Art of Film

I didn't go to film school so I'm not hard core, but I do know about movies. I'm hyper critical, I go to film festivals whenever possible, and I always know the director's name. My dad, a British intellectual, wrote weekly film reviews for the newspaper so I grew up with an appreciation for the art. It was a major treat on weekends when he brought me and my brother to see whatever he was reviewing. A favorite memory is breezing by the queue to the VIP line, back when there were only small theaters with queues, and getting free admission. That's fucking cool for a kid. And my brother and I often saw films entirely inappropriate for our age. Yeah, we were desensitized early (and somehow we survived). In junior high and high school I worked at a video store. Remember those? Best. Job. Ever. For a film genre whore like me, there's nothing better than getting paid to watch movies. And I watched them all.

If you don't watch foreign films and tend toward Hollywood rubbish blockbusters then you might not agree with my opinions herein. Okay, I admit I do like superheros and kung fu, but yeah, most of what Hollywood churns out isn't all that good if you care to really think about it. But no one is forcing you to think so by all means keep with the masses. That said, if you want a little film guidance, read on.

People are always asking for it so I've listed my recommendations. Right here, just for you. If it's not on this list, good chance I've seen it but don't recommend it. To help you gauge my taste I've first listed the more recent films I've seen and will add to the top as I go. Then I've listed television shows, and after that is the motherload: My remaining film recommendations listed alphabetically. I know, madness. You can also see what I'm watching on Letterboxd.

Recent recommendations
Force Majeure (2014)
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
Blue Ruin (2014)
The World's End (2013)
Prisoners (2013)
Trance (2013)
The Lunchbox (2013)
The Grandmaster (2013)
Jagten (The Hunt) (2012)
The Imposter (2012)
Die Wand (The Wall) (2012)
Smashed (2012)
21 Jump Street (2012)
Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Intouchables (2011)
We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
Drive (2011)
Bellflower (2011)
Drei (Three) (2010)
The Perfect Host (2010)
Machete (2010)
Stake Land (2010)
13 Assassins (2010)
I Saw the Devil (2010)
The Robber (2010)
Small Town Murder Songs (2010)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Red Hill (2010)
Red (2010)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
A Somewhat Gentle Man (2010)
Another Year (2010)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Harry Brown (2009)
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
The Double Hour (2009)
The Square (2008)
Frygtelig Lykkelig (Terribly Happy) (2008)
Revanche (2008)
This is England (2006)
Ikiru (To Live) (1952)

Television
Les Revenants
True Detective
Top of the Lake
Breaking Bad
The Bridge (Bron | Broen)
Dexter (Seasons 1-4)
The Fall 
The Killing
Long Way Down / Long Way Round
The Office (UK first, then US)
Sherlock (UK, 2010- )
South Park

Twin Peaks

The Walking Dead
The Wire

Recommendations
12 Monkeys
13 Assassins
13 Tzameti
28 Days Later
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
A Clockwork Orange
A History of Violence
Amelie
Animal Kingdom
Another Year
Bandits (1997, 2001)
Before Sunrise
Before Sunset
Best in Show
Big Lebowski
Big Night
Birth
Black Stallion
Blade Runner *my favorite movie ever
Blue Velvet
Bourne Identity / Supremacy / Ultimatum
Brazil
Breaking Away
Caché
Changeling (1980)
Chicken Run
Children of Men
Crying Game
Das Boot (The Boat)
Das Experiment
Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of Others)
Dead Calm
Dead Man
Dead Man's Shoes
Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire)
District 9
Dogville
Don't Look Now
Donnie Darko
Eastern Promises
Edward Scissorhands
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes)
Exorcist
Fight Club
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Frantic
Funny Games (both German and US versions)
Garden State
Gattaca
Gegen die Wand (Head-on)
Happy Go Lucky
Hot Fuzz
Hunger (2008)
Il y a Longtemps que Je T'aime (I've Loved You So Long)
In the Bedroom
Inside Man
Interview
Jaws
Jules et Jim
Kick Ass
Kill Bill
L'homme du Train
La Dolce Vita
La Haine
LA Story
La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful)
Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thief)
Låt den Rätte Komma In (Let the Right One In)
Les Quatre Cents Coups (400 Blows)
Life is Beautiful
Little Miss Sunshine
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
Lord of War
Lost in Translation
Machete
Mad Max / Road Warrior
Män som hatar kvinnor (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Match Point
Matrix
Memento
Metropolis
Midnight Express
Midnight Run
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Moon
Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One)
Noi Albino
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Office Space
Oldboy (2003)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Primer
Princess Bride
Priscilla, Queen of Desert
Raising Arizona
Ratatouille
Ravenous
Red Riding Trilogy
Red / Blue / White Trilogy
Repo Man (1984)
RocknRolla
Royal Tenenbaums
Run Lola Run
Salinui Chueok (Memories of Murder)
Secretary
Secrets & Lies
Seventh Seal
Shall We Dance? (1996)
Shallow Grave
Shaun of Dead
Shawshank Redemption
Shoot 'Em Up
Sid & Nancy
Sin City
Snatch
Son of Rambow
Spanish Prisoner
Square (2008)
Stalker
Starman
Taxi Driver
Terminator
Thelma & Louise
Third Man
This is England
This is Spinal Tap
Time Bandits
Trainspotting
Un Prophète (A Prophet)
Unbearable Lightness of Being
Usual Suspects
Visitor
Waitress
Walk the Line
Wall-E
Wandâfuru Raifu (After Life)
Watership Down
We Need to Talk About Kevin
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
When Harry Met Sally
Wild at Heart
Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Wolf Creek
Wrestler
Y Tu Mamá También

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