DVD Recommendations
30Sep2004 Filed under: RandomataNow that fall is creeping into Seattle, it’s time to bulk up our Netflix rental queue, so yes: I’m looking for recommendations. I tend towards escapist flicks (comedies, musicals, heartwarming indies) and documentaries, while Dre likes the darker foreign art films.
If you want to avoid suggestion something we’ve already seen, check the extended entry. And no laughing at some of our bad taste.
08/30/04 09/02/04 Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
08/27/04 09/02/04 Man on the Train (2002)
08/17/04 08/31/04 Spun (2003)
08/24/04 08/30/04 You Got Served (2004)
08/24/04 08/27/04 How’s Your News? (1999)
08/17/04 08/24/04 Bad Santa (2003)
08/02/04 08/18/04 The Barbarian Invasions (2003)
08/13/04 08/17/04 13 Going on 30 (2004)
08/02/04 08/17/04 Osmosis Jones (2001)
08/02/04 08/13/04 Before Sunrise (1995)
07/06/04 08/02/04 The Company (2003)
07/16/04 08/02/04 Lawless Heart (2001)
07/16/04 08/02/04 Far from Heaven (2002)
07/13/04 07/16/04 Siam Sunset (1999)
06/23/04 07/16/04 The Station Agent (2003)
07/06/04 07/13/04 The Dish (2000)
06/23/04 07/06/04 Trainspotting: Collector’s Edition (1996)
07/01/04 07/06/04 Bonus Material: Trainspotting: Collector’s Edition (1995)
06/15/04 07/01/04 In America (2002)
05/25/04 06/23/04 Big Fish (2003)
06/15/04 06/23/04 Club Dread (2004)
06/09/04 06/15/04 Cheats (2002)
06/09/04 06/15/04 Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
06/01/04 06/09/04 Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series: Disc 6 (2000)
06/02/04 06/09/04 The Big Lebowski (1998)
05/25/04 06/02/04 Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series: Disc 5 (2000)
05/19/04 06/01/04 Hell House (2001)
05/19/04 05/25/04 Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series: Disc 4 (2000)
05/14/04 05/25/04 The Office: Series 2 (2002)
05/13/04 05/19/04 Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series: Disc 2 (2000)
05/13/04 05/19/04 Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series: Disc 3 (2000)
04/29/04 05/14/04 Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
05/04/04 05/13/04 Dummy (2003)
05/04/04 05/13/04 Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series: Disc 1 (2000)
04/29/04 05/04/04 Love Actually (2003)
04/29/04 05/04/04 The Cooler (2003)
04/22/04 04/29/04 Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
04/19/04 04/27/04 The Hot Chick (2002)
04/19/04 04/27/04 The School of Rock (2003)
04/01/04 04/22/04 Run Lola Run (1998)
04/06/04 04/19/04 The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
04/12/04 04/19/04 Swimming with Sharks (1994)
04/06/04 04/12/04 Fox and His Friends (1975)
03/30/04 04/06/04 Bruce Almighty (2003)
04/01/04 04/06/04 Seabiscuit (2003)
03/25/04 04/01/04 Gods of the Plague (1970)
03/25/04 04/01/04 The Hours (2002)
03/16/04 03/30/04 Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture (1973)
03/17/04 03/25/04 Camp (2003)
03/11/04 03/25/04 The Straight Story (1999)
03/11/04 03/17/04 Blue Crush (2002)
03/11/04 03/16/04 Russian Ark (2002)
03/05/04 03/11/04 Beautiful Thing (1996)
03/08/04 03/11/04 Friday Night (2002)
03/05/04 03/11/04 Super Troopers (2002)
02/26/04 03/08/04 Camp (2003)
03/02/04 03/05/04 Pieces of April (2003)
03/02/04 03/05/04 Lucia Lucia (2003)
02/24/04 03/02/04 Thirteen (2003)
02/26/04 03/02/04 The Cockettes (2002)
02/16/04 02/26/04 Pootie Tang (2001)
02/16/04 02/26/04 The Pianist (2002)
02/16/04 02/24/04 American Splendor (2003)
02/05/04 02/16/04 101 Reykjavik (2000)
02/10/04 02/16/04 Holes (2003)
02/09/04 02/16/04 Secrets of the Heart (1997)
02/04/04 02/10/04 Coupling: Season 1 (2000)
02/02/04 02/09/04 The Endurance (2000)
01/30/04 02/05/04 Never Been Kissed (1999)
01/30/04 02/04/04 Better Luck Tomorrow (2003)
01/19/04 02/02/04 Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
01/26/04 01/30/04 Whale Rider (2003)
01/26/04 01/30/04 X2: X-Men United (2003)
01/19/04 01/26/04 American Wedding (2003)
01/19/04 01/26/04 Cirque du Soleil: Dralion (2000)
01/13/04 01/19/04 The Debut (2000)
12/17/03 01/19/04 Max (2002)
01/13/04 01/19/04 Boys on the Side (1995)
12/11/03 01/13/04 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
12/17/03 01/13/04 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
12/11/03 12/17/03 What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
11/25/03 12/17/03 The Office: Series 1 (2001)
12/04/03 12/11/03 Read My Lips (2001)
12/04/03 12/11/03 Bonus Material: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
11/25/03 12/04/03 About Schmidt (2002)
11/25/03 12/04/03 Sex and Lucia (2002)
11/18/03 11/25/03 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
11/18/03 11/25/03 Wigstock: The Movie (1995)
11/11/03 11/25/03 The Seventh Seal (1957)
11/11/03 11/17/03 Finding Nemo (Full-screen) (2003)
11/11/03 11/17/03 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
10/20/03 11/11/03 Dazed and Confused (1993)
10/10/03 11/11/03 Edward Scissorhands (1990)
10/10/03 11/11/03 About Schmidt (2002)
10/16/03 10/20/03 The Crying Game (1992)
10/06/03 10/16/03 Murderous Maids (2000)
09/30/03 10/10/03 A Mighty Wind (2003)
10/06/03 10/10/03 About a Boy (2002)
09/30/03 10/06/03 White Oleander (2002)
10/01/03 10/06/03 Clockwatchers (1997)
09/25/03 10/01/03 Sid & Nancy (1986)
09/25/03 09/30/03 Circuit 1:7 (2000)
09/16/03 09/30/03 The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
09/16/03 09/25/03 Ram Dass: Fierce Grace (2001)
09/16/03 09/25/03 Happenstance (2000)
09/11/03 09/16/03 The End of Violence (1996)
09/03/03 09/16/03 The Rules of Attraction (2002)
09/11/03 09/16/03 Adaptation (2002)
09/03/03 09/11/03 Ice Age (2002)
09/03/03 09/11/03 Wings of Desire (1987)
08/12/03 08/25/03 Day for Night (1973)
08/12/03 08/25/03 Flashdance (1983)
08/12/03 08/18/03 Lovely and Amazing (2002)
07/29/03 08/12/03 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
08/04/03 08/12/03 Secret Ballot (2001)
08/04/03 08/12/03 Tadpole (2002)
07/25/03 08/04/03 East/West (2000)
07/02/03 08/04/03 The Jaundiced Eye (1999)
07/08/03 07/29/03 Our Song (2001)
07/02/03 07/25/03 Powder (1995)
06/26/03 07/08/03 Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
06/10/03 07/02/03 Easy Rider (1969)
06/24/03 07/02/03 Devil’s Playground (2002)
05/27/03 06/26/03 Metropolis (1927)
06/12/03 06/24/03 Time Out (2001)
05/27/03 06/12/03 Kissing Jessica Stein (2002)
05/30/03 06/10/03 Jean de Florette (1986)
05/27/03 05/30/03 Out of Sight (1998)
05/02/03 05/27/03 Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
04/04/03 05/27/03 Queer as Folk: Season 2: Disc 4 (2002)
05/06/03 05/27/03 The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
05/02/03 05/06/03 Drumline (2002)
04/22/03 05/02/03 Spirited Away (2002)
04/18/03 05/02/03 Undercover Brother (2002)
03/27/03 04/22/03 Queer as Folk: Season 2: Disc 3 (2002)
04/04/03 04/17/03 Secretary (2002)
03/25/03 04/04/03 Queer as Folk: Season 2: Disc 2 (2002)
03/21/03 04/04/03 Queer as Folk: Season 2: Disc 1 (2002)
03/17/03 03/27/03 The Fast Runner (2002)
03/11/03 03/25/03 SLC Punk (1999)
03/06/03 03/21/03 Ghostbusters (1984)
03/07/03 03/17/03 Lilo and Stitch (2002)
03/05/03 03/11/03 Office Space (1999)
02/24/03 03/07/03 Vagina Monologues: Eve Ensler (2002)
02/24/03 03/05/03 Faraway, So Close! (1993)
02/24/03 03/05/03 Six Feet Under: Season 1: Disc 1 (2001)
02/06/03 02/24/03 Behind the Sun (2001)
02/10/03 02/24/03 Butterfly (1999)
02/13/03 02/24/03 My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
02/06/03 02/13/03 Shampoo (1975)
01/28/03 02/10/03 Baraka (1992)
01/28/03 02/06/03 Il Postino (1995)
01/28/03 02/06/03 King Creole (1958)
01/21/03 01/28/03 Go (1999)
01/22/03 01/28/03 L.A. Confidential (1997)
01/22/03 01/28/03 An Affair of Love (1999)
01/16/03 01/22/03 State and Main (2000)
01/08/03 01/22/03 Code Unknown (2000)
01/14/03 01/17/03 Go (1999)
01/09/03 01/16/03 The Taste of Others (1999)
01/07/03 01/14/03 The Gleaners and I (2000)
01/07/03 01/14/03 The Good Girl (2002)
12/31/02 01/08/03 My First Mister (2001)
12/31/02 01/07/03 Spring Forward (1999)
12/24/02 01/07/03 What Time is It There? (2001)
12/17/02 12/31/02 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
12/24/02 12/31/02 Spy Kids (2001)
12/17/02 12/24/02 The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
12/17/02 12/24/02 Happy Accidents (2001)
12/09/02 12/17/02 South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)
12/10/02 12/17/02 Hair (1979)
12/13/02 12/17/02 The Virgin Suicides (1999)
12/09/02 12/13/02 Vatel (2000)
11/25/02 12/10/02 Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
11/25/02 12/09/02 Xanadu (1980)
11/26/02 12/09/02 Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
11/21/02 11/26/02 The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)
11/21/02 11/25/02 Scream (1996)
11/18/02 11/25/02 The Road Home (2001)
11/13/02 11/21/02 Calle 54 (2000)
11/13/02 11/21/02 Pillow Talk (1959)
11/09/02 11/18/02 Friday (1995)
11/07/02 11/13/02 Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997)
11/07/02 11/13/02 Citizen Kane (1941)
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22 Responses to “DVD Recommendations”
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Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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Katherine
September 30th, 2004 at 3:38 pm
oooooooo - Searching For Debra Winger was faboo - its all about what its like for actresses as they get older. (plus you get to see Martha Plimpton get drunk and describe an actor “with a face like a foot”!)
K
esther
September 30th, 2004 at 3:56 pm
-did you see “party monster” yet? fabulous!
-I’m also a fan of all things Kate Winslet, therefore: Heavenly Creatures
-Hitchcock’s “Rope” is a classic satire on dinner party society
and, have you ever watched Repo Man? Probably. But I just watched it for the first time recently and it was awesome.
esther
September 30th, 2004 at 3:58 pm
also in a similar veign to Hell House - “Devil’s Playground”, a documentary about Amish kids’ rumspringa (year they take off from milking cows to drink and go to raves)
Jim
September 30th, 2004 at 4:45 pm
Wong Kar Wai, my favorite director in HK. Watch either ‘As Tears Go Bye’ ‘Fallen Angels’ or ‘Chunking Express’, for his kinetic style. Then you can delve further into Wai’s sense for human drama and watch ‘Happy Together’, and ‘In the Mood for Love’..powerful, powerful stuff.
Also, I noticed that you watched the Le Cercle Rouge if you enjoyed that flick, rent Purple Noon (the original Talented MR. Ripley) or Le Samorai….and awesome flick.
Hope this helps,
J
laura
September 30th, 2004 at 4:47 pm
If you have six hours to kill, I enjoyed “Angels in America.”
Also, can you help someone who really really really wants a pointed elf hoodie and can’t find one anywhere? I scoured the web after I saw how cute it was in one of your pics, and the closest I came was a Bart Simpson spikey head hoodie.
Ariel
September 30th, 2004 at 5:01 pm
Laura, if you’d comment with a real email, I could reply to you directly instead of having to post my response here. NOTE TO EVERYONE: It’s safe to leave your email address in the comment sections! They’re encoded so that spambots can’t harvest them. If you post a URL, then your email doesn’t even show on my page…but I can reply to your comment.
ANYWAY. As for the elf hoodies, look for them at import shops. You know, the sort of import shops catering to hippies. It seems that these pointy hoods are pretty common in those shops. All the elf-hooded items I own (a jacket, sweater, and dress) are made in Nepal, and were purchased at imports booths at markets in Europe.
Broch
September 30th, 2004 at 5:56 pm
I was completely shocked that this little cult classic wasn’t already on your list!! “The Warriors” Can you dig it?
Kara
September 30th, 2004 at 8:54 pm
Saved.
Very funny movie!
I’m watching Freaks and Geeks on DVD now…
Ariel
September 30th, 2004 at 10:28 pm
Kara, I LOVED Saved. And we got the Freaks & Geeks DVD set recently. We watched them all this spring, and fell so in love with the characters that I had to own the DVDs. They’ll keep me warm this winter.
Thanks for the recs, everyone. Keep ‘em coming!
yara
October 1st, 2004 at 1:04 am
Monsters Inc
the rest of Six Feet Under
Stripes
Groundhog Day
Dead Man
anything from Hitchcock
Kill Bill 1 & 2
Ocean’s 11
Velvet Goldmine
Kim
October 1st, 2004 at 8:02 am
Hedwig and the Angry Inch!! It is a must- rock opera, witty, sad, passionate, wigs and make-up and, superb writing, acting, directing all by the brilliant james cameron mitchell (?) if i could offer a money back guarantee i would!
Ariel
October 1st, 2004 at 8:05 am
Oh, I’ve seen Hedwig. On stage. On screen. On DVD. Dozens of times! LOVE IT! See?
…and that’s John Cameron Mitchell.
Yara, sadly I’ve devoured most of the excellent selections your list (you must have somehow missed all my babbling about my 6fu obsession). I haven’t seen Stipes or the Kill Bills, though. So I’ll add those.
michelle
October 1st, 2004 at 8:19 am
Waking Life
Being John Malkovitch
Smiles of a Summer Night
Donnie Darko
mark
October 1st, 2004 at 8:57 am
Shattered Glass (I was dubious it could be better than just a movie of the week but it was riveting)
Bend it Like Beckham (uplifting and sweet)
The Celebration (dark)
Until the End of the World (beautiful, long)
Dougois.
October 1st, 2004 at 10:05 am
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH IS THE GREATEST FILM IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!!!!!
Tismera
October 1st, 2004 at 11:46 am
I`ll go all east side on yah here:
Zatoichi: Samurai. Dance Numbers. Kitano. Perfect.
Shaolin Soccer: So funny, so crazy, so escapist it hurts. Group of Shaolin monks apply Kung Fu to soccer and face off with evil Drug-enhanced super team for the China World Cup in a battle of epic proportions. Men are stripped of their clothes, soccer balls are turned into flaming Cheetahs and bald girls with Ying/Yang chakra defend the goal with their very lives!
The Happiness of the Katakuris: Perhaps the funniest, most deranged, disturbing, freaky and upbeat musical in history. Includes freaky claymation opener about the meaning of life!
Ping Pong: One of the best feel-good, sport`s movies in the history of the world.
My Sassy Girl: Korean teen love story that has a good plot, good characters and is actually quite fun to watch.
Volcano High: In the same vein as Shaolin Soccer. Drop out school for superhumans where guys and girls with intense hair and hilarious facial expressions do battle with the teachers over secret scrolls that could control the world!
Uzumaki: The strangest scary movie ever, where people all act really weird and the spiral is out to get you. It`s really nifty and eccentric and quite beautiful. A metaphor for how symbols have power over us in the real world. Watch it twice to see the real point of the movie.
Friend: Heart-rending movie from Korea that`s also one of the best films I`ve ever seen.
The Colour of Life: Strange short Tv shows from japan featuring talking American dummies, cannibal families, alien love and more! It`s so bright and pretty and funny too! (Warning: May contain Intense Asian Wackiness. Not for the easily confused.)
Jeremy Botter
October 2nd, 2004 at 9:41 am
Might I recommend Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind? I’m only suggesting it because I just finished watching it, and it’s absolutely great. I think it’s one of those that takes a few viewings to “get”, but it’s still quite awesome.
Kool Keith
October 2nd, 2004 at 11:39 am
Given that you were just in Barcelona, I’d suggest a very odd movie that I caught on cable in the middle of the night. It’s called Gaudi Afternoon. Plenty of shots from Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, and one character who actually lives in Casa Milla. Stars Marcia Gay Harden, Juliette Lewis, and everyone’s favorite Lily Taylor. It’s too weird to be great, but it is fun and all shot in Barco.
esther
October 2nd, 2004 at 2:25 pm
Oh! Rabbit Proof Fence. I saw it around the same time as Whale Rider and it has some thematic similarities (little ethnic girls kick ass) and is equally excellent if not better. The cinematography is amazing.
simone
October 2nd, 2004 at 2:29 pm
My taste runs toward silly escapist flicks too (so these are more for you than for Dre)…
Have fun!
gulshan
October 4th, 2004 at 7:11 am
Two that arent on your list that I liked:
Elephant.
Dirty Pretty Things.
claire
October 4th, 2004 at 6:46 pm
I just rented The Dreamers. Beautiful movie. And, Stealing Beauty if you haven’t already seen it–even more beautiful.