Movie Classics that totally escape me

[TeethWhitener]

I'll throw my hat in the ring and say that I just DID. NOT. GET. Rebel Without a Cause.

 

[pinball1970]

I'll throw my hat in the ring and say that I just DID. NOT. GET. Rebel Without a Cause.

I cannot remember the plot of that or the wild ones which means I drifted.

 

[Klystron]

I'll throw my hat in the ring and say that I just DID. NOT. GET. Rebel Without a Cause.

It has been many years but I can provide guidance based on reading, though not experience.

Typical teen coming-of-age stories often rely on the destructive potential of female sexual desire. Not saying I agree with this idea, but female sexual awakening -- even in a mature but otherwise naive female character -- usually portends early death, destruction and disruption among receptive male characters.

There are many examples of this idea in literature; from the writings of Saint Paul and Augustine, numerous myths and legends, to modern writers such as Samuel Delany. This concept is examined in his novel Dhalgren where female sexuality threatens to destroy the entire City encapsulated in the phrase, "The Sun has grown deadly.". Borrowing from a similar theme in his science fiction novel "Nova", the bi-sexual protagonist in Dhalgren awakens to the awful light of a gigantic sun representing the reproductive ability of his female partner Lanya and the sexual awakening of June Richards. In other words: female sexual freedom in fiction leads to death and destruction.

Now extend the sexual attraction of young lovers played by handsome James Dean and darkly winsome Natalie Wood with all the danger that relationship entails to include the dark beauty of Sal Mineo's character. The strong attraction -- on screen and off -- between Dean and Mineo causes a ruckus barely contained by the stilted dialog and sexual innuendo among the various characters. Ostensibly, Dean's character fights the gang leader for status and access to Wood but the symbology of the knife fights leading to the destructive car races portends a darkly different viewpoint of 'young love'.

For a semi-fictional view of young James Dean, homosexual politics and the female-male-male sexual coda in films, see Larry Kramer's books.

 

[pinball1970]

It has been many years but I can provide guidance based on reading, though not experience.

Typical teen coming-of-age stories often rely on the destructive potential of female sexual desire. Not saying I agree with this idea, but female sexual awakening -- even in a mature but otherwise naive female character -- usually portends early death, destruction and disruption among receptive male characters.

There are many examples of this idea in literature; from the writings of Saint Paul and Augustine, numerous myths and legends, to modern writers such as Samuel Delany. This concept is examined in his novel Dhalgren where female sexuality threatens to destroy the entire City encapsulated in the phrase, "The Sun has grown deadly.". Borrowing from a similar theme in his science fiction novel "Nova", the bi-sexual protagonist in Dhalgren awakens to the awful light of a gigantic sun representing the reproductive ability of his female partner Lanya and the sexual awakening of June Richards. In other words: female sexual freedom in fiction leads to death and destruction.

Now extend the sexual attraction of young lovers played by handsome James Dean and darkly winsome Natalie Wood with all the danger that relationship entails to include the dark beauty of Sal Mineo's character. The strong attraction -- on screen and off -- between Dean and Mineo causes a ruckus barely contained by the stilted dialog and sexual innuendo among the various characters. Ostensibly, Dean's character fights the gang leader for status and access to Wood but the symbology of the knife fights leading to the destructive car races portends a darkly different viewpoint of 'young love'.

For a semi-fictional view of young James Dean, homosexual politics and the female-male-male sexual coda in films, see Larry Kramer's books.

Very interesting, I don't think any of his films made an impact on me but I was a teenager when I saw them all.
The latent/subverted homosexuality element of 'Cat on a hot tin Roof'completely escaped me but I think the play is a lot different to the film (which was brilliant)

 

[DennisN]

I saw a couple of funny interviews with different actors today, and I happened to stumble upon this one, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie briefly, and a bit embarrassingly mention some classic movies they have or have not seen. The movies they mention have been mentioned in this thread, so I thought it could be fun to share it here. Their reactions to each other are pretty entertaining .

 

[pinball1970]

I saw a couple of funny interviews with different actors today, and I happened to stumble upon this one, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie briefly, and a bit embarrassingly mention some classic movies they have or have not seen. The movies they mention have been mentioned in this thread, so I thought it could be fun to share it here. Their reactions to each other are pretty entertaining .

Never seen any Star Wars!

Brilliant, I hated it! This is a physics forum and I admit I hated that film. Mum fell asleep in the cinema (which was packed)
I saw some of the end scene on Blue Peter (UK) before I saw it in the cinema and it was just as silly on the big screen.

Contrast that with Jaws (with mum again as it was class 'A' film) where every scene was etched on my mind.

The whole cinema screamed in parts, laughed in other and went eeerrrrruuuugh in others. Fantastic.

 

[DennisN]

Never seen any Star Wars!

Brilliant, I hated it!

You don't know...

 

[Klystron]

Very interesting, I don't think any of his films made an impact on me but I was a teenager when I saw them all.
The latent/subverted homosexuality element of 'Cat on a hot tin Roof'completely escaped me but I think the play is a lot different to the film (which was brilliant)

Likewise, except I saw "Rebel...", "Giant" and "East of Eden" as a child with my family explaining bits. "Rebel..." and "West Side Story" made me believe I would have to carry switch-blade knives, which were illegal at that time and place, when I reached teen age.

I did not see overt homosexual themes in movie version of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". More like long time married couple constantly arguing and bickering; hot sexy wife complaining about lack of attention from ageing ex-jock husband. In modern parlance she claims he is a 'limp-****". Sure, the brother-in-law has a platonic crush on the ex-quarterback but Williams also gives him a constantly pregnant wife and numerous 'horrid little monsters'. What great acting in that flick.

I often do not get homosexual themes in movies; reason why I had to refer to authors like Delany and Kramer to understand the dynamic in "Rebel Without a Cause". Take the scene in "Big Sleep" when Bogie as Phillip Marlowe first enters the (porno) bookstore. He flips up his hat brim, lowers his shades and affects a feminine voice with a lisp then pretends to be a book merchant. Say what? Marlowe's act might be more convincing if he did not stare so hard at the (female) brunette book seller. I can only figure it was intended as humor for theater audiences of that time.

 

[pinball1970]

You don't know...

What I meant was...(you know what I meant...)

 

[pinball1970]

Likewise, except I saw "Rebel...", "Giant" and "East of Eden" as a child with my family explaining bits. "Rebel..." and "West Side Story" made me believe I would have to carry switch-blade knives, which were illegal at that time and place, when I reached teen age.

I did not see overt homosexual themes in movie version of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". More like long time married couple constantly arguing and bickering; hot sexy wife complaining about lack of attention from ageing ex-jock husband. In modern parlance she claims he is a 'limp-****". Sure, the brother-in-law has a platonic crush on the ex-quarterback but Williams also gives him a constantly pregnant wife and numerous 'horrid little monsters'. What great acting in that flick.

I often do not get homosexual themes in movies; reason why I had to refer to authors like Delany and Kramer to understand the dynamic in "Rebel Without a Cause". Take the scene in "Big Sleep" when Bogie as Phillip Marlowe first enters the (porno) bookstore. He flips up his hat brim, lowers his shades and affects a feminine voice with a lisp then pretends to be a book merchant. Say what? Marlowe's act might be more convincing if he did not stare so hard at the (female) brunette book seller. I can only figure it was intended as humor for theater audiences of that time.

We probably did not pick up on because we were teenagers. I watched every carry on film with my mum from the 70s and thought every one was fantastic. Every double entendre went over my head.

Back to classics - Sparticus - Brilliant. The Richard Burton Tony Curtis scene also went over my head.
Anyone who does not like Sparticus does not deserve to have access to films.

 

[Klystron]

I liked Spartacus as a kid. Turns out the source material is pretty accurate for a flick. The many Spartacus spin-off series on Cinemax, if you have seen them, make me appreciate the movie more.

 

[DennisN]

I found another list (AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition) on which there were many more movies considered classics, and also a list of movies that were on the list in 1998. There were many I had seen which weren't on the other lists, and I liked most of them, except two, and here are some comments from me:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good: High Noon, West Side Story, MASH, Cabaret, Forrest Gump, Dances with Wolves, American Graffiti, Titanic, Fargo, Rocky, The Sixth Sense (the only M. Night Shyamalan movie I really like).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great: All the President's Men, The Godfather I & II, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Platoon, Pulp Fiction, Toy Story. And also The Fellowship of the Ring and Amadeus which I have mentioned before.

And here are some of the movies which I think are great and which I want to honour with comments and memorable scenes:

E.T.:
It was a long time ago I saw it, but I still remember many things, particularly the certain kind of scary but also very appealing atmosphere that Spielberg managed to build up around extraterrestrial encounters, which he also did in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Furthermore, I also think E.T. is a classic SF movie.
Memorable scene: The ball throwing scene, which is beautifully filmed.

Raiders of the Lost Ark:
It might be on my top 10 or 20. One of the best adventure movies ever, and with a great soundtrack. And it starts with ten or fifteen minutes of thrilling adventure. And then it just goes on.
Memorable scenes: Idol and whip negotiation and Belloq taunting Jones: 'Who knows? In a thousand years even you may be worth something.'

Saving Private Ryan:
A war classic. Amazingly filmed, great acting and very thrilling. The despairs of war are continuously portrayed in well-measured doses.
Memorable scene: Corporal Upham is reassigned to John Miller's group.

Schindler's List:
It might be on my top 10 or 20 list. It depicts human nature at its very best and very worst in the same movie. Many memorable scenes, e.g. the girl in red.

Star Wars: (sorry @pinball1970 )
It is on my top 10 SF movies list. As is The Empire Strikes Back, which I think is even better.
Memorable scene: The cantina negotiation with Solo (Ford), Ben (Guiness) and Luke (Hamill).

The Deer Hunter:
Very emotional. Memorable scene: The life sparing of the deer.

The Silence of the Lambs:
A darn good movie.
Memorable scene: Lecter (Hopkins) gets offended when a trainee (Foster) is sent to him.

The Shawshank Redemption:
Very, very good.
Memorable scene: The rooftop negotiation and beer drinking.

Unforgiven:
A quite unusual western. Memorable scene: "We all have it coming".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classics on the list that I did not enjoy:

A Clockwork Orange:
I didn't particularly enjoy it, but it was a long time ago I saw it.

Apocalypse Now:
This is another classic I personally didn't enjoy, though there are some very memorable scenes in it. For me, it was too messy/incongruent and too long, but it was a long time ago I saw it. With regards to the story, I would have liked to see a good movie adaptation of the original story of the novel Heart of Darkness. As far as I know, there hasn't been any good one done yet.

 

[Klystron]

<snip>
Classics on the list that I did not enjoy:

A Clockwork Orange:
I didn't particularly enjoy it, but it was a long time ago I saw it.

Apocalypse Now:
This is another classic I personally didn't enjoy, though there are some very memorable scenes in it. For me, it was too messy/incongruent and too long, but it was a long time ago I saw it. With regards to the story, I would have liked to see a good movie adaptation of the original novel Heart of Darkness. As far as I know, there hasn't been any good one done yet.

You do not mention where you saw these films. As an early adopter, hobbyist and fan of home theater, I still think both these flicks need wide screen and the best possible sound system to appreciate.

I was lucky to see a pre-release 'director's cut' of Clockwork 1971 at a new theater in San Francisco (I want to say the Lumiere but wiki has it opening in 1974). I also own the DVD: a pale comparison to the rich soundtrack I remember. I was already a Malcom McDowell fan from "if..." 1968 but Kubrick revived my interest in Beethoven. Both films were considered controversial even in SF. Clockwork marked the close of an era, the kitschy Korova Milk Bar overtaken by extreme violence and sadism as entertainment.

I understand the reaction to "Apocalypse, Now!" but if the original was too long, try the extended cut where the boat crew meets the helicopter Bunnies and later dines with Belgian ex-pats trying to preserve a lost life style. Making the film nearly killed Martin Sheen, alluded to by his character in "Wall Street"'s heart attack following his son's betrayal. Conrad's novels do not seem to translate directly to the screen but have surely spawned many interesting films.

I first watched Apocalypse at a new wide-screen luxury theater in San Jose a month after leaving the USAF. The visuals and sound stunned the audience. My favorite line is delivered by Fredrick Forrest "Chef":

'intense but distant rumble shakes the theater'​

Sheen: "What is that?"​

Forrest: "Arc Light."​

Sheen: "What?"​

Forrest (shouting over the rumble): "Arc Light! B-52 strike..."​

​

 

[Bystander]

novel Heart of Darkness. As far as I know, there hasn't been any good one done yet.

Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness, Col. Kurtz---John Voigt did that so much better in Anaconda, Eric Stoltz had the g

dines with Belgian ex-pats

Face it, Marlon Brando (and Martin Sheen) is/(are) even more over-rated an/(an) actor/(s) than Richard Burton.

Suspect you've said more than a mouthful here.
The Young Lions, curiously enough;

 

[pinball1970]

You do not mention where you saw these films. As an early adopter, hobbyist and fan of home theater, I still think both these flicks need wide screen and the best possible sound system to appreciate.

I was lucky to see a pre-release 'director's cut' of Clockwork 1971 at a new theater in San Francisco (I want to say the Lumiere but wiki has it opening in 1974). I also own the DVD: a pale comparison to the rich soundtrack I remember. I was already a Malcom McDowell fan from "if..." 1968 but Kubrick revived my interest in Beethoven. Both films were considered controversial even in SF. Clockwork marked the close of an era, the kitschy Korova Milk Bar overtaken by extreme violence and sadism as entertainment.

I understand the reaction to "Apocalypse, Now!" but if the original was too long, try the extended cut where the boat crew meets the helicopter Bunnies and later dines with Belgian ex-pats trying to preserve a lost life style. Making the film nearly killed Martin Sheen, alluded to by his character in "Wall Street"'s heart attack following his son's betrayal. Conrad's novels do not seem to translate directly to the screen but have surely spawned many interesting films.

I first watched Apocalypse at a new wide-screen luxury theater in San Jose a month after leaving the USAF. The visuals and sound stunned the audience. My favorite line is delivered by Fredrick Forrest "Chef":

'intense but distant rumble shakes the theater'​

Sheen: "What is that?"​

Forrest: "Arc Light."​

Sheen: "What?"​

Forrest (shouting over the rumble): "Arc Light! B-52 strike..."​

​

I watched most on video or on TV except for Jaws, Raiders of the Lost arc and the Disney stuff as a kid. I am glad cinema has had a revival its where people can get together and be entertained together. Kids and families.
Anyway Apocalypse now would have been a great one to see. I want to watch the scene you mentioned, Arc light.
The opening napalm scene with the Endby the Doors playing in the back ground is one of those rare cinema moments, a piece of art in itself.
I regard Terminator as a classic, interesting plot great characters and an Iconic performance from Arnold. That film had everything - I saw it on video too
Same with those other great films like Deer Hunter Silence of the lambs and Shaw shank. I think I missed out.
Forrest Gump Pulp Fiction and reservoir dogs I got to see at the cinema

Yes DennisN I got to see star Wars of course...

 

[Mark44]

Some it's hard to tell if I've seen the original or one of a dozen remakes (eg. Frankenstein).

Regarding Frankenstein as a particular example, it should be easy - was the monster played by Boris Karloff? If so, it was the original.

I remember watching all those old movies of that genre back in the late 50's on TV -- Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman (with Lon Chaney, Jr), and the Mummy (again with Karloff). There was a TV channel where I lived in So. Cal. that played these old horror flicks on Saturday nights. Incidentally, I ran into Lon Chaney, Jr. in a liquor store in San Juan Capistrano around 1966. Didn't pester him for an autograph, though.

 

[Klystron]

<snip>
Anyway Apocalypse now would have been a great one to see. I want to watch the scene you mentioned, Arc light.
The opening napalm science with the Endby the Doors playing in the back ground is one of those rare cinema moments, a piece of art in itself.
I regard Terminator as a classic, interesting plot great characters and an Iconic performance from Arnold. That film had everything - I saw it on video too

Let me clarify: I meant the "Arc Light" dialog was one of the most memorable lines in movies of that era.
I thoroughly agree that the opening scenes of Apocalypse with The Door's music merging with the beats of the helicopter rotors, napalm flames silhouetting the tree line, rivals the best opening scenes in cinema.

The original Terminator elevated science-fiction action movies to a new dramatic level. I would rave about Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance as a human-form robot, comparing his performance to silent film classics such as Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Terminator and Metropolis look great on video, also.

 

[DennisN]

You do not mention where you saw these films.

I saw both Apocalypse Now and a Clockwork Orange on VHS/TV.
Regarding those two, I can't say I hate them. I really don't. They are not terrible movies. From what I remember about Apocalypse Now, I had no problems with the basic story, the acting and the filming. The problem I had with it was the meandering (drughazed? ) storytelling which I didn't like.

And from what I remember about Clockwork Orange, it was just a too bleak and dystopian movie for me, even though I do enjoy many other dystopian stories. And I remember I did not enjoy the violence in it. But I guess the violent, bleak dystopian mood is kind of the point of the movie. When I come to think of it, there is interestingly enough a kind of running dystopian theme in quite a few of Kubrick's movies, and also a running theme of people being or going mad, e.g.:

Dr. Strangelove (which I like) ends in a dystopian way. And perhaps the movie could be argued being a bit dystopian, even though it is more a black comedy. And there are many mad people in it .

2001 has got dystopian elements in it, particularly the malfunctioning of the AI computer HAL.

The Shining (which I like) is not dystopian, it's horror. But it is about a man going completely mad.

Full Metal Jacket (which I like) is not dystopian, it's a war movie. But there is also a guy going completely mad in it, due to the bullying he had to endure. Very powerful and very memorable. I share the scene here, with a kind warning that it is a quite intense and terrifying scene.

Well, enough about the bleak Kubrick madness from me. When I looked at his filmography on Wikipedia, I remembered another one of his movies, Barry Lyndon. I really liked that movie. Furthermore, I saw Eyes Wide Shut on cinema, but I really did not like it at all. As a Kubrick fan I expected way more. I did not get that movie. At all. If someone reading this can tell me what the movie was about, I'd be happy .

Regarding the other movies, I've seen The Sixth Sense, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, the three first Star Wars movies and Saving Private Ryan in the cinema.

I still remember that I saw Star Wars with my father when I was a child, and he liked it very, very much too. He tried to sneak me into The Empire Strikes Back in the cinema too, but that movie was not allowed to be seen by people at my age in Sweden at that time (maybe because of the violence and darkness; there are some gory scenes in it), so we got busted at the entrance. I saw it in the cinema a couple of years later.

I also remember that I was quite taken by seeing Saving Private Ryan on the movie screen. It took a while to get my breath and senses back after the movie.

Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness, Col. Kurtz---John Voigt did that so much better in Anaconda,

Thanks, I missed that quote and I did not know about Anaconda. I know there is a movie adaptation of the original story with two good actors, Heart of Darkness (1993), but the movie was not very well received, so I haven't seen it.

I regard Terminator as a classic

Me too.

Yes DennisN I got to see star Wars of course...

I won't force you. But if you for some reason decide to give them another chance, try to see the first two original ones, and not the Lucas "Special Edition" ones, which I find annoyingly unnecessary. The Special Edition ones include extra needless scenes and extra needless, pathetic CGI additions which make the movies worse in my opinion.
But why am I saying "try" here? Haven't I learned a thing?
Do. Or do not. There is no try.

 

[Klystron]

Face it, Marlon Brando (and Martin Sheen) is/(are) even more over-rated an/(an) actor/(s) than Richard Burton.

I used to think that about Richard Burton until I saw "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" on TCM.

Burton's 'burgon' character squashed (literally) by shrewd cunning Elizabeth Taylor -- his actual real-life wife -- constantly analyzing, parsing each thought, enunciating each word as his voice caresses; contrasted with loud screechy over-sexed middle-aged under-appreciated over-educated green-eyed Liz Taylor, shown as they eviscerate the latest sacrificial victims to campus society.

Brando has to be appreciated by different standards. Brando is/was all about 'The Method'. BE the character. Filming "Mutiny on the Bounty" in Tahiti playing young Fletcher Christian affected Brando. In some ways he became the rebel leader -- marrying into a local family, filling his enormous appetites -- overgrowing the role in a fashion matched only by a few film actors. Gerard Depardieu , Jose Ferrer; who both played the great sorrowful Cyrano de Bergerac.

Brando was cast in Apocalypse by Coppola as bookend to their brilliant Godfather collaboration. In the original theatrical version Brando's body remains in shadow, only his voice engages the audience. Sheen now a grown man from "Bad Seed", on the surface too boyish and friendly for an assassin, shaken by his odd assignment even as the war totters to an ugly close. The Captain craves the uneven war even as his days on assignment end.

Arc Light strikes, a mixture of 'carpet bombing dumb munitions' coupled to precise electronic warfare (EW), revived in the 1970's as a favored negotiating tactic even as ground troops returned to the World. Gigantic B-52 bombers flew in cells in loose formation across the Pacific Ocean, high in the atmosphere following RF signals. Coded RF pulses at exact frequencies told Buff crews where to release. Arc Light.

 

[mathwonk]

did anyone else like Brando in One Eyed Jacks? Also staring of course the wonderful Katy Jurado, Karl Malden, Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson, Pina Pellicer, and the less well known but excellent Larry Duran, Sam Gilman, Miriam Colon, Margarita Cordova, and Rodolpho Acosta, as well as the unpleasant but very effective Tim Carey.

Many lines are memorable to me like:
"little lady's tryna to cheat me here",
"Harvey Johnson's going to be a real famous name around these parts",
"Dad, someone's coming...",
"If I didn't feel right about it, we'd be out there splattering each other all over the front yard",
"we don't hardly run into studs like you no more Dad",
"reasons? I got reasons",
"you probably could put six into me Bob ... before I put that One into you", ...

well apparently I have the whole movie memorized, so I will stop here. my apologies.

a little research reveals that for those of you youngsters who did not see the 1961 theater release, it was not available in good quality until 2016, so maybe it is not that well known today.

 

[DennisN]

By the way, we have talked about Bladerunner before in this thread, and I recently talked about dystopias, so I thought I would share a very, VERY funny short interview I saw recently with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford about the Bladerunner sequel Bladerunner 2049. The lady who interviews them is so funny, and the two of them play along with it :

 

[pinball1970]

did anyone else like Brando in One Eyed Jacks? Also staring of course the wonderful Katy Jurado, Karl Malden, Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson, Pina Pellicer, and the less well known but excellent Larry Duran, Sam Gilman, Miriam Colon, Margarita Cordova, and Rodolpho Acosta, as well as the unpleasant but very effective Tim Carey.

Many lines are memorable to me like:
"little lady's tryna to cheat me here",
"Harvey Johnson's going to be a real famous name around these parts",
"Dad, someone's coming...",
"If I didn't feel right about it, we'd be out there splattering each other all over the front yard",
"we don't hardly run into studs like you no more Dad",
"reasons? I got reasons",
"you probably could put six into me Bob ... before I put that One into you", ...

well apparently I have the whole movie memorized, so I will stop here. my apologies.

a little research reveals that for those of you youngsters who did not see the 1961 theater release, it was not available in good quality until 2016, so maybe it is not that well known today.

They showed a load of Brando films on Channel 4 in the 80s. On the Water Front, Street car, Guys and Dolls, one eyed Jack's, they were great. I thought he was a fantastic actor.
I thought the film the longest day was pretty weak. A bit unbelievable.
There was one scene on Utah beach (I think) where two officers are on the beach talking, trying to be heard above the bombs and guns occasionally ducking, ridiculous.
First time I saw saving private Ryan I realized how absurd it's predecessor was.

 

[jdavis417]

Try "The Fountain" and "eXistenZ" (I dare you to try to like that last one)! ;)

 

[Klystron]

Try "The Fountain" and "eXistenZ" (I dare you to try to like that last one)! ;)

I rather like "eXistenZ" ("I have been trained by Masters!") where mind-numbing routine labor made possible by the implicit assumption of sex actually frees the mind to question the very nature of existence. Or possibly that fully immersive games would be cool but confusing.

I did not catch "The Fountain". Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[davenn]

My Fav's : Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Terminator,
Pulp Fiction, Alien ( had you jumping out of your seat so often) Dances with wolves,
Apocalypse Now ( fav line " I love the smell of napalm in the morning")

Very Good: American Graffiti, The Sixth Sense, Unforgiven ( I think is one of Clint Eastwood's best),
Field of Dreams ( another Kevin Costner - a tear jerker for me every time) ( yeah, I'm a big softie ),
One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - Jack Nicholson ( another tear jerker), All the President's Men
Star Wars - first 2 originals, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan

Didn't think much of Clockwork Orange - didn't really get it, maybe I was too young Dave

 

[pinball1970]

My Fav's : Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Terminator,
Pulp Fiction, Alien ( had you jumping out of your seat so often) Dances with wolves,
Apocalypse Now ( fav line " I love the smell of napalm in the morning")

Very Good: American Graffiti, The Sixth Sense, Unforgiven ( I think is one of Clint Eastwood's best),
Field of Dreams ( another Kevin Costner - a tear jerker for me every time) ( yeah, I'm a big softie ),
One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - Jack Nicholson ( another tear jerker), All the President's Men
Star Wars - first 2 originals, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan

Didn't think much of Clockwork Orange - didn't really get it, maybe I was too young Dave

All great films besides Star wars which may be amazing just not to me particularly.
Clock work orange was a very strange film, the imagery, dress, dialogue and violence all came together to make an uncomfortable viewing experience.

Million Dollar Baby I can watch again and again.

Also I recently saw a film called Hunting Emma, it was English subtitles over Afrikaans I think.
I need to find that one again (late night hotel not in UK so subs may be different)

 

[Bystander]

Clockwork Orange - didn't really get it, maybe I was too young

..., or too rational.

 

[davenn]

..., or too rational.

maybe ... can't remember too long ago

 

[pinball1970]

maybe ... can't remember too long ago

Beethoven, milk drinking, 'ultra' violence and coversion therapy. Unpleasant.

A film that everyone thought was great and told me to watch was 'Whiplash.'
I hated it, preposterous film.

 

[Bystander]

The other I can't understand is "A Hard Day's Night" at number 18. I can't believe only 17 movies in history are better than a Beatles movie.

told me to watch was 'Whiplash.'
I hated it, preposterous film.

Sounds like a remake of "HDN." Artsies do artsies? "Look ma', no hands."

 

[davenn]

A film that everyone thought was great and told me to watch was 'Whiplash.'

don't recognise the name ... let me go look ...

it's description doesn't ring any bells

 

[pinball1970]

don't recognise the name ... let me go look ...

it's description doesn't ring any bells

My hero (one of them) from being about 13 was Buddy Rich, the greatest ever drummer. This film mentions him as it's about a dedicated young drummer. Here is the trailer.

 

[pinball1970]

Sounds like a remake of "HDN." Artsies do artsies? "Look ma', no hands."

I could not tell you what the Beatles films were about, mad cap capers mainly. The best parts were where they would settle down and play a song which is what people wanted to see.
Elvis Presley did some good films in the 50s and a lot of formulaic stuff in the 60s. Fans were happy just to see Elvis doing stuff so they went to see them.
If you want a really bad film featuring a band watch 'Spice World.'
Everything else seems much better after that.

 

[jedishrfu]

Citizen Kane. Often required viewing in film classes - considered one of the critically-acclaimed movies of all time.

Oh my God. Kill me.Wings of Desire.

Oh my God. I will kill myself.

Maybe Rosebud or the Martians will get you first.

 

[jedishrfu]

My favorite classics include:

- Forbidden Planet (Robby was the real star)
- Day the Earth Stood Still with Michael Rennie (Gort was the real star but Michael was cool too)
- Gunga Din (rousing adventure movie but probably violated a lot of PC stuff today)
- Darby O'Gill and the Little People
- The 300 Spartans (Richard Egan 1963)
- The Time Machine (Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux)

- Man in the White Suit (Alec Guinness classic)
- Last Holiday (Alec Guinness again with a haunting violin piece)
- I Know Where I'm Going (Wendy Hiller with a haunting castle and family curse)

- Stars Wars IV (the first one)
- Battlestar Galactica (the first one with Loren Green)
- Back to the Future (the first one)
- John Carter

...

 

[DennisN]

Back to the Future (the first one)

Back to the Future... that is indeed a special movie in my opinion. When I think of it, it's a bit of a mystery why it does not appear on any of the classics list posted previously in this thread. Although, when I just read the wiki article on it, I noticed it is at number 10 on this AFI SF list.

I have personally never met or heard of anyone who does not like the movie. So, if there is anyone reading this thread who don't like it, it would be interesting to hear about it and why.

It's also an interesting and quite unusual mix of genres:

Christopher Null, who first saw the film as a teenager, called it "a quintessential 1980s flick that combines science fiction, action, comedy, and romance all into a perfect little package that kids and adults will both devour."

And the soundtrack is quite good and memorable too.

And there's also a bit of music history in it, fictionalized but very funny:

 

[OCR]

Gort was the real star. . .

If you are using Firefox, copy and paste this into a new tab in the address bar, press enter. . .

about:robots

Read the box where the new tab is. . .

It should leave Gort a very important message. . . .


Lol. . .

.

 

[OCR]

It should leave Gort a very important message. . . .

⚠. . . Do NOT, under any circumstances, click. . .

.

 

[DennisN]

Hi all thread participants, if you would like to nominate twenty (20) of your favorite movies in this new PF thread it would be very much appreciated!

Nominate 20 movies here:
http://www.physicsforums.com/threads/pfs-favorite-movies-poll-nominations.979455/

 

[DennisN]

- Back to the Future (the first one)

I have personally never met or heard of anyone who does not like the movie.

I remembered that I had seen an interview with the famous and very charismatic singer Chris Martin (Coldplay) where he said that his absolute favorite movie of all time was Back To The Future. Regretfully I can't find the interview, but I found another interview which was even more entertaining (a must see for Back To The Future fans, IMO!)

'Great Scott!' 'Back to the Future' Cast Reunites | TODAY

 

[ericlreite]

e.g., at the moment I'm watching The Maltese Falcon, and finding it every bit as boring as 2001, A Space Oddysey. Any interest in a thread devoted to "critically acclaimed" movies that you want your money back when you see them for free in "The Nam," like Easy Rider? I did waste a perfectly good evening, "coulda" done KP, but no, I "hadda" go see Easy Rider.

Well, you're just too young to know what a "classic" is.

 

[ericlreite]

Well, you're just too young to know what a "classic" is.

I don't think it's possible for you to ever go to a movie and Freak Out over the special effects or acting that I was able to experience...Alien, The Thing, The Godfather...etc.

 

[pinball1970]

I don't think it's possible for you to ever go to a movie and Freak Out over the special effects or acting that I was able to experience...Alien, The Thing, The Godfather...etc.

In 1975 watching Jaws with your mum at he cinema you would have freaked out, trust me.

 

[DennisN]

I just watched "North By Northwest" by Hitchcock from 1959 and loved it. I did not remember the story at all.
Trailer:

 

[Klystron]

I am reading "Super" a novel written by the late Jim Lehrer about movies, set on a luxury train carrying movie stars, producers, directors and a prior president from Chicago to Los Angeles. The plot makes sense to classical movie fans and downwinders, alike.

Trust no one. They are not what they say they are.

 

[BillTre]

Having taken film classes, I would say a lot of "classic" films would be considered classic because they were a first or innovative in some way.
Once established, they have a cultural hold on opinions.
Once a kind of type of film is made, a frontier has been breached and followers, although possibly better are not going to have such a positive rep.

Other films (not classics) I like:
The People Under the Stairs
The Thing (Carpenter version)

 

[DennisN]

I also like "The Thing" a lot. Nice, eerie atmosphere. I haven't seen the other movie you mentioned, but I have heard about it.

 

[pinball1970]

I also like "The Thing" a lot. Nice, eerie atmosphere. I haven't seen the other movie you mentioned, but I have heard about it.

It's great. John Carpenter to me was in the Spielberg mould. Just an eye for a shot, scene, line, perfect casting.
Humour too.
The Omen 1976 for me is one of the greatest films ever made. In terms of gradually unraveling the horrible reality of the situation they are in piece by piece. Just brilliant pacing.
However you get no respite, you crawl from one horror to the next.
Jaws and the Thing give you that little chance to breathe and laugh.
Was there a horror movie before Jaws that had the audience laughing like that?
Kids karate
The pot roast scene.
'Buster browns!'
What is they call that? 'Drowning'
That's some bad hat Harry
Plus the great interplay between Shaw and Dreyfus

Top 5?

 

[DennisN]

The Omen 1976 for me is one of the greatest films ever made.

I actually watched it again quite recently and liked it a lot, it's a very good movie.

 

[pinball1970]

I actually watched it again quite recently and liked it a lot, it's a very good movie.

The Omen 2 (when they did not do follow ups like they do now) is just as good.
Again perfect pacing and set pieces that makes you go 'arrrgh nooooooo!'
The plot is great. If you have recently done 1, time for 2.
Don't do 3. IMO it does not have that thriller factor.