A Good Night in Without Emotional Blackmail (ongoing) (25 titles)

A collection of some of my favourite films, many of which are arthouse or less well-known films which I can't believe didn't get more attention. Intelligent, original, compelling, funny or simply a good bit of fluff that cuts across all age groups, without overacting, soppiness or Hollywood-style emotional blackmail

by: Anke from Cambridge

85% from 4 members

The Motorcycle Diaries

Stunning in every way. You'll fall in love with Che all over again - or is it Gael, or the humour, or the amazing countryside, or idealism or the fervor of youth? Make sure you watch the interview in Cuba of the real Alberto after the film

- our price: £9.93
The Motorcycle Diaries on DVD (2004)
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo De La Serna, Mia Maestro
Director: Walter Salles Jr.
Certificate:
An adaptation of a journal written by Che Guevara when he was 23 years old. Along with his friend Alberto Granado he crossed South America by motorcycle in the 1950s and he recounts some of their adventures.

Rate this: 73% from 53,004 members

The Lives Of Others

Compelling, intelligent and absorbing.

The Lives Of Others on DVD (2006)
Starring: Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
In this outstanding Oscar winning, psychological and political thriller, we get a fascinating insight into the lengths and depths that the East European government went to in order to keep tabs on the lives of its population in the 80s. When cold and brutal official Wesler is given the task of ..read more »

Rate this: 79% from 54,401 members

Keeping Mum

This is one of these really great little British films with a sterling cast and a twist - DON'T read too much about it or it'll spoil the fun - just watch and ENJOY

Keeping Mum on DVD (2005)
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith
Director: Niall Johnson
Certificate:
Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson), the well meaning vicar of the parish of Little Wallop, is so obsessed with writing the perfect sermon that he is oblivious to his wife GloriaÂs (Kristin Scott Thomas) dalliance with her brash golf instructor Lance (Patrick Swayze); neither does he notice that ..read more »

Rate this: 66% from 33,687 members

I Capture The Castle

It's funny and sweet and original one of the few films that does justice to a wonderful piece of fiction - and Bill Nye's just perfect in it!

- our price: £4.93
I Capture The Castle on DVD (2003)
Starring: Henry Thomas, Rose Byrne, Romola Garai
Director: Tim Fywell
Certificate:
British period piece romance film fans should rejoice over I CAPTURE THE CASTLE, a film that earns its emotional payoffs, and manages to avoid the many clever and cloying traps that befall many of its brethren. Based on the novel by Dodie Smith, the tale surrounds an artistic family living in 1930s ..read more »

Rate this: 62% from 4,541 members

Mostly Martha

If you think German and romantic comedy don't go together, think again! This is a lovely little film, especially for foodies - enjoy it with a big pot of pasta and a glass of worthy red

- our price: £6.93
Mostly Martha on DVD (2001)
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime Foerste
Director: Sandra Nettlebeck
Certificate:
Martha is the chef at a small gourmet restaurant in Hamburg who creates mini-masterpieces in every dish. She devotes every waking hour to her work and her shyness keeps her from breaking out of her monotonous routine or meeting new people. When her sister dies in an accident, however, she is ..read more »

Rate this: 68% from 1,369 member

Goodbye Lenin!

I grew up in West Berlin, but that's not the only reason to love this film, it may be full of "ostalgia" (watch it and you'll see what that means) but also incredibly funny, sweet and genuine.

Goodbye Lenin! on DVD (2002)
Starring: Daniel Bruhl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova
Director: Wolfgang Becker
Certificate:
This culture-shock comedy drama takes a look at life in East Germany before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Alex (Daniel Bruhl) dreams of being an astronaut while his highly-strung mother (Katrin Sass) works tirelessly as a teacher and state official. She's so vehemently pro-socialist that ..read more »

Rate this: 73% from 18,479 members

Mifune

Real and powerful and memorable - like many of the other Dogma 95 films

Mifune (1999)
Starring: Iben Hjejle, Anders W Berthelsen
Director: Soren Kragh-Jacobsen
Certificate:
Kresten (Anders W. Berthelsen), an ambitious young man who's just married the boss's daughter, finds himself suddenly summoned back to the rural slum where he grew up. His father has died and he has to take care of his idiot brother Rud (Jesper Asholt). He advertises for a housekeeper and Liva, a ..read more »

Rate this: 67% from 34 members

Before Sunrise

Absorbing and just brilliant - watch it as a double bill with Before Sunset - the same couple meet again 10 years later.

- our price: £5.43
Before Sunrise on DVD (1995)
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Director: Richard Linklater
Certificate:
Two young people meet on a train and spend a night falling in love in Vienna.

Rate this: 66% from 15,774 members

Before Sunset

Watch it after Before Sunrise - it's just as good!

- our price: £5.43
Before Sunset on DVD (2004)
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Director: Richard Linklater
Certificate:
When Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met on a Eurail train, the connection between them was immediate and profound. The 14-hour relationship that followed, as the pair explored the spontaneous and unexpected in Vienna, ended on a train platform where they swore they'd meet again six ..read more »

Rate this: 61% from 22,191 members

Saving Grace

Funny and heart-warming - One of my all-time favourites, and not only because it's set in beautiful Cornwall. The epitomy of a British "feel-good film" without the saccharine of US mainstream movies.

- our price: £4.93
Saving Grace on DVD (2000)
Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Craig Ferguson, Martin Clunes
Director: Nigel Cole
Certificate:
SAVING GRACE is genuinely funny British comedy about Grace, a recently widowed woman who risks losing her wonderful estate and beautiful garden because of the huge debts her husband left when he died. To cure her financial ailments, she uses her horticultural talent to raise--and then sell--..read more »

Rate this: 71% from 4,566 members