Weird Movie Suggestions for my 12-year-old Daughter

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I’ve really had a hard time coming up with decent suggestions…

I’ve started and deleted this post off and on for days now.

Here’s what I’ve thought of, that could be a good fit? (Some are old enough for them to likely be ‘weird’ to a 12-year old just from the retro-future / retro sci-fi aspect?)

Time Bandits
The original BBC HHGTTG series (yeah, not technically a movie, but… )
Tron (It’s a great movie, it really is, but… it’s also pretty weird to revisit it years later)
The Last Star Fighter (ditto)
Little Shop of Horrors
Groundhog Day
The 5th Element (May skew a bit too old for her, or not? I haven’t watched recently enough to say for sure)
Pretty much any Gamera movie, but, I’m pretty sure you’ve already shown her those :wink:
Hackers (again, may be a bit too old for her, but… it’s got plenty of weird bad tech stuff stuffed into it?)
The Twilight Zone Movie
Howard the Duck
Joe vs. the Volcano

I’m sure there’s great weird movies somewhere on my shelf that I’m neglecting to think of/mention… I’ll try to dig through them at some point soon…

Edit - added a couple that I forgot to copy/paste from a note I had on my phone
Edit 2- How about the original Planet of the Apes Movies???
Edit 3 - Lawnmower Man?

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Also not a movie, but maybe The Addams Family TV series (I’m not a fan of the movies, but I love love love the TV show)

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I have tried to get her to watch Planet of the Apes forever. Her middle name is even Nova (because of Linda Harrison’s character- but don’t tell my wife).

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I wonder if “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” may scratch the weird itch more?

Maybe a double feature with “Time of the Apes” (MST3K version, of course)

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As I said before, she’s not a fan of riffing, so she wouldn’t enjoy the MST3K version. And unriffed- who would want to watch it?

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True, forgot that part, sorry.

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One that I’d recommend would be The Neverending Story. My parents didn’ t let me watch a lot of live-action as a kid, but for some reason they let me watch this one.

And after watching it on Criterion Blu-Ray a few days ago, I also feel The Adventures of Baron Munchausen would be good too (she might get a kick out of Sally bossing around the Baron when he starts going off-track).

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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai?

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Hmmm, Koyaanisqatsi? But start after that boring cave intro

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Have you shown her the old Super Mario Bros movie? Or are you saving that for a punishment? :stuck_out_tongue:

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She saw it a few years ago and talks about it every now and then.

We watched Edward Scissorhands last night, which she really enjoyed.

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Has she seen Pee Wee’s Big Adventure?

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Woof. I see I got to this thread late, a lot of my suggestions have already come up, and a few have even been vetoed. I don’t know how much faith I have in my surviving list, but… I’m gonna give 'em a shot anyway, see if anything sticks.

The Point – A young boy named Oblio lives in a land where everyone has a point, right on top of their heads. But he was born without a point, and he has to find one. Based on, and featuring music from, the Harry Nilsson album of the same name. I feel like I’m already off to a weak start recommending an animated film, but maybe it’s obscure enough that it’s gone under her radar?

The Men Who Stare At Goats – The story of the US Military’s secret program to research psychic powers at the height of the Cold War. Based on a plausible story.

Galaxy Quest – Yeah, maybe too niche, I feel like this one’s a love letter to nerd culture and Trekkies in particular, but if there’s any chance that that describes her…?

Mirrormask – A spiritual successor to Labyrinth, ultimately doesn’t hit the same heights as the original, but it does create a weird little world to explore.

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny – Jack Black and Kyle Gass in the fictional story of the creation of their band, Tenacious D. They’re on a quest to find a legendary guitar pick that was fashioned from the tooth of a demon. It’s not everyone’s kind of humor, but I love it.

An American Werewolf in London – Starting to get to the bottom of the barrel here. I do love this movie – the dissonance between the comedy and the horror really fascinates me – but there’s a lot of nudity, maybe save this one for a couple years.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters – Suggested mostly for the absurdity, the structurelessness of it. It does for Aqua Teen Hunger Force what most Cartoon: The Movie style features do for their respective series, but through a filter of completely upended expectations.

And, I dunno. The Fantastic Mr. Fox? Hoodwinked? Both animated, probably not obscure enough to be missed, but both are little oddballs that are near to my heart.

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The Ringo Starr version is on YouTube and we watched it a couple of years ago. I don’t love it, but I enjoy it. She liked it well enough, but she’s never mentioned it again.

I didn’t care for it much, but then the book is so much better.

Yeah, I think it’s too niche.

Yeah, it’s ok. I might do that. Others have suggested it. I don’t know how much I want to watch it again.

I find Tenacious D to be really annoying. Gonna skip that one.

Too scary for her.

I hate that meatball’s voice. I can’t watch it.

Not seen either, but she’s not big on CG animated movies. She likes traditional animation.

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I’m sure you’ve seen this, but just in case - Lilo and Stitch

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Definitely. Although none of the sequels. I don’t usually bother with Disney sequels.

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I can count the amount of good ones on one hand.

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Tonight, if we’re watching a movie tonight, will likely be Mars Attacks!

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The stop motion adaptation of James and the Giant Peach is delightfully strange.

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