Why do people feel the need to argue the semantics of the OP? “Movies That Hold Up” is merely the title of the thread. The topic of the thread itself are movies that “a bright teenager of today might enjoy.” While noting that your definition of “movies that hold up” is different than the one implied by the OP is fine, why argue as if your one of you is correct and the other is not? There is no objective definition of the subject, so neither one of you can ever win the argument.
Instead, why not use the operant definition as given? Everybody else seems happy to merely answer the question put forth, rather than nitpick it to death or defend it. And, of course, me, who has to ask why people bother to argue when they don’t have to.
But, as my want, I wlll actually answer the OP:
I find that anything with Shirley Temple still holds up. The actual style of the musical hasn’t changed that much today, and seeing such a talented young performer still hasn’t lost it’s touch.
I didn’t mean to nitpick or argue the semantics, I merely stated my take on the title of the thread. I meant no disrespect to the other posters who mentioned some wonderful movies. I only mentioned the “movies that held up” part as it related to what I was thinking when I read the title.
In fact, not only does it hold up, it’s eerily prescient. It has all the earmarks of a modern-day summer blockbuster - elaborately choreographed fight scenes, a slumming “serious” actor as lead, broad comedy, a nonsensical plot, cheesecake, beefcake (more of the latter, actually), a massive body count, absurd gadgets and really big explosions. It’s like the Ur-Michael Bay film, only, you know, good.
We’ve been watching Hepburn/Tracy movies and screwball comedies lately - and TheKid has been loving them. Much of it, IMO, is due to the dialogue and innuendo found in many of these movies.
It Happened One Night Adam’s Rib - which put her on a Judy Holliday kick The Girl Can’t Help It The Seven Year Itch Desk Set - “That’s a computer??” The Philadelphia Story - we both love this movie Singing in the Rain His Girl Friday
Last weekend we both watched Ball of Fire, with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck - we’ve been having a hoot of the time using the slang poor Bertram Potts was trying to understand.
She’s also been on an Audrey Hepburn kick, and I’ve watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s more times than I care. I prefer Funny Face.
I watched *Pork Chop Hill *not too long ago. 1959, Gregory Peck, Korean War pic. It’s very gritty for it’s time, no rah rah jingoism, but not overly anti-war either. A pretty honest movie. Maybe some of the acting is overly emotive, but for the most part I’d say it holds up well.
“Giant” from 1956, James Dean’s last film. Maybe I’m biased because I’m named after Dean’s character in the film, but I saw it (again) a few weeks ago and it’s still a terrific movie, an epic movie.
A great portrait of Texas’ transition from a sleepy state of sprawling cattle ranches to an oil-driven economic powerhouse, as well as all of the social changes that came as a result.
No longer available on Netflix, I’m afraid. After I returned it, the DVD mysteriously went missing from their inventory.
Burt Lancaster may be “slumming”, but he and Nic Cravat are obviously having a ball showing off their acrobatic skills. There is a massive body count, to be sure, but I don’t think you see a drop of blood. The “gadgets” include walking on the sea floor in an overturned row boat–a scene that was re-created in *Pirates of The Caribbean *and featured in a Myth Busters episode.
Well, since discussing that could massively hijack matters, I’ll just put in a toe and then withdraw. It’s another film that I haven’t watch all the way through in decades so I can’t get detailed. But when I revisited it, maybe five years ago, I stopped after half an hour because Atticus was too iconic, the liberalism too noble, and the rich childhood reminiscing a little too rich for my tastes.
Your phrase “passively keep it from her” is a nice piece of wording. And yeah, I have neither pushed her toward it, or poisoned her against it. But Mom has pushed the book and maybe the film on her. I don’t know what the results were.
Burt Lancaster! Oh yeah. I’ve recently rewatched Elmer Gantry and think it could go on the list. It’s all about celebrity. So is A Face in the Crowd with Andy Griffith. I saw it for the first time a few years ago and again a few months ago, and it was just as involving the second time. Andy Griffith was hawt!
Another Lancaster movie The Sweet Smell of Success holds up well too, I think.
On my copy of Casablanca there’s an interview with one of the Epstein brothers (Julius I think) where he says exactly that. Paraphrasing: When we made Casablanca we had no idea what we were doing. Warner Bros. produced fifty movies a year – one a week. Casablanca was just that week’s movie.
Someone who doesn’t like Atticus Finch. Wow. That’s a new one on me. Hmmm, ok, in that case I won’t suggest Inherit The Wind, Gentlemen’s Agreement, or The Ox-Bow Incident.
The Wind
Love Me Tonight
Footlight Parade
Man’s Castle
It’s a Gift
The Crime of M. Lange
Only Angels Have Wings
Pinocchio
The Shop Around the Corner
The Lady Eve
Meet Me in St. Louis
La Belle et la Bete
The Big Sleep
Black Narcissus
Intruder in the Dust
Ugetsu Monogatari
Ordet
The Man from Laramie
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Seventh Seal
Vertigo
Rio Bravo
Ride the High Country
The Naked Kiss
I watched The Thin Man again recently, and that is still a fun movie. Myrna Loy would rule Hollywood if she were born about 70 years later than she was.