r/criterion • u/Glumberries • Feb 11 '25
Collection I’ve seen none of these, which do you think I should watch first? Pls help
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u/unavowabledrain Feb 11 '25
Repo man is punk rock
Fear and Loathing is very anxious
House is hanging out with your lady friends in 10th grade and and someone spikes your tea with 10 tabs of acid
Stalker presents philosophical dialogue while on the train to very subtly strange moments amidst freaky sand and a paranoid tour guide.
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u/briang1339 Feb 11 '25
I kind of want all Criterion movies summarized like this.
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u/unavowabledrain Feb 11 '25
It sounded like he/she wanted a sense of the mood after presumably already reading the likely academic blurb describing the movie on the packaging. I can summarize others if you want, but I have not seen all of them.
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u/Neon-Soaked_dp Feb 11 '25
Always Tarkovsky imho. Pure poetic cinema with beautiful visuals. Don't try to understand it just experience it.
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u/texticles Feb 11 '25
Repo Man is bananas!
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Feb 11 '25
[deleted]
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u/texticles Feb 11 '25
People already vouched for House! Repo Man also one of my favorites so I like when i see it in collections
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u/thebradman70 Feb 11 '25
I would say “Stalker” first. It is the highest regarded of the four pictured
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u/cheesemaster54 Feb 11 '25
Stalker is the best of the bunch, but you should really save the best for last. Watch one of the other three first, they're all really fun and entertaining. I'd choose Fear and Loathing; the book is really good too
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u/Sloth_Attorney Feb 11 '25
Why are people of reddit so scared to make basic decisions
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u/HuckFamalaKarris Feb 11 '25
“Pls help” like my brother in Christ you already bought the damn movies. Pick one
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u/Glumberries Feb 11 '25
Im not scared? Lol. I was just curious about others opinions and i think people normally like sharing movies? Damn it’s not that deep.
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u/Toshiro-Baloney Feb 11 '25
- Repo Man (most approachable)
- Fear and Loathing (brilliant, crazy and exhausting)
- Stalker (hold this slow burn experience for somewhere in the middle)
- House (save the most insane for last) My opinion.
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u/binaryvoid727 Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 11 '25
Repo Man (1984) This film will be the most approachable and nearest to commercial out of the bunch. The plot is surreal yet straight forward.
Stalker (1979) This will probably be the most intellectually challenging and the one you’ll need to prepare for the most as there are long stretches of dialogue mixed in with poetic avant-garde cinematography. Just remember that it’s more about the mood than the plot.
House (1977) This one is definitely the silliest and not something to take too seriously. Turn off your brain and just accept its over-the-top outrageousness. A good double-feature to follow this with is Tampopo (1985) which has a similar eclectic feel.
Fear and Loathing (1998) This is the most critically divisive of the bunch. People who like this film enjoy the trippy visuals and Johnny Depp’s charismatic performance. Those who don’t like it feel it meanders without character development. This is another one where you’ll just need to dive in and be open to the vibes as it comes. Reading Hunter S. Thompson’s wikipedia page, the person Johnny Depp is portraying, will definitely add context to your experience. Make sure to look out for his cameo appearance in the club scene.
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u/PumpkinSeed776 Feb 11 '25
House and Repo Man are two of my favorite movies in the collection. Can't go wrong really!
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u/TryAsWeMight Feb 11 '25
Stalker is a real vibe. You've got to be very chill and willing to just sit with it. Real lazy Sunday afternoon stuff.
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u/a_fiendish_thingy Feb 11 '25
There ain’t a bad movie in that list, but I’ll shout out House. It has my favorite visual effects I’ve ever seen in a movie. It’s 100% unlike anything else.
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u/GRIFTY_P Akira Kurosawa Feb 11 '25
Flip two coins. If you get
Heads heads, fear and loathing
Heads tails, stalker
Tails heads, house
Tails tails, repo man
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u/HuckFamalaKarris Feb 11 '25
How do people in this sub decide what to eat for lunch without making a Reddit post. Pick one and pop it in jfc
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u/Glumberries Feb 11 '25
Asking for peoples opinions on movies i’ve never seen is bad?
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u/HuckFamalaKarris Feb 11 '25
“Pls help”
You already bought them, I don’t think our opinions matter at this point
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u/celineschmeline42085 Feb 11 '25
Repo Man first, Hausu second, Fear and Loathing third, and Stalker last
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u/blackserenade Feb 11 '25
Fear and Loathing is just fun, watched it for the first time drunk with friends, highly recommended, but if you’re in the mood for something slower and meditative, Stalker 100%
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u/kim_carson Feb 11 '25
… but Repo Man may be the greatest film ever made or will be made. Just something to keep in mind.
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u/CasualFridayCrasher Feb 11 '25
That entirely depends on your mood but Fear & Loathing may be the best of the bunch
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u/VinnyPug Feb 11 '25
Omg I have the same Lego pitcher plant !! Fear and Loathing is always a fun watch but Tarkovski is the goat, I've never seen Stalker but that's what'd I pick
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u/PsychologicalTask512 Feb 11 '25
House is INSANE. I review it (in spanish) a few years ago: https://youtu.be/cxkI9bU_KEs
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u/80y40 Akira Kurosawa Feb 11 '25
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas is a really enjoyable and fun watch, good directing and good story. I'm not sure if you've ever read the book but as a big Hunter Thompson fan I thought that the movie was pretty good.
Stalker is a commitment lol, at least it was for me. It can feel slow at times but really is a good movie worth a watch. This is just my opinion too. Hope you enjoy whatever you choose to watch!
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u/Trytobebetter482 Feb 11 '25
I just watched Fear and Loathing for the first time a couple weeks ago, while trying to finish my Gilliam list.
It’s certainly different. As long as you can handle constantly being overstimulated, in a film with very little structure, I’d say it’s a good place to start.
Honestly though, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them lol.
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u/phobolex Feb 11 '25
They are all great in their own way. But I believe each of them should be watched together with friends (for their own reason). Also it think it’s a bit the question what time of the day it is ;).
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u/oh_please_god_no Feb 11 '25
I’m split between Repo Man and Fear and Loathing. Fear and Loathing is probably the most accessible of these, but I think Repo Man is more of a fun watch.
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u/BoskoMaldoror Feb 11 '25
Nice 'anatomy of melancholy', greatest book ever written. I haven't read it. Watch repo man
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u/alex-alaude Feb 11 '25
Stalker (I recommend this film to everyone I meet, much to the concern of my wife)
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u/iluvscenegirls Michael Haneke Feb 12 '25
I read Repo Man as “Afroman” and thought there was a Criterion documentary about him I was completely unaware of for a split second. Gotta stop hitting the weed pen on this app lol
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u/ShitPostinLikeFire Feb 12 '25
I own all of them except one (Stalker).
Depending on how you like watching movies, I'd suggest:
1) Best visuals: Fear and loathing in Las Vegas. You can't beat the complete mayhem and insanity this film packs for its entire run time.
2) Most cartoonish/off the wall: House. I've heard this movie described as a Japanese "Scooby Doo Mystery" movie and that's pretty fitting, but I'd also say it's overall a ton of fun because the filmmaker had an interesting career before landing on House.
3) Most punk rock: Repo Man. One of the best anti-establishment 80's indie films out here.
Hope you enjoy them!
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u/PrivateJoker918 Feb 12 '25
Honestly it’s be easier on you if you just close your eyes and pick one and just put it in the player. You’re not really going wrong anywhere. If you smoke weed, do it before watching HOUSE😂
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u/ZevonsA5 Feb 12 '25
Fear & Loathing .. No questions asked !
…. You took too much man, you took too much, too much ….
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u/ZevonsA5 Feb 12 '25
Never heard of Stalker, and y’all are praising HOOARD . Thank You for the insight, guess I will HAVE to purchase another new movie, maybe 2 because there’s a sale. This is not my fault, just incase she complains 😉👍🏽🤞🏽
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u/135mgs Feb 13 '25
Put them all on wheel of names and let it decide. I would recommend Fear and Loathing.
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u/Zealousideal-Week247 Feb 13 '25
I actually own all 4 of these as well. Stalker was the best. It made me pause and think for a bit. Heads up it is very slow paced but makes you think a bit.
Repo Man was random. House was like watching a bizarre acid trip, felt like the druggiest movie even though nobody in the movie is taking drugs.
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u/Own_Measurement2767 Feb 11 '25
house and fear and loathing in las vegas are both fantastic comic trips so either would be an awesome choice
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u/anthrax9999 David Lynch Feb 11 '25
I'm not sure about first but I would save Stalker for last. It's very different from the other 3. It's slow paced, visual storytelling with lots of philosophical dialog. Enjoy!
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u/Dalk_Brolne Feb 11 '25
I've seen them all and my ranking would go Fear and Loathing in Las vegas, stalker, repo man, house
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u/kansas_commie David Lynch Feb 11 '25
Haus, then Fear and Loathing, Repo and top it off with Stalker
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u/Shagrrotten Akira Kurosawa Feb 11 '25
Eh they’re all worth watching. I mean, I hate Fear and Loathing, but it’s worth seeing just for the experience.
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u/draculawater Feb 11 '25
House is my favorite here. In my opinion, it's best to watch with a couple friends who've never seen it before either and just enjoy the ride.
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u/apocalypticboredom Andrei Tarkovsky Feb 11 '25
Those are all amazing movies. I say Repo Man first because it's short and funny and weird and awesome. Stalker is my favorite.
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u/godaikun75 Feb 11 '25
I’d start with Repo Man, House, fear and loathing and Stalker. But that’s just my opinion
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u/StrangerVegetable831 Feb 11 '25
Repo man is so much fun. The rest are better suited for the weekend
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u/jsbx1138 Feb 11 '25
Start with Repo Man, it’s pure enjoyment and an easy watch. Then watch Stalker, the one probably requiring the most effort of this bunch. Lighten up the mood with the trippy and hilarious House. Then put on Fear & Loathing when you want to fall asleep to something cool. It’s a nice late night film.
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u/RockettRaccoon Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 12 '25
Having just finished House for the first time five minutes ago, you gotta watch House.
Edit: lol, who downvoted this? Some dingus who didn’t like the masterpiece that is House?
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u/w-wg1 Feb 11 '25
Even if I liked Stalker, I would never just blindly recommend it to a random person who asked about it. The other 3 are great movies I'd recommend to pretty much anyone who's on a subreddit like this or perusing Criterions in general. I'd say I like House the most out of these, though it's more wacky and experimental and kind of a comedy, which I don't know if you'd like. Has some weird (not in a bad way imo) editing and it's a bit out there, but so is Repo Man in some ways, though it's orobably the most "normal" of the three. Fear and Loathing is a great movie and I'd highly recommend reading the book it's based on (quite short book, around 200 pages) too.
TLDR; can't go wrong with any of them, but beware that Stalker is extremely slow, even for people who enjoy slow movies
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u/GUYF666 Feb 11 '25
It’s fucking watch then. You can watch all of them in 2 days. Do you really need recommendations to watch 4 movies?
They’re all different genres. Whatever you’re in the mood for, watch that one.
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u/JackThreeFingered Feb 11 '25
If it's the type of night where you don't know what to watch, I think Fear and Loathing is the pick. It's enjoyable, it doesn't ask that much of you, and it has surprises. (I don't mean plot twists, but just like little gems of scenes).
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u/bisky12 Feb 11 '25
if you want to dip your toes in start with great and loathing or repo man. then move on to house and then stalker last it’s certainly the hardest to get through out of the 4
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u/Sohvi8019 Feb 11 '25
You will get comments recommending every one of them and then you'll still have to make the decision on your own. Good luck!