2001: A Space Odyssey
It’s my favorite because of the cinematography and atmosphere. It’s my favorite because of the themes and philosophy. It’s my favorite because space and psychedelia are cool.
It’s just an all around great movie if you can appreciate the slow pacing and intentionally jarring or tense aspects that drag on. 30 minutes of monkeys fucking around for seemingly no reason (at least, at first). Discordant wailing that lasts so long it nearly leaves your ears ringing. Space shots with no sound at all, or just the hissing of the space suit, which linger on the slow drift of a character moving from one location to the next. A character begging for his life as another dismantles his brain bit-by-bit.
To me, this movie always flys by, and it always feels like i was there in it, fully immersed. To my friends, it lasts a week and has one cool part that took an eon to get to.
Also it begs for multiple watchings to develop a theory of what the fuck is happening at the end and what the obelisk is and where it comes from.
It also raises philosophical questions that are interesting to come up with and grapple with in new ways with each viewing. Is HAL alive? Whats the next leap in evolution? can uncomfortable art be good? Who owns the moon? How did consciousness evolve? What’s happening to Dave?
Did you watch second part, 2010: The Year We Make Contact? Really like quality of effects.
I did not, but you’re also the first person I’ve met who liked it. Does it add much to the original?
It explains why HAL got mad. To be honest I never watch original in full. Started watching and got bored. But watched 2010 in one go. I don’t know why. It was inspiration to watch it after I saw this film mentioned in one YT video.
I liked that it touch topic of war between US and USSR. And I really enjoyed quality of Practical Effects.
This is a really good summary. Such a ground breaking film, good shout for this post.
Mind boggeling that it was made in the 60’s. Incredibly prescient.
it truly is, especially visually. The vfx are incredible for any time. And I’m not ever talking about the ending, which is mostly just film-editing; I’m talking about the space scenes that actually feel like space, or the scene where frank makes a complete loop running through the ship, or the zero g scene when the space age is first introduced. That’s all astounding, and it boggles the mind to think how they achieved that with practical fx
And this was made around the time of the original Star Trek and before Star Wars.
Its prescience is a whole other layer on top of that. It was obviously influenced by the space race and how that captured the public imagination: what will we find on the moon? Will we have a moon colony? Will we have commuter class space travel? What’s next, travelling to another planet? Will computers be sentient?
And lo and behold, they were only about 25 years off with some guesses. And it’s looking more and more likely that the rest are coming down the pipe.
The matrix and Fight club ( both released in 1999 )
The Big Lebowski. I’ve never seen another movie gain so much value over time and rewatches
What makes a man a man?
A pitiful sack of lies!
Okay, Dude, have it your way.
Memento
seen it twice, got nothing new out of it the second time. What am I missing?
The trick is to watch it backwards
I caught new stuff on the 4th viewing. It changed my answer to a pivotal question.
Not much. Nolan’s films are extremely well made, but about as deep as a puddle. What you see is what you get. If you have been paying attention at the start, at the end you can put together the complete puzzle.
And that’s not meant as a dis, it’s extremely difficult to make a film like that. It’s easy to give the audience too much info or too little. But Nolan mostly gets it right.
Also, he tends to give you the answer in the first scene.
Edit: my pet theory for the different perspectives on Nolan films in that a lot of people just don’t retain information for which they don’t have context. So the first time around, they see the stuff that’s out of place, and that requires an explanation, and they just shrug it off. Then, after the reveal, they remember there was stuff that didn’t make sense, but don’t remember exactly what, so they need at least one watch to make sense of it.
On the other hand, others (mostly people trained by watching and reading tons of SF, to be honest) mentally put these observations in a “spare pieces” box and start actively fitting them to their current understanding of the plot. When they get the final puzzle, everything makes sense.
Primer. Gotta watch that one a dozen times and still not understand it fully.
And read essays and visual representations of the timelines and… still not understand it fully
This is the correct answer.
This is the only movie I’ve ever watched twice back-to-back.
I think the point isn’t to sort out all interactions and travels, but rather to convey the feeling that “this has gotten out of hand”. I interpret the confusion to be the intended message.
Everything Everywhere All At Once.
It’s just… really good.
This is a masterpiece for sure!
I love how it makes just enough sense to hold the plot together. It was a lot of fun to watch.
Also, it’s the lead of the class of millennial parental apology fantasy films, one of my favorite genres ;)
Millennial parental apology fantasy… oh man I really love this.
Good movie but how does it require multiple viewings to understand?
Not OP, but to me it’s one where getting to the ending gives you the context/lense to reinterpret the earlier portions. Sorta like memento or fight club, where the ending recontextualizes the earlier scenes.
I had to pause that movie several times on my first watching. Not because it was bad or anything, it was amazing, but because there was so much stuff going on at once. It’s now one of my fave movies to recommend to people
One of my favorite things i caught in a second watch was a simple thing, but i really liked the little touch they did to drive home the different realities they jumped thru. Did you notice the music playing in the car when theyre talking? Its a country version of “absolutely” -madding crowd. It also explains why short round ends up quoting the lyrics when he tries to explain how weird reality has become. It’s not just a funny call out, it fits.
I really liked that little touch. There are many like that, and the film is well worth rewatching to catch them
I didn’t! Definitely gonna give this movie another watch!!
Waking Life.
If you wrap your head around it after the 2nd viewing, you’re doing better than most people.
It took me a few watchings of Akira to really have it all sink in.
Koyaanisqatsi
Visual poetry. Literally. It’s conveying a message, it’s just you have to come up with the dialogue. Beautiful work. The sequels are fantastic as well.
I’ve wanted to see Koyaanisqatsi for a long time and finally put it in my list yesterday. This week or next weekend, can’t wait!
It’s very meditative. I find it kinda more “taxing” in that regard than Baraka. But it won’t be taxing at all if you are like water
L.A. Confidential
There are multiple investigations/cases and multiple character arcs, and it all comes together so beautifully. The Rollo Tomasi reveal is amazing.
I’ve never watched it, taking notes!
Primer
The best time to watch Primer is immediately after watching Primer.
Came here to say this, glad I am not alone.
It really is a great movie. I found this timeline a while back that helps you make sense of it all…
When you first watch Primer you have no idea what’s going on. You need to watch it at least three more time for you to still have no idea what’s going on
Such a great film. Everything unravels so quickly.
Triangle HORROR/BLOOD
I absolutely PROMISE you a fulfilling time, and this is a movie that could be discussed at length for a long time and still have more to say. Please don’t research or you’ll spoil it some, but there’s more than just that. I love this move with EVANGELICAL passion.
Timecrimes on steroids.
Yea, it is a weird one, watched it years ago. Definitely brainfuck potential
One of my favorites. I’ll watch it every two years or so
Deja Vu with Denzel Washington and Jim Cavisal or however you spell it. Terrorist murder mystery with a bit of a look into the past.
Akira. It’s weird and confusing. Goes from cyberpunk eye candy to bizarre metaphysical reality warp real quick.
Also body horror
Titanic. The ending recontextualises everything and I’m still talking about it
can you talk about it some more? i didn’t think this movie was difficult
There are multiple lenses and been through many of them at different points in my life. I really did not like it when it first came out, but then came to understand the romantic fantasy from a young woman’s perspective, and then the class aspects about how the upper classes vampire the vitality, dynamism, and culture of the lower classes to rejuvenate themselves, etc etc.
I’m not sure I would say I even like the movie yet, but I have talked a lot about it with friends and partners over the decades. So I guess it’s a good movie to talk about
Wait… Like the boat sinking?
I really thought they were going to clutch it at the last second tbh
Whoa, spoilers man, c’mon!
Care to elaborate? It’s pretty straight forward to me.
Please see my reply to the unfortunate named user elsewhere in this thread
For me, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Every subsequent watch, I add more to the commentary of “Is he crazy?” and “Is Nurse Ratched evil or just doing her job?”
The Holy Mountain. I suggest just watching it.
