Guest Curator Dylan Moran selects his SBS On Demand favourites

We invited the Irish comedian and star of 'Stuck' to share his top picks to stream at SBS On Demand.

(L-R) Dylan Moran, Atlanta, Modern Times and Animal Kingdom Source: SBS

Modern Times

"I picked Modern Times because it made me laugh so much. And like all Chaplin movies I think it made me cry as well, because Chaplin just does that. Chaplin is an angel. Chaplin is not like other performers, even of his own era. He's luminous. He's gilded in his own purpose. He's so devoted. He's so in love with the whole process of filmmaking."

Charlie Chaplin's 1936 satirical black comedy features his iconic Little Tramp character as he struggles to survive in the modern industrialised world. He becomes a factory worker, but the world of machines is alien to him. This would be Chaplin's last performance as the character and features many famous comedic sequences including the factory line and getting swallowed by the cogs.

Animal Kingdom

"Animal Kingdom is a great film by any measure. It's an Australian movie. One of the best ones I've ever seen. Unforgettable performances for me, from Ben Mendelsohn and the wonderful mother, Jacki Weaver."

Source: SBS / SBS Movies

This Australian classic crime drama walked away with 10 AFI Awards in 2010 and launched careers for the stars and filmmakers, including earning Jacki Weaver an Oscar nomination. Directed by David Michôd this is a powerful crime drama that tells the story of a tense battle between a criminal family and the police and of the ordinary lives caught in the middle. It even produced a US TV series that ran for 6 seasons.

The Producers (1967)

"I like The Producers because of so many reasons. Anybody who is interested in comedy will love this film. The movie is completely committed to not giving a crap about whatever you think is serious. Watch The Producers, you'll feel better."

Source: SBS / SBS Movies

Written and directed by the great Mel Brooks. Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) is a washed up Broadway producer forced to romance old ladies to finance his plays. When timid accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) is brought in to do his books, he inadvertently reveals to Bialystock that under the right circumstances, a producer could make more money with a flop than a hit. Enter the the worst show ever written -- "Springtime For Hitler".

Withnail & I

"Withnail and I is by itself, is even a phrase. It's a gateway films through which you would explain a lot of other films, and a lot of other references and a lot of other culture to a younger person. It's an essential film. You have to see Withnail and I, to understand the world. To understand, why you feel the way you do."

This cult British comedy follows a couple of destitute young actors living in drunken squalor in 1969, in the twilight days of swinging London. The elegantly wasted Withnail (Grant) is a depraved dandy without money or ambition, while his anxious sidekick is the younger and more impressionable Marwood (McGann). The demented duo drown their minds in booze and pills until finally escaping to the country, staying in the home of wealthy, lecherous Uncle Monty (Griffiths), who later takes a liking to young Marwood.

Atlanta

"I didn't know what it was when I saw it but it was very striking because the writing was very powerful. The performances were great. And you want to know where it's going... you want to know what's going to happen to these people. What's going to happen next?"

Source: SBS / SBS VICELAND

This acclaimed, multiple Golden Globe Award-winning comedy drama created, co-written, produced by and starring musician and actor Donald Glover follows the lives of Earnest 'Earn' Marks (Glover), a young Princeton dropout with a two-year-old daughter, and his rapper cousin Alfred 'Paper Boi' Miles (Brian Tyree Henry), who break into Atlanta's music scene and try to get their lives off the ground. Their opposing views on art, commerce, success and race make their quest anything but smooth-sailing.

Every episode of Atlanta is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Stuck

Dylan Moran and Morgana Robinson star in ‘Stuck’. Source: BBC / Hat Trick for BBC

Dylan Moran and Morgana Robinson star as couple, Dan and Carla, in this short-form UK sitcom (five episodes of 15 minutes each). Their relationship is at a cross-roads: Dan has been made redundant, Carla’s wondering whether there will ever be more to her life, and, after 15 years of marriage, their age gap is highlighting itself as well. Hence, they are both feeling stuck. Then, Maya, Carla’s ex-girlfriend, re-enters the scene, throwing up more challenges. This darkly comic and sometimes surreal sitcom is a breath of fresh air. And we’re always excited to see Moran’s creations, and the man himself, on screen.

Season 1 of Stuck is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Explore DYLAN MORAN GUEST CURATES collection at SBS On Demand.