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Films that present an alternate REALITY

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jbark

jbark

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I am currently writing a couple of screenplays and a (hopefully published when completed!) novel that all deal with the notion that our reality is "not as it seems". Looking through my library of films, I realized that a large portion of them deal with this conceit, and further research yielded a few more. After Gibran2 recommended "the Nines" to me, I rushed out and rented it, watched it twice then ordered my own copy from Amazon. Months later, I got to thinking that there are surely a ton more out there that I am not aware of, so I thought I'd start a thread that would help me in my research, and also provide a list of these types of films, given that the nature of this forum is such that I am sure it will be of great interest to all.

There are a bunch of other threads about cool movies, so I want this one to be very specific: the films need to, in a fictional backdrop, suggest that our reality, the one we all take for granted, is either NOT the true reality, or is only a small part of the picture. A film that is strange or fantastical does not, by virtue of its uniqueness, fit into this category - I have seen a lot of strange and f#**@$ed up and whacky films in my day, but I am looking for something considerably more specific here. I will start a list, and 2 categories, the first for films that obviously fit into this category, and one for films that "maybe" fit in, having elements of the suggesting of an alternate reality without necessarily entirely being concerned with its representation thematically.

So:

the nines - are we God?
inception - are we in a dream? within a dream?
the matrix - "brain in a vat"
dark city - do we wake up someone different every day?
memento - do we create our own reality?
eXistenZ - are we in a game?
Jacob's ladder - are we in purgatory?
enter the void - life after death? Samsara? are we already dead?
solaris - what is memory? are we our memories?
the truman show - are we unwittingly actors in a universal "TV show"?
la moustache - god, what can I say? memory, reality, facial hair???
blade runner - are we replicants, artificially intelligent automatons?
inland empire - are we actors in a film?
lost highway - is our reality fixed? can we transmigrate even within this lifetime?
Naked Lunch - Interzone, anyone?
The Bothersome Man - is what we feel is real, really real?

MAYBES

Videodrome - long live the new flesh!!
Donnie darko
Strange Days

Let the list lengthen, LONG LIVE THE NEW LIST!!

Thanks in advance for your help.

JBArk the seen-isle scene-a-file

PS - if any books come to mind, by all means...
 
Here are a few more from my collection:

Being John Malkovich – can we live out our lives inside another’s brain/mind?
The Lathe of Heaven – dream it and it will become reality.
Open Your Eyes – reality as a dream.
Brainstorm – experience another’s reality through technology.
Total Recall – cheesy 80’s sci-fi with Arnold Schwarzenegger, but good concept: can our reality be modified via implanted memories?
Pan’s Labyrinth – a little girl and her fantasies (or are they?)
 
WAKING LIFE ! good god . great movie . very much this

Waking life - solipsism
You mentioned a book in that?

So , 1984, also touches on this.
 
gibran2 said:
jbark said:
Great!! more films to watch!! I just remembered Vanilla Sky as well...
Click to expand...
I think "Vanilla Sky" is the American version of "Open Your Eyes".
Click to expand...

Indeed it is! I saw the spanish film first, but thought I was referring to both, having forgotten that they changed the name for the Hollyblood version...

Not a GREAT film, but interesting nevertheless, and definitely fits in the "for sure" category.

Keep 'em comin'!!

JBArk
 
xtechre said:
Errr, TRON!
Click to expand...

I am planning to see Tron 3D this week. Believe it or not, I have never seen the original... then again, I'm the guy who has never seen ET!!

I had a rule when I was a young film snob about NEVER seeing "lunchbox" movies (i.e. any movie that appeared as a child's lunchbox in the marketing). I now break that rule regularly. Hell I just rented "speed racer" last week!

JBArk
 
nice ones jbark, the couple of movies I dont know in that list (la moustache and the nines) Ill be sure to check out :)

Heres a couple I can think of:

Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie - dream within a dream

12 monkeys - time travel, loops, destiny.

also hollywood stuff but does relate to the thread: Men In Black - universes within universes :D

Then all Charlie Kaufman scripts would be maybes

The fountain could also be a maybe (repetition of human struggles, we are living different epochs, death is birth)

other maybes for dealing with death and existence questions: Bergman movies such as The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. Also maybe Tarkovsky's Stalker due to the The Zone

Im sure there are others one could remember, maybe I post some other time.
 
Natural born killers, baron von munchhausen, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, flatliners, the doors...
Edit: Fuck, i completely forget moulin rouge: a story within a story within a story, all interwoven and looking kinda psychedelic sometimes. And hilariously funny.
 
I almost feel silly suggesting these, but I watched them again for the first time in years this last weekend. I've been on an old animation kick recently...

Cool World
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Great list of movies from everyone else. I've seen most of the ones mentioned, but now I have some I can check out this coming weekend!

EDIT: Another that just came to mind, Ghost in the Machine. Very cheesy though, be warned. Actually, that also reminds me of The Lawnmower Man.
 
I added a norwegian film called "A Bothersome Man" to the list, a film I saw years ago and am going to order from Amazon.

Another movie someone here recommended months ago (I forget who... maybe Shoe?) called "INK" seems to fit the bill, if I remember correctly... I am going to try and rent it, but f I can't find it, it's cheap on amazon.

Cheers,
JBArk
 
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, I think is a worthy mention. The Doctor makes a deal with the devil for immortality, has the ability to guide the imagination of others. Terry Gilliam rocks.
 
The Bothersome Man/Den Brysomme Mannen is very good indeed, one of my favourite movies. Also, I think Spirited Away is worth watching too. Although the anime-style-movies isn't usually my cup of tea, this particular movie has a magic to it. And the Truman Show, maybe? Not executed as good as The Bothersome Man, but I still find the concept of the movie intriguing.
 
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