100 Movies I Say You Should See

[Guest caboose]

From your list, I've seen these:

 

The Godfather

The Godfather II

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

Young Frankenstein

Raising Arizona

Unforgiven

Dirty Harry

Sudden Impact

The Untouchables

North by Northwest

Rear Window

Vertigo

My Fair Lady

Dr. No

Goldfinger

Shaft (original)

Frakenstein

Rocky

Ben-Hur

Lethal Weapon

Die Hard

Citizen Kane

MacBeth (Orson Welles)

Airplane

The Exorcist

Enter the Dragon

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

Pulp Fiction

Reservior Dogs

Boogie Nights

The Philidelphia Story

Bridge on the River Kwai

[Guest godthedog]

oh my god.

 

oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

 

'sweetback' was amazing.

 

more on this later.

[Guest razazteca]

'sweet sweetback's baad asssss song' is like my holy grail, but you can't find the damn thing anywhere. It's considered to be the first blaxsploitation movie ever and really graphic for the time.

 

I basically discounted newer films that I thought most had seen or could easily see flipping through the channels one day. I went for off the beaten track stuff and big time older films that you really do need to see. What gave me the idea to post this was thread was when MaxPower said he hadn't seen the Godfather in another thread and I just said, "wow, everyone should see that."

I own the movie on DVD! And while watching the interview with Melvin Van Peebles I must say that he is/was a crazy man.

 

I was horny

is the reason the 1st scene happened. How he got the Hells Angels to be in the movie is an unbelievable story, supposely he held them by gun point to finish the scene. Did you know that Bill Crobsy loaned $50,000 to Melvin for film?

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

I actually saw Sweet Sweet Back's Baad Asssssssssssssss Song on DVD at the horror convention I went to this weekend. One of the dealers had some blaxsploitation stuff. They wanted like $35 for it and that was bit more than I could afford at that time. I did not know of Bill Cosby's funding of the movie, but it doesn't really surprise me.

[Guest chirs3]

Of those, I've seen...

 

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

LA Confidential

The Shawshank Redemption

The Producers

This is Spinal Tap

Unforgiven

Wonder Boys

Dr. No

Lethal Weapon

Citizen Kane

Airplane

The Exorcist

Pulp Fiction

 

... I have a lot of catching up to do.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I was trying to keep track of how many on Deacon's list I saw, but then there were like 3 more lists and I'm tired, and I got dizzy.

 

Anyway, I'm posting just to throw in my appreciation for Dolemite. Awesome!

 

I don't remember it on any lists, so I will suggest people find "Adventures of Reno Williams" which also rules.

 

"You move like a pregnant yak"

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

I've said it on the boards before Smell the Ratings, but my holy trinity of '80's films are "The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai," "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins."

[Guest DawnBTVS]

The Godfather

The Godfather II

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

LA Confidential

The Shawshank Redemption

Ed Wood

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Blazing Saddles

Young Frankenstein

This is Spinal Tap

Caddyshack

Unforgiven

Dirty Harry

Sudden Impact

The Untouchables

North by Northwest

Singing in the Rain

The Music Man

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Dr. No

Goldfinger

Blacula

Dracula (original)

Frankenstein

Bride of Frankenstein

Rocky

Ben-Hur

Spartacus

Lethal Weapon

Die Hard

Citizen Kane

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Airplane

The Exorcist

Enter the Dragon

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

Pulp Fiction

Reservior Dogs

Boogie Nights

It's a Wonderful Life

Double Indemnity

 

Those are all the ones I've seen...

[Guest notJames]

I've seen about 80% of Deacon's and practically none of godthedog's. I'm surprised no one's mentioned Papillon, since that title seems to pop up whenever I have film discussions with my artsy meat friends.

 

I tend to pimp more independent stuff, so here's my list. Some of these might not be indies, but I'm pretty sure they all are. Not all of them are must own, but they all offer something you can't get from your usual Hollywood fare...

 

Happiness

Buffalo '66

Heathers

Secretary

The Opposite of Sex

In The Company of Men

Being John Malkovich

Pi

Spanking the Monkey

Pecker

Crybaby

SubUrbia (the Linklater film, not the Corman film)

Niagara Niagara

Swingers

Manny and Lo

Kids

Sling Blade

Fargo (Special Edition DVD coming 30 Sept!!!)

Welcome To The Dollhouse

American Movie

Love Serenade

The Young Poisoner's Handbook

The Butcher Boy

Delicatessen

The City of Lost Children

Amelie

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Waiting For Guffman

Waking Ned Devine

Dancer In The Dark

Breaking The Waves

Shallow Grave

The Last Days of Disco

Boys Don't Cry

Henry and June

Killing Zoe

I Shot Andy Warhol

Basquiat

Trees Lounge

Ghost World

Two Girls and a Guy

Living In Oblivion

My Own Private Idaho

 

Happy viewing!

[Guest godthedog]

i find it funny that everyone's interjecting their own movies that everyone should see, yet none of these lists has inspired any of the other list-makers to actually see any of these movies.

 

"I was horny"

is the reason the 1st scene happened.

wait a second...are you talking about the hell's angels scene, or the actual first scene? cause in the first scene of the movie, melvin doesn't have sex with anyone, it's little mario that's doing the hooker. the "i was horny" thing implies that melvin van peebles was just a sick little shit who got off on video taping his 10-year-old son having sex with a woman.

 

Did you know that Bill Crobsy loaned $50,000 to Melvin for film?

yup, i read it. however, i do not know a) what he was thinking when he did that, or b) what he thought of the movie.

[Guest notJames]

i find it funny that everyone's interjecting their own movies that everyone should see, yet none of these lists has inspired any of the other list-makers to actually see any of these movies.

It's not that surprising, really. Most of these threads (and forums in general) more or less (d)evolve into "me me me" sessions at some point.

 

And by "me me me", I mean me, not you.

 

I'd love to hit the video store and rent most if not all the suggestions made (apart from the ones I've already seen, of course), but time and money constraints leave me with wish in one hand and shit in the other.

 

Anyway, it's probably implied that were any of us to run into opportunities to see any of these films, we'd take a crack at it. I know I would, especially Un Chien Andalou, which was pimped more than once in here. As for some of the older films, it will probably take more of an effort for me, since I have a harder time getting into them at this point in my life. But I'm always up for cinematic enlightenment.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

When I first made up this list, and I'm not sure how it got bumped back up again, the idea was for people to maybe ask me about a couple films on the list that piqued their interest, either from the name or things they had heard. Then I would kind of plug that movie and hopefully encourage them to see it. I really want to encourage people to see some of these films.

 

Looking over NotJames list, I've been wanting to see Secretary and Buffalo '66, but haven't gotten around to it. Maybe I'll try to go out and rent them this weekend.

[Guest notJames]

Looking over NotJames list, I've been wanting to see Secretary and Buffalo '66, but haven't gotten around to it. Maybe I'll try to go out and rent them this weekend.

Definitely do it. These films are not for everyone (Buffalo '66 especially), but if you like offbeat, meaty stories and great acting, you won't be disappointed.

 

And to be fair, having seen Citizen Kane in college, your list has piqued my curiosity to see Welles' other films, Othello and MacBeth. BTW, good call on the Audrey Hepburn stuff. She's definitely in the pantheon of classy ladies and actresses.

[Guest godthedog]

'othello' can be difficult and has pretty bad dubbing, so it comes off as kind of amateurish if you're not already in the cult of welles. 'touch of evil' is THE orson welles movie to see. it's his most accessible and his most exciting, and it still crams in everything great about welles: shakespearean tragic characters, awesome sound, weird lighting, long takes with wide-angle lenses...

 

i rented 'buffalo 66' on a recommendation from my best friend a couple years ago. didn't like it that much, but maybe i was missing something.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

Othello and MacBeth are both fantastic versions of the Shakespeare stories. If you like Welles and Shakespeare, you have to see them. And even if you find Shakespeare to be a little boring or hard to follow, I think the Welles versions are accessible due to the acting and fascinating construction of the movies.

 

I'm a huge Audrey Hepburn fan and think that's she's underrated as an actress today as most see her as that cute ingenue. Wait Until Dark is a lost classic. A very strong performance from Audrey and superb direction by Terrence Young.

 

I've been meaning to see Buffalo '66 for years. I think I would really like it. To this day when someone messes up, I say they "Norwooded it."

[Guest razazteca]

i find it funny that everyone's interjecting their own movies that everyone should see, yet none of these lists has inspired any of the other list-makers to actually see any of these movies.

 

"I was horny"

is the reason the 1st scene happened.

wait a second...are you talking about the hell's angels scene, or the actual first scene? cause in the first scene of the movie, melvin doesn't have sex with anyone, it's little mario that's doing the hooker. the "i was horny" thing implies that melvin van peebles was just a sick little shit who got off on video taping his 10-year-old son having sex with a woman.

 

Did you know that Bill Crobsy loaned $50,000 to Melvin for film?

yup, i read it. however, i do not know a) what he was thinking when he did that, or b) what he thought of the movie.

I was refering to the scene that started with Mario and the women then faded to Melven with her, so actually they both had sex. Melvin was on top then grabbed his hat and left.

 

The movie was a glorified porno, all Melvin did was run from The Man and had sex with various women and only had 6 lines.

 

Ohhhhhhhhh Sweeeeeeeeeetback!

[Guest notJames]

i rented 'buffalo 66' on a recommendation from my best friend a couple years ago. didn't like it that much, but maybe i was missing something.

I think it's a matter of understanding Vincent Gallo's unloveable loser character. At first meeting, he's an unapproachable, misanthropic prick, and you almost take pleasure in all the shit that he has to endure. But when you understand how he got to be that way (his unloving, resentful parents, the doldrums of living in Buffalo, his unwavering string of bad luck), you almost... almost feel sorry for him. But then he goes and does something mean or bad again, and you're back to laughing at his foibles. His interactions with Christina Ricci are priceless, and you have to wonder how much of an enabler she is for putting up with and eventually falling for Gallo. It's sweet and sour all at the same time, and by the end, even though he's not there yet, he's on his way to becoming a likeable person... at least to Ricci.

 

Then again, it might just be a matter of taste. I tend to go for the more unlikeable film characters, and how they change or adapt through the course of the film, if at all.

[EL DANDY~! 0]

The Godfather-seen...loved

The Godfather II-seen...loved

Apocalypse Now-seen...loved

The Deer Hunter-seen part on AMC...need to see more

Blade Runner-YEAH, BABY!

LA Confidential-Underrated. VERY good movie. Russel Crowe had a better performance here than in Gladiator.

The Shawshank Redemption-YEAH, BABY!

Ed Wood-Good movie.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-not seen

Blazing Saddles-WELL DUH!

The Producers-I have trouble picking this over the actual broadway musical...

Young Frankenstein-yes

This is Spinal Tap-yes

Caddyshack-yes

Raising Arizona-eh...

All of Me-not seen

Silver Streak-eh...

Some Like it Hot-yes

Operation Petticoat-not seen

The Searchers-not seen

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon-not seen

El Dorado-not seen

Rio Bravo-not seen

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence-not seen

Unforgiven-YES

Dirty Harry-not seen in full

Sudden Impact-SUDDEN IMPACT???

Tightrope-not seen in full

Pale Rider-not seen in full

The Untouchables-YES

North by Northwest-not seen in full

Rear Window-not seen

Vertigo-YES

Wonder Boys-YES

An American in Paris-not seen

Singing in the Rain-not seen in full

The Music Man-YES

My Fair Lady-YES

Breakfast at Tiffany's-YES

Wait Until Dark-not seen

Dr. No-YES

Goldfinger-YES

Shaft (original)-YES

Superfly-not seen

Blacula-YES

Dracula (original)-YES

Frakenstein-YES

Bride of Frankenstein-not seen in full

Rocky-YES

First Blood-YES

Ben-Hur-YES

Spartacus-not seen in full

Serpico-not seen in full

The Americanization of Emily-not seen in full

Murphy's Romance-YES

Support Your Local Sheriff-not seen

Sunset-not seen

The Longest Yard-YES

Lethal Weapon-YES

Die Hard-YES

Grand Illusion-not seen in full

The Great Dictator-not seen

Greed-not seen in full

Ride the High Country-not seen

Citizen Kane-yessir

The Third Man-not seen

Touch of Evil-not seen

MacBeth (Orson Welles)-yes

Othello (Orson Welles)-yes

Cool Hand Luke-yes, this is a good lil movie right here..

The Sting-not seen

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-BIG TIME yes

Nobody's Fool-yes

Color of Money-yes

The Manchurian Candidate-not seen in full

Airplane-YES

The Exorcist-YES

Enter the Dragon-YES

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn-not seen in full, but good

Pulp Fiction-HELL FUCKIN YES

Reservior Dogs-the same...

Boogie Nights-yep...

Duck Soup-not seen

It's a Wonderful Life-DUH

It Happened One Night-not seen

Bringing up Baby-not seen

Stagecoach-not seen

Double Indemnity-not seen

The Maltese Falcon-not seen

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre-not seen

Key Largo-not seen

The Philidelphia Story-not seen

Adam's Rib-not seen

Bridge on the River Kwai-YES

High Noon-not seen in full

Night of the Hunter-not seen

The African Queen-yes

Mister Roberts-not seen

The Quiet Man-not seen

A Face in the Crowd-not seen

 

I'd say that's a good list there, Frosty! I've seen at least 60 movies on that list and I loved them all, except for a choice few, but that's just me. I do not like the fact that Saving Private Ryan, one of the greatest movies about war ever made, did not make this list. The first 22 minutes alone are worth watching, just to see what it was like. Otherwise, good list.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

The first 22 minutes are the only reason to watch Saving Private Ryan. I really felt the rest was overblown pap that really pales in comparison to some all-time classic war movies such as Sands of Iwo Jima and Bridge on the River Kwai. Author and screenwriter William Goldman wrote a brilliant essay on why the movie sucks and has an atrocious script from a purly logical standpoint. Search it out.

 

I notice you raising your eyebrows at Sudden Impact. I'm on my way out the door, so I can't go into depth, but Sudden Impact is really a very subtle psychological thriller that I find far and away to be in the best in the Dirty Harry series. There is a lot of shades of gray in the film, considering that in essence the bad guy wins an Harry lets her. Locke and Eastwood have great chemistry and Locke's character being a sort of mirror universe Dirty Harry is both chilling and intriguing. One of Eastwood's best directed films as well after Tightrope and Unforgiven.