Are you a cult film fan?

[gradinator]

I'm not talking about going to the Rocky Horror show at midnight but are you a huge fan of any of those films that inspired movements in their own right. Not simply popular films but those that have huge dedicated fanbases? Sure you may not dress up as Yoda or speak in Elvin but you appreciate the films as an art form right? that's what i'm intrested in.

Leon
Star wars
Lord of the rings
Donnie Darko
ectra

Being an avid film student i've started looking at my film heritage in more detail. Starting with Scarface and Trainspotting i've worked my way onto the need to watch a Clockwork Orange and Pulp Fiction but theres loads more.

This is more than a recommend a film thread this is a 'im a die hard fan of, so make sure you watch before you die thread' what films are you glad exist? what have affected you, what films have made you think long after they close, cry or have affected your mind in possitive or negitive ways?

[Retro]

I love my films.


Im a major fan of Tarintino, who i belive has created and worked on some of the best bits of film ever, I,e True romance, Pulp, Resivoir dogs and jackie brown.

Clockwork Orange is a starnge film, i think i possibly could have watched it when i was too young that i didnt really want to go back and watch it again. But from the second time i wacthed it when it was shown the other day, it was defitnely a intresting film, I really want to read book aswell.

Im also a massive fan of Scorese,, Taxi driver, Raging bull, Casino, good fellas, cape fear and gangs of new york are amazing. Made better by my favourite actor ever, Niro.

[Razor]

I could sit here and write a list of films I love and write many different explanations for each film but im a lazy **** and can't be arsed.

I'll throw out my fav films for a few genres though.

Anime - Naruto the movie 2 (Not as good as the series but still worth a watch)
Crime - Resevoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction
Action - The Matrix (The first one > all over the others)
Historical - Zulu
Horror - Alien
Sci Fi - Star Wars (all of them)

[Raisedbyflames]

their was a movie that came out around the same time of the matrix and in my opinion was more groundbreaking.

Memento - a man has lost his short term memory his last memory is oh his wife getting raped and killed after hes been hit on the head. he has tattoos all over his body to remind him of clues to of who his wifes killer was because his goal is to hunt them down and kill them. basicly each scene runs backwards in the film so the last scene of the movie is the start, and its a twisting story that is filmed greatly the end of each scene is when he looses his memory.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/


heres the trailer
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/trailers-screenplay-E15133-10-2

[kurosaki7]

No clockwork orange is just a really strange film and is wrong in so many ways. I like alot of World Cinema, but as i am not too much into my films i will just list some of mine i believe are a good watch.

> Seven Swords
> Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
> Shiri
> Azumi
> Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
> Infernal Affairs (note this was aptly ripped by hollywood with 'The Departed')
> Sky Blue
> Spirited Away
> and of course, Star Wars (original trilogy)

totally forgot about Leon till you put it here, that is a great film :)

[Retro]

their was a movie that came out around the same time of the matrix and in my opinion was more groundbreaking.

Memento - a man has lost his short term memory his last memory is oh his wife getting raped and killed after hes been hit on the head. he has tattoos all over his body to remind him of clues to of who his wifes killer was because his goal is to hunt them down and kill them. basicly each scene runs backwards in the film so the last scene of the movie is the start, and its a twisting story that is filmed greatly the end of each scene is when he looses his memory.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/


heres the trailer
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/trailers-screenplay-E15133-10-2


Gd little film that, from the guy who produced trainspotting i belive.

[Raisedbyflames]

its one of them ones were you dont expect much before you watch it and are totally blown away.

[quickshot89]

fantasy - LOTR all the way

[jodahunter]

Back to the future trilogy, ****ing love it.

[Silenc3r]

Matrix's all of them FTW ? :) Enough said...

-Tim

[Zyber]

I love films as well. You guys should see my room, all my shelves have movies on and all my walls have film posters. Here's just a few i've seen recently:

Spirted away - love this film.
Clerks X - just got this yesterday, i can see how kevin smith sold this film.
Street fighter alpha - fell asleep 10 mins before the end, must watch again.
Pulp fiction - Too cool for a description.
Titan A.E. - who else would call a planet Bob?
LEON - Luc besson = genius
District 13 - Same as above^^

[Raisedbyflames]

i know its not a cult movie but it didnt do well in the box office

The Shawshank Redemption, has to be one of the best movies ever made its just a story thats told soo well with in the movie

[carocat]

Star Wars all the way, Lotr is great too.

Otherwise I agree with Memento being great, Human traffic for some reason is a great film and I like Requiem for a dream. There are so many great films, I'll post when I can think of more.

[Raisedbyflames]

i love star wars and lotr but i dont consider them cult films dont know why

[kurosaki7]

Just realised i missed Battle Royale off my list, tsk im slipping

[sub]

I am a big film fan, watch a huge number every year and the DVD collection is rather large.

Favorites though are quite hard to pick, Ronin and 36 (french film), the Bourne trilogy (3rd movie comes out later in the year!) also Donnie Darko is a good one, can't forget Fight Club either.

Only saw part of Memento, enjoyed it a lot but it was quite late at night so I never finished it, will need to have a hunt in the DVD store to find it.

[FiveOhOne]

Delicatessen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101700/
The City Of Lost Children http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112682/
La Haine http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113247/

{All French}

Abre Los Ojos http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125659/

{The original 'Vanilla Sky' - Spanish}

Metropolis http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/

{Silent}

[BlueHoopedMoose]

Rain's picked some quality films there, so no bones for me to pick.

But i'm sorry, i have to pull people up on some of their replies..

Snatch - no, not a cult film and not even remotely good either. Jason Statham making funnies about "ze germans" got very tiring after, oooh, about a second.

Matrix (all of them) - errrm, no. End of discussion. If you'd said just the first one then yes, i'd maybe give you that.

Leon - ok, just about makes cult film status. But i'm only saying that cos i made some artwork out of the film to garner my living room walls.

Raisedbyflames has nailed the definition of cult movie, even if he didin't realise it - nice one.

Sub - go watch the rest of Memento - you WILL like it!

Films I'd chuck in the ring, but not all cults:


- Casino
- Dogma
- Ferris Buellers Day Off
- Flash Gordon
- Goodfellas
- Goonies
- Menace II Society
- Monty Python - Life of Brian
- The Untouchables
- The Vanishing

[sub]

Sub - go watch the rest of Memento - you WILL like it!

I'll have a look in HMV tomorrow for it.

Films I'd chuck in the ring, but not all cults:

- Flash Gordon

How could I forget Flash?!

/me puts on the Flash Gordon Theme

"What do you mean Flash Gordon's alive?! OPEN FIRE! ALL WEAPONS" *80's laser fire*

:D

[kurosaki7]

Yes ze germans did get tiring but i still thought it was a good film the first few times, i only put it in there as its on my dvd shelf lol. As for you list Moose i can only say i got bored of Casino. Goonies, and Freddie Buellers day off are amazing so is dogma, however life of brian, as great as it is, now is just a bore for me. I much prefer the holy grail.

[Razor]

Just realised i missed Battle Royale off my list, tsk im slipping

That is one quality film.
Battle Royale 2 is beastly aswell.

[BlueHoopedMoose]

Yes ze germans did get tiring but i still thought it was a good film the first few times, i only put it in there as its on my dvd shelf lol. As for you list Moose i can only say i got bored of Casino. Goonies, and Freddie Buellers day off are amazing so is dogma, however life of brian, as great as it is, now is just a bore for me. I much prefer the holy grail.

and that's why it's not worthy of being in a "Best of..." list - all those films i've listed i've watched hundreds of times, and would gladly watch again.

got bored of Casino?! philistine :mad: ;)

brian > grail, but only just. much more quotable, more "outrageous" and better characters. winner hands down.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add Rocky Horror - I know it was already mentioned it would 100% be on my list.

[gradinator]

shawshank redemption and The untouchables are great titles though I wouldn't see they were cult films.

[Antr0n]

Well, I love Scarface, Goodfellas, Once Upon A Time In America and loads of other crime films, Casino is one of em.... ;)

But Cult films you must see:

The Big Lebowski; Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve buscemi, Julianne Moore.

Irreversible; Gaspar Noe (French). Monica Bullucci, Vincent Cassel.

The Big Lebowski is the funniest film around and just blows your mind.

Irreversible is one hell of a rollercoaster! If you CAN watch it all the way through you will come away feeling like you've been hit by lightning and it will stick with you forever.

[Cackhandedchimp]

Yeah Moose, no need to get annoyed with people, we don't just have to talk about 'cult' films y'know. You're almost as bad as all these kids who go around saying everything is indie-rock, or proto-punk, or mash-up-new-rave-indie. No need to categorize everything.

I just got an Amazon DVD Rental subscription, it's great. I've been watching loads of good stuff.

Some of my favourite films:

American Beauty
City of God
Crash
Donnie Darko
Memento
Full Metal Jacket
Fight Club
The Green Mile
Kill Bill Vol. 1
The Matrix
Paulie
Million Dollar Baby
Oldboy
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Some Like It Hot
Sin City
Toy Story
Trainspotting
The 3 original Wallace and Gromit films.
Casino

Nice to see some great films mentioned here. I'm interested in Scorsese's films, they all have something in them that's worth watching. However, Casino is by far my favourite (so violent! (not why I like it though)) but the others...I didn't think they were that great. Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, all good, but not greats.

[kurosaki7]

Old Boy is memorable for the octupus being ate live lol Its pretty mad and gets better as the film progresses however i dont think i would watch it again. Whoever posted the Big Lebowski, thanks i have been meaning to get round to watching that and now i will :)

[BlueHoopedMoose]

Yeah Moose, no need to get annoyed with people, we don't just have to talk about 'cult' films y'know. You're almost as bad as all these kids who go around saying everything is indie-rock, or proto-punk, or mash-up-new-rave-indie. No need to categorize everything.

I'm not aware of me getting annoyed with people - just trying to have some discussion. if i have then a)apols and b)where?!

i never said all we could talk about was cult films - i just questioned tao's inclusion of Snatch (which i stand by) and that it should be including in a great films list when it was only good "the first few times"

Irreversible: very wrong film. i will watch pretty much anything, but some of the scenes in there went too far and were unnecessary. Memento did the same thing but much better, and without resorting to graphic violence and general unpleasantness.

[Antr0n]

Irreversible: very wrong film. i will watch pretty much anything, but some of the scenes in there went too far and were unnecessary. Memento did the same thing but much better, and without resorting to graphic violence and general unpleasantness.

Momento is hardly the same thing. I cant say what momento IS cos i'll ruin it for anyone reading. But Irreversible is a film that shows what people can be pushed to by traumatic experiences, and that at the heart of it all behind all the violence and vengence there is love an beauty.
The only thing the have in common is the way the scenes are presented, except Irreversible goes backwards, and Momento goes forwards.

[Retro]

very wrong film. i will watch pretty much anything, but some of the scenes in there went too far and were unnecessary. Memento did the same thing but much better, and without resorting to graphic violence and general unpleasantness.


Agreed, i couldnt stomach it.

[Antr0n]

Quote:
very wrong film. i will watch pretty much anything, but some of the scenes in there went too far and were unnecessary. Memento did the same thing but much better, and without resorting to graphic violence and general unpleasantness.

Agreed, i couldnt stomach it.

It is shocking isnt it :D

Thats why I said IF you can watch it all the way through.

I watched it with 6 of my mates and there were only me and another left after 20 minutes. It's really good if you can take it.

[jodahunter]

American History X, saw it for the first time in the summer, thought it was great. Watched it multiple times since, very good film.

[Retro]

It is shocking isnt it :D

Thats why I said IF you can watch it all the way through.

I watched it with 6 of my mates and there were only me and another left after 20 minutes. It's really good if you can take it.


Yeah my brother was watching it, i walked in sat down, the **** sence started and i removed my slef from the room pretty quickly.

[Raisedbyflames]

Raising Arizona
Fargo
The big lewbowski
O Brother, Where Art Thou

see a pattern their

raising Arizona has to be my favorite just for the daft chase scene alone

[Chet Webley]

how the hell can Star Wars & Lord of the Rings be classed as "cult" movies? 2 of the biggest grossing franchises of all time! *shakes head*

rocky horror surely is the definition of cult movie, don't you think?

great movies :-

sky blue
the blues brothers
amazon women on the moon
a scanner darkly
(nice to see zyber's put titan ae in there for me) :)
2001
dune
ghost in the shell
metropolis (not the silent one, the manga)

[Pirate Balloon]

This is more than a recommend a film thread this is a 'im a die hard fan of, so make sure you watch before you die thread' what films are you glad exist? what have affected you, what films have made you think long after they close, cry or have affected your mind in possitive or negitive ways?It's got to be Apocalpyse Now. 3 hours or so long, of brutal Vietnam hell. I dont know how anyone can claim to be a fan of war films if they havent seen this. I have the Redux version on dvd, which is basically just a lot of extra scenes added that were cut out to bring the movie down to 3 hours. It's amazing, you thought Saving Private Ryan changed your view of war or life or whatever, try this. It's pretty deep and clever too, it isnt just the action, it's the messages it gives.

[gradinator]

I need to watch Appocolypse now again, last time I didn't understand it. I have more apreciation for films the second time.

A space oddesy is an intresting film, slow and uneventful but has so much hidden depth like more of Kubrick's work.

[Chet Webley]

A space oddesy is an intresting film, slow and uneventful but has so much hidden depth like more of Kubrick's work.

um, it may have more to do with Arthur C. Clarke. Although the choice of music and some of the camera trickery is inspired.

[Pirate Balloon]

I need to watch Appocolypse now again, last time I didn't understand it. I have more apreciation for films the second time. Yeah, do it. Everytime i watch it i see a little more, hear a little more, and learn a little bit more.

What have you got to loose? The helicopter assult with Ride of the Valkeries (spelling :() blasting from them never gets old :D

[gradinator]

I would strongly advise people to do the same with A clockwork orange and the shawshank redemption. Both feel too linear to start but have so much depth when you really explore the themes.

Just curious what people actually thought the symbolism of 2001, what was it trying to say? I had the jist of man evolving only with the help of tools but without tools man becomes infants again.

[Chet Webley]

it wasn't trying to say anything, dewd.

from wikipedia -

Since its premiere, 2001: A Space Odyssey has been analyzed and interpreted by multitudes of people ranging from professional movie critics to amateur writers and science fiction fans. Kubrick encouraged people to explore their own interpretations of the film, and refused to offer an explanation of "what really happened" in the movie, preferring instead to let audiences embrace their own ideas and theories. In a 1968 interview with Playboy magazine, Kubrick stated:
“ You're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film—and such speculation is one indication that it has succeeded in gripping the audience at a deep level—but I don't want to spell out a verbal road map for 2001 that every viewer will feel obligated to pursue or else fear he's missed the point.

also read the books, arthur c. clarke says what he was trying to get across in those. can't remember exactly, but it was something to do with god

[quickshot89]

so would something like the Stargate movie be classed as a cult film?

[gradinator]

I know Kubrick said their was no right answer, still what are your opinion on what the movie was saying?

[Azure]

I liked Saw amd Donnie darko.

[NeoKubrick]

um, it may have more to do with Arthur C. Clarke. Although the choice of music and some of the camera trickery is inspired.
Um, are you saying that the greatest auteur was influenced by Clarke? Clarke showed his hand in the book '2001: A Space Odyssey', and the book removes most of the ambiguities of the film, while Kubrick kept his hand close to his chest; thus, the film is wholly Kubrick's, because if any interpretation is subjective, then so too is Clarke's interpretation. What is on screen is Kubrick's.

'2001: A Space Odyssey' has a plethora of symbols, which could be expounded upon for several books if we were to go into detail. The main theme is evolution, which is obvious. The Dawn of Man starts when a primitive human picks up a bone to use as a weapon; victorious, he throws the bone in the air. Jump to a shot of the spaceship, and we're at the zenith of man's evolution. It takes a couple of hours to deliver the end of man as symbolised by Bowman's dropping the glass on the floor.

The monolith is curious: it could be the symbol of a father. It imparts knowledge. A father teaches his son how to hunt, whether it be women, or food (id est how to survive). The monolith effects primitive man to use something apart from their bodies as a weapon; thus, teaching them to hunt and not fall prey to the predators of the land. But, Floyd's only weapons are his wits and guile, which is demonstrated by his handling of the discovery of the monolith on the moon. And Bowman's weapon only is his intellect, like Floyd: when HAL uses his tools to hunt and kill everyone, Bowman reacts by using his intellect to remove HAL, not by using a primitive weapon. So, Man has come full circle in this film. The monolith's power, or knowledge, is still beyond Man's, though. There's no indication that Man can travel at the speed of light in the film, but Bowman does once the monolith appears, just like it appeared for the primitive apes. So the monolith represents something which is essential one moment and redundant the next, which is like the relationship of a father and son. The son will ultimately become his father but more evolved, and take the father's place; thus, making the once essential, redundant.

If the monolith is the symbolic father, then what or who could be the symbolic mother? The environment reflects the mother: Mother Earth, Spaceships, Space Stations. It symbolises the womb of a mother: somewhere safe. But Kubrick presents a duality: Poole escapes the womb to space, only to be dealt death (in a brilliant piece of cinema: note the audio from the wonderful triumphant music, to the breathes of air, and finally silence at Poole's death), but the other crew die inside the womb of the spacecraft. Kubrick presents this duality in one image, where the pod cradles Poole in its claws: the hands that embrace are also the hands that kill. HAL, although voiced by a man, is the best representation of the symbolic mother. Poole or Bowman can't do anything without him, until Bowman asserts his authority by re-entering the spacecraft (note the imagery suggesting a re-birth when Bowman explodes out from the pod into the craft). Bowman doesn't utter a request to HAL when he re-enters, unlike he did all through the scenes before he left the spacecraft. He asks HAL to sing a song:

Daisy Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'll look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two !

Which sums up the mother-son relationship of Bowman and HAL. The son must also dispense his mother, just as he will dispense his father. HAL is cruelly killed (for lack of a better term), and Bowman asserts through his act of killing that this bicycle has no room for two (this thread of the film ties into the theme of Man versus Machine, too). The star-child is born.

[BlueHoopedMoose]

Um, are you saying that the greatest auteur was influenced by Clarke?

Seeing as they (Clarke and Kubrick) collaborated heavily on the screenplay then I imagine that yes, Kubrick was influenced by Clarke at some point. It's not a bad thing...

[NeoKubrick]

Seeing as they (Clarke and Kubrick) collaborated heavily on the screenplay then I imagine that yes, Kubrick was influenced by Clarke at some point. It's not a bad thing...

The director collaborates heavily on the screenplay with all his/her writers; that's the job of writers. Remember, a screenplay is just a piece of paper, not a film. Do you think Clarke made any decisions or influenced any decisions of how to shoot, cut or pace the film?

[BlueHoopedMoose]

The director collaborates heavily on the screenplay with all his/her writers; that's the job of writers. Remember, a screenplay is just a piece of paper, not a film. Do you think Clarke made any decisions or influenced any decisions of how to shoot, cut or pace the film?

Yes, but without that piece of paper there is no film. Therefore I would hazard a guess that at some point Clarke did indeed influence Kubrick - maybe not w/regards to how the film is shot, etc. but in other ways.
Clarke may have put forward a sparkling idea in the screenplay that would've influenced the way Kubrick set up the opening scenes, whatever - by chucking the word "greatest" (your opinion) next to Kubrick you seem to infer he is beyond influence. Wouldn't collaborating imply some form of implied influence?

[NeoKubrick]

Yes, but without that piece of paper there is no film. Therefore I would hazard a guess that at some point Clarke did indeed influence Kubrick - maybe not w/regards to how the film is shot, etc. but in other ways.
Clarke may have put forward a sparkling idea in the screenplay that would've influenced the way Kubrick set up the opening scenes, whatever - by chucking the word "greatest" (your opinion) next to Kubrick you seem to infer he is beyond influence. Wouldn't collaborating imply some form of implied influence?

Without a lot things, there is no film. That's no way to prove the value of a script. What's relevant to the argument is whether Clarke influenced Kubrick's film. Clarke is not a filmmaker; he's a science-fiction writer. Furthermore, Kubrick primarily wrote the screenplay*, and Clark, the novel . And let's not forget, that '2001: A Space Odyssey' had under forty minutes** of spoken dialogue in a film two hours and fifteen or so minutes in length. So, in this case, the dialogue's importance is lessened, and more specifically, what input from Clarke is lessened. I didn't infer that Kubrick isn't above the influence of others, just above Clarke when it came to the film medium.

If you know anything about film, you know that the editing process and how it's shot is the grammar of film. Kubrick stated that it ['2001: A Space Odyssey'] is "non-verbal experience". So, if Clarke influenced Kubrick to a marked degree, wouldn't the film be a verbal experience, considering Clarke's background in writing?


* (source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/trivia)
** (source: http://www.filmsite.org/twot.html)

[BlueHoopedMoose]

So, if Clarke influenced Kubrick to a marked degree, wouldn't the film be a verbal experience, considering Clarke's background in writing?

Where have I said anywhere in this thread that it was a "marked degree"? I don't make any claims to the extent of the influence - all I suggest is that perhaps there was *some* influence somewhere along the line, an opinion you seem very reluctant to even consider for one tiny second. Your obvious fan-boyism towards Kubrick is somwhat detrimental to the point you are trying to put across.

[Chet Webley]

Clarke is not a filmmaker; he's a science-fiction writer.

and kubrick is not a science fiction writer, he's a movie director. are you trying to suggest that he could have written 2001 without the input, collaboration & influence of Clarke? (and all of the technical advisers, SFX guys, etc.)


And let's not forget, that '2001: A Space Odyssey' had under forty minutes** of spoken dialogue in a film two hours and fifteen or so minutes in length. So, in this case, the dialogue's importance is lessened, and more specifically, what input from Clarke is lessened.

so you infer that writers' only write dialogue, yes? have you read the book? it's quite long you know, and there are some parts that describe scenes, actions, moods etc. i suspect that a book that only contained dialogue and none of the other things i just mentioned would be slightly tedious.


Furthermore, Kubrick primarily wrote the screenplay*, and Clark, the novel

i think you'll find that the general consensus is that they collaborated on the screenplay.

thus, the film is wholly Kubrick's

sorry, chum - that's just plain bollocks. for you to say that it's wholly kubrick's, he'd have to have written the screenplay, the music etc., etc. No matter what you think, any collaborative process is a 2-way street - whether he realised it or not, kubrick will have been influenced by Clarke. He will also have been influenced by the current events of the world around him. Clarke says the story is about the dangers of technology and it's influence on mankind.

if you're that interested, perhaps you should read this book -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/2001-Arthur-C-Clarke/dp/1854103652

you'll notice it's a book about the team that made 2001

Your obvious fan-boyism towards Kubrick is somwhat detrimental to the point you are trying to put across.

good point, although i'd have put it slightly more strongly, and told him to get his head out of kubrick's arse & do some reading :p

(that wasn't a personal attack, btw - just me being confrontational :D )

[gradinator]

It's funny how Kubrick managed to get his name on all of his later movies.
Even though they were mostly based on books by other people. Kubrick's weaker stuff IMO Full metal jacket was all Kubrick's idea. I think Kubrick was a brilliant film maker and very good at placing hidden themes in his work but if he hadn't collaborated with Burgus / Clarke / King ectra he wouldn't have made as much a mark as he did.