WARNING I AM AN ARTFAG
top 5 in no particular order
the rules of attraction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7POJjKRzTh8
brilliant film, and this scene is just astounding. one of my favourite books of all time too! takes place at a liberal arts college and some weird, post-narrative shit goes down. acting is great, curiously enjoyable blend of comedy and heartbreaking romantic tragedy, and a pervading sense of 'what the fuck is going on' make this film just excellent.
i know, i know, 'smart, sexy, funny and provocative' are not exactly adjectives used to describe groundbreaking movies, but seriously, trust me on this. (the old pic i had described it in those adjectives ok)
tekkonkinkreet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gWxUVcXyPA
truly remarkable anime. i don't watch anime regularly but this film is just wondrous. the animation is splendid and the story is very interesting. read the manga too!!
mysterious skin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjHgTn9tTxktrailer
trailer doesn't do it justice, but seriously, watch this movie. it's one of the most emotional and heartbreaking pieces i've ever seen. it's about two teenagers, played by brady corbet and joseph gordon-levitt (who is, as always [except maybe in GI joe lol], an astounding actor) who, at a young age, were molested by their baseball coach. one becomes a reclusive asexual who believes he was abducted by aliens, one becomes a male prostitute.
it's really powerful, and a lot of scenes will make you really uncomfortable, but it has, in my opinion, the best ending of any film. watch it for joseph gordon-levitt in probably his best role.
the dreamers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU1brBVMBkMZmichael
pitt is just delightful in this artsy one about an american dude who moves to france in the 60s and falls in love with a brother and sister who are as much into cinema as he is. 1968 student riots, etc. really interesting love story, but it's got some creepy incestuous shit in it that isn't exactly anyone's cup of tea. acting is great, cinematography is definite some of the best i've seen. possibly my favourite shot of all time is this one of eva green wearing long black gloves, looking like the venus de milo
just amazing
funny games
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec-70W_K77Uthis
this one stars brady corbet from mysterious skin and michael pitt from the dreamers! fucking excellent movie, sort of about the aestheticization of violence, sort of just ridiculous. it is actually a shot by shot remake of the director's earlier work, also titled funny games, released in austria (i think austria) in '97. shot by shot remakes are really interesting!
anyway, this movie is just crazy and honestly quite terrifying. it's got some very stressful moments!! ending is just perfect. definitely a contender for my favourite movie out of these five. ahhhhh i really want to rewatch this, just thinking about how well-done so many scenes are is making me crave. the scene with the eggs, the scene where naomi watts takes several minutes to get up, it's all so brilliant.
ALSO i know most of these were books first but i really hate comparing movies to their book counterparts cause it really detracts from the art form!
ALSO if i could do top 7 then kids and explicit ills would be in there!!