Dead Poets Society
Artistic ambition leads to suicide.
Goodbye Mr. Chips
Lulu: To Sir, With Love.
A Little Princess
Shirley Temple steals your heart.
Next: Movies not made in France but set in France.
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Orphans of the Storm
Sisters caught in Revolutionary “Storm.”
The Man in the Iron Mask
Bastille prisoner’s face mysteriously hidden.
How to Steal a Million
Forged statue stolen: forgery “protected.”
Next: Movies about Jesus, or allegories about Jesus’ life (eg, modern stories with parallel characters) that hold up as movies, and are interesting even to non-Christians.
The Last Temptation of Christ
Dafoe is excellent as Him.
The Passion of the Christ
Crucifixion no fun. At all.
Jesus of Montreal
Theater company moved by experience.
Next: Movies about founders of faiths
Acts (independent film and musical, made by some church, based on the Book of Acts, four hours plus, which I got stuck interpreting)
The unbearable length of movie.
Muhammad: The Messenger of G-d
Most expensive Iranian movie ever.*
Life of Brian
He almost founds a religion.
*Breaking my rule about posting only movies I’ve seen, but I really couldn’t come up with three.
Next: movies with titles that became dictionary entries, or standard terminology, so to speak (eg, “bucket list,” and you can use that one).
The Manchurian Candidate
Said of all creepy politicos.
Back to the Future
Useful in describing things retro.
Star Wars
Reagan defense project never completed.
Next: Movies about unpleasant Americans.
I was a Male War Bride
US finds WAC husband implausible.
The Golden Bowl
American/European intermarriage produces complicated dynamics.
Stranger than Paradise
Foreign or domestic equally useless.
Next: Movies about generally unpleasant people as the POV character.
The Long Good Friday
British crime boss gets grumpy.
The Godfather
American crime boss has problems.
Deadpool
Badass cracks jokes; is jerk.
Next: Movies about unpleasant Brits.
Clockwise
John Cleese unpleasant comprehensive schoolmaster.
Knockback (TV movie)
Handling lifer after DP abolished.
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
They don’t get less pleasant.
Next: Movies about someone (not necessarily an American) being treated badly in a foreign country (foreign country to the protagonist-- the country can be the US).
Midnight Express
Turkish prisons are no fun.
Brokedown Palace
Nor are Thai ones, actually.
The Great Escape
Nazis? Don’t get me started!
Next: Movies that have kinda-sorta not-bad Germans in WWII.
The Shop on Main Street
Will Aryan protect “his” Jew?
Schindler’s List
Movie Schindler better than life.
Europa, Europa
Girlfriend’s mother shows much compassion.
Next: Live action movies with animated opening credits.
Return of the Pink Panther
Clouseau can’t quite catch feline: Return of the Pink Panther: Opening Titles - YouTube
Catch Me If You Can
A recent favorite of mine: - YouTube
*
Casino Royale*
Also quite good, including song: Casino Royale Opening original - YouTube
Next: Your favorite 007 films.
Your favorite 007 films.
Goldfinger
Classic caper with classic theme
From Russia With Love
Bond fights equal on train
For Your Eyes Only
Bond hunts down stolen computer
Next: Non Bond spy movies
The Lady Vanishes
Anyone can be a spy.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Cold War good for le Carre*.
The Manchurian Candidate
Spy movie, also horror movie.
*counting surname as one word.
Next: mystery films without murders.
The Seven Percent Solution
Holmes, Watson, Freud team up
Hugo
Smart kid lives in railway station
Moon
Astronaut learns an unsettling truth
Next: Movies set in cold places
The Thing
Wilford Brimley swings an axe
Fargo
Steve Buscemi gets wood chippered
The Empire Strikes Back
Imperial probe droid finds Hoth
Next up: Rob Zombie movies
House of 1,000 Corpses
Careful what you wish for.
Halloween (2007)
Lame-o remake; see original instead.
Slither (actor, not director)
Do NOT watch while pregnant.
Next: more movies not to watch when pregnant.
AVP Requiem
Maternity ward visited by xenomorph.
Rosemary’s Baby
“He has his father’s eyes.”
Gone Girl
Hellish future for Nick’s baby?
Next: Movies in which the lead character is a scumbag
Multi-part OJ Simpson documentary on ESPN:
OJ Simpson killed his wife.
Psycho
Norman Bates is seductively sympathetic.
The Searchers
Wayne’s character can’t reveal past.
Double Indemnity
Two scumbags for one price.
Next: backwards cameos-- films with brief but notable appearances by someone who later becomes famous, ie, Mayim Bialik in Beaches (yes, you can use that).