March 7, 2011

"15 conspiracy movies that don’t fall apart at the end."

An excellent idea for a list, and the 15 choices seem pretty good (although I haven't seen them all).

53 comments:

chuck b. said...

likes this.

The Crack Emcee said...

I haven't seen them all either, but I have recommended Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring many times - it's actually one film, in two three-hour parts, and it's brilliant. A great movie for a rainy day, or when you're sick and stuck in bed, or just have a lot of time to kill. Really, you can't do better than to add this one to your NetFlix selections.

I give it a 10 out of 10.

virgil xenophon said...

I've viewed most of them and wouldn't strenuously disagree except to ask the obvious: "What, no 'Three Days of the Condor???' "

Paddy O said...

Crack, I totally agree. One great movie in two parts, focusing on two generations.

chuck b. said...

I've seen about half of them. Ditto Jean de Florette. I saw that in high school for extra credit. Ha ha. The other French film on that list, Tell No One, was a tedious bore, if you want my opinion.

I remember the Wicker Man was deeply creepy (and kinda gross because of the 1970s era nudity).

I've never seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Tank said...

Actually watched The Lady Disappears last night. Middling good Hitchcock. B & W.

The leading lady would need a boob job to work in movies today. Flatest actress ever.

chuck b. said...

(imo, nudity should be at least 500 years old, or very recent.)

TWM said...

The Game is an excellent flick . . . all the more so since Sean Penn is only a bit player in the whole thing.

virgil xenophon said...

I'm also surprised that "Seven Days in May" didn't make it. It certainly met the formula--although not one of MY favorites insofar as it totally unrealistically plays to the left's stereotypical anti-military paranoid fears..

Unknown said...

Roger Rabbit as a good conspiracy movie?

Now that's what I call a reach.

Only seen four - "Enemy of the State" didn't impress me all that much beyond another great Hackman performance and another example that Will Smith deserves better material than he usually gets; "The Game" (seen on a transcontinental flight) struck me as stupid.

"Manchurian Candidate", references to The Zero aside, could be viewed as McCarthyite paranoia if it were not so easy to close one's eyes, see Hillary, and realize she's an actualized version of Angela Lansbury's role with Willie playing James Gregory's part (substitute womanizing woth boozing). Ending has a certain patness, though not to the degree of "The Searchers" or "The Big Country"

Chennaul said...

Is No Way Out not conspiratorial enough or just crap?

Don't care I liked it.

As to Tell No One I forgot I saw it-what does that tell you?

Mr. D said...

An excellent list. At first I was surprised to see Who Framed Roger Rabbit on the list, but it belongs.

damikesc said...

The Game is amazing...once. it holds up to rewatching quite poorly.

Roger Rabbit is a big head scratcher.

TWM said...

"I'm also surprised that "Seven Days in May" didn't make it. It certainly met the formula--although not one of MY favorites insofar as it totally unrealistically plays to the left's stereotypical anti-military paranoid fears.."

The original is fantastic, but that made for tv crap they put out a decade or so ago sucks wind.

Also, while it does play into the left's anti-military paranoia, the overall message was that the military is not so easy to manipulate and control for one side's political purposes.

Widmerpool said...

Klute, Three Days of the Condor, Michael Clayton, Chinatown

The Crack Emcee said...

virgil xenophon,

"What, no 'Three Days of the Condor???'"

This list is going to make any film lover say, "What, no,....???" and my selection, flashing like neon, would be Rosemary's Baby.

I'm saving this list, though, because it's pretty good.

Paddy O and chuck b.,

I saw [Jean de Florette] in high school for extra credit. Ha ha. The other French film on that list, Tell No One, was a tedious bore, if you want my opinion.

I've never seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit.


Yeah, Tell No One is crap. Roger Rabbit is a trip - better than it looks.

Jean and Manon get to the heart of what it means to be French, revealing the unwarranted arrogance, small-mindedness, willingness to betray and lie, and just pure corrosiveness at the core of their culture - which was the director's intention:

Believe it or not, it's a love letter to his people.

Paddy O said...

Crack, I believe it.

My wife, who I watched it with, spent about 5 years living near Toulouse before we were married.

Her comments along the way were really helpful (as were her occasional corrections of the subtitles). She has a pretty good mix of love and disgust for the culture for the reasons you mentioned and for other experiences such as a young, attractive single woman might find in French culture. Needless to say, she's almost entirely turned off by French men, which worked nicely in my favor.

Kev said...

(the other kev)

No movie ever gave me nightmares the way The Conversation did. Watching Hackman tear his home apart looking for the bug that might or might not exist -- that was haunting.

On the larger issue of conspiracy movies - the problem I have with almost all of them is that everyone involved in the conspiracy is just too competent. Any group that large is going to have its share of slackers and fuck-ups.

Peter Hoh said...

Yeah, I thought Three Days of the Condor belonged on the list, too.

virgil xenophon said...

Actually, the tv mini-series "World War III starring Rock Hudson, Brian Keith & David Soul--while not a "conspiracy" flic per say, --had a very credible (written & acted) conspiracy as a sub-plot wherein the Soviet Premier is assassinated by his own "Hawks" leading to nuclear war. (overall,the entire mini-series was an EXCELLENT seamless production & HIGHLY REALISTIC, imho)

And for those who think it is dated and no longer relevant because the "Cold War" is over, think again. As evidenced by the fact of the Chinese military's recent anouncement of their version of our latest stealth fighter (the F-22) during SECDEF Gates' visit--apparently catching the Chinese civilian Communist party leadership totally by surprise--suggesting that the Chinese military is not totally under civilian control--even a totalitarian one like the Communist party.

Unknown said...

chuck b. said...

(imo, nudity should be at least 500 years old, or very recent.)

Not sure about the very recent (too many actresses look like skinny little girls or have dealer-installed equipment), but 4 or 500 years (even 200)?

Rubens rocks.

PS Rather a lady underendowed than one with plastic boulders under her skin.

virgil xenophon said...

Of course "North by Northwest," The Pelican Brief" and The Bourne trilogy should be considered as well. (although the Cary Grant film may not be considered film noire enough for some)

Anonymous said...

.
Loose Change

and

BOHEMIAN GROVE EXPOSED! (or was it Inside Boh... ?)

Okay, better put out the /sarc tag ... but theses are TRULY conspiracy movies put out by the real loons ..

.

Chip Ahoy said...

Would you care to test your Movie-fu?

Here you are shown a single object in silhouette from a famous movie. You type the movie title and SCORE! It's fun for the whole family.

Phil 314 said...

I've seen several and would certainly recommend:
-Jean de Florette and its sequel. Just beware; slow moving
-Blow Out ok but Blow up better
-Z good and left-wing
-Parrallax good and left wing
-Manchurian Candidate good and dated. You'll never be able to watch "Murder She Wrote" reruns again
-Chinatown - excellent. One of my all-time favorites.
-who Framed Roger Rabbit - ok its a conspiracy but Come on!!
-The Conversation - the best on this list. Like Blow Up throughout the movie you're never quite sure what's going on

Xenophon;
Great point about N by NW. Isn't every Hitchcock movie a conspiracy. Paranoia and blondes.

MadisonMan said...

Totally love The Manchurian Candidate, especially Angela Lansbury's performance.

However, I don't see how you can say Who Framed Roger Rabbit doesn't fall apart at the end when the people are dissolved by acetone.

I also think The Bourne Identity should be on the list. Sure, you have to suspend belief a little in the movie (He falls five floors but doesn't die?), but it's a good ride.

deborah said...

I rate 'No Way Out' and 'Enemy of the State' as 'diverting,' that is, watchable, but I think they are beat out by 'The Firm' and 'A Few Good Men'. And I'm no Tom Cruise fan, oddly enough.

Also, I'd include the 'Bourne Trilogy', just good, old-fashioned Cold War fun.

Chennaul said...

I loved North by Northwest but then I also loved Inception.

Christopher Nolan is today's Alfred Hitchcock.

virgil xenophon said...

ALERT! HOW could I possibly forget "L.A. Confidential??"

Chennaul said...

You wanna conspiracy!!1!

How about when you nominate ten damn movies for Best Picture-

the British Block is going to-"win".

Yes. I am. still. pissed.

Chennaul said...

You gotta watch that British fop stammer for two hours....gawd.

As a reformed stutterer...I am not impressed.

Saint Croix said...

Michael Clayton is an excellent movie, far more plausible than anything on that list.

The Manchurian Candidate is a satire, and a very funny one. You have to look for the humor to see it, but if you're watching for it, it's a hysterical movie. Right up there with Dr. Strangelove.

The Parallax View is retarded. Most of the Watergate-inspired conspiracy thrillers do not hold up well at all. All The President's Men holds up well precisely because it is (for the most part) low key. Three Days of the Condor is actually pretty good, but it's the romance stuff that engages, not the conspiracy stuff.

They don't tell us what's the worst, but that would probably be JFK, which posits (I think, although Stone's thought processes are so paranoid and secretive that it's hard to follow) that LBJ had JFK killed.

traditionalguy said...

Add Vertigo to the list.

Stoutcat said...

I'd like to put in a vote for Arlington Road, a frighteningly believable movie, with star turns by Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins (yeah, I know. But still.

If you haven't seen it, see it. Now.

BEK477 said...

I would add North by Northwest to this list. A conspiracy movie involving a non-existence agent, a case of mistaken identity, government manipulation NS beautiful woman traveling on a train alone.

Certainly a movie Ann would enjoy if she has not seen ity before.

q12345q6789 said...

"Conspiracy Theory"?

"Seven Monkeys"? A conspiracy within a conspiracy within a man's mind.

q12345q6789 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Crack Emcee said...

Paddy O,

My wife, who I watched it with, spent about 5 years living near Toulouse before we were married.

I lived in Toulon for a while - I lived all over that place for a while - but spent most of my time in the Alsace region, in the village of Wissembourg. (If you follow that link, and look at the photos, you can see the river where the Nazis caught up with me - good times!)

Yeah, French women are expected to put out, and their moral code (if you can call it that) allows for all kinds of mayhem to go on without anyone complaining. It's crazy, because we rarely hear about how they really can be, so they get an image make-over from this side of the ocean.

Needless to say, they drove me crazy.

q12345q6789 said...

your links are coming up blank, Crack.

Unknown said...

Jean and Manon are 11 over 10 but were is the conspiracy?
Abre tus ojos( Vanilla sky been the parody)
Blow up ( Antonioni)
Stalag 17
Charade
Mirage
Spellbound
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Amnesy

shiloh said...

Agree w/virgil 'Three Days of the Condor' 1975 and speaking of Robert Redford 'All the President's Men' 1976 as truth is stranger than fiction, eh.

And half the list of (15) are très weak! Would add Silkwood and China Syndrome to the list.

btw, the most intriguing conspiracy er real life question re: Watergate of course: Who was Deep Throat? ~ revealed May 31, 2005.


follow the $$$ ...

Trivia: China Syndrome didn't have a musicical soundtrack as the intriguing plot carried the movie 'til the end.

And the more I think about it, 'Three Days of the Condor' should be #1 on the list, definitive (Film noir).

Maltese Falcon, Kiss Me Deadly, Cat People 1942

carry on

Tibore said...

"txrxqa said...
.
Loose Change

and

BOHEMIAN GROVE EXPOSED! (or was it Inside Boh... ?)

Okay, better put out the /sarc tag ... but theses are TRULY conspiracy movies put out by the real loons .."


Aw, crap man, don't do that to me! I almost thought you were serious there for a moment, right up until I saw the /sarc tag comment. :D

-----

Word verification: slodoom. Slow doom. I am now convinced that the word verification routine is part of the conspiracy.

... What conspiracy, you ask?? Why, THE conspiracy, of course!

virgil xenophon said...

Of course a lot of this edges over into the "spy" thriller genre, as spying is, by definition, a conspiracy--and here the possibilities are huge. I'll not go there except to mention a little-known Ray Milland 1952 B&W film noire Cold War Communist spy movie "The Thief" in which there IS NOT A SINGLE WORD OF DIALOGUE! GOT to watch it!

virgil xenophon said...

PS: There is, however, a scream..

shiloh said...

Curse of the Demon 1957

The Crack Emcee said...

I don't know how the links broke, but I think I've fixed them:

Paddy O,



My wife, who I watched it with, spent about 5 years living near Toulouse before we were married.



I lived in Toulon for a while - I lived all over that place for a while - but spent most of my time in the Alsace region, in the village of Wissembourg. (If you follow that link, and look at the photos, you can see the river where the Nazis caught up with me - good times!)



Yeah, French women are expected to put out, and France's moral code (if you can call it that) allows for all kinds of mayhem to go on without anyone complaining. It's nutty, because we rarely hear about how the French really can be, so they get an image make-over from this side of the ocean.



Needless to say, they drove me crazy.

Issob Morocco said...

Where is Roger and Me?

Popville said...

+1 for Three Days of the Condor

George M. Spencer said...

The best--and most terrifying--conspiracy movie is John Frankenheimer's little known 1962 classic "Seconds" starring Rock Hudson as a pudgy and very bored Manhattan executive who gets a second chance on life. .and lives to regret it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peeu69C8kh8

shiloh said...

Indeed, 'Seconds' is an excellent selection. It makes me think of 'The Stepford Wives' lol.

Depending on how you define "conspiracy" Where Eagles Dare and Brass Target could be included.

The 10 Most Ridiculous Movie Conspiracies

Anonymous said...

It's a great Festival, and you are fully deserved of being there with you're ambitious and talented. And..anyhow, I hope we'll have more CONS in Orlando...It's fun!

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Unknown said...

Ditto on Seven Days in May.
And no one mentioned Topaz? I loved it.

Geoff Matthews said...

I enjoyed "Tell No One", except for the part that the husband was at least a decade older than his wife (they were supposed to grow up together, but the obvious age difference made that hard to believe).

I think that its a stretch to include Roger Rabbit. Someone had evidently bought into the GM/Standard Oil conspiracy theory.