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How do!

Topic is the title, and, cunningly? The title is the topic. I know, I know, my sheer genius knows no bounds.

So, what are they? And why? This topic is brought to you by.....

Jojo Rabbit

A film by Taiki Waitti. A man who so far as I’ve seen can do no wrong.

From What We Do In The Shadows, via Thor Ragnarok, and indeed Flight of the Concords, the man is a Saint in my opinion.

His grasp of comedy is superb, I don’t think anyone can deny that. But with this film? He shows great restraint. He shows a certain period in Germany’s history through the eyes of a 10 year old boy, aka an innocent. And whilst it is absolutely a funny film, he treads the line of not ridiculing the history. I wouldn’t even say he necessarily sends anything up, despite strong satirical strands.

Everything about this film is seems carefully measured. It doesn’t beat one upside the head with its message. But it’s message is clear, poignant, persuasive and just brilliant.

Do yourself a favour and at least rent it. You have Doc’s Extra Speshul Guarantee you won’t regret it.

I’m going with the movie Dogma, by Kevin Smith. Yes, the one with a literal gak-Daemon in it.

The movie had a weirdly profound impact on me. The point of people having *ideas* that can change, instead of *beliefs* that become fixed.

For myself [glancing off religious belief here, not trying to derail or enter the forbidden zone] I was an atheist, *believing* in a lack of divine presence in the world. But over time the *ideas* presented in the movie helped me to mentally frame my own realization that my own understanding of the universe is imperfect. Just because I don’t see a likelihood of divine existence doesn’t mean it’s not there. I could be wrong.

So when I discuss with others, I try to be respectful of another point of view. My sense of smell comes and goes, my Dad lost his altogether at a youngish age. Just because we can’t smell something, doesn’t mean it’s not there, we just can’t perceive it. This movie helped me to understand that, in its own way.

I think everyone should see it, for exposure to the *ideas* it presents. To take a moment and reflect on them.

Ill give Jojo another go and fingers crossed it doesnt out clever me again

And ill add

To Die For, weirdly ahead of its time dig at celeb culture, pre Cruise and botox Ms Kidman is just a bonus

Withnail and I, endless overquoting aside it just a wonderfully understated tale of friendship and sadness

Excalibur, yeah its a wonkly paced fever dream but by bobbins its a blast and has the greatest Merlin youll ever see

I'll say Dark City by Alex Proyas (yes i know, he made Gods of Egypt too but this was back when he wasn't regularly producing garbage) which is a criminally underrated sci-fi noir released the year before the original matrix.

Superbly designed and lit, do your best to find the directors cut as that gets rid of the opening narration that completely spoils the mystery of the film.

Rufus Sewell has never been better and Kiefer Sutherland is dependably bonkers but what this film has in spades is Atmosphere (with, indeed a capital "A").

Great script? check
Involving story? check (for those of you who dont know, Rufus Sewell's character wakes up at the start of the film with a dead body in his bath and no idea of who or where he is. So far so typically noir I hear you say, well all I`ll say here is the story goes somewhere COMPLETELY out of leftfield).

Its always been amongst my favorite films and it would be nice to see it get the recognition it deserves.

Really enjoyed Dark City and still do - not seen the others

 Mr Morden wrote:
Really enjoyed Dark City and still do - not seen the others

its one of those films i regret not seeing on the big screen it was only on one maybe two days locally and clashed with some top level drinking back when i was capable of such things

Dark City is a film I’m not sure suits the big screen so well.

It’s kind of a personal tale, so to watch it on one’s Jack Jones, ideally on a dark and stormy night adds to Sewell’s sense of confusion etc.

Dark City was amazing.

"2001 a Space Odyssey" My first love for music, looks... just everything. Even Dave would watch it.
The original "Blade Runner" always left a bit of a mark on my psyche. It has this calm pace to it at first "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe."
I think if you saw "The 5th Element" back to back with the above your head would explode but it too has many "elements" that stick with you (go ahead and push that red button).
"Princess Bride"... just see it. Really just watch it and feel fulfilled. To not watch it is "inconceivable".

I feel I need to steer away from the more obvious items like "The Matrix", the original first Star Wars movie (episode 4 I guess) and Empire Strikes back with just so much going on.

Special mention would be "Pulp FIction", "Dr Strangelove" and "Apocalypse Now" all for the off-kilter structure and taking their violence seriously because we all "love the smell of napalm in the morning".

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Dark City is a film I’m not sure suits the big screen so well.

It’s kind of a personal tale, so to watch it on one’s Jack Jones, ideally on a dark and stormy night adds to Sewell’s sense of confusion etc.

maybe but late 90s vhs was kind of plop at shades of dark and we had tiny tellys plus it was on at the splendid wreck of a fleapit in the un-nice town so i suspect would have been the usual row each in terms of attendence

Hmmm
Where the Wildermen Are
Othet choices are Hard
But I think Arrival is one. Such a superb invasion movie.

I'm not sure that there is any single movie "everyone" should see as people are different.

That asides if i was going to recommend movies more people should see...

Roger and me, the movie that put Michael Moore on the map. I think it's more relevant today what when it was made.

Religilous. Bill Maher really made a good one here, try to see the uncut version. He asks a politician if a person who believes that all life in preordained and that the end of the world is unavoidable and desirable should be making big decisions about other people.

Soylent green. Possibly the most realistic future ever portrayed in a movie.

 Matt Swain wrote:
Soylent green. Possibly the most realistic future ever portrayed in a movie.

That or Demolition Man(!)

Silent Running. Starring Bruce Dern. Basically a movie that concerns conservation of the last natural resources on Earth, except they aren't even on Earth anymore. Just one of the most thought-provoking movies I think I've ever seen.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
Silent Running. Starring Bruce Dern. Basically a movie that concerns conservation of the last natural resources on Earth, except they aren't even on Earth anymore. Just one of the most thought-provoking movies I think I've ever seen.

Saw that when i was just a l'il snotling. Cried at the end.

My mom's third husband used that as the excuse to slap me across the face that day.

it's a god movie, but sad, and seeing the reff triggered some bad memories. But it's still a good movie. Just

Definitely Aliens. Such a hallmark of sci-fi. The first one is also superb, but the sequel did such a good job of adding action to the mix.

Idiocracy

 AegisGrimm wrote:
Definitely Aliens. Such a hallmark of sci-fi. The first one is also superb, but the sequel did such a good job of adding action to the mix.

Aliens is indeed 100% a must-see Classic. But, I feel one needs to see Alien first.

Yes because Aliens is the sequel - but mostly because it’s all about Ripley. Without knowing the original, you just get (an admittedly excellent in its own right) SciFi shootfest.

In Alien we get a real appreciation for just how hideously vulnerable we are, as the Xenomorph is just the perfect killer. But when it comes to Aliens, we see precisely what would’ve happened has the Nostromo been packing even civilian firearms (thanks, Hicks. Tough luck about the splash back!)

It’s definitely more to Aliens’ credit that both films improve each other so much.

If I have to pick one film to recommend it's Goodfellas. I wouldn't say it's for everyone, since it's so violent, but I think it's safe to say that people who enjoy tabletop wargaming are pretty desensitized to that already.

The story of Goodfellas makes it a Mafia movie. In my eyes it's so much more than its story though. Every scene is perfectly crafted, everything just came together to make Goodfellas a triumph in cinematography. Sure, Joe Pesci stole some scenes (Funny how?) but there are many other scenes that would be the highlight of any other film. Whether it's the walk that Henry and Karen take into the Copacabana, the wedding scene or the montage showing prison life (to name but a few), everyone has their own favourite scene and the plus side is that all these scenes are great and worthy of awards.

Even if you don't like Mafia films you should see Goodfellas, as should anyone who wants a quick (two and a half hour) lesson on what great cinematography looks like.

For all ages: The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix.
A norwegian stop motion-animated(puppets) film from 1975.

a good runner up: Trollhunter.
a fantasy movie about trolls(no, not the internet trolls, the real norwegian folklore deal) filmed as a "found footage" thing.

I shall pick a Harryhausen movie...hmmm. I would say Clash of the Titans( its my most beloved movie ) but, I'm gonna go with one of his early movies thats full of heart, has an ultra-cool title, and a tragic creature from a point more than....

...20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH!!!

Seriously, its 50s budget b-movie magic with a lot of heart, and sings to everyone's inner child. From the sinking giant space ship and brave rescue attempt of its crew by Italian Fisherman, to an all-out rampage of epic proportions in the city of Rome, this 50s sci-fi classic is fantastic.

The star of the show is obviously the Ymir who is both scary and sympathetic, not due to the circumstances it finds itself in, but thanks to the magnificent emotion Ray projects into the character...

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
For all ages: The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix.
A norgwegian stop motion-animated(puppets) film from 1975.

Just flicked through the first 8 minutes on Youtube and the animation is fantastic!


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 AegisGrimm wrote:
Definitely Aliens. Such a hallmark of sci-fi. The first one is also superb, but the sequel did such a good job of adding action to the mix.

Definitely yes! ALIENS is a great film that stands strong on its own, without having seen Alien. Probably second to Empire Strikes Back for most beloved Sci-fi film of the 1980s, and there was very strong competition back then!

Without the aid of CGI, Cameron pulled off a modern remake of THEM!, an adaption of Heinlein's Starship Troopers, a nod to IT! The Terror from Beyond Space, Vietnam movies AND somehow squeeze in a respectable sequel to Alien. On top of all that Cameron made a film with universal appeal, even to us children back then, who should have been in bed, that memorable saturday night back in the late 80s when it was on ITV...

The special edition is also legendary, and a fine example of how to do it right!

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
For all ages: The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix.
A norwegian stop motion-animated(puppets) film from 1975.

a good runner up: Trollhunter.
a fantasy movie about trolls(no, not the internet trolls, the real norwegian folklore deal) filmed as a "found footage" thing.

Agreed on both movies, great films in each of their ways

Maybe the uncut and full terminator 2 movie.

There was a scene in it where they realized the terminator needed to be more functional, and to make him more functional they had to open his head up and put his neural processor brain into 'write" mode. Terminator brains had a read mode and write mode controlled by7 a physical switch on their processor cores. Skynet would put them in write mode to program them for a mission so they could learn, then lock them in read mode to keep their neural networks from growing and making them more able to think independently>

After they put his core in write mode the terminator's mind began to grow outside of skynet's control, and he became better in allk ways because of it.

Maybe there's a lesson there. If you want to grow and become better you can't just go on old data, you have to actually start thinking instead of just running on the same old programming.

Or I'm just overhtinking the movie...

Can I throw in a Documentary?

The Institute

https://www.theinstitutemovie.com/

It is a movie about an ARG(Augmented Reality Game) that took place in Portland. Essentially, it was a city wide scavenger hunt with a story set to it. In order to even get involved in it, you had to be near the right telephone and willing to answer it. It is pretty interesting honestly, start to finish. It must have taken the people putting this together an insane amount of work.

Let's see, I'd put forth

Alien
Blade Runner
Spirited Away
The Witch
Firefly+Serenity
Ghost in the Shell

Lord of the Rings - because seriously has any fantasy film come close to touching it before or since? Plus its one of the best displays of sequels that roll one into the next. Rather a major landmark in terms of production and style of writing. Many films are self contained and many sequels to films are either unplanned or built so that they continue on without much link. We see this with both Starwars and The Matrix - both are trilogies; both are single films that then spawn a double after.


At least two full Stop Motion films. One from the two big names Tim Burton and Nick Park. Gut feeling says Nightmare Before Christmas and The Wrong Trousers would be solid good picks, though Corpse Bride might nudge out Nightmare

 Overread wrote:
Lord of the Rings - because seriously has any fantasy film come close to touching it before or since? Plus its one of the best displays of sequels that roll one into the next. Rather a major landmark in terms of production and style of writing. Many films are self contained and many sequels to films are either unplanned or built so that they continue on without much link. We see this with both Starwars and The Matrix - both are trilogies; both are single films that then spawn a double after.


At least two full Stop Motion films. One from the two big names Tim Burton and Nick Park. Gut feeling says Nightmare Before Christmas and The Wrong Trousers would be solid good picks, though Corpse Bride might nudge out Nightmare

Ayyy, good to see someone else likes Wallace and Gromit! The Wrong Trousers was the first one I saw as a small child (I was probably 7 or so), and I instantly loved it!

Nah, people need to see Nightmare Before Christmas just so they understand what Hot Topic is about.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Nah, people need to see Nightmare Before Christmas just so they understand what Hot Topic is about.

Hot Topic survives on two things
Jack Skellington and NAruto
I dont know how, but that store is the only store to get stuck in the late 2000s, must be some sort of time vortex.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Nah, people need to see Nightmare Before Christmas just so they understand what Hot Topic is about.

Hot Topic survives on two things
Jack Skellington and NAruto
I dont know how, but that store is the only store to get stuck in the late 2000s, must be some sort of time vortex.

Funny enough, Naruto is a huge thing with The Youths of Today.

Which shocks the ever loving hell out of me, because it means gen z has approximately 99% more attention span than I ever would have given them credit for. You can't say a generation has ADD if they're willing to sit through 19 straight episodes of an old man in a weird hat monologuing and flashing back while impaled on a sword held on one end by Snake Michael Jackson and on the other by a talking monkey.

I did a teaching gig at a middle school a few months back and half the boys in the class were naruto-running around and making hand signs, it was weird as all hell. Maybe it's that new show? But they still called it "Naruto" so I'm not sure.


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 Overread wrote:
Corpse Bride might nudge out Nightmare

Oog, gotta disagree on that one just because I found the songwriting for that movie so fething atrocious. Could not get through it.

The Godfather Trilogy
The Dollars Trilogy
Rango
The Grand Budapest Hotel

All visual feasts backed up by great soundtracks and great performances/compelling characters.

The Carry On films. Just because.