Weirdest, Surreal Movie Recommendations (Out on Blu ray)

[Fellini912]

I enjoy an unconventional movie once in a while. Films that don't have their plot or subject matter spelt out for the audience, with a dream quality. They do not have to be truly surrealist (Ray, Dali, Bunuel). The more obscure, the better but it has to be released on Blu ray. Just name your favorite weird/surreal film, and if you like (ideally) give your interpretation.

David Lynch and Darren Aronofsky have become pretty mainstream. So if you can exclude them great. If not, give an interpretation of your favorite film from them.

I consider Bunuel the great surrealist in terms of cinema. Any one should check out these films:

Un Chien Andalou
Belle De Jour
Phantom Liberty (DVD)

Movies mentioned so far (besides the ones above)

8 1/2
L'Age D'Or
Alice(1988)
Amarcord
Angel's Egg (DVD)
Begotten
Big Bang Love (DVD)
The City of Lost Children (DVD)
Company of Wolves (DVD)
Delicatessen (DVD)
The Discreet Charm of Bourgeoisie (DVD)
Enter the Void
Fantasia (especially Destino by Dali and Disney on blu ray)
Fantastic Planet
Gozu (DVD)
Happiness of the Katakuris (DVD)
Hausu
Holy Mountain
Hour of the Wolf (DVD)
Jacob's Ladder
Ink
Institute Benjamenta
Iron Rose
Last Year in Marienbad
Naked Lunch
Persona (DVD)
The Piano Turner of Earthquakes
Picnic at the Hanging Rock
Santa Claus
Santa Sangre
Seventh Seal
Spirits of the Dead (DVD)
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Tetsuo II: Body Hammer
That Obscure Object of Desire
The Trial (DVD)
Tideland (DVD)
El Topo
A Town Called Panic
Valerie and her Week of Wonders (DVD)
The Valley
Videodrome
Visitor Q
The Wall (Russian blu ray)
Walker (DVD)

There have been good recommendations on DVD also, so I decided to list them. If any of them are released on Blu ray, I will update it.

[Clark Kent]

The Holy Mountain. The amount of drugs it took to make that movie must have been very expensive. Personally I don't like the movie but it definitely fits this category.

[Silo5]

Enter the Void. I just got it a few weeks ago. I kind of liked it, but it was definately not the norm for me.

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by Silo5

Enter the Void. I just got it a few weeks ago. I kind of liked it, but it was definately not the norm for me.

I haven't seen this, but I hear it is on the surreal side.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

The Holy Mountain. The amount of drugs it took to make that movie must have been very expensive. Personally I don't like the movie but it definitely fits this category.

El Topo is another great weird film. It defined the midnight movie. Jodorowsky is master of the strange. I will say that El Topo is the weirdest western ever.

[AmrlKJaneway]

What about The Wall? Or am I being too mainstream surreal?

[Trekkie313]

Walker from the Criterion Collection, but it's a DVD.

[mikesncc1701]

Un Chien Andalou and Begotten. Begotten is one of the weirdest, creepiest experiences you will ever have.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Silo5

Enter the Void. I just got it a few weeks ago. I kind of liked it, but it was definately not the norm for me.

Our local college-indie arthouse theater produces its own funny theater adverts for joining the charity membership program--
One month's had them resubtitling a sinister-subplot scene from the villain's corporate office in one of the Toho Godzilla movies to have them talking about the theater memberships.

At one point, another character rushed in with news:
"Sir, we've just got a call....One of the members wants a refund on 'Enter the Void'." (audience cheered)
"Tell him no: If he went to see a Gaspar Noe movie, he should've known what he was in for."

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Silo5

Enter the Void. I just got it a few weeks ago. I kind of liked it, but it was definately not the norm for me.

I put the Walker and Enter the Void on my netflix queue. I have not seen any of these films.

I just recently seen Alice(1988) by Svankmayer. This movie is definitely not for children. He uses stop motion animation throughout the whole film. The white rabbit is the creepiest of all the white rabbit interpretations.

Felliini has good dream sequences in his movies especially in 8 1/2 and Amarcord.

[juanleche]

fistful of dynamite, the flashback scenes are jarring

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by AmrlKJaneway

What about The Wall? Or am I being too mainstream surreal?

I think The Wall is a very under-appreciated surreal musical. The animated portions are trippy. Another director that is over looked is Frank Zappa, I guess because he is a musician also.

[Banned User]

Last Day at Marienbad.

Felini's segment Toby Dammit on the Bluray Spirits of the Dead.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Last Day at Marienbad.

Felini's segment Toby Dammit on the Bluray Spirits of the Dead.

Year, not day.

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Last Day at Marienbad.

You mean Last Year not Last Day...anyhow director Guy Hamilton said that the film was pretentious.

[P@t_Mtl]

I could recommend the Japanese movie Hausu, it's very different

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

You mean Last Year not Last Day...anyhow director Guy Hamilton said that the film was pretentious.

I could see how one could get the title confused. I saw part of this movie 9 years ago, all I remember is that movie is about a day in Marienbad. A day that is looped multiple times.

[Fellini912]

I am half way through Institute Benjamenta. A lot of symbolism, very surreal. It lives up to anything The Brothers Quay have done so far without the excess of stop motion animation. I have seen few of their short films.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

I could recommend the Japanese movie Hausu, it's very different

Basically, if the words "Japanese TV commercial" conjure up any number of Simpsons jokes....a Japanese TV commercial director did a horror movie.

If the thread is wandering off of Blu-ray choices, I'd managed to look up Orson Welles' "The Trial" on Instant Netflix:
Welles wanted to show how much Kafka wrote his allegories with "dream logic", and did his own trademark Orson Welles version of David Lynch's B/W "REM-state filmmaking" act....
Imagine "Eraserhead" done on Citizen Kane's old sets, with Tony Perkins replacing Jack Nance.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Basically, if the words "Japanese TV commercial" conjure up any number of Simpsons jokes....a Japanese TV commercial director did a horror movie.

If the thread is wandering off of Blu-ray choices, I'd managed to look up Orson Welles' "The Trial" on Instant Netflix:
Welles wanted to show how much Kafka wrote his allegories with "dream logic", and did his own trademark Orson Welles version of David Lynch's B/W "REM-state filmmaking" act....
Imagine "Eraserhead" done on Citizen Kane's old sets, with Tony Perkins replacing Jack Nance.

I have read Kafka's The Castle and many of his short stories (Penal Colony being my favorite). the excerpts from his novel The Trial are very interesting. I heard mix reviews of Welles' movie. I will give it a try.