What are your "must-watch" movies?
I'm not a huge movie fan, but I want to broaden my horizons a bit. I'll offer my list (that I've rewatched so many times I'm a bit tired of them):
China Town
Young Guns 1&2
Naked Gun 1,2& 33 1/3
Repo Men
Everything Terry Gilliam ever made.
Ferris Buellers day off
Legend
Kung Pao Enter the Fist
Kung Fu Hustle
Tucker & Dale VS Evil
Evil Dead 1&2
Army of Darkness
American Werewolf in London
Spaceballs
Plains Trains and Automobiles
The Jerk
Beverly Hills Cop 1&2
Lucky Number Sleven
Snatch
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Event Horizon
Shane
Ghost in the Shell - everything
Akira
Vampire Hinter D
Spirited Away
The Irishman
Reservoir Dogs
Pulp Fiction
Real Genius
Tombstone
My Cousin Vinny
High Plains Drifter
Outlaw Josey Wales
Big
LA Story
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Burbs
True Romance
Pump Up the Volume
Heathers
Beetlejuice
Multiplicity
This is a remarkably good list. I know you're getting a ton of recommendations OP, but this is really a very comprehensive one with an absolutely excellent balance of "real good quality" combined with "easy and rewarding to watch."
Thanks for the complement!
As much as I love Kung Pao, I would replace it with Airplane because Kung Pao is just so dumb and divisive. I know people who love that movie and I know people who absolutely hated it. You have to be a certain age (under 12 imo) to really appreciate it.
Airplane however, is timeless regardless of how old you are when you first watch it.
Airplane didn't make my list only because I forgot/didn't think about it but defiantly should be there.
Really this list is only a small selection of movies I love and could think of right off the bat. I missed a huge portion of great recommendations. Ill leave them for others to fill in as there are a ton of great comments filled with great movies already and im sure there are more to come.
Im bookmarking this thread so I can get some ideas of things I haven't seen yet or things I must have in my collection.
A diverse list of my some films I like, in no particular order:
Memento is shockingly left off most lists. Idk why it isn’t remembered as one of the best films of its decade.
You see, most movie critics have this condition...
Big Trouble in Little China
Tank Girl
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Princess Bride
Labyrinth
Time Bandits
I scrolled way too far to find this.
Plus Fifth Element, Buckaroo Banzai, Hackers, Blazing Saddles, ...
In no particular order, and not an exhaustive list
Great list!
The Room
One of these is not like the other
I actually like Godfather III. Even more than II, which I also enjoyed. Maybe because I don't understand movies properly or something. Everyone seems cold on Godfather III.
I like Godfather 3 too but I tend only to watch it immediately after 2, which helps make it better.
I'm going to restrict this list to older movies and imports since there's already most of Hollywood's best listed by other people.
There's so many more. Rosselini's Open City, Jodorosky's El Topo/Santa Sangre, Errol Morris documentaries (Fog of War, etc.), Les Blank docs (from music to Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe), oh! and Herzog flicks! I should stop.
Some intriguing ones on this list. Cheers.
I watched Kes and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest... both pretty grim. Jack Nicholson was great in his role. I wish Kes had a happier ending, that was hard to watch. But both great movies. Tempted to try Lawrence of Arabia next...
Oh no! I'm sorry. Looking back at my list, I guess most of it IS on the dark side. I mean, Bergman is unavoidably dark and people joke about Herzog's bitter nihlism, but I didn't mean be a downer, I hope I didn't ruin any evenings. I cry uncontrollably at Kes, but I also love it. 400 Blows is equally depressing, but Kes is closer to my heart (professional critics will tell you 400 Blows is a more important film). Ring of Bright Water is a somewhat lighter take on animal bonding and loss about a man and his otter but it is only a so-so film.
You will notice The Princess Bride got recommended repeatedly, That is a happier, family friendly film that is sure to put a person in a better mood. Some Terry Gilliam is lighter, but save Brazil for when you're once again ready for 'grim' (great flick, though -- and you could theoretically ignore the intended ending by picking an alternate cut).
The holy mountain by Jodorowsky is also great. If this is running in a cinema somewhere by chance go for it.
I prefer El Topo to Holy Mountain as it has more of a uh script. Looks like they had a lot of fun filming the latter though!
Both of them are worth taking the time to watch though. Nothing else quite like them.
Pacific Rim. They never made any sequels though, so don't bother looking.
There is one with John Boyega portraying the son of the Marshal so based maybe 10 years or so after the original. Not quite up there with the first film but still fun, basically "Pacific Rim: Team Kids"
Did @chunes@lemmy.world stutter? They never made any sequals.
In no particular order:
*~ not a sequel, but a reimagining, if anyone's curious. No need to have seen the first to enjoy this.
** also not a sequel. By far the best live action piece to come out of this franchise. The only one worth watching tbh
*** direct sequel. They're all pretty good, but this one is, visually, as nice as the genre gets imo. The choreography and cinematography, both, are simply beautiful.
Edit: Fargo and Akira belong on this list too
Finally! I Heart Huckabees mentioned! There are dozens of us! I rewatch it once a year on average.
It is truly an underrated classic! The only complaint I have about it is the presence of Wahlberg, but even he aced his role if I'm being totally honest. The entire cast utterly slays it, really. And that's not even getting into the stellar themes, writing, and transcendental message! Easily one of my favorites of its genre and era
Great list. The Princess Bride somehow passed me by. Is it one of those movies you could watch now and enjoy, or more something that you enjoyed at the time and therfore still holds up?
It's widely agreed to be an evergreen watch. I first saw it when I was around 25-30yo and was immediately smitten with its masterful direction and vision, so nostalgia played as little a part in my initial appreciation of it as is possible. Definitely worth a watch or 5!
The Princess Bride
Shawshank Redemption
Jesus Christ Superstar
Life Is Beautiful
Jesus Christ Superstar
I actually like the orginal album of the songs (which came out before the movie) more than any of the movie versions, but I grant that seeing a movie version makes the album even better!
I just think the actor playing Judas Iscariot is fantastic. What a performance.
I'd recommend asking this over at !moviesuggestions@lemmy.world.
As for my answer:
There are more, but that's a solid selection IMO.
If you watch Star Wars, then watch in this order:
Why no love for The Phantom Menace.
I saw it when it came out and still remember every scene. I completely forgot episodes 2 and 3 to the point that I thought I never actually saw them. So I watched them and realized, oh yeah, I did see them before. And then forgot them again.
Aliens Earth is pretty good so far.
The question was about movies.
Second India Jones sucks and does not belong on any list. Also Star wars only the first 3, maybe rogue one and andor and that's it
City of God - movie about the struggles of growing up in a tough spot in Rio de Janeiro, it's just great
Gattaca - my favourite sci fi film, it's just a simple concept ... what if we could tell who you were going to grow up to be, just from your blood
Gattaca is immense, still underrated imo.
Dark City and (the probably obvious) Arrival are my picks
My friends and I do a once a month movie night and every month someone different picks the movie. This month's was originally picked to be Gattaca, but they changed their mind. I'm going to let them know this was on someone's must watch list!
The Fall (mainly if you have a really nice screen and can watch full HD or 4k)
My thought process for this was asking myself what movie I'd recommend to people who have little to no experience or interest in specific genres. Tried to pick a wide range of movies
Comedies (my favorite genre)
Action
Animation
Horror
Admittedly my least favorite genre. These movies are closer to thrillers than they are horror
Movies to watch only once
These are movies that will make you feel such intense emotions (usually sadness but not necessarily) that I would only watch once. No descriptions to avoid spoilers
I watched Blazing Saddles... Oh boy. I was not expecting the full-on racial slurs right from the beginning. I know it's mocking racists but it was still a shock. I wouldn't watch it again but it was a fun watch.
I'm saving this thread to make a watch list, but I'll add a comedy I haven't seen mentioned: The Blues Brothers
And probably a thousand more I'm not thinking of off the top of my head.
Gattaca and Children of Men are still my top two. Absolute masterpieces that should be seen by everyone.
-there will be blood
-magnolia
-birdman
Anything with Daniel Day-Lewis really. Or nothing by Aaron Sorkin. If bored and wanting to watch something familiar I like the Bourne (Jason) films.
Most of Denis Villenueve’s filmography are must watches:
Korean movies:
I have watched this movie several times over the years, but I recently watched the 4K UHD Blu-Ray release of the 2012 50th anniversary digital restoration and it feels like this was the first time I truly saw the full greatness of this movie — until now I had always regarded it as a truly great movie, one of the great classics, but seeing it like this now finally made me see why so many of the greatest filmmakers who came after it are obsessed with it.
Ooh, my kids are heading deep into teenager territory so this feels like my chosen, specialist subject. Avoiding OP's picks (the Python stuff would be on my list too), and in no particular order:
Bladerunner (Directors cut)
The Blues Brothers
This is Spinal Tap
Alien
Aliens
Terminator
Terminator 2
Seven Samurai
Yojimbo (+ A Fistful of Dollars)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Schindler's List
12 Angry Men
Rear Window
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Memento
Dune (the Lynch 1980's one)
The Princess Bride
The Cornetto Trilogy (Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End + Baby Driver)
Die Hard
Pulp Fiction
Fight Club
The Silence of the Lambs
Se7en
The Usual Suspects
2001 A Space Odyssey
Platoon
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Trainspotting
My Neighbour Totoro
Do The Right Thing
The Thing (John Carpenter version)
Some they've seen, most they haven't yet.
small note: cornetto trilogy, not confetti
Fucking autoincorrect (or lack of sleep but I'm going to blaim the computer, of course)! Thank you and I shall correct forthwith!
Now this is a good list.
I always recommend the Hitchcock movies from his middle era. My favorites:
Rear Window is my all-time favorite movie. It's a perfect film, where every shot and line means something. Grace Kelly's appearance is the most beautiful that any woman has ever been, in any film. The rest are all 10 out of 10s.
And look for Hitchcock's famous cameos in every movie, always close to the beginning, and usually amusing.
Snatch
And watching Napoleon Dynamite with a 10-12 year old is HILARIOUS.
I'd watched Dead Poets Society years and years ago, then watched it again yesterday. Very powerful movie that touched on themes I'd missed the first time around (probably too young). Thanks for the suggestion!
Here ya go!
This list is in no particular order. And it's admittedly all over the place in time and genre. Feel free to use it as a grab bag rather than a checklist.
Make sure you get the original version of Ghost in the Shell. I recently decided to rewatch and could only find my 2008 remaster DVD, where they replaced some scenes with CGI. It was absolute trash, and my DVD didn't seem to have the unaltered version available.
Old classics:
Drama/misc:
PG sci-fi/fantasy:
Action/etc.:
Generally romance-centered (other than Casablanca):
Comedies:
No movie collection is complete without Scott Pilgrim versus The World
It reads more and more like a relic of its time, but it's still just such a damn good watch. You speak truth
Edit:
Edit2:
(Will stop making edits)
I was hesitant about adding Blue Velvet to my list because it's so...'difficult', let's say. Lynch knocked it out of the park (as usual), but it's just so deeply unsettling on so many interesting levels. Thinking about it tho, that might be exactly why I should have added it. Eh. Either way, great picks!
And please continue making edits lol. You've got good taste and I plan on checking this thread over the the next couple days just to compare notes/see what I want to watch next.
Flow - if you like cats and beautiful animation.
Dave Made A Maze - is a fun watch with good writing.
Death Of Stalin - will be funny to you if you like British comedy.
Prospect - interesting scifi with Pedro Pascal (who I mistook for Nathan Fillion till I looked the cast up, lmao)
Triangle - well done time travel fuckery
Arq - more time travel fuckery
Primer - yet more time travel fuckery
Edit: pretty sure the title of the post has changed, or I somehow just didn't notice it fully before? Idk, none of the movies I've listed are 'must watch' they're just fun watches. I don't think any film is really a must watch.
Dave Made a Maze! I forgot about that gem
Triangle is great, just watch it without googling it.
Gah, I’ve tried to sit down and watch Flow on like 3 occasions. The lack of dialogue is a dealbreaker for my wife and kids. I got about halfway through it once and really enjoyed it!
Speed Racer (2009) by the Wachowskis
Modern Times
Psycho
Dark Star
WarGames
Chinatown
1984
Soylent Green
Planet of the Apes
Dark Star!!!!!!! John Carpenter before he had a budget! If you like that, you might also like Silent Running (though it doesn't have the edge of Dark Star, it is an interesting scifi film of that generation).
Orwell 1984?
Yes
Ones I have not seen in other comments, although you probably have enough at this point:
I've also heard great things about "Highlander." Don't watch the sequels.
There are also miniseries. "Stranger Things" season 1, "Chernobyl," and "Game of Thrones" up until about season 5. Yeah, it's a shame they never made any more after that, but you can just let it be. You'll know roughly when. If the three female assassins from Dorne come on the screen, you went too far, just turn it off immediately and be sure to take a shower right away.
Edit: Additions
Great list and I love that you wrote something about every one of them.
I’d add Saving Private Ryan to the list.
The opening sequence is just abhorrent and showcases the reality of war far better than any other war movie I have seen.
Yah, OP seems to like war movies, so I'd add:
There are way to few people recommending The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions. I recently rewatched them after not seeing them for a decade and I was surprised by how much growing older allowed me to better recognize the themes in the story. My wife watched them for the first time with me and she said they're the best movies she's ever seen.
I haven't seen any LOTR so I might have to watch at least one of them.
You should watch all three, it's one cohesive story :) (But you'll probably want to do so anyway)
Casablanca
It's definitely underrated due to a Seinfeld Effect like phenomenon where everyone feels like they've seen it - even when they haven't.
Alien, Aliens, Alien 3. Two different movies that are great, then how to make a movie bad.
There's a director's cut like version of Alien 3 that fixes many of the issues (and unfortunately creates a few new ones)
Heist (2001)
I like all of Mamet's films, but Heist is head and shoulders above the rest, IMO. Besides being a well written heist film with a great cast, it rewards rewatching. I've watched it so many times, but the last time I watched it, I caught a new detail I hadn't noticed before.
Heist (2001)
Just saw this today, it was pretty great.
As for me, Groundhog Day, every year, on the day. I can rarely stay awake through the whole thing but I won't let that stop me.
I am not sure if its exactly what you are lookomg for by some random movie recs. Some of these may not be great but are just movies I enjoy for one reason or another.
Ones I haven’t seen mentioned so far:
I keep meaning to watch Dr Strangelove but never get around to it. I might watch it tonight.
Geez everyone's got a list! I got just one movie I watch over and over.
FIGHT CLUB
I cant talk about it.
I liked the Fight Club soundtrack. Movie was pretty good too.
Just taking this opportunity to recommend you tengers
Thanks. Haven't come across this one before. It's on prime for anyone interested.
Will add this to the watchlist.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1352802/
Edit: Watched it just now as it's short and the house is quiet. I wouldn't have it on my must see list but it was enjoyable
Poor things
Everything Everywhere All At Once
K-Pop Demon Hunters
Black Swan
All I can think of right now.
Haven't seen K-pop yet, but everything else on your list are some of my favorites. Gonna have to check this out ig
Young Frankenstein Labyrinth Last Unicorn Reservoir Dogs The Crow Hard Boiled
Seconding Young Frankenstein! It's still one of the funniest films I've ever watched.
A few nobody has mentioned:
Adding in some documentaries, I'd highly recommending watching these climbing docs as a trilogy to understand the scope of what's being achieved as well as understanding the different approaches to the sport:
The Dawn Wall: Introduces you to climbing legends such as Tommy Caldwell and the difficulty of the sport, with the main focus being one climb in Yosemite.
Free Solo: Takes the dawn wall and makes it look entry level, focuses on Alex Honnold who climbs 'free solo' meaning without ropes or a partner.
The Alpinist: Difficult to put into words, focuses on an almost completely unknown climber called Marc-André Leclerc who is to climbing as Michael Phelps is to swimming. This guy completes climbs even the greatest in the sport consider far from humanly achievable, with part of the doc being a battle to even find the guy to film as he doesn't care for media attention or fame for his climbs.
The docs all contribute to the understanding of what drives the people pushing the bar of what's considered possible, and in the subsequent docs the previous climbers appear frequently in interviews that adds a kind of continuum which is why I love these 3 together rather than as individual pieces.
Brazil
Wings of Desire
Blade Runner: Original Theatrical Cut
Others too obvious to mention... see the rest of the thread.
Wings of Desire (and Wim Wenders in general) is AMAZING, but it requires a... sort of quiet solitude such as a theater where the length and pacing won't lead to distractions. I love that movie and the rest of the set.
It's an amazing film, which makes the sequel, Faraway, So Close even more bizarre... it's the polar opposite.
gattaca
matrix
the mask
Rush is probably one of the best motorsports movies out there, definitely better than whatever the fuck the F1 movie was trying to be.
Also try Ford Vs Ferrari that one's good too.