Ultimate DVDs for Parties?

Adore333 asks: "I'm hosting a party on new year's eve and was thinking of playing some DVDs in the background (party music over the original soundtrack). I've chosen Trinity and Beyond and Microcosmos as the movies. Even though its likely a bit too late for New Year's Eve, I'd like to hear what media other Slashdot readers would suggest. The films should have great emphasis on visual expression and it would be nice if they were enjoyable as movies as well (like Trinity and Microcosmos). So, what's your ultimate party DVD?"

Comments

Porn

[Idealius]

Conquest with Jenna Jameson.

Re:Porn

[slaker]

I think she did better work in "Blue Movie".

Her new stuff with Justin Sterling is just... not very good.

If you're going for acceptable background fucking I think the Tera Patrick "Island Fever" movies are OK. Good photography, decent music (for porn) and it's all straight M/F sex.

If you're going to actually WATCH a movie, I'd say something funny. Simon Wolfe's Naughty Bedtime Stories or Ron Jeremy's or kitschier work.

Duh!

[floamy]

Don't mod me down, but we just had a party here with mostly guys and we went with Girls Gone Wild. Also some action movie with lots of explosions always works.

Re:Duh!

[Molina the Bofh]

Simply put, he's a geek, and you're not. You don't belong to Slashdot. Get out.

Re:Duh!

[Wolfrider]

--How... Tasteless.

--Honestly, I *really* don't see the big deal about GGW. Strictly low-class operation, the execs even got into some legal trouble a while back (possibly underage "models" in the shoots, I don't recall.)

In the Shadow of the Sun

[eak_the_freak]

Derek Jarman's In the Shadow of the Sun is absolutely great.

Anything

[Anonymous Coward]

slow and Russian, like Tarkovsky.

Classics!

[Anonymous Coward]

maybe it's just me... this is my fav....

Latex

Or maybe it's the parties I have?

The Qatsi Trilogy

[eak_the_freak]

Evidently, any of the Qatsi trilogy films are beyond comparison as background visuals.

Re:The Qatsi Trilogy

[slaker]

I think Naqoyqatsi isn't on the same level as the first two. It's not Glass's best work, for one thing, and those movies are as much Glass as Reggio. Koyaanisqatsi is best for the score but Powaqqatsi is probably better visually.

For the uninitiated too lazy to click on a link, the "Qatsi" movies are a visual tour of man's effect on Earth. If you're watching it from the corner of your eye, you'll miss a lot of the impact of the films.

Re:The Qatsi Trilogy

[cei]

It's a matter of taste. Personally, I feel the Powaqqatsi score is more mature than Koyannisqatsi. In particular, I appreciate the development of the "Anthem" throughout the course of the film, and how its complexity grows with the technologies shown.

Re:The Qatsi Trilogy

[asjk]

wow, you know you're among g33ks when you are the last to make this suggestion. not only that but there is a whole separate discussion on this.

I've been geeked. or out-geeked or sumtin.

the 'quatsi trilogy

[Mr.Coffee]

There's a film called koyannisquatsi (koy-on-ees-cot-see), otherwise titled "life out of balance" which is a good film to show in the background, with or without the original soundtrack. it's the first in a trilogy. the latest one , nagoyquatsi (sp?) is available at most blockbusters.
other than that, im a big fan of invader zim, it syncs up to music really well.

Re:the 'quatsi trilogy

[maihadi]

I'm not sure if it is too much for the new year or not but it is an amazing and profound movie. I remember seeing it on laser disc back in college and I walked away feeling a bit more enlightened.

Baraka

[Malfourmed]

Baraka

Re:Baraka

[Anonymous Coward]

Only if you're ripped out of your mind on ecstasy though...

good times, good times...

the wizard of oz

[Mr.Coffee]

I'm sure you've all heard of this,but if you obtain a copy of the wizard of oz, and a copy of dark side of the moon, and start the album with the lion's roar on the mgm logo, the movie and album sync up perfectly. slighty, ot, but i have done this at parties to rave reviews. does anybody know of any other interesting combinations?

Re:the wizard of oz

[Anonymous Coward]

I have heard of this. Does it have to be done with the album or will a CD work? I would like to try sometime.

Re:the wizard of oz

[YrWrstNtmr]

the CD works better, because you don't have to flip it in the middle. Or, look for "Dark Side of the Rainbow" on your P2P of choice.
And yes, it rocks.

Re:the wizard of oz

[bersl2]

Supposedly, this also works with Wish You Were Here and Blade Runner.

Re:the wizard of oz

[mcmonkey]

The buzz was to start the CD at the second roar of the MGM lion, but that depends on how long it takes for your player to get going. A jukebox or cd-rom generally take longer to get up to speed than a stand-alone single-disk player.

Now-a-days, the word is to pause the CD at 0:00 and start with the third roar.

Re:the wizard of oz

[jfisherwa]

If you keep an eye out, you can actually find this on the Internet with a second audio track built-in -- you guessed it, Dark Side of the Moon. ;)

some selections, not all dvd.

[dTaylorSingletary]

For DVDs with music:

Talking Heads Stop Making Sense

DJ Q-Bert Wave Twisters

For movies in general, dvd or not.

#1 all-time best party movie:
Pippi in the South Seas (no foolin!)

Voltron (goes with any music)

Kiss Meets the Phantom - Need I say more?

And then, calm it all down with Bjork's Volumen.

Re:some selections, not all dvd.

[Wolfrider]

o Talking Heads ROCKS

o Pippi Longstocking - haven't seen the movie but I LOVED the book when I was a kid

o +1 Voltron reference -- I used to watch the show growing up, and actually made (from scratch) a text-based game on a TI-99/4A 'way back in the day where you could type "FORM BLAZING SWORD" - it was an interactive adventure. Man I wish I still had the source code for that... Lost to time I guess, it was stored on cassette tape.

--Dude, that 1 post alone was almost enough to put you on my Friends list from sheer nostalgia. :)

Underworld - Everythign Everything

[szyzyg]

This is a fantastic live CD, and it has a second angle which is basically trippy visuals to go along with the music - they look perfectly good with any decent uptempo music. Not so geeky though.

Being a DJ I'm working on making a Demo video to complement my usual demo CD's - early days yet - maybe I'll have something one day....

Re:Underworld - Everythign Everything

[cathouse]

Jim Steinman, whowas the [only] talent behind MEATLOAF did the music for STREETS OF FIRE [in DVD now with better quality sound than the LP, CD, OR the orig Theater Dolby ] did an album entitled BAD FOR GOOD [lyrics--"you think that I'll be bad foor just a little while, but I know that I'll be bad for good!" and " There's nuthin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby, but we should be goin' nowhere FAST!" just as a sample]which I regard as [read the qualifications to follow before concluding that I'm the worst head-up-ass#####ever to waste valuable breathing air]
I am of the considered opinion that this album BAD FOR GOOD is the best American ROCK&ROLL album , taken as a whole, ever released on a major label.That doesn't mean, best songs, or anything except just what I said, OK? With the bonus tracks this is 68 minutes of totaly perfect tight ultimate .........any name I could use would beinadequate. WHATEVER DARK DOC FOOTAGE, THE QUATSI'S NAME IT THIS IS THE SOUNDTRACK FOR IT FOR ANYONE PAST 30 WITHANY FEELING FOR TWENTIETH CENTURY R&R AND AN AMERICAN SOUL.
tHE ABOVE IS NOT MEANT AS fLAMEBAIT
If I say that The STRAYCATS released the best PARTY 'TILL YOU PUKE KICK SOME SERIOUS ASS NONSTOP UNRELENTLESS PERFECT DRIVINGROCK AND ROLL ALBUM EVER, now that might be Flamebait.

When I add that the LP had thebest jacket art ever, that's not meant as FB either, but I'm not quite prepared to argue the matter.

Re:Underworld - Everythign Everything

[cathouse]

Sorry for the horrible typing and worse layout--I think most of my brain is wandering around somewhere near the solstice.

wow

[Siniset]

so you guys are here too? I figure anyone with some good ideas would probably be out right now celebrating the new year. Unless you're not from the US that is...have a happy new year everybody, i'll get back to my all too exciting job of coding in the new year.

Re:wow

[szyzyg]

I'm packing my record bag to go play a gig in 2 hours..... some of us have work to do tonight!

None of you have MOD points

[netfool]

because everyone else is out celebrating THE NEW YEAR! And I'm uhh, on my way out...

AniMusic

[arrow]

AniMusic. Not much of a plot, but it will impress the hell out of your party goers.

Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert

[km790816]

Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert

Amazing energy, if you're into DMB.

demo dvd

[termos]

Definitly the demo dvd (mindcandy).

It features PC demos from 1993 to today. For definition of what a demo is check here

assorted arty dvds

[quiddity]

wavetwisters the movie.

bang the machine (officialsite missing?) (fileplanet trailer)

random fun from jlist (anime and art films and more)

random fun from giant robot

Koyaanisqatsi (1983)

Fantasia (1940)

Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)

Re:assorted arty dvds

[slaker]

Why not Fantasia 2000, especially if you've got a HT setup that does DTS?
"The Firebird" (the last piece in the movie) makes a fantastic demonstration of what a home theater setup can do.

The recent remake of "Solaris" is cool, too. The production design and cinematography on that movie is breathtaking, and the Cliff Martinez score is remarkable. The movie itself is so low-key that it's very easy to step away from; there just isn't that much to see besides the cool visuals (and George Clooney's ass, if you're into that sort of thing).

OK, some non-artsy choice:
If all you have are geeks: Monty Python. It must be said. Holy Grail, Life of Brian, whatever. A roomfull of fans and the fun is in watching with the sound off, to see who remembers the most lines.

If your party is a bunch of alienated, socially awkward geeks who might actually sit down and watch a movie instead of talking at a party, I'd suggest "Ghost World". We are all Seymour.

Or maybe Aronofsky's "pi", which is visually very stark and distinct, and has a cool plot involving math(!) and an interesting score.

Horny Guys? Midget porno.

Re:assorted arty dvds

[YomikoReadman]

If all you have are geeks: Monty Python. It must be said. Holy Grail, Life of Brian, whatever. A roomfull of fans and the fun is in watching with the sound off, to see who remembers the most lines.

This works even without geeks. Each line you remember is one drink, and if you can do the whole scene, you down your glass.

!Matrix

[shfted!]

I would have recommend a perennial favourite, The Matrix, but the sequels ruined it. Sigh :(

Something's clearly wrong

[Carmelia]

1- This article was also posted here weeks ago (ok, we all know /. loves dupes)

2- The article is posted 1h45 minutes before midnight, when no shop is open, and too late for online delivery.

"nice to look at" movies

[wrinkledshirt]

Akira
The Wall (Pink Floyd)
Baraka
Microcosmos
Matrix
Porn
Stop-mo tion films like A Nightmare Before Christmas
Ultimate Fighting or Kickboxing

Also, really really dumb action or cheesy old sci-fi movies are ideal for this situation, because you don't have to listen to the crappy dialogue.

One or two

[identity0]

It's a bit too late now, but oh well....

I would suggest NIN: And all that could have been concert video, as NIN rocks and they use some interesting visuals.

Also, the Rolling Stones Four Flicks DVD is good, though it doesn't have as many songs as one would expect from 4 DVDs(There are repeats on the discs, from different performances).

Scene It?

[bigjoeystud]

Have you heard of this one? Its called Scene It? It seems like it might be fun. I haven't tried it, but one of my friends was looking for it as a Christmas gift and it was sold out everywhere.

Classic

[Oopsz]

Pink Floyd's The Wall

Equillibrium

[JonnyRo88]

Have you seen equillibrium? That movie has some great action shots while sticking to a very relevant plot about the prices people are willing to pay to make society work, and the consequences of those decisions.

This movie has something called gunkata, which is sort of a martial arts around guns. You'll like it, trust me. This is the first movie since the first Matrix (not sure which came out first) to spark my interest to that level. Terminator 3 was nice, but having watched Matrix and Equillibrium it was not as powerful.

Re:Equillibrium

[Wolfrider]

--Equilibrium was a great, underrated movie. Recommended for everyone who liked the original Matrix.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/

--Sean Bean's almost-cameo performance was a pleasant surprise after seeing him as the villain in Goldeneye, and then as Boromir in LOTR. Nothing wrong with his previous work, but it was a definite departure from his "usual" characters.

Re:Equillibrium

[Dr. Evil]

I've seen the movie, and while I'm not a martial artist, I used to do a bit.

Kata are used in the martial arts to build reflexes. The only practical point I could ever discern about them beyond that was that in a sparring match (or fight, if you're so-minded), you'll have it well-ingrained in your mind particular collections of patterns of attack, countermoves etc. I mean, they'll be in your muscle-memory, you won't have to think about it, just react. The downside of course being that if you're slow or not well practiced, you'll become predictable and poor execution will make you vulnerable

I was laughing at the gun kata because in the movie, they said they applied some statistics about gun fights and created a martial art around it. In my mind, it's not implausible, but what it really boils down to is something like:

"Ok, shoot here, then bend, twist, roll left and target his ankle."

"But master, he's open if I roll right"

"That's right, but the strength, precision and radius of the average shoulderblade will give you a 60% lower chance of being hit by rolling left. It may decrease your odds to hit him, but it is a statistically prudent manuver. Do not question the sacred gun kata."

"So you mean that the sound of my previous gunshot will just barely be registering with his nervous system, and he'll either jump or fall. If he falls, I'll be able to strike a lethal blow because I'm targeting the path of his fall... which will be where my mind sees his anlke?"

"No foolish student, it is a statistical fact, we trouble ourselves not with the matter of 'Why?'. A casino plays these games and will always win. Why should gun fights be any different?"

On the other hand, what's with the police gun training for stances, yells and steps?

Re:Equillibrium

[JonnyRo88]

I agree, it is a tiny bit silly. But it is definately enjoyable to watch. I think this is why they spent so little time explaining gunkata, because they knew that the viewer was going to have to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. It was not all that hard to do, as the movie had several other strengths in plot and overall meaning. Especially good for those that liked Orwell's 1984 or A.H.'s "Brave New World"

Re:Equillibrium

[Dr. Evil]

Oh I agree, it's a great movie, very good acting all around and a neat premise.

I've heard it dismissed as a an "Orwellian knock-off", but really, it is as original as it will get, Orwell got his ideas from somewhere didn't he?. If you haven't read 1984 or Brave New World, you'd probably walk out thinking that the movie is sheer genius, despite the cheezy gun kata and big-boss ending :-)

Re:Equillibrium

[Anonymous Coward]

was one of the worst movie's I've ever seen.

If you've read "1984", "Brave New World", and "Fahrenheit 451"-- or even if you have a basic understanding of their plots, you will have a difficult time finishing this movie.

The weirdest thing...

[doublebackslash]

I threw a party for my roomates birthday. Loads of fun and liquor. Had my server spin tunes from a playlist, etc. Some people were looing at my movies, somehow Finding Nemo was picked.
Now, I think that this is the trick, I could be wrong, but I turned on the subtitles so that we could read the movie when we couldn't hear it.
By the time Dorry and Marlin were with the sharks I had 20+ drunks sitting still, quitetly watching Finding Nemo!!!! Weirdest thing I EVER saw.
Anecdote asside, turn on closed captioning, more will watch, cause they can read what they can't hear. Unless its just porn, then just turn it up. Either way ;)

Strongbad!

[breon.halling]

I recommend the collected works of Strongbad. I've converted most of 'em to MPGs > VCD (they're SFWs initially). Fun for the whole family!

Re:Strongbad!

[CHICK543]

Hey is there anyway I could get an iso from you? Thanks

the way things go

[oskillator]

This is mostly good for engineer types, but this is slashdot...

The Way Things Go is a half hour recording of the performance of a rube goldberg machine. All sorts of physical and chemical reactions happening in a row. You may have seen the Honda "Cog" advertisement that ripped it off.

If you have the right mindset, it's riveting from beginning to end.

Re:the way things go

[skotte]

oh! I've seen this! it was in a sort of collection, so we really had no idea what it was or how long it would last. if you arent expecting it, the thing you notice most is how incredibly fFunny it is. it goes on and on and on .... seemingly without end or purpose, smashing things, breaking things, burning things -- damned impressive, i can tell you.

it's a tiny tiny bit repetitious in a couple places, due to the choice of plastic bags and tiny a number of times. and, at the risk of destroying the illusion, it isnt a continuous 28 minute shoot: it breaks every now and then to change reels and all (5 times perhaps?). but it's really well done, and *could* last 28 minutes.

definitely a winner. now, good luck acquiring a copy..... i've never seen or heard of it since my one viewing.

Re:the way things go

[elemental23]

good luck acquiring a copy

No luck is needed, Amazon has it for under $20.

Re:Tasteless

[Wolfrider]

--BTW, here are some links:

"For Francis, this legal trouble is in addition to the 22 counts of racketeering, drugs and other illegal activities he has been charged with in Panama City, Florida.5 If convicted, he faces a possible 30 years in prison. Police raided a condo rented by Mantra this past April and seized 175 hours of footage from spring break parties. Parents have complained that their underage daughters were told to say they were over 18 on camera, and prosecutors say the footage contains alleged minors performing sex acts." == http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA493.html

"These videos are known for what the girls reveal to the camera, but the makers of "Girls Gone Wild" are being sued for what they didn't reveal to their customers. The marketers of Girls Gone Wild videos and DVDs are in trouble with the law again. But this time it's not over the video's content, but how it's distributed. "The problem here is consumers buy one tape and find that they're signed up for a tape of the month club and find that they never authorized and they never knew about it," said Howard Beales of the Federal Trade Commission." == http://www.kirotv.com/weblinks/2712304/detail.html

Fantastic Planet

[jabberjaw]

Great movie, very "trippy" to be blunt. Yet be warned, if you are not the artsy type, I am afraid you might fully enjoy the movie. The entire picture is actually an allagory to the USSR's occupation of Czechoslovakia in the 1960's. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Any of these:

[blankmange]

How about Mystery Science Theater 3000 here

Your guests could either listen to the dialogue or the background images of cheesy sci-fi movies would set the 'geek' tone for your party...

GD Movie

[gr8fulnded]

It depends on your tastes, but the Grateful Dead Movie is good for visual stimulation. Keep in mind that it was originally released in the mid-70's, though don't let that stop you. It can be pretty trippy to watch, especially during the opening scenes.

GD Movie *disclaimer: yes, I'm a deadhead.

My List

[Anonymous Coward]

If I have a party, I try to put something on that will be entertaining but not distracting as people are here to party, not to watch TV. This is a list of films that do this will. Music videos are pretty common.

Daft Punk - 5555
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
Beastie Boys - Video Anthology
Dark Side of the Rainbow
Radiohead - Making friends is easy
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Freeze

Dark side of the rainbow

[bergeron76]

I'm partial to the Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" time synced with The Wizard of Oz video. I believe it's called "Dark Side of the Rainbow".

It's pretty wild how the audio matches the video.

I guess it really depends on what drugs will be present at your party...

Internet Archive! & etc.

[Anonymous Coward]

a good idea would be to burn some old stuff from the moving picture archives at archive.org and play some good ambient music, like Boards of Canada. I was amazed at how wierdly in sync some of it was, and I was sober.

also, Winged Migration might be an interesting dvd to play at parties

Story of Riki

[Satai]

The Story of Riki! Gore, gore, gore! And funny!

Remember back when Kilborn hosted the Daily Show, and every time he interviewed somebody he'd play that clip of the dude getting his head smashed and it looking like a watermelon being hit with a baseball bat? It comes from this movie!

Try it out sometime. Good stuff.

Re:Story of Riki

[Anonymous Coward]

this was the first movie I watched in 2004, and I laughed my ass off from start to finish.

i'm a total snob about movies but this is one film that I prefer dubbed to subtitled, because it adds an extra oomph to the utterly brutal ridiculousness of the film.

also, the english subtitles and the dub track are 95% different. Same general jist, but all the names and phrases used are different, and this is a gag that rarely gets old.

Porn for the insane

[Anonymous Coward]

For grown-up parties, try to track down "The Operation," a porn flick filmed in IR (so you only see body heat) on an operating table in one of those medical ampitheater things. It's pretty insane.

ANIMUSIC

[LazloHollyfeld]

The ANIMUSIC DVD is incredible.

Bumfights

[Anonymous Coward]

Amusing fights and zero social value. Perfect.

Two words...

[Anonymous Coward]

AEON FLUX

C'mon, Really!

[Anonymous Coward]

How could you leave out Scarface? A classic, brilliantly conceived look at the dark side of the American dream. If, for whatever reason, you havent seen it, do so immediately!

JKX

[Anonymous Coward]

Jamie Kennedy Experiment Season 1 DVD. Did this at X-mas. It's great for parties cause it's funny enough for anyone to enjoy and the skits are only about 5 minutes long, people can come and go, talk and carry on, there's no plot to miss, you don't have to pay attention. Collectively, the season is long enough to carry most of the way through a party. It worked out well for me.

Fritz Lang's "Metropolis"

[ThinkingGuy]

I used to work at a bar that played music, and also played videos on monitors around the bar. They had problems with customers wanting to listen to the soundtrack of the movie instead of the DJ's music. The solution they came up with: play silent movies, so those who wanted to could still follow the movie. My bar played Charlie Chaplin films, but for a party situation I think "Metropolis" would be a good choice, if just for the interesting imagery and cinematography.

Koroshiya Ichi

[Spider[DAC]]

( Ichi the Killer )

Blood, gore, and sadistic violence, sets a very different mood if you can laugh about that sort of thing. (I guess it depends on your company.. ;)

Porn Worked Well

[grantdh]

I was DJ'ing at two different parties here on New Year's Day (from about 3am to 6am and around 10am to 1pm at the next). In both cases they were showing hardcore porn continuously on the various video screens around the place.

Could just be an indication of the types of parties I spin at, but it sure seemed to help people get into the swing of things.... :)

A great movie(s)

[annisette]

ZARDOZ is great, i swear one of the actors looks like Paul McCarthy, not that I care but he does. THIS QUIET EARTH is another one, great ending.THE FITH ELEMENT isnt to bad, good effects a little too much bruce hollywood.Hot babe if you like the skiny ones.

Shockingly...

[chaoticset]

...I had very good luck at my house playing the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Volume One, surprisingly. Also just letting Adult Swim's NYE party run produced some chuckles.

It won't make any difference

[Anonymous Coward]

Based on your selections, it is a safe bet no one will be attending, as you have no friends.

Donnie Darko

[G Samsonoff]

Donnie Darko - you won't regret it...

Re:Donnie Darko

[keyshawn632]

While this is seriously my favourite movie, I don't think it would be a good movie @ parties, as most wouldnt even understand a good part of it without intently watching it, with sound.

And back to the smurfettes....:D

I'm being absolutely serious when I say this

[Gay Nigger]

Show Gay Niggers From Outer Space. You will not regret it.

A little late, but still interesting

[Mark Pitman]

How about Alice? It is a strange adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. I haven't seen it in years, but I remember it being pretty bizarre to look at.

Re:Porn (CALIGULA)

[Anonymous Coward]

Better movie: Caligula.

I consider Jenna part of the darkest ages of porn. well, maybe overstating it. Jenna's like a really nice painting of a car... she looks the part, but doesn't do shit. She's useless.

Lots of porn stars ages ago and today since Jenna's decline (finally) have worked a LOT harder.

My wife loves porn, but we're both convinced that cowardly studios like Vivid are holding porn back from mainstream: people want high production values -- 35mm film makes a difference as do a professional crew.

What turns many otherwise-open-to-porn chicks away is the overly exaggered Barbie doll features of plastic-enhanced Vivid girls. Sure, the boobs look good UNTIL THEY MOVE. Nice scars and nice wobble. Yuck. No wonder some women feel that porn exploits some women, and it can be bad for self esteem.

Sorry to rant. I hate Jenna. Never any chemistry except for that one GG scene in that fire movie.

Asia rocks. So does Bella Donna. They work hard, and genuinely seem to have chemistry with their partners. Asia in particular is DREAMY, and smart!

Spartacus!

[Dagrush]

Spartacus. I watched it at a party a little while ago. There's also a Rage Against the Machine concert DVD out as well.

How can you forget...

[NeoMoose]

Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness? The holy trilogy is perfect for all occasions.

Re:Tasteless

[Dick Faze]

...All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?