This is the first time I've posted in this thread. I just watched a movie that impressed me enough to recommend it to EVERYONE.

Zebraman.

Everyone- go watch this NOW. This movie just BLEW ME AWAY.

A boy in a wheelchair, a mild mannered schoolteacher who imagines himself a superhero, alien green blobs invading the Earth, government conspiracies..,. all melded into one cockeyed plot that straddles genres with perfect finesse. Manages to be domestic drama, sci fi, horror, satire- and it all WORKS.

Inspirational, heartwarming, hip cool, and hilarious all at the same time. Honestly, I haven't been so impressed with a movie in a long long time.

Manages to get some hilarious barbs in against the ghost woman with long hair, buildings sealed with red tape and Ultraman type superheros. So many deft small touches of humor and even some symbolism and political comment.

I just can't rave enough about this movie.

OMG

I have seen its trailer only on the dvd features of some Asian movies but didn't get the chance to give it a watch for its unavailability at our local shops. Though it seemed weird & funny on the trailer but now I'd surely like to watch it as soon as I get the dvd. Meanwhile, I'm adding it to my wish list.

saw this a while ago, figured I needed to give it a shout out.
http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/9/4/...elahposter.jpg
extremely powerful film.

Really? I had heard that one was pretty dry.

I love Tommy Lee Jones though...guess I should give it a look.

I loved it. I didn't like Crash, but this one was a winner if you ask me, good study of post traumatic stress syndrome.
who said it was Dry? pretty solid reviews everywhere i look.

Just wrote about these in the Last Seen Movie thread, but I'll add them in here, too...


http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV...X99_SY140_.jpg

Out of the Blue

I Netflix'd this movie out of a recommendation from Neverending and I'd just like to say THANK YOU NE. This movie is a brilliant piece of honest, raw, horrifying direction that chronicles a day in the life of New Zealand's one and only serial killer... and his hapless victims. As NE has said, this is a veritable horror gem. It is intense, it is real, and it takes cinematic panic to a level that I haven't seen on screen (for those of you who have been unfortunate enough to see Van San'ts Elephant, this is everything that Elephant should have been; it's the historical-fictional-docuhorror without the ignorant pretentiousness). Most (if not all) of the characters in the film are based on the people who were affected on the 13th and 14th of November, 1990, so there is a ubiquitous feeling of true vulnerability and helplessness throughout the film that you rarely see in cinema; I truly did NOT know who would survive... And that was part of the horror.

I ABSOLUTELY recommend this film. It comes with the Chrono-NE Seal of Approval.

A/A+

..........................................


Home Movie

I found Indie Horror Movie Gem #2 while perusing the New Movies that Comcast On Demand had to offer...

Initially, I was skeptical. Home Movie uses the hand held cam technique made popular by Blair Witch that now seems to be the latest horror movie making trend (in Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead, [rec], Quarantine - Even spoofed by South Park). The movie started off a little rocky (the premise being a family who obsessively records their lives, including the eventual indiscretions, bizarre behavior, and vertiginous descent into darkness) but begins to build speed at a rapid pace. The main antagonists of the film are the children, whose strange behavior is captured right away on film and, for the audience, sends up some rather obvious red flags (to the point where you want to strangle the directorial parental figures); but you get past that and the film captures some truly eerie images and creates some honestly creepy moments. Also, there were a couple of parts in particular that I thought were brilliantly risque and disturbing and I have to give a nod to the film for having the guts to show them.

Not a perfect film by any means and, in terms of style it's nothing particularly new... However, it reexamines the role of children in horror and takes a pretty creepy new vision of the concept of the Bad Seed.

Actually - The more I think about this film, the more I appreciate it.

B+/A-

http://www.theeternalmovie.com/

There's a full length feature coming and here's the prequel. It's in the media section and is a breath of fresh air to the languid vampire sub-genre.

Watched that last time you posted it...very cool little short. I'll be checking out the feature length version for sure.

DOH!

Reposts suck :o

Tekon kinkurîto (Tekkonkinkreet) (2006)

http://hkxforce.net/wordpress/wp-con...eet_poster.jpg

Holy smokes, what an adventure. By far one of the best anime films I've ever seen, and definitely one of the most impressive films I've seen this year.
Two young boys, orphaned and living on the streets, have grown up protecting the city in which they live. When certain things come to threaten the hold they have on their home, they have to do what it takes to protect it. Combining love, friendship, Yakuza, aliens, kung fu, violence, and dream sequences into a swirling, beautiful mess, this is truly an experience unlike any other.

I'll check it out. On the subject of anime I strongly recommend Paprika, Perfect Blue, and Spirited Away.

Yeah, Des. I think you'd love this one.
Let me know what you think!

And by the way, I'd strongly second each of your recs.

Watched Out of the Blue last week and it was great.

Just ordered Home Movie now and I had to login and mention that it stars Adrian Pasdar who plays Heroes' Nathan Petrelli, having been released in 2008 I would have expected this to get more, as in some, attention.

I've been having pretty good luck watching "Horror" stuff that I find on Rotten Tomatoes sorted by tomatometer made this decade with a rating over 70%. I watched Eden Lake last week and Splinter last night http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10010329-splinter/ both of which I found this way and then checked what people here had said and both were pretty good. I'm about to watch Horror http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/horror/ based on its rating there. I don't necessarily agree that stuff that's 100% fresh there is great, but pretty much everything I've watched over 80% has been good.

Edit: Horror has 80% at Rotten Tomatoes and 7.3/10 but I thought it sucked.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA240_.jpg

Watch this. Just once.

You will be left breathless.

That's a great classic, for sure!

David Gray was a mass murderer not a serial killer.

True. My bad. :D

I've been on a Luis Bunuel kick, and I thought I'd recommend his first film- a 16 minute piece called Un Chien Andalou. I'm sure many of you have seen it, but those who haven't are in for a surrealist treat.

It's only 16 minutes- you can watch it here:

Un Chien Andalou (1928)

i've got the DVD ... i've also got another version on DVD where the score is performed by Nash the Slash .. which i think is better than the origional

Haha, right on, I'd like to see that version!

The Fall

Tarsem Singh totally redeems himself for the disaster that was The Cell in this epic fairy-tale that hits the perfect balence between childhood innocence, magic realism and the pain of real life. Anyone who loved Pan's Labyrinth or Terry Gilliam's underrated Tideland will dig this visually stunning work of art.

Bought that one recently, but haven't watched it.

I really liked the visuals in The Cell, even if the script was really weak. Very anxious to see what else this guy has up his sleeve.

Yesterday I watched WALL·E

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...lleposter2.jpg

And. Wow.

Beautiful. Stunning. Touching.

To tell you the truth, when I heard that there was minimal writing and voicework, I was concerned that I'd be bored... But far from it.

I fully agree with The Penguin:

5/5 See it.

No Man's Land

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/6...nsland1qh3.jpg

A great satire war movie with a sad & fascinating ending as well as very symbolic to the global perspective. Recommended to everyone whoever haven't seen this beautiful, ingenious piece of work.

The Nines

This one really surprised me - the plots are great, the lead actors all do an amazing job (especially considering most of them play 3 totally different parts), and the ending really gives you a lot to think about.

It's not very linear, but if you like movies that you have to put some thought into...you really should pick this up.

Neighbors

If you like quirky well written comedies this will be right up you alley. Its a shame Belushi was taken from us so soon as this flick shows the versitility of comedic style. Initally panned by critics and fans alike (people were expecting another Blues Brothers I guess) this is a film that deserves to be revisited because it was well ahead of its time IMO.
Really sharp satire of the "white picket fence" culture delivered by a strong cast and beautifully shot by John G. Avildsen this flick is a winner.

http://www.eatbrie.com/large_posters...Neighbors2.jpg

www.imdb.com/title/tt0082801/

The R4 DVD I watched is a bare bones release which was a bit disappointing as I would've like to have seen some insights of what went on behind the scenes to pull it all together.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=0_xymI6AH6E

Wristcutters: A Love Story

A whimsically profound story that takes place in a purgatory world where suicides live. What would a world be like that was inhabited only by people who had comitted suicide? It's a pretty funny world, actually- even if nobody ever smiles. This is the driest dark comedy I've ever seen, and the three leads who find themselves on a road trip in this world, each for their own reasons, travelling in a rundown car with a black hole in the floor, are perfectly cast. I particularly enjoyed Eugene, a young musician of Russian ancestry who comitted suicide by pouring beer onto his electric guitar and electrocuting himself.

Tom Waits turns up, as does the guy who played Jerry on ER, and the lead of that awful Fearnet movie Catacombs. Turns out she can really act.

One of the best and most varied assembled soundtracks I've come across, with music by Tom Waits, Artie Shaw, Gram Parsons, Screaming Lord Sutch, Del Shannon, Joe Meek and a trio of tunes by Gogol Bordello, a post-modern Balkan cabaret outfit that add immeasurably to the atmosphere.

Watch this if you get a chance.

Brand Upon the Brain! (2006)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...-the-brain.jpg

Wow. This blew me away. What a wonderful, crazy, hyper-kinetic ode to the confusion and mess of childhood. Guy Maddin pulls a lot of inspiration from horror of the 20s and 30s.

It's quite out there, but I highly, highly recommend it.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/twhalliii...he%20brain.jpg

Revolutionary Road (2008)

I have a review up in "Last Seen". Not for a long time have I actually *felt* a movie. This film is absolutely real, and parts of it had me literally feeling nauseous. Not an easy film to watch, but an important one. DiCaprio and Winslet have never been better.

Don't think I could stomach that one it looks god awful.

V's new Asian horror venture made me think of this:

A few of the very best Asian horror films (and, go figure, all three have been released by Criterion). If you haven't seen these, do it! Especially if you're submitting a list to the Asian horror top 100.

Kwaidan (1964)

From Criterion.com:

"Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, Kwaidan features four nightmarish tales in which terror thrives and demons lurk. Adapted from traditional Japanese ghost stories, this lavish, widescreen production drew extensively on Kobayashi’s own training as a student of painting and fine arts."

http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/images/.../kwaidan/1.jpg


Jigoku (1960)

"Shocking, outrageous, and poetic, Jigoku (Hell, a.k.a. The Sinners of Hell) is the most innovative creation from Nobuo Nakagawa, the father of the Japanese horror film. After a young theology student flees a hit-and-run accident, he is plagued by both his own guilt-ridden conscience and a mysterious, diabolical doppelgänger. But all possible escape routes lead straight to hell—literally. In the gloriously gory final third of the film, Nakagawa offers up his vision of the underworld in a tour de force of torture and degradation. A striking departure from traditional Japanese ghost stories, Jigoku, with its truly eye-popping (and -gouging) imagery, created aftershocks that are still reverberating in contemporary world horror cinema."

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/3743/jigokucd7.jpg

and my favorite of the three,

Onibaba (1964)

"Deep within the wind-swept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished mother and her daughter-in-law eke out a lonely, desperate existence. Forced to murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for grain, they dump the corpses down a deep, dark hole and live off of their meager spoils. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from the skirmishes, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio’s tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals the trio’s horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, Kaneto Shindo’s chilling folktale Onibaba is a singular cinematic experience."

http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/sites/...es/onibaba.jpg

Enjoy!

I'm not really sure wether this has already been recommended or not (it probably has).

But I have to recommend REC to all of you. This one blew me away, like no zombie movie ever did. Loads of atmosphere & scares. And the fact that it's a foreign movie only makes it better in my opinion.

I've also been told that the remake Quarantine is quite good aswell.

There have been so many good recs in this thread that it would be a shame if fans of good cinema around the world skipped pages upon pages to look for them.

So I ll try my best to maintain a list of all recs in the first post on the first page of this thread for as long as it will let me edit the first post.

Keep the recs coming, folks! Wonderful work so far.

Ah, V. That's brilliant.

Okay, so I know this isn't a film (is that even an explicit rule in this thread?), but I want to take some time to recommend a television show:

Breaking Bad

http://www.bannerblog.com.au/news/pi...in_bafd_bb.jpg

Absolutely, without a doubt, the best TV show I've seen in years. Great, unpredictable writing, solid performances, unique take on the familial, etc. etc. Incredibly original and flawlessly-written/performed program.

I can't recommend this show strongly enough. New episodes start next Sunday!

It's interesting you mention this show since in the latest EW Magazine, Stephen King wrote about how amazing this show is. I think I will check it out since his recommendations also led me to watch Prison Break.

Mr. King is absolutely right.
Seriously, do yourself a wonderful favor and check it out. The first season was only 7 episodes long and the season 2 premier was this past Sunday, so there's not much catchup to do.

It's on AMC, Sunday nights at 10/9 central.

A couple of weeks ago I watched a documentary called "In God's Name". VERY interesting and very well done. As I figured it would be as it was done by the Naudet brothers, the filmmakers of the documentary "9/11". Below is the Netflix description:

"Asking important questions about the nature of God, this National Geographic program compiles interviews from a range of religious and spiritual leaders around the world, adding the perspective of everyday people to paint a global portrait of faith. Topics covered include: Who or what is God? What is death? What is worth dying for? And how can we explain fanaticism and violence waged in the name of God?"

And here's the review I wrote:

"This is a wonderfully informative and interesting documentary. I figured it had to be, coming from the Naudet brothers, as I was so impressed by "9/11". It's a completely unbiased portrait of various religious and spiritual leaders around the world, each giving their personal thoughts on various topics. I put this in my queue because I wanted to see what Bishop Mark Hanson of the Lutheran church had to say since I'm Lutheran. I must say, I was very impressed by him. What a cool dude! There were also some religious and spiritual leaders I had never heard of (Amma being one of them) that I immediately looked up on the internet. Even if you're not religious or spiritual in any way, I think you would find it interesting. If you are, definitely put this in your queue - you won't regret it!"

I just added it to my Netflix Queue and it has a "very long wait" on it. I think the word is out about this show. :)