Required viewing and reading.

[Cargando]

Discworld, all of it.

The Day of the Triffids.

Every Kubrick movie except 2001: Space Odyssey, I think most people can skip that one, also Monty Python and Fawlty Towers (Best comedy EVARZ).

I can see why A Clockwork Orange would be there, but I don't get the rest of these suggestions. What education about or warning of mistakes, deceptions or delusions and their consequences are in them? If you'd said Web, I couldn't argue because I saw the little article in BBC Wildlife about the little tropical island where ... well, read the book.

Day of the Triffids, I said because it opens your eyes to what people will do when they become desperate etc. Also it's got some stuff about how we will inevitably destroy ourselves which could be applied to now.

 

[Shoqiyqa]

Actually, giving it more thought, I do remember one scene in the book that's very appropriate, so thankyou.

You remember the railway station scene, when the girl offers to help find someone's husband?

That film was a travesty. They almost always are.

 

[Sneaklemming]

World War Z

 

[Shoqiyqa]

I just thought of one to add: The Wave.


Creepy.

 

[Shoqiyqa]

I would say Robert Rankin's books, Tom Holt's books, the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy (that is, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and an unreleased sci-fi one), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Again, why?

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

The Dune saga- all of it, even especially his sons work.

The Hyperion saga- Find it. Read it.

 

[Jumping_Over_Fences]

For reading: To Kill a MockingBird. Not a riveting read, but it presents alot of ideas.

To quote Homer Simpson: Books are useless! I only ever read one book, "To Kill A Mockingbird" and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin... but what good does that do me?

Now to get on topic:

Slaughterhouse-Five
Mother Night
...actually anything by Kurt Vonnegut really

The Zombie Survival Guide (because you never know)

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Eraserhead... because everyone interprets it in a different way and it's really an exercise of the mind.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

Viewing: Taxi Driver, Once Upon a Time in America, Bad Lieutenant, For a Few Dollars More, The Godfather I and II, Platoon, Waltz With Bashir.

Just a few off of the top of my head.

 

[Ironic]

Yanked from elsewhere: movies to see and books to read. This isn't about awesome movies, great special effects, tributes to artists who died tragically young, sex scenes or landscapes, nor about who told the story first. This is what people should have to read or watch before they can be trusted with public office ... or something very much like that.

Suggestions so far:

A Bridge Too Far
All Quiet On The Western Front
Amen
Apocalypse Now
Betrayed
Blackadder Goes Forth
Das Boot
Enemy At The Gates
Hamburger Hill
Heart of Darkness
Johnny Got His Gun
Missing
Paths Of Glory
Schindler's List
Soldaat van Oranje (Soldier of Orange)
The Confession
The Constant Gardener
Z

Your suggestions, please!

Viewing & Reading

District 9
Crash
The Pianist
Donnie Darko
Taken
Children of Men
Memento
EVIL DEAD 1 & 2 (just to laugh)
Letters from Iwo Jima
1984

Also, pretty much everything everyone has said above^

 

[molester jester]

Scrap V For Vendetta, try Children Of Men which is kinda the same thing, but for adults.

I am guessing you are talking about the movie and not the book, but I don't really see how either are like V for Vendetta.

The underlying themes are identical. Children Of Men just does a far better job of exploring them. Children Of Men makes V For Vendetta look like exactly what it is - a film based on a comic book.

So just because it's a comic book it is less meaningful ?. i would suggest you try reading these books rather than base this of the films

 

[BonsaiK]

Scrap V For Vendetta, try Children Of Men which is kinda the same thing, but for adults.

I am guessing you are talking about the movie and not the book, but I don't really see how either are like V for Vendetta.

The underlying themes are identical. Children Of Men just does a far better job of exploring them. Children Of Men makes V For Vendetta look like exactly what it is - a film based on a comic book.

So just because it's a comic book it is less meaningful ?

No, it's just less meaningful because it's less meaningful.

 

[The Cake Is A Lie]

Viewing:
The Usual Suspects
Star Wars (The Original Trilogy)
Samurai 7
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Battle Royale
After-Life
Last Exile

Reading:
Battle Royale,
Dragonlance: Chronicles
Catcher In The Rye

 

[molester jester]

Scrap V For Vendetta, try Children Of Men which is kinda the same thing, but for adults.

I am guessing you are talking about the movie and not the book, but I don't really see how either are like V for Vendetta.

The underlying themes are identical. Children Of Men just does a far better job of exploring them. Children Of Men makes V For Vendetta look like exactly what it is - a film based on a comic book.

So just because it's a comic book it is less meaningful ?

No, it's just less meaningful because it's less meaningful.

Touché but your entire post read like you have only watched the films, plus you seemed very dismissive of it being a comic book.

 

[NBSRDan]

I wouldn't say 'required for government positions', but there are some books and movies that should be read/seen by literally everyone.

Viewing:

12 Angry Men
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Shawshank Redemption

Reading:

1984
Animal Farm

 

[BonsaiK]

Scrap V For Vendetta, try Children Of Men which is kinda the same thing, but for adults.

I am guessing you are talking about the movie and not the book, but I don't really see how either are like V for Vendetta.

The underlying themes are identical. Children Of Men just does a far better job of exploring them. Children Of Men makes V For Vendetta look like exactly what it is - a film based on a comic book.

So just because it's a comic book it is less meaningful ?

No, it's just less meaningful because it's less meaningful.

Touché but your entire post read like you have only watched the films, plus you seemed very dismissive of it being a comic book.

You're making not one but two assumptions there.

I repeat, V For Vendetta just isn't as good as Children Of Men. Period. Fullstop. The characters aren't as well fleshed-out or interesting, the story is relatively predictable, and the underlyring themes, while identical, are explored without as much depth (SOME, yes, but not as much). V For Vendetta is certainly not a bad film and is great for teenagers but anyone with a more adult type of brain is going to find some parts of it juvenile and will find Children Of Men to be a superior film.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

The Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. A little known book series that takes an interesting view at the terraforming of Mars and the ramifications of doing so. The only downside is some near impenetrable science and psychology theory.

 

[molester jester]

Scrap V For Vendetta, try Children Of Men which is kinda the same thing, but for adults.

I am guessing you are talking about the movie and not the book, but I don't really see how either are like V for Vendetta.

The underlying themes are identical. Children Of Men just does a far better job of exploring them. Children Of Men makes V For Vendetta look like exactly what it is - a film based on a comic book.

So just because it's a comic book it is less meaningful ?

No, it's just less meaningful because it's less meaningful.

Touché but your entire post read like you have only watched the films, plus you seemed very dismissive of it being a comic book.

You're making not one but two assumptions there.

I repeat, V For Vendetta just isn't as good as Children Of Men. Period. Fullstop. The characters aren't as well fleshed-out or interesting, the story is relatively predictable, and the underlyring themes, while identical, are explored without as much depth (SOME, yes, but not as much). V For Vendetta is certainly not a bad film and is great for teenagers but anyone with a more adult type of brain is going to find some parts of it juvenile and will find Children Of Men to be a superior film.

OK condescending tone aside i was talking about the books yet you keep reverting the argument back to the films, my opinions of both films is relatively low i felt Children Of Men was handled badly and suffered from poor acting on Clive Owen's part. I was not that keen on the V for Vendetta movie either as they completely changed V and Evey's characters. Yet i still don't think you could really call V for Vendetta a child's book.

 

[the_dancy_vagrant]

Reading

-Slaughterhouse 5

-Enemy Mine/The Tomorrow Testament/The Last Enemy

-Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency & The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul

-Discworld books right up until Monstrous Regiment. It's sad that Terry is sick but his books have been getting worse and worse since that one, which was a huge step down from the previous ones.

-Generation Kill

That's all that springs right to mind.

 

[Thaius]

There is a lot of good stuff here, so I'll just add the first book that comes to mind:

The Giver

Maybe if more politicians read that book America's gradual transformation into the book's society would be more evident...