Looking for a movie recommendation

Something that's out on DVD. I don't care if it's old. Having a rare night at home without the children Wednesday...

What we like: film noir but nothng too disturbing, action, romance if it's not too drippy, drama, Michael Douglas (Falling Down, Romancing the Stone, that movie where Glen Close is psychotic with him, etc), Cape Fear (speaking of psychotic)...

What we don't like: silly humor (Airplane, Bill Murray, Steve Martin), The Matrix...

What we've seen "lately" and liked: No Country for Old Men, Atlas Shrugged (having read the book first so we understood it), The Piano, The War House (with kids), Soul Surfer (also with kids).

What I think I'd like to see but am not sure: The Black Swan (co-worker saw it, sounds creepy)

Thanks!

Film noir: Citizen Kane, Bicycle Thieves, Casablanca, Touch of Evil, The Maltese Falcon, Seven Samurai, To Kill a Mockingbird, 12 Angry Men, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Paths of Glory, Rashomon, The Seventh Seal, On the waterfront...

As for comedy, all comedy is a bit silly, it supposed to be fun, so I don't understand people that don't like it. But you also liked Atlas Shrugged. Airplane particularly is one of the best comedies of all time. Also, Bill Murray doesn't just have comedy films, did you see Lost in Translation? But lets skip that.

Other non sorted suggestions: Bridge on the river Kwai, The Schindler's List, The Godfather trilogy, Lawrence of Arabia, The Shining, Rear Window, The Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Cidade de Deus, Trainspotting, The Breakfast Club, Chinatown, Manhunter... Just off the top of my head.

Sniper isn't too bad... I enjoy it when I come across it. It's a thriller action.
Define "old" ... I'm kind of partial to b/w films... Anatomy of a Murder, the 39 Steps, Seven Days in May, I Was a Male War Bride...
Big Trouble in Little China is a comedy action. It's not the stupid silly (as my wife would call it) that Airplane! is. Also, Big Trouble with Tim Allen is pretty funny.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is the original The Money Pit (also a b/w ... like I said, I have something of an affinity for them).

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid ... it's a Steve Martin film, but it's shot Noir style... there's also the Brinks Job (crime) and The Cheap Detective both with Peter Falk...

Oooh... and Death Becomes Her...

Other classics like The Day The Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds are pretty good too.

-tg

For film noir, I would suggest Sin City if you've never seen it. Some of the violence is a bit graphic, but good film overall.

For action, do you like/have you seen any Tarantino flicks? Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill 1 & 2 are my favorites. Again, a bit graphic when it comes to violence, but very good movies IMO.

Not sure if you're into the superhero movies, but The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk (not to be confused with Hulk), and Iron Man are probably three of the best comic book based movies I've ever seen.

Tarantino films aren't 'a bit graphic'. Quite the opposite, they have bit parts that aren't graphic.

Melancholia is a recent film. A bit bizarre but not horribly disturbing. Only one thing you might call a "sex scene."

Probably the best film I've seen lately is We Need to Talk About Kevin. It's sloooooow and very understated but absolutely rivetting.

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Big Trouble in Little China

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Genius film but probably falls into the silly category IMO:-
'Like I told my last wife, I says, "Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it's all in the reflexes."'

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Originally Posted by baja_yu

Tarantino films aren't 'a bit graphic'. Quite the opposite, they have bit parts that aren't graphic.

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I'll accept that assessment. His movies definitely aren't for the faint of heart. However, I will argue that the way he "styles" the violence makes it easier to deal with and sometimes, especially in the case of Kill Bill, actually causes the user to look forward to it.

Michael Douglas? 'The Game' is a good thriller (this is one movie I own on DVD). Of course, 'children' covers a broad spectrum (appropriateness, attention span, etc.).

If you haven't seen it, 'The Sixth Sense', with Bruce Willis is...a must see. If you like Bruce Willis, 'The Fifth Element' is a fun action sci-fi movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.

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Originally Posted by baja_yu

...Bill Murray doesn't just have comedy films

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Yes, you are so right! I think it was The Razor's Edge I saw him in, years ago. I read the novel in college - W. Somerset Maugham or someone like that (too lazy to google right now). He was phenomenal. I just meant when he does comedy, I don't usually like it. Though I support my daughter's current goal to learn his monologue when he goes to the dentist in Little Shop of Horros (which we just watched, the new and the old, because they performed it in the summer arts program my girls attended).

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Originally Posted by techgnome

Define "old" ...

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To me, "old" is Humphrey Bogart movies (Casablanca, The African Queen, etc), Serpico (we were just talking about that movie the other night), Straw Dogs (one of his favorites), all the Hitchcock thrillers, I guess they are mostly b&w. I like newer movies better.

Someone mentioned Pulp Fiction - loved it, most parts, that is. Even got the soundtrack.

Oh, I just remembered The Crying Game! I liked it, he didn't. He's kind of conservative. I had no idea what was going to happen in that movie. He also doesn't like a lot of David Lynch, though I do.

Big Stan, just saw this for the first time a few days ago, REAAAL funny.

Black Swan was just ugly - plain old yukky.

I'll never get that hour and a half back again...

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Originally Posted by szlamany

Black Swan was just ugly - plain old yukky.

I'll never get that hour and a half back again...

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Okay, thanks for letting me know!

Go see Ted!!! :D


*Runs and hides...*

Ted was FUNNY.... I loved Patrick Stewart's narration... and I'll leave it at that... suffice it to say I'll probably buy it when it comes out.

"'The Sixth Sense', with Bruce Willis is...a must see. If you like Bruce Willis, 'The Fifth Element' is a fun action sci-fi movie that doesn't take itself too seriously." --- for me the Sixth Sense was a watch one time kind of movie... after that it's spoiled.

Fifth Element - good action flick ... I also like Hudson Hawk.

Spy Game with DiCaprio and Redford is a good movie too... it's a spy thriller, but not like the Bourne movies... it's more of a procedural thriller than action.

-tg

I liked Harold And Maude very much. It's not a traditional comedy, has a lot of dark comedy elements in it, but the movie really makes you think, about life, people, relations. And Cat Stevens' music really adds to the overall experience.

I am reliably informed that Gnomio and Juliette should be avoided at all costs. I have been following this advice so cannot coroborate it.

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Originally Posted by SJWhiteley

Michael Douglas? 'The Game' is a good thriller

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Took me a while to remember, but I am pretty sure we saw it when it was new. I asked my husband this morning and he said wasn't there somebody else famous in it too and I said I think it was Sean Penn - anyway, it would be worth anothe viewing, it was so long ago.

Yup. Sean Penn plays his brother in the movie.

On the beach. That's a pretty relentless downer of a movie.

Some weird stuff out there in the indie/small market segment. Seen Monsters yet?

More of a "journey home" flick, low on scare scenes, blood and gore, or even action.

In theaters Oct 29 but you can watch it "on demand" through several outlets.

Wes Anderson movies are awesome.

Royal Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic are 2 of my favorites. Rushmore and the darjeeling limited are also good.

@baja_yu: Wish I could rate you in Chit Chat for "ATLAS SHRUGGED" :) Though I feel the book is better than the movie.

I dont watch a lot of new movies so most of my recommendations will be old, and i will avoid any already mentioned

In fact the only recent film i can remember seeing is "The girl with the Dragon Tattoo" which was actually a lot better than i expected.

Other films i can recommend -

Intacto - really great film that hardly anyone has heard of, about the idea that there are people who are inherently lucky and what if you could borrow or even steal other people luck. Is in Spanish with English subs but is easy to follow.

Sexy Beast - watched this again on TV the other week, probably not one to watch with kids though Ben Kingsley's is terrific in it but his character is down right scary.

Pi - really like this film, although it not really an easy watch popcorn film.

Gattaca - i really liked this film thought it was under rated at the time.

Zatoichi - sort an old school samurai film but filmed in around 2000 this is an excellent film and it also has some really funny scenes in it which is unusual for these types of films.

family films - Inkheart was pretty good for a family/ kids movie.

Brewsters Millions - still one of my favourite comedies !!!

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Originally Posted by NeedSomeAnswers

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Gattaca - i really liked this film thought it was under rated at the time.

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Ooooh, certainly not under-rated but a 'sleeper hit': The Shawshank Redemption.

Red Cliff

(though that might take more than one night)

I watched the US version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night. It was a pretty good movie, although some might find certain parts a bit graphic in nature.

If you can cope with sub-titles then Pan's Labarinth is a brilliant film.

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Originally Posted by kleinma

I watched the US version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night. It was a pretty good movie, although some might find certain parts a bit graphic in nature.

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Yes - that one's on my "to watch" list, but having listened to the book I am pretty sure there is one scene I won't be able to watch. Given that I am a woman, I don't want to watch The Girl being the victim, but I might just possibly be able to watch her getting her revenge. But that all depends on how graphic. There's been parts of movies I've seen lately where my heart just starts racing and I feel like I can't take it! Was never that way when I was younger!

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Originally Posted by techgnome

Spy Game with DiCaprio and Redford is a good movie too... it's a spy thriller, but not like the Bourne movies... it's more of a procedural thriller than action.

-tg

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It was good, but it was Brad Pitt and Redford - not DiCaprio. :bigyello:

Aye! So that it was.... 'splains why I enjoyed it then.... :P

-tg

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Originally Posted by MMock

Yes - that one's on my "to watch" list, but having listened to the book I am pretty sure there is one scene I won't be able to watch. Given that I am a woman, I don't want to watch The Girl being the victim, but I might just possibly be able to watch her getting her revenge. But that all depends on how graphic. There's been parts of movies I've seen lately where my heart just starts racing and I feel like I can't take it! Was never that way when I was younger!

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It isn't horribly graphic in what they actually display on the screen. However the horror of what is going on is clearly present throughout the scene.

Harold & Kumar