# The Five Movies That Nearly Everyone On Earth Should See **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818 "2006-04-15T23:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/21 "2006-04-16T01:13:23Z")
_Back to the Future_ for the ultimate “Boy and his ward” film with a sci-fi twist. _Jaws_. The birth of the blockbuster. _Pulp Fiction_. It’s a classic. Admit it already. _Friday the 13th_ or _Halloween_ or _Nightmare on Elm Street_ or _Evil Dead Part 2_. Dealer’s choice. All of them define '80s horror/comedy film-making. I don’t have a fifth movie. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/22 "2006-04-16T01:18:03Z")
This is a really interesting thread and a very hard question. I like the notion that these should be accessible, entertaining films while remaining vital or groundbreaking in some way. Sorry if my lists seem wieghted to the 40’-'70s period, but IMO most of the best filmmaking occurred after the industry moved beyond the severe technical constraints and self-censoring of the pre-1940 era, but before the advent of CGI meant that any image, no matter how impossible in real life, could be committed to film. Anyway, after about 30 seconds of thought from my US-centric view, I’d say : First choices: \*\*Forbidden Planet The Maltese Falcon North by Northwest Rio Bravo Some Like it Hot\*\* Alternates: \*\*The Bridge on the River Kwai Chinatown The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Jaws Toy Story\*\* ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/23 "2006-04-16T01:23:48Z")
Hmm, reviewing the above, can you tell I’m a guy? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/24 "2006-04-16T01:27:06Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Hmm, reviewing the above, can you tell I’m a guy? Who likes Jack Lemmon in a dress. I’m just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/25 "2006-04-16T01:35:19Z")
OK, a guy with latent gender issues… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/26 "2006-04-16T01:44:05Z")
_The Passion of Joan of Arc Dodsworth Rio Bravo Ugetsu Sullivan’s Travels_ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/27 "2006-04-16T01:49:40Z")
From my perogative, a list like this is about movies you think people should see _and probably haven’t._ Therefore, I leave out the mainstream and popular classics from my list, since I figure most people who have any interest in those sorts of films have already discovered them. I’d love it if more people saw the following, so we could discuss them: Eve’s Bayou The Devil’s Backbone (El Espinazo del Diablo) The Other Urbania The Shape Of Things alternates If Lucy Fell, The Last Supper, Playing By Heart, Dead Birds ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_O_Malley_s_Cow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/28 "2006-04-16T01:59:42Z")
Forrest Gump Gone with the Wind A Clockwork Orange (To see the sheer inhumanity of people and a failed social experiment. Maybe people would be nicer to each other) Ice Age: The Meltdown (I know I know…but the visuals are outstanding) The God Must be Crazy ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/29 "2006-04-16T02:15:03Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > _The Passion of Joan of Arc > Dodsworth > Rio Bravo > Ugetsu > Sullivan’s Travels_ **La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc** - definitely a masterpiece work, I just wonder how intellectually accessable it is for Joe Average. Wondeful film, though. **Rio Bravo** - Darn! Another great alternate Western. That’s going to end up as my hardest catagory to knuckle down and pick just one. **Barbarian** , picking **Jaws** as a genre maker was a smooth move. Seems that the Summer Blockbuster of today tends to bleed over a lot into Action/Adventure. With some exceptions, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/30 "2006-04-16T02:32:18Z")
My list, in no particular order: - _Raiders Of The Lost Ark_ - _The Godfather, Part II_ - _Star Wars_ - _Pulp Fiction_ - _Plan Nine From Outer Space_ Honourable Mentions to: _Fight Club Goldfinger Pleasantville 2001 A Clockwork Orange Zulu South Park: Bigger, Longer, And Uncut Monty Python & The Holy Grail Monty Python’s Life Of Brian The Day Of The Jackal The Wizard Of Oz Predator_ ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/31 "2006-04-16T02:33:38Z")
I’ll also add _The Wild Bunch_ to my “Honourable Mentions” list, with a muttered expletive regarding the lack of an “edit” function… ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/32 "2006-04-16T03:01:34Z")
[ol] [li]Network[/li][li]Nine Queens or Central Station[/li][li]Memento or Run Lola Run[/li][li]Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels or True Romance[/li]Jacobs Ladder or Full Metal Jacket [/ol]I couldn’t find a quarter ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/33 "2006-04-16T03:38:01Z")
I don’t see any Kurusawa on this page. How can that be? Possibly the greatest director ever. He was able to use diverse source material; he made films that transcend one culture and tie into human nature; his filming techniques and innovations are legendary; and he was a direct influence on countless western directors and films. So, from Kurusawa, I’d go with \*\*Seven Samurai \*\* (with \*\*Ikiru \*\* a close second). Need a Hitchcock. While \*\*Psycho \*\* may not be his absolute best, it was argueably the most infuential. So go with that. I also pick **Raiders of the Lost Ark**. Beats out \*\*Jaws \*\* by a hair. \*\*Goodfellas \*\* is a great film that captures the mafia experience, relationships, and how greed and power and hubris eventually lead to destruction. I’d say it fits this list well. Hmmm, one more. How about an animated film? An early Disney would be the obvious choice, so I’ll be a bit contrary and go with a recent Miyazaki – **Spirited Away**. I chose this becasue I think it is a good cross between “traditional” animation and the very popular anime style. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2006, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/34 "2006-04-16T04:04:50Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > I don’t see any Kurusawa on this page. How can that be? Possibly the greatest director ever. I’m a big fan of Kurosawa–and he is perhaps the single most influential director upon the the big commercial directors of the Seventies (Spielberg, Lucas, Old Man Coppola) and of course their imitators, but he doesn’t seem to be accessible enough to non-cinephiles to qualify. _Ran_ and _Kagemusha_ are very long, of course, but even shorter films like _Yojimbo_, _The Hidden Fortress_, and _Rashomon_ don’t seem to be among my most popular suggestions. There is, for Americans at least, the issue of subtitles (I think, or at least I hope, none of these films have been dubbed) and despite their impact upon many other films, few people have heard of them. Great films, though. I’ve seen a lot of other interesting picks; movies I wouldn’t have selected (_Momento_, _Plan Nine From Outer Space_, _The Devil’s Backbone_, _Forbidden Planet_, _Chinatown_) but that are interesting choices that have a compelling case nonetheless. _Chinatown_ in particular is one of my favorites, but I have to wonder how much people “get” of it, both as a barely fictionalized history of the California State Water Project and as both a homage to and subversion of classic film noir. It has one of the best closing lines in all of film: “Forget about it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/35 "2006-04-16T04:42:06Z")
Judge Dredd Teen Wolf, Too Honey, I Blew Up the Baby Eegah Bad News Bears Go To Japan ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/36 "2006-04-16T04:46:30Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Judge Dredd > > Teen Wolf, Too > > Honey, I Blew Up the Baby > > Eegah > > Bad News Bears Go To Japan :dubious: ---
**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:** [April 16, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/37 "2006-04-16T05:16:41Z")
> [@Talon Karrde](#): > > :dubious: Well, it is a poster named **NoClueBoy**. Perhaps he knows himself all too well. 😛 Stranger ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/38 "2006-04-16T05:43:50Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > **La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc** - definitely a masterpiece work, I just wonder how intellectually accessable it is for Joe Average. Wondeful film, though. I think of it as the opposite of intellectual; never has pure, raw emotion been captured on film so beautifully. I think of it as the most universally accessible film I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818/39 "2006-04-16T05:46:44Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > I’m a big fan of Kurosawa– I certainly recognize Kurosawa’s talent. But my latter discovery of Mizoguchi has served to put Kurosawa in perspective for me. He kneels at the feet of Mizoguchi, without whose prior influence there’s no doubt in my mind that Kurosawa would be a much lesser artist indeed. So I wonder to whom, ultimately, the influenced directors you name owe more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-five-movies-that-nearly-everyone-on-earth-should-see/352818.md?page=1)