Favorite Movies

[Toast]

My boyfriend and I just reinstated our Netflix account and we need a list of some movies to keep us busy for the next couple of months! I'm nowhere near a movie buff; I only just saw The Wizard of Oz a couple of years ago and haven't seen Citizen Kane (Which I hear is awesome), so feel free to suggest anything to me!

Me, I'm a big fan of psychological thrillers, mysteries, and fantasy stories. Fight Club and Memento definitely make my list, although I'm a huge cartoon fan too. If it's animated well, I'll watch it over and over - Yay for Secret of Nimh and other Don Bluth films!

How about y'all? Favorite movies, or even genres?

[Baal Hadad]

My boyfriend and I just reinstated our Netflix account and we need a list of some movies to keep us busy for the next couple of months! I'm nowhere near a movie buff; I only just saw The Wizard of Oz a couple of years ago and haven't seen Citizen Kane (Which I hear is awesome), so feel free to suggest anything to me!

Me, I'm a big fan of psychological thrillers, mysteries, and fantasy stories. Fight Club and Memento definitely make my list, although I'm a huge cartoon fan too. If it's animated well, I'll watch it over and over - Yay for Secret of Nimh and other Don Bluth films!

How about y'all? Favorite movies, or even genres?

Well, if you like pyschological thrillers, mysteries, and fantasies, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is certainly up there.  Also George Lucas's THX 1138, and the original Lord of the Flies in black and white.  And The Manchurian Candidate.  And Oliver Stone's films JFK and Nixon.

As for me, personally, I enjoy the works of Stanley Kubrick, particularly his last eight: Lolita, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut.  But his Paths of Glory is good, too.

I'm also into psychologically-oriented horror films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Fly (the 1986 version with Jeff Goldblum), The Blair Witch Project, and Shadow of the Vampire, as well as some silent-era films like the works of D. W. Griffith, notably The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance.

As for fantasy, I thought Return to Oz was interesting--based on the first two Oz sequels, it's MUCH closer to Baum's original books (though somewhat continuous with the 1939 film as well).  I also liked the 1954 Japanese version of Gojira (Godzilla over here).  Not to mention Spielberg's A. I.: Artificial Intelligence.  And Labyrinth.

As for animation, there's The Prince of Egypt and its prequel, Joseph: King of Dreams.

Yeah, I have eclectic taste when it comes to film, but I hope you find something on that list that you like! 

[Cvstos]

Ghostbusters,
anything by Pixar,
Liar Liar,
Kung Fu Hustle,
American Beauty,
Dark Knight,
Serenity,
Who Framed Roger Rabbit,
Untouchables,
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (aka best anime movie ever)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Pirates of the Caribbean
Batman: Gotham Knight,
300,
the Ace Ventura movies,
The Mask (the first one, not the second awful one),
Goodfellas,
Ratatouille (VERY awesome - watch it in French, if you can!),
the Indiana Jones trilogy,
The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
Monty Python and the Holy Grail,
Kill Bill 1 and 2,
Snatch (DAMN this one is good),  ...



All good movies. Well, IMO, anyway. Note that Ghostbusters will see a Blu-ray release soon for it's 25th anniversary!

[Keleth]

For animation:

The Emperor's New Groove
Any of Studio Ghibli's Films. Spirited Away, Nazuka: Valley of the Wind,  (Pixar heavily endorses these guys)
The Road to El Dorado (one of dreamwork's most under-rated films ever. A MUST see)
TMNT (I really liked this one XD cowabunga dudes)


Fantasy Flicks:
Dragonheart

Action Flicks: I tend to like my 80's action movies. Most are action comedies
Die Hard trilogy (dunno if anyone mentioned these)
Tango & Cash
Lethal Weapon 1
Shoot em Up (Freaking halariously over the top)
Enemy At the Gates
Rush Hour Trilogy
The Count of Monte Cristo (Recent remake. Bloody FREAKING TASTIC. I can still watch this over and over)
Smoking Aces
Boondock Saints (Very love or hate)
Fifth Element
The Mask of Zorro
V for Vendetta (Is more of a Mystery/Political sort of movie, but has enough action it's usually stuck in here)

Comedy Suggestions:
SpaceBalls
Robin Hood Men in Tights
The Princess Bride

[Teh_Hobo]

Hmm. Citizen Kane i found to be incredibly dull, but thats me.
Some movies I enjoy:
The Dirty Dozen (absolutely classic WW2 movie, one of my all time favorites.)
Kellys Heroes (another classic WW2 movie.)
Snatch (if you can tolerate a ton of cursing, a damn good action/comedy.)
Hot Fuzz (another excellent action/comedy.)
Grave of the Fireflies (oh god so depressing but so good at the same time)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (MANDATORY MANDATORY MANDATORY)
Young Frankenstein (OH GOD I CANT STOP LAUGHING)
Underworld (i dont understand why it got such horrible reviews...)

there are probably others that i dont remember, but theres some.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Lethal Weapon 1

... but not 2, 3, or 4? LW2 is one of the best sequels ever, in my not so humble opinion, as it's one of the very very few that actually does better than the original.

LW3 was a bit meh, but sets up LW4, which, as an action buff, was much better; after all, it had Jet Li in it. ;-]

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

My list of movies I like is long, and a lot of it has already been mentioned. But one that I think doesn't get the acclaim it deserves is Copenhagen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340057/

[Lysander]

I don't really have a favorite genre... But my top 3 favorite movies, in no particular order would be:

The Matrix
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Princess Mononoke

[LionHeart]

If you like psychological thrillers, I would suggest What Lies Beneath. It's a thriller with all kinds of surprising turns and twists.

[Netrogo]

As a film student my taste in films is as diverse as the fish in the sea. However the film that still to this day holds the 'favourite' spot with me is Con Air. All the timing in that movie was perfect and it accomplished everything it set out to without going overboard or drawing things out too long. Other then that one film the list from there stretches far into infinity and back again so I won't go into it. Well I will also point out Levity. But that's just because I'm one of the few people I know who's seen it, owns it on dvd, and loves it.

However...

I WILL say that my list of most hated films of all time is quite simple and actually comes down to a specific director, and one other film. Basically the Catwoman movie, and anything by Uwe Boll. Catwoman was the worst comic book adaptation to ever disgrace the silver screen, and Uwe Boll is the single worst thing to happen to the film industry since James Cameron got addicted to adding 0s to his film budgets.

[Cogidubnus]

*hears Kung Fu Hustle*

*picks up an axe, begins dancing in formation*

[Keleth]

Lethal Weapon 1

... but not 2, 3, or 4? LW2 is one of the best sequels ever, in my not so humble opinion, as it's one of the very very few that actually does better than the original.

LW3 was a bit meh, but sets up LW4, which, as an action buff, was much better; after all, it had Jet Li in it. ;-]

Well, to be Fair, I only seen 1. . . .

Uwe Boll is the single worst thing to happen to the film industry since James Cameron got addicted to adding 0s to his film budgets.

Well, to be honest, me and some friends rented some Uwe Boll movies to heckle in a MST3k fashion over a weekend. And we did, and we laughed -so- hard when we were watching "In the Name of the King" that we were hurting ourselves.

Uwe Boll movies are the -perfect- MST3k Material. . . .just a shame that needs to exist in the first place X3

[Netrogo]

Well, to be honest, me and some friends rented some Uwe Boll movies to heckle in a MST3k fashion over a weekend. And we did, and we laughed -so- hard when we were watching "In the Name of the King" that we were hurting ourselves.

Uwe Boll movies are the -perfect- MST3k Material. . . .just a shame that needs to exist in the first place X3

Enh that's about the only purpose his bullshit serves. Giving people proper fodder for mockery.

[Tezkat]

A request for psychological thrillers... and nobody's mentioned Silence of the Lambs?

Also, movies featuring a mild-mannered yet deliciously villainous Kevin Spacey (Se7en, The Usual Suspects...).


As for animated flicks, anything coming out of Studio Ghibli is full of win by default. Pixar's been producing consistently good films as well. But both of those have been suggested already.

You can combine genres, too... e.g. psychological thrillers that are also animated. Just about everything directed by Satoshi Kon qualifies (Perfect Blue, etc.). I like a lot of the more cerebral SF anime as well (e.g. the Ghost in the Shell series).


I know that a lot of comic book adaptations suck horribly, but this has been a rather good decade for those. Spiderman (1 was great, 2 was better, 3... um... okay, 2 out of 3 ain't bad ), X-Men (again... 1 and 2 good; 3 sucked), Batman Begins, Superman Returns, and Iron Man were all excellent popcorn movies. The Dark Knight was simply brilliant--one of the few films on my 5 star list.


There are also many well-aged classics that should be on anyone's short list. Casablanca, Dr. Strangelove, the Godfather trilogy, Lawrence of Arabia...

[superluser]

Did someone say psychological thrillers?

I've got a few:

Highly recommended:
House of Games - David Mamet at his finest.  I can't even find a YouTube clip that doesn't spoil it.
M (1931) - The film that started the film noir genre.  Also gave us Peter Lorre
Dark City - Did a lot of the psychology the Matrix would later attempt to do, but did it better.

Recommended:
Manchurian Candidate (1962) - An interesting film and one that takes on McCarthyism fairly early
Zodiac (2007/I) - About the serial killer and the obsessed cartoonist who tries to find him (how obsessed?  To this day, he claims that the Zodiac was Arthur Leigh Allen, despite the fact that DNA evidence exonerated him)
Night of the Hunter - A great film featuring Robert Mitchum and a rather satisfying role for kids.
The Spanish Prisoner - Another Mamet film, more polished but less noir.

Should see at least once to say you've seen it:
Marathon Man - There are a lot of scenes that have made it into the canon of popular culture.
Burn After Reading - if only because of all the Mamet references
Pi - Math.  Conspiracy.  Judaism.  Dan Brown nowhere to be found.  What else could you want?
The Stepford Wives (1975) - The scariest part of this film is the copyright notice
Rosemary's Baby - Meh, just so you can say you've seen it

DO NOT SEE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES:
Lost Highway - Yes, it has a plot.  Yes, it makes sense if you think about it.  No, you won't have any desire to think about it.

[Sunblink]

Schindler's List
The Last King of Scotland
The Dark Knight
Memento (HIGH FIVE, TOAST!)
WALL-E
The Incredibles
A Bug's Life
12 Angry Men
To Kill a Mockingbird

Annnnnd that's all I remember for now.

[Lisky]

A few people seem to have forgotten, or not seen...

Seven
Boondock Saints
28 Days Later
30 Days of Night

just to name a few... i'll be back with more later...

[superluser]

As an addendum, I'm not sure how Toast feels about apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic films, but it's a favorite genre of mine which lines up very well with psychological horror.

Here are a few and my impressions of them:

Dr Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Great black comedy.  Simply awesome film filled with brilliant acting, brilliant directing, and absolutely hysterical comedy of both the deadpan and hammy varieties.  Just about everything in this film has been parodied endlessly since its debut.

On the Beach

A very fine film about the last few days of a small group of people after a global nuclear war.  Gregory Peck and Tony Perkins give great performances, but Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire are simply astounding as deeply flawed and unconventional characters.  Fred Astaire does not dance.

When the Wind Blows

Background: In the 1940s and early 1950s, the US Civil Defense authorities promoted ways to protect you from nuclear attack that mirrored the prevention used for conventional attacks.  Shortly after the Castle Bravo explosion, they realized that the fallout would completely invalidate any such protection, and started changing their advice.  The British government, however, kept giving this outdated advice well into the 80s under the name Protect and Survive.

The movie (disconcertingly by the same guy who did the children's movie The Snowman) follows the lives of an old married couple as they try their best to follow the instructions to the letter, and the consequences.

In the end, it's a very touching and tragic look at how our government prepares us for war.

A representative quotation:

Hilda: Will we have an Anderson, like in the last war?
Jim: Oh no Dear, that's old-fashioned, with modern scientific methods you just use doors with cushions on top.

Which leads us to

The War Game
The Day After
Threads

These three films, all with above average made for TV production values, try to take a pseudodocumentary-style approach to a fictional attack oneither the UK (TWG and Threads) or the US (TDA).

The War Game is primarily concerned with how government would react to an attack, The Day After is primarily concerned with how it would affect society as a sum of individuals, and Threads is primarily concerned with society from an evolutionary perspective.

Threads is not for the weak of stomach, as it depicts the health effects of the bomb very vividly and compellingly.  TDA does, to a lesser extent.  They're worth watching if you like pseudodocumentaries and nuclear war stories.

Finally,

A Boy and His Dog

A comedy of sorts (not exactly a laugh riot) about a man after the nuclear holocaust who uses his telepathic dog to find women for him.  The boy gets into trouble when he falls into the hands of a group that wants to rebuild society.

It's referenced a lot by people who like this genre, but I could probably easier leave it than take it.  Some of the humor is rather...distasteful.  That's clever, isn't it?

[bradypodidae]

Hey Toast, want to test your boyfriends 'machismo', try one of these; but have the tissues ready...

http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/06/11/the-11-saddest-animal-movie-deaths-of-all-time/

[rabid_fox]

Predator.
Predator II.
Predator Vs. Alien.
Predator Vs. Alien III.

[GabrielsThoughts]

they made an avp 3?

[rabid_fox]

God, I hope so.

[King Of Hearts]

Schindler's list - I put off watching this for a long time, but when I did I saw why it was so highly acclaimed... the emotions just ball up in you that by the time you get to the end with Schindler saying goodbye, the dams break and the emotion just floods out.

Die Hard and Die Harder - Yippee Ki Yay mother ****er!

Unforgiven - That ONE scene in the end when Clint lashes out was just intense that I was actually afraid for a moment or two.
The Man with No Name trilogy - Clint Eastwood + Western = do the math.
Dirty Harry - Clint Eastwood, nuff said.

Silence of the Lambs - Anthony Hopkins earned his Oscar for that I tell you.

[Angel]

Inner self, upon first seeing this thread: NO. NO, we are DONE with these threads! NO MORE, I SAY!!!

Today: ...Oh, fine, it looks fun anyway. But this list WILL be incomplete; I love way too many movies.

ANIMATED/KIDS:

Aladdin (Still my favorite movie of all time, to this day.)
Princess Mononoke (My first Miyazaki movie.)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (I still can't tell whether my family should watch this every Halloween or every Christmas...)
Vampire Hunter D (Just yay.)
The Great Mouse Detective (Anything with Vincent Price, really.)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Seeing it again when I was sixteen, I incredulously said to my parents, "You let a FOUR-YEAR-OLD watch this?")
Rock-a-Doodle (So important to me that I refuse to let myself see the Nostalgia Critic's review of it for fear that a valid piece of my childhood would be destroyed.)
Pokemon: The First Movie (There was a time when I could quote this entire movie word-for-word.)
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (Again, a vital piece of my childhood.)
The Princess Bride (I got a huge crush on Cary Elwes from this movie. Mandy Patinkin too.)
Super Mario Bros. (Yup.)

SCARY/SUSPENSE:

The Exorcist (I may be able to watch the stair scene without screaming now, but it still gives me the willies.)
The Ring (For a full report on my reaction to this movie, go find my Scary Movies thread.)
28 Weeks Later (I know, I know, I need to see the original.)
Alien (This list wouldn't be complete without it.)
Halloween (My mom's favorite of all time.)
Freddy vs. Jason (Go ahead, you jaded critics, I STILL say this movie kicked ass.)
Silence of the Lambs (Also one of my favorite books in the world.)
The Number 23 (Screw you, it was scary as hell.)
Saw (The first one. Best twist in horror history.)
Practical Magic (Suspenseful and somewhat cute throughout.)


ACTION:

Fight Club (No matter how many times I see this movie, there's always something I missed.)
True Romance (Don't let the title fool you. It's an action movie by Quentin Tarantino and worth every bit of the rental money.)
Desperado (Starting to see a director pattern?)
Grindhouse (Both movies.)
Gran Torino (I'm gonna go ahead and count this as an action movie, but go see it for yourself and decide, really.)
Dr. No (Can't see one without seeing 'em all, can ya?)

COMEDY:

Clerks and Clerks II (Legendary and perfect.)
Anchorman (I love lamp.)
Liar Liar (I love Jim Carrey.)
Miss Congeniality (I'm a girl, it's funny, shut up.)

SUPERHEROES:

Spider-Man (The first one. The others are good too, but this one can't really be topped.)
X-Men (Just about all of 'em. They may be flawed, but I loved the X-Men so much I forgive them.)
Watchmen (Can anyone say anything more about this movie, really?)
Fantastic Four (These guys were also some of my favorites as a kid.)
Tim Burton's Batman series (The only exception is Batman and Robin. No thanks, Arnie.)
Batman Begins (Once I understood it better, it became a favorite.)
Sin City (Couldn't think of a better place to put it.)
The Incredible Hulk (Thank you, Ed Norton.)
The Spirit (Well, I liked it.)

That's all for now. More to come later.

[Cogidubnus]

I shall echo one of Black Angel's picks and say that Gran Torino is one of my favorite movies, ever. The ending theme, after seeing the end of the movie, is nothing short of haunting.

[superluser]

Unforgiven - That ONE scene in the end when Clint lashes out was just intense that I was actually afraid for a moment or two.
The Man with No Name trilogy - Clint Eastwood + Western = do the math.

You neglected to mention that Unforgiven is essentially a film about the Man with No Name years after he retires from the outlaw life.