Subversive political satire, such as Starship Troopers or Robocop. Underrated sociopolitical commentary. Obviously there's overlap with this video (especially They Live). For extra points, dig out the original Max Headroom TV movie.
The evolution of the horror genre, from creature features to 70’s -90’s slashers, to 2000’s torture porn to the current emerging crop of slow burn and international films.
Nostalgic movies and our connection with them. If that's too subjective a topic, though great for the discussion board, then revenge films and the ways the carrying out of revenge affects the lead and those around them. There is at times a reconciliation and at other times an adverse reaction. While it seems revenge only furthers and already vicious cycle of violence or wrongdoing, it's interesting to see how it can be a catharsis and what that says about characters and us as viewers. I know you did a video on Korean Revenge, specifically, and largely that's where I draw my inspiration but from as far back as the 60s and 70s there have been thrillers (some pretty cheesy) that provide entertaining revenge stories with varying degrees of depth. Whether it's White Line Fever or You Were Never Really Here, there is a variety of content spanning the globe to be examined.
Thank you for including District 9! As a South African I always appreciate local talent being showcased. It's a fairly well known movie, but a lot of people still ignore or deny that many of the things portrayed in the movie happened to real people. I know several who were forcefully removed from their homes by the police during Apartheid, and it still happens to immigrants and poor today.
One of the things that inspired me to go to SA. Amazingly beautiful country but the inequality is so god damn visible. Like yeah, we’ve got it here in the US but it just seems like there’s such a larger gap in SA. At least from what I saw. Cape Town, Soweto, Pretoria, Johannesburg, all of em has a HUGE gap in equality.
He never really gets into the Allegory of district 9. But clearly the "prawns" are the SA blacks including a nasty nick name. At every opportunity the prawns are painted in a negative light , greedy, cruel, stupid, and without sympathy. So this is the directors portrayal of black SA's when what white SA's did was so much worse, and is the cause of all the problems in south Africa. Unless you believe that black SA's are inherently evil which would make you a racist. I thought this movie was made by a racist, for racists. I found it deeply offensive on an allegorical level. But at its surface was a compelling action movie.
3 moments that have stuck in my head since i saw District 9 some 10 years ago- 1. weapons testing scene 2. midway into the movie when Wickus phones his wife and tells her that he's never had any kind of sexual activity with those creatures, and then his wife gives up on him 3. that fucking ending
yeah, the mecha was awesome.... it was one of the few mature action movies of the late times, along with Loopers, a sad thing this genere is not trending anymore into electronics?
If you liked Enemy, I 100% recommend Richard Ayoade's The Double, which came out the same year. It basically has the same plot set-up, where a dissatisfied man meets someone who inexplicably looks exactly like him (this time with two Jesse Eisenbergs). Despite the name, it's not based on the same story as Enemy, but on a Dostoyevsky novella. It's very interesting to compare and contrast the films; both seem to take place in off-putting, ambiguous realities, but while the atmosphere of Enemy is dreamlike, oppressive, and mysterious, The Double is a stylized, dryly satirical dystopia. Enemy is profoundly unsettling, while The Double often feels like a black comedy. It's interesting to see how the device of the "double" can be used to explore themes of identity, self-confidence, and masculine insecurity in two vastly different films. In conclusion, Richard Ayoade should direct more movies!
Oh man, Stalker! The precursor to the game(s) :D Not a lot of people realize it was made into a movie before the game studio got ahold of it and made it into S.T.A.L.K.E.R!
Just watched "The Empty Man (2020)", after a Chris Stuckmann's recommendation and was fascinated by its allegorical themes, related to the advent of nihilism while also representing it in one of the most interesting ways I've seen. I would really like to see you analyzing it.
Surprised to see no mention of Annihilation in either video or comments. It’s an incredibly strong allegory for trauma and how it either destroys you or changes you permanently.
@@spaztron5000 yeah cancer is a theme, but several characters’ issues (including the protagonist’s) have nothing to do with cancer (infidelity, addiction, suicide ideation). Just saying “it’s about cancer” is way too surface level and obtuse, akin to saying that It Follows is just about STDs.
@@sirxmas no, the thing I watched or read talked about how cancer is essentially unchecked and unpredictable change. And how its not really an intelligent entity and it has no motive as such, but how that actually makes it more terrifying.
Getting spotlighted again. Genuinely one of the most interactive RU-vid communities I've seen. Great work again! Still haven't watched last week's video because I have to watch The Lobster--I know I'm slackin'. Admittedly the themes in Fly always went right over my head despite it being a clear inspiration for Blompkamp's work on D9. And now I've got to add Stalker to the list. Catch yuh in the next one guys!
Dope video as always fellas! Loved the list. Seventh Seal is definitely a fave as are Enemy and District 9 from this list. Also thank you for the shout-out to my comment about the Fountain.
Very underrated Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Naomi Watts movie: Stay From 2004, I believe it is incredible, as backed up by Chris Stuuckmann, is beautiful.
my wife heard your voice as I was watching the video and thought I was listening to an audible book cause she said your voice was soothing. so you've got that going for you. lol
I remember watching stalker by accident, had such an effect on me I had to know the name when I finished watching. Still think it's one of the best movies ever created😐
Have seen all the recommendations except Enemy and Stalker so will add it to my list. Also They Live is one of my favorite movies. Glad it's getting some love.
Dude …. They’re both Masterpieces. Stalker is one of the Greatest Films ever made. As long as you like philosophical, enigmatic films, you can’t go wrong.
I don't think that "The Fly" is an allegory about getting old, but a warning - "you should be careful with the science, don't try to play the God-creator because it's gonna end bad for you".
I think it's about disease, especially cancer. It also has a warning about science, but the arc of Brundle and his deterioration always felt like it was alluding to cancer to me.
Babadook was amazing but I have the same problem with it as I did with Hereditary and The Ritual. First and second acts were top-notch horror. The third acts of all three films because loud monster-fests which killed their vibe, IMO.
Discovered this channel recently and I've been loving it so far. Awesome work! Just wanted to point out that the author of "The Double" is José Saramago, not José SaramaNgo :)
Being South African and painfully aware of the injustices committed against the majority of the populace here during Apartheid, the movie spoke to me. Still one of my favourite Sci-Fi movies.
Yes! I even like ‘Killing of a Sacred Deer’. I have it on Blu-Ray. Not really a great “rewatch” movie, but the first time around, I was like WTF, dude?! Great filming. Yes, and dog tooth was the same. Stuck in my mind long after watching it.
Loved the video, as always! You guys are amazing! I haven't watched all movies from your list but will do so. The Fly and District 9 are some of my favorite movies. Even though I've enjoyed Get out and was very hyped to watch Us, I did find it a bit disappointing. Maybe I just didn't get it and need to give it another go. Quick tip: Since you seem to have a knack for languages i'll drop my 2 cents. In Portuguese you would pronounce José different from the Spanish variant. J would sound like the S in "pleaSure" or "viSion" or like [ʒuˈzɛ] (Portugal variant) or [ʒoˈzɛ] (Brazilian variant) in phonetic transcription. Great writer also, and now that you mentioned it they all seem to be very allegorical. The movie Blindness was also based in one of his works. Other great novels are "Death with Interruptions" ("Death at intervals" in the UK) and "The Stone Raft". In case you like this kind of literature I'd totally recommend it! Great stuff
I think the original 1954 Godzilla is a good example of an Allegory movie about Nuclear Weapons and the effects of them on people. Shin Godzilla also makes for a good allegory about the Fukushima Nuclear disaster though theres a bit more background research involved if you don’t live in Japan.
Didn't know you were Québécois! Is this what you do to pass the time after the 8pm curfew? No but seriously I love your videos, I've been watching them religiously since I found your channel about a month ago. Keep up the good work!!
I got drunk in Soweto township, with no guide, because i wanted weed. I was only carrying 5 bottles of beer, to deflate any trouble, which has worked fine until now, but if I did not have the beer and my cool as a cucumber appearance, I might have gotten in trouble. The week before that an American girl was gunned down in Khayelitsa township in Cape town, where i went the next week. Whenever I heard someone shouting: Oi, white boy, what are you doing here?! I would always answer: "Drinking beer, do you want one?" It worked really well in alk the south african townships. From Soweto to Katlehong,in Jo'burg to Khayelitsa and Crossroads in Cape Town. I was recommended against going on my own, but I made many friends.
The ending legitimately made my entire body go numb. It felt like I got electrocuted. I’ve watched a lot of horror films but I’ve never experienced anything like that before. The only thing that even comes close are a few moments in some of David Lynch’s work.
Awh, it made me happy to see a little nod to Fishtank pop up at the end there. I've never seen it mentioned on any of the film analysis channels I follow but it's one of my favorites
Please make a series about movies that help change society. What kind of revolutions, initiatives for change work? Are there movies about collaborations of normal people, like the Chicago 7 and Selma? I wonder if these are too rare. Or are they suppressed, let alone not funded enough?
A lot of people sneer at it, but if you view the "fantasy" scenes of _Sucker Punch_ as instead being *allegory* scenes, it becomes a powerful and compelling story. I'm serious.
@@jonsegerros It literally was, at least in part. This shit happened ALL over the place during Apartheid. MILLIONS of people (coloured, Zulu, Xhosa, Indians, Venda's, Tswana's) were forcefully removed from their homes, had no social or economic or political power or mobility, and were (and in some peoples minds today still are) viewed as less than human. Even today scenes like this play out in some places, especially with immigrants.
Allegorical just means that something represents another thing through hidden meanings; that the plot, symbolism, and characters in a movie are not (only) what they literally are on screen. Most movies can have both non-allegorical and allegory interpretations. A movie can be both a literal story and an allegory simultaneously. Pirates of the Caribbean can just be a fun pirate film, or you could try to frame it as an allegory for how greed and lust for immortality can be your undoing since Barbossa's greed of the doubloons caused a life of suffering and ended in death anyway.
@@Xoais I guess my view on the subject was tainted by all these snobbish critics and school teachers that demanded that _they_ know for sure what the author definitely wanted to say with his film\book, together with authors with the attitude "oh, I guess you're just not smart and sophisticated enough to understand the subtle allegories of my genius, this is True Art, not something for you _plebeians",_ so I come to view "this is allegory" as pretentious, while _actually good_ creators just had layered works with multiple meanings and implications embedded within.
@@DarthBiomech I have to say this because you said something that I think about all the time…. In my opinion, the term “pretentious” should *_never_* be used to describe Art; and that the term is not only illogical - it’s extremely detrimental to think about Art with that kind of mindset or philosophy. Calling a work of Art “Pretentious” makes absolutely no sense, on multiple levels. The definition of pretentious is basically ‘trying to show people that you are intelligent, cool, superior, etc.’; Another word commonly used in the same vein, is “self-indulgent”… First - How is it possible to create art, that is not “pretentious” or “self-indulgent”? If you make a film, you are expressing your own views and beliefs, in an attempt to achieve some kind of result. And if you expose that work to others, then it means that you think that work is good, and/or possibly beneficial morally or intellectually .… If you thought that work was bad or useless or “not-intelligent” … you wouldn’t expose it to other people. So, you are automatically claiming to have some semblance of intelligence or talent or insight, as well as saying that your work deserves to be viewed. Next, how does someone know that the intention of an Artist - is for people to see them as “being intelligent or superior to others”? What about a film, or song, or book, demonstrates that an Artist’s goal is to be seen in a certain light - Rather than expressing themself in a way that they feel is best? Finally, even if all of those things did make sense - How do any of those things make a work of Art “bad”? Whether something is an attempt to make an Artist appear in a certain way, has absolutely no bearing on whether or not their work is good. Despite how illogical all of that is, the worst part is that when people use the term pretentious as a way to criticize Art, it causes people to not want to create Art that is meaningful, or innovative, or intelligent, or groundbreaking - Because they don’t want to be seen as being “pretentious” or “self-indulgent”, even if they are not trying to be, and even if the term makes no sense. Almost every single one of the most groundbreaking, challenging, or experimental Artists/albums/films/literature - have been considered pretentious or self-indulgent. If we shouldn’t make Art that is “pretentious” or “self-indulgent”, how would we ever have: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Velvet Underground, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, David Bowie, Kubrick, Lynch, Kaufman, Fellini, Antonioni, Malick, the Coen Brothers, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, PT Anderson, Leone, Bunuel, Bela Tarr, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Orwell, Picasso, Pollock, The Sopranos, Twin Peaks, The Leftovers, Legion, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Mingus, Monk, as well as countless other examples? Art is either good, or it’s not. You either like someone’s work, or you don’t. And we shouldn’t be determining what is good, or what we like-by using illogical terms, and assuming that we can read people’s mind and conclude that their Art was created with the sole purpose of boosting their social status.
@@CipherSerpico Do not confuse "Art" with "self-expression". All art is self-expression, but not all self-expression is art. When work is called pretentious usually means that the creator had failed to convey his thoughts to the viewer - an "ask me what does it mean! ask me what does it mean!" problem. If we have to ask, you did not succeed in speaking comprehensively. Then there's the whole "art house" movement with the "if you can't understand or appreciate [X], then it just means that you're just a smooth-brained pleb, eugh" At the very least your art should be enjoyable by the "commoners" even if they can't understand your deep meaning behind it - and most modern art fails in this regard as well. But most of the all-time classic masterpieces always have at least those two layers in them. But the first layer is often absent in allegory movies, because the directors put the "allegory" part first and foremost, forgetting that everything around it matters as well, if not more. and while your point about most groundbreaking works being called pretentious - you need to keep in mind that they were surrounded by works that were actually pretentious - i.e. trying to _look_ like they're saying something deep without _actually_ saying anything meaningful. Ah, but the definition of "art" had eroded away anyway. Nowadays it shifted to meaning your advertising skills - if you are convincing enough, you will make people believe that a banana duct-taped to a wall is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and self-expression worth thousands of dollars. Until an even more charismatic fellow come to the stage and will successfully convince people that a literal empty space is a product of his labor that he put soul and effort into.
@@DarthBiomech Even-if/when, the term pretentious is being used to describe Art as “failing to convey their thoughts to the viewer”… That does not mean it is any way true. What you said after that, about “if you can’t understand or appreciate it … you’re dumb, etc”… That is a totally legitimate rebuttal for someone to make if you say that. It’s not necessarily about telling someone that they’re dumb if they don’t like/understand a film; The fact is, that just because you don’t like or understand, or think “it conveyed the artist’s thoughts” - does not mean that is true. To me, I think it is *insanely* arrogant to assume that “If I don’t get it … then nobody else did”. I don’t know if there is anything more indicative of “pretension”, or arrogance - than believing that. But above all that - Again, you’re saying that a film “needs to convey its thoughts” in a certain way, and that it is wrong if you have to ask “what the film means”… Bro, that is absolutely crazy. You’re saying these things like they are rules, or that they’re required for something to be good. Those are random ideas that you just happen to believe, for whatever reason. There is absolutely no truth to that. That’s like, me saying: “In order for a film to be good … it must have a happy ending”. It doesn’t make any sense. There is no justification behind it, it’s just me saying something that I decided to believe. That is exactly like the things that you’re saying. Literally, all of my favorite films-are ones that I do not fully understand. And many of them, are films that I have seen multiple times, and have almost no idea “what they mean”. To say that my favorite films are not good because you have a certain belief about how all films must be, is totally asinine. Again, to me that seems extremely arrogant and self-congratulatory, beside just being illogical. I understand what you’re talking about in the last part of your comment, regarding avant-garde work-that is garbage-But, how people will call it brilliant, just to seem like they are “Hip”… Obviously, there’s truth to that, and we can’t objectively say when something is absolutely idiotic, despite knowing when it is. But, I’d rather have a few morons calling a duct-taped-banana “a modern masterpiece”, than not having _2001: A Space Odyssey._
Just so you know, in the portuguese speaking world the J in "José" is pronounced as the french J instead of the way it is pronounced in spanish, which is much closer to the english sound for H.
The ending literally made my entire body go numb. It seriously felt like I got electrocuted. I’ve never had that happen before. I definitely wasn’t ready for that.
@@tehkill3r Omg Bro. Every one of them is brilliant. Sicario, Arrival, Prisoners, Blade Runner 2049. I think every one of those is among the Greatest Films of the Century.
The night eats the world 2018 seems like a typical zombie apocalypse movie at first but exlopres the concept feeling like you're the last person on earth and the minds decent to madness due solitude
Hi, just subbed to this channel and its wonderful. I'm wondering if the 2012 film "I Am A Ghost" fit this realm of film? I feel so and its an incredible decent into realization. A sad realization, that is.
My opinions: Enemy -- I don't remember much about this movie other than the Toronto architecture and the ending shot and that it was kind of boring, I'd have to rewatch it. I think I would appreciate it more now Us -- Bad movie. I think it's too concerned with stirring up surreal imagery. To the point that the writing suffers. What a fall from grace after his first movie Get Out...although critics enjoyed it.......although they're wrong The babadook -- intriguing movie, I enjoyed it. District 9: probably one of my favorite sci fi movies. I grew up in south africa as a child so it is also a bit personal They Live . One of my favorite movies ever and I appreciate the power and bluntness of its allegory so much. mother! -- I don't really care so much about the allegorical aspect of this movie but I do appreciate the movie for being one of the most stressful movies I've ever watched. The fly -- also one of my favorite horror movies Sci fi and horror movies dominate this video! I guess it's no surprise
man, i'd like to see these movies, i've already watched district 9 and i know the most famous ones but jeeeeez i'm having another time in my life that i just want like to recharge my battery to have the patience (like other things) of watching an heavy movie even alone for instance... my phase of watching movies seems eneded, i've watched tens of movies alone, some new titles seem interesting but i give up, hopefully just for now
maybe a hot take, but ive never had a twist ending for a movie leave as bad a taste in my mouth as Us- i know the acting and directing are both phenomenal but any time i think of the film i think of the twist and explanation and im just immediately turned off. They Live was one of my favorite movie night movies with the longest, goofiest back alley fist fight ive ever seen and Dogtooth... what an "oof" of a movie hahaha ff
I mean, it never really struck me as an interesting movie, but I have always seen Neill Blomkamp's ''Elysium'' as an allegory to the chasm between the Rich and the Poor in our society: Just like the poor people on earth in the movie look up at the sky and see a glimpse of a paradise they will never enter, many people in our reality dream of escaping their ''hellhole'' and are willing to do everything to leave it, even murder others. And just like the elite who lives in this paradise in space in the movie, the richest people in our real world are also completely oblivious to the endless suffering of the people beneath them.
I could be wrong about this but Elysium seems to be heavily inspired in Alita Battle Angel (Manga). I also wanted it to be very good but find it a bit disappointing, unlike District 9 which completely blew me away.