Movies everyone should have or have seen.

[RobertR]

"The General"

 

You know, I just watched that for the first time about 2 weeks ago, and even though I absolutely love Buster Keaton and his movies, I just didn't laugh very much at it. Sure, it was a masterpiece of film--I'll give it that. But the comedic values just didn't do it for me, short of a couple of chuckles. "The Cameraman" does it for me every time, though; although I think this is because it is the Keaton film that I first watched and "fell in love with" when I was in college.

I don't necessarily disagree that "The General" isn't Keaton's funniest. But, the stunts are flat out amazing. Which makes it a must see in my list. (For that matter I think The Gold Rush is funnier than City Lights.) And, certainly, if you have watched many silents it's on the short list.

 

I probably also should have put The Exorcist on the horror short list. Probably The Sixth Sense as well.

 

Robert

[logan82]

Is the original "Star Wars" a true must-see? Last year I agreed to watch "Slumdog Millionaire" in exchange for having a friend watch "Star Wars." She thought it was the stupidest movie she's ever seen. Obviously not a sci-fi fan, though.

If she has watched Titanic she is obviously wrong.

[Schlitz001]

I tried to make a list, but it just ended up being my favorite movies. I like all of the recommendations though. I'll have to check some out.

 

I didn't want to start a new thread, but Black Swan

absolutely belongs in this topic. Saw it yesterday, and whoa.

Mindbending, intense, gritty, and incredible. If Portman doesn't win

the Best Actress Oscar, something's wrong. She was amazing.

Not to get off topic, but I just saw the preview for this

movie. I'm intrigued by the glowing reviews and Natalie Portman, but

I'm afraid of the ballet. How heavy is this movie in actual dancing? I

don't know anything about ballet and I don't really have an interest in

it.

[TooLiveBrew]

The dancing is a peripheral part of the story, basically. It's there, but you don't have to have any kind of appreciation for ballet to enjoy the movie imo. I've never even seen Swan Lake performed, as ashamed as I am to admit that.

 

 

TL;DR -- Black Swan contains Swan Lake spoilers! Omg!

 

 

Last year I agreed to watch "Slumdog Millionaire" in exchange for having

a friend watch "Star Wars." She thought it was the stupidest movie

she's ever seen.

 

Yeah!? Well your friend is stupid!

[GAME05]

hating Star Wars is like hating sunshine and the Care Bears and skipping work to see a baseball game.

 

Robert, though i agree with you that Gold Rush is funnier than City Lights, i personally put City Lights ahead on the must-see list if only for it's beautiful ending, which is #2 on my personal list of best all-time movie endings (after Kubrick's Paths of Glory).

[RobertR]

Robert, though i agree with you that Gold Rush is funnier than City Lights, i personally put City Lights ahead on the must-see list if only for it's beautiful ending, which is #2 on my personal list of best all-time movie endings (after Kubrick's Paths of Glory).

 

I agree completely, which is why I put City Lights on my "essentials" list. Especially in regards to that great ending.

 

While I'm at it, I'll throw out another genre list of what I'd expect someone who says "I'm a fan of xx movies" to at least be familiar with.

 

Essential Thrillers

M

The Third Man

North by Northwest

Rear Window

The Manchurian Candidate

Jaws

The Silence of the Lambs

 

Obviously nothing really obscure there, but that's not the point.

 

Robert

[The Mexican Weez]

A couple of comments, since Robert is the resident movie expert so I'd like to pick his brain http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif I bolded some of my additions.

 

Science Fiction

The Thing from Another World - Never saw this one in it's entirety, but I loved The Thing. I might check it out

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - I assume you're speaking of the original, I remember seeing the remake when I was a young child, and it freaked me out with Spock, man-headed Dog, and the Donald Sutherland Scream at the end, but other than that I don't remember it much, might try to watch both

Forbidden Planet

2001: A Space Odyssey - Essential!

Star Wars - Original Pre1997 version

Alien - I'd actually put Aliens in here before Alien, since I consider Alien to be a horror movie (We'll Aliens is an action movie too, so there you go!)

The Empire Strikes Back - My favorite

Blade Runner - Yes!

Robocop - I saw this when I was 11 or so and I don't remember it being a great movie, but come to think of it, it had 2 of the most memorable scenes in it: When the Robot Machine blew up the conference room and when the Vat of acid turned the bad dude into a mutant and a car ran into him and disintegrated him... Awesome, I'll have to check it out again and see it though the eyes of a 35 yo now

The Matrix - Simply revolutionary

 

Some other additions I would like to submit:

Wrath of Khan - Mainly because of Ricardo Montalban, but also because it is definitely a geek cultural touchstone

Children of Men - Well done futuristic movie about hopelessness

Sunshine - Actually not an "essential" and there are some stupid plot points (esp at the end) but a simply beautiful movie.

The Terminator/Terminator 2 - These are also essentials

 

Horror

Cat People - I checked IMDB before I posted, it seems you are referrring to a 1940's movie, I thought you were talking about the 80's flick which was the most boring thing in the world, but then again I was 11 when I saw it and all I remember is some sweaty people in a New Orleans zoo. I never saw the original.

Scream - I think this should be added to the essentials for this category

The Shining - One of my favorites

Poltergeist - I saw this again as an adult, and it's still scary, and it has a lot of biting satire that I totally missed when I was 8 and saw it the first time.

 

War

Inglorious Basterds - My pick for best picture last year (I didn't see Hurt Locker yet but saw most the rest, I'd imagine if its better it probably should be here too)

Also Thanks for not putting the Thin Red Line in this category. I simply don't get what the big deal is with that movie. Arthouse war movie maybe, but maybe I need to see the full 6hr cut to get it, but on second thought... nah

[TooLiveBrew]

I wouldn't put The Hurt Locker on a war movies list. I was very underwhelmed by it. Way too much 'cowboy' element to the lead character; completely ruined any sense of realism imo. I had really high expectations for the movie, and it just isn't as good as it's hyped to be.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Science Fiction

The Thing from Another World

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Forbidden Planet

2001: A Space Odyssey

Star Wars

Alien

The Empire Strikes Back

Blade Runner

Robocop

The Matrix

Day the Earth Stood Still called to see what was up.

[RobertR]

A couple of clarifications/thoughts.

 

1. Yes I'm referring to the original versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Cat People. Cat People probably isn't in the public consciousness as much of some others, but the Lewton/Tourneur aesthetic forms an important part of horror filmmaking even to today.

 

2. It's well worth watching Robocop as a social satire in addition to an action film. American consumerism (in regards to gas guzzlers), television sitcom catch phrases, corporate greed and irresponsibility, and privatization are all targets for the film. Yeah, we don't have cyborgs and robots, but Robocop is still pretty spot on in regards to predicting the future.

 

3. I thought about Aliens, but in the end regarded it more successful as an action-adventure film than as a science fiction film. Alien works as horror, but it also works at creating an alien world and life form with a unique life cycle. Aliens kind of turns the creatures into space ants which I think undercuts it as a science-fiction film. YMMV of course. I'd agree that Terminator / Terminator 2 are well worth considering.

 

4. Wrath of Khan is well worth including due to Star Trek's influence on pop culture and science fiction. Forbidden Planet covers it to an extent as kind of proto-Star Trek, but I wouldn't argue against the inclusion of Khan.

 

5. I kind of think that Children of Men is just not popular/influential enough to merit inclusion as an essential, terrific as it is. Same with Sunshine. Back to the Future as sf-comedy seems like it has a stronger case.

 

6. I agree with the inclusion of Poltergeist, bringing the ghost story to modern suburbia, and The Shining. I like Scream, but I think you have to be familiar with many of the conventions of the genre before you can truly enjoy its meta-spin. In addition to The Exorcist, which I mentioned up topic, I kind of think The Thing, Evil Dead II, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre among others, the original The Haunting for instance, deserve consideration, but those are more hard core/cult than the mainstream essentials I mentioned prior.

 

7. It's probably too soon for serious discussion of Inglorious Basterds and The Hurt Locker. Or True Grit in relation to westerns. Maybe you could include Black Swan in the conversation of "Essential Ballet Films" but in general I think you need time.

 

8. I think calling The Thin Red Line "arthouse war film" is exactly correct. Which cuts both ways as to how essential it is. It's certainly not a typical example of the genre.

 

Robert

[RobertR]

Science Fiction

The Thing from Another World

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Forbidden Planet

2001: A Space Odyssey

Star Wars

Alien

The Empire Strikes Back

Blade Runner

Robocop

The Matrix

Day the Earth Stood Still called to see what was up.

 

Brain cramp on my part. Absolutely essential.

 

Robert

[The Mexican Weez]

A couple of clarifications/thoughts.

 

1. Yes I'm referring to the original versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Cat People. Cat People probably isn't in the public consciousness as much of some others, but the Lewton/Tourneur aesthetic forms an important part of horror filmmaking even to today.

 

2. It's well worth watching Robocop as a social satire in addition to an action film. American consumerism (in regards to gas guzzlers), television sitcom catch phrases, corporate greed and irresponsibility, and privatization are all targets for the film. Yeah, we don't have cyborgs and robots, but Robocop is still pretty spot on in regards to predicting the future. This actually was my point on Poltergeist and I kind of remember the fortelling of a run-down detroit, now I will make it a point to check out!

 

3. I thought about Aliens, but in the end regarded it more successful as an action-adventure film than as a science fiction film. Alien works as horror, but it also works at creating an alien world and life form with a unique life cycle. Aliens kind of turns the creatures into space ants which I think undercuts it as a science-fiction film. YMMV of course. I'd agree that Terminator / Terminator 2 are well worth considering. Definitely see your point. I think there is a lot of cross genre flicks that live comfortably in both environments, same thing with The Thing.

 

4. Wrath of Khan is well worth including due to Star Trek's influence on pop culture and science fiction. Forbidden Planet covers it to an extent as kind of proto-Star Trek, but I wouldn't argue against the inclusion of Khan. One other thing to consider... I wonder what you think about the legacy of a movie like The Voyage Home. It isn't what I would consider essential Sci-Fi, but it was definitely the most "Mainstream" of the Trek movies whereas "Khan" is def an integral part of Sci-Fi cannon and culture if not as widely known and loved.

 

5. I kind of think that Children of Men is just not popular/influential enough to merit inclusion as an essential, terrific as it is. Same with Sunshine. Good Points, I agree though I still love to have them living there in the Sci-Fi Cannon. Back to the Future as sf-comedy seems like it has a stronger case. Also I forgot about BTTF, another crossover Sci-Fi/Comedy film

 

6. I agree with the inclusion of Poltergeist, bringing the ghost story to modern suburbia, and The Shining. I like Scream, but I think you have to be familiar with many of the conventions of the genre before you can truly enjoy its meta-spin. In addition to The Exorcist, which I mentioned up topic, I kind of think The Thing, Evil Dead II, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre among others, the original The Haunting for instance, deserve consideration, but those are more hard core/cult than the mainstream essentials I mentioned prior. What I like about Scream is the fact that it really plays with the "rules" of the Genre with a huge slathering of irony well before irony was hip and in

 

7. It's probably too soon for serious discussion of Inglorious Basterds and The Hurt Locker. Or True Grit in relation to westerns. Maybe you could include Black Swan in the conversation of "Essential Ballet Films" but in general I think you need time.Yeah, I mean you could look at a movie like Pulp Fiction which has lost some replay impact over time, not because of the movie itself (which is one of my all time favorites) but because of the lame knock-offs and Tarantino copycats that dilute the orginals style. Is it too soon to discuss No Country for Old Men in Westerns?

 

8. I think calling The Thin Red Line "arthouse war film" is exactly correct. Which cuts both ways as to how essential it is. It's certainly not a typical example of the genre. I think of a movie I saw in the early 90's called Boiling Point with Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, and a pre-LOTR Viggo Mortenson as a movie that was supposed to be a heist/action movie, but really at heart is a relationship movie, really throws off the viewer unless you are expecting it. Perhaps that is why I just was jarred watchin TTRL.

 

Robert

Thanks for the comments!

[GAME05]

i just mentioned it, but Paths of Glory, for me, is an essential if only because it's so heavily political, which i haven't really seen in any other war movie. and the ending with the German girl--how can you not tear up at that? it's probably for a separate thread, but a friend and i used to email during work our High Fidelity-inspired Top 5 lists such as "Best car chase" or "best date movie."

 

Robert, for a lot of the same reasons that you include RoboCop in your list, wouldn't you also then want to include Modern Times and/or Metropolis?

 

I'm also going to put a vote in for Nosferatu on the Horror list. hard not to include the beginnings of such a popular character--though Werner Herzog's version is definitely my favourite of the bunch.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Let me chime in with my own war flicks since I'm really demanding in that category....

 

WAR

Steel Helmet
Big Red One
A Walk in the Sun

The Hunt for Red October
Cross of Iron
The Cruel Sea

Thunderbolt
Army of Shadows

 

Tempted to throw Starship Troopers in there as the best Post 9/11 movie filmed BEFORE 9/11.

That flick gets better every time I watch it.

[DHonks]

Stripes

Animal House

Fletch

Blues Brothers

Men at Work

Hot Shots

Real Men

[The Mexican Weez]

Let me chime in with my own war flicks since I'm really demanding in that category....

 

WAR

Tempted to throw Starship Troopers in there as the best Post 9/11 movie filmed BEFORE 9/11.

That flick gets better every time I watch it.

I also love Starship Troopers too for the same reason you mention.

 

Also for war movie, how can we forget Das Boot?

[homer]

I would throw Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day into the war movie category. The former for being the first movie to truly depict what D Day was like and the second for some really ground breaking cinematography.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Also for war movie, how can we forget Das Boot?

Good one, like Big Red One you need the long 3+ hr version 'tho.

 

I would throw

Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day into the war movie category. The

former for being the first movie to truly depict what D Day was like

and the second for some really ground breaking cinematography.

The rest of Saving Private Ryan negates the beach IMO. And it only depicts one tiny section of the beach that day. Big Red One has an excellent sequence on Omaha, if not as bloody, and was directed by a dude who was actually there. The Longest Day suffers the same problems as A Bridge Too Far, the stunt casting and scope often loses the viewer. John Wayne as Vandervoort was particularly egregious.

[GAME05]

Edgar Diaz, i was going to say the same thing about Private Ryan. the opening scene is amazing, but nothing else in the movie stood out to me from any other war movie at all. a decent movie all in all, but i've never really found it special.

 

Das Boot is such an excellent movie and really does such an excellent job of putting the audience in that delicate position of realizing that they're Nazis, but almost rooting for them at the same time. and would anyone put Bridge on the River Kwai into their Best War Movies list? i don't know the war movie genre quite well enough to know if that was particularly groundbreaking or original enough. and that's where good vs. great stands out to me. i think of Pulp Fiction and how that has shaped dialogue in a lot of movies now, but then i think that His Girl Friday also did that and came way before.

 

i'm not really a fan of musicals, but Singing in the Rain, Mary Poppins and Blues Brothers would have to be on a related Must See list somewhere.

 

and of course Spinal Tap is so good it goes all the way up to 11. only after many viewings did i discover that most of the dialogue was improvised.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

would anyone put Bridge on the River Kwai into their Best War Movies list?

You know, for some reason I lump it and Stalag 17 into "prison movies" in my head. And I think Das Boot and Cross of Iron both do an excellent job of showing not all Germans WERE Nazis and what the difference between those two things are.

[homer]

Is Schindler's List considered a war movie?

[The Mexican Weez]

Is Schindler's List considered a war movie?

Great Question, I was thinking about that too. I see it more as an historical drama than a war movie, it just happens to take place during a war.

[homer]

I didn't want to start a new thread, but Black Swan absolutely belongs in this topic. Saw it yesterday, and whoa. Mindbending, intense, gritty, and incredible. If Portman doesn't win the Best Actress Oscar, something's wrong. She was amazing.

 

It's been a really, really long time since a movie has given me that much of a rush*. I was blown away, and obviously can't really say enough good things about this film. I was expecting to like it. But it's easily one of the best movies I've ever seen.

 

 

* And no, that's not due to the Kunis-Portman sex scene. I'm sure that didn't hurt, though.

 

 

EDIT: Is there just a movies thread? I know there's the DVD rental day one, but I mean just a thread for movies in general. I see someone started a thread for True Grit, and I know there've been threads on other movies... might be a good idea to create one.

That movie was intense. There was so much attention to detail and so much craftsmanship (for lack of a better word)....no wasted shots, no wasted dialog - everything had a purpose. Terrific film.

[TooLiveBrew]

That's a really good summary of it, glad you liked it homer. "Intense" almost doesn't capture how powerful the film really is.

 

 

EDIT: And I think this movie finally made me take notice of how great Darren Aronofsky really is --

 

Black Swan
The Wrestler
The Fountain
Requiem For a Dream
Pi

 

He's also working on the next Wolverine movie (The Wolverine), & a film adaptation of Machine Man. Both films are due out in 2012 as of today.

[Katuluu]

The Saragossa Manuscript hates all of you. To be fair I'm not sure it falls into any category, but considering how many people have it as their favorite film of al time that alone should cause people to put forth the effort to track it down and watch it.

 

And since Robert missed perhaps my favorite "genre" of filmmaking....

 

Documentaries

Gates of Heaven

Capturing the Friedman's

Salesman

The Up Series

The Thin Blue Line

American Movie

Hoop Dreams

For All Mankind

F for Fake