AP Film List
Everything Everywhere All At Once- This utterly original film will have you laughing, crying, contemplating the nature of your existence, and waking up to the fact that you know nothing/everything. You'll never look at googly eyes, everything bagels, hot dogs the same way again.
Midsommar- This falls under the horror subgenre of "folk horror", but it's not necessary scary or a horror film. It's more about the cycle of life and the cycle of relationships. There's some rather disturbing imagery, but it also is quite beautiful.
Withnail and I - Highbrow British dark comedy, set in 1960s London with some very good quotable lines.
Rushmore- Directed by Wes Anderson and set in Houston. Hilarious with witty dialogue.
The Royal Tennanbaums- Directed by Wes Anderson and set in New York. Hilarious with witty dialogue.
The Grand Budapest Hotel- Directed by Wes Anderson and set in Eastern Europe. Hilarious with witty dialogue. (see a pattern?)
This is Spinal Tap/ Waiting for Guffman/ Best in Show- hilarious “mock”umentaries, quotable lines. Watch them all in the order that I listed them.
Harold and Maude- produced in the early 1970s, quirky and touching story about a May December romance and the love of a good funeral.
Dazed and Confused- set in Austin in the 1970s, wacky high school comedy, really great characters that you’ll love to love and some you’ll love to hate. If you can stand it, watch Richard Linklater’s earlier film about Austin, Slacker, which is practically a documentary of Austin in the early 90s.
Lost in Translation- How it really feels to be out of your element, maybe it’s about marriage too, I don’t care- it contains Bill Murray doing what he does best.
Me and You and Everyone We Know- A Miranda July film that will make you smile as much as it makes you squirm. Some brutally honest situations. Be warned. ))><((
Down By Law- I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Gritty black and white film, shot in New Orleans, and featuring one of my favorite male vocalists- Tom Waits (he has a voice like gravel wrapped up in velvet).
The Last Picture Show- Black and white film made in the 1970s, set in the 1950s in a small Texas town- really amazing acting from everyone. It paints a truthful picture of small town life in Texas. Depressing ending, though.
Picnic at Hanging Rock- Takes place in Australia in Victorian times. Girls in a boarding school go on a picnic and several of them wander off- they don’t return. It’ll give you the creeps (in a good way). Miranda!
The Science of Sleep- Michel Gondry film about a cute, slightly insane/insecure guy falls in love with a girl and has a difficult time distinguishing between reality and his dreams.
Donnie Darko- Twisted and confusing plot with a cool soundtrack and a scary bunny.
The Virgin Suicides- Based on an amazing book. I’d rather you read the book, but if you insist on seeing the film first, that’s fine.
Blade Runner- Futuristic Noir masterpiece. My favorite film of all time. It’s difficult to believe this was shot in the 80s (but watch for the Atari logo- ugh.) Every frame of this film is perfect.
The Fall- Wounded little girl befriends a wounded (physically and emotionally) stunt actor in a hospital. He tells her an epic story in exchange for something. It’s a little tragic, but all ends well. Shot in a dozen different countries and there’s some amazing visuals. Lee Pace and the little girl are both pretty adorable.
Shallow Grave- Three roommates in Scotland find themselves in a moral pickle when their other roommate dies and they discover his suitcase full of money. What do you think they’ll end up doing?
Trainspotting- Heroin addicts in Scotland! Fun! Seriously, it’s a pretty fun film, but it does get especially nasty in parts. (Re: nastiest toilet in Scotland, the dirty sheets scene, dead baby scene, etc…).
Slacker- Seems more like a documentary about early 90s Austin than a work of fiction. There’s no real narrative- you’re like a fly buzzing around Austin, following people around. Austin doesn’t look like this anymore. This movie is a total time capsule and it makes me a little sad.
Eraserhead- Essential David Lynch film #1. Black and white and full of industrial noise and weirdness. You need to see this even though it's a bit torturous. It’s twisted and really mesmerizing at the same time. I went as the “Girl in the Radiator” for Halloween one year. I guess you’ll have to watch the film to see what I’m talking about.
Blue Velvet- Essential David Lynch film #2. A murder mystery of sorts, but really, really dark and twisted and yet stylish at the same time.
American Splendor- Based on the true-life story of cartoonist Harvey Pekar.
Being John Malkovich- A nerdy puppeteer discovers a portal inside John Malkovich. It gets surreal.
Fargo- A car salesman’s plot to extort money from his father in law by having his wife kidnapped goes horribly wrong. Directed by the Coen Brothers who also directed Blood Simple, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men. You should see all of their films.
Easy Rider – Hippy biker road trip! Trippy.
Room with a View- This is a charming period film based on an E.M. Forester novel. A young girl travels to Italy and discovers love. I memorized all the lines from this film when I was in high school. I wanted to look and act like Helena Bonham Carter.
Melancholia- Turns out that Melancholia is a frame of mind AND a planet that’s headed in the direction of earth. Lars von Trier films are all downers, so you know this one isn’t going to end well. Still, it’s worth watching for the bizarre freak outs and visuals.
The Graduate- A must see classic film that you've probably seen referenced a zillion times and didn't even know it.
Sid and Nancy- A biopic about Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Ends tragically as it did in real life. Courtney Love (pre nose job) has a small role in this.
Barbarella- A super fun 1960s sci fi film based on a French comic book starring Jane Fonda. Duran Duran got their name from a character in this movie.
Ghost World- Based on a Daniel Clowes comic book by the same name about two friends who graduate high school and befriend this odd guy, which ends up leading to some interesting situations.
Brasil- A dystopic vision/dark comedy by Terry Gilliam with some pretty remarkable visuals.
Foreign
Parasite- (South Korean) This won and Academy award for good reasons. The film digs deeply into social class, family issues, and what it means to be loyal.
Border- (Swedish) This unique film is essentially an exploration of our humanity through things that are not human. You follow the life of an odd looking woman- she's a customs agent with special talents to sniff out the bad guys. We soon realize that she's special in others ways as well.
Amelie- (French) A young girl decides to creatively alter the lives of people around her and neglects her own. Foolish girl. Will she ever find someone to love her? (Of course she does.) Interesting fact: I have two friends who named their daughters Amelie after this film.
Pan's Labyrinth- (Spanish) Another story about a little girl whose real life gets muddled up with her fantasy life. Really creepy fairytale characters and brutally evil people- I wouldn’t let small children (and maybe some bigger children, too) watch this.
Wings of Desire- (German) Angels are walking among us and listening to our thoughts. Creepy? Not really. They wear trench coats and ponytails.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown- (Spanish) Just like the title says, but possibly more hilarious than you’d think. I crave gazpacho after I watch this (but I’ll skip the sleeping pills, thank you.)
The Lives of Others- (German) Germans spying on each other. Interesting and unpredictable things happen.
Babette's Feast- (Danish) A really moving story about passion and repression, symbolized by food.
Midsommar- This falls under the horror subgenre of "folk horror", but it's not necessary scary or a horror film. It's more about the cycle of life and the cycle of relationships. There's some rather disturbing imagery, but it also is quite beautiful.
Withnail and I - Highbrow British dark comedy, set in 1960s London with some very good quotable lines.
Rushmore- Directed by Wes Anderson and set in Houston. Hilarious with witty dialogue.
The Royal Tennanbaums- Directed by Wes Anderson and set in New York. Hilarious with witty dialogue.
The Grand Budapest Hotel- Directed by Wes Anderson and set in Eastern Europe. Hilarious with witty dialogue. (see a pattern?)
This is Spinal Tap/ Waiting for Guffman/ Best in Show- hilarious “mock”umentaries, quotable lines. Watch them all in the order that I listed them.
Harold and Maude- produced in the early 1970s, quirky and touching story about a May December romance and the love of a good funeral.
Dazed and Confused- set in Austin in the 1970s, wacky high school comedy, really great characters that you’ll love to love and some you’ll love to hate. If you can stand it, watch Richard Linklater’s earlier film about Austin, Slacker, which is practically a documentary of Austin in the early 90s.
Lost in Translation- How it really feels to be out of your element, maybe it’s about marriage too, I don’t care- it contains Bill Murray doing what he does best.
Me and You and Everyone We Know- A Miranda July film that will make you smile as much as it makes you squirm. Some brutally honest situations. Be warned. ))><((
Down By Law- I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Gritty black and white film, shot in New Orleans, and featuring one of my favorite male vocalists- Tom Waits (he has a voice like gravel wrapped up in velvet).
The Last Picture Show- Black and white film made in the 1970s, set in the 1950s in a small Texas town- really amazing acting from everyone. It paints a truthful picture of small town life in Texas. Depressing ending, though.
Picnic at Hanging Rock- Takes place in Australia in Victorian times. Girls in a boarding school go on a picnic and several of them wander off- they don’t return. It’ll give you the creeps (in a good way). Miranda!
The Science of Sleep- Michel Gondry film about a cute, slightly insane/insecure guy falls in love with a girl and has a difficult time distinguishing between reality and his dreams.
Donnie Darko- Twisted and confusing plot with a cool soundtrack and a scary bunny.
The Virgin Suicides- Based on an amazing book. I’d rather you read the book, but if you insist on seeing the film first, that’s fine.
Blade Runner- Futuristic Noir masterpiece. My favorite film of all time. It’s difficult to believe this was shot in the 80s (but watch for the Atari logo- ugh.) Every frame of this film is perfect.
The Fall- Wounded little girl befriends a wounded (physically and emotionally) stunt actor in a hospital. He tells her an epic story in exchange for something. It’s a little tragic, but all ends well. Shot in a dozen different countries and there’s some amazing visuals. Lee Pace and the little girl are both pretty adorable.
Shallow Grave- Three roommates in Scotland find themselves in a moral pickle when their other roommate dies and they discover his suitcase full of money. What do you think they’ll end up doing?
Trainspotting- Heroin addicts in Scotland! Fun! Seriously, it’s a pretty fun film, but it does get especially nasty in parts. (Re: nastiest toilet in Scotland, the dirty sheets scene, dead baby scene, etc…).
Slacker- Seems more like a documentary about early 90s Austin than a work of fiction. There’s no real narrative- you’re like a fly buzzing around Austin, following people around. Austin doesn’t look like this anymore. This movie is a total time capsule and it makes me a little sad.
Eraserhead- Essential David Lynch film #1. Black and white and full of industrial noise and weirdness. You need to see this even though it's a bit torturous. It’s twisted and really mesmerizing at the same time. I went as the “Girl in the Radiator” for Halloween one year. I guess you’ll have to watch the film to see what I’m talking about.
Blue Velvet- Essential David Lynch film #2. A murder mystery of sorts, but really, really dark and twisted and yet stylish at the same time.
American Splendor- Based on the true-life story of cartoonist Harvey Pekar.
Being John Malkovich- A nerdy puppeteer discovers a portal inside John Malkovich. It gets surreal.
Fargo- A car salesman’s plot to extort money from his father in law by having his wife kidnapped goes horribly wrong. Directed by the Coen Brothers who also directed Blood Simple, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men. You should see all of their films.
Easy Rider – Hippy biker road trip! Trippy.
Room with a View- This is a charming period film based on an E.M. Forester novel. A young girl travels to Italy and discovers love. I memorized all the lines from this film when I was in high school. I wanted to look and act like Helena Bonham Carter.
Melancholia- Turns out that Melancholia is a frame of mind AND a planet that’s headed in the direction of earth. Lars von Trier films are all downers, so you know this one isn’t going to end well. Still, it’s worth watching for the bizarre freak outs and visuals.
The Graduate- A must see classic film that you've probably seen referenced a zillion times and didn't even know it.
Sid and Nancy- A biopic about Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Ends tragically as it did in real life. Courtney Love (pre nose job) has a small role in this.
Barbarella- A super fun 1960s sci fi film based on a French comic book starring Jane Fonda. Duran Duran got their name from a character in this movie.
Ghost World- Based on a Daniel Clowes comic book by the same name about two friends who graduate high school and befriend this odd guy, which ends up leading to some interesting situations.
Brasil- A dystopic vision/dark comedy by Terry Gilliam with some pretty remarkable visuals.
Foreign
Parasite- (South Korean) This won and Academy award for good reasons. The film digs deeply into social class, family issues, and what it means to be loyal.
Border- (Swedish) This unique film is essentially an exploration of our humanity through things that are not human. You follow the life of an odd looking woman- she's a customs agent with special talents to sniff out the bad guys. We soon realize that she's special in others ways as well.
Amelie- (French) A young girl decides to creatively alter the lives of people around her and neglects her own. Foolish girl. Will she ever find someone to love her? (Of course she does.) Interesting fact: I have two friends who named their daughters Amelie after this film.
Pan's Labyrinth- (Spanish) Another story about a little girl whose real life gets muddled up with her fantasy life. Really creepy fairytale characters and brutally evil people- I wouldn’t let small children (and maybe some bigger children, too) watch this.
Wings of Desire- (German) Angels are walking among us and listening to our thoughts. Creepy? Not really. They wear trench coats and ponytails.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown- (Spanish) Just like the title says, but possibly more hilarious than you’d think. I crave gazpacho after I watch this (but I’ll skip the sleeping pills, thank you.)
The Lives of Others- (German) Germans spying on each other. Interesting and unpredictable things happen.
Babette's Feast- (Danish) A really moving story about passion and repression, symbolized by food.