Movie recommendations

One that I have watched and can recommend without hesitation is Chungking Express. And it's recommended to watch it twice in order to "get" it btw.
 
There's one that I would recommend if you haven't watched it already especially for the Holiday Season. Actually, I've watched it on Peacock several times because it's simply a fun movie and I love Melissa McCarthy. The whole family can watch it.

Genie Trailer #1 (2023)

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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I highly recommend an old Indian movie called Awaara otherwise known as The Vagabond. It is from the early 1950s and is about class warfare. A young crook finds out he is the son of a powerful and influential man who threw out his mother before he was even born. He then seeks revenge. Starring Raj Kapoor.

en.wikipedia.org

Awaara - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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A Walk in the Woods - Robert Redford, Nick Nolte. Not a riveting story, but entertaining. A look at how people deal with aging.

Second Hand Lions - Robert Duvall, Michael Caine. Feel good, quirky. Kyra Sedgwick and Haley Osmond are in it as well.

And a darkish mystery that I've watched a couple of times - In the Electric Mist. Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman.

I'd rewatch this movie if I could find it - Dead Again - Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. A british mystery.
 
To me, this is prime romcom season, so here are a few that I absolutely love.

This is kind of a golden oldie from 2006, one that I rewatch every year at this time: "The Holiday," starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law. To me it's everything a romcom should be.

Going back a really, REALLY long time, if you can find it, I would recommend "Vacation from Marriage," a 1945 black and white film starring Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr -- with a very, very young Glynis Johns in a supporting role. It also has an alternate title, "Perfect Strangers" (not sure why), so if you can't find it under one, you can try the other. I know it's been on TCM a few times. I happen to have it on DVD.

One more: "Desk Set," a 1957 romantic comedy starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It's one of their lesser-known movies, but I loved it. Their chemistry is off the charts.
 
pat c said:
A Walk in the Woods - Robert Redford, Nick Nolte. Not a riveting story, but entertaining. A look at how people deal with aging.

Second Hand Lions - Robert Duvall, Michael Caine. Feel good, quirky. Kyra Sedgwick and Haley Osmond are in it as well.

And a darkish mystery that I've watched a couple of times - In the Electric Mist. Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman.

I'd rewatch this movie if I could find it - Dead Again - Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. A british mystery.
Click to expand...

vgerdes said:
To me, this is prime romcom season, so here are a few that I absolutely love.

This is kind of a golden oldie from 2006, one that I rewatch every year at this time: "The Holiday," starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law. To me it's everything a romcom should be.

Going back a really, REALLY long time, if you can find it, I would recommend "Vacation from Marriage," a 1945 black and white film starring Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr -- with a very, very young Glynis Johns in a supporting role. It also has an alternate title, "Perfect Strangers" (not sure why), so if you can't find it under one, you can try the other. I know it's been on TCM a few times. I happen to have it on DVD.

One more: "Desk Set," a 1957 romantic comedy starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It's one of their lesser-known movies, but I loved it. Their chemistry is off the charts.
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All of these plus one more - A Simple Twist of Fate - Steve Martin, Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Catherine O'Hara
 
Pride - British film in the same vein as The Full Monty. About a group of gay activists who raise money for the Welsh miners during the mining strikes in the 80s. Based on a true story.
 
pat c said:
A Walk in the Woods - Robert Redford, Nick Nolte. Not a riveting story, but entertaining. A look at how people deal with aging.

Second Hand Lions - Robert Duvall, Michael Caine. Feel good, quirky. Kyra Sedgwick and Haley Osmond are in it as well.

And a darkish mystery that I've watched a couple of times - In the Electric Mist. Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman.

I'd rewatch this movie if I could find it - Dead Again - Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. A british mystery.
Click to expand...
I see "Dead Again" on every once in a while. Not supposed to be British as it takes place in Los Angeles. Also has Andy Garcia, Jo Anderson, Robin Williams, and my favorite - sir Derek Jacobi.
 
Three that I watch every time they are on -

Local Hero - Peter Regeirt, Burt Lancaster
World of Henry Orient - Peter Sellers, Angela Lansbury, Tom Bosley, mostly in supporting roles.
Best Years of Our Lives - Everyone should know it but lots of people don't. 7 oscars, including best picture.

Oh, and for Christmas - Scrooge, A Christmas Carol - 1951 version with Alistair Sim. The best version in my opinion.
 
A.H.Black said:
Three that I watch every time they are on -

Local Hero - Peter Regeirt, Burt Lancaster
World of Henry Orient - Peter Sellers, Angela Lansbury, Tom Bosley, mostly in supporting roles.
Best Years of Our Lives - Everyone should know it but lots of people don't. 7 oscars, including best picture.

Oh, and for Christmas - Scrooge, A Christmas Carol - 1951 version with Alistair Sim. The best version in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Oh my God a Local Hero fan!! I adore that film. When I first saw it I wanted to move to that village with all of those quirky, wonderful people. It is on Tubi now.

About Dead Again: It is showing for free on Pluto.
 
Cachoo said:
Oh my God a Local Hero fan!! I adore that film. When I first saw it I wanted to move to that village with all of those quirky, wonderful people. It is on Tubi now.

About Dead Again: It is showing for free on Pluto.
Click to expand...
I think I start giggling when they pick up the rabbit.
 
BTW, if people loved RRR, then I recommend(...?) Bahubali, which has two parts, made by the same director. Reason being that I'd actually watched both of those (they're memed a million times over by film lovers on reddit/twitter lol), and I felt deja vu watching RRR. I think partly RRR blew up because it must have felt novel to people who didn't watch this director's work before.

Strong warning that they are over the top and epic in the same way, so don't go in expecting some amazingly deep art.
 
A.H.Black said:
I think I start giggling when they pick up the rabbit.
Click to expand...
Well it’s just the silly little things: Peter Capaldi’s character has a facility for languages but they are in the UK, Gordon turning up all over the place and then Mac asking about the baby in the stroller. This quiet town but crossing the street can be dangerous. And then a Russian… And of course that soundtrack…

What I love is if they were going to do it the standard “Hollywood” way Mac would go to the village, fall in love and turn against his employer. And the village would rally against evil Knox. And none of that happens. So unpredictable, so good.
 
The U.S. national film registry “inducted” several new films yesterday, from old Buster Keaton to No Country for Old Men. My heart surged when they chose Dirty Dancing, if there is a film more beloved by two generations of American women I don’t know what it is.

newsroom.loc.gov

25 Films Named to National Film Registry for Preservation

Twenty-five films have been selected for the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2024 due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.
newsroom.loc.gov newsroom.loc.gov
 
A few of my all-time favorites that haven't been mentioned here:

"Lethal Weapon" (1987). The original was definitely the best for this franchise. None of the others lived up to the first. This was Mel Gibson at his peak. Martin Riggs was TORTURED by grief, and you could really feel it, in between all the wisecracks and the unhinged behavior.

"The Secret Garden" -- the 1993 version, with Dame Maggie Smith as Mrs. Medlock. Excellent, in every aspect. I can't say enough about this one. It should have won all the awards, IMO.

"LA Confidential" (1997) with Guy Pierce, Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger. Another movie that I can't say enough about. It was just so GOOD. (More than a bit bloody/violent though, for those who are disturbed by that sort of thing. Really high body count. The R rating was definitely earned.)

"Pleasantville" (1998) with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. Some really strong acting, and a powerful message (more than one, actually) for a movie that's supposed to be a comedy.

Guilty pleasure: "Queen of the Damned" (2002). I thought Stuart Townsend made an infinitely hotter Lestat de Lioncourt than Tom Cruise. Vampire movies in general are my biggest guilty pleasure, and I enjoyed this one overall even though there were a few missteps.

One more: "Warm Bodies" (2013). For all that I am a vampire movie-holic, I normally loathe zombie movies. This one was fantastic from start to finish. Loved everything about it. What's not to love about a zombie romance? LOL.
 
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PRlady said:
The U.S. national film registry “inducted” several new films yesterday, from old Buster Keaton to No Country for Old Men. My heart surged when they chose Dirty Dancing, if there is a film more beloved by two generations of American women I don’t know what it is.

newsroom.loc.gov

25 Films Named to National Film Registry for Preservation

Twenty-five films have been selected for the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2024 due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.
newsroom.loc.gov newsroom.loc.gov
Click to expand...
The story mentions that TCM will air a selection of the films tonight. The ones they're airing are The Pride of the Yankees, Powwow Highway, Uptown Saturday Night, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, and Invaders from Mars. (See https://www.tcm.com/schedule.)
 
vgerdes said:
A few of my all-time favorites that haven't been mentioned here:

"Lethal Weapon" (1987). The original was definitely the best for this franchise. None of the others lived up to the first. This was Mel Gibson at his peak. Martin Riggs was TORTURED by grief, and you could really feel it, in between all the wisecracks and the unhinged behavior.

"The Secret Garden" -- the 1993 version, with Dame Maggie Smith as Mrs. Medlock. Excellent, in every aspect. I can't say enough about this one. It should have won all the awards, IMO.

"LA Confidential" (1997) with Guy Pierce, Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger. Another movie that I can't say enough about. It was just so GOOD. (More than a bit bloody/violent though, for those who are disturbed by that sort of thing. Really high body count. The R rating was definitely earned.)

"Pleasantville" (1998) with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. Some really strong acting, and a powerful message (more than one, actually) for a movie that's supposed to be a comedy.

Guilty pleasure: "Queen of the Damned" (2002). I thought Stuart Townsend made an infinitely hotter Lestat de Lioncourt than Tom Cruise. Vampire movies in general are my biggest guilty pleasure, and I enjoyed this one overall even though there were a few missteps.
Click to expand...

I think "Pleasantville" is one of the best films of that decade and it so aptly gets the message across in a funny, non-preachy way. I think it is even more relevant now that Trump has been elected and we see certain groups trying to force their way of life and their beliefs down our throats.
 
Cachoo said:
I think "Pleasantville" is one of the best films of that decade and it so aptly gets the message across in a funny, non-preachy way. I think it is even more relevant now that Trump has been elected and we see certain groups trying to force their way of life and their beliefs down our throats.
Click to expand...

Yes. I rewatched it recently and was struck by how culturally relevant it remains to this day. It packs a punch that you don't necessarily see coming.
 
If you are looking for something holiday but NOT schmaltzy holiday (AND IF YOU CAN FIND IT) then try "200 Cigarettes": Quite the cast and quite the soundtrack. It was made in 1999 and set in 1981. https://youtu.be/TaffAlnyOWQ?si=oeEWv88bcJvNyHuJ "200 Cigarettes"

Another film set around the holidays but not technically a holiday film is "Some Girls" starring Jennifer Connelly and Patrick Dempsey made in 1988. Dempsey is a college student who travels to Quebec City to spend the holidays with his girlfriend's family in their house (which sometimes looks like something out of Authorian legend.) The film is lighthearted but not predictable and zigs and zags in ways I did not anticipate. It is currently on TUBI.

Adam Elliot is on every awards list for "Memoirs of a Snail" but his earlier offering "Mary and Max" is heartfelt delight and a true story. Mary is 8 and an Aussie, Max is 44 and a shy NYC resident with Asperger's Syndrome. Their letters are honest and funny and sometimes sad. Toni Collette and Phillip Seymour Hoffman voice Mary and Max and Barry Humphries is the narrator. A real treasure: https://youtu.be/p1W_mpSydYI?si=C7WTsXd53EH1-O2g

And if it can ever be found: A German director and a meditation about people in their element in winter in Northern Japan called "Under The Snow": Stunning. https://youtu.be/X7uDK44i3H4?si=51yvjNleB0uzSVlq
 
PRlady said:
The U.S. national film registry “inducted” several new films yesterday, from old Buster Keaton to No Country for Old Men. My heart surged when they chose Dirty Dancing, if there is a film more beloved by two generations of American women I don’t know what it is.

newsroom.loc.gov

25 Films Named to National Film Registry for Preservation

Twenty-five films have been selected for the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2024 due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.
newsroom.loc.gov newsroom.loc.gov
Click to expand...
Thanks for the list. I always liked "Pride of the Yankees", however, the real standout for me is "Miracle Worker". It certainly deserved all the accolades it received.
 
Frozen River, with Melissa Leo and an indigenous actress. Wonderful film.

And going way back in time, Reuben, Reuben, with Tom Conti. Another wonderful little film.
 
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