# Help me with some movie programming, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 4, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118 "2023-12-04T23:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/1 "2023-12-04T23:48:38Z")
We’ve moved into a new house recently, and I’m getting a proper home theater set up. We’ve decided to have dedicated movie nights a couple of times a week, and I’m taking a cue from my college film club and making Wednesday night the night for a month-long “program” of films. I want to focus on films we haven’t seen (or haven’t seen in a long time), and older films; current or recent releases are for the weekends. I’m starting to put together some monthly themes, and could use some opinions for one or two to help flesh out the film list. All opinions are welcome. First is a month of what I’m calling “light-hearted monster movies.” Maybe it would be better to call them, “comedic monster movies.” The first two are easy for me - “Lake Placid,” and, “Tremors.” I hope that gives you an idea of what I’m looking for. The trick is that my wife doesn’t go in for too much gore. I thought of, “Slither,” but I haven’t seen it in a long time, and my memory is that it might be _too_ creepy/scary. “Deep Blue Sea,” is a possibility, but despite it not taking itself too seriously might not be light enough. For me, I would add, “Cocaine Bear,” but I hear it’s pretty gory. So…any suggestions for a couple more to add to the list? For Shakespeare month, I’ve tentatively got the following selected: - Romeo and Juliet (the Baz Luhrman version) - Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh). I know this one’s got mixed reviews, but it looks pretty. 😃 - Hamlet (Mel Gibson/Zefirelli) I don’t know how this one is regarded, but I remember it as the first film where I actually _enjoyed_ Shakespeare, even laughing at some jokes. For the fourth slot, I was thinking about “Scotland, PA,” but thought maybe a comedy would be better. Maybe “10 Things I Hate About You?” Other thoughts? That’s all for now, but if y’all are willing to check back in I’ll probably be looking for more help. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/2 "2023-12-05T00:10:15Z")
Zefirelli’s version of _ **Romeo and Juliet** _ is a work of Art with a capital “A.” ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/3 "2023-12-05T00:31:04Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > Hamlet (Mel Gibson/Zefirelli) I don’t know how this one is regarded, but I remember it as the first film where I actually _enjoyed_ Shakespeare, even laughing at some jokes. It’s a pretty butchered version of _Hamlet_ (as it would be to get it down to 135 minutes) and I remember thinking that Gibson was too old to be a convincing Hamlet _fils_ (although checking it looks like he was probably 32 or 33 at the time of production) and Glenn Close was not nearly old enough to be Gertrude (~42 during filming), and there is a weird incest moment Zeffirelli introduced that is not anywhere in the text of the play. The rest of the cast was pretty excellent, especially Ian Holm as Polonius and of course Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia. I know a lot of people prefer the [Branagh production](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116477/) (which is well done but I find kind of lifeless and failing to amplify the dark humor of the text) but I really think of all film versions available I think the 2009 production featuring David Tennant as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as both Claudius and the Ghost-King Hamlet is really the best; Tennant really nails the character of Hamlet in his fake-evolving-to-real madness and the less-mature-than-his-years mopey, brooding prince who frankly isn’t mature enough to take the crown, and it feels like a stage play with film production values but not trying to make it a realistic setting. The problem with ‘direct’ film adaptations of Hamlet (or most plays) is that the original texts are clearly written for the stage, and when filmed more-or-less verbatim feel very ‘stagey’ within their setting, so when made on big realistic film sets seem out of place. It’s a full 180 minutes though, so it’s an investment of time. I have not seen the 2018 version with Andrew Scott but seems like a good choice for the role, and Jessica Brown Findlay and Juliet Stevenson are basically dream casting for Ophelia and Gertrude. I have never cared about _Romeo and Juliet_ in any form, and _Much Ado About Nothing_ is far more about the dynamics than the plot and the Branagh film seems kind of engineered to randomly throw in screen-only actors with minimal stage experience along with theatre pros like Imelda Staunton and Richard Briers, which makes for a very inconsistent tone. I think the [Delamere version](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5569310) (again with David Tennant as well as Catherine Tate) is much better, but it is definitely just a stage play being filmed. As for “light-hearted monster movies”…_Little Shop of Horrors_ and _Monsters, Inc._? _Mars Attacks_ if you can stretch it to including aliens. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/4 "2023-12-05T00:33:19Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > For Shakespeare month, I’ve tentatively got the following selected: > > - Romeo and Juliet (the Baz Luhrman version) > - Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh). I know this one’s got mixed reviews, but it looks pretty. 😃 > - Hamlet (Mel Gibson/Zefirelli) I don’t know how this one is regarded, but I remember it as the first film where I actually _enjoyed_ Shakespeare, even laughing at some jokes. > > For the fourth slot, I was thinking about “Scotland, PA,” but thought maybe a comedy would be better. Maybe “10 Things I Hate About You?” Other thoughts? Since your first three are actual Shakespeare works adapted for film, I’d recommend sticking with that theme and go with Twelfth Night (1996). It is genuinely funny, Imogen Stubbs shines, and it features Richard E, Grant and Ben Kingsley among other well known stars. > **[Twelfth Night (1996) ⭐ 7.1 | Comedy, Drama, Romance](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117991/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_twefth%2520night)** > > 2h 14m | PG ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/5 "2023-12-05T00:51:34Z")
“Comedic Monster Movies” _It Conquered the World_ (1956) - The humor is mostly unintentional _Schlock_ (1973) – Early, low-budget John Landis film _Gremlins_ (1984) _Evil Dead II_ (1987), _Army of Darkness_ (1992) _Chinese Ghost Story I_ (1987) and _Chinese Ghost Story II_ (1990), but not III _Brain Damage_ (1988) – Underrated worm film (might be too gory) _Lair of the White Worm_ (1988) – Loosely based on a Bram Stoker story; includes brief appearance by a giant worm _The Halfway House_ (2004) - Fun, schlocky horror ========================================= Shakespeare _Hamlet_ (1920) – Silent film with title role recast as a female _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ (1935) – Unique film with mind-blowing production _Forbidden Planet_ (1956) – a.k.a. The Tempest _Throne of Blood_ (1957) – a.k.a. Macbeth _Chimes at Midnight_ (1965) – Greatest medieval battle scene ever _Theater of Blood_ (1973) – Shakespeare-adjacent black comedy ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/6 "2023-12-05T01:13:02Z")
More from comedy horrors point of view Cabin in the woods Tucker and Dale vs Evil Evil Dead 2 (seconded, it is very gory, but also very very funny and a classic any sense). Only really think of one movie for shakesphere Rosaline (recent, but a fun tale of Romeos ex-girlfriend) ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/7 "2023-12-05T01:15:22Z")
Perhaps the Marlon Brando version of _Julius Caesar_ for Shakespeare Night? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/8 "2023-12-05T01:18:41Z")
Comedy horror: _ **Mars Attacks!** _ _ **Dr Black and Mr Hyde** _ ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/9 "2023-12-05T01:55:30Z")
The Raven…Vincent Price and many others. Campy, silly horror. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/10 "2023-12-05T02:04:02Z")
Thanks, y’all - lots to think about. Re: Shakespeare, @Stranger_On_A_Train - the Tennant/Stewart production of Hamlet you’re talking about; is that the black-and-white, very-sparse-set production? I love both those actors, but it might be a bit too…arty? Neither one of us is super-versed in Shakespeare (me slightly more than my wife), so I’m trying to find stuff that’s very approachable to newbies. What do you think about how accessible it is? @Smid I _love_ both “Tucker & Dale v. Evil,” _and_, “The Cabin in the Woods.” The latter might be more my wife’s speed. Have to think about it. For “monster movies,” maybe “Arachnaphobia?” I haven’t seen it in forever. Anybody seen it recently that wants to comment? ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/11 "2023-12-05T02:12:26Z")
Also…feel free to curate your own months. We were both born in the mid-60s, so I’d especially like some suggestions/guidance for older films we will have missed. I’m talking '30s, '40s and '50s. For example, I’ve already thought about: **Classic Dance** - Singin’ In the Rain - Top Hat - Ziegfield Follies - Stormy Weather **Noir** - The Maltese Falcon - Double Indemnity - The Big Sleep - Notorious **Hitchock** - North by Northwest - Rear Window - Strangers on a Train - Rope (we’ve both seen “Psycho” and “The Birds” already) If you happen to be in/visiting the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, you are cordially invited over for anything you’ve curated/suggested. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/12 "2023-12-05T02:27:24Z")
_ **The Giant Spider Invasion** _, filmed on location in beautiful northern Wisconsin during the Bicentennial summer of 1975. All-star cast that includes: Dana Andrews (_ **The Purple Heart** _, _ **The Best Years of Our Lives** _) Alan “The Skipper” Hale Barbara “Della Street” Hale Diane Lee Hart ("Now I’m 35. _35-24-36!"_) Robert Easton (“We ain’t blood kin. We’s more like kissin’ cousins.”) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/13 "2023-12-05T04:50:47Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > Re: Shakespeare, @Stranger_On_A_Train - the Tennant/Stewart production of Hamlet you’re talking about; is that the black-and-white, very-sparse-set production? I love both those actors, but it might be a bit too…arty? Neither one of us is super-versed in Shakespeare (me slightly more than my wife), so I’m trying to find stuff that’s very approachable to newbies. What do you think about how accessible it is? It’s not black and white and I wouldn’t call the set “very sparse” but it isn’t the elaborate setting of the Branagh, Richardson, or Olivier film productions; it has a quasi-fascist feel to it which actually fits well with the text. It’s a full textual interpretation and I’m probably the wrong person to ask how “approachable to newbies” (Hamlet is my favorite play and I’ve probably seen at least fifty different productions), but I think Tennant makes the titular character’s motivation quite understandable even if you get a bit lost in the dialogue. I think that most people misinterpret _Hamlet_ as this dark and humorless play whereas I really feel it is kind of an absurdist, almost Cohen-esque black comedy of errors and misinterpretation, and this production catches this better than almost every other production I’ve seen (other than the OSF 2010 stage production). But it is three hours long, so it is not for the impatient. If you want something more digestible for modern sensibilities, check out the [ShakespeaRe-Told series](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1062205/); it wasn’t to my taste but it seems to have been generally well received. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/14 "2023-12-05T05:01:05Z")
For monster movies that aren’t too serious, who ya’ gonna call? You’ve got to include _Ghostbusters_. For more serious monster movie that isn’t too gory, how about _Poltergeist_? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/15 "2023-12-05T05:04:54Z")
I think Bransgh’s Henry V is better than his Much Ado. If you have access to the BBC Shakespeare series from the early 80s, I think their version of Taming of the shrew, with z John Cleese as Petruchio, is very good. Instead if the man dominating the woman, as it is sometimes played, this version takes the tack that Kate has been badly damaged by her family, and Petruchio is trying to coax her out of it. Cleese was very good. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/16 "2023-12-05T05:08:33Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > dialogue. I think that most people misinterpret _Hamlet_ as this dark and humorless play whereas I really feel it is kind of an absurdist, almost Cohen-esque black comedy of errors and misinterpretation, and this production catches this better than almost every other production I’ve seen (other than the OSF 2010 stage production). That’s how Paul Gross played it at Stratford in the early 2000s. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/17 "2023-12-05T05:50:14Z")
A few light-hearted monster movies for you: Eight Legged Freaks Big-Ass Spider The Frighteners Freaked ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/18 "2023-12-05T06:27:22Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > For “monster movies,” maybe “Arachnaphobia?” It’s perfect. This was exactly what I was going to suggest. My 13-year-old daughter has developed a taste for horror movies. I’ve been slowly introducing her to more intense stuff, and _Arachnophobia_ was an excellent gateway movie for her. Effectively scary (but not too much), no real gore (except for bug guts when the spiders get squished), good sense of humor throughout. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/19 "2023-12-05T07:11:05Z")
For horror, make sure that your guests know what kind of horror they’re in for. It could be everything from stupid but fun (_Night of the Lepus_ or _Blood Beach_), serious but lighthearted fun (_Tremors_ or _Little Shop of Horrors_), or deadly serious, with the emphasis on _deadly_: _Night of 1000 Corpses_ (actually, there’s only seven corpses at the end of the film, but the deaths are all gruesomely portrayed), _Night of the Living Dead_, and similar. If you invited me over for Movie Night and told me you were showing _Night of the Lepus_, _Blood Beach_, and _Little Shop of Horrors_, I’d be there. Hey, I’d bring beer and snacks for everybody. Put on the popcorn! If your movie night was to be _House of 1000 Corpses_ and _Night of the Living Dead_, then count me out. I’ve seen both once, and I see no need to see them again. Each is a gore-fest, and I don’t like those. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118/20 "2023-12-05T08:14:21Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > For the fourth slot, I was thinking about “Scotland, PA,” but thought maybe a comedy would be better. Maybe “10 Things I Hate About You?” Other thoughts? The 1999 _Midsummer Night’s Dream_ with Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci etc was quite good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-some-movie-programming-please/994118.md?page=2)