'Magical' films for grown ups

[Lord Camomile]

This time of year if a film isn't outright about Christmas there's a good chance it'll have a magic/fantasy element. Case in point, I've just flicked from The Spiderwick Chronicles to (the fifth?) Harry Potter.

Obviously if a film is made well, adults can also enjoy a film that was primarily aimed at kids, but it got me thinking about what films there are that have the same 'magical' quality but are aimed at adults.

All my initial thoughts were of films that are probably more dark fantasy than magical.

Is magic and wonder just something you grow out of?

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Witches of Eastwick is a tedious chickflick operating in a universe where magic works. So there's an example.

 

[Lord Camomile]

It's got magic in, but it's not really magical in the same way the kids films are, is it? I mean, I haven't actually seen it, but it's certainly not the impression I got.

Edward Scissorhands might be something approaching what I mean. It doesn't have magic in it and obviously has its dark moments, but there's also a certain sense of fantastical wonder to it. And snow.

 

[Lord Camomile]

The LotR/Hobbit films would be an obvious shout I guess. They're more family films than films for adults, but they're clearly not aimed solely at kids.

 

[spanglechick]

Amelie?

 

[spanglechick]

Pan's Labyrinth.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Spirited Away? or My Neighbour Totoro?

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Being John Malkovich?

 

[Lord Camomile]

Amelie?

Aha, yes, that's more like it! That reminds me of a lot of other films that don't really match up to Amelie; I suppose there's a danger of it rapidly becoming twee.

Pan's Labyrinth.

Dark fantasy. Though does put me in a mind to watch it again

Spirited Away? or My Neighbour Totoro?

Yeah, Ghibli in general I think (not all of them, obviously, but a large portion).

Life of Pi?

 

[Glitter]

Stardust.

It's magical.

 

[strung out]

Stardust.

It's magical.

I came on just to suggest this.

 

[Fez909]

Big Fish
Be Kind Rewind
Science of Sleep

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Ernest Saves Christmas.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Big Fish
Be Kind Rewind

Ooh, good shouts.

Princess Diaries Bride? Again, feels like one for both kids and adults.

I'm rubbish at this

 

[DotCommunist]

The Matrix

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Ooh, good shouts.

Princess Diaries? Again, feels like one for both kids and adults.

I'm rubbish at this

The Dark Crystal

 

[not-bono-ever]

Pee Wees big adventure ( remmber, its Tim Burton & Danny elfman behinf the wheels of this)

 

[Cid]

Ooh, good shouts.

Princess Diaries? Again, feels like one for both kids and adults.

I'm rubbish at this

Are you sure you don't mean the Princess bride?

 

[Lord Camomile]

Are you sure you don't mean the Princess bride?

I'm really rubbish at this

 

[Cid]

I'm really rubbish at this

Didn't you do film studies or something?

 

[Cheesypoof]

White Christmas....packed with jazz standards, brilliant script. Yeh she gets the wrong end of the stick but its not schmaltzy. Amazing film

 

[Lord Camomile]

Didn't you do film studies or something?

I have half a 2:2 in Film Studies

In my defence, it was more an extended typo than genuinely thinking that was the title, like calling your teacher "mum".

 

[Cid]

Yeah, sure. Half a 2:2 in film studies was all I needed to know tbh.

 

[Cid]

There should probably be a wink smiley there, but I frown on the wink smiley.

 

[uk benzo]

City of the Lost Children

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Be Kind Rewind

What magical stuff happens in that? Struggling to remember the ending...

 

[Ich bin ein Mod]

What magical stuff happens in that? Struggling to remember the ending...

Jack Black becoming magnetised and wiping all the tapes?

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Jack Black becoming magnetised and wiping all the tapes?

That's not really magical, it's just movie physics. Doesn't something odd happen at the end, with jazz musicians? Or am I getting it confused with something else...

 

[Ich bin ein Mod]

That's not really magical, it's just movie physics. Doesn't something odd happen at the end, with jazz musicians? Or am I getting it confused with something else...

They make a film about jazz musicians but nothing particularly odd that I can remember

 

[AverageJoe]

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.
Constantine