lovefilm recommendations *Highbrow only*

[LadyMetroland]

Am completely broadminded but just can't stomach Hollywood boy-meets-girl drivel ... I would, however, consider Roadtrip (for example) to be a good Hollywood film so I am not dismissing the genre entirely. But my cup of tea leans slightly more towards arty independent type films and/or foreign language things

Please help me build up my list!

Oh, and Let The Right One In, - fabulous!

Amelie is FAB!
Delicatessen - French and animated, quite dark but brilliant!
Amores Perros - Spanish and think it's by almodovar. I agree with the other posters - his stuff is brill.
Belleville Rendezvous - Another French animated movie with a fantastic soundtrack.
Maybe not 'high brow' enough but I realled enjoyed the beauty of Memoirs of a Geisha and also Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst.
Also - I love Some Like It Hot and Whatever Happened To Baby Jane.

Enjoy!!

Good lord! I go downstairs to watch a strange documentary about Boris Johnson's sister and I come back to 24 messages! Hurrah!

(Saw Lust Caution recently ...utterly amazing ending)

yes, it's really powerful
I watched it again and it was almost better the second time iyswim
you are in for a treat southeastastra {smile}

Also saw Inglorious Basterds, expected to loathe it, v impressed
Talented Mr Ripley is good in the not typical Hollywood vein
I guess you've seen American Beauty
Used to like Peter Greenaway, wondering what The Cook The Thief would be like to revisit?

I also had low expectations of Inglourious Basterds, but I loved it.

Another vote for Let The Right One In and Waltz With Bashir: both excellent.

Dirty Pretty Things. Outstanding.

And I second Belleville and Amores Perros...it's not Almodovar, it's another guy whose name I've forgotten. Part of a trilogy:

1. Amores Perros
2. 21 Grams
3. Something underwhelming starring Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt

Also The Motorcycle Diaries
City of God (very disturbing, mind)
Last King of Scotland (also v disturbing, but brill)

I didn't get on with Lust, Caution...it didn't grab either me or DH so we switched off about 2/3 of the way through.

500 days of summer

didnt think id like, DH chose it. loved it!

Morven Callar.

A Room for Romeo Brass.

Lovely films.

Oh, Waltz with Bashir was amazing

Some films I find you have to watch alone to really get into them. I think that's why Lust Caution appealed to me - might have been different if dh had been there to spoil it by saying it was 'slow'

Oh yes, Shane Meadows has made some good films: I don't know if I'd call them 'lovely' though! Romeo Brass and Dead Man's Shoes did blow me away. Paddy Considine is an amazing actor.

I agree with you about the joys of watching films on your own, LadyM. I thought Zidane was an interesting film but it made DP irate Since then I've tended to save the poncey films for late night viewing on me own!

We loved The Aviator - hollywood, but classic hollywood. Amazing. Ds watched most of it with us which was fine although there were a lot of 'but WHY was the lady cross with him' questions which were hard to answer...

i'll second the lives of others, motorcycle diaries

Tell No One - French but very Hollywoodish plot is full of holes really but while you're watching it it's an absolutely great film

L'Homme du Train was lovely

12 angry men was perfect for a day when I felt so suicidal and tired that i only made it as far as the sofa - much more cheerful after the film

his girl friday was crap tbh [heresy]

and in the cinema i adored both kiss kiss bang bang and zodiac

OH Italian for Beginners

just a little slow at the beginning but oh my lord it's the most romantic film ever made

although do not be seduced afterwards into putting lots of 'danish comedies' on the list, it's the only one i've found that doesn't leave you looking like The Scream afterwards

I like your choices choosyfloosy

I also like Todd Solondz

Fair enough Choosyfloosy - each to their own.

Lives of others I loved. Also really enjoyed "Goodnight and Goodluck" and am NOT a big george cloony fan.

Ang Lee?s The Ice Storm is one of my favourite films ever. Otherwise (I watch a lot of films?):

Coco Before Chanel
The Lucky Ones (excellent)
Letters from Iwo Jima (best war film in years)
Downfall
Maria Full of Grace
Brokeback Mountain (in case you haven?t seen it)
Walk the Line
Jarhead
Crash
Transamerica (Lynette Scavo from DH)
Ghosts
The Hide
Tsotsi
United 93
Notes on a Scandal
The Black Book
Bobby
Blood Diamond
Red Road
Atonement
A Mighty Heart
Into the Wild
The Counterfeiters
Rendition
Once (great soundtrack)
American Gangster
Stop Loss
Female Agents
Lars and the Real Girl
W
North Face
Milk
The Pianist
In The Loop
Katyn
Frozen River

Lovefilm is also very good for box sets of TV series. Try The West Wing, House, Jericho, Lost. Quite a lot of good on-line stuff too but hard to search, I?ve really enjoyed rewatching Cold Feet.

That should keep you busy! Note to self, must get a social life.

Good list from QueenofWhatever- if you enjoy Once, try also Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. For something a bit weirder/harder hitting, how about some Korean films. I loved 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring', but also impressed with the three horror films by Chan-wook Park: Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr Vengance and Lady Vengance (LoveFilm have just delivered my copy of Thirst- his vampire film). Also enjoyed early Lars von Trier- if you have a few hours to spare, get The Kingdom (Riget). And back to German films- not as good as The Lives of Others, but I did also enjoy The Edukators, and Goodbye Lenin.

QueenofWhatever - I love the Ice Storm too

thanks everyone for your thoughts. Am up to 73 titles on my list so won't be running out of film fodder for a while yet

By the way, having had a baby not too long ago I'm completely clueless about recent film releases: can anyone give me quick precis of the best films that have been out in the last six months?

Sleep Furiously

Just remembered another FAB movie - Dancer in the Dark. Bjork is in it and it's musical-esque. I found it incredibly moving.

Totsi v good and I'd recommend the Twilight Samuri too. I think I've spelt it wrong though feeling a bit too dim to cope with highbrow tonight
Saw Nowhere Boy recently too which was v watchable.

Not looked through the list so don't know if these have been suggested but The Station Agent and Little Miss Sunshine are both sensational films.

todo sodo mi madre. (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER)

el labereinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth)

both good cry fests..
and very good.

Cyrano De Bergerac

Dangerous Liasons (hollywood, but the Glenn Close one is stunning)

The 13th warrior

spirited away (cartoon, slow, good)

then the weird Sci fi - silent running, 2001,

just a few i can think of now...

litte miss sunshine v. good

also napoloean dynamite