Everyone knows that smoking your favorite strain and watching a movie pairs as well as butter on popcorn. A good film engulfs you, elicits emotion and laughter, and endears you to meticulously crafted characters and stories. Add a little cannabis to a good film and you can delve one level deeper.
Many people have suggested countless flicks to get stoned to, usually adding nothing new to the long list of usual suspects like Pineapple Express or Super Troopers. Here, however, are some offbeat, visually compelling films you may not have thought about smoking to that could benefit from some euphoric flower in your pipe.
Twice Upon a Time
Until its long overdue DVD release in 2015, this George Lucas-produced film was nearly impossible to find. It features Ralph, the All Purpose Animal, Mumford the Mime, and a robot gorilla drawn with an animation style that can best be described as Monty Python in watercolor. This is a must-see for anyone who wants to treat their eyes to something that is truly unique.
Paprika
A brilliant doctor with an insatiable appetite designs a device that allows users to enter others’ dreams. His associate, under the code name “Paprika,” acts as a dream detective, helping psychiatric patients through trauma and pain. If this plot sounds familiar, just remember that Inception was released 4.5 years later.
Several well-known anime films could fit on this list, but while many may know about Akira or Spirited Away, Satoshi Kon’s 2005 masterpiece is one of the most visually stunning love letters to cinema and surrealism.
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
Comprised of thousands of clips and cuts from about 500 other movies, Final Cut tells the simple, timeless story of the classic romance: Boy meets girl, Boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Unfortunately, this film has never been released on video, but it will frequently pop up at film festivals around the country and is not hard to find when using the power of the internet.
Watch the (hard to find) trailer here.
Brazil
Bureaucracy can be fun through Terry Gilliam’s eyes! Brazil defined the director’s unique style, and its colorful depiction of a dystopian future still dazzles. Directors have since emulated Gilliam’s unique vision, and you’ll see Brazil‘s influence in movies from Tim Burton’s Batman to the disaster that was Jupiter Ascending.
The Forbidden Zone
This film has everything. Songs, nudity, portals, black people in black-face, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, the guy from Fantasy Island who shouts “Da plane, da plane!”, and a sentient frog-man wearing spandex.
The 5th Element
Arguably Bruce Willis’ best non-Die Hard film, The Fifth Element is space in technicolor. Most of the effects have aged very well, and the bright colors whizzing past throughout the film make this a great treat. Pick up an eighth of Space Queen (or, well, 5th Element) and a multi-pass because this movie is still hot HOT HOT HOT!
Zardoz
This movie features one of the lamest “twist” endings ever put on film, plus Sean Connery wearing this:
Obviously, this goes in the “eye candy” category.
Header image courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Zardoz courtesy of 20th Century Fox
For the Cinephiles
Samuel Borgen is a sales manager for Leafly. His passion for weird films is only rivaled by his love for the Seattle Mariners.
View Sam Borgen's articlesThe latest in Lifestyle
Show all
By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from Leafly and you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.