Great Stuff
by will2384 | created - 19 Jun 2011 | updated - 19 Jun 2011 | PublicI really enjoyed all of these, 100% recommended!
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1. The Red Balloon (1956)
Not Rated | 34 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
A red balloon with a mind of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.
Director: Albert Lamorisse | Stars: Pascal Lamorisse, Sabine Lamorisse, Georges Sellier, Vladimir Popov
Votes: 20,093
Imaginative and funny, with an unforgettable ending.
2. Hard Eight (1996)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama
Professional gambler Sydney teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson
Votes: 54,832 | Gross: $0.22M
Paul Thomas Anderson gets off to a flyer. Shows the habits, procedures of not making a glamorous lifestyle by playing Casino's but just getting by, surviving. Excellent cast.
3. I've Loved You So Long (2008)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama
A woman struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.
Director: Philippe Claudel | Stars: Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Grévill
Votes: 20,707 | Gross: $3.17M
Great performances and a mystery with a moving revelation.
4. The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
PG-13 | 139 min | Drama, History, War
In 1854, during the Crimean War, poor planning leads to the British Light Brigade openly charging a Russian artillery position with tragic consequences.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Trevor Howard, Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud, Harry Andrews
Votes: 3,875
I think this is really underrated. The plot is loose and episodic but the cinematography is outstanding. There's the original use of period propoganda drawings (surely an influence on Terry Gilliam's Monty Python work), hit or miss but never dull performances and sparkling individual scenes full of the madness of power.
5. The Innocents (1961)
Not Rated | 100 min | Horror
A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.
Director: Jack Clayton | Stars: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins, Michael Redgrave
Votes: 33,030 | Gross: $2.62M
Builds atmosphere through stunning B&W cinematography and sound design. Gets better the more you think over it after.
6. Man on Wire (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Votes: 58,638 | Gross: $2.96M
An amazing story...with a charismatic figure at the centre of it all.
7. Our Friends in the North (1996)
TV-MA | 623 min | Drama, History
Drama examining the politics and change across Britain from the Sixties to the Nineties seen through the varying fortunes of four friends.
Stars: Christopher Eccleston, Mark Strong, Gina McKee, Daniel Craig
Votes: 2,363
Four friends and the changes to their hometown, country and themselves through the decades. Top notch music and the cast is incredible. The BBC at it's best.
8. Lantana (2001)
R | 121 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The relationships of four couples unravel after the discovery of a young woman's body in Lantana bush in suburban Sydney.
Director: Ray Lawrence | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Rachael Blake, Kerry Armstrong
Votes: 20,217 | Gross: $4.46M
Multi-character drama, if you like Robert Altman films you'll love this.
9. If.... (1968)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama
In this allegorical story, a revolution led by pupil Mick Travis takes place at an old established private school in England.
Director: Lindsay Anderson | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan
Votes: 25,167
Public Schoolboys rebel against their peers and masters. Beautiful African music, sudden switches from colour to b&w, the final shot - a strange one off.
10. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
Not Rated | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A disaffected soldier returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago.
Director: Shane Meadows | Stars: Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby Kebbell, Stuart Wolfenden
Votes: 58,304 | Gross: $0.01M
Revenge thriller in small town England. The performances, direction and dialogue take it to unexpected and more original places than you might think from the synopsis.
11. Thrilla in Manila (2008 TV Movie)
100 min | Documentary, Sport
A detailed examination of the intense rivalry between the two heavyweight boxing champions, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.
Director: John Dower | Stars: Joe Frazier, Marvis Frazier, Thomas Hauser, Muhammad Ali
Votes: 922
The story of the Ali-Frazier fight with contributions from virtually all involved bar Ali himself. Well-shot, great interviews especially with Frazier which portrays the two central fighters as flawed, talented human beings.
12. Brighton Rock (1948)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
In Brighton in 1935, small-time gang leader Pinkie Brown murders a journalist and later desperately tries to cover his tracks but runs into trouble with the police, a few witnesses, and a rival gang.
Director: John Boulting | Stars: Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell, Harcourt Williams
Votes: 6,809 | Gross: $0.22M
Gangsters argue and fight in the aftermath of a murder. A ruthless teenage killer. A shy Girl who wants his attention. A film noir that takes place in a tourist attraction town in post-war Britain. Check it out.
13. The Samurai (1967)
GP | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier
Votes: 56,996 | Gross: $0.04M
Hypnotic. Copied but not bettered.
14. After Hours (I) (1985)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho he met that evening at a coffee shop.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong
Votes: 81,062 | Gross: $10.60M
A yuppie suffers. Enjoy. Scorsese having fun.
15. The Candidate (1972)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas, Don Porter
Votes: 11,892 | Gross: $0.12M
An idealist is packaged for a political campaign. Seems so timely, and dead-on. Funny as well, and Peter Boyle as the campaign manager.
16. Out of the Past (1947)
Approved | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming
Votes: 40,855
Cool film noir, laconic and memorable.
17. Paradise Now (2005)
PG-13 | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two childhood friends are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.
Director: Hany Abu-Assad | Stars: Kais Nashif, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal, Hamza Abu-Aiaash
Votes: 24,062 | Gross: $1.45M
Sounds worthy - it isn't. Powerful and tightly plotted, it creates real talking points. Barely any music, it creates a unique, uncomfortable experience.
18. To Be and to Have (2002)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Family
A documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher.
Director: Nicolas Philibert | Stars: Georges Lopez, Alizé, Axel Thouvenin, Guillaume
Votes: 8,408 | Gross: $0.78M
Funny and moving.
19. Pulling (2006–2009)
30 min | Comedy, Romance
Donna has a drunken revelation on her hen night and decides that she has been missing out on the single life. So with just days to go, she calls off her wedding to fiancé Karl and moves in ... See full summary »
Stars: Sharon Horgan, Tanya Franks, Rebekah Staton, Cavan Clerkin
Votes: 1,722
Very, very funny. If Bridesmaids is The Hangover with Women, this is Bridesmaids the tv show. Hopefully that makes some sort of sense!
20. The Hit (1984)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Ten years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Freddie Stuart, Ralph Brown, A.J. Clarke, Terence Stamp
Votes: 9,523 | Gross: $0.88M
Unbelievable cast all on top form.
21. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
R | 117 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow
Votes: 62,419 | Gross: $41.51M
A great conspiracy thriller all the way through, but especially great for an amazing final scene. Another brave, moody 70's Hollywood film.
22. Ratcatcher (1999)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama
A naïve young lad navigates the dirty squalid streets of 1973 Glasgow and the poor youth around him.
Director: Lynne Ramsay | Stars: Tommy Flanagan, Mandy Matthews, William Eadie, Michelle Stewart
Votes: 11,743 | Gross: $0.22M
70's Glasgow and the contrast between a young boy's reality and his imagination. Incredible.
23. Quadrophenia (1979)
R | 120 min | Drama, Music
Jimmy Cooper loathes his dead-end job and his working-class parents. He seeks solace with his mod clique, scooter riding, and drugs, only to be disappointed.
Director: Franc Roddam | Stars: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Phil Davis, Mark Wingett
Votes: 20,836
The Who's album is used as the springboard for a film full of gutsy performances. Been young? Like The Who? You'll love this.
24. The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005)
Not Rated | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Will Thomas still lead a life of crime and cruelty, just like his thuggish father, or will he pursue his dream of becoming a pianist?
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Romain Duris, Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos, Niels Arestrup
Votes: 20,487 | Gross: $1.02M
Pacy, great performances, it's ready to explode into violence at any point.
25. Local Hero (1983)
PG | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
An American oil company has plans for a new refinery and sends someone to Scotland to buy up an entire village, but things don't go as expected.
Director: Bill Forsyth | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay, Denis Lawson
Votes: 26,669 | Gross: $5.90M
Charming and funny, the last shot stays with you. Try getting that theme tune out of your head!
26. Together (2000)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1975, the dynamics of a Swedish commune begin to change upon the arrival of a beaten wife and her two kids.
Director: Lukas Moodysson | Stars: Lisa Lindgren, Michael Nyqvist, Emma Samuelsson, Sam Kessel
Votes: 24,310 | Gross: $1.07M
Funny and original.
27. The Damned United (2009)
R | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of the controversial Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of the English football club Leeds United.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colm Meaney, Henry Goodman, David Roper, Jimmy Reddington
Votes: 45,886 | Gross: $0.45M
The best Football movie ever?
28. The Edge of Heaven (2007)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
A Turkish man travels to Istanbul to find the daughter of his father's former girlfriend.
Director: Fatih Akin | Stars: Baki Davrak, Gürsoy Gemec, Cengiz Daner, Tuncel Kurtiz
Votes: 33,495 | Gross: $0.74M
Powerful drama. Fans of Robert Altman check it out.
29. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
R | 117 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester's music to the world.
Director: Michael Winterbottom | Stars: Steve Coogan, Lennie James, John Thomson, Paul Popplewell
Votes: 39,644 | Gross: $1.13M
Captures the spirit, fun and darker times of the incredible Manchester music. Energetic.
30. The Proposition (2005)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Western
A lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Richard Wilson
Votes: 54,952 | Gross: $1.90M
Powerful Australian Western. Stark.
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