Sometimes, a weird movie is what’s needed to provide a completely different experience. Most movies follow a stringent set of rules, even if audiences might not realize it. This is why strange and quirky movies can be so entertaining. They offer something that most conventional mainstream movies don’t.
Of course, there are some movies which seem to be intentionally weird in a shallow attempt to shock audiences. What’s more impressive is a movie which can incorporate strange ideas and techniques into the very fabric of its being without being so off-putting that people can’t enjoy them.
Snatchremains one ofGuy Ritchie’s best movies, and it embodies so much of what makes him unique. He’s created a few brilliant crime comedies, but none quite likeSnatch,with its elaborate web of conniving eccentrics and its punchy directorial style. The narrative is also distinct from the likes ofThe GentlemenandLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,since there are many absurd coincidences and jokes which impact the story.
Guy Ritchie has created a few brilliant crime comedies, but none quite likeSnatch.
Snatchopens with the eye-catching sequence of a diamond robbery being carried out by a group of thugs disguised as orthodox Jews. This sets the tone for a freewheeling crime caper as different gangs attempt to get their hands on the loot. Ritchie’s snappy dialogue ensures that they’re all memorable in their own way, andJason Statham and Brad Pitt both deliver some of their most entertaining performancesin a sparkling ensemble cast.
Wes Anderson’s moviesare known for their idiosyncratic style, andThe French Dispatchmay be the single film that defines this aesthetic more clearly than any other. Anderson’s nonconformist approach draws attention to the artifice of the medium. InThe French Dispatch,he frames several short stories within the device of a vaunted literary magazine publishing its final edition.
Each segment ofThe French Dispatchtakes on a slightly different style to mirror the idea that the stories are being told with the voices of different writers. However, Anderson’s love of symmetry, visual depth and deadpan dialogue unites the segments. The result of this effect is a celebration of all kinds of art, asthe stories primarily focus on the ways that art can shape our perceptions of the world, and vice versa.
Charlie Kauffman is one of the only screenwriters in Hollywood who can generate interest in a new project based on his reputation alone. Movies likeBeing John Malkovichdemonstrate clearly why he’s unlike anyone else. Kauffman is an iconoclast who revels in questioning every maxim of conventional storytelling and cinema. He found the perfect collaborator forBeing John Malkovichin the form of Spike Jonze.
Being John Malkovichfollows an insecure office worker who finds a bizarre portal which lets him inhabit John Malkovich’s mind for a short period, and he immediately tries to exploit this phenomenon for personal gain.It’s a fascinating exploration of image, identity and much more. It’s also one of the most disarming and unique dark comedies ever made, with a great cast ensuring that the story doesn’t go too far off the rails to feel hard to relate to.
Sorry to Bother Youstarts off as a quirky comedy, but this does nothing to prepare audiences for how strange things get. As Cash works his way up the corporate ladder, his surroundings and the people he meets become more eccentric. More than this, the entire world seems to spin out of control, as the fabric of reality stretches near breaking point with twist after bizarre twist.
To go into detail aboutSorry to Bother You’s story would risk ruining the joy of its many surprises. Just when it seems like a clever allegory about code-switching and the subtle racism of corporate culture, it morphs into something else entirely. Boots Riley clearly enjoys playing a game with his audience, and this means thatSorry to Bother Youleaves its audience with plenty to think about.
Terry Gilliam has always had a habit of tearing down conventions, starting with his Monty Python movies.Braziland12 Monkeysboth proved that he was just as creative in his solo work, but not all his movies get the attention that they deserve.The Man Who Killed Don Quixoteis famous for its troubled, decades-long production, but the movie itself never really broke through in any meaningful way.
Two documentaries about the making ofThe Man Who Killed Don Quixotewere produced, 2002’sLost in La Manchaand 2019’sHe Dreams of Giants.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixoteunderlines Adam Driver’s status as one of the most interesting actors in the business. He plays a filmmaker who returns to the location of his first student film to find that an elderly man whom he cast as Don Quixote has spent decades believing that he really is the fictional Spanish adventurer. Gradually, the lines between fact and fiction start to blur, which lets Gilliam have some real fun with his dreamlike compositions.
Daniel Radcliffe has starred in several weird moviessince the end of theHarry Potterfranchise, which has allowed him to avoid being too closely associated with the role that made him famous.Swiss Army Manmay be the weirdest of them all, as he plays a dead body being used as a tool for survival by a disturbed man lost in the wilderness. Paul Dano also delivers a great performance.
Since the Daniels won Best Picture forEverything Everywhere All at Once,more people have been looking back onSwiss Army Man.It’s just as original and surprising as their Oscar-winner, with a similar vein of absurdist comedy running throughout the twisted melodrama. It has the kind of ending that urges audiences to go back and watch it again, reinterpreting its surreal story through a new lens.
Yorgos Lanthimos' moviescan all be easily identified by his unsettling style. His dialogue takes deadpan humor to new levels of absurdity, and his characters often seem on the brink of breaking down and indulging their most animalistic desires.The Lobsterwas the movie that solidified this style, and the dark comedy remains one of the director’s best and most entertaining works.
Lanthimos' dialogue takes deadpan humor to new levels of absurdity.
The Lobsteris a twisted romance satire, poking fun at society’s obsession with pairing off like some kind of arbitrary buddy system to propel people through the chaos of life. However, the tribe of single people inThe Lobsterare just as damaged and fanatical as anyone, further underlining Lanthimos' point that humanity’s dogmatic view of romance and connection leaves nobody untouched.
