tend to identify more than average with the whole "well-meaning underdog screw-ups prevail" theme, and this movie is that, times seven.
My other pick is Grosse Pointe Blank, an old John Cusack thing which does have broadly positive reviews, and which most people truly like ... but my life history is enough of an outlier from societal norms, that I feel a very personal connection with the lead character, and his feelings of alienation from society.
Yes! Interstellar is fantastic! Like you said, not a perfect film; there are parts of the story that take away from the gritty reality of it, for the worse (IMO) but between the parts of the story you described and the cinematography, it's way up there on my favorite movies, and is my go-to number one.
Interstellar is great. The whole books metaphor and the melodramatic tone in the ending are not. It could have had pretty much the same conclusion without any of that.
That’s the only issue I have with this movie. And it’s a big one, since endings are one of the main points we use to judge a story.
Interstellar delivers on the promise of a great hard(er) sci-if space opera but it ends with soggy melodrama. It’s kinda disappointing.
Could you explain the ending for me? As someone with an engineering mind (... and degree, for what it's worth), I saw Interstellar as an interesting bit of hardish science fiction, but the ending puzzles me. Interstellar presents itself as hard science fiction (why explaining time dilatation and wormhole in such detail and why hiring Kip Thorne for accurate black hole visualization? ). But then the ending solves everything with The Power of Love(tm), which seems to me like a tonal whiplash. Not that science fiction should be devoid of feelings/sentimentality, but as a hard science fiction, when something is hurled toward a black hole I expect it to die as a by getting spaghettificated (which is, granted, not explained in the text).
Honestly, the things I love the most are the ones that I have a hard time finding people who have even seen them. The ones I like the most are Wachowski movies. While I wouldn't say it 'speaks to me', I'm glad that more people are opening their eyes to the fact that Speed Racer is a masterpiece of style. But their best work, by a landslide, has to be Cloud Atlas. There are few films that are packed with so much meaning.
But if you want to watch a film that is packed with ideas without losing coherence, the trophy probably goes to 2001's Metropolis. I've talked about this movie many times before, but it's an incredibly amazing film. Every single shot is memorable, the style is constantly going through subtle changes to reflect what's happening but somehow still manages to remain consistant throughout. It's full of political themes but they all eventually melt away to highlight and amplify the simple truth that is the overall theme of the film: love means never having to say goodbye.
And as a side note it has probably the single best executed ending I've ever seen anywhere. There is an amazing climax where many of the main characters die at a crazy scale - there are explosions happening everywhere, and their last actions are largely sacrificial so as a viewer you should be emotionally devistated. The final scenes reinforce the themes without even needing dialogue, where the main character goes through his final transformation, and it all happens in roughly the span of one minute - before your eyes have even had time to dry.
That density of storytelling is emblematic of the entire film. You can watch it at first like a simple popcorn flick and be entertained, but watch again and get the details and you will find an engrossing film that is rich with ideas.
And I haven't even bothered to tell you how gorgeous the entire production is yet! But I don't want to rant for too long because I've got more stuff to talk about!
Over the past few years, people have finally began to accept the work of Satoshi Kon, but I don't feel that people appreciate him for the reasons that perhaps they should. Everyone loves his metaphysical style, but that's just a veneer over the heart he puts in his works. I'll admit, though, that a big reason why I love him so much is because he was the only creator at the time who seemed to be interested in including LGBT characters and just portray them as regular people who deserve happiness.
Paranoia Agent is probably his smartest work, because it gives you a theme that you don't understand at first and it shows itself through giving different examples of how it affects people. And of course, my favorite episode is Happy Family Planning, where three people meet up over the net with the promise of killing themselves together. And the thing I love about it is that this is the funny episode that's supposed to break up the heavy drama. It's full of wacky moments, but it never once is at the expense of the characters it focuses on. Those three characters are two gay men and a child, and it actually ends with the implication that they are forming a family together. You can't get any more wholesome than that!
But more than anything, I think it's his most 'boring' work that is the best - Tokyo Godfathers. It's got a lot in common with Happy Family Planning, but the situations they are in are different and so is the themes and outcomes. The thing I love so much about it is that the main characters are all homeless at the beginning of the film, but it turns out that they never really needed to be. The characters are all critically flawed people and the events of the film cause them to redeem themselves. Like Metropolis, Tokyo Godfathers has a lot to say, but it doesn't bother with the big political ideas - everything it has to say are the quiet fundamentals about how we interact together as human beings. Overall, it's the simplicity and conventionality that makes Tokyo Godfathers such a strong film.
I feel like I should bring up a Masashi Yuasa project, but the thing is that I think he's better at making his concepts digestable and most people tend to understand his work. He's great at having an impact with what he has to say, I just wish that more people would see his work!
As far as I've seen, there's no shortage of appreciation for Kon among those who have actually heard of his work. Maybe he's still considered more niche than a Miyazaki or a Hideaki Anno outside Japan as he didn't have that breakthrough hit, but I've never seen anything but admiration and quality analysis on multiple levels from those who've seen his titles.
If we're talking anime, I'd mention Shigurui and Aku no Hana as near masterpieces that don't get anywhere near the love they deserve, but I know that's undoubtedly more to do with anime-community demographics than my taste, especially in the latter case.
Sure, a lot of people talk about Kon, but outside youtube videos I haven't heard many people talking about the themes and deeper meanings in his work. Most people just talk about the transitions and how he blends scenes together. It's a great narritive device, but I would like to hear more about the narritive itself.
We're actually working thru the Wachowski collection right now ... the Sense8 series, Matrix series, Bound, etc. Cloud Atlas is fascinating ... we've watched it 3 times, still don't quite 100% understand what-all happened. Reading the book is next on our schedule.
If I were the type of person to antagonize someone for not understanding movie plots, I think I would make an exception for the one that's about the entirety of the human experience. :)
Hands-down for me this is Joss Whedon's show Dollhouse, which unfortunately only lasted two seasons. Most people enjoyed it as a "check out the badass chicks, woohoo Eliza Dushku kicking ass" kind of fun-house romp but there's a serious undertone of like, eerie transhumanism that so far has been lost on basically everyone I've showed the show to.
In a sentence, I would describe it as: "Imagine everything you could do with fully programmable people."
I also really enjoyed that series, and it's a tragedy that the writer's strike happened and they cut it short. The first season was pretty straight forward, and then it started to take some really interesting turns that I think would have paid off way better is they'd had more time.
I might go watch that again....
Yep. I don't have the source offhand but in an interview I remember Joss saying Dollhouse was originally planned to have five seasons. Truly, some of the concepts they explored at the end of Season 1 and into Season 2 could have been very interesting if given more room to grow.
And thanks for mentioning that, because Dollhouse is one of the shows where context really matters, more than most. Not only was the writer strike going on at the time and a significant source of strain for the show in season 2, but the advertising that Fox used for the show was horrendous (I can't find a link offhand but it's quite bad, like repeat-editing some of the brief "sexy" scenes to get some weird erotic appeal?) and it was pushed to late airing times, not to mention that Fox did basically the same thing they did with Firefly and somehow failed to air the original pilot, instead skipping straight to episode 2 of season 1 on premiere night.
The only "saving grace" of the cancellation is that it happened early enough in season 2, and the network's airing schedule was pushed back a few weeks due to a Haiti relief telefundraiser, so that Whedon had time to re-edit the last few episodes and get to give a bit of "closure" to the story. This was at least one-up over fans of Firefly, who got basically nothing in that regard. (Until the film, at least)
The Fifth Element
This movie hits several key notes for me. At a basic level, I enjoy a good hero-saves-the-day-and-gets-girl movie, and this movie sets up and delivers. In addition it features a strong female protagonist alongside the rough and tough male protagonist. Which at the time was a new thing to me, and I found I enjoyed it, and it stuck with me.
At a more personal level, I deeply appreciate an interesting sci-fi universe, and I enjoy over-the-top styles and a some absurdity, which Luc Besson delivers in spades. This was also one of the first movies I encountered after turning 17 and was allowed to explore outside my conservative religious parents approved list of wholesome movies (anything R was off limits, PG-13 was questionable).
I still rewatch it from time to time and it remains one of my all time favorite movies.
But everyone loves The Fifth Element! It's practically a cultural cornerstone!
In fact it's kind of why I am upset that everyone hated Valerian. It's basically the soul of The Fifth Element reborn for a new generation, and I love it even more than the original.
I would have said this qualifies as the opposite of the posted question: a movie that everybody seems to enjoy, and I absolutely do not get.
As it happens, we're in the midst of rewatching The Fifth Element this week because it was the perfect fluffy, joyful cinematic romp to distract from election gloom. It's got one of the most creative car chase scenes in movie history (because flying cars), Jean Paul Gaultier doing costumes, Moebius and Mèzierés on production design... it was made to be fantastic.
Valerian is a badly acted, edited, and plotted mess that only succeeds thanks to Besson's visual talents. But the opening sequence is one of the most tear-jerking short films I've ever seen.
Yes, absolutely. The Fifth Element is extremely popular, unanimously praised and loved.
I just checked and it has a 7.7 score on IMDB. That’s a lot for IMDB. Metacritic is 8.8.
I'm glad you mentioned this. While I agree with other commenters that this film is a cult classic, I had the experience of showing this to my partner earlier this year and she didn't really "get it." And to be quite honest, when she asked me what makes it such a good film I didn't quite have an answer. I think this is just one of those "you had to have been there" films, where the tone and characterization completely "click" with an 80s mentality, but fails to stand out among films nowadays?
But yes, strong female protagonist is a HUGE plus in this case. LEELOO DALLAS MULTIPASS!
I don’t know many people that loves Bergman and Woody Allen’s 1980s dramas.
I tend to place little value in nostalgia, so I may say things like “the new Blade Runner is better” and “I like the Star Wars prequels”. You know, things that can get me killed :P
I also like silly comedies, some of them featuring Adam Sandler. Yeah he makes bad movies every once in while, but comedy doesn’t need to be Citizen Kane.
And Jim Carrey’s The Cable Guy was grossly misunderstood.
The “opposite” happened a few times, when someone couldn’t believe I didn’t like a movie they loved. Pans Labyrinth and Children of Men come to mind. A girlfriend of mine was repulsed because I hated a movie that was very dear to her—the story reminded her of her deceased father. We were both in film school.
I've never seen it. Care to elaborate, before I do?
It’s a movie about a cable guy (Jim Carey) that becomes hilariously obsessed with a client he only met once (Mathew Broderick). It’s a perfect mix between comedy and thriller, something that rarely works. Kinda dark too. I believe this movie was treated unfairly because people had trouble placing it in a well known genre. It’s in the frontier. As a result, the audiences didn’t know what to expect, or how to judge it.
With you 100% on this one. That movie is hilarious and I never understood the hate and people who said it ruined Jim Carry's career. The scene at medieval manner alone makes the movie worth watching but there's so many other good scenes.
When I first saw The Cable Guy I expected a straight comedy, but loved that it was a balanced comedy thriller. It left me feeling very uncomfortable in a good way.
Its quickly becoming a cult classic but "Chef" directed by and staring Jon Favreau is a very special movie to me and parts of it very closely reflect events in my own life. Its one of those movies I watch on a semi regular basis and it never gets old for me (helps that the soundtrack is amazing).
Pete's Dragon (1977) - It was one of a small number of movies we had on VHS when I was a kid that we watched countless times. It was a significant part of my childhood. Not every movie we liked as kids do we like or can even stand as adults, but Pete's Dragon stuck with me. Going back to it as an adult it hits my sense of humor and aesthetic just right. I love the songs, I love the over the top characters.
Yes, Plus 1 for "Grosse Pointe Blank" with John and Joan Cusack, Great movie.
Right up there with "Point Blank" and "Road House".
Add to that "And Justice for All" one of Al Pacino's best, Makes for a good Sunday at the movies.
Lakeboat is a mundane, absurd, poignant story of a college kid taking a summer job as a cook on a cargo ship and the stir-crazy sailors who befriend him. It's not that I relate to it personally, but I really like absurdist comedy when done well and played straight (Airplane! is possibly my favorite movie). I also found the actors' performances brilliant in how their individual characters' humanities weren't lost to their delusions.
Everyone I've shared it with sort of shrugs awkwardly when I ask them about it, and it's even got mixed reviews online.