This is partially inspired by @UsedJavelin’s thread about Seven Samurai.
I watched a lot of the Western “film canon” when I was younger, and lately I’ve just been craving some good “artistic” movie content. But I don’t trust the :reddit-logo: crowd nor the letterboxd nerds for serious recommendations, so I turn the question to my comrades
I haven’t seen everything he made but I really like Orson Welles work both as an actor and director
Citizen Kane is obviously his most famous work but my favorite is the movie Black Magic which he starred in as a villainous protagonist who attempts to usurp the throne from the King of France via fomenting revolution
There are a lot of elements that clearly influenced more famous films later on even if the movie itself is fairly obscure, the final sword fight scene really felt like a fight between jedi in Star Wars in some ways
Aside from that, anything by Kubrick
Recently watched the Third Man which features Orson Welles and its a really good noir film.
I’ve got a very very specific soft spot for films that take a moment in time and space like allied controlled Vienna and set a story in it while not necessarily being “about” that moment, but still having it affect everything about the story. So you get shit like military police squads where France, Britain, America and the USSR have to be equally represented, or the particulars of which area of Austria is controlled by which nation being relevant.
Also the music is entirely jaunty zither tunes which is a very strange choice but memorable.
Modern Times [USA, 1936]
Bicycle Thieves [Italy, 1948]
Court Jester [USA, 1955]
Spartacus [TERF-Island, 1960]
Dr. Strangelove [TERF-Island, 1963]
Batman [USA, 1966] (Perhaps not the best movie, but hilarious)
In the Name of the Italian People [Italy, 1971] (obscure, but good)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail [TERF-Island, 1975] (IMO the life of Brian hasn’t aged that well otoh)
Blues Brothers [USA, 1980]
Wings of Desire [West Germany, 1987] (this one is kinda obscure, but a comrade recommended it to me and I loved it)
The 1989 Batman is worth watching. It’s one of the OG Capeshit movies but it’s a lot more fun that the super-serious modern Batman.
Tim Burton plays Batman as black humor. The movie is full of fun absurdity, self-seriousness to the point of humor, great visual design. It’s very different from modern capeshit. The sequel is also very good.
Another OG capeshit movie to check out is Blade. Wesley Snipes is a stone cold badass as the half-vampire vampire hunter Blade. The success of Blade is largely responsible for the resurrection of the comic book movie genre.
But I don’t trust the letterboxd nerds
:theory-gary: very wise indeed. here goes the certified communistic classics list
spoiler
Its a Wonderful Life (CW Christmas) but its anti money-grubbing and charming
Thelma and Louise FUCK COPS
Bonnie and Clyde FUCK COPS
The Red Shoes ballet is pretty RED = COMMUNISM :stalin-shining:
Cool Hand Luke FUCK PRISON
Dr Strangelove :strangelove:
Rear Window is good
Do the Right Thing :anti-italian-action:
im taking ‘universally loved classic’ seriously here dont make me look like a fool
- Modern Times
- His Girl Friday
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- The Thin Man
- Casablanca
- Touch of Evil
- The Third Man
- Double Indemnity
- Sunset Blvd
I liked Chinatown. Taxi Driver is good, it isn’t the movies fault that people think Travis is a cool guy lol.
Escape from Chinatown is also a classic. Uhh… not a “Film Snob” classic, but a classic none-the-less. Before you go in look for some Chinese American analysis bc I think it’s worth having an inside voice on the Orientalist themes before you start. It portrays it’s Chinese American characters positively, but it was made in the 80s so there’s a lot of stereotypes. It’s an interesting subversion of the “White Savior” narrative.
