Brian's High & Mighty Movie Picks

I'm not trying to list all good movies, but rather: those that I like (hence "high & mighty"), and are not so well- known. None are family fare, really -- so view at your own risk! Anyway, here they are, in no particular order...

COMEDY

Funny Bones
King Pin -- bawdy, with Woody Harrelson; Farrelly brothers' best!
Galaxy Quest
A Fish Called Wanda
El Mariachi -- spanish w/subtitles
Short Cuts -- Robert Altman directs, many celebs, long & good!
Shakes the Clown
Being John Malkovich
The Big Liebowski -- Coen bros.
Raising Arizona -- Coen bros.
The Snapper -- written by Roddy Doyle, author of "The Commitments"
Much Ado About Nothing -- Kenneth Branaugh remake of Shakespeare
And Now for Something Completely Different -- best of Python's segments
Election -- twisted, but v. good
Amazon Women on the Moon
Office Space -- so many great quotes!
Adaptation
Wallace & Grommit: A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave
Snatch -- Guy Ritchie before Madonna ruined him!
Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels -- see previous comment
Amelie -- dir. by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen & City of Lost Children)

DRAMA

a trilogy: "Blue", "White", "Red" -- "White" is best, & funny, too.
Hilary & Jackie -- Emily Watson stars
Breaking The Waves -- Emily Watson stars
Trekkies -- an amusing documentary
Dead Man -- a good Johnny Depp movie
Mediterraneo -- has funny parts
Cinema Paradiso -- Italian w/subtitles, I think
Welcome to the Dollhouse -- dir. by Todd Solonz (sp?), morbidly funny
Happiness -- dir. by Todd Solonz (sp?), this movie is unhappy
Requiem for a Dream -- dir. by Darren Arnofsky, disturbing
Ma Vie en Rose -- "My Life in Pink," fr., w/subtitles
Baxter -- fr. w/ subtitles
The Vanishing -- the euro version, fr. w/ subtitles
Delicatessen -- Fr. w/subtitles, has Gilliam-esque feel,
City of Lost Children -- fr. w/subtitles -- same dir. as Amelie
Henry V -- Kenneth Branaugh remake of Shakespeare
Hamlet -- Kenneth Branaugh remake of Shakespeare
Roshomon -- Kurosawa classic, japanese w/subtitles
The Rapture -- what if all that junk in Revelations were right?
The World According to Garp -- from John Irving novel
The Field
GATTACA -- stylish scifi; I bet its predictions will come to pass!
Shadowlands
Room With a View -- E.M. Forster book, Merchant & Ivory prod., I think
Howard's End -- E.M. Forster book, Merchant & Ivory prod., I think
Remains of the Day -- James Ivory directs
Ballad of the Sad Cafe -- a bit askew
Summer of Sam -- Spike Lee portrays a NYC neighborhood that summer
Dangerous Liasons -- good Malkovich & Glenn Close performances
Valmont -- same characters as ibid, different aspects
The Business of Fancy Dancing -- Sherman Alexie rules!

ACTION

Miller's Crossing -- Coen bros. -- violent!
Run, Lola, Run! -- rent the subtitled version, not the dubbed!
Fifth Element -- lousy plot, but stylish...
Freeway -- not a family movie
Wild Things -- a fun one
American Psycho -- he's a wild & crazy guy...
The Game
Go
Twelve Monkeys -- Gilliam directs; Brad Pitt's best
Fight Club -- farfetched but fun
Killing Zoe -- Eric Stoltz and Julie Delphi

LINKS (to other, inferior lists)

E-mail: welsch at ssl dot berkeley dot edu