

Ask HN: What is your favorite movie? And why do you like it?  - xijuan


======
aaronbrethorst
Blade Runner, but not the theatrical version with the phoned-in narration.
Director's Cut or Final Cut. It's a beautifully-shot noir film whose special
effects hold up even today, and has a very interesting take on the nature of
humanity.

Edit: Harrison Ford on his narration: "It was simply bad narration."
[http://web.archive.org/web/20080603083514/http://www.harriso...](http://web.archive.org/web/20080603083514/http://www.harrisonfordweb.com/Article/Miscellaneous/playboy_interview.php)

~~~
gnosis
The original, with Harrison Ford's voice-overs, was perfect.

The various-re-releases such as the Director's Cut ruined it.

I hate Director's Cuts! They invariably make great movies worse. Why can't
Hollywood leave well-enough alone? Why do they feel the need to mess with
something that was great to begin with?

~~~
kken
>The original, with Harrison Ford's voice-overs, was perfect.

Sometimes I wish HN would allows downvotes...

~~~
stray
HN _does_ allow downvotes.

But you don't have the option until you've accumulated enough magic internet
points.

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gghootch
Always used to be Children of Men and/or La cite des enfants perdus. First is
the most intense movie I have ever seen, some scenes literally blew my mind.
Latter is very dark whilst beautiful and sweet, like Amélie but better - more
techfriendlly.

\-------------- Don't really like trailers, but still --------------

Children of Men: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VT2apoX90o>

La cité des enfants perdus: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSPmtX5KzEw>

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eterps
My favourite:

Let the right one in (the original version), beautiful atmospheric movie:
<http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt1139797>

Other recommendations:

City of God, harsh but realistic: <http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0317248>

Barefoot Gen, shock and awe, made me cry, IMHO better than Grave of the
Fireflies: <http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0085218/>

The Chaser, breathtaking thriller: <http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt1190539/>

The Andromeda Strain, now this is _real_ SF:
<http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0066769>

The Man from Earth, good low budget SF: <http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0756683>

Castaway on the Moon: funny movie about a man that 'bootstraps' his life on a
'stranded island' after a failed suicide attempt:
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1499666/>

I saw the devil, violent but very good thriller:
<http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt1588170/?ref_=sr_1>

~~~
trumbitta2
Castaway on the Moon is great, and insightful.

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qw
Groundhog Day. It's a comedy with some dark elements in it. And it's also
something that I would like to experience myself so long as I could resume
normal time when I wanted to. A day with no consequences would be fun.

~~~
algopats
it is in fact possible, though in a different way :) You need to achieve
nirvana (look up buddha writings, Zen interpretations, nagarjuna's core
points, nisargadatta's "i am that" NO BS spoon feed, in that order. And may be
add-in bhagavata gita for a fun read). HTH.

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cyphersanctus
Enter The Void. A powerful parade of colors that takes you through the
different stages of death. One does not simply watch this movie. One
experiences it.

~~~
haukur
When I saw it more than half the audience walked out. There was even a couple
that walked out just before the credits started rolling (for those who haven't
seen it, it's almost three hours long).

Excellent film.

------
razibog
The Matrix, first movie, I love how everything has a parallel with our own
world, also a lot of the movies ideas, messages have underlying concepts in
Buddhism, which is just cool.

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nivstein
I think that for me it's "Spirited away" -
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiEzl7SEtkI>

The story of how the heroine matures in front of our eyes as the weight of the
world is placed upon her shoulders was really moving to me. Coupled with
beautiful hand-drawn animation and an overall sense of gentleness and wander,
it's been an real favorite for me which I enjoy watching time over time.

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mazsa
The Kingdom (Lars von Trier, 1994) <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108906/> (The
Kingdom II, Lars von Trier, 1997: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127392/> ), do
not confuse it with the remake Kingdom Hospital, 2004
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324864/>

~~~
jensnockert
Not really a movie, but it is amazing. Doubly so if you are Swedish (or
possibly Danish)

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rudimk
Spy Game - starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Guess it's the only spy
thriller out there, that talks about the dirtier side of espionage, yet how
it's up to the inhabitants of that dark corner, to not sell their souls.

------
petercooper
Koyaanisqatsi. It reminds me how big the world is and how everything is
ultimately connected together in some way or another. Plus, good music and no
dialogue which is a bonus.

~~~
s_tec
Yes, Koyaanisqatsi is my favourite too. This is a film with no characters,
plot, or dialogue. Instead, it offers 90 minutes of images set to music. The
film begins with shots of nature, such as clouds, lakes, and mountains, and
slowly moves its way into civilization, with roads, mines, cities, factories,
and endless throngs of people. Watching this film is a unique experience, and
really allows you to see the world in a different light. Plus, it's great art.

------
xijuan
I watch mostly Chinese movies. I think my favorite one is "You Are The Apple
of My Eye". You can watch it on youtube:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4gZIolIrxw&list=FLSZdbc5...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4gZIolIrxw&list=FLSZdbc5A2anDzDE1MV64ZNw&index=41)

It is a love story about first love. This is one of those stories which
everyone can relate to some extant. It is a very very cute story.

It has English subtitles!

~~~
clicks
I think movie media (with subtitles) is one of the best ways to learn a
language. I have been trying to learn Mandarin for a few months now, so can
you please make some more suggestions? Thanks!

~~~
xijuan
I am not sure if it is relevant. The most famous Chinese dating show now has a
channel on youtube and the show supports English subtitles. I just took a look
at it. The translation is very accurate and they show English and Chinese at
the same time. I think it can be very helpful for you in learning English.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmGYsqlsbdQ>

~~~
wqfeng
Well. I hope the people here don't think that's what Chinese women look like
by the show. :D

------
richardjordan
Lawrence of Arabia - man comes to believe in his own myth

(plus the stunning cinematography and incredible nature of the true - though
dramatized - story)

------
mdsw1
Saving Private Ryan. It's the first time I had any kind of idea as to the
suffering these people went through to give us our freedom. I know it is a
film, and it is dramatized, but you watch that and it will give you some sense
as to what it must have been like that. After watching that, and then Band of
Brothers, the famous phrase "For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today" made a lot
more sense to me.

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richardkmichael
Many enjoyable films posted already. No one has mentioned 'Primer' (2004/Shane
Carruth). Respectable as hard sci-fi, and inspiring as an independent project
(Carruth did almost everything himself.) I suggest watching before you read
anything about it.

For non sci-fi, 'Old boy' (2003/Chan-wook Park) was memorable - fun concept,
well acted and a good ending too.

------
intellectronica
Drowning by Numbers - <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092929/>

\- It's gorgeous. Not like a movie, but like a collection of hundreds of
beautiful pictures. \- It's geeky. I had to watch the movie dozens of times
and read the script to understand all the allusions and references.

------
a3n
The Third Man: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_third_man>

Orson Wells. Black and white. Noir. Photography. Impossible love story. The
score: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oEsWi88Qv0>

~~~
joshsegall
Good one! Best use of zither music ever.

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lfcode
Drive. Blown away by it. Thought it was another car racing film after seeing
the trailer, but it was actually IMHO the best film in 2011. Edit: Forgot the
why: Minimalistic. Beathiful Story and propably the best music editing in a
film.

~~~
LaSombra
Same here. Not my favourite but I was totally blown away by it. It looks
almost like an art movie for its photography is extraordinary.

EDIT: The trailer didn't make it justice.

------
afsina
Cannot say one favorite. But Children of Heaven impressed me a lot when I saw
it first. Perhaps because I saw the innocence of children that we have long
lost.. Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle are also very good.

------
LaSombra
I think my favourite is Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind. A beautiful
love story talking about how hard it is to forget your true love, how regrets
can consume you and that everyone deserves a second chance.

~~~
bsenftner
Search online for the script. The original was posted somewhere, and you can
learn how the story had much more depth in its original form, but due to time
constraints and editing a good 1/4 of the script never made it to the screen.
Well worth tracking down!

------
txet
Vitus - A perfect combination of all story elements, simply genius.

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478829/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1>

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olivier1664
Batman - The Dark Knight: Clever bad guy, goods characters, believable,
fantastic, long movie.

(It is not original, it just take what Holliwood do for long know, and it do
it very well.)

------
curiousfiddler
Shawshank Redemption: "Never ever ever ever ever give up"!

~~~
vs4vijay
Awesome movie..

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alcuadrado
Rule number one: You don't talk about your favorite movie

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jjkmk
Fight Club - The most relevant movie of this generation. Addresses issues such
as consumerism, the over feminisation of young men.

------
dccoolgai
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011). A poignant reminder of the difference
between real honor and superficial/dogmatic show.

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peterhi
2001 a Space odyssey - Saw it on a school trip when it came out. Have watched
it dozens of times since then

Also Metropolis.

~~~
ErrantX
Metropolis is a fantastic film!

I've never been into silent films, but last year my brother conducted a
performance of Metropolis (live orchestra of the film score) and I was blown
away by how good it was!

------
bitboxer
Night on Earth. 5 cities, 5 cab drivers, 5 stories. Just beautiful
storytelling. If you haven't seen it, you totally should

------
skilesare
The Big Lebowski - It is good to know that there is someone out there taking
it easy for all of us sinners.

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techwraith
The Fountain: for it's seemingly-naive-but-deep take on the effects of death
on those who experience it.

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vs4vijay
The Godfather...Everybody knows why..

~~~
prakster
Absolutely.

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carlyle4545
American Psycho (2000) because you shouldn't just look at it, you should eat
it. (Too obscure?)

------
jtchang
Armageddon! How much cooler can you get with NASA sending up a team to blow up
an asteroid?!

~~~
xd
How about jump starting the planet in The Core.

------
amirjalali
Rocky, Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

------
redliner51
Rocky - Reminds to never give up, dream and reach goals.

