FILMS RECOMMENDED BY OUR INTERVIEWEES
In this topic, you'll uncover a treasure trove of cinematic gems handpicked by a diverse array of interviewed artists. These films aren't just random selections; they're chosen by individuals deeply immersed in the world of creativity, each with their own unique perspectives and influences. Our interviewed artists hail from various corners of the filmmaking and music industries, offering a rich tapestry of insights and recommendations.
​
As you delve into our curated collection, you'll discover films that have left a profound impact on these artists' creative journeys. Some recommendations may surprise you, introducing you to lesser-known masterpieces waiting to be explored. Others may reaffirm your love for beloved classics, seen through the discerning eyes of those who understand their artistic significance. Whether you're a seasoned cinephile or a casual moviegoer, there's something here for everyone to discover and enjoy.
​
So, grab your popcorn, settle into your favorite viewing spot, and embark on a journey through the cinematic landscape as seen through the eyes of the artists who know it best. Prepare to be enlightened, entertained, and inspired as you uncover the films that have left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of those who create art themselves.
Disclosure: This topic may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.
Prime Video is a benefit of the Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video members can:
-
Enjoy unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows.
-
Watch anywhere, anytime with unlimited access throughout the UK.
-
Download movies and TV to their mobile or tablet to watch offline.
-
Watch Amazon Originals in HDR on living room devices.
-
Watch exclusive hit TV shows not available anywhere else in the UK.
-
Benefit from all the other Amazon Prime benefits, such as unlimited, FREE One-Day Delivery on millions of items, access to over 2 million songs on Amazon Music Prime, unlimited photo storage, Prime Gaming and Prime Reading!
WHAT TO WATCH?
The Machinist
Year 2004
Director Brad Anderson
Recommended by...
Andrew Osei-Karmen
"I would recommend any serious aspiring actor to watch ‘The Machinist’ with my all-time favourite actor Christian Bale. This movie isn’t for everyone, but Christian Bale’s performance in it is a masterclass of screen acting."
​
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
Shutter Island
Year 2010
Director Martin Scorsese
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Year 2011
Director David Fincher
Recommended by...
Heidi Bramwell
"I would recommend watching the Stieg Larsson trilogy of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. There is an American and a Swedish version and I think both are worth a look. They can be very gritty, but from an acting perspective, they can be great for analysis too, as to how they are filmed, with the action scenes and the difference between those and the more graphic scenes. It is a powerful trilogy and definitely worth a watch. I’d recommend reading the books too!"
One Night in Miami...
Year 2020
Director Regina King
Recommended by...
Aaron Joseph Nelson
"That’s tough… There are so many! I think right now would be 'One Night in Miami…', as it was amazing. The stories and complexities of the characters and relationships are just brilliant. You get to see a lot of different archetypes of people trying to navigate the situation.'
Chicago
Year 2002
Director Rob Marshall
Recommended by...
Shaquila Angela Griszell
"I have a lot of favourite movies. But my all-time favourite has to be Chicago starring Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger. OMG, that movie gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! It’s the only musical I would watch again and again. Because the storyline is so intriguing! The acting, singing, choreography was impeccable!"
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Year 2017
Director Martin McDonagh
Recommended by...
Antonia Woodward
"I like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The story is about a mother’s struggle to get justice for her daughter’s rape and murder. Within this serious topic, there are pockets of comedy, which breaks the sadness of the story. It reminds me that no matter what the circumstances are, you can still take a break to laugh at life."
The Girl on the Train
Year 2016
Director Tate Taylor
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
Kramer vs. Kramer
Year 1979
Director Robert Benton
Recommended by...
Sammy Johnston
"Oh my gosh, I could easily make this the longest answer to any of these questions! I will pick one. Kramer v.s Kramer. It’s the most heartfelt movie, and the acting is amazing! I love movies that can make me laugh and cry."
Se7ev
Year 1995
Director David Fincher
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
Bad Times at the El Royale
Year 2018
Director Drew Goddard
Recommended by...
Stephanie Silver
"I watched Bad Times at the El Royale in a flight last year and that film was cracking! It had a bit of everything, it had good characters, a good arc to the narrative, some badass singing and twists. A definite must-see!"
Gone Baby Gone
Year 2007
Director Ben Affleck
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
The Field
Year 1990
Director Jim Sheridan
Recommended by...
Sarah Lafferty
"I love The Field by Jim Sheridan. The screenplay is brilliantly adapted from the original John. B. Keane play and the performances by Richard Harris, Brenda Fricker, Sean Bean and John Hurt are perfect. I particularly love Richard Harris as the Bull McCabe, because despite all the character’s flaws, he is determined to make a better life for his son and to honour his family heritage. In this film, Jim Sheridan captures a core part of the Irish psyche by exploring our ‘love of the land’, while the final scene when the Bull McCabe walks out into the sea to beat back the oncoming waves is beyond heart-wrenching."
Doctor Sleep
Year 2019
Director Jim Sheridan
Recommended by...
Cyran Vergara
"A movie I would suggest watching is definitely Doctor Sleep. It is one of my favourite movies because the cinematography is incredible, and the storyline is way too interesting. When I watched this, I could not turn my head away from the screen because every scene was just so cool to watch!"
Oldboy
Year 2003
Director Park Chan-wook
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
The Muppets
Year 2011
Director James Bobin
Recommended by...
Danny Jackson
"Sometimes you need to take a couple of steps backwards or sideways, in the case of the Muppets. I have always been enchanted with anything absurd or nonsensical, so I bless the day Jim Henson was born and morn the day he died. I think James Bobin (director) manages to keep Jim Henson’s message alive and kicking with this film. Throughout the storyline, there are messages of compassion, humanitarianism, optimism, companionship and faith in menkind or Muppet-kind (sorry couldn’t think of another word for it). All of this and plenty of zany correctors to take you to a place where you can just kick back and laugh at ridiculous jokes “fart shoes, come on!!! Let’s not take life too seriously”."
The Uninvited
Year 2009
Directors Charles Guard, Thomas Guard
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
True Romance
Year 1993
Director Tony Scott
Recommended by...
Algina Lipskis
"True Romance directed by the late Tony Scott, written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary… One of my favourite oldies, this film has the most incredible cast, as for the story itself, well, it’s in the title, it really is one hell of a romance… but not the gooey type… this one suits everyone, it has a bit of everything, it also has one of my favourite actors, Gary Oldman, he plays Drexl Spivey, by far probably the best character he’s played in my eyes."
Mother
Year 2009
Director Bong Joon Ho
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
A Tale of Two Sisters
Year 2003
Director Jee-woon Kim
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
The Peanut Butter Falcon
Year 2003
Directors Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz
Recommended by...
Olivija Arlauskaite
"What a film! I’m all about inclusivity in the industry, and we need a lot more movies like this! There are so many incredible actors with disabilities, but, unfortunately, we cannot see them too often on screen. Time to change this, right?"
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Year 2023
Directors John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Recommended by...
Alexis Mercer
"My go to currently is definitely ‘Dungeons and Dragons’, it’s a great fun adventure film that perfectly captures the experience of playing D&D and is fantastic for those that play D&D and people that have never heard of it. It’s just a great film and amazing adaptation."
The Holy Mountain
Year 1973
Director Alejandro Jodorowsky
Recommended by...
Ousama Larbi
"The Holy Mountain – Jodorowsky. It’s a movie that will test your attention and openness to new ideas. It can be a challenging watch for some people due to its eerie feel and odd pacing, but it’s important to challenge your openness if you want to continue being a creative person."
The Others
Year 2001
Director Alejandro Amenábar
Recommended by...
Wassim Hawat
"I love psychological thrillers because my brain is very stimulated when I’m watching them. I am fascinated by the journeys of the characters. I will mention movies that inspired me to make my psychological thriller. I love Shutter Island, it has so many twists and turns in the story! The Girl on The Train, Se7ev, Gone Baby Gone, The Uninvited, The Machinist, The Others. I also watch Korean thrillers; they are incredible such as Oldboy, A Tale of Two Sisters, Mother. These movies tickle my fantasy, I get excited about characters, makes me watch constantly asking and guessing."
The Eight Mountains
Year 2022
Directors Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch
Recommended by...
Luci Lenox
"There are so many movies that I could recommend but if it has to be just one then I would recommend the last movie I saw that fundamentally changed my view on a personal matter “Eight Mountains” Le Otto Montagne directed by Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch."
​
Poor Things
Year 2023
Director Yorgos Lanthimos
Recommended by...
Monika Valkunaite
"I loved “Poor Things”. The acting was brilliant, the story and the way the film was made show you how far you can go with your imagination and playfulness. I felt like that film was breaking quite a few rules of typical filmmaking. It was bold and daring, and that was exactly what I loved."
​
Network
Year 1976
Director Sidney Lumet
Recommended by...
Tekle Baroti
"I am a huge fan of classics. It’s tough to choose just one to recommend, but I guess the one that comes to mind straight away is “Network”. It’s engrossing, powerful in its message and character portrayals — by the end, I was just shocked. I’ve seen a great deal of films from all over the world, different eras and genres, but nothing stuck with me quite as much as “Network”."
