One other modern movie that comes to mind is The Muse, with Albert Brooks and Sharon Stone, who respectively play a writer and his free-spirited, increasingly-demandiing muse "on-retainer." Sharp, sharp wit and social satire. There is one scene where you may want to cover Arthur's eyes, in which Stone's character prepares to sleep in the nude with Andie MacDowell (who portrays Brooks's wife), but MacDowell's shocked reaction is priceless -- more than worth the rental fee, on its own.

I forgot a science-fiction and horror category in my list....


<u>Sci-Fi and Horror</u>
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original version),
War of the Worlds (original version, 1953),
Things To Come (WWI doesn't end & society crumbles, 1936),
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price as Moses - take that, Heston!),
Theater Of Blood (V Price & Diana Rigg having fun with the Bard)


Robert Meyer


[This message has been edited by Robert Meyer (edited August 12, 2008).]

Marion, the Dark Knight is unlike the other Batman movies, not least of all because Heath Ledger as the Joker turns in a truly amazing and chilling performance. But this is a movie for the big screen (I saw it in Imax), since many of the cityscapes are quite stunning done huge.

Older flick for renting: The Apartment, with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.

Newer flick that is also very enjoyable to rent: Once.

Anything by Jacques Tati

If you want to go out to the movies, I can recommend the French film Tell No One and the just-opened Bottle Shock - a feel-good film about the '76 Paris winetasting where California wines won.

Frank

The Idiot - this isn't a movie, but a TV miniseries which you can get on DVD (two discs). It's Russian, and is one of the most successful transpositions from literature to screen that I've ever seen. Since it's a miniseries, it takes the time to do justice to the complexities and subtleties of the book. The production values are high: beautiful sets, costumes and scenery, and the acting is unbelievable! It has a passion and intensity, and a particularly Russian sensibility, no doubt, because it's a Russian production. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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[This message has been edited by Brian Watson (edited October 19, 2008).]

I just saw a terrific and quirky movie--In Bruges. Every poet I emailed about it seems to agree that it's great.

I just saw River Queen and recommend it for its natural beauty, refusal to depict the Maoris as either 'other' or 'just like us' and for Samantha Morton's great-spirited performance, which is breathtaking. It's not a perfect movie, but you could do a lot worse.

I saw this,Marion, and it was indeed beautiful. Unfortunately, the version I saw was marred by the subtitles, which were evidently done by a Russian who barely knew English. But the characters looked exactly as I pictured them when I read the book.

I just checked in, Gail.

Check out Dead Man with Johnny Depp. It's about William Blake in injun territory. Amazing little film. Black and white send-up of many western cliches that you'll quickly recognize, yet unique in its own right.

Bob

A lot of my favorites have won or been nominated. I will exclude all Best Picture winners that are in my favorites. I don't know award histories on all, and I don't know what you would call "excessive." Some of my movies have violence in them. A few of these have won Best Foreign Film. I'll keep those. I will * ones with NO violence to my recollection. Foreign I will use a + sign.

Waking Life, Amelie*+, Memento, The Sea Inside+*, A Very Long Engagement+, Good Will Hunting, Requiem for a Dream, Fight Club, The Green Mile, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*, Pan's Labyrinth+, Before Sunrise*, Before Sunset*, La Vie en Rose+*, Into the Wild, Tsotsi+, Lost in Translation*

I hardly ever watch pre-1990 movies, and I only have a few on my list I like, and they have won Best Picture.

Okay, I watched Withnail and I on the recommendation of several here, and I found it excruciating--but, hey, tastes differ.

Susan