What films are essential?

[Sarge 2.0]

Pretty self explanatory. There are already a bunch of great lists on the subject, but it's my hope that this thread includes as little "geek movies" as possible: "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", "X2", "Die Hard", "Terminator 2", "Spider-Man 2", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Back to the Future", "LOTR", etc. are all good movies but they're not essential viewing. So, I'll show you my list if you'll show me yours. Have at it!

 

[-Arya-]

- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
- Goodfellas
- Taxi Driver
- Psycho
- Fight Club
- A Clockwork Orange
- Spirited Away

That's all I got so far

 

[Gilpesh]

All that I can think of to add to the essential films list is:

Blazing Saddles.

 

[The Guard]

PULP FICTION.

Everything else you could go a lifetime without seeing.

 

[-JKR-]

I do think that T2 is essential as it was a revolution in special effects cinema. Other than that:

The Godfather

 

[craigdbfan]

High Noon (One of my all time favorites)

 

[gwynplaine]

White Heat
Goodfellas
John Carpenter's The Thing
Rio Bravo
The Searchers
Wages of Fear
Grand Illusion
One Flew over the cuckoo's nest
Night of the hunter
Amadeus
Alien
Jaws
Schindler's list
Saving private Ryan
Barry Lyndon
A Clockwork Orange
The Shining
Paths of Glory
Dr Strangelove
Psycho
Fritz Lang's M
Tod Browning's Freaks
TDK (sorryt
Magnum Force
Unforgiven
La Strada
Deliverance
Dog Day Afternoon
Godfather 2
Cyrano De Bergerac
The Hustler
Some like it hot
City lights
Duck Soup
Blazing saddles

And so so many more, but I'll stop here. (and maybe add some I can't think of right now later on)

 

[Aesop Rocks]

All that I can think of to add to the essential films list is:

Blazing Saddles.

 

[redhawk23]

ok dude just because you think a film isn't essential viewing doesn't mean it isnt. The Lord of the rings trilogy is commonly considered the ultimate undertaking in film history, bringing together a cast of award winng actors and racked up billions of dollars, critical aclaim, and 17 academy awards including best director and best picture.

that doesn't qualify?

 

[redhawk23]

Nosferatu, iconic cinematography and it established many of of the so called vampire rules.

 

[StarkTheProdigy]

redhawk, there's plenty of threads to preach on how great the LOTR trilogy is, there are plenty of movies that are essential other than that and the other movies that sarge listed,

 

[SuperFerret]

None.

 

[Sarge 2.0]

ok dude just because you think a film isn't essential viewing doesn't mean it isnt. The Lord of the rings trilogy is commonly considered the ultimate undertaking in film history, bringing together a cast of award winng actors and racked up billions of dollars, critical aclaim, and 17 academy awards including best director and best picture.

that doesn't qualify?

"Titanic" has the exact same qualifications. But you wouldn't go defending "Titanic" because it's not a geek movie and "LOTR" is.

Point being? That stuff is pretty meaningless when discussing what films are essential for understanding movies.

Also, is there any objective source you can site for your claim to LOTR being the "ultimate undertaking in movies"?

 

[Sarge 2.0]

None.

What?

Look dude, we get it, you don't like movies.

But in order to have an intelligent and informed conversation about the movies there are some movies that are essential dude. "Citizen Kane", "Breathless", "The Kid", "The 400 Blows", "North By Northwest", etc.

 

[The FallenAngel]

Terminator 2 is essential. **** you.

 

[SuperFerret]

What?

Look dude, we get it, you don't like movies.

But in order to have an intelligent and informed conversation about the movies there are some movies that are essential dude. "Citizen Kane", "Breathless", "The Kid", "The 400 Blows", "North By Northwest", etc.

I like movies alright, hell, there's a ton of movies that I love and watch all the time. I just don't see any that are essential for everyone to see. There are many movies in this thread that I have absolutely zero interest in seeing, regardless of how "great" they are. Everyone has their own tastes.

 

[redhawk23]

"Titanic" has the exact same qualifications. But you wouldn't go defending "Titanic" because it's not a geek movie and "LOTR" is.

Point being? That stuff is pretty meaningless when discussing what films are essential for understanding movies.

Also, is there any objective source you can site for your claim to LOTR being the "ultimate undertaking in movies"?

by what qualifications is any film essential then? like at all.

 

[Laderlappen]

Of course there are essential "geek-movies". But when similar threads like this are made here, some people post way too much "geek-movies" it makes you cringe.

There are just so many. A couple of 100s imo.

 

[Sawyer]

Metropolis
Pulp Fiction
Stand by Me
Citizen Kane
The Godfather parts I-II
Saving Private Ryan (one of the few war movies I love)
Rear Window

There are more. Give me some time.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Star Trek ('09)

Mostly every movie from the 40's and 50's, 70's and 80's.

 

[dude stannis]

Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino, 1994
Heat - Michael Mann, 1995
Taxi Driver - Martin Scorsese, 1976
Fight Club - David Fincher, 1999
Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford Coppola, 1979
Once Upon a Time in the West - Sergio Leone, 1968
Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese, 1990
Jaws - Steven Speilberg, 1975
The Maltese Falcon - John Huston, 1941
The Godfather - Francis Ford Coppola, 1972
2001: A Space Odessey - Stanley Kubrick, 1968

I don't consider Die Hard a geek movie at all. It's a guy movie. Arguably more essential than most films listed in this thread. Same as Raiders and Star Wars.

 

[gwynplaine]

Being There
Modern Times
400 Blows
Touch of evil
Rocky
The Last Detail
Almodovar's Talk to her
Cabaret
Soylent Green
Robin and Marian
The Man who would be king
Treasure of the sierra madre
E.T
Star Wars
The Big Lebowski
Young Frankenstein
T2
Silence of the lambs
The Road Warrior

Etc... to be continued

 

[Bunker]

Apocalypse Now
Miller's Crossing
Raging Bull
Battle of Algiers
City of God
The Thin Red Line
Alien
Magnolia
Memento
Motorcycle Diaries

 

[Maximus One]

Katural Born Killers
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fight Club
Gangs of New York
The Prestige
The Dark Knight
Watchmen
A Scanner Darkly
The Big Lebowski
The Usual Suspects
Grandmas Boy (sorry but i love that movie)
Office Space

I could think of more but thats enough for now

 

[StarkTheProdigy]

this came to mind, the breakfast club