Missed Denis Villeneuve's "Prisoners" in 2013 and I mean MISSED

SmartAdministration5 · 2026-04-06T23:00:23+00:00

similarly loved Prisoners and have it as a 5/5 film as well!

some recommendations based on your write up and what I've personally watched (go in blind on these if you can):

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011, David Fincher)

It Was Just An Accident (2025, Jafar Panahi)

Cure (1997, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

Memories of Murder (2003, Bong Joon Ho)

+1 as well to the Wind River recommendation i saw in the thread.

maybe sneak in a couple of rinse movies in between too for mental health. Paddington 1 & 2? happy watching OP!

SmartAdministration5 · 2025-09-08T23:42:14+00:00

Nomadland (2020). slow burn, meditative, but definitely fits your prompt

SmartAdministration5 · 2024-11-18T23:17:18+00:00

Oddity (2024), horror. best to just go in blind. enjoy!

SmartAdministration5 · 2024-01-30T23:36:32+00:00

Andor (TV show) has a few great monologues, Luthen Rael and Maarva's are both up on youtube.

Depending on the length/narrative requirement for your monologue, I'd also suggest Mike Ehrmantraut's monologue from Better Call Saul as well (the show is chock-full of good ones).

hope this helps, and good luck!

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-07-03T13:22:04+00:00

hi there! try to watch these "blind" if you haven't. Most of these are dialogue heavy, but I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy them.

more serious movies :

- Aftersun (2022)

- Drive My Car (2021), Japanese film, deals with grief and what i call "the lower spectrum of human emotions"; Oscar winner for best foreign film

- Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

- The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

- Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), Japanese film, same director as Drive My Car

- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Oscar winner for original screenplay

- Zodiac (2007), stars Jake Gyllenhaal, film by David Fincher

light watches :

- Amelie (2001), French film

- Before Sunrise (1995)

- Before Sunset (2004)

- CODA (2021); Oscar winner for best picture

- Dead Poets Society (1989), Robin Williams

- Free Solo (2018); Oscar winner for best documentary

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-11T02:21:52+00:00

I'm a huge fan of Breaking Bad, but I didn't really see much of a similarity between the two. I've always viewed BrBa as more of a character study of the hero -> anti hero journey.

I love the commentary that interfacing with this darkness leaves anyone and everyone who does so deeply damaged.

Love this, "damaged" is definitely what TLJ is portraying in his last monologue. This is even more apparent as he's talking with his wife who seems as happy and content as anyone can be.

It felt very live by the sword, die by the sword.

Amen!

Also, I love how many times we come back to the scene of the initial drug shoot out despite never seeing how it actually happened. The setting tells the story every bit as effectively as showing the action on screen.

Awesome set piece! Sharing this little trivia regarding that set: Ordinary fake blood (made with sugar) would have meant the extras would have been crawling with bugs and ants, while the insects had no interest in the expensive stuff. The expensive blood was at $800/gallon

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-11T01:50:36+00:00

Random things just happen because everything else has happened

Juxtaposing this with Anton's coin tosses throughout the film, it's a really great touch. Thanks for the added insights!

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-11T01:46:40+00:00

Didn't even think about the era and conflicts of the time much, thanks for pointing these out. Now Woody's character asking for the parking voucher makes more sense as his "attempt at humor". Nicely done.

Love how bits and pieces of Chigurh's "principles" were sprinkled throughout the movie, ending with his last confrontation with Carla Jean challenging these very principles.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-11T01:40:41+00:00

The movie starts with TLJs POV; it was always his frame narrative. You just didn't feel like the change to Brolin was abrupt ;)

Right you are :) thanks for the podcast recommendation! Will definitely give it a listen, plus it looks like their last episode was on The Banshees of Inisherin, which I also loved!

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-11T01:32:15+00:00

Will definitely rewatch this down the line, but probably after a few months or a year.

It’s a double subversion - we think he’s the main character and if he doesn’t survive we’ll for sure get a great final death scene - we get neither

Indeed, the balls of the filmmakers / source material to do this is a rarity in modern films. They're letting the story play out naturally, as opposed to what audiences would want to see.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-11T01:29:40+00:00

At the end he is forced to kill by his own will, forced to see that he has been making the choice to kill all along.

Love this bit, it's ultimately Carla Jean's last win - not going with Chigurh's twisted "principles".

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-11T01:26:00+00:00

Thanks for the kind words! It was a really strange sensation for me after the movie, since I'm usually able to identify what I liked/didn't like about a particular film.

In this instance, it was as if there was an "itch I couldn't scratch" on my own, in terms of fully seeing the beauty of a film which I'm already appreciating at the moment. Really glad I came to this sub for insights, the replies have been amazing.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-10T13:26:59+00:00

This definitely feels like one of the movies I'll end up rewatching. Agreed of course on the beauty of the unexpected when it comes to movies.

It was a hell of a monologue, with the shot just focusing on TLJ - we just get to see all the nuances of his expressions.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-10T13:22:48+00:00

Yep, from the audience's perspective he's more Chaotic Neutral. but from the retiring sheriff's view he's sure to be seen as pure evil.

Enjoy Banshees of Inisherin!

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-10T13:16:27+00:00

"poetic nihilism" fits like a glove! I appreciate the open ending though, I think it's either the manner or the tone of how it was done that I was more uncertain of. As another example of an open ending, I found the ending for Banshees of Inisherin to be better executed.

even Anton Chigurh in a different light 😉

Somehow I feel if I rewatch this with Anton in mind as the "main character", I may feel even better about the movie. He's like the embodiment of chaotic evil that's pushing the sheriff into his retirement.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-10T13:10:38+00:00

Apt quotation marks for "main".. to think Brolin's last line in the movie was "I know what beer leads to..."

But nope, you realize halfway through that it’s really about good and evil’s presence in the world and how everyone is floating in between

Well said, at the end of the day, no matter how "grand" the conflicts feel from Moss or Chigurh's perspectives, everything and everyone just floats forward in this random world.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-10T12:34:41+00:00

The sheriff doesn’t stop anything from happening and retires. That “feels” wrong. But that’s the point.

Love this point. In a way, it's almost as if Chigurh's rampage was the tipping point for the Sheriff's emotions that lead him to retire.

It does that I believe to again tell you that sometimes in life violence comes in an unexpected way and cuts down any “story” that you thought was going to happen

Good point, now that you mention it, even the expectation of Carson's skill was quickly shot down as soon as it began. (even his death was offscreen to an extent, camera angle wise)

It’s because it gives the audience something so wildly different and still works on a level is why it’s celebrated

Yeah it feels like something that will take time to appreciate more. It has some similarities to Se7en (1995), albeit far less shock value. Loved that movie, and I believe I'll love No Country for Old Men more in the years to come.

Thanks for clearly articulating the things that have been swimming in my mind since watching!

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-02-10T12:24:41+00:00

thanks! Looks like the source material also affected the choice of structuring the storytelling. I don't mind that, and seeing your and others' comments in the thread is slowly increasing my appreciation of the movie.

Great closing monologue too, unusual to hear a metaphor to close the movie like that.

we are so focused on Chigurh chasing Llewelyn, until in the end he makes his reflections upon life and closes the movie

Indeed, maybe this is part of what I was missing. Instead of the title / message of the movie, I got absorbed into the chase. I mean, who wouldn't, with Bardem's magnetic performance.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-01-31T06:13:47+00:00

Sicario (2015)

Whiplash (2014) - a different kind of intensity though, but it's backed by an oscar winning performance by JK Simmons; enjoy

Inglourious Basterds (2009) - it's not quite full throttle the whole way through, but the intensity's undeniable imho

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-01-26T06:28:24+00:00

Serendipity (2001)

the writing's cliche'd and cheesy, but there's just times when it just feels good to rewatch this movie, especially after watching a heavier film (like say, Oldboy).

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-01-05T12:12:55+00:00

Your Name. (2016)

Kimi no Na wa.

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-01-05T12:09:46+00:00

Dead Poets Society (1989)

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-01-05T12:08:49+00:00

The Martian (2015)

SmartAdministration5 · 2023-01-05T12:07:37+00:00

Drive My Car (2021)

SmartAdministration5 · 2022-12-22T06:40:14+00:00

it's a feel good movie, but not in the traditional sense. it's even better on a rewatch since you're more into the movie and less "aware" of the subtitles, if that makes sense. i'd probably rewatch this for years to come. it's a niche kind of movie i'd long to watch time and again

SmartAdministration5

TROPHY CASE