Perspective-Changing Films

List creator: mjeanes Created on: March 16, 2004 - 9:40 AM PST Description: Movies that caused a shift in my own perspective about art, life, and cinema.

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	movie title	related list	average rating	MPAA rating	watch	rent	buy
	2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
This was the first movie I ever watched where I knew there was more to it than I was understanding at the time. I rented this when I was about 13 and it was immediately clear to me that none of my friends 'got it' or would want to 'get it'.
	Pink Flamingos (1973)
At 14, we rented a double feature of Pink Flamingos and A Clockwork Orange. Both were titles they held behind the counter at Errolls.
	A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The double feature with Pink Flamingos was my first taste of truly subversive cinema from two opposite ends of the quality spectrum!
	Blue Velvet (1986)
David Lynch's suburban melodrama mystery was just the thing I needed at 15 to reenforce my feeling that the world wasn't always "Family Ties" and "The Cosby Show".
	Brazil (Criterion Collection) (1985)
This film was like a class on satire for me, and it still holds up as one of the best examples of Gilliam's handle on the absurd.
	Stalker (1979)			Not Rated
My introduction to Tarkovsky and still my favorite of his films, Stalker is bleak, muted, cynical and ultimately right on with its tale of existential anguish.
	Stalker (Bonus Disc) (1979)			Not Rated
You have to rent both discs to see the whole movie!
	Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bruce Lee on the cusp of American fame and stardom made this one, masterful film and it made me realize that 'dumb action movies' could still be fascinating in the right hands.
	Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Next to Brazil, this is the best satirical farce ever, and it reminded me that a strong, well-directed film can be timelessly relevant.
	Pi (1998)
I absolutely loved Pi because it showed what balls-out effort and a great idea can get you. I went out and shot my own super8 films as a result!
	Apocalypse Now (1979)
Having seen this film and having read "Heart of Darkness", I became a believer in the power of movies to affect you the way no books can. Not always better, but different and in this case, deeper.
	The City of Lost Children (1995)
When I watched this in college, I just couldn't get enough of it and it renewed my belief that most of the best movies being made now are not being made in the USA.