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silverspringwoman |
top 10 dystopian films |
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Posts: 269 (02/08/07 21:37:39) |
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Kaliverdant |
Re: top 10 dystopian films | ||
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Posts: 9 (02/09/07 08:19:47) |
From that list I've seen Brazil, Logan's Run and about the first hour of Gattaca.
Of those I'd say Brazil is my favourite. Perhaps because it's based in my native England and so hits harder. It certainly depicts the attitudes and functions of the state here on an incredibly realistic level, and gets more accurate as time passes... |
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jonathan |
Re: top 10 dystopian films | ||
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Posts: 11 (02/09/07 09:48:05) |
I never envisioned a world like Logan's run, so that was pretty interesting watching it the first time. I've never seen any of the other movies.
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debrr(d) |
Re: top 10 dystopian films | ||
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Posts: 36 (02/09/07 23:48:15) |
Saw Logan's Run, MadMax & Bladerunner.
Really enjoyed Logan's. I got DVD "Solyent Green" from the library yesterday....a classic. Caption reads "It's the year 2022, people are still the same. They'll do anything to get what they need. And they need Soylent Green". Freaks me out every time I watch it. It's been a decade or so.... I also recommend another movie I watched a year or two ago...Code 46. I think their portrayal of the future may be not so far off the mark. preview.gospelcom.net/rev.php3?2628 |
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arkham618 |
Re: top 10 dystopian films | ||
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Posts: 5 (03/04/07 16:45:52) |
Seen all of them except La Jetee and Alphaville. Gattaca is my favorite of the bunch; Bladerunner and Brazil tie for second place, although the latter has aged better given its deliberately anachronistic visual style. Some other good dystopian films include A Clockwork Orange, Dark City, and (if you accept that a dystopia need not be set in the future) Pleasantville.
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awlknottedup |
Re: top 10 dystopian films | ||
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Posts: 53 (03/21/07 09:54:32) Moderator |
Rather than watch "Solyent Green" read the book "Make room, Make room." The movie is loosely and poorly based on the book.
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shiva888 |
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Posts: 11 (04/04/08 13:09:30) |
A couple more:
Children of Men (excellent!) Southland Tales - A big sloppy mess of a movie from the guy that made Donnie Darko but very original and worth seeing. |
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Hakim Baker |
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Posts: 47 (04/04/08 17:04:45) |
I'm glad someone revived this thread. I've seen Running Man, Brazil, Road Warrior, Akira, Blade Runner, THX 1138, and Gattaca. Brazil has been a
longstanding favorite of mine, and I think it should rank at least a little higher on the list! Gattaca was pretty good, as well as THX 1138, and Akira. Sounds
like I should watch Gattaca again, it's been years, and I only saw it once. Road Warrior and Running Man are more like fun action movies (IMHO) than
"top dystopian" films.
Shiva888, I'll keep Southland Tales in mind. I just watched Donnie Darko last year, though I had wanted to see it since it first came out and someone recommended it to me. Later I watched the director's cut. It was awesome. Someone recommended Children of Men to me last year--will keep that in mind too. Pleasantville is a good recommendation, one I wouldn't normally think of when thinking of dystopias. But of course a dystopia need not be set in the future!! They're even better the more realistic they are. Not that I'm gonna get much time to sit and stare at the screen; woodcutting and gardening season is upon us. We have plants to get in the ground, firewood to stack, and sunlight and fresh breezes to enjoy while the rest of Springfield is at their jobs and schools. |
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hymalaia |
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Posts: 3 (04/08/08 01:14:10) |
I agree with the notion that true "dystopian" films are not set in the future. Why bother when the present day works so well? To see true
"dystopian" films, check out;
"L'Eclisse" - Michalangelo Antonioni, 1962 "The Bed You Sleep In" - Jon Jost, 1993 "Two or Three Things I Know About Her" - Jean Luc Godard, 1967 "L'argent" - Robert Bresson, 1983 Rather than some sci fi setting, the future or some other "distant galaxy, far far away" these were all set in the times they were made, aka the MODERN AGE. They basically all say the same thing in their own, aesthetically uncompromising way; that we are f*cked as a society. Other films by these same director's apply but the films I've listed are probably the most "dystopian". Sadly they are not all widely available on DVD. "L'Eclisse" and "L'Argent" are. "2 or 3 Things..." might have a good DVD out eventually. "The Bed You Sleep In" has a horrible DVD release and is mired in a copyright mess. Jost is probably one of the best American filmmakers, yet few people know he exists. Goes to show you how our society values real "art", particularly when it's critical of American society. You can read about his work on his website; www.jon-jost.com. As for the list, I found it 'meh'. Gattaca is underrated (though far from great) but most of the rest of the list is extremely overrated, save for "La Jatee" and "Alphaville", the foreign films, naturally. Though I confess to not seeing the Lucas film, and need to re-watch Brazil since I saw it last a long time ago. At least they didn't put up that piece of garbage "American Beauty"... Thinking about it, I may want to add Ingmar Bergman's "Winter Light", very minimalist and psychologically haunting.. |
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Hakim Baker |
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Posts: 49 (04/08/08 08:19:54) |
Hey, I liked American Beauty. But maybe I was in more of a suburban-angst mode when it came out.
Brazil grew on me gradually over many times of seeing it over the years. There's a lot of detail in it. |
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hymalaia |
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Posts: 4 (04/08/08 13:18:43) |
I also liked AB at the time but like you I think it was more a suburban angst thing. I believe it's success was more due to it's topical nature, it hit
a cultural nerve. I've heard many who loved it initially admit that it's not as good as they originally thought. When I began to learn more about the
subtle art of filmmaking I realized how awful a film it actually is. It's also a very spiteful, condescending film, and loaded with lame cliche's and
symbolism. While the four films I listed are similarly hopeless and cynical and have their fair share of symbolism, I don't get the sense any were created
out of spite, but rather a genuine concern for the state of things. The director of AB seems like he's "better" than depressive suburban
dwellers. Because he doesn't understand them as people so he turns them into caricatures of the real thing. "Happiness" is another film that
does this. If you want a contrast (that is somewhat mainstream) I recommend Gus Van Sant's "Elephant", his film about school shooters. Which is
another good "dystopian" film set in reality.
Aside from that the "plastic bag" thing in AB had already been done by a little known experimental filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky. Whether or not the rip off was intentionally is up for debate... |
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MutherJones |
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Posts: 1 (04/23/08 10:41:50) |
Not a film, but a BBC-TV series from the late 1970s, broadcast on this side of the pond on PBS - 'The Survivors'. I never missed an episode - it was
incredible. /// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivors
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