Badmovies.org Forum

Conspiracy Theory was on basic cable yesterday and a few days before I rewatched Manchurian Candidate with Frank Sinatra.

Obviously, Manchurian Candidate is at the top of the heap, but I guess I like a lot of weaker conspiracy movies too. I'm kinda on a conspiracy kick and am looking for others to see.

Off the top of my head I quickly think of:

Chinatown
Conspiracy Theory (so-so plot, but some very cool depictions of control)
X-Files movie
Arlington Road (love it)
Dr. Strangelove
(I hate any movie versions of Ludlum books)

More please!

Well, there's alwasy the sci-fi versions like "The Matrix" and "Dark City"...

I saw Dark City when it came out (ten years?), that would be a good one to see again.

I never got around to seeing the final Matrix, I only have immediate access to the full screen version. I'll wait for widescreen.

others that come to mind:
Eyes Wide Shut (want to see again)
Rosemary's Baby (and other Polanski movies)

H.P.,

I must agree about Arlington Road.  That is one of the finest forgotten flicks from the 90s.

I'd also have to throw A Clockwork Orange into the mix.

How about:

* THE PARALLAX VIEW
* THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
* INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
* SEVEN DAYS IN MAY
* SOYLENT GREEN

I also added: Ninth Gate (Polanski) and The Odessa File (w/John Voight).

How about a list of "documentaries" also? I started a list below the regular list.

Conspiracy movies:

(No Ludlum-based movies with Matt Damon please!)
Arlington Road (love it - really captures paranoia)
Chinatown
Conspiracy Theory (so-so plot, but Mel locks his fridge AND the containers inside)
Dark City
Dr. Strangelove
Eyes Wide Shut (want to see again)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Manchurian Candidate
Matrix trilogy
Ninth Gate
The Odessa File
Parallax View
Rosemary's Baby
Seven Days in May
Soylent Green
X-Files movie

"Documentary" movies:

Conspiracy of Silence (notorious - no where on imdb - http://www.vote.org/silence/)
Farenheit 9/11
Paradise Lost I and II



Post Edited (06-07-05 11:46)

The conspiracy scene in Slacker

Is that where the strange woman is talking on the sidewalk? I can't remember, it's been a long time.

Big favorite here is "Boys From Brazil" with Gregory Peck.

 On a similar Nazi-note, the blissfully bizarre Xmas horror, "Elves", with Dan Haggerty has an insane conspiracy plot to it.

Probably my favorite has to be the retina-ruining independent film "Tribulation 99", by Craig Baldwin.  His "Spectres of the Spectrum" is also packed with multiple conspiracy-theories.

There's another oddity called "Alternative 3".  It's a British movie with secret agandas galore.

nah it's where the guy is going on and on about the moon landing

Also the scene where the guy is talking about his book on the JFK assassination

All the films mentioned are good (havn't seen eithier Mancurian Canidate yet, but plan to sometime this year).

The best of the latest ones are in my opinion CONSPIRACY THEORY and ARLINGTON ROAD. Both good films.

Burgomaster mentions the best one though with SEVEN DAYS IN MAY. This film is really good starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. Just saw it last year. Surprised you don't see it aired on TV



Post Edited (06-08-05 00:33)

Given the recent clamour over the 'Deepthroat' revelations, it might be interesting to dust-off that old `76 flick with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, "All the President's Men"...

Scott,

I recommend picking up the Sinatra version of Manchurian Candidate up immediatly.  I had never seen either version until I recieved both for Christmas this year on DVD.  The new version is trash while the Sinatra version is absolutely amazing.  Really a film that you should see.

I'm really surprised you haven't seen Manchurian Candidate yet. I won't say anything about it that will spoil it for you. It's a great film on all levels. And the conspiracy is extremely alive and well today.

Skaboi and h.p. Love I'll try to see the original MANCURIAN CANDIDATE soon and wait for cable for the newer version. Thanks.



Post Edited (06-08-05 10:18)

Marathon Man - I guess you could call it a conspiracy with Dustin Hoffman trying to figure out  who killed his brother and why(and who to trust). Olivier is great as the evil Nazi dentist (If you're scared already of dentists you should skip the dental drill torture scene).

For a comedy conspiracy there is The President's Analyst . It is one of my favorites.
(http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/249457.1020.A.jpg)

h.p. Love mentioned "The Odessa File". I nearly forgot this movie inspite i really enjoyed it very much when I saw it some years ago. Yes, this is a great (in my opinion the best) conspiracy-related movie.

Ozzymandias is spot on.  Also Winter Kills, Chinatown, Three Days of the Condor (definately), Capricorn 1, Barracuda...

OK, those last two aren't the 'best' conspiracy movies.

try the Parallax View, marathon man, the odessa file, & JFK (classic IMO).

Beaten to some good selections, but I'll second some favorites, and mention some others:

The President's Analyst - I've always liked this one better than the Derek Flint films. So funny and smart. See the scene in the field, and my favorite line from the restuarant, "Ha! I'm not crazy, they're all spies!" and what brings it on and follows it. The looks of confused terror and paranoia on Coburn's face are priceless. I love how they weren't allowed to even use the initials CIA and FBI, according to Coburn, and they had to change them. Even the FBR agents' physical appearance was meant as a dig at Hoover and the Feds.

Parallax View - Threw me the first time I saw all of it. The montage scene has to be seen to be believed, kudos to the people who put it together.

Winter Kills - one of the few times a film I heard about for years met every expectation when I finally saw it. I've mentioned this one lots of times here since I bought the Anchor Bay DVD a few years ago. I've probably watched it more times than any other disc I've bought. I usually call the film a conspiracy theorist's wet dream of a movie. Great, huge cast of character actors and faded stars who still had some chops left, plus a few foreign stars (Toshiro Mifune, Tomas Milian) and a surprise or two. Richard Boone, John Huston, and Anthony Perkins are great, and I wish Sterling Hayden had more to do since he was a hoot. Watch the extras about the making of the film. That story itself would make a hell of a great Hollywood satire.

Seven Days in May
Three Days of the Condor  
The Manchurian Candidate - Only seen the original but what a great film and book.

Seconds - Rock Hudson trying very hard to get an Oscar and John Frankenhiemer (he did conspiracy flicks very well notice how many of his films we've mentioned) when he was still at the top of his game in the 60s. Was a huge failure when first released, but it was appreciated in Europe and some film scholars championed it. Well worth seeking out since not that hard to find now. Best watched the first time knowing as little as possible going in.

So far no one has mentioned "Executive Action" from the early 70s starring Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan (in his last film), and Will Geer. All were liberals who made this film about right wingers being behind the JFK assassination. Not a great film, but an interesting curiosity and companion piece to "JFK" since they cover much of the same ground, some shots even look like Stone copied them from this film.

Also how about:
FIght Club
The Game
The Crimson Rivers - the plot is sheer pulp, but the film is still fun.

I forgot:

They Live - John Carpenter's dig at, or satire of aliens/yuppies/Reaganomics/consumerism/TV/Pop culture/machismo all wrapped up with a nice conspiracy bow and one of the best macho lines in movie history (you know the one).

The Conversation

The Formula - not that great a film, Brando is the only good thing in it.

Brass Target - Interesting idea and good cast goes nowhere.

Day of the Jackal (1973) - inspired broadly by the OAS in France's real attempts to overthrow or assassinate De Gaulle. One of my favorites.

I'm surprised to see how many people liked the film of "The Odessa File". I loved the book but never cared for the movie that much.

Sorry, I seem to have a lot of energy to burn this morning.

good mention for 3 Days of the Condor, and yes the Parallax View is definitely a film that's way ahead of it's time, even if very low budget. thanks for reminding me but i forgot to mention All the President's Men. great film, great director, and a good film to see considering the current events.

anyone remember the name of the movie where a chocolate factory had an accident where someone fell in the vat and it produced yummy irresistable chocolate? So they conspired to keep secretly murdering people by tossing them in to make big profits on their candy.   Yeah - that's my nomination ;-)



Post Edited (06-10-05 21:37)

yes i believe it went by the title "charlie and the evil syndiate chocolate factory," correct?

Well one has to wonder what ever became of the fat german boy. ;-)

But seriously, this movie was like 70's or early 80's

I remember hearing about some film with a set up like that years ago, but the title escapes me. And the only thing I can think of in the ballpark to that is the Brit comedy "Eat the Rich" but there was no candy factory in that one.

Was either a member of Monty Python involved in the movie or did George Harrison and Handmade Pictures  produce it, the film I'm thinking of may have had a connection to those people.

What?! 27 replies, and no one has yet mentioned that "sleeper hit" from 1998, that everyone seems to like, "Enemy of the State."

Yaddo - i'm scouring google as we speak trying to find the title.

and i oddly find it on this site which lists several movies involving cannibalism Cannibal Movies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibal)

scroll toward bottom

Apparently it's called "Black and Blue: Secrets", aka "Secrets" which came from a very short lived series called "Ripping Yarns". it states it was a BBC play, but surely they don't mean an on-stage play? I totally remember it being movie like a movie or tv show, so i'm assuming "play" may have a different meaning in the UK.

 It says the original videotape was wiped by the bbc (destroyed) IMDB shows nothing on this and it's impossible to locate any pics or info! I found a few sites that says it has been unseen since 1973 and restored on a dvd but i was born in 1974 and i know for a fact i saw it on tv at some time in the late 80's to early 90's...which got me to wondering if maybe someone did a remake of it in some fashion.

I wish i could find pics or something. I have this vivid memory of housewives and people gobbling up this chocolate with an unholy feverishness and grocery store shelves emptying of this candy

"CONSUMING PASSIONS" - on-screen adaptation of the play i guess. Now i wish i could see the original

Susan wrote:

> "CONSUMING PASSIONS" - on-screen adaptation of the play i
> guess. Now i wish i could see the original
>

You beat me to the answer.  I have a copy of the movie on my bookshelf.  Says here "Based on a play by MICHAEL PALIN and TERRY JONES".  Whoever heard of those guys, eh?  I haven't seen the film in over ten years, but I remember liking it.

I can't believe nobody's mentioned CAPITOL CONSPIRACY (http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?movieid=20685308&trkid=181036) starring the always brilliant Don "The Dragon" Wilson!  (Okay, I haven't actually seen the movie.  I found it by typing "conspiracy" into Netflix.)

Also, PI may not be a bona fide conspiracy movie, but it could probably fit in quite well with the rest.

People liked "Enemy of the State"? I thought it was just part that weird phase in the late 90s when people went to see anything with the names Will Smith or Jerry Bruckheimer attached to it, so it made money, but people completely forgot afterwards. Then they bought it on DVD to have something cool for their new home theater system and it gathered dust after they watched it maybe once.

Here's a conspiracy to be destroyed: the whole Don Simpson/Bruckheimer/Michael Bay/Tony Scott/Will Smith daisy chain of mostly big money making films that are totally forgettable.

Can we consider the Star Wars prequels conspiracy films or just a very roundabout coup d'etat by Palpatine/Sidious? Finall saw Ep 3 tonight, so it came to mind.