It’s not a big stretch to say that George Miller has earned the title of ‘visionary director’. Those wide shots of the sand storms in Mad Max: Fury Road still gives me goosebumps. While we wait for his next Mad Max adventure, he has turned in what looks to be a fun visual treat with Three Thousand Years Of Longing. The fun stories and quirky interactions between Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba are going to be a great time at the theater. Until then, let’s look at some movies like Three Thousand Years Of Longing to hold you off until it hits the big screen.
Three single women wish for the perfect man to come into their lives only to have that wish granted. He arrives in their small town and begins to seduce them. When they realize they are being pulled into a deal with the devil, both metaphorically and in reality. This was directed by George Miller as well so it’s easy to see the similarities between the two films. The A-List cast with Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon, and Jack Nicholson make this a great watch. The chemistry between all the characters is great and it’s just a fun watch. Miller seems to like making movies like Three Thousand Years of Longing and this is one to watch if that’s what you’re looking for.
Jeff Bridges as a radio DJ who is lost in life? Robin Williams as a crazy homeless guy who may actually be the sanest of all of us? Yes please. After an errant comment makes one of his callers go on a murder spree, Lucas (Bridges) begins to spiral. He meets Parry (Williams) and after hearing his story decides to help him win the woman of his dreams. He thinks this may lead not only to his redemption but his way back to his old life.
Parry suffers from hallucinations about ‘the Fisher King’ and Lucas has to decipher what all this means to help Parry. Great performances and a great role that lets Williams go all out with his crazy, over-the-top, personality. It’s a great fit for everyone involved including director Terry Gilliam. He is known for some ‘out there’ ideas that mesh well with the stories he brings to the screen.
This one fits right in on the wishes theme. Bedazzled is an often-overlooked comedy with Brendan Frasier and Elizabeth Hurley. Fraiser plays Elliot, an awkward IT adviser who has a crush on one of his co-workers. He says that he wishes she was in his life and along comes a beautiful woman played by Elizabeth Hurley. She claims to be the Devil and offers him seven wishes to help him. All she wants is his soul. Each wish he makes is technically correct but of course, comes with some devilish strings attached. The movie is a lot of fun and Frasier’s comedic charm really gets to shine.
Tim Burton brought to life this heartwarming tale of a father telling his son about his incredible life as the last few days of his life begin to slip away. All his life Will has felt separated from his father who was a traveling salesman. He would tell Will all the fantastical things that happened to him while he was gone. Eventually, he takes these as made-up stories to explain his long absences but starts to hate his father. As they talk and reminisce in his final days Will begins to see that the stories may in fact be real. The visuals in the film are breathtaking and Ewan McGregor as the young father in the stories is fantastic in the role. A fun storytelling film that will make even the hardened film watcher shed some tears.
Aaron Eckhart stars as Zach, a psychiatrist who leaves a prestigious job to take a position at a privately owned mental institution. What he doesn’t tell anyone is that his father had spent many years there as a patient. During his time there he went on to write a children’s book called Neverwas about a magical kingdom and the heroes that lived there.
The more time Zack spends at the institution he begins to delve deeper into what happened to his father while he was there. It makes him start to question if Neverwas was just a story. This film has an amazing cast but no one seems to have heard of it. Led by Aaron Eckhart it also stars Nick Nolte, Ian McKellen, Brittany Murphy, William Hurt, Alan Cumming, Vera Farmiga, and Jessica Lange. If you’re looking for movies like Three Thousand Years Of Longing then it’s one you should for sure check out.
Based on the Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the tale of Sir Gawain as he takes on the emerald figure. After besting the knight he is told he has one year before the knight shall return to once again test the man’s character. Gawain is then tested as he travels to meet up with the knight once again. The story is fantastic and the visuals from David Lowery are breathtaking. Does your fate control you or do you control your fate? A fantastic watch and a high recommend. The fantastical visuals make it a movie like Three Thousand Years Of Longing and hopefully, we’ll see more like it in the future.