Thanks so much from South of France, it is a very good idea, I'm always searching for hours what to watch last in the night, after my translations and research for new pertinent articles. I'm on the list.
Off the top of my head, my favourite feel good is Benny and Joon, I cry when I watch Les Miserable with Liam Neeson, I thought Orphans was brilliant, and, of course Parasites, a foreign film, was amazing. I don't watch many movies as you can probably tell. All of these are old.
Good choice. One day I'll redo 'Benny and Joon', and all quirky, lovable movies from that era (of my coming-of-age).
'Parasite', the 2019 South Korean movie? I digged that, though the director's 'Memories of Murder' more. I've seen approx 160 Korean movies - director Chan-wook Park is my favourite.
The Wild something wilder ones or something New Zealand in the last 10 years. I am hopeless at films - I did see the one set in Kabul, guessing not filmed there about the female singer. I saw a great Iranian film about a lead copper dealing with local heroin dealers in his police station and the prison within the police station.
Grim but very insightful and fantastic actors, script & directing.
Thinking some of it may have been improvised.
Unless I was unknowingly watching a subtitled documentary, hoping not.
What a great looking site! I so appreciate this because I've realized I can't do Hollywood right now (or maybe ever again). I wish you'd put me back on your "recommended" Substacks list. I promise to write more.
Yeah, I can't do 'September 5' even though it'll be good. But I want to see 'The Brutalist' and 'Nickel Boys'. And I've affection for American independent filmmakers. But foreign language movies are my favourite destination.
I chose a handful of you and promoted hard, sending subscribers and reads in different ways. You're still on my SSDG recommended list, and will be until you get 50 subs from that (you're at 38).
It is very difficult to narrow down movie recommendations but I will try with different choices that may prompt people to see the movies. I was able to attend the University of California San Diego at a time in the late 60's and early 70's when Angela Davis was finishing her master's degree, Manny Farber, film critic and artist, was a professor and Herbert Marcuse was a professor. Films were constantly shown on campus and critiqued and political discussions and rallies were constant. Leaders from political groups around the world would always somehow be on campus involved in some lecture or gathering. Everything was debated, from the IRA to the Baader Meinhof gang to the Students for Democratic Society to the Yippies who ran the greatest candidate for President of the United States, Pigasus, a huge sometimes unruly pig to the Frankfurt School to anarchism. Also UCSD's library was incredible and I wore out a seat cushion in that place. My informal list is down below-
1. Two movies I have watched the most(at least 20 times) is The Battle of Algiers 1966 directed by Gillo Pontecorvo in a brutal black and white documentary film style and Performance 1970 starring James Fox and Mick Jagger in a film dissecting two opposite ideas of culture and action.
2. Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders films are exceptional. Herzog's films are an examination of wills exceeding rationality. Fitzcarraldo a perfect example of an individual plowing through the Amazonian jungle with an opera house. The remake of Nosferatu is good but Klaus Kinski as the vampire in Herzog's original is outstanding. Kings of the Road and Wings of Desire is an excellent introduction to Wim Wenders.
3. From samurai movies to crime movies and of course Godzilla, Japanese cinema I was always and still attracted to. The movie Harakiri 1962 by Masaki Kobayashi is a stunning radical look at so-called samurai honor in a bleak black and white film style. Takashi Miike at nearly 60 now has directed over 100 movies from almost children fables to unbelievably violent crime movies like Ichi, the Killer to samurai epics like Blade of the Immortal and his remakes of Harakiri and 13 Assassins.
4. For the ultimate in political paranoia is Alan Pakula's Parallax View.
5. Canada offers their greatest filmmaker, David Cronenberg with his wild violent movies with Videodrome detailing the physical destruction of individuals viewing snuff films to the Brood where a woman creates tumors from her hate and revenge and directs them to their targets to Eastern Promises and A History of Violence crime movies and Scanners with wild telekinetic and telepathic powers.
6. John Carpenter, the godfather of slasher movies with Halloween, should always be saluted for the portrayal of America's greatest anarchist, Snake Blissken in Escape from New York and Escape from LA. Minimal film greatness and the music riffs have been the influence for many minimal tech music productions. When I first saw Escape from NY, I saw it in a downtown theater with an audience of gang bangers who were going crazy over the Duke of New York's car.
7. Of course John Wick's four movies cannot be excluded.
8. I just watched this movie again for the fifth time and it is truly brilliant and bleak, No Country for Old Men. Definitely a movie for anyone over 50 years old.
9. The ultimate western is Unforgiven which stripped away all the nobility of the western hero.
10. Joseph Losey films I have most in physical media and The Servant is a brilliant depiction ofthe master/slave dialectic with Dirk Bogarde as the servant.
11, Luchino Visconti's German trilogy, Death in Venice, the Damned and Ludwig which should only be seen in it's 4 hour unedited version. The Leopard is also brilliant with Burt Lancaster.
12. Sam Peckinpah's Wild Bunch
13. Richard Burton in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
14. For absolute craziness, Eraserhead.
15. Television series' that has to be seen and viewed multiple times. The Shield, The Wire and Gomorrah.
That's a helluva anecdote and I wish I'd been there to experience it, though the end of Apartheid gave me some interesting moments.
I want an immersive experience. I had planned to watch Classic Movies only, in the latter half of this year, but so behind on my schedule (which has a quarter century of horrors ahead of it). I may only get there at the start of 2026, but its serious intention with a list that includes 'Battle of Algiers' and some Mexican recommendations from Grillo. I will add 'Performance' - thanks.
2. Part of that Classic move is to watch most of Herzog and Wenders. I've only seen and enjoyed Herzog's modern era, with 'Grizzly Man' being my favourite. I look forward to his latest, 'Theatre of Thought'. I know I need to dig back 40 or 50 years into 'Fitzcarraldo' and 'Aguirre'. However,'Noseferatu' will probably be a struggle after Egger's 2024 version which is perfection. I haven't done enough Wenders but appreciated 'Wings of Desire'. His 'Perfect Days' from last year, is one of my favourite movies!
3. I can't recall all line-up but some samurai in there, plus other Japanese movies such as 'Tokyo Story'. Takashi Miike is modern, and I've seen several, and will see more.
4. 'The Parallax View' is on the list.
5. I never enjoyed Cronenberg's latest but 'A History of Violence' was good, and 'Eastern Promises' is one of the greatest action movies.
6. I rewatched the Snake movies last year, but was disappointed. It was cheesy, erasing my fond childhood memories. It was handy in that it was darker, and I traveled the dystopian and gothic path thereafter. The gang bangers, another helluva anecdote.
7. Nah, John Wick overdone and hollow for me. there's better.
8. I loved 'No Country for Old Men', and I've been meaning to read the author's other book, 'Blood Meridian', for too long now. I did do 'All the Pretty Horses'.
9. 'Unforgiven' is excellent, as is director Clint Eastwood.
10-14. I will look up Joseph Losey and Luchino Visconti. I think 'Wild Bunch' on my list, and 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' is there. I will rewatch 'Eraserhead' because my young teen brain would have missed a lot.
Based on your recommendations, and although you've probably seen half of them, I recommend:
1. 'Far from Men' (France drama set to Algerian independence 2014)
2. Dir Wim Wender - 'Perfect Days'
3a. The Twilight Samurai (Japan drama 2002)
3b. Takashi Miike - 'First Love' (2019)
4. 'Network' (1976)
5a. Dir Brandon Cronenberg - 'Possessor' (2020)
5b. 'You Were Never Really Here' is as good as 'Eastern Promises'.
6. 'Dark City' (1998)
7. The prequel and miniseries to John Wick is much better i.e. 'The Continental'. The bus action in 'Nobody' (2021) beats any Wick scene.
8. Companions to 'No Country for Old Men' are 'Hell or High Water' and 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'.
9. 'The Sisters Brothers' is a grossly underrated Western. Add 'The Nightingale' (2018).
10. My favourite servant movie is Alfonso Cuarón's 'Roma' (2018). For something more art cinema, there's the slowcore and observational 'The Chambermaid' (same year, also Mexico).
11. 'The Young Karl Marx'
12. More violent, but 'Eden Lake' is a helluva thriller.
13. 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' (2011)
14. Not crazy but certainly surreal, try 'On Body and Soul' (2017).
15. 'The Corner' miniseries is the essential prequel to 'The Wire'.
Oh my god I forgot about Nobody. You are absolutely right, The bus scene is amazing although I was truly saddened by the burning of his vinyl collection . Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is excellent and you need to see the longer, original version starring Sir Alex Guinness. It is 6 hrs. long. Also Smiley's People is the sequel to Tinker Tailor. Yes, Hell and High Water had the same themes with No Country for Old Men but Javier Bardem's performance in No Country is brilliant.
Art cinema in the 60's was focused on the French New Wave of films, the German Wave of Films and the British reality films of the 50's and 60's. Just focusing on those movies will keep you busy and thanks for the tips to some of those movies on your list that I have not seen. I laughed when you said the Escape from LA and Escape from New York were cheesy. Of course they were, Designed fun but also Carpenter's budget was so bare bones he had to shoot at night. I watched and own all the Japanese Godzilla movies and any Godzilla movie for that manner. In many of the Japanese movies you can see the strings attached to Godzilla or Mothra and the little model cars and trains racing from Godzilla. I love cheesy and you have not seen anything cheesy until you see the movies SyFy channel used to order like Frankenfish, genetically altered fish in Louisiana.
Thanks so much from South of France, it is a very good idea, I'm always searching for hours what to watch last in the night, after my translations and research for new pertinent articles. I'm on the list.
Excellent. Got any French favourites?
Have you seen Canada's French-language 'Red Rooms'? It had the most intriguing character of 2024.
I just subscribed, Mike. Films from other countries are some of the few that I like, although there are some notable exceptions.
Tell me some of your favourites.
Off the top of my head, my favourite feel good is Benny and Joon, I cry when I watch Les Miserable with Liam Neeson, I thought Orphans was brilliant, and, of course Parasites, a foreign film, was amazing. I don't watch many movies as you can probably tell. All of these are old.
Good choice. One day I'll redo 'Benny and Joon', and all quirky, lovable movies from that era (of my coming-of-age).
'Parasite', the 2019 South Korean movie? I digged that, though the director's 'Memories of Murder' more. I've seen approx 160 Korean movies - director Chan-wook Park is my favourite.
A lot of amazing movies are coming out of SK.
'The Handmaiden', 'Lady Vengeance', 'House of Hummingbird', 'Thieves' and 'Burning' range from action to art drama, and all are excellent.
The Wild something wilder ones or something New Zealand in the last 10 years. I am hopeless at films - I did see the one set in Kabul, guessing not filmed there about the female singer. I saw a great Iranian film about a lead copper dealing with local heroin dealers in his police station and the prison within the police station.
Grim but very insightful and fantastic actors, script & directing.
Thinking some of it may have been improvised.
Unless I was unknowingly watching a subtitled documentary, hoping not.
'Just 6.5.', also known as 'Law of Tehran' - great Iranian movie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn5fZ5XwtZ4
'Holy Spider ' is an excellent crime drama - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18550140/
Saeed Roustaee Director of both so I see 🎬 👍
I think you're referring to New Zealand's 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople'.
A good Australian adventure/revenge/female-led movie is 'The Nightingale' - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4068576/
Yep 👍 thankyou
I the Ozzie Jail one from the 80s or early 90s with a youngish Nick Cave in was interesting.
Where is SK please?
South Korea.
What a great looking site! I so appreciate this because I've realized I can't do Hollywood right now (or maybe ever again). I wish you'd put me back on your "recommended" Substacks list. I promise to write more.
Yeah, I can't do 'September 5' even though it'll be good. But I want to see 'The Brutalist' and 'Nickel Boys'. And I've affection for American independent filmmakers. But foreign language movies are my favourite destination.
I chose a handful of you and promoted hard, sending subscribers and reads in different ways. You're still on my SSDG recommended list, and will be until you get 50 subs from that (you're at 38).
It is very difficult to narrow down movie recommendations but I will try with different choices that may prompt people to see the movies. I was able to attend the University of California San Diego at a time in the late 60's and early 70's when Angela Davis was finishing her master's degree, Manny Farber, film critic and artist, was a professor and Herbert Marcuse was a professor. Films were constantly shown on campus and critiqued and political discussions and rallies were constant. Leaders from political groups around the world would always somehow be on campus involved in some lecture or gathering. Everything was debated, from the IRA to the Baader Meinhof gang to the Students for Democratic Society to the Yippies who ran the greatest candidate for President of the United States, Pigasus, a huge sometimes unruly pig to the Frankfurt School to anarchism. Also UCSD's library was incredible and I wore out a seat cushion in that place. My informal list is down below-
1. Two movies I have watched the most(at least 20 times) is The Battle of Algiers 1966 directed by Gillo Pontecorvo in a brutal black and white documentary film style and Performance 1970 starring James Fox and Mick Jagger in a film dissecting two opposite ideas of culture and action.
2. Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders films are exceptional. Herzog's films are an examination of wills exceeding rationality. Fitzcarraldo a perfect example of an individual plowing through the Amazonian jungle with an opera house. The remake of Nosferatu is good but Klaus Kinski as the vampire in Herzog's original is outstanding. Kings of the Road and Wings of Desire is an excellent introduction to Wim Wenders.
3. From samurai movies to crime movies and of course Godzilla, Japanese cinema I was always and still attracted to. The movie Harakiri 1962 by Masaki Kobayashi is a stunning radical look at so-called samurai honor in a bleak black and white film style. Takashi Miike at nearly 60 now has directed over 100 movies from almost children fables to unbelievably violent crime movies like Ichi, the Killer to samurai epics like Blade of the Immortal and his remakes of Harakiri and 13 Assassins.
4. For the ultimate in political paranoia is Alan Pakula's Parallax View.
5. Canada offers their greatest filmmaker, David Cronenberg with his wild violent movies with Videodrome detailing the physical destruction of individuals viewing snuff films to the Brood where a woman creates tumors from her hate and revenge and directs them to their targets to Eastern Promises and A History of Violence crime movies and Scanners with wild telekinetic and telepathic powers.
6. John Carpenter, the godfather of slasher movies with Halloween, should always be saluted for the portrayal of America's greatest anarchist, Snake Blissken in Escape from New York and Escape from LA. Minimal film greatness and the music riffs have been the influence for many minimal tech music productions. When I first saw Escape from NY, I saw it in a downtown theater with an audience of gang bangers who were going crazy over the Duke of New York's car.
7. Of course John Wick's four movies cannot be excluded.
8. I just watched this movie again for the fifth time and it is truly brilliant and bleak, No Country for Old Men. Definitely a movie for anyone over 50 years old.
9. The ultimate western is Unforgiven which stripped away all the nobility of the western hero.
10. Joseph Losey films I have most in physical media and The Servant is a brilliant depiction ofthe master/slave dialectic with Dirk Bogarde as the servant.
11, Luchino Visconti's German trilogy, Death in Venice, the Damned and Ludwig which should only be seen in it's 4 hour unedited version. The Leopard is also brilliant with Burt Lancaster.
12. Sam Peckinpah's Wild Bunch
13. Richard Burton in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
14. For absolute craziness, Eraserhead.
15. Television series' that has to be seen and viewed multiple times. The Shield, The Wire and Gomorrah.
Thank you for this participation!
That's a helluva anecdote and I wish I'd been there to experience it, though the end of Apartheid gave me some interesting moments.
I want an immersive experience. I had planned to watch Classic Movies only, in the latter half of this year, but so behind on my schedule (which has a quarter century of horrors ahead of it). I may only get there at the start of 2026, but its serious intention with a list that includes 'Battle of Algiers' and some Mexican recommendations from Grillo. I will add 'Performance' - thanks.
2. Part of that Classic move is to watch most of Herzog and Wenders. I've only seen and enjoyed Herzog's modern era, with 'Grizzly Man' being my favourite. I look forward to his latest, 'Theatre of Thought'. I know I need to dig back 40 or 50 years into 'Fitzcarraldo' and 'Aguirre'. However,'Noseferatu' will probably be a struggle after Egger's 2024 version which is perfection. I haven't done enough Wenders but appreciated 'Wings of Desire'. His 'Perfect Days' from last year, is one of my favourite movies!
3. I can't recall all line-up but some samurai in there, plus other Japanese movies such as 'Tokyo Story'. Takashi Miike is modern, and I've seen several, and will see more.
4. 'The Parallax View' is on the list.
5. I never enjoyed Cronenberg's latest but 'A History of Violence' was good, and 'Eastern Promises' is one of the greatest action movies.
6. I rewatched the Snake movies last year, but was disappointed. It was cheesy, erasing my fond childhood memories. It was handy in that it was darker, and I traveled the dystopian and gothic path thereafter. The gang bangers, another helluva anecdote.
7. Nah, John Wick overdone and hollow for me. there's better.
8. I loved 'No Country for Old Men', and I've been meaning to read the author's other book, 'Blood Meridian', for too long now. I did do 'All the Pretty Horses'.
9. 'Unforgiven' is excellent, as is director Clint Eastwood.
10-14. I will look up Joseph Losey and Luchino Visconti. I think 'Wild Bunch' on my list, and 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' is there. I will rewatch 'Eraserhead' because my young teen brain would have missed a lot.
15. 'The Shield' and 'The Wire' = tremendous.
Based on your recommendations, and although you've probably seen half of them, I recommend:
1. 'Far from Men' (France drama set to Algerian independence 2014)
2. Dir Wim Wender - 'Perfect Days'
3a. The Twilight Samurai (Japan drama 2002)
3b. Takashi Miike - 'First Love' (2019)
4. 'Network' (1976)
5a. Dir Brandon Cronenberg - 'Possessor' (2020)
5b. 'You Were Never Really Here' is as good as 'Eastern Promises'.
6. 'Dark City' (1998)
7. The prequel and miniseries to John Wick is much better i.e. 'The Continental'. The bus action in 'Nobody' (2021) beats any Wick scene.
8. Companions to 'No Country for Old Men' are 'Hell or High Water' and 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'.
9. 'The Sisters Brothers' is a grossly underrated Western. Add 'The Nightingale' (2018).
10. My favourite servant movie is Alfonso Cuarón's 'Roma' (2018). For something more art cinema, there's the slowcore and observational 'The Chambermaid' (same year, also Mexico).
11. 'The Young Karl Marx'
12. More violent, but 'Eden Lake' is a helluva thriller.
13. 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' (2011)
14. Not crazy but certainly surreal, try 'On Body and Soul' (2017).
15. 'The Corner' miniseries is the essential prequel to 'The Wire'.
Oh my god I forgot about Nobody. You are absolutely right, The bus scene is amazing although I was truly saddened by the burning of his vinyl collection . Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is excellent and you need to see the longer, original version starring Sir Alex Guinness. It is 6 hrs. long. Also Smiley's People is the sequel to Tinker Tailor. Yes, Hell and High Water had the same themes with No Country for Old Men but Javier Bardem's performance in No Country is brilliant.
Art cinema in the 60's was focused on the French New Wave of films, the German Wave of Films and the British reality films of the 50's and 60's. Just focusing on those movies will keep you busy and thanks for the tips to some of those movies on your list that I have not seen. I laughed when you said the Escape from LA and Escape from New York were cheesy. Of course they were, Designed fun but also Carpenter's budget was so bare bones he had to shoot at night. I watched and own all the Japanese Godzilla movies and any Godzilla movie for that manner. In many of the Japanese movies you can see the strings attached to Godzilla or Mothra and the little model cars and trains racing from Godzilla. I love cheesy and you have not seen anything cheesy until you see the movies SyFy channel used to order like Frankenfish, genetically altered fish in Louisiana.
My last comment before I sign off will be for you.
My kind of cheesy is 'Shaun of the Dead' (which was also notable for its vinyl selection).
But let's head to Japan where there's...
CHEESE
As the Gods Will (Japan fantasy thriller 2014_Dir Takashi Miike)
Mumon: The Land of Stealth (Japan ninja comedy 2017_Dir Yoshihiro Nakamura)
Symbol (Japan surreal comedy fantasy 2009)
Love and Peace (Japan fantasy 2015_Dir Sion Sono)
One Cut of the Dead (Japan horredy 2018)
WEIRD
Fish Story (Japan punk sci-fi dramedy 2009_Dir Yoshihiro Nakamura)
Air Doll (Japan fantasy 2009_Dir Hirokazu Kore-eda)
Junk Head (Japan stop animation 2021_Dir Takehide Hori)
Memories of Matsuko (Japan fantasy dramedy mystery 2006_Dir Tetsuya Nakashima)
Strange Circus (Japan abuse thriller 2005_Dir Sion Sono)
Baby Assassins 1 + 3 not 2 (Japan action comedies_Dir Yugo Sakamoto)
Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes (Japan comedy 2020_Dir Junta Yamaguchi)
After Life (Japan fantasy drama 1998_Dir Hirokazu Kore-eda)
Antiporno (Japan twisted 2016_Dir Sion Sono)
CRIME
Confessions (Japan vengeance 2010_Dir Tetsuya Nakashima)
Bad Lands (Japan crime action 2023_Dir Masato Harada)
Mr. Long (Japan crime drama 2017_Dir Sabu)
Battle Royale (Japan action drama sci-fi 2000)
MODERN SAMURAI (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
The Twilight Samurai (Japan samurai drama 2002_Dir Yoji Yamada)
Rurouni Kenshin_Origins (Japan action 2012)
The Hidden Blade (Japan samurai drama 2004_Dir Yoji Yamada)
Love and Honour (Japan samurai drama 2006_Dir Yoji Yamada)
Killing (samurai alternative action drama 2018_Dir Shin'ya Tsukamoto)
The Blind Swordsman_Zatoichi (Japan samurai action 2003_Dir Takeshi Kitano)
Hana (Japan samurai dramedy 2006_Dir Hirokazu Kore-eda)
If you have fun, ask me for Korean and Chinese recommendations along the same lines.
I never gave my predictions for current affairs or for a country.
1. The real Epstein tapes will never be released.
2. Covid 19 vaccines will never be publicly condemned by the Trump Administration.
3. The saddest history is continuing and will get worse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
4. Computer hacking will be the political resistance in the next decade. Computer science classes will be the new station for revolutionary politics.