Confusing films

R3DBuLL · 3 May 2006 at 21:32

Hiya

Ever since seeing Donnie Darko I have started loving confusing/very clever or wierd films like "12 monkeys" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Just wondered if anyone else liked these kind of films and if you could point out others of the same type.

PS. Is it possile for anyone to have the same thoughts and theories about DD there are just so many ways to try and make sense of this film

RandomTom · 3 May 2006 at 21:44

I'm in the same boat as you, I love watching films that make me think, here is a few I've seen and enjoyed;

Donnie Darko, Fear and Loathing, 12 Monkeys (like you have)

American Beauty
Butterfly Effect
Elephant
Fight Club
The Heathers
Memento
Mulholland Drive
Pi
Requiem for a Dream
Se7en
The Usual Suspects
Vanilla Sky
The Virgin Suicides

There must be more but I can't name them at the moment.

v0n · 3 May 2006 at 21:50

Movies with probably some point but artistically moulded into pathologically confusing drivel:
Magnolia
Dogville
The Royal Tenenbaums
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Revolver

Movies made specifically for confusion:
Mulholland Drive
Napolean Dynamite
Adaptation
Naked Lunch

"12 monkeys" made perfect sense though.

Big Chris · 3 May 2006 at 21:59

v0n said:
Movies made specifically for confusion:
Mulholland Drive...

Pretty much all Lynch films, see my thread on Lost Highway for example. Twin Peaks is also one great big mystery.

Tru · 3 May 2006 at 22:08

Mulholland Drive, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, The Machinist, Memento - all the M's basically. American Psycho too.

R3DBuLL · 3 May 2006 at 22:30

v0n said:
"12 monkeys" made perfect sense though.

Yeah but it was the way it went about making sense, if that makes sense

Was very clever, as i mentioned ^^^^

Mark M · 3 May 2006 at 23:02

Pulp Fiction

RandomTom · 3 May 2006 at 23:04

R3DBuLL said:
Yeah but it was the way it went about making sense, if that makes sense

Was very clever, as i mentioned ^^^^

Watch Fight Club straight away then!!! Very cleverly put into place, and then when you've watched this watch Mulholland Drive and sit there and wait for your head to explode. It's great.

PureAppleJuice · 3 May 2006 at 23:32

Donnie Darko and American Beauty

Doohickey · 3 May 2006 at 23:38

Big Momma's House 2 confused me. It confused me as to which imbecile decided to commission a sequel to an already terrible film.

Stellios · 4 May 2006 at 00:01

Just watched the matrix revolutions and that has confused the hel outta me.

Adz · 4 May 2006 at 00:17

Fight club for me. The first time I saw it, I hadn't a clue what was happening until the final moments. I then watched it for a second time and it all seemed so obvious... Very cleverly done!

Mr Bulbous · 4 May 2006 at 01:51

I think the point of the above mentioned films is ... they don't have a real point in the normal way of thinking, they are just too abstract ... perhaps a bit too arty?

For me, sometimes it works, some times it doesn't. I've found these types of films rarely have any repeat viewing quality's.

For me, the worst offender in this category, has to be Lynch's "Eraserhead" I know one guy who thinks its the best film ever made, but he likes to stand out from the crowd, I guess he's going through a phase? he's definitely *odd* he's went through many odd phases in his life.

For me, "Eraserhead" is utterly confusing and pointless, and also a little bit disturbing. Perhaps its meant to be a bad dream? If so ... Lynch achieved this effect, but bad dreams don't need repeat viewing IMHO

If I never see it again in my lifetime, I wont be sorry.

The afore mentioned "Se7en" and "Fear and Loathing" were OK in my book though, Fear and Loathing was clearly about tripping out, so in that sense, it made sense, if you get my drift? "Se7en" had a good punchline, as did "12 Monkeys" IMHO.

But yup, I recognise the original posters frustrations in seemingly pointless and confusing films.

skinnyl · 4 May 2006 at 10:58

Old boy was the one that left me confused. i don't think i deal with subtitles very well..

Vonhelmet · 4 May 2006 at 11:50

Adaptation is brilliant in terms of being confusing. It's really well done.

Davey_Pitch · 4 May 2006 at 11:57

Stellios said:
Just watched the matrix revolutions and that has confused the hel outta me.

It's confusing because they leave so many things up to the interpretation of the viewer, and don't explain as much as they should. It does leave it open for you to imagine the film in any way you see fit, especially what happens after the end.

R3DBuLL · 4 May 2006 at 12:28

Davey_Pitch said:
It's confusing because they leave so many things up to the interpretation of the viewer, and don't explain as much as they should. It does leave it open for you to imagine the film in any way you see fit, especially what happens after the end.

I like when they do this as everyone interprets (sp?) the film in a different way and thinks of or realise things you never. Great fun

Simian · 4 May 2006 at 13:10

Momento (only got 30 mins in and couldn't watch any more!... Soooooo Confudged!!)

the first 2 time I watched 12 Monkeys!... Though I get it now!.. :rolleyes:

Royal Tanenboums - Just Confused me how anyone could rave about it saying it was G-R-E-A-T... (just my opinion)

R3DBuLL said:
I like when they do this as everyone interprets (sp?) the film in a different way and thinks of or realise things you never. Great fun

That Can cause Sooooooooooo Many 'Pub Arguments' which I find Fun!... beats talking about Politics!..

knowlesy · 4 May 2006 at 13:15

the secretary

goldilocks · 4 May 2006 at 14:35

anything by m night shlylaman
unbreakable and the village in particular
i know so many people who hate these films - but i guess it's all down to the frame of mind in which you watch them
i knew nothing about either the first time i saw them, and was stunned by both

as mentioned above, fight club (etc) also excellent films