what movie/show made you think "WTF did I just watch?"
2y 11mon ago by lemmy.nz/u/chrizbie in asklemmy@lemmy.ml
It's probably my favorite scifi movie that made me really feel something. I think you can find a lot to relate to, grief, depression, loss. I really think the main theme is self destruction, specifically resulting from some kind of trauma. Everyone had their own issues and they were all basically destroying themselves and finding solace in the shimmer.
Quite literally self 'Annihilation', I think the shimmer itself is more analogous to cancer (continuously expanding, with random distorted outcomes, most of which are agressive towards anything untainted by the shimmer), but fundamentally each of the characters are there for their own different reasons for self-destruction with the hopes that it benefits others, as they effectively know it's a suicide mission).
The bit that I cannot recall if it was explained is why did the special ops guy go if he had a loving wife at home; what was his reason for self destruction?
The bit that I cannot recall if it was explained is why did the special ops guy go if he had a loving wife at home; what was his reason for self destruction?
I don't remember an explanation for it aside from it was just his mission as part of being in the military. But he didn't really have a "loving" wife at home. She cheated on him. Maybe he knew and volunteered for the mission because his marriage was over.
The book is better IMO (other than no Portman :-) and one of the most disturbing things I've ever read. Highly recommended.
Did you read all three books? Got real WTF in book 2 and 3.
Yes, I read them all the same week (bad weather kept me inside). Yesterday I read the Silo Stories (3?) in his Machine Learning anthology. I liked the first book and the short stories the best.
The movie was about cancer? Where did you read that?! The movie is the closest movie approximation of the book Alex Garland could make, considering how dense and intertwined the whole Southern Reach Trilogy is.
Sorry if my question sounded like an attack 😬 Vandermeer’s writing style deliberately opens his work to different interpretations and it’s rather interesting to see the same happening with this movie adaptation. Another interesting angle I’ve read is environmental: either in a way that Area X is return to nature (purification) or it’s the opposite (our own destruction of the planet) Getting ready to re-read the whole trilogy, will definitely include this guy’s cancer perspective as I am going through to see how it fits.
My favourite film analysis of this is by Dan Olson of Folding Ideas: https://youtu.be/URo66iLNEZw
It's a great breakdown and also criticises those "ending explained" videos as well.
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Requiem for a dream
I just watched Neon Genesis Evangellion. WTF at the end of the series. Then saw there was a later movie with the "real" end. Which was also WTF.
Literally the first thing on my mind when I saw this thread! I needed some time to process what happened after seeing End of Evangelion.
I was looking for this reply. Seconded lmao
Enter the void
Also "The Void" is another good one.
And Touching the Void for completeness?
The credits just soften you up for the mindfuck.
The Lobster was pretty out there.
I absolutely love Yorgos Lanthimos' movies. Killing of a Sacred Deer is probably my favorite. His movies just have this uneasyness that really makes you feel...off watching them.
I tried explaining this movie to someone recently, and it didn't go well...such a great, weird, movie though.
Seriously. That's a show where I could only do one or two at a time.
Third episode of which season?
You missed out on some good episodes. They don't all relate to each other either, it's like the Twilight zone you can pick up and just watch one.
The Boys. That show is a wild ride.
Especially, "the one scene"...
You're going to have to be a lot more specific lol
Sorry! After that one guy, shrunk down and did that thing to the other guy, sneezed, and...
All I saw online were people speaking of that one scene. And to me, that trumped a lot of the others. 😂
Ah, yeah I definitely wasn't expecting live action cock vore and inflation in the same scene.
I was trying to avoid spoilers but... Yeah, me neither. Cannot unsee!
Yet I'm so excited for the next season. What's wrong with me?
You need to be way more specific. Nearly every episode has "that one scene"
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion. It was a one weird rollercoaster ride. I still can't understand the movie too.
All I know about EoE:
Top tier soundtrack
"Disgusting"
"We'll do the rest later"
"I'm so fucked up"
Birds are metal
Giant eyepussy
Tang
Your mom protected you by hanging a doll she thought was you.
Domestic violence
Delete world to hit one last time
Did I miss anything?
"Get in the fucking robot Shinji" is yet again a major plot point.
Eraserhead
Really anything by David Lynch including the old PlayStation commercials
The Lighthouse. I still don't know what the hell happened.
Sorry To Bother You was a wild fucking ride. Definitely watch it high for maximum wtf
I still have no fucking clue what that movie was supposed to be about
Selling out to capitalism was my takeaway
I was looking for this one. I went into it completely blind one night and that was a ride.
Donnie Darko leaves more questions than answers
That's one that really only makes sense after watching it multiple times. The excerpts from the book(?) tell you the "what" and "why" of the events of the movie. Okay, they tell you enough that it makes some sense...
I'm pretty sure only the director's cut has the excerpts from the book. It still takes at least two watches and some pausing.
Zardoz. The gaint floating head with the crazy man inside shouting "the gun is good, the penis is bad," Sean Connery in a WAY too revealing outfit, the bizarre, apathetic, immortal poeple, and wierd pyramid magic.
It was hands down the most strange, unfathomable film I've ever seen, and I've watched The Dancing Outlaw.
You know, Sean Connery took that role and produced that movie (yeah, he fully embraced it) because he wanted to do something original. But I mean, as weird as it is, and as original it is as that, it is some serious Sci-Fi movie full of social commentary.
Every time I hear or think about Zardoz, I think "this will probably be the last time I think about Zardoz." It's been almost a decade since I first had that thought.
I remember once when I was a teenager turning on the TV at like 2 in the morning on a Saturday and being treated to Adult Swim's Sealab 2021 for the first time. Along with the rest of their line up around 1999-2003. It was fucking weird as shit. But hilarious.
Adult Swims programming from the exact same time you mentioned helped shape me into who I am now, lmao. What an awesome time for TV. I can remember sneaking downstairs to the TV to put on Space Ghost Coast to Coast. I didn't "get it" but I was very aware that I liked that type of dry humor.
Space Ghost is also how I discovered Triumph the Wonder Dog.
"If by 'worked with' you mean 'banged up the ass' then, yes, I worked with Lassie."
"You can say that? Huh. Well, I too, once banged a dog up the a-"
"How was I supposed to know we'd be taken off the air?!"
Didn't Space Ghost Coast to Coast predate Adult Swim?
I can still hear the theme song...
Mulholland Drive.
Trust me on this...just put all technology away when you watch this and give it your 100% attention. One of the craziest movies I've ever seen.
David Lynch made a lot more stuff that falls into this category - Check out Lost Highway too some time.
Mulholland Drive has some kind of plot that can be deciphered. Watch Inland Empire if you want to watch a David Lynch movie that makes Mulholland Drive look normal.
everything everywhere all at once
Everything everywhere all at once, but in a good way
I recently watched Pee-wee's Big Adventure for the first time since God knows how long and it feels like a little bit of a drug trip at times with the sometimes sporadic pacing and just how it is as a movie.
Tell'em Large Marge sent ya.
Primer. This has to be one of my favorite WTF movies I have watched. Required multiple watches to understand.
Sausage party.
That final scene... Lol
The Room (2003) is without exaggeration the worst movie ever made. It's so bad that you can't even enjoy it ironically. Someone else made a much better movie (The Disaster Artist) about how The Room ever got made in the first place. Because that will be the first question on your mind after watching it.
Hbomberguy made a great argument (in the middle of a video about CTRL+ALT+DELETE, weirdly enough) for one reason to... find value in The Room. Not like it necessarily, but maybe come away from it having learned something. The Room is almost definitely a twisted reproduction of a real relationship that Tommy Wiseau actually had, and therefore you can watch the movie from the angle of "how terrible people like Tommy Wiseau twist the stories of past relationships to fit their narrative". Of course, you also have to parse through Tommy's absolute insanity to get to the message he's accidentally making about himself, but still.
And yet, there are entire crowds of spoon-throwing and football-tossing fans who gather at showings of the film regularly.
It's not the first bad movie to attain cult status. It's just the worst.
I've seen it about 10 times. It keeps getting worse, lol.
Was going to say this also. I appreciate it is a good film but also kind of wish I never watched it!
EXistenZ - The final question "Are we still in the game?" really summarized the first watch experience. You have no clue what's going on anymore by that point. Same goes for Total Recall by the way - that movie also has you guessing what's real and what isn't throughout 90% of the runtime.
I can't remember when, but I know I saw EXistenZ on HBO somewhere. I first saw it from the middle of the movie and thought "If I watch this from the beginning I might understand it." Turns out watching it again didn't help, but I watched it again anyway. It was sort of like a fascinating disaster.
Kudos to the creators of that film. I don't think I could have come up with that primis.
I watched it twice in a row the first time I watched it too. I think it helped, but it's still had to watch it a third time.
Beau is Afraid is absolutely mental. I had no idea what to expect when we went to see it, and I’m so thankful the cinema was empty so we could audibly talk about wtf was going on throughout. It’s definitely a movie I want people to watch but with the caveat that I’m not recommending it.
I absolutely loved Beau is Afraid, but yeah that last act was a trip. It reminded me of "Men". The ending of that is just pure WTF.
Just watched Men last night, I guess this other one is going on the list now!
Ooh, what did you think of Men? Also, Beau is a way different movie, but I thought the endings had similar vibes with a pure WTF is going on feel.
I really enjoyed the first half but have to admit it lost me a bit by the end, it just sort of kept going for a bit too long for me I think. Husband, meanwhile, was very taken with it and has been recommending it to anyone who will listen!
Same, I love really unnerving movies in the first 2/3 of men did that well but then it just went way over the top.
The penis monster haunts my dreams! The whole movie was a trip and I absolutely loved the insanity of the first act, but the last 30 odd minutes were just mental
Dogville from 2003
A Serbian Film.
First and only movie I ever regretted watching. Def could have gonna my whole life without seeing that.
Requiem for a Dream and Happiness. Crazy movies.
I though about that the first time I saw Requiem for a Dream, and then suddenly thought to myself. It's not actually mindblowing. It's just a formulaic, cookie cutter story of a bunch of people doing drugs, I kind of think it's really overrated from a critical standpoint now. But I did get an initial shock.
"Under The Skin" with Scarlet Johansson. It has easily the most low-key terrifying scene I've ever seen in a movie (the beach scene). And the whole film is the very definition of wtf.
Tenet
What?
The Pacific Rim sequel. I just thought:"Why??".
Because Sons of Anarchy turned off the money faucet.
... He's not in the second one. They actually got john boyega to star somehow.
Wish I had not read the plot.
On the other hand I'm glad reading it beforehand to not step accidently is this disgusting shit.
So in a weird way thanks for warning.
Dark City
Just inject it in your head!
Beau is afraid , it was WTF from the start untill the end, still don't know what it was and I am too afraid to ask.
2014 Predestination, you can't really say anything about this film and not spoil it. well perhaps except Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook starring in it
It's based on Robert Heinleins - All You Zombies. I think.
it is, correct.
And I'd say is one of the more faithful adaptations of a short sf story to film. There are a couple of additions, but in general is extremely close.
Unicorn Wars… it’s a French/Spanish animation movie about a “carebear” v unicorns war. It’s like full metal jacket, but much more brutal and bizarre….
The Teddy Perkins episode of Atlanta had me wondering what the hell was going on in a hilarious way even though the episode was creepy.
The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard. I was expecting some cool music, and pinball. Maybe something like The Wall. Nope, What I got was Uncle Eddy and the Acid Queen.
I saw that when I was about 11 years old. Left an impression, that's for sure.
Howard the Duck.
Gummo
Wilfred (the US version)
Absolutely one of my favorite shows. It hits all the right notes for me. I can definitely understand why it wouldn't be someone's cup of tea, but it absolutely resonated with me.
one of my friends, who loves TV like this told me he had instant migraine from Wilfred :P
also, my girlfriend really didn't wanted to start it, because it was too strange for her, but after a few episodes she has fallen in love with the series.
so fucking a pity there's no other show like this (or I don't know about it at least...)
I can’t remember the title but it was on uk Netflix for a while last year. It was a Spanish film where a girl had an ass for a face. That was weird in and of itself but then it just kept getting weirder the whole way through.
Preacher?
I forgot about this comment til you replied. Just googled it, it was called Skins.
Xavier renegade angel
Mother. It's not that I didn't get the allegory, it was just weird. Also Antichrist, though to be fair, saying "wtf did I just watch" was the whole point of the movie.
I didn't get the allegory in Mother, and I didn't really care. Totally wtf, but I loved how nightmarish it was, and how it looked visually, I was completely enthralled.
The guy was god, the gal was Earth.
Oh yeah, I've read up on the explanation since, but for me it doesn't really add anything. It doesn't take away anything either. I think it was just so captivating I didn't need any meaning. That probably makes me sound far more shallow than I am but hey ho.
Nah, some movies are so visually and mechanical entertaining/enthralling you just sit back and enjoy. The Fountain (2006) was a movie I just didn't care to understand the first watch, it was just so beautiful.
I mean, if you like it, there's nothing shallow about that, you just like it.
Teeth (2007). What the actual fuck.
Punch Drunk Love. Seriously what was this about?
Bad boy bubby
Perfect Blue
The Bee Movie
How To Talk To Girls At Parties
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Crash. It was the first and only movie I nearly walked out on.
Which Crash? 1996 or 2004?
I still don't understand the first Mission Impossible
Spy gets framed for murder of fellow spies. Spy knows he didn't do it but not who did. Spy knows what they wanted. Spy actually steals what they wanted to flush out the actual murderer. End
The rest is organizations, backstory, and character development.
I had to watch it about 10 times on VHS before I got it too
Event Horizon or the Toxic Avenger.
Old boy the original
The Eric Andre Show
Cocain Bear
This was available to watch on a United flight I took. I didn't get the chance to watch it but the description was gold.
I mean it's a bad/WTF horror film, but maybe a good comedy horror film ^^
Serial Experiments Lain
Beat me to it
Titane. If I had been told beforehand that a woman being fucked by a car would be the least messed up part of the movie, I'm not sure I'd have believed it; however, that movie has burned it's way into my head like few others have.
Survive Style 5+
Here the trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEH7nDkiPEk&pp=ygUQU3Vydml2ZSBTdHlsZSA1Kw%3D%3D
Monster musume
Llamageddon
Thankskilling
You've heard of A movies. You've heard of B movies. But have you ever heard of Z movies? No? Then Thankskilling is for you! (watch at your own risk, I am not liable for the mental, emotional, and other damage that will occur).
Just watched Beau is Affraid. Good movie but holy shit is it ever weird.
I ragequit at that certain Parker Posey scene. Caught the other thing that happened right after, and was 110% "Oh, fuck this highschool film class bullshit." Nope.
Dark.
Gozu
2001 A Space Odyssey
Part 3 of that movie be like...
A Serbian Film.
That one is beyond fucked.
The Northman. At no point did I know where that film was going, and when it was done I just sat in my theater seat for a second bewildered at what I had just sat through.
A field in England
- Everything Everywhere All At Once
- Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome
Butterfly Effect
Nip/Tuck. Like every episode.
Beef. What a ride.
The green knight
Possession. That movie is a ride.
Inherent Vice
Asteroid City
Yeah, I still don't know what the fuck that movie is. I've been thinking on it and reading other people's interpretation of it for over a week. I'm still stumped.
What do you mean? It's a movie about a documentary of a play that's sensationalised into a movie?
What's so confusing?
It was the final act 4th wall break that really crystallized the meaning for me /s
In all seriousness though, I was on board with the narrative structure of the documentary of the movie about a play up until that point.
Everything everywhere all at once. its hilarious
Knowing
The House on Netflix. I watched it last Christmas and I'm still not sure what I think about it.
Centaurworld and Doom Patrol, but both in the best way possible.
Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police did it to me in a good way.
Biosphere (2023).
Watched it because I'm a fan of doomsday scenarios. The former president of the United states starts spontaneously growing a vagina and uterus because 'life uuuh, finds a way'.
I won't wreck the rest of the plot but this movie took a fucking wild turn and left me sitting there the whole time going WTF!
Splice
The Taste of Tea. Japanese stuff can be pretty weird, but I had absolutely no idea what that film was about.
Antichrist and also Dogtooth
Tidelands... Didn't know what I was getting into when I went, didn't know what I saw when I left.
Wounds.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5913798/
Sci-Fi horror is my jam so I’ve definitely seen some weird shit but that was just wtf. Notable mention for splice.
Enemy
Rubber
A coworker recommended it to me. Months later I was randomly talking at lunch time about how shitty the movie was. He said “wait you’re talking about Rubber?” And he just busted out laughing. He watched it and knew it was awful… but he also kind of liked it I think.
It’s not often that I feel like I’ve wasted an afternoon and those are hours I’ll never get back… but Rubber made me feel that.
Kung fu from beyond the grave. It had Dracula with lazer powers, and bunny hopping zombies. It was so bad it was magnificent.
Strangeland with Dee Snider. Super creepy and scarred me for a while.
13 Tzameri
I think you should leave
Knights of the Zodiac. 0.4/10
Belladonna of Sadness and maybe Angel's Egg.
I've seen weirder obscure experimental non-anime films I've forgotten the titles of. If I remember, I'll add it here.
Cat Soup
Look Who's Back, I decided to watch it when I was 11 years old...
Flux Gourmet definitely got this reaction from me
Annette
Most recently, Triangle Of Sadness
Specific episode of a show: Mad Men's sixth season episode "The Crash." Just a slowly unfolding trip that takes all the surreal elements of the show so much further than they had gone before or since.
Plastic Nee-san
The recent one was this: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crimes_of_the_future_2022
Midsommer
This movie disturbed me for days. What the actual fuck did I watch??
Yeah, I was surprised nobody mentioned it before me. I think part of it is how they ease you into it.
You go from thinking "oh this is some nice cinematography, seems like they'll do some interesting character development" to suddenly realizing... well I'm not even sure how to explain it. It gets weird.
It had a weird fandom as well. All you get to see is a cult easing the protagonists into their cult stuff, but some people were full "yeah, female empowerment!" I mean, I get it, but they basically fell for the cult rethoric.