# Recommend me some good film!



## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

*Movie recommendation thread*

Hello there!
I thought maybe this thread could become the official movie recommendation thread of TC. Everybody could help anyone, and we would all benefit from that.

Now let's begin!
It has occurred to me that here might be the perfect place to ask for a recommendation of a film-
Classical music lovers have a similar philosophical, emotional, romantic and longing soul-so we might also love the same kind of films.

I happen to like Woody Allen films and the philosophical elements in them, and also the way they don't take things too seriously-you still feel good after the movie, and not depressed without a will to live.

If someone has watched "Mr. Nobody", then this is my favorite film. The romance, the philosophy (the butterfly effect)-it is just fantastic and very emotional and moving.

Today I would like to watch a good movie, maybe with romance-but I don't want it to be gloomy-I would prefer a comedy in the style of Woody Allen (I know I can watch some other Woody Allen films, but I want to try something new)
Something fresh, exciting, exploring!
Of course not a silly summer movie.
Something with fresh ideas. Something that will intrigue me and make me feel good.

Thank you for helping me! Cheers!


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## Abraham Lincoln (Oct 3, 2015)

Inside Out, of course!


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## Chopiniana93 (Sep 6, 2015)

Try " The Ghostwriter" by Polanski.
It' s a fantastic movie in my opinion


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Kodak Gold ISO 200 if a good general purpose film. Unless you need B&W, fine-grain, high-speed, infrared, or whatever.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Two underated favourites.

Groundhog Day

Brazil.


And Noah Baumbach has a sort of Woddyesque thing going on. Again two I've enjoyed.

Frances Ha (2012), 

While We're Young (2014)


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## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Thank you all.
KenOC-I will definitely check out this film! 
I did hear very good things about inside out.
I will watch The Ghostwriter, but I think a bit later in time. It seems to be too dark for me at this time. 
I have seen Groundhog Day, it is very entertaining and fun to watch! Time bending movies are always a treat. I have heard about the movie Brazil and I should watch it sometime, but maybe not now, because it seems to be a bit depressing.
Noah Baumbach seems interesting-I will soon check some of his films.
Do you think that maybe this thread could become an official TC movie recommendation thread? I haven't found such a thread here and it seems essential. Anyway, is there a way to change the main title of the thread to "Movie recommendation thread" to attract more people and discussions? Discussing movies with fellow classical music enthusiasts seems fantastic.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Gustav Mahler said:


> Do you think that maybe this thread could become an official TC movie recommendation thread? I haven't found such a thread here and it seems essential. Anyway, is there a way to change the main title of the thread to "Movie recommendation thread" to attract more people and discussions? Discussing movies with fellow classical music enthusiasts seems fantastic.


Scroll up on the main page. There's a sub-forum called The Movie Corner.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

'Queen to play' is an intricate slowdown movie with an intellectual appeal: the main character is a charwoman playing chess.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

*Bedtime Story *(1964), w. David Niven, Marlon Brando, then *Dirty Rotten Scoundrels* (1988), w. Michael Caine, Steve Martin.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Withnail and I
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Topsy-Turvy
Flashbacks of a Fool
Zulu
A History of Violence
Without a Clue


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Woody-Allen-quality dialogue in a feel-good film? Mel Brooks, The Producers.


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## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Thanks everyone! I will add those movies to my watchlist.
Today I am looking for a movie with an interesting, adventurous, complex plot.
What should I watch?


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## Radames (Feb 27, 2013)

Recent films? Best recent film I have seen was Wild Tales - from Argentina. 6 absolutely hilarious black comedy short films. One of the best films I have seen in years. Other films I have liked in 2015: horror film called It Follows, post WW 2 film Phoenix, Irish film '71, A Most Violent Year, Trainwreck wacky SF film based on Heinlein story called Predestination.


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## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Belowpar said:


> Two underated favourites.
> 
> Groundhog Day
> 
> ...


I have just finished watching Brazil, and I have to say-
WOW. What a stunning film. Bloody brilliant.
It is visually stunning, thrilling, romantic, full of fantasy and dream-like quality (The dream scenes are marvelous).
And the ending.
I was left wordless.
It is a piece of art.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Gustav Mahler said:


> I have just finished watching Brazil, and I have to say-
> WOW. What a stunning film. Bloody brilliant.
> It is visually stunning, thrilling, romantic, full of fantasy and dream-like quality (The dream scenes are marvelous).
> And the ending.
> ...


I'm thrilled you liked it.

It's one of about 5 films I've watched multiple times and yet I still have no idea if it's about anything or even what the plot might be. It just always surprises me as a complete one off, and pure entertainment.

This recording was produced by the amazing Joe Boyd and was Gilliam's inspiration years before he wrote the script.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

I recently made a list of some of my favorite films, and I'll share with you some of them:

2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]
Barry Lyndon [1975]
The Shining [1980]
The Silence of the Lambs [1991]
Reservoir Dogs [1992]
Fargo [1996]
Jackie Brown [1997]
Perfect Blue [1997]
Amelie [2001]
Finding Nemo [2003]
Pan's Labyrinth [2006]
Lars and the Real Girl [2007]
No Country for Old Men [2007]
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [2007]
Up [2009]
Black Swan [2010]
Cloud Atlas [2012]
Nymphomaniac [2013]
The Grand Budapest Hotel [2014]


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## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Today I would like to watch a great movie that will restore the experience I had while watching Brazil-it was something special.
Can someone recommend a movie that will blow my mind?


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Gustav Mahler said:


> Today I would like to watch a great movie that will restore the experience I had while watching Brazil-it was something special.
> Can someone recommend a movie that will blow my mind?


2 that never disappoint

The Third Man

Les Enfants Du Paradis.

B&W rocks!


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Ok 2 more.

OK so I will admitt that the present Baroness Belowpar has so far been the only one and that goes back nearly 30 years. Keen students of the male psyche will therefore not be surprised to hear that I just love a Bad Girl movie. You know the kind I mean, to borrow from the other current thread about favourite stars, we are talking Gene Tierney, Ava Gardner, Natalie Wood. Yes so sorry own own dear Marchioness but, Veronica Lake excepted, blondes are just too much fun. What I want is danger and unpredictabilty. Enter the femme fatale.

Wendy Kroy aka Linda Fiorentina is smokin in 





And someone mentioned Audrey Tatou. Would love to know if she's topped this?


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

Cosmos said:


> Nymphomaniac [2013]


This.

I'm not a huge fan of Part I, but the director's cut of Part II is beautiful cinema. I also happen to think Charlotte Gainsbourg is the most pleasing female actor currently working. I'd also recommend Melancholia - ignore the artsy beginning typical of later Trier movies, and do what you will with the first half of the movie - again the second half is great stuff and with another great performance from Gainsbourg. Speaking of Trier, you have to see his TV series, The Kingdom. It's hilarious black comedy - the first season (four episodes) is certainly some of the best things to come out of European TV.

Kubrick is nice for some audio-visual treats, where the audio (and the visual) is put back in the audio-visual. However, it wasn't until Dark Knight Rises that I saw a movie that was on the level of Kubrick in terms of audio-visual beauty *and* did something more profound with it than simply please the senses. I've seen Dark Knight Rises a dozen times and I have to say it's a lot like great music in the sense that you can enjoy it over and over again (like Kubrick, of course).

Another film that does this, while not consistently enough to be on the same level, is Edge of Tomorrow. These movies don't draw attention to composition and the visuals the way Kubrick does, but they can be as good visually all the same. I guess where Kubrick is more interested in composition, Nolan is more interested in raw visual content, like getting just the right actor or costume for his scene. For example, the scene where Bruce escapes the prison pit has a moment where the blind prison doctor says that Bruce should climb "as the child did, without the rope, then fear will find you again". The camera is just shooting the face of the doctor, nothing fancy, but combined with the music and the poetic dialogue and the stunning voice-acting, the imagery of the aging, decaying, blind old man is very effective. Kubrick would have over-loaded the scene with some sort of painting-like composition and simply distracted you from the primal power of the scene.

I think "Never Let Me Go" is great if you like melancholy movies/music. It has a good soundtrack that is often present, and one of the scenes near the end will break your heart - and, though I have not read the novel, could never be accomplished with such power in written form. (I've read "Remains of the Day", and can say that in this case at least the movie is better than the Ishiguro novel it was based on. I'd be surprised if somehow the same weren't the case with respect to "Never Let Me Go".)

If you like revenge movies, "Road to Perdition" with Tom Hanks is quite good for a viewing or two. I don't particularly care for the framing (beginning and end), but otherwise it's a solid thriller unlike 95% of what I've seen of the genre.

Leon the Professional is a great, unusual action movie. The first scene isn't good indication of the greatness that will come. I don't recall it having much going for it in terms of audio-visual treats - maybe I'm wrong, I just don't remember - but I can guarantee that at least for a couple of viewings it's solid.

I'll also mention Looper (2012). The first half of the movie does little for me, but after seeing the last third, I have to admit it immediately became one of my top favorites from the last few years. Again, I don't know if it wears well - not a lot of movies do - but it's eminently worth watching at least once.

"Burn After Reading" is a funny comedy. I think it's great entertainment for one viewing or so. Unfortunately, it loses most of its appeal once you know what happens in it.

For those who might like horror, Insidious (2010) and The Conjuring (2013) by the same director are rare movies in that they actually manage to be scary. The first one is also somewhat aesthetically pleasing (toward the end of the movie) beyond just the horror element. The best horror movies I've seen. Somewhat vulgar, but the more obviously artistic horror movies that I've seen just don't compare in terms of effectiveness.

It's all subjective, I'm sure.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

"Mongol " by Russian director Sergei Bodrov , is a thrilling, sweeping historical epic about the life of Genghis Khan . It's in Mongolian ! with English subtitles . It's a unique experience . The film traces the rise to power of the mightest and most brutal warlord in world history , how he unified the warring Mongol tribes into a fearsome, unstoppable army which created the largest empire in world history - one which stretched from the Pacific to the borders of Europe, as far north as Siberia and as far south as Mesopotamia .
The actors are all Asian unknowns . Unlike the two previous films about Genghis Khan, which made a travesty of the historical facts, and which laughably featured the late Omar Sharif and John Wayne! as Genghis, "Mongol" is scrupulously authentic in its portrayal of life among the Mongols and the actual historical events . Don't miss it ! You can easily find it on DVD and on youtube.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Have you watched 12 Monkeys? That is a great movie with some Terry Gilliam insanity.

My Top 10 movies:

The Sound of Music
The Lion King
The Little Mermaid
Titanic
Fantasia 2000
Ben-Hur
Beauty and the Beast
Finding Nemo
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Avatar


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Gustav Mahler said:


> Today I would like to watch a great movie that will restore the experience I had while watching Brazil-it was something special.
> Can someone recommend a movie that will blow my mind?


The Triplets of Belleville, a French animated film.

Actually not much like Brazil, but it does create its own world, as Brazil does. There's dark comedy, satire, etc.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

For a Woody Allen fan, I'd recommend some talky & witty comedies that are _even better!_

Cukor: _Holiday_
Cukor: _The Philadelphia Story_
Hawks: _Bringing up Baby_
Mankiewicz: _All about Eve_ or maybe even the more serious _The Barefoot Contessa_

For something a bit sillier, try Capra's _Arsenic and Old Lace._ For something a bit darker, try Wilder's _Sunset Boulevard._


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

I forgot to mention that the default audio track in The Dark Knight Rises has awful balance, with Bane's voice a lot louder than the rest. I always use the stereo track instead, which has good balance. Tom Hardy as Bane is the best voice-acting I've seen in a movie, and deserves a good presentation. Such a shame the default settings are so bad and there are a lot of people who don't realise the other English track is a lot better.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

GreenMamba said:


> The Triplets of Belleville, a French animated film.
> 
> Actually not much like Brazil, but it does create its own world, as Brazil does. There's dark comedy, satire, etc.


I loved that one. The Illusionist, by the same director, is also good--though slower moving and wistful in mood.


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## Centropolis (Jul 8, 2013)

I often ask people I meet this question: "Give me 3 movies that you watched that were amazing but you don't think anyone else watched?"

Here are a couple of mine:

The Life of David Gale
Moon


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## Abraham Lincoln (Oct 3, 2015)

Centropolis said:


> I often ask people I meet this question: "Give me 3 movies that you watched that were amazing but you don't think anyone else watched?"
> 
> Here are a couple of mine:
> 
> ...


Lincoln
Lincoln
Lincoln

Hardly anyone I know has seen this movie.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Centropolis said:


> I often ask people I meet this question: "Give me 3 movies that you watched that were amazing but you don't think anyone else watched?"
> 
> Here are a couple of mine:
> 
> ...


I saw David Gale, and I have to say, I thought it was bad. Seems to be quite polarizing.

Moon was good, though.


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## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Thanks. I watched 12 monkeys quite a long time ago. As I remember it was not as good as Brazil (But not bad!)
I am really looking for some really special films like Brazil. I am afraid they are quite hard to find.
I want a movie like Brazil in a sense that it takes you through an adventure, special sensations, suspense, drama and tragedy.
It is very hard to find movies that move you this days.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Centropolis said:


> I often ask people I meet this question: "Give me 3 movies that you watched that were amazing but you don't think anyone else watched?"


This is hard for me as I don't watch that many "cult" movies (and when I do, I often don't like them). I'm a man of well-known classics. But, how about

_Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru_ by Victor Sjöström, a superb drama made in the 1910's;
_Five Deadly Venoms_ is a Hong Kong Kung Fu classic and probably very well known by _that_ crowd but not by many others;

and...

_Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight_ is a rather cheaply made sword & sorcery cartoon, that I have a perverse fascination over. I can watch it over and over again. A lot of it is because the film isn't afraid of tropes; it _feasts_ on tropes and wallows in them. It celebrates fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons tropes like things of love, not like haphazard pillars that hold the plot together. It's the opposite, the plot is an excuse to love the tropes. Also, almost all lines are like quotable classics to me. And the number of visible tropes multiplies if you have any experience in role-playing games - I know _just_ the kind of people that play each character in the film, and _how_ they play them, and what makes them tick. And the film capitalizes on that. I guess it's my _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ or something. It doesn't really have much quality as a _film_, but it's very good as a love letter to tropes. And tropes are important, they are the building blocks of all stories.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Chordalrock said:


> This.
> 
> I'm not a huge fan of Part I, but the director's cut of Part II is beautiful cinema. I also happen to think Charlotte Gainsbourg is the most pleasing female actor currently working. I'd also recommend Melancholia - ignore the artsy beginning typical of later Trier movies, and do what you will with the first half of the movie - again the second half is great stuff and with another great performance from Gainsbourg. Speaking of Trier, you have to see his TV series, The Kingdom. It's hilarious black comedy - the first season (four episodes) is certainly some of the best things to come out of European TV.
> 
> ...


Only left what movies from your list I have seen. Though I'll be sure to check out the others. Funny enough I just got the Ishiguro novel Never Let Me Go for Christmas but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

As for Melancholia, I just watched that film last night and, while it didn't strike me at first, the more I think about it the more I realize how beautiful it is


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

Cosmos said:


> As for Melancholia, I just watched that film last night and, while it didn't strike me at first, the more I think about it the more I realize how beautiful it is


Some spoilers ahead:

One thing I think is notable about the movie is that it first portrays a deeply depressed person - a person that viewers will simply assume is mentally ill. Then it gives that character a line that goes something like, "I have moments of clairvoyance, I know the universe is evil and that we are doomed." Then it shows that she is right: they all die in the end and the whole planet is destroyed without mercy by the Lovecraftian universe around them. I think it's a very honest movie and one that managed to surprise me with its bleakness. It also makes it clear that the comet is destroying something beautiful and innocent (particularly the child and the character played by Gainsbourg). There is not a hint of "you deserved it" in this movie.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

How about:

*Slow West*










A new (2015) Western from New Zealand. Reviews are excellent. I don't know what the Amazonians are complaining about. I guess it's too artsy for them. Beautifully filmed. Very spare, with a whopping climax. I saw it in a bin at the library a couple of days ago with a special recommendation from the library, so I grabbed it. Excellent!* ~90 minutes.

*It's one of those that leaves you kind of shaken up at the end, still feeling for the characters. I probably should shed a tear  It really gets into the characters' roles.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

How about Clerks? It's a nice cult film.


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## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Plenty of movies to choose from!
Thanks everyone, I will add them to my list.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Gustav Mahler said:


> Hello there!
> I thought maybe this thread could become the official movie recommendation thread of TC. Everybody could help anyone, and we would all benefit from that.
> 
> Now let's begin!
> ...


A Woody Allen fan might want to check out the films of Ingmar Bergman. A good starting point would be Persona, The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Centropolis said:


> I often ask people I meet this question: "Give me 3 movies that you watched that were amazing but you don't think anyone else watched?"


Samira Makhmalbaf: The apple










Francis Veber: The dinner of idiots










Cristi Puiu: The death of Mr Lazarescu


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Please, recommend more comedies. good ones like "Dirty rotten scoundrels" already mentioned in this thread.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

helenora said:


> Please, recommend more comedies. good ones like "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" already mentioned in this thread.


Films:

*Hopscotch* (1980), starring Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson. Directed by Ronald Neame.
*The Loved One *(1965), starring Jonathan Winters, Rod Steiger, Anjanette Comer. Directed by Tony Richardson.
*The Magic Christian *(1969), starring Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, Isabel Jeans. Directed by Joseph McGrath.
*Sideways* (2004), starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Sandra Oh. Directed by Alexander Payne.
*Charlie Wilson's War *(2007), starring Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts. Directed by Mike Nichols.
*Popeye *(1980), starring Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall. Directed by Robert Altman.

TV Series:

*Root Into Europe *(1992), starring George Cole, Pat Heywood. Directed by Mark Chapman.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

Abraham Lincoln said:


> Lincoln
> Lincoln
> Lincoln
> 
> Hardly anyone I know has seen this movie.


It's a damn scandal that Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for Best Actor when he wasn't even in the movie!

Changing gears...

I am utterly charmed by the work of Hayao Miyazaki. If you don't know him, he's been called the "Walt Disney of Japan." His movies, done in gentle anime style, are utterly gorgeous, with wonderful plots and liberal doses of humor.
_Kiki's Delivery Service_, _My Neighbor Totoro_, and _Ponyo_ are all good places to start. _Spirited Away_ is my favorite film of all time, an astoundingly beautiful film (aside from the "Menuet" from Ravel's _Le Tombeau de Couperin_, I can't think of a better way to spend five minutes of your life than drinking in Chihiro's train journey to Swamp Bottom in the last third of the movie) - but even I have to admit that his masterpiece is _Princess Mononoke_ - powerful, compelling, epic.

Yeah, I like me my Myazaki.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

helenora said:


> Please, recommend more comedies. good ones like "Dirty rotten scoundrels" already mentioned in this thread.


Here are some movies I love that are either comedies or heavily feature comedic elements:

Sgt. Bilko (Steve Martin)
Ratatouille
Muppet Treasure Island
Ocean's Eleven


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## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Belowpar said:


> 2 that never disappoint
> 
> The Third Man
> 
> ...


Two of the very best, on my list as well.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

If quirky comedy is your thing, try _Local Hero_, starring Peter Riegert and a wonderful comedic turn by Burt Lancaster - as quietly quirky as movies come.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

helenora said:


> Please, recommend more comedies. good ones like "Dirty rotten scoundrels" already mentioned in this thread.


I don't know if you're into surrealist comedy/satire--but if so, then you might enjoy The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, directed by Luis Buñuel. The plot revolves around the premise of thwarted plans: the two main characters keep on searching for a place to eat a nice meal, but they run into a series of disturbing obstacles--many of which include terrorists, ghosts and dead bodies. It might not sound very funny, but it actually is!


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Bettina said:


> I don't know if you're into surrealist comedy/satire--but if so, then you might enjoy The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, directed by Luis Buñuel. The plot revolves around the premise of thwarted plans: the two main characters keep on searching for a place to eat a nice meal, but they run into a series of disturbing obstacles--many of which include terrorists, ghosts and dead bodies. It might not sound very funny, but it actually is!


ha, yes, I've watched it. It's cool! I really loved it.


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Totenfeier said:


> If quirky comedy is your thing, try _Local Hero_, starring Peter Riegert and a wonderful comedic turn by Burt Lancaster - as quietly quirky as movies come.


you know , yesterday, just by chance I've found it and watched. Agree that Burt Lancaster is wonderful.


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

bharbeke said:


> Here are some movies I love that are either comedies or heavily feature comedic elements:
> 
> Sgt. Bilko (Steve Martin)
> Ratatouille
> ...


Thanks for suggestions!
Ratatouille already watched. It's nice. But I'm looking forward to Sgt. Bilko - I'm a big fan of Steve Martin


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

bharbeke said:


> Here are some movies I love that are either comedies or heavily feature comedic elements:
> 
> Sgt. Bilko (Steve Martin)
> Ratatouille
> ...


Thank you for Sgt. Bilko. It was hilarious! lots of fun!


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