# Essential Movies You’ve Never Seen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559 "2003-04-28T00:34:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IcicleFuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ba8739/32.png) [@IcicleFuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IcicleFuzz)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/21 "2003-04-28T06:03:35Z")
One essential movie I haven’t seen is **Apocalypse Now**. I’ve read the book it was based on though. Does that count for anything? **Pulp Fiction Casablanca The Princess Bride Terminators 1 & 2** Many, many others… ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/22 "2003-04-28T06:08:04Z")
Casablanca. Gone With the Wind. It’s a Wonderful Life. Any John Wayne movie. Not a one. Plan 9 From Outer Space. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/23 "2003-04-28T06:22:53Z")
From the imdb top 50 list, I’ve never seen: Casablanca Shichinin no Samurai (or the American version, The Magnificent Seven) most of Alfred Hitchcock’s work on the list (though I have seen several of his other films) Lawrence of Arabia Sunset Blvd. Some Like it Hot Taxi Driver Paths of Glory (never even heard of it) Das Boot Double Indemnity Chinatown Requiem for a Dream Bridge on the River Kwai Singin’ in the Rain Saving Private Ryan All About Eve But most of them are on my ‘should see’ list. Altogether, I’ve seen 60 of the top 100. ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/24 "2003-04-28T06:45:11Z")
Classic/Significant films I’ve missed seeing: Schindler’s List Lawrence of Arabia Saving Private Ryan It’s a Wonderful Life The Deer Hunter Ben-Hur Easy Rider Recent movies I’ve heard a lot of talk about but not seen: A Beautiful Mind The Hours Y tu mamá también Hedwig and the Angry Inch ---
**Author:** ![Beefcliff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@Beefcliff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beefcliff)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/25 "2003-04-28T13:54:05Z")
For everyone who is asking, no “10 things I hate about you” is in no way a classic movie, nor is it even a good teenybopper film. Based on “Taming of the Shrew” Julia Styles (Save the last dance) hates guys, sister loves guys, both fall in love with different guys, everyones happy. No one will care about this movie in 10 years. Then again, I said that about speed… ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/26 "2003-04-28T14:28:58Z")
Citizen Kane. Lawerence of Arabia. The Godfather series of movies. Only seen about half of the Hitchcock movies which are considered classics. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/27 "2003-04-28T15:18:03Z")
must see Gladiator Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil L. A. Confidential A Beautiful Mind American Beauty The Usual Suspects Swimming With Sharks Grosse Point Blanke The Life of David Gale ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/28 "2003-04-28T15:25:41Z")
Everyone should see **Casablanca** and **The Wizard of OZ** and **Gone With the Wind** and maybe **Godfather** 1 & 2, 1) because they’re excellent and 2) so they will know what everyone else is talking about. I suspect more people talk about **Citizen Kane** than have seen it, so you’re on your own there. If you want “good movie” recommendations, start with the above, add **In the Heat of the Night** and then search the SD archives–I’m sure there are multiple “what movies should I see” threads. If you want “pop culture,” that is something of a different question. On the imdb ([www.imdb.com](http://www.imdb.com)) there are “Top” lists of every description, try “Tops at the Box-Office” for most popular (made the most money, which means newer films have an advantage– **Twister** at #27???) and “Top-Rated Movies” for the “best” (whatever that means)–remembering that these are ratings from people who use the web to look up movies…not exactly a cross-section of America. And finally, there’s no particular reason you “should” watch any of these–movies are entertainment! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/29 "2003-04-28T16:05:36Z")
Titanic Saving Private Ryan Alien Fatal Attraction Godfather Pulp Fiction Taxi Driver And I have no plans to ever see them. **Ataraxy22** , **Tanaqui** , **Torgo** , I am impressed! ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/30 "2003-04-28T16:08:20Z")
Some folks’ idea of “essential” movies is really troubling. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Star_to_the_Right)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559/31 "2003-04-28T17:15:36Z")
I have a lot of these. - Gone with the Wind - Casablanca - Schindler’s List - The Shawshank Redemption - Pulp Fiction - Braveheart - The Matrix - Ben-Hur - Psycho - Dances with Wolves - Footloose - Fatal Attraction - The Godfather(or any sequels) - Saving Private Ryan That’s just off the top of my head. I feel so uncultured. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-movies-you-ve-never-seen/171559.md?page=1)