RVF Movie Club November List
In an attempt to balance between discussion of particular movies, and recommendations for those who want to watch a lot of films, I'm going to break up the list into 2 categories.
"Essentials" are the ones I would expect people to actively discuss, and this is the list I suggest going through first.
"Honourable mentions" are for those films that perhaps offer less for discussion, or might be a bit on the alternative side compared to the typical themes of the RVF.
Essentials List
1) Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups) (2001 - France) (Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%)
Do NOT seek out the trailer for this. It would spoil too many scenes and surprises. This movie should have something for everyone, since it uses elements of many genres to create an entertaining package, and there are lots of themes worthy for analysis. It is based on actual historical events, with many of the same places/names included, then it creates a whole new story on top of the facts. Here's a basic description I found to give you an idea of the plot:
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Based on a true story, or at least as much as about 90% of movies “based on a true story” can claim to be, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF loosely adapts the book L’Innocence des Loups (The Innocence of the Wolves) by French zoologist Michael Louis and tells of a beast that terrorized the area of Gevaudan from the years 1764-1767. Reports place the number of people killed by it at nearly one hundred, with most of those being women and children, and while it is suspected that the Beast was killed… well, no one knows for sure.
What we do know is that the movie opens on the eve of the French Revolution, as an aging member of the aristocracy forgoes the chance to escape in favor of the chance to finish his memoir illuminating the truth behind that mystery. His story then becomes our bookend as we flash back twenty five years to Gevaudan itself, and the arrival of two strangers by King Louis XV himself – Mani, an Iroquois warrior, and his friend Gregoire de Fronsac, Knight and Royal Naturalist. Their mission is to capture, kill, and study the beast. Whatever they expect, what they find will be far more insidious. Because these are the final years before the Revolution, and a discontent that has simmered for centuries is about to spill over and burn the established way down to its bones and ashes.
This movie might be difficult to find for some forum members, and there are several versions, so here's a link to the most complete version if you can't find it elsewhere (click the play button a couple times to get past ads): http://putlocker.is/watch-brotherhood-of...ocker.html
2) 25th Hour (2003 - USA) (RT Score: 78%)
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25th Hour is a 2002 American drama film directed by Spike Lee and starring Edward Norton. Based on the novel The 25th Hour by David Benioff, who also wrote the screenplay, it tells the story of a man's last 24 hours of freedom as he prepares to go to prison for seven years for dealing drugs.
This movie seems tailor made for discussion on the forum, and has a great supporting cast that gather to meet with Norton's character on his final day. Philip Seymour Hoffman is an insecure high school teacher, while Barry Pepper (you've seen him in various things, you just don't remember his name) is a Wall Street trader who wouldn't seem out of place posting in the "Money vs Game" threads. My favourite scene in the movie involves Pepper's character on a trading floor, showcasing what work can be like in an non-PC environment.
3) Primer (2004 - USA) (RT Score: 71%)
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Primer is a 2004 American indie science fiction drama film about the accidental discovery of a means of time travel. The film was written, directed, produced, edited and scored by Shane Carruth, who also stars in the main role.
Primer is of note for its extremely low budget (completed for $7,000), experimental plot structure, philosophical implications, and complex technical dialogue, which Carruth, a college graduate with a degree in mathematics and a former engineer, chose not to simplify for the sake of the audience.[4] The film collected the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, before securing a limited release in the United States, and has since gained a cult following.[5]
The description mentions time travel, but there's no magic here, no space ships, simply a very chilling and realistic movie about discovery and power. This film will be confusing, but that's part of the genius of it. Many writers are still dissecting the plot, and I've even seen an entire blog devoted to it. Don't hesitate to google some Primer infographics once you're done to help make sense of it.
This movie might be difficult to find for some forum members, so here's a link if needed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BFT3g1YxMA
4) All is Lost (2013 - USA) (RT Score: 93%)
Do NOT seek out the trailer for this. It would spoil too many scenes and surprises. This is a "survival drama" film starring Robert Redford as a man sailing alone through the Indian Ocean when an accident occurs and he has to begin a fight for survival lost at sea. There is almost no dialogue and he's the only actor in it. If I had to sum up in 2 words why I like this film, it would be "quiet dignity".
5) Gomorrah (Gomorra) (2008 - Italy) (RT Score: 92%)
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Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah is a stark, shocking vision of contemporary gangsterdom, and one of cinema’s most authentic depictions of organized crime. In this tour de force adaptation of undercover Italian reporter Roberto Saviano’s best-selling exposé of Naples’ Mafia underworld (known as the Camorra), Garrone links five disparate tales in which men and children are caught up in a corrupt system that extends from the housing projects to the world of haute couture. Filmed with an exquisite detachment interrupted by bursts of violence, Gomorrah is a shattering, socially engaged true-crime story from a major new voice in Italian cinema.
6) Heat (1995 - USA) (RT Score: 86%)
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Heat is a 1995 American crime film written, produced and directed by Michael Mann, and starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer.[2] The film was released in the United States on December 15, 1995. De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a professional thief, while Pacino plays Lt. Vincent Hanna, a veteran L.A.P.D. robbery-homicide detective tracking down McCauley's crew. The central conflict is based on the experiences of former Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson and his pursuit in the 1960s of a criminal named McCauley, after whom De Niro's character is named
I debated putting this in the list, since many of you may have seen it already. That said, I'm always amazed at the number of people who haven't seen it, so we'll throw it in. De Niro and Pacino are recognized for so many important movies, but this one is underrated when it comes to their legacy.
There is a lot of discussion around the beginning and the ending of this film, but there's a ton of meat in the middle. For those who are re-watching it after a long time, prepare to be surprised again at just how many great actors are included outside of the leads.
Of course there's intense action scenes and tight dialogue, but what's also so appealing is the focus on professionalism, and what it means to be both competent and confident in your line of work.
Honourable Mentions
1) The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) (2013 - Italy) (RT Score: 91%)
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Journalist Jep Gambardella has charmed and seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades. Since the legendary success of his one and only novel, he has been a permanent fixture in the city's literary and social circles, but when his sixty-fifth birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
Suit Game recognized.
2) Waking Life (2001 - USA) (RT Score: 80%)
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Dreams. What are they? An escape from reality or reality itself? Waking Life follows the dream(s) of one man and his attempt to find and discern the absolute difference between waking life and the dreamworld. While trying to figure out a way to wake up, he runs into many people on his way; some of which offer one sentence asides on life, others delving deeply into existential questions and life's mysteries.
A Richard Linklater film using real actors, overlayed with animation, this is full of interesting discussions on science, philosophy, and human nature.
This movie might be difficult to find for some forum members, so here's a link if needed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRHtzx15hSY
3) Coherence (2013 - USA/UK) (RT Score: 88%)
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Eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of events due to the malevolent influence of a passing comet.
If you enjoyed Primer, you'll like Coherence, and if the complexities of Primer seemed excessive, you'll like Coherence even more for it's leaner storyline. This is another reality bending low budget movie where the less you know going in, the more interesting it gets.
This movie might be difficult to find for some forum members, so here's a link if needed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa14b7VVcp0
4) Dirty Work (1998 - USA) (RT Score: 17%)
After many serious and sombre movies, here's a comedy from the 90's that a lot of people missed when it first came out. Norm MacDonald and Artie Lange star as two best friends who start a revenge for hire business. If you liked Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore you'll find a similar style in Dirty Work, which was also the last released film appearance of Chris Farley.
Hope you guys enjoy your November viewings, and if you really like any particular movies, feel free to post up or PM me since I most likely have another bunch of similar recommendations. Same goes for if you can't find a certain movie, I'll see what I can do to help out.