You may recall that we published a list of movies about movies not too long ago. It caused a bit of controversy due to the lack of a few entries. This list includes some of those omissions, plus a few films that are absolutely must-sees. Be sure to mention any that are missing from this, and the first list, in the comments.
A camera crew follows a serial killer/thief around as he exercises his craft. He expounds on art, music, nature, society, and life as he offs mailmen, pensioners, and random people. Slowly he begins involving the camera crew in his activities and they begin wondering if what they’re doing is such a good idea, particularly when the killer kills a rival and the rival’s brother sends a threatening letter.
This is the only movie on this list that I have not yet seen and therefore cannot accurately give any rating but the review on IMDB stated that “Our killer’s absolute disregard for human life, other than a thick crew of visually stunning characters, is nothing short of a masterpiece.”
A week in the life of Ben, a powerful Hollywood producer, as he juggles negotiations with a studio head so that his newest picture can open at Cannes in two weeks. Fighting with a high-strung director who must make edits to the film, with an actor and his agent because the star has arrived on the set of a new picture with a full beard, and with his most recent ex-wife, Kelly, who may have a lover. Can Ben keep it all together, get the green light from the studio to go to Cannes, move his new picture past the beard crisis, and maybe return to Kelly’s good graces?
What makes this movie interesting is that it views the life of a Hollywood producer who tries to keep his personal and professional life in check but it keeps getting screwed up by the people around him. This movie has a good story, likable characters and it’s funny.
(you might recognize some of the actors in this film: Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Bruce Willis, John Turturro, Kristen Stewart)
Side note: Catherine Keener also stars in the #5 film on this list “Hamlet 2″
Jerry is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant he suspects of causing his headaches. But he inadvertently causes his brain to become magnetized, leading to the unintentional destruction of all the movies in his friend’s store. In order to keep the store’s one loyal customer, an elderly lady with a tenuous grasp on reality, the pair re-create a long line of films including The Lion King, Rush Hour, Ghostbusters, When We Were Kings, Driving Miss Daisy, and Robocop, putting themselves and their townspeople into it. They become the biggest stars in their neighborhood.
I really enjoyed this film, the story was original and well written, the actors were good and Jack Black works great with Mos Def.
Side note: Jack black also stars in the #9 film on the first “movies about movies” list “Tropic Thunder”
In the beginning of this film we meet a documentary team of three young men and a young woman. They are heading for the south-American jungle to search for real cannibals. After a while the crew is reported missing and a rescue team is sent from the US. This team gets in touch with an amazon tribe called the Tree-people. The tree-people gives them the only remains of the first crew – the film rolls containing the material this crew shot during their search for real cannibals. Back in the US we get to see these films. Now we know exactly what happened to the first crew.
Now in this film we get to see (real) animals being cut apart and a young girl getting skewered. If you liked “faces of death” you’ll really enjoy this movie. Good luck trying to find a (legal) copy, this film has been banned in 50 countries.
Dana Marschz is a failed actor and recovering alcoholic who’s moved to Tucson to teach high school drama where he’s plagued by bad reviews, student indifference, budget woes (he and his wife, who is trying to get pregnant, take in a boarder), and his own teaching limitations. Because the other electives are closed he finds himself with a large class of seeming gang-bangers, and the principal informs him that drama will be cut next trimester. On the advice of a student reviewer, Dana decides to stage his own play, a sequel to “Hamlet” in which the prince and Jesus, with the use of a time machine, try to save Gertrude and Ophelia. Can Dana for once pull something off?
This movie is ridiculous but funny.
Side Note: actress Melanie Diaz also stars in the #8 movie on this list “Be kind Rewind”
The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them.
This movie is similar to “Man bites dog”; a serial killer takes a film crew around town and shows them how to be a proper murderer. What makes this movie good is that the killer explains some of the horror movie clichés and gives step by step instructions on how be a real killer.
Max Schreck’s performance in the classic film Nosferatu has become legendary. What if the reason he was so good is that he really was a vampire? That’s the premise of this film, which features director F.W. Murnau, so enamored with creating the perfect vampire film that he seeks out an actual member of the undead to play the title role. But when Schreck starts taking more and more advantage of the opportunities to feed he suddenly has, can Murnau come to his senses and destroy him?
This was a good movie, the awkwardness of Max Schreck gives the film a humorous side and his loneliness a tragic side.
Zack Brown and Miriam have been friends since high-school and share an apartment with many unpaid bills. In a reunion party, they find that the former high-school star is now a porn actor, and this inspires them to make a porn film to pay their bills. They cast the actors, actresses and crew, and Zack writes the screenplay.
Funny movie, perhaps not Seth Rogens best performance but nonetheless worth watching.
Three film students travel to Maryland to make a student film about a local urban legend… The Blair Witch. The three went into the woods on a two day hike to find the Blair Witch, and never came back. One year later, the students film and video was found in the woods. The footage was compiled and made into a movie. The Blair Witch Project.
Really good movie, excellent acting and story, unfortunately if this movie was released today it would not get as much attention as it did back in 1999 because nowadays a horror movie needs a bunch of blood and shock effects to be valid which is truly sad.
This is not technically about the making of a movie, but rather about working on a screenplay and working for a big time producer. It is a must-see film and definitely deserves a place on this list. The synopsis: Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), a big time movie producer on the rise, hires young Guy (Frank Whaley) to be his assistant. Guy thinks he’s finally hit the big time. But Buddy has other ideas. He torments Guy with petty requests and daily reamings for bringing him Equal instead of Sweet-N-Low. Guy decides that he is fed up with Buddy’s torture and goes to Buddy’s house and ties him up and begins his revenge. Guy’s lover, a script writer who has “screwed” her way to the top, is dragged into this. You have to see this film – it is great.
I enjoy this list. Blair Witch creeped me out when it intially came out. Of course I was younger, more naive.It’s lost it’s punch.
Now I wath movies like Cannibal Holocaust and don’t even flinch.
List verse is the sh*t!!!
I occasionally watch them as well.
holy *****
Blair witch and Man Bites Dog are amazing acting masterpieces! My girlfriend and i watched Blair Witch when it was on then went camping that night for full effect!! You can imagine the rest….!
Great list. However, I have to disagree with the comment that The Blair Witch Project wouldn’t receive as much attention today due to a need for gore; Paranormal Activity, a film much compared to Blair Witch in style and execution, has received a lot of press and is doing well at the box office.
I loved Be Kind Rewind! I remember going to the movies to see Blair Witch and I have to say I didn’t like it. The scariest thing in the movie was that guy’s runny nose.
@saopauloesquecida (8): are we going to run away togther, or what?
I don’t agree with what you said about Blair Withc being released today and not being popular. Paranormal Activity is one of the most popular movies at the moment and is the same type of movie as Blair Witch even leading people to walk out of theaters because of how scared they are.
Kevin Smith is my Hero!!! I love Zach and MIri, good for you adding it to this list!!! May need to go and watch it now!!!!!
” If you liked “faces of death” you’ll really enjoy this movie, good luck trying to find a (legal) copy, this film has been banned in 50 countries. ”
Yeah, the movie isn’t that obscure. You can find the DVD at amazon.com. But it is an extreme movie, the animal killings are a bit too brutal to watch.
be kind rewind is totally the best…robo cop.. XD
I don’t like the comment at the end of entry number two. Cinema evolves with time, that’s why we’re watching talkies with colour and everything. Likewise, “horror” – which doesn’t mean much as a genre title anymore – has changed a lot. I think that you’re probably a fan of the older, more supernatural horror movies? I personally don’t mind some of the new stuff, torture ***** isn’t great, but I’ve always been an exploitative movie fan.
I’ve been meaning to watch Be Kind Rewind for ages, but it looks like I’m gonna have to add Man Bites Dog to my list of ‘to watch’ as well! Sounds fairly creepy/unsettling but in an interesting way. I was really expecting to see The Player on here, and was kinda pleased that it wasn’t!
Movies don’t talk, They speak.
WHAT!!!! not again,where is bowfinger now thats #1
‘Now this is a good film, we get to see (real) animals being cut apart and a young girl getting skewered.’
I find this a worrying comment. Perhaps for horror fans it is good entertainment to watch a girl being skewred?
Why is it that cutting apart of REAL animals makes for a ‘good film’?
All together offensive enough to me not want to return to ListVerse.
You’re still missing Truffaut’s Day for Night (La Nuit américaine), not to mention Blake Edwards’ brutal send-up of the Hollywood system, “S.O.B.” These two, and especially the first, are conspicuous by their absence.
What about The Moguls – where a whole small town bands together to make a *****o? Genius film.
@ Duke of Omnium (19): Great contribution. You led me to rememeber Godard’s Le Mépris. While it might not be its main theme, it revolves around the shooting of a movie, and is a great, wonderful film. That Brigitte Bardot is on top of her game doesn’t hurt, either.
Okay, bad list with very poorly written blurbs/descriptions accompanying each item. Too many good, even great films missing (again) and too much schlock and bad films included. I mean COME ON—”Cannibal Holocaust?” Godawful. And I have to agree with FJ on that comment the list author made, which was just plain bizarre. “Cannibal Holocaust” is NOT a “good” film, even by schlock horror fan standards. Suggesting it IS a good film–and for the reasons the author gave–is off the wall and a tad disturbing.
And… XIII… what is that, your age? Because you display a level of ignorance about films in general which indicates that you *don’t know enough* about film to be popping up online to write film LISTS. Sorry to be cruel here, but please–find something else to write about. You’re clearly unaware of truly great classics and even contemporary gems–some of which others have already mentioned–and your statement about The Blair Witch Project is particularly suspect. You talk as if 1999 was a hundred years ago, and as if Blair Witch Project existed in an age where there were no big-budget, special effects-laden horror films. This is absurd! THE VERY REASON Blair Witch was so huge, such a success, and such a standout was that it scared people without ANY of the usual SFX gore, without the big Hollywood budget and stars, without the usual cliches of Horror movie splatter and gloss. It came out at a time when there had been some THIRTY YEARS of blood, gore, guts and effects-filled horror on the screen, from The Exorcist through the endless Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street movies, through Screams and I Saw What You Dids and so on. The “mad slasher” genre ITSELF was already some 20 years old, AT LEAST, when Blair Witch came out… AND the genre, and other effects-filled horror films, were at the height of their power. That’s WHY Blair Witch caught on—because it did something UTTERLY different, without effects, blood and gore, or an onscreen mad killer with a knife.
AND it’s happening all over again with Paranormal Activity, which takes the same cinema verite tack to frighten the audience. So not only was it done ten years ago DESPITE the prevailing styles and cliches–but it’s being done AGAIN today.
But the ordinary, “mainstream” horror films ten, twenty, even thirty years ago were no less filled with gore and blood. In fact, if anything, there was MORE blood and explicit gore in the 80s and 90s.
I just can’t believe you still not mentioned “Living in Oblivion” from Tom DiCillo starring Steve Buscemi. This is THE definition of a movie about movie !!!
Greetings from France.
Randall,
I think you state valid arguments to support all of your claims. But if we consider only mainstream movies, maybe the “average gore rate” has risen in the last two decades. If we compare the “Screams”, the “I know what you dids”, and so on, with “Hostel”, “Wrong turn”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The hills have eyes” (I know both are remakes, but there is no comparison in terms of commercial exposition between them and the originals, which were much smaller movies), I think the more recent movies went up a notch in the gore scale. Maybe the intensification of violence in the more mainstream, bigger budget, horror movies contributed to lead the author of the list to his conclusion – which, I agree with you, is not accurate.
Of course, since the end of the 60′s loads and loads of movies have resorted to extreme and graphic violece – exploitations, giallos, the italian cannibal movies, and so on. But these are only available to a much more restricted audience.
While on this theme, it should be also reminded that Blair Witch Project was such a huge success because of a very clever, yet simple, marketing strategy.
Oh, yes, “The Bad and the Beautiful”, too. You have to love the “Hollywood as Dystopian Gomorrah” type films, down to the Woltz subplot in “The Godfather”.
I thought Zack and Miri was really funny. Funnier than I expected. Wasn’t Seth Rogan on a recent list of top Canadian comedians? Hmmm.
By the way, I’m loving the flirtations between mandiemurder and saopauloesquecida. Are we about to witness a delightful listverse hookup? Yay!
My curiousity for the crazy makes me want to watch that cannibal holocaust film.
Randall strikes again!
I think movies have gotten gorier, but maybe not so much because of the taste of the audience or their makers. Makeup effects and CGI have made spurting blood and severed limbs much more realistic.
I suspect that a director would omit these scenes out because their unrealistic appearance would spoil a film’s artistry (or at least work against the suspension of disbelief). Now you can make an evisceration look realer than real.
@Duke of Omnium (29): It’s not impossible, even though, as I mentioned, all kinds of violence and torture have been onscreen since the late 60′s. Your hypothesis should rest on the idea, I believe, that higher budget directors would be more careful about how they showed it, and sleazier directors would do it whatever way. It’s not unreasonable.
On the other hand, some more extreme violence could be implied, or shown partially, in the shadows, and I don’t think it was; I think it was more straightforward. You know, just the standard slashing/shooting/impaling (joking!).
And let´s not also forget that our idea of realism is shaped by the aesthetics snd resources available on a given time. When we watch an older movie today, it looks a lot less realistic than to its contemporary audience.
I absolutely agree with FJ. Torturing animals doesn’t seem like a very valid reason to classify a movie as good.
gaste, da boeit toch ni.
I’d like to apologize to everyone for what I’m about to say. It really pains me to do this. I have a long history of being snarky and a propensity for antagonistic rants, but I have no choice in this case. I can feel Satan’s Imps dancing around me, jabbing me with their lesser tridents.
I agree with Randall.
At the time Blair Witch came out we had witnessed about 5000 horror movies that focused on teen slashing that went something like this: Let’s have *****, ok, wow that was great, I’m hungry but I’ll be right back, slash, spurt, I wonder when Johnny will come back, I’ll go downstairs, slash spurt, I can’t go to sleep because if I do someone with kill me, sleep, slash, spurt, let’s make out in the park, what was that, slash X 2, spurt X 2, let’s go to summer camp, let’s make out in the cabin after lights out, slash X 2, spurt, X 2, I was secretly in love with the person who was making out with someone else in the cabin, I’ll go investigate why they can’t be found, I’m horrified with what I’ve found, I will have revenge, slash, spurt.
Then comes Blair Witch. It’s marketing campaign was simple – This is a true story. It actually worked for a couple of weeks. Even when people found out it wasn’t a true story but hadn’t seen the movie yet were scared *****less. Why? Well again, it displeases me to say this, but Randall is correct in stating the very reason it was so frightening is because we were all so very bored with the slashing and the spurting. This movie has truly frightening scenarios. You are in the woods, you discover you are lost and seemingly going in circles. You begin to think someone or something is following you. You hear troubling things at night. One of your companions goes missing. You continue to hear weird ***** at night and desperation sets in as you recognize you cannot go home. All you have to do is put yourself in their place – on top of it all they never show you exactly what is following you.
That is true horror, you know it’s out there coming to get you.
And the author seems to not know much about the time period when this came out and why it was so effective.
Again, I apologize to everyone for agreeing with Randall. It probably won’t happen again.
Have only seen 1 of these movies but can’t say I would go out and see the others. Really not my cup of tea. Interesting choice of lists, though.
@Randall (22): I would agree that during the 80′s and 90′s there was more blood, guts and gore. However, in today’s standards, it looks fake. In some of today’s movies, it’s the realism that bumped it up a notch. Less blood/gore, but make it look more real.
Either way, it’s gross and I avoid that crap like the plague. I like movies where they scare you based on what you don’t see rather than what you do see.
Where is Ed Wood? I think even Bowfinger should be mentioned.
I watched Man Bites Dog at the cinema, my friend and I were the only ones who stayed to the end. It is a brilliant but absolutely horrific film.
The Blair Witch Project is interestingly spooky and well made.
My favourite on the list is Shadow of the Vampire, such a delicious idea that Max Schreck was a real vampire.
I think Randall should actually ASK a schlock horror film fan before assuming they don’t like “Cannibal Holocaust”.
Anyway, Grindhouse Releasing had released the film on DVD, uncut and chock-full of special editions. Would it hurt to do some research?
You really need to put Living In Oblivion on a list of movies about movies. It’s such a great film, not well known, and definitely worth seeking out to watch.
Hamlet 2 is not a movie about the movies. The characters are putting on a musical for a high school drama class. Funny, but shouldn’t be on this list, particularly when there are so many others – Day for Night, Living in Oblivion, etc., that could have been included. Just watched Swimming with Sharks last week – great flick.
I enjoyed reading this post… I’m glad I stopped by! -Emily
ohh dear god cannibal holocaust…i still cant watch it all the way through that movie freaks me out soo bad! haha. and i dont care how many people think it sucks, i love the blair witch project!!!!!
I don’t think anyone has mentioned ‘Double Exposure’ – also known as ‘The November Men.’ It’s certainly a movie that can leave you guessing about whether you are watching scenes from the ‘movie,’ or scenes from the ‘documentary of the movie.’
ohh and randall (22)…what is a good film and what is a bad film? it all is based on ones opinion. personally, i like cannibal holocaust, i find it interesting. so to me it is a good film. you cant really label a film good and bad…can you?
I’ve make typos, grammar and spelling errors in my comments here on Listverse, but somehow when the list itself has numerous mistakes, it is jarring and annoying to read. I often wonder why the submitted lists aren’t edited. This list has almost too many mistakes to catch them all, but here are a few:
#8: “the jack black works great with Mos Def.” and “Jack black also stars in the #9 film”…How about “the actor, Jack Black”?
#7: “The tree-people gives them the only remains of the first crew” What? Then there’s this: “if you liked “faces of death” you’ll really enjoy this movie, good luck trying to find a (legal) copy” Try, “Faces of Death” and this should be two sentences.
#6 “drama will be cut next trimester” Too funny, how about “semester”?
#5: “The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life” Should this be “The next great psycho horror slasher movie has a killer who gives..”?
#2: “because nowadays a horror movie needs a bunch of blood and shock effects to be valid which is truly sad.” I’m thinking this should be “blood and shocking effects” and maybe a second sentence like, ” I find this to be truly sad.”? (By the way, I’m with Randall and bucslm, this statement is misguided.)
#1: “begins on his revenge” Mmmm-Kay.
Even a quick read through should have caught some of these slip ups. Can they be fixed?
No, the BWP would definitely have the same effect, it was successful because people thought it was real.
Ok, I didn’t read all of the comments but I want to clear up a few things on Cannibal Holocaust. First, I just got the lastest un-cut version from bestbuy.com, so it’s not hard to find. Second, yes the animals that get killed are real but almost all are killed for food and in reality all of the animals were eaten by the natives. I’ve heard other people say that animals get tortured and that is not true. Third, compared with today’s special effects and the brutality of some horror movies, Cannibal Holocaust doesn’t even come close. The effects are so cheesy that the scenes lose credibility almost instantly. Even the so called rape scenes just look completely fake (which they are). And, no you don’t see any girl actually get impaled or skewered. Overall, I thought it was a decent movie and Im sure in it’s day it was the worst thing out but not anymore. I think this movie is way overhyphed.
Not my cup of tea or G’s and T’s this list, Im from the old school a good western with John Wayne or Lee van Cleef was well worth watching.
***** 40 years ago us kids used to go to a movie house and watch Zorro – some other hero I forget his name now, but his side kick was called Tonto.
Well those were good times I cant turn the clock back, but I can as sure as hell have a refill my glass (cup) is empty.
Cheers.
@FJ (18): Agreed. Fixed.
@Moonbeam (45): we had trimesters at the high school I went to – we had 3 trimesters/terms.
has given is grammatically correct, psycho/horror/slasher can refer to the killer and not the movie eh? Shock effects is a noun. Shocking effects is and adjective and a noun.
That said, I do agree that there were many egregious grammar and punctuation errors. They are now fixed.
@45: You’re right, the frequent mistakes are annoying. I hope the book was properly edited.
Good saturday morning list. Best films on her for me were Man Bites Dog and Shadow of the Vampire. I remember sneaking into the Blair Witch when i was younger and srill feeling ripped off. I was young then though. I did recently watch it again and found it much more enjoyable. Oh and i also believe Cannibal Holocaust to be overhyped. Interesting idea, poor execution. Anyways, thats my take on some of the films. I’ll shut up now.
Everyone’s a critic….
Here’s where the horror genre will take us next:
“Billy. You have pulled the tails of cats and dipped girls’ ponytails in inkwells. You gain pleasure from teasing and intimidating your elementary school classmates. Your bullying has caused discomfort to others and interfered with their education. Tonight Billy, your education will become a bit more elementary…”
Yep. “SAW VII: Back to School”
@c2422131 (50): Guaranteed. Jamie had a raft of editors as well as the publisher’s staff.
While we’re on the subject of annoying punctuation and grammar mistakes – What’s up with all the commas?
I’ve been driven to distraction lately by their blatant and silly over-use. With, but, from, and most other prepositions do not require the use of a comma. They replace them.
In most instances sentences with the word ‘and’ joining two clauses or separate thoughts do not require a comma either.
Proof read folks! Aloud. As if you’re actually talking to someone.
sorry folks…
….Blair Witch Project SUCKED ASS !!!!!
…biggest waste of 2 hours of my life…..
I totally agree with what was said about Blair Witch. Everyone I know hates it because it isn’t an action packed gore bath of insanity. It is truly a great film and one of the scariest I have ever seen.
I don’t read the lists for the grammer. Anyone (who didn’t actually make the list) with enough time to *****ize an entire list for grammer mistakes, should find something more productive to do with their time.
Just gonna say, in my little opinion, titles 10-6 were all crap, along with The Blair Witch Project.
What you said about people seeing only gory scary movies now is completely untrue, Paranormal Activity a low budget with virtually no gore is making tons of money and people love it. It reminds most of Blair Witch and is just as scary.
@mom424 (53): Not to sound like some school Marm here, but…it is actually OK to use commas with conjunctions such as “but” or “and.” This is from grammer.ccc.commnent.edu: “Contending that the coordinating conjunction is adequate separation, some writers will leave out the comma in a sentence with short, balanced independent clauses (such as we see in the example…”He hit the ball well, but he ran toward third base.” ). If there is ever any doubt, however, use the comma, as it is always correct in this situation.”
As a kid I was taught to use the commas in this case.
Swimming With Sharks is such an amazing film – it’s probably in my Top Ten of all time. Kevin Spacey is vile and abhorrent throughout and he’s such a clever actor he even makes you feel a little pity for him when he gets his comeuppance. If you haven’t seen it then it is well worth two hours of your time.