From: alfa@b23a.b23a.ingr.com (Laura Walker)
Subject: SUGGESTIONS for WEIRD MOVIES - Embellished
Organization: Intergraph
Distribution: rec
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 21:04:17 GMT


Good, weird movies are my favorite hobby!

I'll go a bit further -- adding to the list and including a brief synopsis
of those films I've seen.  I'd love for others to add in director's & actor's
names wherever possible.

1984
haven't seen it ~yet~

The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.
haven't seen it.

Alphaville
haven't seen it.

A Clockwork Orange
Disturbing, violent, sexual (but not entirely sensual). 

After Hours
A fun movie -  whore house operated out of morgue

Apocalypse Now
One of the most powerful movies I've ever seen. My favorite of
the vietnam war genre.

The Bad Seed (b&w)
At one time, a evil, vengeful child was unimaginable (alas, no more).  This
movie was way ahead of its time.

Bambi Meets Godzilla
haven't seen it.

Barfly
Mickie Rourke makes for the perfect alcoholic bum. I've forgotten the actress'
name (she was in Eyes of Laura Mars, The Champ), but she's great.  What a
pair: pathetic, disgusting. Strongly recommended.

Barton Fink
Excellent pyrotechnic ending.  John Goodman my favorite in this.
Barton whined a bit too much for me.  Appreciated the writer's-block
theme, lack of confidence, tension.

Bagdad Cafe
Mellow but thoroughly enjoyable film about a hefty german woman
ditched by her husband in the desert, where she experiences a 
sexual awakening

Beetlejuice
Winona Ryder's coming out.   She's wonderful ("my life is one big dark
room").  Michael Keaton annoyed me, but watching Catherine ??? (forgot her
last name) is worth suffering through him. The interior decorator is pretty
amusing and Geena Davis & thatcuteguywithallthosecutebrothers (forgot his name)
play the straight, boring, anal retentive ghosts extremely well.  Also
decent fx.

Blade Runner
_The_ Cyberpunk Movie.  

Blue Velvet
A David Lynch movie. Dennis Hopper has never been better. 
Superlative performances by Laura Dern & Isabella Rosellini. Amazing 
introduction of Kyle McLallahan(sp?) -- of Twin Peaks fame.  Twistedly
comical.  The best of black comedy.  A must see.

Blood Simple
Slick murder-mystery/suspense/weird movie.  I think this is a Coen Brother's
film (anyone?).  I've only seen it once but enjoyed it immensely. I plan to 
see it a few more times to pick up on all the subtleties.

Brave New World
haven't seen it.

Brazil
Don't really remember much except that it fits the bill: weird.

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
Peter Greenaway film (I've been told anything by him is strongly recommended).  
Melancholy & sickening portrayal of man's vices.
Simple good vs. evil theme but complex illustration of such.  The only
movie that could possibly make cannibalism entertaining.

Comfort and Joy
haven't seen it.

Delicatessen
haven't seen it.

Dracula
Actually the latest (from Copolla) is one of many, many films about 
Dracula.  This could have been an incredible film.  The sets were
beautiful. The choice of actors was quite good, except Copolla must
have misdirected them because (except for Gary Oldman & Anthony Hopkins),
they were all stiff and that stupid feigned british accent was so obvious
I never became "engaged" in the film.  I'm a big Winona Ryder fan and 
think Keanu can hold his own. But honestly, they both sucked in this one.
Only see this one if you promise to watch Nosferatu for comparison.
You might as well throw in Andy Warhol's Dracula for good measure.
(and The Lost Boys, see below).

Dune
David Lynch.  I've heard the 6-hour long version is tolerable.  But the
short (2.5 hour) version sucked bad eggs. Still, if you want to become
a Lynch-savvy, a must-see.

Eating Raoul
haven't seen it.

Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton (Batman).  Ten times better than the Batman movies could
ever be.  Winona (get rid of the wig) Ryder, Johnny Depp, Diane Weist.  
A touching, bittersweet movie.  I lived in Tampa while the film was
being made and was able to visit the sets & drove to the castle (which looked
completely different than in the movie).  

El Topo
haven't seen it.

Eraserhead (b&w)
Another David Lynch (early - I think he made it when in film school or something
like that).  The most claustrophobic movie I've ever seen.

Fahrenheit 451
haven't seen it.

The Grifters
Anjelica Houston is evil!  I thought it was pretty boring until the 
very end. 

Harold and Maude
Ruth Gordon is a delightful, free-spirited older woman who so enthralls a
young, morbidly unhopeful young man that she changes his life by teaching
him to love - life and her.  One of the few movies that -- all by itself --
makes me happy to be human. 

Heathers
Absolutely, positively my favorite film of all time. Wynona is great.
I won't say anything more & let it be a completely pleasant surprise.

Holy Mountain
didn't see it.

Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (b&w)
A classic. Agnes Moorehead (sam's mom on bewitched) is unforgettable &
mostly unrecognizable.  Good plot twists, wonderfuly directed & acted.

Hyunsuk Seung
By now I hope you all realize this is not a film.  Hyunsuk - you've had
your fifteen minutes of infamy!

Kafka
Haven't seen it yet but can't wait!  

LA Story
This one just barely makes it into the category.  It's mostly hollywood
schmaltz with just a tiny little bit of originality kept in.

The Lost Boys
A vampire movie. Excellent soundtrack. Keifer Sutherland's best movie.
Diane Weist is terrific. Another of my very favorites.  The choice between
remaining human or becoming a creature of the night is a tough one here.

Mad Max (et al)
Survival in the post-apocalyptic world. I much prefer Mel Gibson in
these than those nimble-minded Lethal Weapon movies.  See 'em in order.
Especially see the first one first. OK, most videos available are junk
(bad sound, bad picture, etc.) but you really need to see it to put
everything in context.

The Man who Fell to Earth
haven't seen it.

Mermaids
I like this one.  Only a little bit off-beat but entertaining and hey,
Wynona's in it.

Miller's Crossing
Same genre but better than (shoot I forgot the name of this one - you know, 
the one with DeNiro, Pesci, etc. with the Eric Clapton tune).  
Why? Because it relied less on those cheap but powerful ploys that 
have been done time and time again and focused more on the emotion 
(and lack thereof) of the characters. My first Coen brothers' 
film & it got me hooked.

Naked Lunch
David Cronenberg.
I know a great many rec.arts.movies.folks loved this one but I had a hard
time with it.  Someday I'll try again.

Night on Earth
Several years ago I saw the movie Midnight Train at Tampa Theater (the most
incredible theater to watch movies like these).  A really great film -
three parallel storylines revolving around a few days in Memphis.  My favorite
was the young Japanese couple having come for the honeymoon to see Elvis.
And so I can't wait to see this new film by the same director (forgot his
name).  However, I'm having a really hard time finding it (help anyone?).
(btw, I DO NOT, WILL NOT shop at Blockbusters).

Poison 
haven't seen it.

Privilege
haven't seen it.

Raising Arizona
A Coen Brothers film.  Nick Cage is incredible.  John Goodman. 
A frollicking story about a well-suited weird couple that steals one of
the local rich family's several newborns.  It gets better every time you
seen it.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
nonsensical, hysterical, incredible. Tim Curry is delicious as the
Transylvanian Transvestite.  

Rear Window
I suspect a lot of folks forget that Hitchcock is the master of weird.
The art of filmmaking has significantly evolved since his time and there
may, then, be more slick productions to choose from.  But I shall 
always assert that to truly enjoy this weird movie genre, one must watch
at least Rear Window, The Birds, and Psycho to consider oneself educated.
This one's my favorite Hitchcock. The plot is very good; the pitch is
heightened anxiety throughout with a heart-thumping climax. And Jimmy
Stewart & Grace Kelly are terrific.

Repo Man
haven't seen it.

Rumble (sp??) Fish from Coppola...
haven't seen it.

Santa Sangre
haven't seen it.

Shakes the Clown
haven't seen it.

Slackers
haven't seen it.

Stranger than Paradise
haven't seen it.

Swimming to Cambodia
haven't seen it.

Torch Song Trilogy
Even if you've never heard of Harvey Fierstein you'll enjoy this movie.
(CAUTION: this movie not intended for those that cannot tolerate 
homosexuality).  A touching movie. I'm in love with Matthew
Broderick for having the courage to do this movie. 

Whatever happened to Baby Jane? (b&w)
Bette Davis & Joan Crawford in a weird one; a true classic

Wild At Heart
David Lynch's next-to-last big one. With Laura Dern & Nick Cage.  
On-the-road type film.  Cage is wonderful, as usual.

Someone called the following "classics", but to me they're just barely
tolerable descents into silly sexual fantasy vehicles. 
(Shampoo was Divine's last film.)
  Female Trouble
  Pink Flamingos (the most sexually deviant)
  Shampoo
  Cry Baby (the most sexually mild)


I REALLY LIKE THIS THREAD. PLEASE KEEP IT UP!


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