A Subversive Cinephiles 20 Must See Films. (in progress...)
20 of, perhaps, the best films of alltime! Well, my subjective list anyways. Comments Encouraged!!!
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- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsNathaniel BrownPaz de la HuertaCyril RoyAn American drug dealer living in Tokyo is betrayed by his best friend and killed in a drug deal. His soul, observing the repercussions of his death, seeks resurrection.The best film ever made. Our generations 2001, Noe being our Neo-Kubrick. A film shot ENTIRELY in perspective- as in, from the eyes of the main character. Tells the story of Oscar and his sis, who are US ex-pats in Japan. Oscar is a smalltime drug dealer who likes to smoke DMT. His friend gets busted and sets him up. In the raid Oscar is shot and killed...and we travel with him- AS HIM- through death into rebirth according to the Bardo Thodol. It weaves together the connections between the spiritual concepts of DMT, birth, death, Bardo and even the ghost phenomenon. BEFORE WATCHING I reccommend you do 3 things. 1) watch 6 hr Unsolved Mysteries Ghost boxset 2) read the Tibetan Book of the Dead and 3) read Rick Strassman's DMT : The Spirit Molecule. A trip. Pay CLOSE attention to the small details, for maximum enjoyment and appreciation.
- DirectorRaúl RuizStarsGeoffrey CareyJohn Paul Getty IIIJeffrey KimeA small group of well-to-do vacationers go on a hiking trip into the woods. Foolishly unprepared to deal with Mother Nature and their situation, they wander around lost for days and weeks, becoming more and more fatigued, hungry, and desperate. A brief encounter with a pair of epicureans on a bridge fails to garner them any of the gluttons' feast due to a language barrier. Eventually their party begins to die, and the survivors ration their meat among them, attaching a religious-type ritual to its dispensation.Without question the most underrated horror film-if not film- of alltime. An absolute masterpiece on every conceivable level by Raoul Ruiz. It's a travesty this film is not more widely seen and available. The film is an incredibly complex psychological thriller under the ruse of a cannibalism tale. A single viewing will likely render even the most cinematically inclined viewer confused as all hell, but fret not, as those able to interpret the language of cinema who are willing to give it thought and attention...prepare to be blown away. Multiple viewings definitely required.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsFaye DunawayWilliam HoldenPeter FinchA television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit, but finds that his message may be difficult to control.The best film ever written (Paddy Chavaevsky...prob spelled that wrong lol) and brilliantly made (Lumet). As long as TV is a medium this film will be relevant. I'm also a very politicized angry ranter type, so this speaks to me personally. Plus Sidney Lumet is one of my top 5 filmmakers of alltime (Daniel, Power, Strip Search, 12 Angry Men...all must sees). "I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsÉtienne BeckerJean NégroniHélène ChatelainThe story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.I am a total Chris Marker-phile (check my reviews). A master cine-essayist and subversive revolutionary who never shows his face except from behind the camera (only known to be photographed once on the set of Tarkovsky's "The Sacrifice"). The most mysterious, brilliant, prophetic soul in cinema, without question. Oh, and he's possibly a time traveller from the future... Yep, you read correctly. Every film Marker (not his real name, taken from Sharpie...no joke) has made has been a documentary, usually a cine-essay or film as a weapon used to politicize and educate- enter La Jetee- the film which Terry Gilliam based "12 Monkeys" off, and which, arguably,the "Looper" concept is ripped from. Not actually a film, rather, a series of photographs shown in sequence with voiceover. It tells the story of a prisoner used in an experiment, run by an underground society, to send him back in time in order to prevent some event during which he witnesses his own death, as a child. Based on some truth, perhaps?
- DirectorMike JittlovStarsMike JittlovRichard KayePaige MooreA Hollywood filmmaker (Mike Jittlov) makes a short for an evil film studio. Unbeknownest to him, the producer has placed a bet of $25,000 that he won't come up with anything with a use. Luckily, our film creator gets the help of his friends.A Special FX masterpiece and film for film lovers. Mike Jittlov's dream realized. So magical. So fun. So subversive. It's a film that is about making the film we are watching. Written, Directed, Starring...basically made entirely by one SFX master with virtually no budget. MINDBLOWING REAL EFFECTS. No bulls**t CGI, just straight cinematic talent and will. Also the most self-reflexive film, likely, ever written (sorry Hopper), and done brilliantly so. Gives "Network" a run for it's money. Don't die without seeing this, if you are a true cinephile. Fak you Hollywood!
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.Whereas Andrei Rubylov is certainly his most epic film, my favourite Tarkovsky is definitely Stalker in all it's philosophical perfection. I love the conflicting faith based relationship that is cinematically developed between the writer, scientist and stalker- as he leads them through 'the zone'- and the way it ignites the synapses in your brain, forcing you to ponder, resulting in your mind wandering in a million directions. A brilliant and puzzling film.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsBruce SpenceWandjuk MarikaRoy MarikaA geologist employed by an Australian mining company finds himself disputing the rights of some aborigines who believe their land to be sacred.I'm a huge fan as Herzog's documentaries, and admit he's made some pretty epic films with Kinski, but with Indigenous Cultures having a huge influence on me "Where The Green Ants Dream" is without question my favourite of his films. This story told here, of white imperialism leading to what is nothing short of genocide suffered silently, continues to this day all over the world carried out by various capitalist entities- in this case the Aussie Mining Industry's affect on Aboriginal culture. This is a deeply moving tragedy with a hint of humour. Not as epic as some of his other films, but incredibly important in my opinion. Needs to be seen and appreciated more. If you like this also see Boorman's "The Emerald Forest and the work of De Heer.
- DirectorPeter WatkinsStarsPatrick BolandKent ForemanCarmen Argenziano"Punishment Park" is a pseudo-documentary purporting to be a film crews's news coverage of the team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, draft dodgers, and anti-establishment types across the desert in a type of capture the flag game. The soldiers vow not to interfere with the rebels' progress and merely shepherd them along to their destination. At that point, having obtained their goal, they will be released. The film crew's coverage is meant to insure that the military's intentions are honorable. As the representatives of the 60's counter-culture get nearer to passing this arbitrary test, the soldiers become increasingly hostile, attempting to force the hippies out of their pacifist behavior. A lot of this film appears improvised and in several scenes real tempers seem to flare as some of the "acting" got overaggressive. This is a interesting exercise in situational ethics. The cinéma vérité style, hand-held camera, and ambiguous demands of the director - would the actors be able to maintain their roles given the hazing they were taking - pushed some to the brink. The cast's emotions are clearly on the surface. Unfortunately this film has gone completely underground and is next to impossible to find. It would offer a captivating document of the distrust that existed between soldiers willfully serving in the military and those persons who opposed the war peacefully.The most politically subversive film from the world's most politically subversive filmmaker of alltime, Peter Watkins. He's so subversive he's quit making films in protest! Shot in his trademark pseudo-documentary fashion Watkins tells the story of a group of Chicago 10-like left wing political radicals who have been rounded up by the state, subject to interrogation and secret trial, during which they're given an ultimatum- face a sentence where you'll die in prison or punishment park. PP turns out to be a desert facility where the prisoner's are released and told 'you have to make it to there' shortly before an armed contigent is sent to hunt them down with deadly force in a twisted reality tv-like war game. A political Battle Royale, well pre-dating the Jap film, of course...and way better (why BR2 is like it is?). Also see Gladioterna which is similar only between Nation States and War Game which had a WOTW effect when aired on BBC.
- DirectorDalton TrumboStarsTimothy BottomsKathy FieldsMarsha HuntDuring World War I, a patriotic young American is rendered blind, deaf, limbless, and mute by a horrific artillery shell attack. Trapped in what's left of his body, he desperately looks for a way to end his life.JGHG is a fantastical film depicting the absolutely horrific reality of a soldier who has returned from WWI as a comatose- but fully aware- torso, that is being kept alive- by the medical establishment at the behest of the political elite- as a sort of medical experiment. The film cuts back and forth between reality- in which we hear the thoughts of a traumatized man narrating in voiceover, as he's unable to audibly communicate- and the fantasy world with which he escapes to, in a sort of outer body experience, internally in his mind. Evident from things like the painting above his bed becoming the scenery of his fantasy world. But it's importance lies in the political message, as Joe constantly questions why they are doing this to him- ignorant he's even aware- and what got him there in the first place- war. Written and directed by Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten, blacklisted during the HUAC Trials, this a deeply moving and powerfully subversive masterpiece.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.Arguably the best film ever made and one of the few films that made me fall in love with cinema. Sure, many give this credit to CK, largely for standardizing innovative new cinematic conventions, but no film has had a collective effect on the human psyche as has 2001 (and I don't even think CK is Welles' best film!). It is the closest film to approach cinematic mythology perfection. The story of humanity collaborated on by two of the world's greatest visionaries with some of the most innovative, thought provoking and awe inspiring special effects ever to grace the silver screen. And it even spawned a conspiracy- that Kubrick directed the so-called 'moon landing hoax'- which, like the film, has permeated our consciousness to this day. Should be higher on the list, but the other films have had a more subjective influence on me personally. See also, Tarkovsky's "Solaris".
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsAnthony PerkinsArnoldo FoàJess HahnAn unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.Sorry "Citizen Kane", but if you ask me Orson Welles' best film is his masterpiece of dystopian paranoia and oppression- The Trial. Of all the cinematic adaptations of the work of Franz Kafka, this film does the best job of recreating the disturbing bizarreness of what has come to be known as a 'Kafkaesque' atmosphere. In the film, Joseph awakes to a police raid- the reasons unbeknownst to him. As he's thrust into the legal system, he struggles to comprehend the rationality of it's function and expectations of him. The deeper he gets, the more bizarre and confusing things become. The style and atmosphere Welles' has created reflects perfectly the dark and disturbing content of the tale. The imagery stunning, the content cryptic, a film that fu**s with your head, like a beautiful nightmare. If you dig this film, definitely check out the 2011 french film called "Carre Blanc".
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsEddie ConstantineAnna KarinaAkim TamiroffA U.S. secret agent is sent to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a missing person and free the city from its tyrannical ruler.There was Brave New World, there was 1984, and then there was Alphaville. Godard's brilliant minimalist sci-fi gem, where a US Spy has been sent to this Alphaville (he drives through space to get there haha) place to find a missing person. His meddling puts him in the situation where he finds himself fighting against a fascist force that has sedated the masses into living a loveless, emotionless reality based on a vulcanesque rationalism. He investigates, and discovers things are being manipulated by some sophisticated supercomputer, and thus takes it upon himself to smash the machine and free the people from their Huxleian reality. A complex, thoughtprovoking, and humourously subversive look at modern societies bleak ultra-rationality. Just as relevant today as Orwell or Huxley, even if it is a comedic take on the two dystopian tales!