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"Great films I have not seen"

As some of you may know, and many of you won't, I'm turning into a bit of a film buff, in so far as I love watching films, reading about films and talking about films. So much so, in fact, that the older I get and more movies I absorb, I'm seriously considering including something film-like into possible future careers. Herein lies the rub; I've only been properly into movies for about 4 years or so (wasted the rest of my youth playing videogames and jerking off, frankly) and though I've built up a pretty reasonable DVD collection and back catalogue of movies over the past few years (not to mention a level of trivia that would make the nerdiest film geek blush) I still haven't seen enough truly great classic movies to official call myself a 'buff'.

So here's the thing. I'm setting off to Uni in the autumn, which is round about the time I officially stop having money and being able to buy things. Not only does this suck for obvious reasons, but I'll also lose my broadband super-powers and won't be able to download movies like I can at the moment. Therefore, before I go I'm totally abusing my 1MB connection and am pilfering as much media as possible. I'm talking great, classic movies here, not Dude, Where's My Car or anything starring Freddie Prinze Jr, and I'm also not talking about things that are currently at, or have just been at the cinema - chances are I've seen it if it's half-decent. I want your suggestions for classic movies.

[URL]http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&id=snuggly[/URL]
This right here is a list of all the films I own on DVD. I have a select few burned to disc that I've 'obtained' thanks to Kazaa. Obviously I have also seen a large amount of films, which I subsequently do not own. This list is a small collection of films I have yet to see, plan to in the near future and really should do if I want to build up a proper knowledge of movies.

The Godfather I-III (I'm geniunely ashamed I have yet to see these)
Raising Arizona
Blood Simple
Trees Lounge
Schindler's List
Citizen Kane
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Dr Strangelove
Apocalypse Now (see first on list, used to own but lost it)
The Third Man
Das Boot (missed it on telly yesterday)
Chinatown
Raging Bull
2001
Blade Runner (erk)
The Princess Bride (may have seen, not for about ten years though)
The Deer Hunter
The Conversation
Mystic River
Magnolia
Dog Day Afternoon
Miller's Crossing
21 Grams
The Untouchables
Heat
Once Upon A Time IN America
The Game (big Fincher fan)
Killing Zoe
Scarface
Bottle Rocket
Rushmore
Get Carter (own on VHS, quality is unwatchable)
... and the list goes on.

So, if you'd be so kind to add any movies which you think I'd benefit from watching, I'll appreciate it greatly - even better, stick a link to a cheapo DVD of it. Alternatively (and this is pushing it, frankly) if anyone wants to be super-generous and do me a copy of any of the above on disc, I'd repay them with eternal man-love (and give them a credit in my first movie). Or just a lend - I've got more stamps than I know what to do with, and a mean army of padded envelopes.

I'm seriously giving this a go; apart from girls and music, film is practically all I think about. All help will be appreciated.

MoJoJoJo wrote:
> Indeed. I seriously need to buy Escape From New York, every time I
> look for it I can only find Escape From LA... bah.

I don't think Escape From New York is out in this country on dvd is it?
Get the region 1 version, it has quite a few extras (including the deleted opening scene) and is a much better version than the region 2 version which is coming out (I think the R2 version is only going to be a crappy bare bones release).
The film rules.

maddmun wrote:
> And reservoir dogs came out on Moday, I can watch it about a milion
> times and still not get bored of it.

Than maybe you can explain to me why Reservoir Dogs is such a popular movie.

Saving Private Ryan

Once again.
BLAZING SADDLES.
Brilliant.
And reservoir dogs came out on Moday, I can watch it about a milion times and still not get bored of it.
And, erm, that's it.

RoJ wrote:
> We Were Soliders - Purely for the gore and action, really.

Except that Mel Gibson once again casts himself as a flawless character, and then has the gall to tease us with the promise of his death, only to turn up alive at the end of the film. Sorry if I spoiled it for you, but I doubt you'll care about it anyway. It's a gory war movie, which is nice.

"The Thing
Halloween
Escape From New York
Platoon
Heathers"

Indeed. I seriously need to buy Escape From New York, every time I look for it I can only find Escape From LA... bah.

Oh, and movies you should check or buy if you haven't already:

City Lights/The Great Dictator/Modern Times/The Kid
Miami Blues
Amadeus
The Big Lebowski
The Hitcher
Near Dark
Benny & Joon
Lawn Dogs
Once Upon a Time in The West
Sexy Beast
Bull Durham
Jacob's Ladder
The Thing
Halloween
Escape From New York
Platoon
Almost Famous
Heathers
Flash Gordon

Mr Snuggly wrote:
> The Godfather I-III - 1st is ok, 2nd is alright, 3rd is ass.
> Raising Arizona - Genius. "Son, you got a panty on yo' head"
> Blood Simple- Ok.
> Trees Lounge - No idea.
> Schindler's List - Schmaltzy tossfest, Spielberg blows his sugar load once more over something that could have mattered.
> Citizen Kane - ASS.ASS.ASS.ASS.ASS.ASS. Rosebud - it's his sled
> One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Brilliant. Milos Forman at the height of his powers, Nicholson's never been better.
> Dr Strangelove - Sellers x 2 = Perfect. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
> Apocalypse Now (see first on list, used to own but lost it) - ASS.
> The Third Man - ASS.ASS.ASS.ASS.
> Das Boot (missed it on telly yesterday) - Good in a Nazis in a sub way.
> Chinatown - Can't stand Polanksi. It's about water. Faye Dunaway dies.
> Raging Bull - Fantastic. From Thelma Schoonmaker's editing right through to Chapman's cinematography. Not a film about boxing, unless you're a moron.
> 2001 - ASS.ASS.ASS.ASS. The 1st 20 mins with the monkey's is excellent, then you get numb boredom and a rubbish ending that means nothing, despite beardy cineastes pretending otherwise.
> Blade Runner (erk) - Shame on you. Harrison Ford not being Harrison Ford for once in his career. Rutger Hauer is the man.
> Magnolia - Painful but on-top-of-his-game art from Paul Thomas Anderson. And has Tom Cruise swearing in his pants.
> Dog Day Afternoon - Pacino + John Cazale = Excellence.
> Miller's Crossing - Best Coen film yet. "What's da rumpus?"
> Scarface - Excellent. More quotes that you'll remember and Al Pacino in his best role ever that doesn't involve shouting or Glengarry Glenross.

-------------

For the record, Francis Ford Coppola sucks balls. The Godfather was ok, but thank Robert Evans for that. IF you think Coppola is a genius and wave Apocalypse Now at me, I shall simply wave a copy of "Jack" and "Dracula" and "Tucker" at you to prove you are wrong and pretentious.
Same goes for Kubrick - a man obsessed with toys and machines that loathed actors. Dr Strangelove is good because Peter Sellers & George C Scott save it. The Shining is dull and vapid, only enlivened by Jack Nicholson doing his Jack Nicholson routine. Full Metal Jacket is excellent until they go to Vietnam (or The Docklands), Eyes Wide Shut was an utterly pointless exercise in believing a director is talented because he hides in his house and doesn't make films very often (see Terence Malick for further examples). 2001 was boring beyond belief (HAL gets shut down and the astronaut goes all trippy. It's terrible).
I can't even be bothered with Clockword Orange or his others.

Francis Ford Coppola & Stanley Kubrick: Over-rated self-important meglomaniacs that couldn't direct traffic.
Oh, and we have Coppola to thank for William Friedkin going insane and making "The Sorcerer" - one of the most visually arresting but confused films ever made.

Middle of the way.

RoJ wrote:
> The Godfather I - III was hideously overrated monotonous crap. I was
> the best. III was feeble.

What about II?