I’d go with something hard-hitting like Amores Perros. Someone mentioned La Haine, that would be a good choice too.
From my own personal experience, 28 Days Later (as mentioned) and Lost in Translation were big ones for me. Tillsammans or Fucking Amal are also both good choices I’d think, and we’re big for me as well.
But Breathless? Persona??? 2001? I dunno, you don’t want him to never want to watch another “art film” again, right? I like all of those, but even in film school people either fell asleep or they complained after the screening. And this is a 15-year-old mainstream movie watcher? No way, take it easy on him.
Almost Famous or Full Metal Jacket
@Uli.Cain: …it’s a 15-year-old. Full Metal Jacket? Are you serious? If you’re trying to turn him into a suicidal lunatic, perhaps… I do like your mild contrast between Almost Famous and Full Metal Jacket, however. Very clever.
@M.: La Jetée for a fifteen-year-old? I somewhat doubt a fifteen-year-old would like a film composed entirely of stills. I’m with you on Harakiri though, what kid wouldn’t like samurai?
ehhhh, Harakiri though? If we’re going the samurai route, let’s pick something a little more attractive to a teen. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great film, but it’s pretty damn slow.
How about:
Shogun Assassin
Sword of Doom
Yojimbo
Sukiyaki Western Django
“Sukiyaki Western Django”
True, it even has Tarantino in it (opening scene). A bit violent for a kid, though.
oh yeah it is, I’d forgotten
I agree with a criterion gift certificate because it would be extremely hard to judge what kind of films he would fall in love with without knowing his favorite films.
And maybe one day if he’s really good you could buy him a camera! Everyone who loves film loves cameras!
Any early John Carpenter films. Especially, “Big Trouble in Little China.”
The Problem is, I don’t see my brother very often, because he’s living in another town, and we didn’t grow up together (I am 16 years older than him). So it’s difficult to decide, because I don’t know him very good. I can’t get hin a Criterion gift card (I wish I could!), because we are living in Germany… but, thank you everybody for the interesting discussion and all the great suggestions! I have a very long list and will go shopping now! Yippie!
Akira
Alien
Aliens
Annie Hall
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fargo
Fight Club
The Fugitive
Good Morning Vietnam
Grosse Point Blank
High Fidelity
Hot Fuzz
In Bruges
Juno
Kill Bills
Leon: The Professional
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Little Miss Sunshine
Memento
No Country For Old Men
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Prestige
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
The Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
Sin City
Singing in the Rain
Stranger than Fiction
Thank You For Smoking
The Truman Show
The Usual Suspects
V for Vendetta
All of these films I watched and greatly enjoyed at 15, and I believe contributed to my current film tastes.
When I was 15, I was a big fan of BARBARELLA.
La Jetée for a fifteen-year-old? I somewhat doubt a fifteen-year-old would like a film composed entirely of stills. I’m with you on Harakiri though, what kid wouldn’t like samurai?
Yeah I know I know… but it’s linked to a mainstream reference… and it’s science fiction… well maybe is not a good idea… heh.
I second all of this:
Shogun Assassin
Sword of Doom
Yojimbo
what Josh said (except Annie Hall), plus every Tarantino and every Wes Anderson movie ever made (except for Fantastic Mr. Fox which he’ll probably find is beneath his dignity as an almost-adult.)
I’d recommend Sleepy Hollow as well – a bit gory, a bit romantic and very funny in a dark way.
Also, The Unbreakable -classic Shyamalan.
Nothing which is too violent in a real kind of way. La Haine? Really?
Scape – i know that you’ve already said you don’t know your brother that well, but one more suggestion – try to find something that correlates with his general interests.
The movie that won me over was The Exorcist; not only because it was hugely entertaining, but because it addressed (in it’s own sensational way) theology, a subject that I was deeply involved in at the time. The film showed me that a movie could interact with my life in meaningful ways, thus proving that movies could be meaningful art – something that I had not yet given serious thought to. So if part of your goal is to help your brother to think of movies as meaningful art, you should try to find something that connects with his non-movie life.
p.s. – I’m not saying you should get him The Exorcist. But it might not be a bad idea.
you should try and give him a few. Maybe….
Waking Life, They Live, Audition, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Untouchables, The Beyond, The Cube, Donni Darko, Almost Famous, Planet of the Apes(original)
I agree with others who said more information is needed, but since you don’t know your brother well, I’m going approach this with the “typical” fifteen year old boy in mind.
300—Full on testerone movie, but with an artistic sensibility.
The Breakfast Club—I don’t think any other film has addressed the notion of peer pressure, cliques and the individuals behind the cliques as well as this film.
Raising Victor Vargas—does a great job of depicting the fear and vulnerability with teens dealing with their emerging sexulaty. Two other films along the same lines: Fast Times at Ridgmont High and Splendor in the Grass Maybe this might be a little too sensitive for the typical teenage guy, but I’d like to think that’s not the case.
Mask—Peter Bogdonovich’s film. A film that might get him to see the “losers” at school in a different light.
The Wild Bunch—might be a little slow and the action may not be as great, but there’s the code of honor between men and quite a bit of violence
Donnie Darko—I think this is a good one, especially if they like sci-fi/fantasy
I only suggested Contempt and The Silence because of the nudity. A teenage guy will sit through anything if there’s the promise (or hope) of female nudity. (I should know, I am one) The funny thing is afterwards if I hated the film, the nudity did nothing to help me like it and if I loved the film, it had nothing to do with it. But I digress…
I’d also like to second Rushmore. And also something I recently watched, The French Connection. Got that gritty NY 70’s feel, with some good bloody violence, a great car chase, Breathless style editing, foul mouth dialogue and a very engaging story. I think it’s the perfect transition film, and could be followed by things like Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and so on…
The Good The Bad And The Ugly
The Getaway
Dark City directors cut
Metropolis the 2010 cut
Apocalypse Now (not Redux)
Warners Film Noir Volume four (ten films)
The Filthy Lucre
AC/DC Live at Donnington
Where The Green Antas Dream
Psycho
Woodstock
Animal House
Akira
Ghost in the Shell 1
Sonatine
Dimitris Psachos
If Edwin were here (a pretty damn knowledgeable user), he’d prove all otherwise about what a 15-year old loves from cinema.