Well, this is some pretty low-hanging fruit, so why not?
It’s impossible for me to choose just one, so I tried to narrow it down to 5 from (fairly) different genres. My favorites today are:
- Scott Pilgrim vs the World
- Inglorious Basterds
- The End of Evangelion
- Ghost in the Shell
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I’m a sucker for cyberpunk, existential crises, slow pans and quick dialog. Do I have shit taste (probably)? What are all your favorites?
I really like movies! There are a lot of great ones I recognize in this thread, a lot I have yet to watch. Scott Pilgrim, Inglorious Basterds and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are some of my favorites too. I still need to see Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell, though I don’t watch a lot of anime so my anime backlog fills up fast haha. Here are some of my favorites:
- Everything, Everywhere, All At Once: I know this is such a basic choice but I can’t help it, this movie hits me like nothing else. It’s been a year and a couple rewatches yet it can still make me cry if I think about it too hard.
- Xanadu: Modern-day Greek muses in neon and legwarmers, an animated sequence by Don Bluth, absolutely baffling interactions, Gene Kelly in roller skates, a guy jumping into a mural and arguing with Zeus, dated but visually great special effects, outrageous costumes, a soundtrack by Electric Light Orchestra… Just pure fun. Also I don’t think there’s ever been a movie this easy to pinpoint the exact year it came out.
- Summit of the Gods: Strikingly unique and gorgeous atmosphere, with subtle but powerful plot and dialogue that make it feel whole. I don’t know how it manages to wrap so much awe and intensity (with a touch of intrigue) together in a way that makes it feel as meditative as it does, but it strikes that balance perfectly and ends up as one of those movies I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching.
- Dial M for Murder: It’s a pretty simple Hitchcock thriller, what makes it stand out is the perfect execution. Not one to watch more than once or twice but I still remember how gripping it was the first time I saw it - it’s just totally engrossing.
- Tron: Legacy: Plot and characters are iffy but as a feature-length Daft Punk music video it’s amazing. The world feels so internally consistent in its otherworldliness, it completely transports you if you let it. Nothing quite like it.
Tenet (2020). It’s the coolest movie I’ve watched so far.
I mean those forward and backward time is just really cool. There’s one scene where the protagonist have to walk and then drive a car backwards down the highway road.
For an out there take relative to my age, I really enjoyed the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success. I especially liked the quote:
It’s just such a fun inversion of “cat’s out of the bag” that it really stuck with me. (I believe it got an homage in Breaking Bad?)
In general, the whole movie is filled with pithy remarks while all parties involved are horrible people. It’s fantastic.
I haven’t watched a lot of movies but my favourite non-anime movie are 2001: A Space Odyssey and Arrival (2016). I don’t particularly enjoy romantic elements and I like sci-fi so these movies fit my preferences perfectly.
The greatest story never told
Europa the last battle
The triumph of the Will
