Do you have recommendations for similar movies? - Half Nelson (2006) Discussion

[–] nnmko 14 years ago

Thank you all for posting!

chrisbrown225, I love all these movies! eager to watch Sugar (only hoping the sports theme is only accesory)

ModestAustin811, did you find Punch Drunk Love to be as good as Lost in Translation? I've only seen the last one, and thought it was great

uberhawk906, will check on that

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[–] mariotomchev 14 years ago

Yep, sports is only accessory. The ending particularly is its finest aspect.

So, ontopic: Pusher II (2004) and Tony Manero (2008) are EXACTLY what you're looking for. Both are among my favorite films of the decade. You may check Last Life in the Universe (2003) as well.

You're so soft, you make me hard
I'll put you on a movie, don't you wanna?

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[–] nnmko 14 years ago

i've seen LLU, found it interesting;
will OBVIOUSLY THEN check Pusher II (i found quite interesting things in Danish cinema) and TM (hoping it's not too much of a horror movie)
thanks for the tips and for the clarification!

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[–] mariotomchev 14 years ago

It's much less horror than Sugar's a sports movie. ;-)

You're so soft, you make me hard
I'll put you on a movie, don't you wanna?

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[–] nnmko 14 years ago

then i'm all set! :)

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[–] Emiliyaa 14 years ago

Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank - brilliant film. Touches on a few similar subjects.

http://yfrog.com/jcannagj
You talk so much yet have so little to say..

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[–] nnmko 13 years ago

Thank you, I loved it!

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[–] jlam888 13 years ago

Girlfight

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[–] nnmko 13 years ago

Thanks, will check it out!

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[–] mokf6 13 years ago

Yes, put your head inside the toilet and flush, trust me will be more fun than watching this movie or anything similar

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[–] mrbsays 13 years ago

Ok, I'm going for complex character studies or character-driven movies, many of which will be very dark. Some might have a little more action/plot than you're looking for, but here goes:

Unforgiven, 1992, Clint Eastwood... most any Western will follow what you're looking for, I think.
Seven Years in Tibet, 1995, Brad Pitt
Primal Fear, 1996, Edward Norton
American History X, 1998, Edward Norton
American Beauty, 1999, Kevin Spacey
Cast Away, 2000, Tom Hanks
25th Hour, 2002, Edward Norton
Collateral, 2003, Tom Cruise
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004, Jim Carrey
Garden State, 2004, Zach Braff
Once, 2006, Irish film that's part modern musical, no Hollywood names
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, 2007, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Doubt, 2008, Meryl Steep
The Band's Visit, 2008, Israeli film about interactions between Egyptians and Israelis in Israel, no big Hollywood names
Up in the air, 2009, George Clooney
Shrink, 2009, Kevin Spacey
The American, 2010, George Clooney

I feel I should also mention Fight Club (1999, Brad Pitt and Ed Norton) is likely one of the biggest character studies of any film ever. There is a lot of action and plot though.

Also, check out this thread on movies that take place in only one location or with only a few characters stuck: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/board/nest/177429777?p=1

I think that's a lot for you to work with.

Empty what is full. Fill what is empty. Scratch what itches.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] nnmko 12 years ago

Thank you jelliotbr for your contribution, which is great!
Haven't seen them all yet, but agree pretty much with you on most movies (of which some i might like more and some less, but think all are pretty interesting) except for one, which is Once (and I wonder what you saw in that movie to make you include it in this list?)

Thanks again, a great list to draw from!

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[–] nnmko 12 years ago

Thank you for these many suggestions, jelliotbr!
I'm sure many people will appreciate it.
I absolutely agree with you on most of them (being Once the biggest exception! :)

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[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bluerainn 12 years ago

Ghost World
Blue Valentine
Leaving Las Vegas
The Weather Man
Hard Eight
Adaptation
Wonder Boys
Seven Pounds
The Squid and The Whale

This confession has meant nothing.

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[–] sonibelrae 12 years ago

I found Detachment incredibly powerful in this context as it was very successful in presenting what I felt was a realistic character with some obvious difficulties and not giving it the unrealistic all-the-loose-ends-are-miraculously-tied-up-now-and-everything-is-really-great-now type ending. Plus an amazing performance from Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody.

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[–] mrbungle-9 12 years ago

By sheer coincidence I happened to watch "Puncture" starring Chris Evans the day before I watched this movie.

If you want to watch another movie where the main character is battling with drug addiction (and giving an excellent performance) then I can highly recommend it.

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