Back shelf picks - all of them
I'm sometimes asked for a complete list of recommended movies from my Back-Shelf Pick column. Here's all of the movies I've featured so far. (And check the comments for some great suggestions from readers!)
One Hour Photo
The Sweet Hereafter
Midnight Train
Everything Is Illuminated
Minus Man
American Movie
East Is East
Comedian
The Aristocrats
The Year of Living Dangerously
The World's Fastest Indian
Bagdad Cafe
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Touching the Void
Enigma
The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition
Aberdeen
Memento
A Slipping Down Life
The Cooler
You Can Count on Me
MirrorMask
Tumbleweeds
The Straight Story
Requiem for a Dream
House of Sand and Fog
Calendar Girls
Transamerica
Casanova
Kingdom of Heaven
Shopgirl
Saint Ralph
Clay Pigeons
Spellbound
The Big Kahuna
House of Games
The Missing
Plots with a View
A Love Song for Bobby Long
Love and Sex
The Quiet American
The Deep End
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Millions
Howl's Moving Castle
Proof
I Capture the Castle
Eve's Bayou
The Professional
A Walk on the Moon
Cop Land
Billy Elliot
Two Family House
Searching for Bobby Fischer
In the Bedroom
The Ref
Shine
Hear My Song
Green Dragon
Garden State
21 Grams
28 Days Later
Personal Velicity
Montana
To End All Wars
Dear Frankie
Truly, Madly, Deeply
The Tao of Steve
Danny Deck Chair
In America
Lantana
Scotland, P.A.
Into the West
The Woodsman
Spartan
Happy Texas
The Safety of Objects
Happy Accidents
Smoke Signals
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
I hope you find some movies here you like. I've tried to pick under-watched movies with the most wide appeal. I have plenty of favorites that are Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese ... But I know that so many moviegoers won't bother with subtitles.
posted by Warren Epstein @ 12:43 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I have to add ~ any of the Mad Max movies are always excellent back shelf picks. As for no one caring about subtitles...Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of my all time faves, ever.
I remember watching the premiere of "Crouching Tiger" at Telluride with the president of Lucasfilms, who was sure American audiences would have trouble with the subtitles.
I thought this was a film that was so visual and so action-packed, people would hardly notice the subtitles.
I was so glad I was right. ... especially since my usual predictions about what will be a hit have been way off.
.. also, about Mad Max, I'd say Road Warrior was great. The others? So so.
Some other picks I would recommend: The Pianist, Sylvia, Triplets of Belleview, Dark Crystal (you had mirrormask), Lost in Translation, Goodbye Lenin, Grizzly Man, Whale Rider, Me and You and Everyone We Know, The Squid and the Whale, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Thumbsucker, Bad Education, Before Sunset & Before Sunrise, Waking Life... just a few movies I'd like to see on the back shelf picks.
Forgot all about Time Bandits. That one is a great back shelf pick also.
Loved Time Bandits, too. I should rent that for my kids.
On my back-shelf picks, I've been trying to keep as contemporary as I can, knowing that most people under 30 won't go for something made before 1990. Sad but true.
Matthew has some really good films on his list. I might put Triplets of Belleville on the list. It was so clever ... visually and otherwise. That wasn't subtitled, was it?
Lost in Translation is one of those divisive films. You sort of have to be willing to accept it on its own terms, as a slice of life, as a spicy travelogue. But those looking for a traditional emotional story arc are vastly disappointed by the film.
Loved Me and You and Everyone We Know ... I might pick that one for next week.
Liked Grizzly Man... more the subject than the filmmaking, which was a bit clunky.
And I liked The Squid and the Whale a lot, but the ending kind of left me ... It didn't feel finished, which I suppose was the intent. Guess I'm sometimes a fairly traditional American moviegoer.
Liked Whale Rider, but was expecting more givent he hype ... wasn't blown away by Bad Education ... liked Waking Life but wouldn't recommend it for a wide audience ... and I really want to see Thumbsucker.
You should totally watch "Sleeve of Wizard" by Roger Corman.
I can't find "Sleeve of Wizard" on imdb. Can you tell me more about it?
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