Listening to the movies.
December 14, 2009 7:25 AM   Subscribe

Recommend some good movies to LISTEN to.

Back when I was a draftsman, one of the ways I'd keep myself occupied was to dub off the audio of some of my favorite movies to listen to on my walkman while I worked. I'd like to try this again this holiday season while I'm traveling using a Netflix account and an iPod. So. What are some movies that are an intense audio experience? I'm not interested in soundtrack albums or musicals, but dialog-driven movies. I'm especially interested in movies that hearing and but not watching gives a completely different reading to the movie.
posted by 1f2frfbf to Media & Arts (40 answers total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Blade Runner. If you'd like a highlights reel of sorts, also get the "Blade Runner Esper" fan release from your P2P method of choice: it takes all the songs from the movie, including ones not on the official soundtrack, puts them in the right order, and dubs in dialogue from the movie as intros and outros where the sync is right.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 7:27 AM on December 14, 2009


Anything by Quentin Tarantino, his movies are highly based on dialogue and also mix in songs, from classic to obscure, seamlessly. Suggestions: Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Inglourious Basterds
posted by Mach5 at 7:28 AM on December 14, 2009


Apocalypse Now. Soundtrack, headphones, dark closet, acid.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 7:30 AM on December 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


Seconding Tarantino's work, and adding any of Kevin Smith's movies, especially some of his earlier stuff, which is largely driven by long soliloquies.
posted by moviehawk at 7:31 AM on December 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


I enjoy listening to MST3K episodes.
posted by Lucinda at 7:31 AM on December 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Glengarry Glen Ross would be my #1 choice.
posted by meadowlark lime at 7:31 AM on December 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Kill Bill 2 is one of my favourites as well.

You might find this site useful: http://www.listentoamovie.com/ It's not portable, but you can get a feel for what movies translate well to audio-only.
posted by fantine at 7:33 AM on December 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a movie that I've enjoyed just running in the background while doing something else (though, to be fair, an audiobook version might be better yet).

Another thought would be Hard Core Logo and This is Spinal Tap.

Oh... I was just about to press post and I thought of another. One of the best dialogue-driven films ever made: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
posted by 256 at 7:33 AM on December 14, 2009


My Dinner with Andre!
posted by CharlesV42 at 7:35 AM on December 14, 2009


I have actually done this several times with the movie Moby Dick, 'twas great.
posted by travis08 at 7:42 AM on December 14, 2009


I would bet that V for Vendetta would be a good one to just listen to, given that the plot is heavily carried through dialogue. V wears a mask and so has to use his voice to convey emotion and intention as much as possible, very moving monologues.

Most of Kevin Smith's movies would also be good candidates, like Mallrats. He's got a knack for making the most out of dialogue. These are my favorites to just turn up loud and have play while I do housework. Comedy and shock value.

Wes Anderson is my favorite director for great dialogue and excellent soundtracks to accompany it. When it comes out to rent, I highly recommend the new Fantastic Mr. Fox.
posted by lizbunny at 7:43 AM on December 14, 2009


Raising Arizona. In my opinion it's the only way to truly appreciate the brilliance of the wordplay. There is so much going on visually with the actors on screen that some classic gems tend to slip by you.
posted by any major dude at 7:50 AM on December 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Something of a detour, but Brad Neely's Wizard People, Dear Reader was created to be listened to as an alternate audio track to the first Harry Potter movie, and is still highly amusing on its own.
posted by Drastic at 7:59 AM on December 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


In The Loop, as long as you don't mind very intensive, continuous swearing. It just won best movie at the British Comedy Awards too.
posted by wackybrit at 8:02 AM on December 14, 2009


Not exactly an answer to your question, but have you considered audiobooks?
posted by pyro979 at 8:03 AM on December 14, 2009


Seconding:
Raising Arizona
This is Spinal Tap (twice, the second time with commentary)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Adding:
Waking Life
House of Yes
Hedwig and The Angry Inch
Naked

posted by rokusan at 8:04 AM on December 14, 2009


Oh and also:
Snatch
posted by rokusan at 8:12 AM on December 14, 2009


Dr. Strangelove
posted by Morgangr at 8:13 AM on December 14, 2009


Cool question!

The Man From Earth would be great for this as it relies almost entirely on dialog, a bit like a radio play, and it spends its time exploring a single, neat idea.

Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise and the sequel, Before Sunset, are dialog-heavy and (I think) very well-written and acted, non-schlocky romances. See also Tape.

Dead Man has a fantastic soundscape and soundtrack, which plays constantly even during the longish periods of no dialog. It might be a little hard to follow, but I think, still a fun listen.

Likewise with 6 String Samurai (one of my favourite films, definitely worth watching as well!)

Brick has some fantastic dialog, and would probably give an interestingly different interpretation between watching and listening.

Thinking about it, Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man) has a couple of other stories that would work well as just audio: Blue in the Face, and Coffee and Cigarettes. And.. probably most of his other films as well. :P
posted by Drexen at 8:14 AM on December 14, 2009


If you can understand French, Bande à part would be awesome. (Even the "minute" of silence, seriously.)
posted by King Bee at 8:17 AM on December 14, 2009


I second Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Any movie that's essentially a lot of conversation will work. Try Love! Valour! Compassion!

Films adapted from plays are likely to do well. How about Proof, Doubt, Angels in America, Glengarry GlenRoss, or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
posted by ocherdraco at 8:29 AM on December 14, 2009


HUKKLE!!!

There's no dialogue at all, and no music either, but it's such a beautiful listen.
posted by Beautiful Screaming Lady at 8:46 AM on December 14, 2009


Pretty sure Blue would be worth listening to, too.
posted by Beautiful Screaming Lady at 8:51 AM on December 14, 2009


Not a movie, but I've recently been listening to the first season of House MD. You miss a few minor points (e.g. today I couldn't identify what turned out to be the sound of Chase climbing out of a window and down a tree), but as it's 90% people walking around and talking, it works very well as an audio play.
posted by metaBugs at 9:08 AM on December 14, 2009


Another vote for Kevin Smith films, particularly Clerks.
posted by geekchic at 9:15 AM on December 14, 2009


Citizen Kane. First, last, and always. Welles had a way with radio, and it showed through in his films. Also, episodes of The Sopranos are full of evocative dialogue with interesting inflections.
posted by Joey Bagels at 9:40 AM on December 14, 2009


I'd recommend The Last Days of Disco for this. It's got a lot of great dialogue and fun music mixed in/under/around.
posted by Jahaza at 10:00 AM on December 14, 2009


ocherdracho's recommendation for movies based on stage plays is on target, I think. 12 Angry Men would work, as would The Winslow Boy.
posted by gudrun at 11:20 AM on December 14, 2009


Wizard of Oz.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:46 AM on December 14, 2009


Ghostbusters
Back to the Future 1-3
posted by AtomicBee at 12:04 PM on December 14, 2009


Nthing Clerks. Also, Office Space, Heathers, and A Christmas Story.
posted by gnomeloaf at 12:25 PM on December 14, 2009


I thought the Narration mixed in with Seabiscuit was great and would make for interesting listening. It really took me back to that period in time.
posted by heatherly at 12:45 PM on December 14, 2009


Once
posted by squorch at 2:09 PM on December 14, 2009


I think any of the Mamet movies would be good for this. They are very dialogue driven.
posted by grapesaresour at 3:46 PM on December 14, 2009


I would actually recommend commentary tracks, instead of the original film audio, as they generally have less blank spaces and depend less on the on-screen action. I enjoyed 'listening' to the LOTR commentaries while playing some Final Fantasy game. Or, check AskMe for commentary recommendations.
posted by graventy at 5:45 PM on December 14, 2009


I've done this too and I've found that The Usual Suspects is utterly suitable for the purpose.
posted by Sutekh at 5:58 PM on December 14, 2009


I think the Big Lebowski qualifies. The dialogue is very witty, enough that the slapstick onscreen almost detracts from the experience. Listening to it closely I noticed a lot of jokes I never got before, selective repetition (like Arrested Development) and irony in what the characters say. The Coen brothers worded the script masterfully, and I was glad I gave the movie second watch (and listen) rather than dismissing it as boring after the first time.
posted by mnemonic at 6:54 PM on December 14, 2009


For some reason Donnie Brasco is good for this.
posted by cmoj at 11:45 AM on December 15, 2009


Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions all. I'll spend some time on Listentoamovie.com and see what works and what doesn't.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 6:17 AM on December 16, 2009


Seconding Tarantino. I could listen to Death Proof all day. in fact, I will right now.
posted by CharlesV42 at 7:24 AM on December 16, 2009


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