The pure comfort of knowing exactly how a movie ends is sometimes, just what you need
We asked our film programmer (and the guy we always go to for a good recommendation), Tom Vincent for the six films that he can never get enough of.
Tom: 'I might turn to each of these films at different times and for quite different reasons. Some I prefer to rewatch alone, and others I love introducing people to by having a watch party in the lounge room. The only thing that these films really have in common is that I’ve watched each of them many, many times!'
Short Films | Kenneth Anger (1949-1972)
Kenneth Anger’s films distill a lot of culture and myth so potently. They represent independence and a kind of ‘golden age’ of film art that really does seem to cast spells. I find them easily consumable in the best way possible.
'To watch these movies is to feel as though you’ve stumbled upon the secret recordings of an underground cult.' BFI
Where to watch? Youtube
Grizzly Man | Werner Herzog (2005)
This is my guilty watch, if I’m in the right mood I find parts of this ostensible tragedy quite hilarious. I can’t help but appreciate Herzog’s exploratory vibe: his documentaries can often seem like works of fiction and vice versa.
Grizzly Man is about doomed self-appointed Alaskan bear protector and a would-be sitcom star Timothy Treadwell. It’s full of extraordinary things and as time passes this film seems to have pre-empted several types of viral online cultures.
Where to watch? Prime Video or rent from the usual streaming platforms.
Hairspray | John Waters (1988)
The ongoing absence of the masterful John Waters from filmmaking is, to paraphrase one of his movies, a dirty shame.
Although he’s famous in the underground for being simply outrageous, his joyous, affirming tale of TV teen dance shows and segregation in 60s Baltimore is his best film.
Hairspray is steeped in affection for the disreputable, it’s a good one for bringing people together.
Where to watch? Rent or buy here.
Nuts in May | Mike Leigh (1976)
British cinema doyen Mike Leigh made this TV special early in his career and managed to fill it with things I find inherently funny or fascinating: self-important dweebs, hippies, bikers from Birmingham, the central Dorset landscape, PE teachers and of course, camping.
This is THE most quotable film on this list. Enjoy!
Where to watch? Youtube
Tampopo | Juzo Itami (1985)
Japanese cinema is not widely known for its satire but for me, this is one of the most universal and timeless satires of all. It’s also one of the great food movies (there’s nothing like it), and in exploring Japanese cultural norms it pushes and pulls at all kinds of culture. This is one for a lazy Sunday, and definitely before dinner.
Where to watch? Kanopy
The Red Balloon | Albert Lamorisse (1956)
Pure wordless expression. This 36-minute mid-century classic explores the working class in Paris Ménilmontant via a young boy and his apparently only pal, a curiously massive iridescent red balloon.
I think of this one more like revisiting some of my favourite music as much as a favourite film; it all seems to flow so naturally and goes straight to the heart.
Where to watch? Dailymotion