Movies that you have to "work at"
 

Inspired by another thread regarding Donnie Darko and recent fruitless trips through the movie stacks, I am asking for your help. I have a friend who I am challenging to watch "tough" movies. Not movies that are necessarily overtly gory or disturbing, but movies that you really have to work at when watching them. So far I have come up with: Donnie Darko; Memento; 21 Grams; Vanilla Sky; He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (can't wait for Dirty Pretty Things); and Dark City (a little easier). What else do you recommend?

hmmm. The Usual Suspects?

Mulholland Drive
12 Monkeys

To a lesser extent:

Angel Heart
PI

Pulp Fiction (Travolta's dead... how'd he get on the potty anyhow?)

An episode of The Prisoner (most especially the series finale -- machine guns to The Beatles' "All You Need is Love"?)

Solaris (I'm thinking either version has room)

Waking Life

Dang... got beaten to 12 Kaiser Sozes.

Requiem for a Dream
Frailty (I was surprised, my GF STILL thinks I'm an idiot for not getting it!)

The Sixth Sense

Memento

Teen Wolf

2001: a Space Odessy
Barton Fink

Rules of Attraction

Fight Club (?)

Ones that you have to definitely pay attention to while you are watching: Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

Mulholland Dr.

Blue Velvet , Barry Lyndon & Angela's Ashes .

possibly 'swimming pool'

what the hell do ya mean "howd he got on the potty anyhow?"

he went to butch's apartment. Butch wasn't in. Vincent put up a pop tart and took a shit. Butch came back and killed him. I understood that pretty well.

My Dinner with Andre
Mulholland Drive
The Women

All of these shout "pay attention!", but are well worth the effort.

I'm sorry to say but most of these movies listed do not require much thought. They pretty much present themselves to the viewer as nothing more than what they are.

The David Lynch stuff mentioned would be something that I'd agree to, but films like Memento, The Usual Suspects, Fight Club, etc., all pretty much explain the concept/story well enough for most intelligent people to get on their first time around, and with minimal "work" involved.

I'd say a good portion of Ingmar Bergman's work takes some "work" -- though I don't like using that term. Instead, I would say that there are times you don't understand a movie completely and must think about after and/or during a reviewing to fully grasp the concepts. This makes more sense. If I am misinterpreting you, please let me know. Judging by the movie responses, I don't think I am.

I think he was referrencing the way that the movie is cut, and how the "sections" are not chronological.

Mulholland Drive
Swimming Pool
Equilibrium
Dark City

Check out the big brain on Brad!

:lol:rotfl:lol:

(Although I think it's 'Brett', not 'Brad')

Really bend your brain with these: Blow Up, L'avventura, Last Year at Marienbad, Persona, and (as mentioned) pretty much anything by Kubrick and Lynch...

:thumbsup: One of my favorite mindf**ks.

Also, pretty much anything by Bunuel, such as The Exterminating Angel.

What Dreams May Come