Suggestions for terrific films that might have slipped under the radar so far as you 20-somethings are concerned - or maybe not; I don’t know any college students IRL. Do these still resonate? Are they well known? Any other suggestions (hey, I might’ve missed a few myself)?
Funny: Breaking Away
Being There
Bullets over Broadway
The Four Seasons
Lost in America
Parenthood
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Purple Rose of Cairo
Oscar Winners: Amadeus
Chariots of Fire
Ordinary People
The Last Emperor
Artsy: Harold and Maude
Joe Gould’s Secret
Big Night
My Dinner with Andre
Oh, Geez, and I didn’t even think of older films. I know Eve (et al) knows about a zillion times more about the subject. But here are a few that (IMHO) are excellent even if you’re not a film buff:
All About Eve
Father of the Bride (w/ Spencer Tracy)
It Happened One Night
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?
I’m glad to see *Double Indemnity * on there. It’s about as film Noir as you can get. And it’s cool to see Fred McMurray as a bad guy.
But I must recommend the “Special” DVD of Sunset Boulevard. I say the Special DVD because the interviews and little documentary about the flick really enhance the film and show why it made a huge impact it made on Hollywood.
My short list of older films that whippersnappers might enjoy includes some that have been remade. In no case have I found the remake better than or even as good as the original. YMMV
Drama: The Caine Mutiny Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) Inherit The Wind (Spencer Tracy and Frederic March) In The Heat Of The Night
Comedy: Born Yesterday (Judy Holiday version. It was B&W, but color didn’t justify a remake . . . and certainly Melanie Griffith did not.) The Great Race
Some Like It Hot
Victor Victoria
Musical:
*Singin’ In The Rain
West Side Story
The Music Man * (Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. I think the Disney remake stinks on ice.)
Suspense:
*Wait Until Dark * (Audrey Hepburn)
Western: Red River For my money, still the best theatrical western ever made. (My all-time favorite western was the TV mini-series* Lonesome Dove*.)
Horror: (Not my favorite genre) The Haunting (Julie Harris)
The Crowd
Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans
La Passion De Jeanne d’Arc
Intolerance
The Wind
The Big Parade
Wings
It
Des Kabinett Der Doktor Kaligari
Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie Des Grauens
Greed
Other great films have been made by the directors of those listed; I haven’t seen them.
Gilda Casablanca Notorious To Kill a Mockingbird To Catch a Thief (Movie thread people, help me out. Technically drama, yes?)
Comedy:
Some Like it Hot Father Goose Philadelphia Story Pat & Mike Stripes Earth Girls are Easy His Girl Friday
(yes, I like Cary Grant. And your point would be?)
Murder Mysteries:
The Thin Man (any of them but Song of the Thin Man) Ten Little Indians Rear Window Sorry, Wrong Number (The original, not that Loni Anderson POS)
Thrillers/Horror:
The Exorcist. Accept no substitute. Make sure you have someone to hang on to. Psycho Salem’s Lot Carrie Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Heist movies:
The Heist Kelly’s Heroes The Sting Paper Moon (eh. questionable as a heist movie, but still.) Small Time Crooks
War films:
The Dirty Dozen The Great Escape The Big Red 1 Sgt. York Mr. Roberts
Westerns:
A Big Hand for the Little Lady. God, how I love this movie. Two Mules for Sister Sarah The Sons of Katie Elder Pale Rider Outlaw Josey Wales Little Big Man
Hm. Which is worse…the fact that I’ve seen all of these a minimum of three times each, or the fact that they all sit on my huge shelves at home and represent about a quarter of my movie collection (my kids’ flicks not included)?
Y’know…I really considered just saying “Anything with Cary Grant in it.” As he did just about everything, including Hitchcock (North by Northwest). I completely spaced Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House (the original Money Pit, although Tom Hanks did okay)…I had to pare it down. I mean, I Was A Male War Bride…how do you not mention that?
Same for Jimmy Stewart. Cheyenne Social Club, and Harvey (interesting back story there), and Spirit of St. Louis… At some point, I have to stop.
