I’m not a huge movie fan, but I want to broaden my horizons a bit. I’ll offer my list (that I’ve rewatched so many times I’m a bit tired of them):

  • Young Poisoner’s Handbook

  • Full Metal Jacket

  • Life of Brian

  • Holy Grail

  • Sunset Boulevard

  • Curse of the Golden Flower

  • The Nightingale

  • Downfall

  • Amadeus

  • Once Were Warriors

  • Dusk to Dawn

  • memfree@piefed.socialEnglish
    11·
    15 hours ago

    I’m going to restrict this list to older movies and imports since there’s already most of Hollywood’s best listed by other people.

    • Ran (1985): Japanese take on King Lear. Kurosawa.
    • 12 Angry Men (1957): Fonda has doubts about the man charged. Sidney Lumet.
    • Lawrence of Arabia (1962): Based on actual WWI British officer T.E. Lawrence, but more story than history. David Lean.
    • One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975): Jack Nicholson leads this Milos Forman movie about what it was like in mental hospitals (based on Ken Kesey’s book of same name – see also Keroac book On the Road for more of that generation).
    • The Man Who Would Be King (1975) : Sean Connery and Michael Caine star in John Houston movie based on Ruyard Kipling story. There are more famous names to pack in there, but mostly the story is great (though told from a supremely Colonial POV).
    • Grand Illusion (1937): French Jean Renoir film classic about WWI.
    • Beauty and the Beast (1946): French Jean Cocteau masterpiece of the fairytalke before it got Disney-fied.
    • The Tin Drum (1979): German Volker Schlöndorff film of Günter Grass story about a boy who won’t grow up.
    • Amarcord (1973): Italian Federico Fellini film about growing up. You could sub in Nights of Cabiria or Satyricon as a starter Fellini pic.
    • Kes (1970): British Ken Loach film about a boy and a bird.
    • Winter Light (1963): Swedish Ingmar Bergman about a priest struggling with faith. The 7th Seal probably a better place to ease in to Bergman, though.
    • A Man for All Seasons (1966): British Fred Zinnemann telling of how Sir Thomas More was stuck between his Church and his King. For an alternate take on same chunk of history, see Wolf Hall.

    There’s so many more. Rosselini’s Open City, Jodorosky’s El Topo/Santa Sangre, Errol Morris documentaries (Fog of War, etc.), Les Blank docs (from music to Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe), oh! and Herzog flicks! I should stop.

      • steeznson@lemmy.world
        1·
        4 hours ago

        I prefer El Topo to Holy Mountain as it has more of a uh script. Looks like they had a lot of fun filming the latter though!

        Both of them are worth taking the time to watch though. Nothing else quite like them.

      • memfree@piefed.socialEnglish
        3·
        11 hours ago

        Thank you. I spend too much time watching movies, and there are so many more to recommend for various reasons. The above are all pretty ‘serious’ movies, but I figure the other lists have fun and comedic movies well covered with outstanding pics by many other people.

        • insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world
          2·
          7 hours ago

          Is it too much though? I used to think I should spend less time watching TV shows and movies but on balance it’s fine. It’s one of my favourite things to do!