Speaking of endings; I've always said it's very difficult to end a movie other than blowing up a shark. Saturday Night Fever certainly ended with class.
That's the reason why I have watched it, twice. I heard the ending was one of the best on tv so I just had to! And I was not disappointed. The trick is to not spoil it for anyone. I'm so glad I had no idea what the last episode entailed. Brilliant.
Here's something else that may blow your mind. I didn't grow up watching TV and didn't have one in the house until I was 65 and sharing a house. Even then, I rarely watched it. It's been over 10 yrs. since I last watched TV. I always preferred reading and playing and listening to music.
if only it was "some form of it." While were on the subject, I don't like being emotionally manipulated by the background music. It's used to set up the viewer for whatever emotion they want you to feel. After all, what if you saw something and didn't react as they wanted you to? Flop.
There’s nothing wrong with that. My point was referring more to people who DO watch a lot of TV, enjoy psychologically driven crime shows, and have not seen those 2 shows.
Totally on the same page...own them on VUDU...along with High Anxiety. Malcomn in the Middle always was hard to watch just because Jane K always screaming...nails on a chalkboard to this one. Not because of her; her character.
I have tried the Sopranos several times. Invariably can't go more than an episode or 2. Don't exactly know why. Just find it not very interesting to me. Couldn't though much of the Wire either. Breaking Bad though, is one of my favorites. Have watched the entire thing several times.
I get it. Everyone's different. I was committed solidly to The Sopranos when I finally watched it but I can see where it wasn't that great early on. That said, if it wasn't for The Sopranos I don't think Breaking Bad would've ever existed. I think I tried the The Wire once and stopped before the end of E1. We are all different for sure!
after the death in literature post, this is what i wanted to post as well. Every episode starts with a death... it was a great show. but also much great television has followed since.
It takes a lot for me to like a show, and even more so /really/ get into one. I was ALL IN on The Americans. Some of the tightest writing in recent memory.
Nice to hear. I am a career film producer (in addition to music journalist/author), and I bought the script for Hell or High Water when I was running the company that made it. It was originally called “Comancheria.” The writer was Taylor Sheridan, who no one had heard of at the time. Now he’s the biggest writer in showbiz, because of Yellowstone and its spinoffs.
If you're still buying scripts, I suggest you consider options on the great and oh-so-prophetic and topical political thriller Shelly's Heart, by the late Charles McCarry. If you could get David Mamet to come out of retirement to write and/or direct it in the style of Wag the Dog, it should be a smash.
I'm an independent producer now, so no longer buying scripts. But I appreciate your book recommendation. And just to be clear, I bought the script for Hell or High Water using an independent financier named Sidney Kimmel's money when I was his president of production.
Incredible human being. A billionaire, but the largest single donor to cancer research ever. Over $500m. But he’s very quiet about it. Other than the fact that his name is on buildings all over Philadelphia. A real film lover with great taste. And a brilliant, calculated risk taker. Doubt I’ll ever write a memoir. My story isn’t interesting enough. But there you have it.
Anyone watching "Somebody, Somewhere?" (on HBO). It's such a gem. Warmth and hilarity. I also loved Shrinking (Apple TV+). Both are well worth the time.
I love these people. The authenticity of emotions and issues caused me to delve into the show's inspiration. Bridget Evert wondered what her life would be like if she never left her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, and found her circle of friends.
I'm so glad to see "Local Hero" among your recommendations. This low-key comedy has been a favorite for a long time. The people, the place and the tale are unforgettable. As is the perfect ending.
The Mark Knopfler score is also classic.... Other Bill Forsythe films are also good... there is one where a cat is in a coma preparing to wake up in the Glasgow of the future....
Local Hero was Bill Forsyth’s third film. If you haven’t seen them I highly HIGHLY recommend That Sinking Feeling (1st film) and Gregory’s Girl (2nd film). They are late 70s/early 80s comedies focusing on ‘high school’ age kids of that time. Very funny, gentle humour, in the challenging economic climate of the time. Bill F is a legend here in Scotland. Don’t watch the subbed versions, the Scottish accents aren’t that strong. Many people of my generation (born early 70s) quote liberally from these films. GG is my number 1 film of all time. Has been since I saw it in 1983.
I love Local Hero. I am also partial to some of Eric Rohmer’s films, especially the later ones, like those based on the Seasons: A Winter’s Tale, etc. If you haven’t seen Diane Kurys’ “A Man In Love” ... I think that’s stunning. (Peter Reigert is in that too. Along with Claudia Cardinale, Greta Scacchi, Peter Coyote, etc.)
I was sitting next to Peter Riegert in the theater one day, turned to him, and when I opened my mouth, he looked apprehensive, but when I said ‘local hero,’ what a great film, he really brightened up!
Great to see such love for Local Hero! One of my favorite films. (This making-of might be of interest to those in this thread: https://youtu.be/JEm6AsTY0WI.) I also second Éric Rohmer's '90s films, especially Conte d'automne (Tale of Autumn).
Local Hero is a gem and if possible gets better on re-watch because it has so many little moments inserted here and there ... plus the Scottish location is a character itself. Incredibly beautiful!
You are my movie doppelganger! This is a GREAT list. If you haven't checked out "The Tao of Steve," I bet you'll like it. Here's a link to a long list of other movies I think are memorable and worth a watch: https://jimrain.micro.blog/2023/05/10/movies-good-enough.html
Wow, I would say Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring are the DEFINITION of depressing. Sheer tragedy in its darkest form. They're both phenomenal films, but calling them "not depressing" is pretty misleading, isn't it?
I agree with you about most TV shows and, as far as I can tell, current popular films. I say as far as I can tell because I haven't watched many of them. The CGI comic book heroes in their thinly veiled propaganda stories somehow don't appeal to me. I guess tragedy doesn't have to be depressing if you're looking for catharsis via well-made art. Both of those films provide that without question.
I stumbled on Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, sometime in June-July of 2020, and was enthralled. It tells such a gentle, peculiar, episodic stories that it just pulls you into the narrative of the week. I highly recommend this one.
Midnight Diner works on so many levels. It explores a very broad range of human experiences, and does so in a down-to-earth, empathetic way. A very special show.
Yes! I feel like Treme suffered from being David Simon's next project after The Wire - I think audiences assumed it would be kind of like The Wire but set in a different city, so people were disappointed it wasn't more focused on crime. But I would contend it is equal to The Wire in quality AND in a sense it is very like The Wire in that it is a show that is putting the city first and showing how all the pieces fit together in that city. In Baltimore this was done primarily through the lens of crime/corruption, in Treme it was done primarily through the lens of New Orleans music culture. I love Treme so much.
YES! I am in the middle of a rewatch right now and it’s really a remarkable portrait of a city. Hard to think of a TV show that feels as authentic to a specific city as this one.
I’ve been watching the sitcom Kim’s Convenience. It’s about a Korean couple that immigrated to Canada and runs a convenience store. Hardest I’ve laughed at a sitcom in a long time
Station Eleven: Proof that great book adaptations are often (always?) unfaithful. Also some extremely effective needle drops that actually engage with and enhance the story.
Babylon Berlin (German): a mysterious freight of gold; a taciturn, dashing detective known as "The Ferret"; a Weimar Republic besieged by Communists, Nazis, jazz musicians, and apocalyptic decadence. Yes.
Babylon Berlin is fabulous. I can't praise it enough. The whole atmosphere of Weimar-era Berlin reminds me very strongly of the times we live in today. Great plots and memorable characters, brought to life by a stellar cast. I also love an earlier movie "Run Lola Run" by Tom Tykwer, one of the writer-directors of Babylon Berlin.
I loved the HBO series “Six Feet Under.” I think it’s vastly underrated.
Six Feet Under has the BEST ending of any TV series ever!
Agreed. That's also how many people first heard Sia.
I'm in Australia and that song blew me away when it was released. I won't ever hear it now without thinking of the ending.
Speaking of endings; I've always said it's very difficult to end a movie other than blowing up a shark. Saturday Night Fever certainly ended with class.
That's the reason why I have watched it, twice. I heard the ending was one of the best on tv so I just had to! And I was not disappointed. The trick is to not spoil it for anyone. I'm so glad I had no idea what the last episode entailed. Brilliant.
Yes!
Yes, yes it does. Perfect ending.
Please delete this comment!? Spoiler!
The show ended 20 years ago! Is there a statute of limitations on scolds?
In a thread asking for recommends, it is a given that spoilers are verboten, shurely....
Spoiler alert!
+1
SFU is so good. explores life and death and mental health/illness in a consistently profound way.
It was highly and widely acclaimed, deservedly. I've got it on my list to rewatch one of these days.
Yes, but I’ve never seen it mentioned in the same breath as The Wire, Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc. in best tv series ever. I think it should be.
I am always amazed at the number of people who have not watched The Sopranos or Breaking Bad. It blows my mind.
Here's something else that may blow your mind. I didn't grow up watching TV and didn't have one in the house until I was 65 and sharing a house. Even then, I rarely watched it. It's been over 10 yrs. since I last watched TV. I always preferred reading and playing and listening to music.
I'm with you. I read and listen to music. In Spring, Fall, and Summer, our TV never goes on. I'd rather live life than watch some form of it.
if only it was "some form of it." While were on the subject, I don't like being emotionally manipulated by the background music. It's used to set up the viewer for whatever emotion they want you to feel. After all, what if you saw something and didn't react as they wanted you to? Flop.
There’s nothing wrong with that. My point was referring more to people who DO watch a lot of TV, enjoy psychologically driven crime shows, and have not seen those 2 shows.
Totally on the same page...own them on VUDU...along with High Anxiety. Malcomn in the Middle always was hard to watch just because Jane K always screaming...nails on a chalkboard to this one. Not because of her; her character.
Hard to deny osmosis
I have tried the Sopranos several times. Invariably can't go more than an episode or 2. Don't exactly know why. Just find it not very interesting to me. Couldn't though much of the Wire either. Breaking Bad though, is one of my favorites. Have watched the entire thing several times.
I get it. Everyone's different. I was committed solidly to The Sopranos when I finally watched it but I can see where it wasn't that great early on. That said, if it wasn't for The Sopranos I don't think Breaking Bad would've ever existed. I think I tried the The Wire once and stopped before the end of E1. We are all different for sure!
Never saw either one. Also, never watched MASH, The Cosby Show . . and on and on.
True. Quite a few earlier shows that predate that era and the crime show obsession, are seemingly forgotten.
The Shield, another operatic crime show from that era, also omitted from best TV.
Weeds, different again, another omission. Maybe not a best of, but it was the first of the average person gone bad genre.
Six Feet Under withstands rewatching, while some on the best ever list, surprisingly, don't.
Better Call Saul, a great character study. I'd align that more with SFU, despite its origins.
Yes to this. We’re currently watching it for the third time!
after the death in literature post, this is what i wanted to post as well. Every episode starts with a death... it was a great show. but also much great television has followed since.
Yes, that show had everything.
“Severance” on Apple TV +.
honestly the best show i have seen in years.
Seconded. Hugely original - I can't think of anything similar.
Agreed!
The Americans and The Shield are two of the most underrated shows of all time.
It takes a lot for me to like a show, and even more so /really/ get into one. I was ALL IN on The Americans. Some of the tightest writing in recent memory.
You can add Justified and Deadwood to that list, amazing shows with some of the best dialogue I've ever seen.
And now they are coming out with a new Justified. I think it will be one of the few sequels that are worthy.
Deadwood is on my list as David Simon (The Wire) recommended it. The Shield is on my list as Zizek wrote it is better than The Wire.
Love Deadwood. I had to buy the whole series and I rewatch it periodically. Dark, gritty and full of historical detail.
The Americans is a fantastic show that doesn’t necessarily get awareness out there.
My son keeps telling me to watch The Americans. I'll get around to it eventually.
Hell or High Water. (2016) Best film of the last decade.
Nice to hear. I am a career film producer (in addition to music journalist/author), and I bought the script for Hell or High Water when I was running the company that made it. It was originally called “Comancheria.” The writer was Taylor Sheridan, who no one had heard of at the time. Now he’s the biggest writer in showbiz, because of Yellowstone and its spinoffs.
What about "No Country...."? The Reaper travels in sheep's clothing!!
I assume you mean No Country for Old Men, in which case it's a big yes to that. Unforgettably dark and gripping.
Hunter
If you're still buying scripts, I suggest you consider options on the great and oh-so-prophetic and topical political thriller Shelly's Heart, by the late Charles McCarry. If you could get David Mamet to come out of retirement to write and/or direct it in the style of Wag the Dog, it should be a smash.
I'm an independent producer now, so no longer buying scripts. But I appreciate your book recommendation. And just to be clear, I bought the script for Hell or High Water using an independent financier named Sidney Kimmel's money when I was his president of production.
Ah, SK of Jones Apparel, which I followed for years. I'd like to read the passages about him in your memoir.
Incredible human being. A billionaire, but the largest single donor to cancer research ever. Over $500m. But he’s very quiet about it. Other than the fact that his name is on buildings all over Philadelphia. A real film lover with great taste. And a brilliant, calculated risk taker. Doubt I’ll ever write a memoir. My story isn’t interesting enough. But there you have it.
Great pick. I prefer 3 Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri personally, but Hell or High Water is easier to rewatch. The opening scene 😳
Red white & blue
Yeah, I love this one too. I've probably watched it 5 times. I can be a sucker for Westerns though. I guess you could call it a modern Western.
Dimitri
Agreed!
A movie called ‘Sideways’ from 2004. An indie classic.
A fun book too!
I’m not sure I even knew that!
Anyone watching "Somebody, Somewhere?" (on HBO). It's such a gem. Warmth and hilarity. I also loved Shrinking (Apple TV+). Both are well worth the time.
The simplicity of the premise and the camaraderie of the cast sold it for me.
Yes! It’s just life, done beautifully.
That’s such a perfect description: life, done beautifully.
Love this series. Such a great ensemble. And I just read there will be a season 3
Good one! A big ole dollop of kindness. Love this series.
Somebody somewhere is wonderful. The first episode alone hooked me. I love it
Such a sweet series. Reminds me of growing up in Ohio
Was surprised how Shrinking grew on me. Waiting for the next season ("Boop")
Same. Tbh I’m usually take-it-or-leave-it with Harrison Ford but I really loved him in this.
I love these people. The authenticity of emotions and issues caused me to delve into the show's inspiration. Bridget Evert wondered what her life would be like if she never left her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, and found her circle of friends.
Knowing this makes me love the show even more.
Movies I'm confident many adults will really like, and these aren't depressing:
The Station Agent
Local Hero
Big Night
Happy Go Lucky
Paris, Texas
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring
Sound of Metal
My Father's Glory/My Mother's Castle
I'm so glad to see "Local Hero" among your recommendations. This low-key comedy has been a favorite for a long time. The people, the place and the tale are unforgettable. As is the perfect ending.
The Mark Knopfler score is also classic.... Other Bill Forsythe films are also good... there is one where a cat is in a coma preparing to wake up in the Glasgow of the future....
Oops! Think it’s Screenplaying? Now I really look like a dunce!
Knopfler’s Screenwriting cd is wonderful!
Local Hero was Bill Forsyth’s third film. If you haven’t seen them I highly HIGHLY recommend That Sinking Feeling (1st film) and Gregory’s Girl (2nd film). They are late 70s/early 80s comedies focusing on ‘high school’ age kids of that time. Very funny, gentle humour, in the challenging economic climate of the time. Bill F is a legend here in Scotland. Don’t watch the subbed versions, the Scottish accents aren’t that strong. Many people of my generation (born early 70s) quote liberally from these films. GG is my number 1 film of all time. Has been since I saw it in 1983.
I love Local Hero. I am also partial to some of Eric Rohmer’s films, especially the later ones, like those based on the Seasons: A Winter’s Tale, etc. If you haven’t seen Diane Kurys’ “A Man In Love” ... I think that’s stunning. (Peter Reigert is in that too. Along with Claudia Cardinale, Greta Scacchi, Peter Coyote, etc.)
I was sitting next to Peter Riegert in the theater one day, turned to him, and when I opened my mouth, he looked apprehensive, but when I said ‘local hero,’ what a great film, he really brightened up!
Great to see such love for Local Hero! One of my favorite films. (This making-of might be of interest to those in this thread: https://youtu.be/JEm6AsTY0WI.) I also second Éric Rohmer's '90s films, especially Conte d'automne (Tale of Autumn).
Tale of Autumn was wonderful!
I visited several of the locations of Local Hero, which in fact were spread out all over Scotland....
Never seen Rohmer...or maybe once. But in one of my favourite movies (Night Moves, 1976) there’s a line likening them to watching paint dry.
Trade you. You watch mine, I’ll watch yours (already a big fan of Local Hero etc).
Also loved his Comfort and Joy, and his adaptation of Marilynne Robinson’s great novel Housekeeping.
Oh yes, both are brilliant! Watched multiple times and they never get old.
And "Comfort and Joy".
“Sound of Metal” - hell yes!
"Local Hero"! Yes!
I have been trying to remember the title of My Father’s Glory and My Mother’s Castle for years! Thank you!
Both excellent movies (as are the books). I sent the books to one of my daughters two weeks ago!!
Amazing to see Jean de Florette here! Such fine films 💜
Local Hero is a gem and if possible gets better on re-watch because it has so many little moments inserted here and there ... plus the Scottish location is a character itself. Incredibly beautiful!
Nice list diverse and off the beaten path
You are my movie doppelganger! This is a GREAT list. If you haven't checked out "The Tao of Steve," I bet you'll like it. Here's a link to a long list of other movies I think are memorable and worth a watch: https://jimrain.micro.blog/2023/05/10/movies-good-enough.html
Wow, I would say Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring are the DEFINITION of depressing. Sheer tragedy in its darkest form. They're both phenomenal films, but calling them "not depressing" is pretty misleading, isn't it?
Depends on your point of view and what you find depressing. Due to banality and mindlessness, I find most TV shows depressing
I agree with you about most TV shows and, as far as I can tell, current popular films. I say as far as I can tell because I haven't watched many of them. The CGI comic book heroes in their thinly veiled propaganda stories somehow don't appeal to me. I guess tragedy doesn't have to be depressing if you're looking for catharsis via well-made art. Both of those films provide that without question.
My aunt, who grew up in a framing family in Essex, said these films reminded her very much of the community and time she had known.
No.
No? No to Jean de Florette & Manon of the Spring? No to most TV shows are depressing? No to what?
When We Were Kings. 1989 documentary about Ali-Foreman in Zaire. I don't even care about boxing and I rewatch it every several years.
Midnight Diner.
I stumbled on Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, sometime in June-July of 2020, and was enthralled. It tells such a gentle, peculiar, episodic stories that it just pulls you into the narrative of the week. I highly recommend this one.
Midnight Diner works on so many levels. It explores a very broad range of human experiences, and does so in a down-to-earth, empathetic way. A very special show.
The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Netflix series. Korean. Terrific.
loved it!
If you haven't watched The Bear, you need to. I don't rewatch much, but I'm rewatching this right now, and it holds up.
The Bear was definitely one of the best shows I've watched in quite a while.
+1 — binged it the first time, and hold up to a rewatch. Excited for the next season!
Treme on HBO is very good for all fans of music from New Orleans
Yes! I feel like Treme suffered from being David Simon's next project after The Wire - I think audiences assumed it would be kind of like The Wire but set in a different city, so people were disappointed it wasn't more focused on crime. But I would contend it is equal to The Wire in quality AND in a sense it is very like The Wire in that it is a show that is putting the city first and showing how all the pieces fit together in that city. In Baltimore this was done primarily through the lens of crime/corruption, in Treme it was done primarily through the lens of New Orleans music culture. I love Treme so much.
YES! I am in the middle of a rewatch right now and it’s really a remarkable portrait of a city. Hard to think of a TV show that feels as authentic to a specific city as this one.
The Bureau (French undercover agents)
Rectify (tough, beautiful drama)
Happy Valley (English police drama)
Thank you, Nick. I loved Rectify (know Ray McKinnon, the creator, personally) and Happy Valley. Thus, I will certainly check out The Bureau.
The Bureau is one of the best shows ever made.
Rectify was amazing and sadly neglected.
Rectify was pretty amazing. And a much bigger role for the always wonderful J. Smith Cameron!
Happy Valley is great; super intense.
+1 on Happy Valley.
Rectify is so brilliant and unsung. I am always bringing it to people's attention. Happy Valley is also excellent.
Happy Valley is amazing! Need to watch The Bureau, thanks for the rec.
I’ve been watching the sitcom Kim’s Convenience. It’s about a Korean couple that immigrated to Canada and runs a convenience store. Hardest I’ve laughed at a sitcom in a long time
Agree 100%, very funny!
This one is pretty good. I never finished it though.
Station Eleven: Proof that great book adaptations are often (always?) unfaithful. Also some extremely effective needle drops that actually engage with and enhance the story.
Babylon Berlin (German): a mysterious freight of gold; a taciturn, dashing detective known as "The Ferret"; a Weimar Republic besieged by Communists, Nazis, jazz musicians, and apocalyptic decadence. Yes.
Station Eleven is brilliant!
Babylon Berlin is fabulous. I can't praise it enough. The whole atmosphere of Weimar-era Berlin reminds me very strongly of the times we live in today. Great plots and memorable characters, brought to life by a stellar cast. I also love an earlier movie "Run Lola Run" by Tom Tykwer, one of the writer-directors of Babylon Berlin.
Both favorites of ours!
Bad Sisters and Slow Horses, both on Apple TV.
High Maintenance
Atlanta
Especially Slow Horses
Is it about other sisters
Bad Sisters: I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed it too. But it felt like 6 episodes of material stretched to 10.
Huge +1 to Slow Horses.
Slough Horses