xkcd

by **Malice** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:22 am UTC

Black Books! How could I forget?

Anyone looking for any good shows to follow might benefit from checking out this list of the year's 25 best.

by **Uber_Apple** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 12:17 am UTC

I know it doesn't fit with the other shows you watch, but seriously:

The Wire

by **HiFranc** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:27 am UTC

I would second the new Star Trek series (TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise).

If you like Vampires then I would recommend Moonlight and Blood Ties. You might want to look up the UK mini-series from the 90s called Ultraviolet (but that does have a different feel to it)?

by **NeilFann** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:23 am UTC

@HiFranc

Moonlight I tried without being grabbed but Ultraviolet looks interesting. It's gone on my Lovefilm rental list. Thanks for that.

Just started the Walking Dead which looks ace from the first ep I've seen. Love zombies too (28 Days/Weeks Later).

Once again, I love you guys....

by **HiFranc** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:31 am UTC

NeilFann wrote:@HiFranc

Moonlight I tried without being grabbed but Ultraviolet looks interesting. It's gone on my Lovefilm rental list. Thanks for that.

You're welcome. I hope you like it.

by **ArgonV** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:59 pm UTC

My sis offered to slip me and a friend into a movie tomorrow for free, these are my choices:
The Green Hornet
Let Me In
Love and Other Drugs
Meet the Parents: Little Fockers
The Next Three Days
Tucker & Dale vs Evil
The Way Back

What do you think we should go and see?

by **roband** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:11 pm UTC

The Green Hornet - not seen, going to see it tomorrow, kinda excited.
Let Me In - very good movie. Moretz is awesome.
Love and Other Drugs - NIPPLES
Meet the Parents: Little Fockers - bleh
The Next Three Days - also going to see tomorrow
Tucker & Dale vs Evil - not heard of it
The Way Back - very watchable, some largish gaps in the story, but enjoyable

In truth, Love and Other Drugs is actually a pretty good movie, Anne Hathaway is just naked/topless in A LOT of it. I would recommend (for other reasons than her nipples)

by **PeterCai** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:55 am UTC

roband wrote:The Green Hornet - not seen, going to see it tomorrow, kinda excited.

it sucks

by **Zohar** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:11 am UTC

Of those I've only seen Love and Other Drugs. Mostly standard romantic comedy, lots of beautiful naked Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.

by **theGoldenCalf;** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:21 pm UTC

Howdy. I am the Golden Calf, and I have a problem.

I really enjoy horror movies, but still I've seen far too little of them, and liked even less. I like horror films for the creepy atmosphere and the feelings of nervousness and unease, and find the element of life threatening danger or actual death to be somewhat redundant (it's an effective tool for the story, but tends to lead into tired and corny directions). Slasher flicks bore me, I can't stand campy B's, zombies aren't scary, people, and "Hostel" style gore-fest puke-a-thons I don't even watch. Horror movies I've watched and liked include Audition, Ringu (the original, never seen the Hollywood adaptation), Oldboy, Honogurai mizu no soko kara (the original "Dark Water", I saw the adaptation too and it's ok), Saw, Alien I and maybe III, Nightmare on Elm Street I (I've seen all sequels and they're maybe good for a laugh). Even Blair Witch, while having next to nothing happen the whole movie, had a great tense and spooky atmosphere.
I think I aim at a very specific kind of movie here, so I'd like to hear recommendations if you have any..

by **Zohar** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:30 pm UTC

Oldboy is a horror movie?

It sounds as if you're looking for thrillers a bit more than horror movies, if I understand you correctly. How about Perfect Blue? I remember that being very creepy when I was watching it.

by **Malice** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:59 am UTC

theGoldenCalf; wrote:Howdy. I am the Golden Calf, and I have a problem.

I really enjoy horror movies, but still I've seen far too little of them, and liked even less. I like horror films for the creepy atmosphere and the feelings of nervousness and unease, and find the element of life threatening danger or actual death to be somewhat redundant (it's an effective tool for the story, but tends to lead into tired and corny directions). Slasher flicks bore me, I can't stand campy B's, zombies aren't scary, people, and "Hostel" style gore-fest puke-a-thons I don't even watch. Horror movies I've watched and liked include Audition, Ringu (the original, never seen the Hollywood adaptation), Oldboy, Honogurai mizu no soko kara (the original "Dark Water", I saw the adaptation too and it's ok), Saw, Alien I and maybe III, Nightmare on Elm Street I (I've seen all sequels and they're maybe good for a laugh). Even Blair Witch, while having next to nothing happen the whole movie, had a great tense and spooky atmosphere.
I think I aim at a very specific kind of movie here, so I'd like to hear recommendations if you have any..

Watch the American Ring, it's excellent and very atmospheric. I think you'll also enjoy The Descent (probably the first half more than the second half, but it's all good), Session 9 (where the star is a really creepy abandoned asylum), Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion, Suspiria, The Hitcher (original), The Shining, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (original), The Thing (Carpenter's), and Jacob's Ladder.

by **SecondTalon** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:26 am UTC

Event Horizon, maybe? It's probably a bit gorier than what you want, but it's... well, I find it to be a pretty creepy movie. Review here.

by **theGoldenCalf;** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:43 am UTC

Thanks people

I've been meaning to watch Event Horizon, Ring (US version) and Session 9 for quite some time now but haven't done anything about it yet 'cause I'm such a lazy bastard. The Descent I didn't really like, though it is well made and the sexeh ladies, too.

Zohar's right, maybe what I'm talking about here is more like a certain psychological thriller quality which is found in some horror films, but not exclusively. When Oldboy was recommended to me it was referred to as a horror movie, and it really is stretching the genre boundaries a bit. So's referring to Cube, Silence of the Lambs or Rosemary's baby as horror which is quite common. They all fit into what I described there (and are great at it), but horror? not entirely.

On an unrelated note, if you haven't seen Moon yet, please do.

by **Pterosaur** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:46 pm UTC

These are some of my favorite psychological suspense creepy thrillers. I also prefer the American Ring series to the Japanese. This is mostly because Naomi Watts isn’t the worthless simpering fool that her Japanese counterpart was. Naomi kicks ass.

Paranormal Activity
Red Dragon
28 Days Later
Lady Vengeance (Oldboy director)
I Am Legend
Three Extremes 1 & 2 (Korean horror)
Trick ‘r Treat
The Uninvited (American version)
American Psycho
Seven
The Machinist
12 Monkeys
May
Orphan
Halloween (Rob Zombie version)
REC (Spanish version)

I already had Moon in my Netflix queue, and I just added Dark Water. I’m always looking for good Asian horror.

by **GhostWolfe** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:26 am UTC

Moon is incredible, it's definitely one of my favourite movies of all time. Watch the special features too, there's some great stuff in there too.

/angell

by **PeterCai** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:01 pm UTC

I recently got interested in the medium, am looking for some recommendations. I am primarily looking for serious drama, but don't mind something lighter. It's best if the series is finished but not too old(unless it's a classic), I hate waiting and choppy animation.

Stuff I already watched/am watching:
Neon Genesis Evangelion: loved it
Bokurano: loved it
Cowboy Bebop: just started, loving it
Darker than Black: tries too hard

So yeah...

Thanks

by **headprogrammingczar** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:43 pm UTC

Ghost in the Shell SAC is a pretty good series. It does a good job of going back and forth between somewhat silly and totally dead serious.

by **Naurgul** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:31 pm UTC

As far as series go, I second Ghost in the Shell. It's really good (and serious too). Also, I suggest watching Mononoke and the Rurouni Kenshin OAV1. Consider watching FLCL too, for something lighter. I think any one of the Fullmetal Alchemist series and Rurouni Kenshin are generally worth it too, but they should not be a priority.

For films, you can't go wrong with anything Miyazaki, although some of his movies might feel a bit childish. Also, there's Akira, Grave of the Fireflies, Millenium Actress, Paprika and Tokyo Godfathers.

by **legopelle** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:39 pm UTC

headprogrammingczar wrote:Ghost in the Shell SAC is a pretty good series. It does a good job of going back and forth between somewhat silly and totally dead serious.

Yup, just don't forget there's ~~two~~ three films (the last one is to be watched after the second series) and two series.

If you enjoyed NGE, you'll probably want to watch the two (at present) rebuilds 1.11 and 2.22
They are faster paced and with very beautiful animation. The montage up to defeating Ramiel is awesome.
And just to be sure, you have watched End of Evangelion, right? Right?

Serious:
Death Note
Code Geass - can be a bit silly at times, but the overreaching story makes up for that
Berserk
Full Metal Panic - the two main series are quite serious and and Fumoffu is very funny.
Fullmetal Alchemist - two versions. The latter (named Brotherhood) is infinitely the greater. Follows the manga and consequentially have one of the best endings ever.
Dragonball - the first and the second (Z). Very epic and manly.

Less serious:
Gurren Lagann - it's juvenile, and it's proud of it.
Seto no Hanayome - the funniest thing i've ever seen. I promise you, you will laugh 'til you drop. It's insane.
Ranma ½ - not as good as the manga, but quite hilarious in it's own right.

What have I forgotten?

by **Naurgul** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:39 pm UTC

You forgot to mention that Berserk has terrible animation. And the OP stated he doesn't like that.

by **headprogrammingczar** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:12 pm UTC

legopelle wrote:
headprogrammingczar wrote:Ghost in the Shell SAC is a pretty good series. It does a good job of going back and forth between somewhat silly and totally dead serious.

Yup, just don't forget there's ~~two~~ three films (the last one is to be watched after the second series) and two series.

Lies! GitS 2 and SSS don't exist!

by **legopelle** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:28 pm UTC

Naurgul wrote:You forgot to mention that Berserk has terrible animation. And the OP stated he doesn't like that.

It's not terrible. It's actually quite good considering the detail of the artwork. Definitely closer to western animation.
Speaking of good artwork, I just remembered another serious, recent anime:

Claymore.

headprogrammingczar wrote:
legopelle wrote:
headprogrammingczar wrote:Ghost in the Shell SAC is a pretty good series. It does a good job of going back and forth between somewhat silly and totally dead serious.

Yup, just don't forget there's ~~two~~ three films (the last one is to be watched after the second series) and two series.

Lies! GitS 2 and SSS don't exist!

GitS 2 was very weird, I can give you that. I have yet to watch the last episodes of second gig, so I can't make a statement about the third film. Good thing my hopes are now low!

by **Cecilff2** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:13 pm UTC

legopelle wrote:Speaking of good artwork, I just remembered another serious, recent anime:

Claymore.

Was good until ep 22. Just stop there and act like there is a "to be continued...", because it tries to unnecessarily resolve things that shouldn't have been.(The manga continues and Clare still hasn't found spoiler)

Also Raki is really REALLY annoying until he grows up.

Might want to try out Gungrave. I'll give you advice though, skip the first episode. It was completely unnecessary and sets a very bad first impression. It's a mafia anime(With elements of sci-fi).

If you're going to watch Full Metal Alchemist, try to catch the new Brotherhood series.

Code Geass is neat, but the way they play chess makes me cringe so much(Shneizel's match in particular. KINGS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY, GOODNIGHT)

by **roband** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:40 pm UTC

original: My thread got turned into an anime thread? Is there anyway to 'unsubscribe' from this so it doesn't appear in my "View your Posts" list?

No offence to you Japanese-cartoon-loving-people, but I have no interest, but I hate those little purple 'unread' icons

edit1: ~~Wait, this isn't my thread. What the fuck? Did I ever post here before?~~

edit2: oh, so I did... Sorry, continue

by **PeterCai** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:29 am UTC

Thanks guys, great recommendations!

eh, why is my thread merged, i thought:

1. No anime - This rule is mostly to keep the amount of recommendations manageable. If you want anime recommendations, I'm sure you can find plenty already floating around, or make a separate thread, so no complaining about this one. If, however, you'd like to recommend something, and you're not sure if it's an anime or not, just go ahead and recommend it anyway. It would be a shame not to hear about a good cartoon just because it's hard to categorize.

that's why i created a new thread

by **SecondTalon** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:30 am UTC

We don't need 4 or 5 different recommendation threads based on media. So I rolled them all into one, going back ... a while. And stickied. So now it's more in-line with the rest of High Culture. We're going to roll with an experiment for a bit with the Ask For and generic Recommendations being in one thread, since people can't keep them straight anyway.

If you don't want to be recommended anime and limit yourself for... whatever reason, that's fine. State as much in your request.

by **luvnotwar** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:11 am UTC

I know that I am REALLY goddamn late to the party, but I just watched all the Aeon Flux shorts and most of the full-length episodes and it is dynamite. Like, holy shit, where have you been all my life?

by **emceng** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:48 pm UTC

Five Fingers - great movie, or greatest movie? It's available for streaming on Netflix at the moment. I highy recommend watching it.

by **Nattlinnen** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:34 pm UTC

My so-called life

American Television series from 1994. The perfect coming of age series with perfect dialogue, perfect clothing, the lack of coherent plot making it about the most realistic thing ever done. Oh, that's just the fan speaking. Anyway, for me born in 1991, the 90s are kinda mythical and interesting. It something I've been experiencing but without any realistic chance of really understanding it. The 90s are close but far away at the same time. I've seen the clothes and heard the music but, hey, I was four years old! So, now at a more mature age (far from mature though) I've started to adore 90s culture. My so-called life is one way to experience this, and it's a damn great way too!

The series was cancelled after the first season so there are only 19 recorded episodes so it's a quite fast, but still stunning, experience.

by **sheynfinkel** » Mon May 23, 2011 11:06 am UTC

Can anyone recommend a good Swedish film?
Here are some I've seen recently that I really enjoyed:
Män som hatar kvinnor, Flickan som lekte med elden, Luftslottet som sprängdes, Ondskan, Fucking Åmål, Smultronstället, and Låt den rätte komma in

by **legopelle** » Mon May 23, 2011 1:39 pm UTC

sheynfinkel wrote:Can anyone recommend a good Swedish film?
Here are some I've seen recently that I really enjoyed:
Män som hatar kvinnor, Flickan som lekte med elden, Luftslottet som sprängdes, Ondskan, Fucking Åmål, Smultronstället, and Låt den rätte komma in

Try "Fyra år till". It was surprisingly fun when I watched it last night. They caught all political dynamics and made dialogue out of it.

by **sheynfinkel** » Mon May 23, 2011 3:25 pm UTC

legopelle wrote:Try "Fyra år till". It was surprisingly fun when I watched it last night. They caught all political dynamics and made dialogue out of it.

Looks good, thanks.

Edit: Hmm... not what I was expecting at all. I hate to admit it but I was a bit uncomfortable for most of it, still pretty funny though.

by **Nattlinnen** » Mon May 23, 2011 8:45 pm UTC

sheynfinkel wrote:Can anyone recommend a good Swedish film?
Here are some I've seen recently that I really enjoyed:
Män som hatar kvinnor, Flickan som lekte med elden, Luftslottet som sprängdes, Ondskan, Fucking Åmål, Smultronstället, and Låt den rätte komma in

Fucking Åmål <3

Try: En Kärlekshistoria (A Swedish Love story) by Roy Andersson - Timeless love story depicting the gap between generations and the love of a teenage couple. Released 1970
De ofrivilliga (Involuntary) by Ruben Östlund - A movie which explored group mechanics with scary precision. Released 2008
Sånger från andra våningen (Sings from the second floor) by Roy Andersson - Disconnected surreal work. Beautiful scenery. Released 2000.

Enjoy

by **sheynfinkel** » Tue May 24, 2011 3:31 am UTC

Nattlinnen wrote:
sheynfinkel wrote:Can anyone recommend a good Swedish film?
Here are some I've seen recently that I really enjoyed:
Män som hatar kvinnor, Flickan som lekte med elden, Luftslottet som sprängdes, Ondskan, Fucking Åmål, Smultronstället, and Låt den rätte komma in

Fucking Åmål <3

Try: En Kärlekshistoria (A Swedish Love story) by Roy Andersson - Timeless love story depicting the gap between generations and the love of a teenage couple. Released 1970
De ofrivilliga (Involuntary) by Ruben Östlund - A movie which explored group mechanics with scary precision. Released 2008
Sånger från andra våningen (Sings from the second floor) by Roy Andersson - Disconnected surreal work. Beautiful scenery. Released 2000.

Enjoy

Yeah, Fucking Åmål was awesome. That and Lilja 4-Ever. American films very rarely feel that real. Thanks for the recommendations.

Edit: I'm thoroughly confused about life now. Well done Nattlinnen.

by **Zarq** » Tue May 24, 2011 1:15 pm UTC

Can't go Sweden without some (more) Bergman. Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) is perhaps the most well-known of them.

This reminds me that I need to rewatch Fucking Amal. I saw it in highschool, but I was a stupid teenager back then so I didn't enjoy anything that didn't have explosions.

by **sheynfinkel** » Tue May 24, 2011 5:17 pm UTC

Zarq wrote:Can't go Sweden without some (more) Bergman. Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) is perhaps the most well-known of them.

That was probably the first Swedish film I saw, it comes on tcm fairly often. I'd consider it the primary reason for my interest in Swedish movies.

by **SurgicalSteel** » Fri May 27, 2011 1:41 am UTC

I'm looking a for a decent scary movie to watch. Past favorites have included Session 9, Event Horizon, The Descent, The Orphanage, The Thing, The Dark and Paranormal Activity. As you can probably tell, I'm ok with some blood in the film, but I'd rather it not be the focus. I prefer atmosphere and characterization. I'm not looking for shock fests or splatter films, more something really creepy or mind-bending. Thanks.

Seen:

Spoiler:

by **Amarantha** » Fri May 27, 2011 10:31 am UTC

If you haven't seen it yet, watch Ring in the original Japanese. Preferably watch it alone, in the dark. And don't bloody spoil the signature scene by watching the American action-movie version first.

by **roband** » Fri May 27, 2011 1:44 pm UTC

The Crazies is very good, in parts.

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