Office Space
So many great movies listed here, but only one kiwi movie; Once Were Warriors. Unless you count Lord of the Rings, which was indeed made here, but not really exactly a kiwi movie. Here’s a few I reckon are worth checking out, a mix of comedy, fantasy, sci-fi and biopic, with at least one film from each of the last 5 decades;
- Goodbye Pork Pie (the 1981 original, I haven’t seen the 2017 remake Pork Pie directed by his son)
- Came A Hot Friday (1985, so underrated compared to the one above)
- The Quiet Earth (1985, based on the 1981 novel of the same name)
- The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988, epically weird, in a Fisher King kind of way)
- Heavenly Creatures (1994, Peter Jackson’s first “serious” film, after his splatter comedies Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles and Braindead. Trivia: I’m in this for about 3 seconds …)
- Whale Rider (2002)
- The World’s Fastest Indian (2005)
- Eagle vs. Shark (2007)
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
- The Dead Lands (2014, notable for being entirely in Te Reo Māori, and featuring some mean Māori martials arts)
- The Dark Horse (2014)
- Muru (2022, loosely based on the events of the 2008 Operation 8 raids)
- Ka Whawhai Tonu (2024, also has a lot of Te Reo spoken)
Gah. Quiet Earth! I still love this movie and it has some unforgettable scenes. Also the most memorable ending shot of a sci-fi movie. It was my background on PC for years.
It’s a classic, for sure. From what I’ve read, it was Sam Neill’s performance in The Quiet Earth that brought him to the attention of Hollywood casting folks, leading to his starring role in the original Jurassic Park.
I always say everyone should see requiem for a dream, but no one should watch it. That film does more for stopping drug abuse than any government program ever did.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension - The quintessential 80s movie. Everything you need to know about the 80s is contained in this film.
Also Mr. Krabs is in it.
“12 Angry Men” (1957) is a personal favorite that I recommend to pretty much everyone. Great messages about questioning assumptions, challenging biases, understanding the limitations of evidence, acknowledging imperfections in the justice system, and the consequences thereof.
The movie is also cinematically interesting to me because it feels “small”. The entire movie just about takes place in one room, and the events of the film transpire over the course of one afternoon.
In the beginning of 12 Angry Men everything is shot from above eye-level with wide-angle lenses, giving everything the feel of more space, but as the film progresses it transitions to tighter shots with telephoto lenses from lower angles. The film gives the viewer more and more of a subconscious sense of tension and claustrophobia as the story progresses.
At least one stage adaptation of the story gave a similar effect over the course of the show by slowly tightening the lighting and having the walls of the set physically move inward, too slow for the audience to take notice but enough to subtly affect the entire atmosphere and really drive that feeling home.
That’s so neat; I’d never noticed that before. And the walls closing in on the stage adaptation is really clever
Can’t believe nobody has mentioned Wag the Dog (1997), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), or Sorry to Bother You (2018).
Baraka
Idiocracy
Idiocracy is a funny movie that I enjoy. However I’m disturbed by the number of people who say it’s a documentary, or a warning. That’s because the central premise of the movie (that humans breed wrong and if nothing is done, we’ll devolve and society will collapse) also happens to be the central premise of Eugenics.
Honestly, I’m kind of put off watching the movie due to those weird eugenicsy undertones… Feels like one of those “i am very smart” Reddit people looking down on the “lesser masses” and saying they shouldn’t reproduce.
I don’t think the movie in any way calls for eugenics.
If anything it called out how toxic ignorance and stupidity can be in the presence of someone who just wants to do the right thing. It shows how corporate greed and capitalism encourages stupidity to further it’s goals of creating basic labor for the corporate machines owned by billionaires to exploit.
But hey, that’s just like, my opinion man.
Dredd (2012)
That movie is damn near perfect.
In a way I’m glad we didn’t get a sequel, because the execs would have diluted it down to a PG rating in order to maximise the merch sales.
- The Fountain
- Schindler’s List
- Idiocracy
- This is SpinalTap
- Saving Private Ryan
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Probably missing some, but these are the ones I can remember right now. I think Schindler’s List should be required viewing by everyone before they graduate high school. I remember when they used to air it on regular TV, unedited and uncensored, commercial free. I feel we were nicer and more willing to avoid wars back then.
I ain’t ashamed to say it, I cry every damn time I watch it.
The Fountain absolutely destroyed me. I was a mess.
I know. Same. And the music. It’s so good!! Such an intense movie, but so human. The emotion really comes at you from all angles!
