~ Movie Recommendations Please! ~

[Comrade J]

Ok, I realise we already have a thread on movie recommendations, but that seems to be exclusively for leftist films. Whilst I obviously don't wanna watch right-wing films, I am content to watch films that are fairly neutral as well, plus I didn't wanna hog that thread with my recommendations.

I've become a real cinemaholic recently, I can't get enough of films. Problem is I'm quite fussy about what I like, I tend not to like Hollywood kinda shit, or stuff that is aimed at a massive audience. I like independent, thoughtful films, and non-English language films. However, I don't like films that are too obscure and abstract, like David Lynch stuff for example. Note that I'm not asking for specifically communist films, just good, well-directed, well-acted films that have something special about them.

I was hoping that some of you could recommend films to me and others, that fit in with the above description. Here are some films I love, and recommend everybody watch! If you've seen and enjoyed some of these films, let me know others I might like. :)

Un Prophete - Just a phenomenal movie, easily in my top 5 of all time. It's a French fim about a young Arab French guy with no money, friends etc. who goes to prison. There, he is taken under the wing of a Corsican mafia boss who treats him like shit, but he has a plan... can't say more without spoiling it, just watch it.

Edukators
Never seen a bad German film, this is one of the best. About leftists who break into rich peoples' homes, pile up all their shit whilst they are away and leave them a note saying "Your days of plenty are numbered". However, one night it all goes wrong...

Goodbye Lenin
Surely everyone has seen this? Basically, Socialist woman falls into a coma in Berlin, meanwhile Germany reunites, she wakes up and doctor says dont let her get shocked. Her son and his friend have to somehow make it seem like East Germany still exists, hilarity ensues!

Animal Kingdom
If you like Un Prophet, Goodfellas or Mesrine, then this is kinda in the same group. It's an Australian movie about a guy whose mother dies of a heroin overdose, so he has to go live with his grandmother and uncles, who are part of a huge crime syndicate. But it's not really the life for him.

The Wave (Die Welle)
Another brilliant bit of German cinema - an anarchist high school teacher is forced to teach that year's class on authoritarianism, against his wishes. So he decides to create an experiment, creating a social group of conforming students to try show to them how even in modern Germany, people are supsceptible to authoritarianism. Shit gets outta hand....

The Return
Russian movie about 2 boys whose father returns all of a sudden, after 12 years. He is a cold and cruel man, and he takes them on a long trip, where they don't even know where they're going. Kinda bleak at times, but holds you in.

Land and Freedom
Ken Loach's best film. About a Communist from Liverpool who goes to fight in Spain alongside the anarchists in the Civil War. Lots of ad-libbing in this film, it feels very natural and realistic. One of the few movies to make me cry.

Rescue Dawn
Werner Herzog directed it, so obviously it was always gonna be good. It's about a US Airforce pilot, a German guy, who gets shot down and captured in Laos during the Vietnam war. It's based on a documentary that Herzog made with him previously, where he told his story as they walked through the jungle (Little Dieter Needs to Fly)

Encounters at the End of the World
Werner Herzog documentary, and definitely my favourite. He goes to a research station in the Antarctic, and its about the weird things there, and the odd, eccentric characters who are attracted to that sort of place.

Armadillo
Afghan War documentary about Danish ISAF forces, filmed over 6 months in Helmand. Really shows what a futile, bleak and frightening war it is, and how opposed the civilians are to their presence. Even better than Restrepo btw, which is the Afghan war doc everyone talks about.

Four Lions
Greatest comedy movie of all time. About Islamic extremists in Sheffield, England plotting to blow something up. By Chris Morris who did Brasseye.


I also like Amores Perros, Frost/Nixon, Mesrine, Of Gods and Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Motorcycle Diaries, Baader-Meinhoff Komplex, Moon, Gran Torino, Midnight Run, and probably many more, but this has gone on long enough!

Please respond if you like any of these films, want to know where to get them or more details, have any good recommendations yourself etc!

[brigadista]

battle of algiers

flame and citroen

army of the shadows

[Comrade J]

Thanks Brigadista, I am just getting Army of Shadows now, sounds really cool. When I was a teenager I would read a lot about the French Resistance, my favourite was called "Soldier into Spy" by Roland... somebody. Excellent memoir for people wanting to learn about the resistance.

Any more thoughts, recommendations and feedback would be good from all you thread lurkers!

Also does anybody like the UK film critic Mark Kermode? He was a Trotskyist back in the day, though not anymore, just a sort of leftie old Labour type I think.

[Omsk]

Surely everyone has seen this? Basically, Socialist woman falls into a coma in Berlin, meanwhile Germany reunites, she wakes up and doctor says dont let her get shocked. Her son and his friend have to somehow make it seem like East Germany still exists, hilarity ensues!

It's actually not bad,and not western indoctrination,I can say its quite Ostalgic.This can be seen in many examples in the film,for instance,their both hard and happy childhood,the love between a Soviet student girl and an Ossie.(student exchange programs) the normal life in the GDR (not quite the Stasi land the west wants to promote.)

[Arlekino]

ComradeJ
Would you enjoy to watch Soviet Films? I posted few try them also is not necessary can be political some good stories specially about collective farms in Soviet Union.
ComradeErich
Could I ask do you remember Dean Reed he was singer from USA but he lived in GDR, his acting films was good EL Norte made about Pinocheto regime. Oh dear when I was young I could not take my eyes from tv screan when he was on tv. :)

[Aspiring Humanist]

The Baader-Meinhof Complex - The story of the Red Army Faction urban guerrilla group in West Berlin during the 70s. It is heavy sympathetic to the RAF, and at times their exploits/character seems exaggerated, but it is a very good film

[Spawn of Stalin]

I'd probably disagree that it was heavily sympathetic to the RAF. I mean watching the film it was pretty clear that in the filmmaker's eyes, their cause was a just one, but it basically portrayed them as a bunch of frustrated misfits who liked to have sex and blow stuff up.

Great movie in my opinion, but not a great testament to the RAF.

[Os Cangaceiros]

"What To Do In Case Of Fire", if you liked The Edukators.

[Rooster]

Well... you might like Werner Herzog. Kinda independent, cultish and his films are mostly in German. Some of his films are a bit hard to appreciate though but I'll give you a quick run down of some of his more accessible ones:

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aguirre,_the_Wrath_of_God) which stars Kinski as a conquistador trying to find the City of Gold I think. It's a real good film and Kinski's performance is just great. You can see where films like Predator get a lot of influence from.

Stroszek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroszek) is about a German street musician who moves to America with his prostitute girl friend to live out the American dream, but it doesn't go out quite as well as they hoped.

Woyzeck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woyzeck_%281979_film%29) is about a turn of the last century (I think) German solider who gets traumatised by the regime.

Fitzcarraldo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzcarraldo) is probably his most famous. It's about a man who plans to get a boat from one river in the Amazon jungle to another by dragging it over a hill.

You can also try out Ingmar Bergman, the famous Swedish director. He did the Seventh Seal which is, I think, an excellent film. It's the one with the knight playing chess on a beach with the Grim Reaper. But most of his other films are also pretty entertaining.

I can probably add to this list. Most of these ones are pretty old and I don't often watch contemporary films. I've only just recently broken from my habit of watching old silent films. But if I think of any modern ones then I'll post them.

[Comrade J]

The Baader-Meinhof Complex - The story of the Red Army Faction urban guerrilla group in West Berlin during the 70s. It is heavy sympathetic to the RAF, and at times their exploits/character seems exaggerated, but it is a very good film

Great film, I think I already mentioned I'd seen it. I thought it sort of dragged in places though, but the overall story was interesting.


Well... you might like Werner Herzog. Kinda independent, cultish and his films are mostly in German. Some of his films are a bit hard to appreciate though but I'll give you a quick run down of some of his more accessible ones:

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aguirre,_the_Wrath_of_God) which stars Kinski as a conquistador trying to find the City of Gold I think. It's a real good film and Kinski's performance is just great. You can see where films like Predator get a lot of influence from.

Stroszek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroszek) is about a German street musician who moves to America with his prostitute girl friend to live out the American dream, but it doesn't go out quite as well as they hoped.

Woyzeck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woyzeck_%281979_film%29) is about a turn of the last century (I think) German solider who gets traumatised by the regime.

Fitzcarraldo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzcarraldo) is probably his most famous. It's about a man who plans to get a boat from one river in the Amazon jungle to another by dragging it over a hill.

Thanks, yeah I do like Werner Herzog, which is why 2 of his films were in my list.


ComradeJ
Would you enjoy to watch Soviet Films? I posted few try them also is not necessary can be political some good stories specially about collective farms in Soviet Union.
ComradeErich
Could I ask do you remember Dean Reed he was singer from USA but he lived in GDR, his acting films was good EL Norte made about Pinocheto regime. Oh dear when I was young I could not take my eyes from tv screan when he was on tv. :)

Yeah sure! As long as I can get English subtitles haha! I have seen a couple, like 'Come and See' which is excellent imo.


"What To Do In Case Of Fire", if you liked The Edukators.

Thanks, just looked that up and it sounds great, I will get it tomorrow.

Also I recommend everyone watch Army of Shadows, a brutal and realistic account of some members of the French Resistance, which brigadista recommended. I'm halfway through it and it's incredible, I can't believe it's from 1969! It feels really modern, I think in part thanks to the fact it doesn't really have extra music added to it like most films from that period, which I'm really pleased about.

[Johnny Kerosene]

The Field
Not really that leftist, but it has some anti-greed elements and whatnot. It's about a guy in 1930's Ireland who wants to buy the field that he's worked for almost his entire life, and then some rich American show's up and tries to buy it.

[Sir Comradical]

Land and Freedom
Ken Loach's best film. About a Communist from Liverpool who goes to fight in Spain alongside the anarchists in the Civil War. Lots of ad-libbing in this film, it feels very natural and realistic. One of the few movies to make me cry.

I put 'Wind that Shakes the Barley' far above 'Land and Freedom'.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Just rent (don't buy - its hella expensive) something put out by Criterion if you're not sure what to watch. About 80% of the movies they release are interesting, maybe 50% are good and 40% are absolutely classic and amazing... good odds when it comes to movies IMO. Just stay away from "Armageddon" if you don't like Hollywood movies (or if you like Hollywood movies but don't like shit) and "El Topo" if you you think David Lynch is weird.

"Wages of Fear" - the original Clouzot one - fantastic cinematic suspense with a very light and peripheral social commentary about oil companies, the displacement of people in the drive to secure resources, and how companies don't give a shit about or safety. But really a class film that's a better (and earlier) version of "Speed" - except these guys have to drive realllly slowly or else they'll explode. Art-house foreign-film and explosions!

"Battle of Algiers"

"Sullivan's Travels"

[praxis1966]

You could just use the search function to find all of my posts in this subforum. After all, my movie taste brings all the boys to the yard, damn right it's better than yours...;):lol:

Anyway, since I can't be bothered to write up a whole new list, I'll just re-post the ones I suggested for Children of the Revolution when she was asking for streaming stuff on Netflix... I stand by every one of these regardless of where you source them.


Tout va bien (Godard, 1972) is pretty dope. It's pretty hard to beat JLG to begin with and that particular film is from his "Maoist phase."

This Revolution (Marshall, 2005) - About anarchists and the 2004 RNC protests. Check my description in this post (http://www.revleft.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2052460&postcount=129) for more details.

Un prophète (Audiard, 2009) - One of the best prison flicks I've ever seen. Got nominated for an Oscar in 2010 in the Best Foreign category if that tells you anything.

The White Ribbon (Haneke, 2009) - Michael Haneke's indictment of the society which produced the Nazi generation (although it's done all in subtext). Powerful stuff, one of my fav's which I consider a "new classic."

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Edel, 2008) - Sprawling, sympathetic organizational biopic about the "First Wave" RAF. Inherent dopeness.

Che: Part One and Part Two (Soderbergh, 2008) - Biopic about the revolutionary; undoubtedly Part One is better than Part Two, but you'll probably wanna see both regardless.

M (Lang, 1931) - Germany's first "talkie" and Fritz Lang's personal favorite of his entire oeuvre; technically and thematically groundbreaking, Peter Lorre is fantastic. Loosely based on the story of serial killer Peter Kuerten (aka The Vampire of Dusseldorf). One of my all time favorites, streaming or no.

Hunger (McQueen, 2008) - Gripping reality based tale about the '81 Hunger Strike by Irish Republican prisoners incarcerated in HM Prison Maze which centers (of course) around IRA volunteer and MP Bobby Sands... Heart wrenching and very difficult to watch in places, but well worth the effort.

Innocent Voices (Mandoki, 2004) - True story set in the Salvadorian Civil War about the effects that war had on El Salvador's children. Amazing film, but have a box of Kleenex handy. I boo hooed through a good chunk of it, and I like to think I'm some kinda tough guy most of the time.

Rashomon (Kurosawa, 1950) - One of auteur Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces and also one of my all time favorites; a cinematically breathtaking meditation on the nature of truth.

Wild Strawberries (Bergman, 1957) - One of Bergman's most personal films (an attempt by the director to explain himself to his parents), another of my all time favorites... In depth article about it by The Guardian's Derek Malcolm can be found here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/1999/jun/10/1).

There are a ton more that I could recommend, but this should keep you going for a while... I know my list focuses on political dramas and art house, so lemme know if you want some lighter fare.

[Comrade J]

You could just use the search function to find all of my posts in this subforum. After all, my movie taste brings all the boys to the yard, damn right it's better than yours...;):lol:

Anyway, since I can't be bothered to write up a whole new list, I'll just re-post the ones I suggested for Children of the Revolution when she was asking for streaming stuff on Netflix... I stand by every one of these regardless of where you source them.

Thanks for digging up that post Praxis, I have seen some of them, but not Tout va bien, M, Wild Strawberries and Innocent Voices. In fact, most of the films I watch and enjoy are fairly modern, especially all the new German indie films from the last 10 years. But that's not to say anything against older films, just that I'm 22 and I guess I am more exposed to modern cinema.

Have you seen The Return (Vozvrashchenie)? If not, I highly recommend it, seems like something you might like.

[Comrade J]

I put 'Wind that Shakes the Barley' far above 'Land and Freedom'.

Ok.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a truly fantastic film, but in my opinion it feels a little too polished at times, compared to Land and Freedom, which I think has a more realistic and 'gritty' feel to it overall.

[Proukunin]

Yo Soy Cuba is a good one, and I do also like Che.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

A handful of really standout movies have come out over the last few years:

Kabei: Our Mother (Japan) - Film from Yôji Yamada depicts the strong bond between a mother and her family during WWII. Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru's sister Hisako and Shigeru's ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustains the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.

City of God (Brasil) - 2002 Brazilian crime film directed by Fernando Meirelles and co-directed by Kátia Lund, released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. All the characters existed in reality. The story is based on real events. It was adapted by Bráulio Mantovani from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins. It depicts the growth of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro, between the end of the '60s and the beginning of the '80s, with the closure of the film depicting the war between the drug dealer Li'l Zé and criminal Knockout Ned. The tagline is "If you run the beast catches, if you stay the beast eats."

The Housemaid (Korea) - 2010 South Korean melodramatic thriller film directed by Im Sang-soo. The story focuses on Eun-yi, played by Jeon Do-yeon, who becomes involved in a destructive love triangle while working as a housemaid for an upper-class family. A scathing exposure of the disconnect and overpowering greed of the rich.

The Chaser (Korea) - Eom Joong-ho is a dishonest, ex-detective turned pimp who is in financial trouble because two of his girls have gone missing. One night he sends Mi-Jin, one of his few remaining girls to a customer. But he later realises that this is the same person who was the last to see his missing girls. Believing that this man is reselling his women, he goes to look for Mi-Jin. On the way he contacts his old police task force to ask for some help. But they cannot assist because the Mayor of Seoul, who they are guarding, has just been attacked with human faeces during a walkabout. The police are now preoccupied with a media storm because they have suffered humiliation for failing to protect the mayor.

[praxis1966]

Thanks for digging up that post Praxis, I have seen some of them, but not Tout va bien, M, Wild Strawberries and Innocent Voices. In fact, most of the films I watch and enjoy are fairly modern, especially all the new German indie films from the last 10 years. But that's not to say anything against older films, just that I'm 22 and I guess I am more exposed to modern cinema.

Have you seen The Return (Vozvrashchenie)? If not, I highly recommend it, seems like something you might like.

Haven't seen it but I will. I'd also recommend back atcha just about all of Michael Haneke's oeuvre all the way back through his Glaciation Trilogy if you like German stuff. Of course, he directs in French a lot and technically he's Austrian, but I'm pretty sure most people would still count him.

While I'm thinking about it, there's also Revanche (Spielmann, 2008) which is Austrian and pretty fuckin' dope as well... Oh, and Kontroll (Antal, 2003) which just occurred to me for some reason even though it's Bulgarian. That one may be a case of style over substance in some places, but it's damned entertaining one way or the other.

See, this is why I don't like doing lists anymore. I could do this all day, lmao.

[brigadista]

blue collar
matewan

the harder they come

babylon - good film giving perspective on events up to the great insurrection in brixton in the 80s -good soundtrack
El Norte
lumumba

[Comrade J]

Thanks brigadista.

Also thanks once again for recommending Army of Shadows, I just finished watching it a minute ago, and what a truly fantastic film! I loved it, and I too would recommend everybody watch it - if I had seen it before it would have been in my OP. It's pretty bleak and harrowing at times but then of course it ought to be, given that being part of the French resistance must have been such a terrifying ordeal.

[VeritablyV]

Didn't read the past posts but I'd recommend Into The Wild. I thoroughly enjoyed that movie, and in fact I would like to get the book.