This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Quiet Films ( #atozchallenge )

English: Still image from ANOTHER EARTH
English: Still image from ANOTHER EARTH (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The films that I'll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming.   The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.

       When I refer to "Quiet Films", I'm not talking about silent films, but films with sound that don't have much dialog and have a tendency to be more introspective and deal with ideas.  Often these films focus on just one person or people who communicate very little.  Some of these might be films that could put you to sleep.  The films that I have picked kept my attention and stuck in my mind (except for one).

        Here are some of my favorite "Quiet Films" with a bonus that is not a favorite:

Repulsion (1965) -- High on my list of favorite films, this psychological horror film by Roman Polanski is the story of a troubled and withdrawn young woman who is left by herself while her sister is away on a vacation.  Alone in her silent world she falls into a delusional state of fear and hallucinations with horrifying consequences.   This is one freaky, creepy movie.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) --Almost ponderous with scenes of stark beauty, this film primarily deals with a man on a long mission to Jupiter.  A lot of breathing sounds and people and computers talking verrrry slooooow.  The beauty that cannot be expressed in words is replaced by ethereal music.

Silent Running (1972) --It's been a very long time since I've seen this film, but I seem to remember it fitting into the category of quiet films.  After all, it takes place in space and it can get pretty quiet up there.  And the film is called Silent Running.   That does it for me.

Slingblade (1996)-- Billy Bob Thornton does an amazing job in the lead role of this movie.  His character is a quiet and reserved mentally impaired man who has been in a mental hospital after committing a murder when he was 12.  Some of the people around him are loud, but the over all tone of the film is fairly quiet.

The Tree of Life (2011)--This is one of those meaning of existence movies that deals with philosophy and spiritual issues.   It's the kind of film upon which you need to focus and contemplate.  You might fall asleep, or you might just sit quietly and take it all in.

Another Earth (2011) -- In this quiet film, a planet identical to Earth appears in the skies, capturing the imagination of the world.  The story follows a teenage girl and a composer whose lives become intertwined.  It's more of a philosophical film than a science fiction since there's no way this story could realistically happen.  But it's an interesting film if you can stay awake through it.

Solaris (2002) --Okay so I intensely disliked this film.  But it was quiet.  And slow.  I went to a theater to see this and my wife and I both slept through most of it.  This seemed very odd.  Maybe we only thought we were asleep.  Whatever happened, the movie seemed extremely boring and quiet.  This is not the quiet movie experience that I like to have.

         What movies have you fallen asleep to?   Do you enjoy idea movies that are more philosophical than action oriented?   Can you recommend any films that might fit in the quiet category?


Enhanced by Zemanta

35 comments:

  1. Not having gone to the cinema in years I can't say I've fallen alseep watching a film. Now travelling is a different matter but that's another story.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I didn't mind Solaris, although if you want a real snoozefest, watch the original - it's over three hours long!
    Liked Silent Running, but otherwise there aren't too many slow, quiet movies I like. Closest I can think of are Life of Pi and 2010's Monsters, both of which I really liked.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never fallen asleep in the films, believe it or not. I think I'm way to ADHD for that.

    I also enjoyed Life of Pi and The Piano

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have only watched a couple of quiet films. But the quiet part really bothers me. Let's just say, sometimes I can be pretty thick and need dialogue to figure out what the heck is going on.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I must not like Quiet films because this is the first time I haven't seen any on your list. I have been tempted to see Tree of Life.

    Lucy from Lucy's Reality

    (p.s. finally figured out how to get my link to work, little slow on the uptake lol)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I loved Slingblade and 2001, but I also liked Solaris. I'll have to check out some of the others you mentioned :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Other than 2001, I haven't seen any of the movies you recommend. I was supposed to watch Tree of Life last year (as one of my goals to watch all Oscar nominees) but didn't. The three movies I've fallen asleep during were Pokemon, the Tigger Movie, and, I'm ashamed to say, the new Lion, Witch and Wardrobe..

    ReplyDelete
  8. The only quiet films I have watched are Charlie Chaplin ones and most recently The Artist, both are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yvonne -- My wife falls asleep on the couch if she's not interested in a movie we're watching.

    Alex -- I'd heard the original Solaris was the best.

    Daft -- I've rarely fallen asleep during a movie, but it has happened.

    Dani -- Subtlety can be pretty amazing if done well.

    Lucy -- I thought Tree of Life was very good.

    Mshatch-- I probably need to give Solaris another chance.

    Thea -- I can understand falling asleep in the films you mention.

    Sunday-- Ah, but those are silent as opposed to quiet.

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can't think of any movies at this time, other than the one big snoozer I was bored to tears with and fell asleep and that was The English Patient. My wife "made" me watch that one with her. I'll never get that time back.

    I dislike philosophical movies. I want mystery, action, excitement, and even drama.

    No, I can't recommend any film, because if I even suspect them of "being in the category" I avoid them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't think I've actually ever watched a quiet film. Definitely none of the ones you've listed.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I know for sure that I have fallen asleep during a film in a movie theater. Obviously, they were forgettable, I can't think which ones they were.

    I have not seen any of the movies that were on your list. One or two of them seem very interesting and I will check them out.

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  13. With both Silent Running and Space Odyssey, the undercurrent of danger made for remarkably tense films.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Karen -- I can't recall if I've seen Reflections....

    Gregg-- I intensely disliked The English Patient. I guess you read so much philosophical stuff you need the action break in film.

    Mama J -- Quiet films are not everybody's cuppa.

    Lynda -- I'd feel kind of strange falling asleep in a theater, but I've done it a few times at home.

    C.Lee -- Quiet films do not necessarily equivocate boring.

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
  15. I felt that "Castaway" was a very quiet film. I kept waiting for something loud and shocking to happen. It was kind of eerie.

    Thanks so much for highlighting my blog today!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Other than what you've named, I can't think of a quiet movie. Not that I liked.

    Gregg's comment is funny. I've never seen the English Patient, but my husband has, and he HATED it with a passion.

    ReplyDelete
  17. "Silent Running" is one of my favorite films.

    I always loved the scene where Bruce Dern talks about throwing the message in a bottle into the sea just before sending the pod off.

    Great film....

    ReplyDelete
  18. Haven't seen any of these, but I'm not into movies the way I was as a child.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey lee, I tried to watch the tree of life but gave up...not really for me. I like films with a little more happening!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I had a similar problem with Solaris... not sure what it was, but I just could not stay awake.

    I haven't seen Tree of Life. I just added it to my Netflix queue, though.

    Lyre @ Lyre's Musings #atozchallenge

    ReplyDelete
  21. Always kept planning to watch Another Earth. Nice movie choices today.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Apart from Solaris, which I intend on Googling to read about after commenting here, all these films sound awesome, so many good concepts here buddy!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have to share my son's experience with movies to fall asleep to. He has rented the documentary 'Earth', I think it's Disney, 3 or 4 times. It's narrated by either James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman. My son says something about the narrator's voice knocks him out in the first 5 minutes every time. He has yet to see this movie all the way through. He's considering purchasing it for nights when he has insomnia

    Thanks Arlee for the follow and for the blogger tip. I didn't know how that worked.

    Gloria - Cre8tiv Glory
    A to Z Blog Challenge

    ReplyDelete
  24. Can't think of any film right now. But "Masterpiece: Wallender" w/Kenneth Branagh has a stillness that connects to the artistry of the filming. The desolation of a Swedish landscape, the tortured persona in Wallender, etc. I like the quiet aspect of excellent filming.

    ReplyDelete
  25. You should check out 'Run, Lola, Run'. Had to watch it in film class, thought i'd die before it ended but found myself wanting to watching again a few years later because i had this nagging feeling i had missed something in my senioritis haze of college. Turned out to not be too bad at all.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm enjoying the comments. It's interesting how we can have different takes on films. Sometimes it also probably has a lot to do with our moods or how tired we are to begin with. I'll agree that sometimes the narration can drone on enough to become hypnotic.

    Some fun comments here.

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
  27. Nope not seen any of those, not even sure I remember seeing any other quiet movies either.

    JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

    ReplyDelete
  28. For some reason my husband fell asleep (in the theatre) during A Nightmare Before Christmas, but I really have no idea why.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I haven't seen any of those movies. I never thought of 'quiet' for movies.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I have a terrible memory for titles and names, generally, so I can't recall quiet movies to list. I can say that I like quiet, contemplative, make you think movies occasionally. I have to be in the right frame of mind, though. 2001--great film.
    Jagoda

    ReplyDelete
  31. I've been meaning to watch "Another Earth" I'll be sure to drink some coffee beforehand:) Another film that could be on your list is "Womb" from 2010, very controversial, about cloning - have you seen it?
    WriterlySam

    ReplyDelete
  32. Jo-- You've probably seen at least of few. You just don't remember them because they were so quiet.

    Melanie -- My ex-wife fell asleep at a Violent Femmes concert. Now that was weird.

    Susan -- There are many slow moving quiet movies.

    Jagoda -- Frame of mind is very important to get through one these kinds of films.

    Sam -- Have not seen nor heard of Womb but I'll have to check into it.

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
  33. I've only seen sling blade of those you've listed. I think I would fall asleep at the rest and that would not technically be "watching" a movie, right?

    ReplyDelete
  34. You missed my favorite quiet movie: The Sixth Sense! I like most of those on the list though. I've never seen Solaris, so maybe that's a good thing. I really like quiet movies, but I also have to be in the mood to watch one. I tend to enjoy any movie that thrives on the *feel* of the situation, especially if it's a creepy feeling. :)

    #atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee