100 Movies You Should See!

[Chris Grieb]

Peter; Good list! One small point it's Rear Window no "The". Rear Window is one of those dark Jimmy Stewart movies.

[Wrighty]

Peter; Good list! One small point it's Rear Window no "The". Rear Window is one of those dark Jimmy Stewart movies.

Haven't seen it for years but it was my first encounter with Hitchcock; I loved Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly....well...what can I say?!!

As for the list....should have added:

The Thomas Crown Affair (McQueen, Dunaway version). I like the remake, but the original had so many additional endearing qualities, plus Michel Legrand's soundtrack.

[Chris Grieb]

Peter; I was ten or eleven when I first saw Rear Window. I'm still not over Grace Kelly. The McQueen version of The Thomas Crown Affair is a great movie.

[John Dailey]

~ One problem with discussing 'a movie' nowadays is that for any given REALLY popular one, there's (or it's) probably a 're-make', in which case, which one is one really refering to with no reference to the actors or the year: the original, or, a later re-make? --- Think PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, DRACULA, KING KONG, FRANKENSTEIN, PSYCHO, CAPE FEAR, DOA, THE VANISHING, EL MARIACHI, THE FRONT PAGE, THE GETAWAY, LOLITA, MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, PINK PANTHER, THE THING...and...REAR WINDOW.

~ I think that Christopher Reeve was absolutely great in his final movie: REAR WINDOW. Better, even than James Stewart in the earlier Hitchcock one.

LLAP

J:D

P.S: Re THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, Brosnan's re-make was substantially different though superficially similar to McQueen's original. Both were super, but LeGrand's music for the original makes it much better.

Edited March 22, 2007 by John Dailey

[Chris Grieb]

John; Your point about the remake and the original is good. I'll withhold judgement about the Chris Reeve version of Rear Window but it sounds like a bit of a freak show. It was done after his accident. I still love the Hitchcock version.

Edited March 22, 2007 by Chris Grieb

[John Dailey]

Chris:

~ Why (or where from) it 'sounds' that way, I dunno.

~ Yes, it was after his accident. If one is able to consider that knowledge irrelevent, then one can see his acting abilities and appreciate his version; if not, then, I guess it would seem 'freakish'. Hope you catch it; it was a mere 'made-for-TV.'

LLAP

J:D

[Victor Pross]

Okay, call me strange, but I bought the The Bela Lugosi Collection! It has some of his better movies: Murders in Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven and, of course, Dracula. I also dig Boris Karloff.

[Chris Grieb]

Victor; Some of Bela's work was schlock but I still think his Dracula is the best. He was reduced to appearing in Ed Wood's movies at the end of his career.

[Wrighty]

John - thanks for the reminder! How could I leave out Cape Fear and Oceans 11.

What about The Sting?

Great plot, great stars, plus it took the music of Scott Joplin to the general public!

[Chris Grieb]

Peter; Which Ocean's 11? The first Cape Fear is the better one. Have you seen The Night of the Hunter? Cape Fear and The Night of the Hunter are Robert Mitchum's great performances as a villain. The Night of the Hunter was Charles Laughton only work as a director. It was unsuccessful so he never got another chance to direct but the film seems much better today.

Edited March 22, 2007 by Chris Grieb

[Rich Engle]

Movies are almost always good, that's kind of how they work.

I share Victor's love of Charles Chaplin. (Sidebar: I highly recommend his autobiography, it is phenomenal).

I think that Robert Downey Jr. was top-of-the-foodchain in "Chaplin."

That is one of the few movies that can make me cry; it does every time, and I've seen it like 20 times. I'd go rent it today, now that I'm thinking of it....

This film is incredibly loyal to the autobiography, and that's something right there.

Maybe it's just me, maybe I like Downey too much, Chaplin too much, but I truly consider this to be one of the best films ever made.

Here's an unofficial movie site that's pretty cool: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/8423/

rde

[Victor Pross]

Movies are almost always good, that's kind of how they work.

I share Victor's love of Charles Chaplin. (Sidebar: I highly recommend his autobiography, it is phenomenal).

I think that Robert Downey Jr. was top-of-the-foodchain in "Chaplin."

That is one of the few movies that can make me cry; it does every time, and I've seen it like 20 times. I'd go rent it today, now that I'm thinking of it....

This film is incredibly loyal to the autobiography, and that's something right there.

Maybe it's just me, maybe I like Downey too much, Chaplin too much, but I truly consider this to be one of the best films ever made.

Here's an unofficial movie site that's pretty cool: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/8423/

rde

Rich,

Seeing the Robert Downey Jr. movie when it first came out had the same effect on me. I melted in my seat shedding tears. But that’s because of my love for Chaplin, and you are right: the movie was very faithful to Chaplin’s autobiography. City Lights always has the same effect on me. I must have seen that one 40 times by now. It is a powerful romantic comedy and I cannot recommend it enough. Gawd, I love that movie.

Chaplin was an artist’s artist. A one-man show who wrote, directed and stared in his own pictures, not to mention writing and scoring the sound tracks. Now here was a genius.

I specifically have plans to see City Lights with Angie. I want her nuzzled on my chest crying tears of joy. That is my master plan and that movie can serve this end. B)

-Victor

Edited March 22, 2007 by Victor Pross

[Richard Uhler]

100 Movies You Should See Before You Die!

Ladies and gents, here is a list of 100 movies that you should see before you die...(etc.)

Well, I've seen 35 of these; it seems I have some viewing yet to do:)

I dunno; I was appalled by American Beauty; my reaction was that it's message equalled "just give up, smoke some weed, and do absolutely nothing of use because stray plastic bags and death are beautiful." Did I miss something? Maybe...

[Richard Uhler]

BTW I appreciate that Now, Voyager was mentioned here - I thought it was a fine film & Claude Raines in particular is a favorite in this house.

[Wrighty]

Chris, thanks - this is an education!

I'll check out Robert Mitchum's Cape Fear, and The Night of The Hunter - which looks particularly dark.

Incidentally while looking up the latter (plot et al) I was reminded of A Kiss Before Dying (the original - I've not seen the remake), which I saw after reading the book. The book was true suspense, but the film never seemed to scale those heights.

Talking of films from books - there's another for the "100" list.....The Day of the Jackal. While here again the book was vastly superior, the film has a momentum of its own that makes it worth watching over and over again.

[John Dailey]

~ Interesting that no one's brought up any 'John Wayne' movies. I mention this only because (thinking relevence to an 'Aesthetics' thread or two) I just caught today, on the DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL, a 'doc' on Frederic Remington (more interesting than I'd thought, what little I knew of him beyond some of his known famous paintings and sculpts). John Ford, a noted director of the '40-50's made SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON and patterned many scenes based on Remington's paintings. --- Can one say a 'classic' of medium Z based on a 'classic' of medium A? Sorry, I digress; I'll bring this up there...one day.

~ Many of Wayne's early movies were, sure, 'cliche' (though only some for the times said was made in), but, most of Ford's weren't (then, anyway), and, most of Wayne's were Ford-directed.

~ Wayne's characters (whatever one thinks of him as a 'person') were definitely 'heroic'...right up to his last with Bacall in THE SHOOTIST. (Richard Boone's last also, I think.)

LLAP

J:D

[Ross Barlow]

Okay, call me strange, but I bought the The Bela Lugosi Collection! ...<snip>... I also dig Boris Karloff.

Okay, Victor, you are strange. ;-)

But we are brothers, because I am a big fan of Bela and Boris as well. Growing up in the 1960s, my friends and I would never miss a “Fright Night Friday” TV midnight double feature with these classics. Bela’s *Dracula* (1931) is great. There were a lot of crap movies made then, as now, but some true gems also.

It was Tod Browning who directed *Dracula* (1931). Browning also directed *Freaks* (1932). Have you ever seen this latter film? It is not for the squeamish, and it was banned in Britain. This is High Weirdness and not for everyone. I fear that I will be called “strange” for even mentioning this one.

As for Boris Karloff, his Frankenstein roles, especially *The Bride of Frankenstein*, are mesmerizing. On a very different note, Boris did something amazing and strangely charming in his later life on TV (some comedy show) by reciting – as a poem, not as a song – the lyrics to the great song “It Was a Very Good Year.” He sat in an armchair wearing a smoking jacket and looking directly into the camera. I felt that he owned the lyrics at that point.

-Ross Barlow.

[Chris Grieb]

Ross; Freaks is a strange movie. I did not know it was banned in the UK. I have the feeling the movie was not available for many years in the US too.

[Richard Uhler]

... I am a big fan of Bela and Boris as well. etc.

I imagine you must have seen "The Black Cat" (1934); that's a favorite of mine.

[Robert Jones]

... I am a big fan of Bela and Boris as well. etc.

I imagine you must have seen "The Black Cat" (1934); that's a favorite of mine.

MALEVOLENT UNIVERSE ALERT!

MALEVOLENT UNIVERSE ALERT!

;)

[Victor Pross]

Ross,

Good to know there is another Lugosi fan out there. I love the man's penetrating accent and “stylized acting” technique. ("I am…Dracula. I bid you welcome.”) Creepy!

Plus, I am a big fan of The Bride of Frankenstein. James Whales, the movie’s director, was sadly underrated during his time.

Here is a caricature portrait of Karloff in ‘Bride.’

-Victor

P.S.

Robert...yes, I do have a dark side, but it's not a guilty secret. :turned:

Edited March 25, 2007 by Victor Pross

[Richard Uhler]

... I am a big fan of Bela and Boris as well. etc.

I imagine you must have seen "The Black Cat" (1934); that's a favorite of mine.

MALEVOLENT UNIVERSE ALERT!

MALEVOLENT UNIVERSE ALERT!

;)

Well, it's less so than, say, "Eraserhead."

Edited March 25, 2007 by Richard Uhler

[Victor Pross]

... I am a big fan of Bela and Boris as well. etc.

I imagine you must have seen "The Black Cat" (1934); that's a favorite of mine.

Richard,

Yes, I have The Black Cat in my collection. I think Lugosi should have played Karloff's part. That's just an opinion.

I really like The Raven (1935) with Karloff and Lugosi. I always crack up at this exchange:

LUGOSI (to Karloff): "So you put the burning torch into his eyes!"

KARLOFF: "Well...sometimes you can't help things like that."

-Victor

Edited March 25, 2007 by Victor Pross

[Richard Uhler]

... I am a big fan of Bela and Boris as well. etc.

I imagine you must have seen "The Black Cat" (1934); that's a favorite of mine.

Richard,

...I think Lugosi should have played Karloff's part. That's just an opinion. ...

An interesting thing to visualise.

[Robert Jones]

Here are my 100, which is taken from a previous thread. It needs to be updated, but I'll do that later.

Victor: You'll see we share a lot of the same faves. Enjoy!

My all time top 100 favorites:

1. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

2. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)

3. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)

4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1967)

5. The Godfather, Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

6. All About Eve (Joseph Manckiewicz, 1950)

7. The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951)

8. The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946)

9. The Third Man (Carroll Reed, 1949)

10. High Plains Drifter (Clint Eastwood, 1973)

11. Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)

12. Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)

13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)

14. Terminator II (James Cameron, 1992)

15. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1925)

16. Death Wish (Michael Winner, 1974)

17. Anatomy of a Murder (Otto Preminger, 1959)

18. It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1947)

19. Rocky (John Avildsen, 1976)

20. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)

21. The World's Fastest Indian (Roger Donaldson, 2005)

22. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

23. We the Living (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1942)

24. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)

25. Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)

26. Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984)

27. Confidentially Yours (Francois Truffaut, 1983)

28. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

29. The Taking of Pelham, 1,2,3 (Joseph Sargent, 1974)

30. King Kong ((Merian C. Cooper, 1933)

31. A Face in the Crowd (Elia Kazan, 1957)

32. The Purple Rose of Cairo (Woody Allen, 1985)

33. The Quiet Man (John Ford, 1952)

34. Advise and Consent (Otto Preminger, 1962)

35. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)

36. The Caine Mutiny (Edward Dmytryk, 1953)

37. El Dorado (Howard Hawks, 1966)

38. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)

39. Key Largo (John Huston, 1948)

40. Breaking Away (Peter Yates, 1979)

41. I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy, 1932)

42. The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

43. The Great Santini (Lewis John Carlino, 1979)

44. Paper Moon (Peter Bogdanovich, 1973)

45. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)

46. The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer, 1962)

47. To Be, Or Not to Be (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942)

48. For a Few Dollars More (Sergio Leone, 1965)

49. To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962)

50. Braveheart (Mel Gibson, 1995)

51. In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967)

52. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)

53. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

54. Airplane! (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker, 1980)

55. Patton (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1970)

56. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock. 1960)

57. Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945)

58. The Fountainhead (King Vidor, 1949)

59. White Heat (Raoul Walsh, 1949)

60. This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)

61. Hud (Martin Ritt, 1963)

62. Demolition Man (Marco Brambilla, 1993)

63. Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)

64. Charade (Stanley Donen, 1963)

65. Scent of a Woman (Martin Brest, 1992)

66. Cape Fear (J. Lee Thompson, 1962)

67. From Here to Eternity (Fred Zinneman, 1953)

68. Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974)

69. The Verdict (Sidney Lumet, 1980)

70. A Splendor in the Grass (Elia Kazan, 1961)

71. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

72. High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, 1963)

73. High Noon (Fred Zinneman, 1952)

74. Ray (Taylor Hackford, 2004)

75. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)

76. Stalag 17 (Billy Wilder, 1952)

77. Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir, 1989)

78. Only the Lonely (Chris Columbus, 1991)

79. The Untouchables (Brian DePalma, 1987)

80. Elmer Gantry (Richard Brooks, 1960)

81. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1985)

82. Kingpin (Farrelly Bros., 1996)

83. Sorry, Wrong Number (Anatole Litvak, 1948)

84. The Little Thief (Claude Miller, 1989)

85. Papillon (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1973)

86. The Dirty Dozen (Robert Aldrich, 1967)

87. I Confess (Alfred Hitchcock, 1953)

88. Hoffa (Danny DeVito, 1992)

89. Citizen Ruth (Alexander Payne, 1996)

90. Ben Hur (William Wyler, 1959)

91. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)

92. On Dangerous Ground (Nicholas Ray, 1952)

93. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph Manckiewicz, 1947)

94. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1957)

95. The Edge (Lee Tamhori, 1997)

96. The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino, 1952)

97. Strangers On a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951)

98. The Boys From Brazil (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1978)

99. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)

100.Carlito's Way (Brian DePalma, 1993)