film-geek neepery

[rushthatspeaks]

I have a very strange pattern of involvement with most media: I am well versed in the obscure, and have no acquaintance whatever with the ordinary. If ninety percent of the population of the planet has never heard of something, I have probably read/heard/watched it, and I tend to have never heard of things that many people seem to take for granted. This is not due to living under a rock, since I have never actually done so except in the case of television (a childhood without it has bred a lifetime of ignoring it), so much as it is due to extremely directed and obsessive interests that lead me to research and experience a wide-ranging set of totally obscure things.

Most of the time, I enjoy this a great deal, or I wouldn't do it. However, I do on occasion get the feeling that I am missing something by not having heard of the things outside my research areas, and, as far as movies go, this feeling has gotten pretty pronounced.

Because I would call myself a film geek. I have a shelf full of Peter Greenaway and Sally Potter and North African experimental animation and German expressionism, and I go to a lot of movies, and I love movies dearly and dissect them all over the place whether anyone wants to hear it or not.

However, I have no familiarity whatever with the movies that wind up on those lists of classic movies, and I tend to have no acquaintance with the favorite movies of my friends, or of critics I trust, either.

I have never seen a movie by Hitchcock or by Orson Welles. I have seen one Scorsese; it was 'Summer of Sam'. I have seen one Kubrick; it was 'Eyes Wide Shut' (which was great, but not, I am told, representative). I have seen one Spike Lee, and it was 'Get On the Bus'. I have seen one Bergman, and it was his film of the stage version of 'The Magic Flute'. I have seen no Fellini, no Truffaut or Godard, and no Antonioni. I did see a movie by Fritz Lang, but it was 'Things to Come', not 'Metropolis'.

I have never seen 'Casablanca', 'Gone With the Wind', any winner of the Best Picture Oscar for the past decade except 'American Beauty', or anything I could accurately identify as film noir.

I have seen a lot of Coen Brothers, a lot of random Kurosawa, Cocteau, and Jacques Tati, and every single MGM musical ever made.

Are you starting to get the idea of how the obscurity thing works here?

I'd like to do something about it, really. The difficulty with those lists of classic movies, however, is that, frankly, both those lists and the Academy are occasionally totally nutso off their rockers (*cough*IreadthescriptofGladiator*cough*), and I'd like to get more detailed opinions than just some titles on lists, so that I've got some idea of why people think a film is worth tracking down and viewing before I track it down and view it.

So. What movies do you all think are classic? What movies should I absolutely, positively not miss, as a film geek and as a person who would like to understand the pop-culture store of references and allusions that is sure to be lurking out there? And, more importantly, why are they unmissable?

Any and all feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Comments

[oyceter]

If you are one for romantic comedies, the old romantic comedy classics are definitely worth seeing. My favorite (so far) is His Girl Friday.

[homasse.livejournal.com]

I would say that, since you have only watched one Spike Lee film, you should watch more. I recommend School Daze or Jungle Fever.

As for cultural refernce, I would say "The Stepford Wives" and, if you haven't seen it, "Alien" and "2001."

And, of course, "The Princess Bride" and "Real Genius." They are the classics of the '80s. Ditto with "The Breakfast Club."

With Kubrick, I think you should watch "A Clockwork Orange." It was one of the few films to trip me out in some way.

And please tell me you have seen "The SIlence of the Lambs." Please.

Also, see "American Pie." A lot of these films might not last the test of time, but they show you a snapshot of America, in some ways.

Also, watch "Dangerous Liasons." It's not the best version of the story--I think "Valmont" was better, and the best version I've seen was, hands down, the Korean version, "Scandal" (the other version, with Sarah Michelle Gellar, the name of which I've forgotten, was a pretty good updating, actually)--but it was the one with the most impact (the guy who directed the Korean retelling said he saw it on a trip aborad and understood almost none of it since there were no subtitles, but it totally blew him away and it impacted his developping directorial style. I so think he one-upped Dangerous Liasons. So if you can get your hands on Scandal, OMG WATCH IT.)

[ghostsphoenix.livejournal.com]

Not that I'm well-versed in "popular" culture, but I agree with things like "The Stepford Wives", "The Breakfast Club", "Alien", and "2001"

I'd also like to say, for the record, that I thought "Gladiator" was a really good film. It felt _Roman_ to me. I get the impression every time I watch it that if a resident of Republican Rome were here, right now, and could magically understand Enlgish, he would understand "Gladiator". But, I seem to be a non-typical Classicist in such things. I, after all, like Disney's Hercules for the songs and parts of the animation.

-Ghost

PS: I hated every minute of having to watch "American Pie" and could not ever bring myself to say a good thing about it ever. Unfortunately, I have a feeling homasse is right about it being part of American culture today.

[trifles.livejournal.com]

The thing about American Pie is, you have to realize that there's a very clever moral center to the entire story. It's packaged up in teen movie silliness, but all the way at the bottom it says, "Sex should be meaningful because of the person, not because of the act. Think about it." Etcetera and so forth. Look at who ends up with who, and who's really happy with what happens. Then watch the evolution of it all through the series.

*cough yeah, we talk about this a lot cough*

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

The Sarah Michelle Gellar version is called Cruel Intentions. Ryan Phillipe is practically channeling John Malkovitch, I think. And I agree, Dangerous Liasons is good, and the most famous version. Malkovitch is, as always, oddly compelling, and a great actor.

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

Hi,
you're on my friendso'friends page.

I love Jacques Tati.

But my recommendation is for a Western.

Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad And The Ugly was an Italian western(starring an unknown Clint Eastwood). The music is by Ennio Morricone (who I think may have worked with Peter Greenaway later on, but I'm not quite sure.)

It's probably one of the best Westerns that's been made. Leone took all the Western cliches and made them...bigger. Lots of panoramic widescreen shots. And the music is great.

But then I love Westerns. I love the starkness and power of the landscape, I love watching people acting out their dramas in that landscape, like tiny little insects. I love this one because it shamelessly embraces that aesthetic.

There's also all the stuff about how humans(men?) interact when they are outside of normal society, the Western takes a particular approach that I don't neccessarily believe in, but find compelling to watch.

There is a particular scene in a cemetery that I could not watch when I first saw this film(and was the reason I did not see this film in its entirety until last year) and I blame Morricone's score for that. (No, not gory. Just ...something).

Best to see at a cinema.

[zdenka]

I tend to ignore movies as I tend to ignore most popular culture of this century, so I have no idea what would be on a proper to-watch list. Come to think of it, I haven't seen most of those either.

But I will say that if you want to watch Casablanca, I will happily watch it with you. Besides, although I dislike using the word "classic" to describe anything less than five hundred years old, Casablanca is . . . one of those movies which people should have seen. Not because it's that good, but . . . well, staple of my childhood. I think they show it at the Brattle every once in a while, if you want the big-screen experience.

*blink* Surely you've seen The Princess Bride? Though I'd happily watch that for the zillionth time, too.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

I grew up without television too. I *wondered* where your print thing came from. Kindred souls. But I also grew up without movies and though I watched a lot through my 20's they never grabbed me particularly except for the classic Japanese stuff. I'm virtually illiterate that way.

But... I channel flipped the other day after watching some anime tapes and wandered into Casablanca, and kept on watching. Even I can tell the feel of a classic when I see it; it kind of grabbed and wouldn't let go.

Classically of course The Seven Samurai, also coincidentally watched again after something like 20 years. Sentimental and with appalling hairpieces but still rivetting. Everyone needs to have seen the swordsman; he's an archetype.

[earis.livejournal.com]

'All About Eve'

I'm not telling you anything about it. Just go and watch it. It's amazing.

Also, 'Wet Hot American Summer' for an absurdist take on jewish summer camp.

[foleyartist1.livejournal.com]

All right, I can't take it anymore. Just clear your schedule and COME OVER and I will prevent anyone else from crashing your visit, by force if necessary, and show you amazing classic movies continually for a week and it will be AWESOME and we will have discussions about them and it will be FINE.

I say this because I have made about three attempts at listing titles, and realized as I started each one that it was going to be 10 pages long and LJ would cut off my comments and I would be late for work and frustrated. ^^;

[isabel-gold.livejournal.com]

for pop culture? Wayne's World. just cause I've run into so many people using references to that movie. same deal with When Harry Met Sally.

[trifles.livejournal.com]

Prelim list...

Clueless
1995 take on Jane Austen's Emma. Snapshot of a tiny sliver of time.

Gunga Din
1939 film named for the Rudyard Kipling poem. Three British soldiers in India during the Thuggee uprising. Classic for many reasons, though I happen to like the interaction between the three soldiers and the beautiful moment when we find out why the movie is named after what has largely been up to that point a comic relief character.

It Happened One Night
1934 romantic comedy. Good lines, good interaction between the characters, and apparently the first film to win Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay all in one go.

Psycho
1960 Hitchcock film, arguably his most famous. Absolute necessity. The camera work, the use of shadow, the suspense... damn.

Schindler's List
1993 Spielberg WWII historical, wherein he proves that he can do something besides adventure stories. The sort of film you can maybe watch once a year. I haven't seen it in about six years, and I'm not sure I'm ready to see it again yet.

Casablanca
1942 film that also takes place during WWII. A love story -- though whether the love is between two or more people, or between people and their countries, is negotiable. And it's kinda like The Sound of Music -- you have to watch it in order to understand huge numbers of cultural references.

Memento
2000 film; one of the best demonstrations of the viceral power of an unreliable narrator ever.

Fight Club
1999 film based on the book of the same title. More unreliable narrators, but it's a trip and a half to consider the sexual, gender-indentity, and cultural implications of everything.

M
1931 Fritz Lang film -- my favorite, even over Metropolis. Has a young Peter Lorre as a child murderer, the criminal underworld taking on the task of finding him, and the most magnificent use of Grieg's The Hall of the Mountain King ever.

Back to the Future I, II, and III
1985 and onwards. You must have seen this. Right?

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
1986 -- disaffected youth and running around and monologues about life vs school. Great stuff.

Ghostbusters
1984 -- again, you must have seen this. If you haven't, then you must see it now. Now.

Groundhog Day
1993 -- Bill Murray reliving one day over and over again. Hilarious and sweet.

Trainspotting
1996 -- Thick Scottish accents, and makes heroin use really funny (except when it's really, really not).

The Full Monty
1997 -- British film that shows you can tell a really large story in a very small space. Also funny as anything.

Farewell My Concubine
1993 Chinese film. Sex, history, gender, acting, politics. Kind of soul-crushing, actually. By kind of, I mean very.

Miracle on 34th Street
The 1947 one. It's a Christmas film about Santa Claus and belief. A Christmas classic that, if you've managed to avoid it on television all this time, is a miracle in and of itself.

12 Angry Men
1957 -- crime drama... sort of. Based on a play, I believe; takes place all in one room. Amazing to watch the jurors interact.

Glory
1989 Civil War historical about the first all-black volunteer company. I'm not sure I can call it the best Civil War film, or the best anything... but I can't imagine not having seen it.

Pretty Woman
1990 romantic comedy with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Prostitute with heart of gold. The one and only time I have ever found Richard Gere compelling. Great stuff.


...erg. There are more. Need time.

This bears pondering...

[mobiuswolf.livejournal.com]

Several people have mentioned Stepford Wives. I recomend this also, but make sure that you see the original film before you see the recent remake. I like both versions. The original creeps me out. The remake is both twitchy and amusing.

I am a big fan of the musical. Thus I believe you must see Moulin Rouge. After Sei and I found out that midnite_phoenix hadn't seen it I made him watch it and he seems to have enjoyed the movie. I have many other musicals of which I am extremely fond, but the only other one which I will name here is Guys and Dolls. This is the movie that started my Marlon Brando obsession. Relationships and gamblind during prohibition.

Ok, I lied, one more musical. Thinking about Guys and Dolls brought to mind another iconic American musical. West Side Story. Essentially a retelling of Romeo and Juliet in the 50s/60s with white and Puerto Rican street gangs.

Must go now, Back later.

And I'm back

[mobiuswolf.livejournal.com]

Moving on to politics and war.

The Manchurian Candidate This is another where you've got an original and a remake that are both good, but I believe must be watched in the order they were made, prefferably not at the same sitting. The 1962 version is about a Korean War POW who was programmed to be the perfect assassin. The 2004 remake updates the situation to a Gulf War POW and changes a bunch of the political stuff to match. Both of these deal with what one could call 'the mechanics of brainwashing and its reversal'. If you're in the mood for conspiracy theories, this is a good place to look.

Apocalypse Now holds a special place in my heart. I realize that it's rather odd to have warm feelings about a Vietnam war movie, but I do. I think this is mostly a result of having seen the movie right after I finished reading Heart of Darkness, the book it's loosely based on which I absolutely adored as a senior in high school. As you can probably guess by now, read book then see film. I've only seen the 1979 version, so I cannot say anything about Apocalypse Now Redux which was released in 2001.

Also, if your housemates haven't managed to show you The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I suggest you see it. There are book vs film quibbles, but overall it is really quite an excellent set of movies.

www.imdb.com (the Internet Movie Database) is a very useful site for finding out a bit about a movie you might or might not want to see.

completely unrelated to films

[marith.livejournal.com]

Er, did you get a chance to see the scans I put up for you? Only they're large enough I want to take them down if you have. :)

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures.

Nine

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

Stalking friends of friends
Gone With the Wind Even if you don't like it, even if you think it's cheesy and dumb or that there's horrible misogynistic and racist subtext, it's beautiful to look at, and referenced more than you realize. I happen to like it, myself.
The Ten Commandments If only because Yul Brynner is in it. But also because it's a classic Bible epic, which are important in the history of film.
Likewise Ben Hur, which also is referenced in half the chase scenes you'll ever see.
Speaking of chase scenes, The Blues Brothers. Because, well, why not?
The Wizard of Oz falls under the category of "every MGM musical ever made", right?
Casablanca It's a good movie, and should be seen on its merits alone, but it's also referenced again and again.
Psycho for Hitchcock, even though I've actually never seen it, I intend too. Also classic.
Citizen Kane Do you really need me to tell you why? Not quite the same if you know what Rosebud means, but good nonetheless.
Pick something with Katherine Hepburn in it. Right now I'm voting Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Important film, with Sidney Poitier and Spencer Tracy alongside Ms. Hepburn. She and Spencer Tracy had the kind of love story people make movies about. Also, she got an Oscar, as did the script, and Tracy was nominated.
Breakfast at Tiffany's Because a) Audrey Hepburn and b) based on a Truman Capote story. Very good film. A classic for a reason.
The Breakfast Club Because it's a classic 80s teen film, and actually very good.
Anything else with Molly Ringwald.
Dirty Dancing Again, classic 80s. I'd say watch it for the shirtless Patrick Swayze, but I don't think that's your thing. ;) Great dance film, and huge in pop culture. And, well, fun.
Romeo and Juliet, both the 1968 Zefferelli version and the 1996 Baz Luhrman version.
Titanic, not because it's good, but just to see what all the 13 year olds were sqealing about.
You've seen Monty Python right? And The Princess Bride? And Labyrinth?
A Streetcar Named Desire See why Marlon Brando was a movie star.
Pick something with Marilyn Monroe.
It's a Wonderful Life Because you should. Alongside A Christmas Carol, probably the most referenced Christmas story in the States. Plus, Jimmy Stewart.
That should keep you busy for a while.

[mixedborder.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen a lot of those films either, but I do love the early, silent Fritz Lang films. Metropolis, the first 2 Dr. Mabuse films, Spies, the Nibelungenlied. But just because I love them doesn't mean I think everyone will or should.

[zdenka]

There's a movie of the Nibelungenlied?

[mixedborder.livejournal.com]

2 movies actually: Siegfried and Kriemhilde's Regenge.

[eredien]

Casablanca: I didn't see this until my sophomore year of college; it cleared up cultural references for me and convinced me that there is such a thing as "classic film," a fact which I had long denied.

2001: Kubrick. Also based on an excellent novel by Clarke--reading it beforehand makes the movie slightly more understandable.

Fight Club: I just really like this movie; it was as cathartic for me as American Beauty, but at the opposite end of the spectrum, in an entirely different way.

One of the James Bond movies. Preferably with Sean Connery. If you haven't already seen them.

It's really embarassing but I still haven't seen any movies with Katherine Hepburn in them. If you watch any of them, Lignota or Rush-That-Speaks, or want to watch Casablanca, I would be happy to watch either with you.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

Lawrence of Arabia. Amazingly beautiful to look at, emotionally complex, and with a respect for its audience's intelligence that I'm not sure you'd see in any mass market English-language movie these days.

And everybody is right about Casablanca.