philosophical movies

[Lark]

What do you recommend? I'm watching I heart huckabees, apparently a big philosophical movie, before that I watched The Machinist, although that may have been a recommend on films featuring loneliness, I'm not quite sure.

 

[Totenkindly]

"The Grey" gives a pretty fair experience of existentialism, as seven guys wrestle with survival after their plane crashes in Alaska/arctic regions. They actually discuss various life philosophies and god and social/cultural memes at one point (organically).

Others:
- My Dinner with Andre
- The Truman Show
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Waking Life (have watched about half of it)
- Boyhood (another Linklater pic)
- Dogville
- Gattaca
- Solaris

The Matrix explores some influential philosophies (including Boudrillard) although in a more mass-market directed way.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

The Fountain. It's about the quest for immortality, and death... in the modern age, among 16th century Spaniards, and in the future. The ending is one of the best endings I've ever seen in a movie anywhere.

 

[Z Buck McFate]

-Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead (by Tom Stoppard, reminiscent of Waiting For Godot)

-Stalker (by Tarkovsky, same guy who did Solaris)

 

[Dopa]

I saw the Nutty Professor on TV last night, and I realized, wow, this is literally the same plot as Fight Club. A lot of movies are. I used to wonder how Chuck Palahniuk thought of something so great. Now I'm just like, "oh."

 

[Jet Stream]

Taxi Driver. Definitely Taxi Driver. That would probably be number one in my book. Other philosophical films I've seen include...Groundhog Day, American Beauty, and surprisingly Pulp Fiction which features many deeper themes within its story if analyzed closely enough. Probably others.

 

[vorfreude]

Stalker +1, Interstellar, Inception, Being John Malkovich, Eyes Wide Shut, Life of Brian , Stranger Than Fiction, Life of Pi, In Bruges, The Invention of Lying, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, Talk to Her, Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown, any of the Emir Kusturica movies: Black Cat White Cat, Life Is A Miracle, When Father Went Away On Business etc...


probably my favorite genre...keep them coming, please!

 

[laurapants08]

Mr Nobody kinda blew my mind. It wasn't just philosophy but quantum Physics as well. It your into the butterfly effect, chaos theory or physics or multiverses check it out.

Imagine the story the last mortal could tell if we were ever to progress to Eternal life?

 

[Frosty]

Gattaca- probably my favorite movie ever

Pleasantville- up there way up there, some good examples of MBTI types as well

Truman Show- good

Shutter Island

 

[Blank]

I'll second Waking Life and throw I Am onto the list as well.
They Live
Fight Club
American Psycho (in a way)
Moon
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
It's A Wonderful Life
Ikiru (It's like a Japanese It's A Wonderful Life, but it's a lot less cheesy)
Citizen Kane


TV Shows:
Wilfred (It's like Fight Club, but in some ways, more deranged.)
Twilight Zone

I could see arguments for and against these movie though. While some may not be explicitly philosophical, they all certainly carry important messages that can leave you thinking.

 

[Cellmold]

Gattaca- probably my favorite movie ever

"For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess; I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star....maybe I'm not leaving....maybe I'm going home"

 

[Blank]

Forgot to throw Batman: The Dark Knight onto my list.

I'd also highly recommend Gattaca, if not for philosophy, for entertainment alone.

 

[Little_Sticks]

I liked these as well, but Holy Mountain and Enter the Void might be hard for some people to sit through,

Ran
Rashomon
Devil's Advocate
The Holy Mountain
Enter the Void
12 Angry Men
Ghost in the Shell
Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Serial Experiments Lain was a pretty decent philosophical anime tv show.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I liked these as well, but Holy Mountain and Enter the Void might be hard for some people to sit through,

Ran
Rashomon
Devil's Advocate
The Holy Mountain
Enter the Void
12 Angry Men
Ghost in the Shell
Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Serial Experiments Lain was a pretty decent philosophical anime tv show.

12 Angry Men is an excellent movie. I suppose that movie is buried deep in my brain. I like the idea of somebody being able to use logic to convince people to go ahead and do the right thing and adhere to the right principles.

I haven't seen the movie, but Ghost in the Shell is an excellent series. Anything dealing with the boundaries between humans and machines is bound to interest me.

Finally, Holy Mountain is also incredible. I rewatched it a few weeks ago, and "got it" in a way I didn't get it before. Things clicked that didn't click. Before, I just thought it was a crazy movie, but I couldn't piece together what it was actually saying. Now I think I get it. My favorite segment is probably the Pantheon Bar and Grill, where most of the seekers for the Holy Mountain get stuck. And of course, who can forget Axon of Neptune's sanctuary? (Also, the Enneagram symbol makes an appearance in several places.)

 

[Frosty]

Oh yeah add 12 angry men. Also for TV, Twilight Zone or bust. Kinda cheating but I looked online for more, I liked The Green Mile, not sure if it is really philosophical but i liked it. Personally Shawshank Repemption is high as a kite on my list. Might be a bit corny, but to Kill a Mockingbird is good if you havent already seen it. One flew over the cuckoos nest, K-Pax. Stranger than fiction, that one I liked. Anyways they might not all be what you would generally consider deeply philosophical, but most of them can make you think.

 

[Studmuffin23]

Black Narcissus

 

[Kas]

I want to recommend you some polish movies. Otherwise I wouldn't be myself.

"Decalogue" K. Kieślowski- miniseries which is variation about ten commandments
“Talking heads” K. Kieślowski- documentary about people different age answering simple questions about themselves (who they are, what is the most important for them)
“Life as a fatal sexually transmitted disease” K. Zanussi – old man dying, reconsidering his opinion about life and death
“Squint your eyes” A. Jakimowski- about the young girl who runs away from home and about the moments that passed away

Z Buck McFate I really like "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" it is so funny


From the new movies- "Her" is somehow (ethically/ sociologically) interesting.

 

[Tippo]

Sphere the book not the movie
Gattaca
Donnie darko
The jerk

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Fight club

 

[laurapants08]

Gattaca appeared on this thread more then once now. I guess I'm going to have to see it.

 

[Z Buck McFate]

Z Buck McFate I really like "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" it is so funny

It's one of my favorites.



And I'll second Ikiru (mentioned by Blank).