Film reccs please ? Primarily 'Delightfully Odd'.
September 21, 2024 5:05 AM
I'm looking for "Delightfully Odd" vibes. Please no:
- Horror
- Gore
- Dystopian
- 'Cringe' Comedy (The Office or Parks & Rec where characters being laughed AT / Pathetic is the main joke)
- Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli (I've seen most of them)
- Any Matt Groening or Dan Harmon or Zack Synder productions
- Any Wes Anderson or Taika Waititi (I've seen most of their work)
- Centaurworld / Tucca a& Berti / Bojack Horseman or similar
Looking for primarily films, but open to shorter series.
What do I mean by ' Delightfully Odd '?
Well here are some examples I've already seen and enjoyed:
- April and the Extraordinary World (2015 French Animation)
- Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
- Barbie Movie (2023)
- Bee & Puppycat (Animated Series, both original and Netflix versions)
- Belleville Rendez-Vous (French Animation)
- Cougar Town ( Series)
- Cowboy Bebop (Original Anime)
- Dave Made Maze
- Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
- Delicious in Dungeon (Netflix series based on Manga)
- Dead End Paranormal park (Animation)
- Empire Records
- Everything Everywhere All At Once
- Hilda (Nettflix Animation based on series of books)
- The Big Lebowski
- The Extraordinary Adventures of Adel Blanc-Sec (2011)
- The Illusionist (2010 French French Animation)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
- Maniac (Netflix series 2018)
- The Mitchell's vs the Machines
- Moomins on the Riviera (Finnish Animation 2014)
- The Muppet Movie (1979)
- Penelope (2006)
- Suzume (Anime)
- The Sea Beast (Netflix Animation)
- Wonderstruck (2017)
- What's Up Doc? (1950)
Already on my list to watch in the future:
- Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
- American Fiction
- King Knight
- Clue
- The Straight Story
- Ernest and Celestine (2012 French Animation)
- I Lost My body (Animation)
- Brian and Charles (2022)
Again, please no recommendations that fit the following criteria:
- Horror / Gore
- Dystopian
- 'Cringe' Comedy (The Office or Parks & Rec where characters being laughed AT / Pathetic is the main joke)
- Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli (I've seen most of them)
- Any Matt Groening or Dan Harmon or Zack Synder productions
- Any Wes Anderson or Taika Waititi (I've seen most of their work)
- Centaurworld / Tucca a& Berti / Bojack Horseman or similar
Thanks in advance !
Looking for primarily films, but open to shorter series.
What do I mean by ' Delightfully Odd '?
Well here are some examples I've already seen and enjoyed:
- April and the Extraordinary World (2015 French Animation)
- Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
- Barbie Movie (2023)
- Bee & Puppycat (Animated Series, both original and Netflix versions)
- Belleville Rendez-Vous (French Animation)
- Cougar Town ( Series)
- Cowboy Bebop (Original Anime)
- Dave Made Maze
- Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
- Delicious in Dungeon (Netflix series based on Manga)
- Dead End Paranormal park (Animation)
- Empire Records
- Everything Everywhere All At Once
- Hilda (Nettflix Animation based on series of books)
- The Big Lebowski
- The Extraordinary Adventures of Adel Blanc-Sec (2011)
- The Illusionist (2010 French French Animation)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
- Maniac (Netflix series 2018)
- The Mitchell's vs the Machines
- Moomins on the Riviera (Finnish Animation 2014)
- The Muppet Movie (1979)
- Penelope (2006)
- Suzume (Anime)
- The Sea Beast (Netflix Animation)
- Wonderstruck (2017)
- What's Up Doc? (1950)
Already on my list to watch in the future:
- Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
- American Fiction
- King Knight
- Clue
- The Straight Story
- Ernest and Celestine (2012 French Animation)
- I Lost My body (Animation)
- Brian and Charles (2022)
Again, please no recommendations that fit the following criteria:
- Horror / Gore
- Dystopian
- 'Cringe' Comedy (The Office or Parks & Rec where characters being laughed AT / Pathetic is the main joke)
- Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli (I've seen most of them)
- Any Matt Groening or Dan Harmon or Zack Synder productions
- Any Wes Anderson or Taika Waititi (I've seen most of their work)
- Centaurworld / Tucca a& Berti / Bojack Horseman or similar
Thanks in advance !
Would other Muppet Movies fit? My favourite is the Great Muppet Caper. (Also Muppet Treasure Island)
posted by freethefeet at 5:17 AM on September 21
posted by freethefeet at 5:17 AM on September 21
Amelie
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:35 AM on September 21
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:35 AM on September 21
Tapeheads, though parts of that are...of their time.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:36 AM on September 21
posted by wenestvedt at 5:36 AM on September 21
Amélie? Most of Jeunet‘s films fit your criteria except for the dystopian (and maybe a bit of gore), but Amélie gets most of his trademark whimsy with a brighter tone.
Screwball comedies like What’s Up Doc might work, although there’s sometimes embarrassment humor.
As a bit of an outlier, Trouble in Paradise is a conventional film, but odd to modern eyes in its pre-Hays Code sensibilities. Also, the director, Ernst Lubitsch, was positively dizzy with the possibility of sound, so the film does a lot with music and voices which still feels very fresh almost 100 years later.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:40 AM on September 21
Screwball comedies like What’s Up Doc might work, although there’s sometimes embarrassment humor.
As a bit of an outlier, Trouble in Paradise is a conventional film, but odd to modern eyes in its pre-Hays Code sensibilities. Also, the director, Ernst Lubitsch, was positively dizzy with the possibility of sound, so the film does a lot with music and voices which still feels very fresh almost 100 years later.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:40 AM on September 21
How do you feel about other Coen Brothers movies? O Brother Where Art Thou and Hail Caesar are on the less dark, more delightful end of the spectrum for their work.
posted by mskyle at 5:52 AM on September 21
posted by mskyle at 5:52 AM on September 21
The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985) - delightfully weird claymation
Harvey (1950) - Jimmy Stewart, giant invisible rabbit
Adventure Time or Over the Garden Wall - a series and a mini-series by the same creator, with some creative overlap with a few things in your list
Time Bandits (1981) - now also a TV series, which I've not seen
posted by AbelMelveny at 6:11 AM on September 21
Harvey (1950) - Jimmy Stewart, giant invisible rabbit
Adventure Time or Over the Garden Wall - a series and a mini-series by the same creator, with some creative overlap with a few things in your list
Time Bandits (1981) - now also a TV series, which I've not seen
posted by AbelMelveny at 6:11 AM on September 21
Also, Popeye, with Robin Williams and Shelley Duval. And Ray Walston!
I'll also recommend The Way of the Househusband, in animated form on Netflix, and -- this is a very special treat, just for you -- there's also Live Action version you can only see as a fansub: Gokushufudo. It's extremely sweet and very funny, and just the right amount of surreal. (Do not listen to the dubs of this, the original Japanese voice performance is CRITICAL)
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:11 AM on September 21
I'll also recommend The Way of the Househusband, in animated form on Netflix, and -- this is a very special treat, just for you -- there's also Live Action version you can only see as a fansub: Gokushufudo. It's extremely sweet and very funny, and just the right amount of surreal. (Do not listen to the dubs of this, the original Japanese voice performance is CRITICAL)
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:11 AM on September 21
From your list, I can almost guarantee that you're going to love A Town Called Panic and Ratatouille
posted by minervous at 6:17 AM on September 21
posted by minervous at 6:17 AM on September 21
delightfully odd is my FAVORITE GENRE!
I hastily made you a personalized Letterboxd list! you should be able to access without creating an account.
A couple might push the fringes of your requests but I tried to order it roughly by relevance to your parameters and interests. You should be able to click on each movie to read a brief tagline of it. So far it’s mostly 2014-2024 but I’ll try to expand it working backwards chronologically.
If you don’t have Letterboxd (free!) you seem like someone who’d enjoy it!
If you do have, or create, an account, you can follow me, and if you do that, you can easily read my reviews of each from each movie’s landing page. (not trying to solicit followers here FYI just letting you know!) (also I didn’t review all of them on that list but if I have time later today I will!)
NB - love being able to scrape these comments for recommendations, this is the best post!
posted by seemoorglass at 6:31 AM on September 21
I hastily made you a personalized Letterboxd list! you should be able to access without creating an account.
A couple might push the fringes of your requests but I tried to order it roughly by relevance to your parameters and interests. You should be able to click on each movie to read a brief tagline of it. So far it’s mostly 2014-2024 but I’ll try to expand it working backwards chronologically.
If you don’t have Letterboxd (free!) you seem like someone who’d enjoy it!
If you do have, or create, an account, you can follow me, and if you do that, you can easily read my reviews of each from each movie’s landing page. (not trying to solicit followers here FYI just letting you know!) (also I didn’t review all of them on that list but if I have time later today I will!)
NB - love being able to scrape these comments for recommendations, this is the best post!
posted by seemoorglass at 6:31 AM on September 21
The Fifth Element
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:38 AM on September 21
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:38 AM on September 21
Echoing mskyle on the Coen Bros. Consider Raising Arizona and The Hudsucker Proxy.
posted by SPrintF at 6:46 AM on September 21
posted by SPrintF at 6:46 AM on September 21
(Sorry to threadsit but I just noticed that you’d already seen Suzume, so it makes me happy that that was my number one recommendation for you! Haha)
posted by seemoorglass at 6:47 AM on September 21
posted by seemoorglass at 6:47 AM on September 21
Celine and Julie Go Boating
posted by rhymedirective at 6:51 AM on September 21
posted by rhymedirective at 6:51 AM on September 21
Buckaroo Banzai
Big Trouble in Little China
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:58 AM on September 21
Big Trouble in Little China
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:58 AM on September 21
If gore isn't your thing, I Lost My Body might have too much of an ick factor.
Since you liked The Illusionist, maybe some of Jacques Tati's movies? The M. Hulot ones might be a bit saccharine, but they're solidly odd.
Seconding The Way of the Househusband. It keeps hinting at violence, but diverts to silliness instead
posted by scruss at 7:02 AM on September 21
Since you liked The Illusionist, maybe some of Jacques Tati's movies? The M. Hulot ones might be a bit saccharine, but they're solidly odd.
Seconding The Way of the Househusband. It keeps hinting at violence, but diverts to silliness instead
posted by scruss at 7:02 AM on September 21
Arsenic and Old Lace (the greatest Halloween movie of all time?)
His Girl Friday (the archetypal “fast-talker”)
Clue
Harold and Maude and Being There (Hal Ashby is a huge influence on Wes Anderson)
Being John Malkovich / Adaptation / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (early Charlie Kaufman + Spike Jonze / Michel Gondry)
Her (more Spike Jonze)
posted by thecaddy at 7:05 AM on September 21
His Girl Friday (the archetypal “fast-talker”)
Clue
Harold and Maude and Being There (Hal Ashby is a huge influence on Wes Anderson)
Being John Malkovich / Adaptation / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (early Charlie Kaufman + Spike Jonze / Michel Gondry)
Her (more Spike Jonze)
posted by thecaddy at 7:05 AM on September 21
Love this category and question. Some of my favorites:
+1 to Being John Malkovich (maybe +2)
Triplets of Belleville (animated french film)
The Station Agent was a sweet, odd film
Lars and the Real Girl
Lady Bird
Licorice Pizza
posted by hydra77 at 7:10 AM on September 21
+1 to Being John Malkovich (maybe +2)
Triplets of Belleville (animated french film)
The Station Agent was a sweet, odd film
Lars and the Real Girl
Lady Bird
Licorice Pizza
posted by hydra77 at 7:10 AM on September 21
Maybe Painting with John, (on HBO, err SHO). From Wikipedia: Part meditative tutorial, part fireside chat, musician John Lurie shares his philosophical thoughts while honing his watercolor techniques.
I'd also say it's like Sesame Street for adults. There's plenty of delightfully odd things.
And Lurie's first series: Fishing with John. 1992. He takes celebrities fishing, it's fantastic.
posted by montaigneisright at 7:24 AM on September 21
I'd also say it's like Sesame Street for adults. There's plenty of delightfully odd things.
And Lurie's first series: Fishing with John. 1992. He takes celebrities fishing, it's fantastic.
posted by montaigneisright at 7:24 AM on September 21
Castaway on the Moon 2009
Cutie Honey 2004
Dinner in America 2022
Guest House Paradisio 1999
Happiness of the Katakuris 2001
Kamikaze Girls 2004
Kung Fu Hustle 2004
Mon Oncle 1958
Pistol Opera 2001
Spork 2011
Strangers with Candy 2005
Transylvania 6-5000 1985
Young Einstein 1988
posted by jabah at 7:26 AM on September 21
Cutie Honey 2004
Dinner in America 2022
Guest House Paradisio 1999
Happiness of the Katakuris 2001
Kamikaze Girls 2004
Kung Fu Hustle 2004
Mon Oncle 1958
Pistol Opera 2001
Spork 2011
Strangers with Candy 2005
Transylvania 6-5000 1985
Young Einstein 1988
posted by jabah at 7:26 AM on September 21
L.A. Story is at the top of my list for this sort of thing.
Also, Grosse Pointe Blank.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 7:37 AM on September 21
Also, Grosse Pointe Blank.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 7:37 AM on September 21
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:47 AM on September 21
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:47 AM on September 21
The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953) - It's a musical written by Dr Seuss! A young boy who dislikes his piano lessons has a Seussian nightmare in which his piano teacher builds a jail-like school and plans to make 500 boys play a fantastical continuous bilevel piano. Justwatch.com says it's rentable at Amazon and AppleTV+.
posted by sencha at 8:02 AM on September 21
posted by sencha at 8:02 AM on September 21
Movies
Buckaroo Bonzai
Empire Records (the odd version of High Fidelity, which doesn't seem odd to me)
100 Beavers
Donnie Darko (might be too dark for you)
Flash Gordon
God Help the Girl
Groundhog Day
Labrynth
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Musica
Real Genius
River's Edge (might be too dark for you)
Roman Holiday and/or Breakfast at Tiffanys
Better Off Dead
Weird Science
Xanadu
TV Shows
Animaniacs
Central Park
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
Loki
Pushing Daisies
Resident Alien
Smiling Friends (not sure if this is too similar to Bojack)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Wonderfalls (*****)
posted by willnot at 8:05 AM on September 21
Buckaroo Bonzai
Empire Records (the odd version of High Fidelity, which doesn't seem odd to me)
100 Beavers
Donnie Darko (might be too dark for you)
Flash Gordon
God Help the Girl
Groundhog Day
Labrynth
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Musica
Real Genius
River's Edge (might be too dark for you)
Roman Holiday and/or Breakfast at Tiffanys
Better Off Dead
Weird Science
Xanadu
TV Shows
Animaniacs
Central Park
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
Loki
Pushing Daisies
Resident Alien
Smiling Friends (not sure if this is too similar to Bojack)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Wonderfalls (*****)
posted by willnot at 8:05 AM on September 21
Some of these might be a bit of a stretch but my memory of them is of them flicking that "delightful!" switch in my brain
Masaaki Yuasa's work (particularly Night is short, walk on girl and Lu over the Wall)
The Red Turtle if you haven't seen it (it's Ghibli but flew under a lot of people's radar; it got a small release)
Satoshi Kon's work (not Perfect Blue but Millennium Actress and Paprika)
On the Silver Globe (maybe?)
Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles had one sequence that did this but not really enough for me but I'll throw it in here anyway
Endless Poetry (maybe? My memory is a little fuzzy)
Your Name
Song of the Sea
A New Leaf
posted by matcha action at 9:12 AM on September 21
Masaaki Yuasa's work (particularly Night is short, walk on girl and Lu over the Wall)
The Red Turtle if you haven't seen it (it's Ghibli but flew under a lot of people's radar; it got a small release)
Satoshi Kon's work (not Perfect Blue but Millennium Actress and Paprika)
On the Silver Globe (maybe?)
Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles had one sequence that did this but not really enough for me but I'll throw it in here anyway
Endless Poetry (maybe? My memory is a little fuzzy)
Your Name
Song of the Sea
A New Leaf
posted by matcha action at 9:12 AM on September 21
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts!
Steven Universe
Natsume’s Book of Friends
Any of the three versions of the Tick
Gravity Falls
The Owl House
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:17 AM on September 21
Steven Universe
Natsume’s Book of Friends
Any of the three versions of the Tick
Gravity Falls
The Owl House
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:17 AM on September 21
Rilakkuma and Kaoru A 20-something officer worker struggling with adulthood comes home to find two lazy bears and a house cleaning bird have moved in.
Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman The number one salesman at a publishing company plays hooky to indulge in his love of sweets and work on his secret dessert blog. Sometimes people’s heads turn into fruit and there are occasional dance numbers.
City of Ghosts. Personal histories of LA neighborhoods as told by ghosts.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. If you liked Delicious in Dungeon, you’ll probably like this.
posted by chrisulonic at 9:25 AM on September 21
Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman The number one salesman at a publishing company plays hooky to indulge in his love of sweets and work on his secret dessert blog. Sometimes people’s heads turn into fruit and there are occasional dance numbers.
City of Ghosts. Personal histories of LA neighborhoods as told by ghosts.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. If you liked Delicious in Dungeon, you’ll probably like this.
posted by chrisulonic at 9:25 AM on September 21
After Life
Alma's Rainbow
Attenberg
Cemetery of Splendor
Dick Johnson is Dead
Divine Intervention
Give Me Liberty
I've Heard the Mermaids Singing
I Am Not a Witch
Personal History of David Copperfield
The Time That Remains
Tokyo Godfathers
Unicorn Store
The Young Girls of Rochefort
posted by phonebia at 9:31 AM on September 21
Alma's Rainbow
Attenberg
Cemetery of Splendor
Dick Johnson is Dead
Divine Intervention
Give Me Liberty
I've Heard the Mermaids Singing
I Am Not a Witch
Personal History of David Copperfield
The Time That Remains
Tokyo Godfathers
Unicorn Store
The Young Girls of Rochefort
posted by phonebia at 9:31 AM on September 21
Marcia Gay Harden's 2012 film "If I Were You," in which she inadvertently befriends the younger woman her husband is having an affair with and in the process ends up playing King Lear on stage. A warm-hearted sort of comedy.
posted by Well I never at 9:58 AM on September 21
posted by Well I never at 9:58 AM on September 21
Oh wow Thank you every - this is a veritable cornucopia of Delightfully Odd Delights.
And the Letterbox list was above and beyond expectations ! Thank You!
[I'm gonna dive into that later on]
So, of the suggestions these are the ones I've not already seen / enjoyed so I've got lost to dive into:
100 beavers
- [ ] Adaptation
- [ ] Adventure Time - Animation
- [ ] After Life
- [ ] Alma's Rainbow
- [ ] A New Leaf
- [ ] Arsenic and Old Lace
- [ ] A Time that Remains
- [ ] A Town Called Panic
- [ ] Being There
- [ ] Better off Dead
- [ ] Black cat, white cat
- [ ] Castaway on the Moon 2009
- [ ] Cemetery of Splendor
- [ ] City of Ghosts
- [ ] Cold Comfort Farm
- [ ] Cutie Honey 2004
- [ ] Dinner in America 2022
- [ ] Divine INtervention
- [ ] Fishing With John
- [ ] Four Rooms
- [ ] Frank
- [ ] Give Me Liberty
- [ ] God Help the Girl
- [ ] Gravity Falls
- [ ] Guest House Paradisio 1999
- [ ] Harold and Maude
- [ ] His Girl Friday
- [ ] I Am Not A Witch
- [ ] If I Were You
- [ ] I've Heard The Mermaids Singing
- [ ] Kaantoro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman
- [ ] Kamikaze Girls 2004
- [ ] Kenny
- [ ] Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts!
- [ ] Ladybird
- [ ] Lars and the real Girl
- [ ] L. A. Story
- [ ] Licorice Pizza
- [ ] Mon Oncle 1958
- [ ] Musica
- [ ] Natsume’s Book of Friends
- [ ] Over the Garden Wall - Animation
- [ ] Painting With John
- [ ] Pee-wee's Big Adventure
- [ ] Personal history of David Copperfield
- [ ] Pistol Opera 2001
- [ ] Popeye
- [ ] Raising Arizona
- [ ] Rilakkuma and Kaoru
- [ ] Song of the Sea
- [ ] Spork 2011
- [ ] Strangers with Candy 2005
- [ ] Tapeheads
- [ ] The Adventures of Mark Twain
- [ ] The Red Turle
- [ ] The Way of the Househusband
- [ ] Tokoyo Godfathers
- [ ] Transylvania 6-5000 1985
- [ ] Trouble in Paradise
- [ ] Unicorn Store
- [ ] Young Einstein 1988
- [ ] Young Girls of Rochefort
So much !
Was afraid what I was looking for was too niche but y'all excelled at finding gems !
posted by Faintdreams at 10:09 AM on September 21
And the Letterbox list was above and beyond expectations ! Thank You!
[I'm gonna dive into that later on]
So, of the suggestions these are the ones I've not already seen / enjoyed so I've got lost to dive into:
100 beavers
- [ ] Adaptation
- [ ] Adventure Time - Animation
- [ ] After Life
- [ ] Alma's Rainbow
- [ ] A New Leaf
- [ ] Arsenic and Old Lace
- [ ] A Time that Remains
- [ ] A Town Called Panic
- [ ] Being There
- [ ] Better off Dead
- [ ] Black cat, white cat
- [ ] Castaway on the Moon 2009
- [ ] Cemetery of Splendor
- [ ] City of Ghosts
- [ ] Cold Comfort Farm
- [ ] Cutie Honey 2004
- [ ] Dinner in America 2022
- [ ] Divine INtervention
- [ ] Fishing With John
- [ ] Four Rooms
- [ ] Frank
- [ ] Give Me Liberty
- [ ] God Help the Girl
- [ ] Gravity Falls
- [ ] Guest House Paradisio 1999
- [ ] Harold and Maude
- [ ] His Girl Friday
- [ ] I Am Not A Witch
- [ ] If I Were You
- [ ] I've Heard The Mermaids Singing
- [ ] Kaantoro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman
- [ ] Kamikaze Girls 2004
- [ ] Kenny
- [ ] Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts!
- [ ] Ladybird
- [ ] Lars and the real Girl
- [ ] L. A. Story
- [ ] Licorice Pizza
- [ ] Mon Oncle 1958
- [ ] Musica
- [ ] Natsume’s Book of Friends
- [ ] Over the Garden Wall - Animation
- [ ] Painting With John
- [ ] Pee-wee's Big Adventure
- [ ] Personal history of David Copperfield
- [ ] Pistol Opera 2001
- [ ] Popeye
- [ ] Raising Arizona
- [ ] Rilakkuma and Kaoru
- [ ] Song of the Sea
- [ ] Spork 2011
- [ ] Strangers with Candy 2005
- [ ] Tapeheads
- [ ] The Adventures of Mark Twain
- [ ] The Red Turle
- [ ] The Way of the Househusband
- [ ] Tokoyo Godfathers
- [ ] Transylvania 6-5000 1985
- [ ] Trouble in Paradise
- [ ] Unicorn Store
- [ ] Young Einstein 1988
- [ ] Young Girls of Rochefort
So much !
Was afraid what I was looking for was too niche but y'all excelled at finding gems !
posted by Faintdreams at 10:09 AM on September 21
City of Lost Children.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 10:26 AM on September 21
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 10:26 AM on September 21
I’ll add on to scruss’s comment and throw out that I Lost My Body is good and totally worth a watch but isn’t what I’d categorize as ‘delightful’. It’s a lot more melancholy than anything else.
And seconding the rec for Masaaki Yuasa films!
posted by throwitawayurthegarbageman at 11:04 AM on September 21
And seconding the rec for Masaaki Yuasa films!
posted by throwitawayurthegarbageman at 11:04 AM on September 21
I know I'm a bit late to the party, but please, check out Swiss Army Man.
posted by cleverevans at 11:06 AM on September 21
posted by cleverevans at 11:06 AM on September 21
I did another Letterboxd thing - I made a list of all the commented suggestions that I could reasonably cull! (Letterboxd doesn’t list many series, so it’s not 100% complete.)
I also did another other Letterboxd thing - I logged all the movies that faintdreams listed in the original post.
This was a purely out of self-interest as I’m obsessed with delightfully odd movies and will watch many of these. If it’s helpful to anyone else to have them collated this way, have at it!
(Am I threadsitting? I’m definitely threadsitting. I can’t help it! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
posted by seemoorglass at 11:18 AM on September 21
I also did another other Letterboxd thing - I logged all the movies that faintdreams listed in the original post.
This was a purely out of self-interest as I’m obsessed with delightfully odd movies and will watch many of these. If it’s helpful to anyone else to have them collated this way, have at it!
(Am I threadsitting? I’m definitely threadsitting. I can’t help it! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
posted by seemoorglass at 11:18 AM on September 21
I suspect "100 Beavers" is really "Hundreds of Beavers", which I really want to see
posted by scruss at 11:21 AM on September 21
posted by scruss at 11:21 AM on September 21
Okuribito / Departures (about a cellist who gets sacked and goes to work laying out bodies for a zenny mortician) is on youtube 130m!. Ebert sez. Dead bodies is not 'gore' imo.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:29 PM on September 21
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:29 PM on September 21
Brain Candy
Paprika
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:09 PM on September 21
Paprika
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:09 PM on September 21
Regular Show is a weird delight - on HBO.
posted by WedgedPiano at 1:12 PM on September 21
posted by WedgedPiano at 1:12 PM on September 21
I see that the inimitable Don Hertzfeldt is completely absent from your list. I adore his work and absolutely rate it as delightfully odd; whether or not you do as well will depend on whether your favourite Muppet is also Gonzo rather than Kermit.
If Wisdom Teeth (worth it for the relentless sound design alone) is on the wrong side of your personal gore line, have a crack at The Meaning of Life and see how you go.
World Of Tomorrow is gorgeous as well.
Be warned, though, that the It's Such A Beautiful Day trilogy has a happy ending that might just wreck every other happy ending you've ever seen.
posted by flabdablet at 1:24 PM on September 21
If Wisdom Teeth (worth it for the relentless sound design alone) is on the wrong side of your personal gore line, have a crack at The Meaning of Life and see how you go.
World Of Tomorrow is gorgeous as well.
Be warned, though, that the It's Such A Beautiful Day trilogy has a happy ending that might just wreck every other happy ending you've ever seen.
posted by flabdablet at 1:24 PM on September 21
A new one still in theaters is My Old Ass. It was an a unique premise and pulled off with just sweet fun energy
posted by Jungo at 1:53 PM on September 21
posted by Jungo at 1:53 PM on September 21
Toys!
Thanks for posting this question. I've had more time for / access to movies lately, and 'delightfully odd' resonates for me, too; so I expect to enjoy some of these myself!
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:05 PM on September 21
Thanks for posting this question. I've had more time for / access to movies lately, and 'delightfully odd' resonates for me, too; so I expect to enjoy some of these myself!
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:05 PM on September 21
The mention of LA story upthread reminded me that Steve Martin’s Roxanne is another great example.
posted by Well I never at 2:43 PM on September 21
posted by Well I never at 2:43 PM on September 21
You almost certainly haven't seen "The Highest Brasil" but it is one of the more delightfully odd movies I've seen in a while. Available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Youtube.
posted by egeanin at 2:58 PM on September 21
posted by egeanin at 2:58 PM on September 21
Little Miss Sunshine
Thelma
Both are more on the delightful end of the spectrum.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:51 PM on September 21
Thelma
Both are more on the delightful end of the spectrum.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:51 PM on September 21
Mrs Davis tv series on Peacock is delightfully bonkers!
posted by mollymillions at 7:09 PM on September 21
posted by mollymillions at 7:09 PM on September 21
Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds
Serial Experiments Lain
posted by nickggully at 8:08 PM on September 21
Serial Experiments Lain
posted by nickggully at 8:08 PM on September 21
Julio Torres' HBO series from this year (Fantasmas) and movie from last year (Problemista) fall so squarely in this category I'm surprised no one's mentioned them yet.
(And since there's some kids/family animation on your list, Summer Camp Island definitely counts -- and more so as the series evolves -- even if the already-recommended Adventure Time probably takes priority.)
posted by nobody at 8:21 PM on September 21
(And since there's some kids/family animation on your list, Summer Camp Island definitely counts -- and more so as the series evolves -- even if the already-recommended Adventure Time probably takes priority.)
posted by nobody at 8:21 PM on September 21
It was briefly mentioned, but I want to give a hard second to Night is Short, Walk On Girl: the story of a relationship unfolding over the course of a single long night out in [Kyoto? Osaka? It's been a while] that somehow also encapsulates the four seasons.
I also think you'd like Polite Society, which is on seemoorglass's list but hasn't been mentioned in-thread. It's a hybrid of sisterly-bonding comedy, martial arts thriller, and feminist social commentary about a teenage would-be stuntwoman investigating her suspicions that her cool-loser artist older sister's sudden engagement to a "respectable" type of guy is too good to be true.
I saw both of those at the Santa Cruz Del Mar Theater Secret Film Festival, an annual midnight-to-noon showing of oddball and indie movies with the distinguishing characteristic that the program is secret and you don't know the films until their title card shows on screen, and which I simply cannot promote enthusiastically enough. (I'm not affiliated, for the record.) That said, I can't in good conscience suggest you attend, because a strong share of the films tend to be horror and/or gory. Instead, you might want to sift through old programs; I don't think there's an official archive of them but a letterboxd search should get lists for most of the past 15 years. (Hopefully that works without login as well. Definitely a site that benefits from adblock IMHO.)
I'll also second The Fall (visually stunning story-within-a-story fairytale kinda thing) and Paprika (dreamscape anime) as movies I enjoyed which caught my eye amidst the recommendations.
posted by dick dale the vampire at 10:54 PM on September 21
I also think you'd like Polite Society, which is on seemoorglass's list but hasn't been mentioned in-thread. It's a hybrid of sisterly-bonding comedy, martial arts thriller, and feminist social commentary about a teenage would-be stuntwoman investigating her suspicions that her cool-loser artist older sister's sudden engagement to a "respectable" type of guy is too good to be true.
I saw both of those at the Santa Cruz Del Mar Theater Secret Film Festival, an annual midnight-to-noon showing of oddball and indie movies with the distinguishing characteristic that the program is secret and you don't know the films until their title card shows on screen, and which I simply cannot promote enthusiastically enough. (I'm not affiliated, for the record.) That said, I can't in good conscience suggest you attend, because a strong share of the films tend to be horror and/or gory. Instead, you might want to sift through old programs; I don't think there's an official archive of them but a letterboxd search should get lists for most of the past 15 years. (Hopefully that works without login as well. Definitely a site that benefits from adblock IMHO.)
I'll also second The Fall (visually stunning story-within-a-story fairytale kinda thing) and Paprika (dreamscape anime) as movies I enjoyed which caught my eye amidst the recommendations.
posted by dick dale the vampire at 10:54 PM on September 21
Mummy Joe (previously on Metafilter)
The individual videos are probably shorter than you want, but this link should play all of them in upload order. Sit back and enjoy.
no more xbox because joe biden can see the internet
posted by flabdablet at 4:42 AM on September 22
The individual videos are probably shorter than you want, but this link should play all of them in upload order. Sit back and enjoy.
no more xbox because joe biden can see the internet
posted by flabdablet at 4:42 AM on September 22
Stranger Than Paradise. Pretty much anything Jim Jarmusch.
posted by trip and a half at 5:16 AM on September 22
posted by trip and a half at 5:16 AM on September 22
Another enthusiastic vote for The Middleman. If you want some Tracy/Hepburn fun, you might like The Desk Set.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:04 AM on September 22
posted by rmd1023 at 7:04 AM on September 22
As of this morning, Tampopo is available on Max and Criterion. It's my favorite food movie. It's the first ramen western.
posted by kingless at 7:32 AM on September 22
posted by kingless at 7:32 AM on September 22
VHS with Al Yankovic
Cold Turkey with Dick Van Dyke
The Thin Man with Myrna Loy
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:04 AM on September 22
Cold Turkey with Dick Van Dyke
The Thin Man with Myrna Loy
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:04 AM on September 22
FAQ About Time Travel
I mean it, this one's weird and underrated.
Edgar Wright, definitely Hot Fuzz, maybe skip Shaun of the Dead (zombies) or The World's End (a pub crawl in the UK New Town dystopia I grew up in), but look for the musical synchronicity of Baby Driver.
posted by k3ninho at 10:05 AM on September 22
I mean it, this one's weird and underrated.
Edgar Wright, definitely Hot Fuzz, maybe skip Shaun of the Dead (zombies) or The World's End (a pub crawl in the UK New Town dystopia I grew up in), but look for the musical synchronicity of Baby Driver.
posted by k3ninho at 10:05 AM on September 22
Pretty sure you meant UHF with Al Yankovic?
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:54 AM on September 22
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:54 AM on September 22
Going for weird but not gory: Greener Grass is a good one!
posted by LizBoBiz at 11:07 AM on September 22
posted by LizBoBiz at 11:07 AM on September 22
The Man with One Red Shoe is amazing I can’t believe I haven’t suggested it yet. Tom Hanks, Lori Singer, Dabney Coleman. A masterpiece.
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:11 PM on September 22
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:11 PM on September 22
Seconding Fantasmas and Problemista! Jose Torres is brilliantly weird.
posted by smartyboots at 5:03 PM on September 22
posted by smartyboots at 5:03 PM on September 22
Seconding Mrs. Davis, which I still think about and plan to watch again. Adding Lodge 49 (only 2 seasons, highly recommended!). Also, while I don't think Dispatches from Elsewhere quite managed the ending, I still enjoyed the ride.
posted by gudrun at 7:28 PM on September 22
posted by gudrun at 7:28 PM on September 22
The Illusionist in your list is among my favourite movies. Here are few more animations:
- Mary and Max (could've been sad or cringy but one of the most empathetic and uplifting looks at neurodivergence)
- Night is Short, Walk on Girl (and other works by Masaaki Yuasa)
- The Case of Hana & Alice (2015) (nothing supernatural in this one, but quirky and full of red herrings)
- The Pirates in an Adventure with Scientists (underrated Aardman feature, they have a lot of fun with anachronisms and historical cliches)
- Rango (one of the few Johnny Depp performances I love. Beautifully grotesque character designs)
- A Letter to Momo (lovely modern take on Japanese folklore)
- Tokyo Godfathers (the best alternative Christmas movie IMO)
- Conspirators of Pleasure (and other works by Jan Svankmajer)
Non-animation:
- One Cut of the Dead (ostensibly a horror movie, but really a heartwarming movie about the love of movies)
- Agreed, most things by Jim Jarmusch or Aki Kaurismaki. I see someone has already recommended Leningrad Cowboys and +1 on Stranger Than Paradise
- Another vote for Being John Malkovich. You could also try Spike Jonze's adaption of Where the Wild Things Are.
posted by snarfois at 9:28 AM on September 23
- Mary and Max (could've been sad or cringy but one of the most empathetic and uplifting looks at neurodivergence)
- Night is Short, Walk on Girl (and other works by Masaaki Yuasa)
- The Case of Hana & Alice (2015) (nothing supernatural in this one, but quirky and full of red herrings)
- The Pirates in an Adventure with Scientists (underrated Aardman feature, they have a lot of fun with anachronisms and historical cliches)
- Rango (one of the few Johnny Depp performances I love. Beautifully grotesque character designs)
- A Letter to Momo (lovely modern take on Japanese folklore)
- Tokyo Godfathers (the best alternative Christmas movie IMO)
- Conspirators of Pleasure (and other works by Jan Svankmajer)
Non-animation:
- One Cut of the Dead (ostensibly a horror movie, but really a heartwarming movie about the love of movies)
- Agreed, most things by Jim Jarmusch or Aki Kaurismaki. I see someone has already recommended Leningrad Cowboys and +1 on Stranger Than Paradise
- Another vote for Being John Malkovich. You could also try Spike Jonze's adaption of Where the Wild Things Are.
posted by snarfois at 9:28 AM on September 23
I strongly want to recommend Don Herzfeldt's World of Tomorrow (all episodes), but it may count as dystopian. I find it strangely life-affirming though.
And it features what is likely your favourite voice actor from Summer Camp Island :)
posted by snarfois at 9:33 AM on September 23
And it features what is likely your favourite voice actor from Summer Camp Island :)
posted by snarfois at 9:33 AM on September 23
Yeah, that's the thing about Hertzfeldt. His films don't so much create dystopias as put deftly placed spotlights on the one we're living in, and then show us how to cope with it. This is, to my way of thinking, delightful. Your smileage may vary.
Calling his work odd, though? Not many would argue.
posted by flabdablet at 12:54 PM on September 23
Calling his work odd, though? Not many would argue.
posted by flabdablet at 12:54 PM on September 23
Oh, just thought of another one: The Brother from Another Planet.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:06 AM on September 24
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:06 AM on September 24
The Beatles' movie Help and the Monkees' movie Head if you have patience for 1960s movies that are all over the place.
posted by jabah at 5:48 AM on September 24
posted by jabah at 5:48 AM on September 24
I Heart Huckabees
posted by rustcellar at 2:00 PM on September 24
posted by rustcellar at 2:00 PM on September 24
Robot and Frank is good.
I also loved Wonderfalls, as someone else already recommended. But that was a TV show (only one season, I think) so you'd have to track it down.
posted by tacodave at 2:33 PM on September 24
I also loved Wonderfalls, as someone else already recommended. But that was a TV show (only one season, I think) so you'd have to track it down.
posted by tacodave at 2:33 PM on September 24
[ What a great question and there recommendations are fantastic, so we've added this post to the sidebar and Best Of blog!]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:13 AM on September 25
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:13 AM on September 25
A few of my all time favorites:
The Coca Cola Kid
Scotland, PA
Sherman’s March
Bubba Ho-Tep
Brimstone and Glory
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:07 AM on September 25
The Coca Cola Kid
Scotland, PA
Sherman’s March
Bubba Ho-Tep
Brimstone and Glory
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:07 AM on September 25
Oh yes also enthusiastically seconding Harold and Maude and The Triplets of Belleville
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:08 AM on September 25
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:08 AM on September 25
Should have said, Bubba Ho-Tep is horror, well , sort of, but it might be too scary.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:11 AM on September 25
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:11 AM on September 25
This used to play as a double feature at my favorite independent cinema:
King of Hearts/Le Roi de cœur
Harold and Maude
posted by QuakerMel at 4:54 PM on September 25
King of Hearts/Le Roi de cœur
Harold and Maude
posted by QuakerMel at 4:54 PM on September 25
Undercover Brother
Six String Samurai
Any of Stephen Chow's pre-Shaolin Soccer/Kung Fu Hustle films (Forbidden City Cop, God Of Cookery, From Beijing With Love are all great)
Hudson Hawk
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 1:20 PM on September 26
Six String Samurai
Any of Stephen Chow's pre-Shaolin Soccer/Kung Fu Hustle films (Forbidden City Cop, God Of Cookery, From Beijing With Love are all great)
Hudson Hawk
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 1:20 PM on September 26
Some great recommendations on this list that I would second, but also a lot that are in fact delightful but not necessarily odd (I'm looking at you My Favorite Year).
For my part, ones I haven't seen recommended yet are the early-80s Bill Forsyth comedy Local Hero (film), and the zany and brilliant workplace comedy Better Off Ted (series) along with its similarly short-lived cousin Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Also, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
posted by Pedantzilla at 5:09 PM on September 26
For my part, ones I haven't seen recommended yet are the early-80s Bill Forsyth comedy Local Hero (film), and the zany and brilliant workplace comedy Better Off Ted (series) along with its similarly short-lived cousin Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Also, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
posted by Pedantzilla at 5:09 PM on September 26
It's hard to imagine you could have missed it but on the off chance you were watching other things when The Good Place was doing its thing, I'd recommend giving it a shot.
Most of the other things I can think to recommend have either already been mentioned.
posted by Nerd of the North at 5:31 PM on October 3
Most of the other things I can think to recommend have either already been mentioned.
posted by Nerd of the North at 5:31 PM on October 3
Popping back in to add that Hundreds of Beavers was a bit of a disappointment: too long by far, and only a few funny bits. It has lots of cartoon gore too. What they did on a tiny budget is pretty amazing, though. (And if you're old and from the UK, yes, they used the Vision On/Take Hart gallery theme for BGM through the quiet bits.)
As I'm from Glasgow, Bill Forsyth's early movies are very gently delightfully odd: Gregory's Girl (super-awkward teen romance, incredible casting), Comfort & Joy (ice cream, comedic mob violence and cheesy local radio), and — if you can find it — That Sinking Feeling, Forsyth's first film.
Personally I had to nope out on the Dirk Gently series because of the gore, but YMMV.
posted by scruss at 7:32 AM on October 19
As I'm from Glasgow, Bill Forsyth's early movies are very gently delightfully odd: Gregory's Girl (super-awkward teen romance, incredible casting), Comfort & Joy (ice cream, comedic mob violence and cheesy local radio), and — if you can find it — That Sinking Feeling, Forsyth's first film.
Personally I had to nope out on the Dirk Gently series because of the gore, but YMMV.
posted by scruss at 7:32 AM on October 19
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posted by sulaine at 5:12 AM on September 21