Some Recommendations?

[Adam]

Hey, you guys all seem to have pretty refined tastes in film; any chance you could help me out here and recommend some lesser-known movies in two lovely, specific-yet-undefinable genres I made up?

The first is the sorta Kafkaesque "Into the Night-ish" movie made in the mid to late '80s such as After Hours, Vampire's Kiss, Something Wild, Into the Night, etc. Fun, dark comedies that take you on a trip and are just totally unpredictable? Any other flicks you could think of that kinda jibe with the spirit of those movies, more than anything, would be great and they don't necessarily have to have been made in the '80s

The second genre is a lot broader: Independent, offbeat stuff churned out in the mid to late '90s similar in tone to Clay Pigeons, Zero Effect, Bottle Rocket, Flirting With Disaster, etc. I dunno if those examples make too much sense, but I'm basically just looking for understated, breezy, goofy, watchable, maybe even inconsequential movies that, again, don't really have to have been made in the mid to late '90s to count. Just anything that you think sounds like what I described

Thanks

[Raiders]

The first is the sorta Kafkaesque "Into the Night-ish" movie made in the mid to late '80s such as After Hours, Vampire's Kiss, Something Wild, Into the Night, etc. Fun, dark comedies that take you on a trip and are just totally unpredictable? Any other flicks you could think of that kinda jibe with the spirit of those movies, more than anything, would be great and they don't necessarily have to have been made in the '80s

You could try Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog.


The second genre is a lot broader: Independent, offbeat stuff churned out in the mid to late '90s similar in tone to Clay Pigeons, Zero Effect, Bottle Rocket, Flirting With Disaster, etc. I dunno if those examples make too much sense, but I'm basically just looking for understated, breezy, goofy, watchable, maybe even inconsequential movies that, again, don't really have to have been made in the mid to late '90s to count. Just anything that you think sounds like what I described

Citizen Ruth
Solo con tu pareja
Home Fries

[Qrazy]

One

Little Murders (Arkin)


Two

Raising Arizona (Coens)

[Ezee E]

I'll second Citizen Ruth.

[Grouchy]

In the Kafkaesque genre you could try The Trial (which is actually a Kafka adaptation) and Seconds, which isn't as well known but it has a great science-fiction concept. Both were made in the '60s.

[Qrazy]

In the Kafkaesque genre you could try The Trial (which is actually a Kafka adaptation) and Seconds, which isn't as well known but it has a great science-fiction concept. Both were made in the '60s.

Yeah in terms of films dealing with people stuck in a controlling system which they don't fully understand (not necessarily comedic) I'd also rec Polanski's The Tenant, Trier's The Element of Crime, Gilliam's Brazil, Losey's The Servant, Cronenberg's Naked Lunch, Aleksei German's Khrustalyev, My Car!

[monolith94]

After Hours

[Spun Lepton]

The first is the sorta Kafkaesque "Into the Night-ish" movie made in the mid to late '80s such as After Hours, Vampire's Kiss, Something Wild, Into the Night, etc. Fun, dark comedies that take you on a trip and are just totally unpredictable? Any other flicks you could think of that kinda jibe with the spirit of those movies, more than anything, would be great and they don't necessarily have to have been made in the '80s.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FYBBRDT2L._SS500_.jpg

Terrific movie, perfect for your request. It's more serious than After Hours, but there are moments of extremely dark comedy throughout.

[balmakboor]

imdb thinks all of these are Kafkaesque.

http://www.imdb.com/keyword/kafka-esque/

I second Miracle Mile.

[Derek]

The first is the sorta Kafkaesque "Into the Night-ish" movie made in the mid to late '80s such as After Hours


After Hours

http://www.jmorganmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/fail.jpg

[Qrazy]

Soderbergh's Kafka also has it's moments, but it's not that good.

[balmakboor]

Soderbergh's Kafka also has it's moments, but it's not that good.

I thought of that one, but it doesn't even seem to be "in print" now. I never saw it but its reputation is that of a failed experiment.

[balmakboor]

I barely remember it, but Barton Fink might fit in this thread.

[Qrazy]

Man, I'm pretty anxious to see this. I finished the book a couple weeks ago and found it to be both fascinating and unsettling. I'm really interested in seeing how it Welles went about adapting it. Especially since it's one of his more praised works (and his personal favorite, if I'm not mistaken).

I had a chance to see it on the big screen a while back but I suppose it's better that I waited and actually read the book first.

I will also keep these recommendations in mind as I find the idea pretty interesting/engrossing.

Chimes at Midnight was Welles favorite of his own work. The Trial is very good though, top five Welles for sure.

[monolith94]

http://www.jmorganmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/fail.jpg
Yup, I noticed it right after I posted, and then I thought, you know what? I'm not going to try to cover up my mistake. Let it stand as a testament to my absent-mindedness, for all time.

[Yum-Yum]

All right stop collaborate and listen, the early 1990s are where it's at for random weirdness.

Motorama (1991)*, Highway to Hell (1991), The Music of Chance (1993), and Bad Boy Bubby (1993)

Oh, and I third Miracle Mile; great nighttime flick.

* written by After Hours/Vampire's Kiss scribe Barry Shils

[dreamdead]

I'll suggest The Rapture, a film that was affecting and provoking in all the right ways, despite the lack of a budget that precludes a few effects from working at film's end.

[Qrazy]

I thought of that one, but it doesn't even seem to be "in print" now. I never saw it but its reputation is that of a failed experiment.

It's pretty good for a while, kind of falls apart near the end.

[Adam]

Hey, thanks for all the replies. Just watched Miracle Mile on netflix's instant viewing deal and, yeah, it was dynamite. Exactly what I was looking for