Ask Lemmy

Idiocracy

I always say everyone should see requiem for a dream, but no one should watch it. That film does more for stopping drug abuse than any government program ever did.

I find it inconceivable that no one has mentioned 'The Princess Bride' yet.

Office Space

The Fifth Element.

Grave of the Fireflies

"12 Angry Men" (1957) is a personal favorite that I recommend to pretty much everyone. Great messages about questioning assumptions, challenging biases, understanding the limitations of evidence, acknowledging imperfections in the justice system, and the consequences thereof.

The movie is also cinematically interesting to me because it feels "small". The entire movie just about takes place in one room, and the events of the film transpire over the course of one afternoon.

Top Secret, by the same guys who did Naked Gun. I think it's somehow actually funnier on average than Naked Gun, even though that one's great, too.

Basically, I don't know if a human could watch it and not find it fucking amazingly funny. So dense with jokes, so creative with the execution, so many funny practical effects, you're constantly astounded that they created props and sets for such absurd humor, and it really works.

The Blues Brothers (1980).

Wall-e

It's our future if we don't fix shit.

Brazil. Should be mandatory after 9/11.

5th Element.

Since my movie taste is a bit of everything here is my colourful list:

• Pans Labyrinth
• Princess Mononoke
• 12 Monkeys
• Her
• Parasite
• Persepolis
• The man from earth

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Not really the most profound or insightful, but it's just a good fun film.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Spaceballs, so you will know what the future holds.

2001: A Space Odyssey

If you like dark humor, In Bruges is absolutely outstanding.

Children of Men is a madtapiece.

Everybody’s Everything. I knew nothing about Lil Peep and I absolutely loved the whole documentary.

V for Vendetta

• pulp fiction
• before I disappear (my personal favorite film of all time)
• Donnie Darko
• Momento

I get that most people are just listing their favourite movies, and that’s fair, but I feel like a lot of them are already well watched.

My suggestion is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Everything about it is a stunning piece of cinema that got massively overlooked at the time, and I don’t really know why. It stars Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, has a score by Nick Cave (who has a cameo) and Warren Ellis, and has cinematography by the mighty Roger Deakins.

On the cinematography; you could pause it at almost any point, take a screengrab, and print it out for display. It’s a stunningly well shot movie.

Nothing about the movie is fast. Everything takes place as it needs to, in its own time, all creeping glacially towards what you know is going to happen.

I adore this movie. I showed it to my kid a couple of years ago, fearful that he would hate it. Turned out he loved it as much as I do. It’s the best western I’ve ever seen, but to call it a western does it a disservice.

Many good ones were already mentioned

But from memory:

• The snatch
• The big Lebowsky
• Clerks
• American Psycho
• 2001 a space odissey
• Blade Runner (possibly the directors cut)
• Apocalypse now (possibly the redux version)
• Full metal jacket
• The godfather (first 2 movies, the rest is not as good)
• Fight club
• Alien
• The Truman show
• In the mouth of madness
• They live
• The terminator (first 2)
• Animal house
• the dollar trilogy from Sergio Leone
• Once upon a time in America
• pulp fiction
• reservoir dogs

We're gonna get a lot of the more standard "Perfect movies" so I'm going to stick with some of the ones that may not be "perfect movies" but I found personally always enjoy

• Ex Machina - Fucks with your mind through the entire movie, and leaves you bewildered at the end

• Ocean's 11, the Clooney version personally, I watch this regularly and is my favorite heist movie

• Seeking a friend for the end of the world - Tears, but it's a movie that's worth a watch - but I can never rewatch it.

• The Whale - just last year, another amazing movie that has to be watched, but you will probably never be able to rewatch it.

• The Theory of Everything - Personally this movie is what started me out from "Movies are cool action things I go with friends to see" to "Maybe movies can evoke emotions that I didn't know I could fully appreciate", and for those here who have seen me comment on movies before, this is where Felicity Jones became my favorite actress. You forget your watching a movie, and she became Jane Hawking in it, and it's the first movie I legit cried to. It hurt me deep. Eddie Redmayne did a wonderful job, fully embodying Steven as well, to the point that again you forget you are watching a movie.

And one more because what the hell

• Imitation Game - Bendlydoodle Cuddlefish and Kiera Knightley tell the story of Alan Turing. I say it should be mandatory watching for any computer/IT/programmer nerd out there, and I won't say why it's 100% worth a watch, but it's there.

None of these would I nominate as best movie of all time, I just went through my list of most watched movies and these stuck out

The Matrix

Grandma's Boy.

Spirited Away. In my opinion the most Miyazaki movie. It's also just amazing. I've probably seen it a dozen times now.

American History X

Lucky Number Slevin

Man On Fire

Syriana

Equilibrium

And for some solid Australian cinema: Mystery Road

For the few people who didn't already watch it, and the best movie of all time :

Mad Max: Fury road (2015 ) by Miller .

This is what film story telling is about: having an entire weird universe told through visual medium. The 1st half hour has mad max gagged and incapable of talking, and it is amazing. Preferably on big screen.

A gem from the past:

Taboo(1999), by Nagisa Ôshima,

a samurai movie with hint of homosexuality. and an ending that can only be understood by paying close attention to the sound off screen.

A classic:

Seven samurai(1954), Kurosawa.

Just enjoy the black and white shot , and immerse in old Japanese culture

Vampire's Kiss. It perfectly encapsulates Nick Cage's superposition

My answer to this question changes a lot, but for now I'm gonna say Heathers