SterlingBen

Oldboy

& The Basket Case Trillogy

visitor Q

I'd hate to see the bill for your services.

There is no doubt Leone is essential viewing for Spaghetti Westerns but I'd also add Sergio Corbucci to that list.

Django (1966) - Franco Nero
The Mercenary (1968) - Franco Nero
The Great Silence (1968) - Klaus Kinski
Companeros (1970) - Tomas Milian/Franco Nero


----


And to the OP, I can't believe you have Terminator 2-4 but no sign of the original. That's a travesty...

Ash Ketchum

I took a list I made called 100 Essential Black-and-White Films and pared it down for you to about 65.These are all essential for a rounded knowledge of American cinema, but I’ve put asterisks(*) next to my personal favorites. A small list of foreign b&w films follows, but it's basically just a sampler.

In chronological order:

*Scarface (1932)
Horse Feathers (1932)
42nd Street (1933)
*King Kong (1933)
Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
Captain Blood (1935)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Fury (1936)
Modern Times (1936)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Dead End (1937)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
*The Roaring 20s (1939)
Stagecoach (1939)
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
*The Bank Dick (1940)
*The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Rebecca (1940)
*Citizen Kane (1941)
*High Sierra (1941)
Meet John Doe (1941)
*The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Cat People (1942)
*Casablanca (1943)
*Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
*Jane Eyre (1944)
*Double Indemnity (1944)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
*The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
*The Big Sleep (1946)
*It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Notorious (1946)
*Out of the Past (1947)
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Naked City (1948)
*Portrait of Jennie (1948)
Red River (1948)
Fort Apache (1948)
*White Heat (1949)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
*Winchester ’73 (1950)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
High Noon (1952)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
On the Waterfront (1954)
*Them! (1954)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Marty (1955)
The Killing (1956)
Attack! (1956)
Men in War (1957)
Some Like it Hot (1959)
*The Apartment (1960)
*Psycho (1960)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
*The Longest Day (1962)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)


Some foreign b&w films:

*Things to Come (1936/UK)
Grand Illusion (1938/France)
Dead of Night (1945/UK)
Beauty and the Beast (1946/France)
Great Expectations (1946/UK)
Hamlet (1948/UK)
Oliver Twist (1948/UK)
Rashomon (1950/Japan)
*Gojira (Godzilla) (1954/Japan)
*The Seven Samurai (1954/Japan)
La Strada (1954/Italy)
Breathless (1959/France)
The 400 Blows (1959/France)
La Dolce Vita (1960/Italy)
*Yojimbo (1961/Japan)
Jules and Jim (1961/France)
High and Low (1962/Japan)
*Samurai Rebellion (1967/Japan)


(And in case you missed post #24, that's got my westerns list.)

jzurawski

I have it... it is just under "The Terminator"... I know I know... I already got yelled at for listing them that way... it is just the way the DVD profiler exported them... so don't worry... no travesty here!!


and YOU ARE THE MAN ASH KETCHUM!!! Thanks so much for the lists... It is really great of you to help out this new young guy who only seems to like "newer" movies... I can't wait to start adding things to my netflix que... just need to keep my mantra going... "keep and open mind... keep and open mind..."

Now I know you are big on older titles... but I still can't drop my love for the newer stuff... anybody else out there want to give me a list of must see titles from 1980 onward? I'd like to think that I have done some good detective work but there has to be some gems that I am missing...

Thanks again to everyone!

visitor Q

Check out The Proposition (2005) with Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone. Fanstastic but brutal western which takes place in Australia.

jzurawski

Hmmm... sounds interesting... must have missed that one when it came out! Thanks for the suggestion!

MrSmearkase

If you want to try out some B&W screwball comedies, look into the career of Preston Sturges, particularly Sullivan's Travels and The Lady Eve.

clckworang

Thanks for the lists, Ash. Although I have seen most of the films are on your lists (except the anime list, which is a big blind spot for me), it's nice to look over and see some reminders of films that for whatever reason have slipped past me that I still need to see.

Wezzo

A few more of my personal favourites from recent years, from all genres and quality "tiers" (some critically respected, some not), in addition to LOST IN TRANSLATION, ETERNAL SUNSHINE, CLERKS, CLERKS II and AMERICAN BEAUTY, which I already mentioned..

HAPPINESS
MISERY
HOOP DREAMS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE BIG KAHUNA
THE WEATHER MAN
FUNNY PEOPLE
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
THE WRESTLER
ANOTHER YEAR
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
127 HOURS
CATFISH
IN AMERICA
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
BARTON FINK
FISH TANK
ENDURING LOVE
ELECTION
DONNIE DARKO
FOUR LIONS
BREAKDOWN
TUESDAY, AFTER CHRISTMAS
JERSEY GIRL

mdnitoil

A newer western that totally flew under my radar is Open Range (2003). Somebody who's opinion I respect suggested I give it a watch and I've seen it three times since. A very pleasant surprise.

mrcellophane

I am not sure if you are particularly interested in the genres and time periods that I am, but you may want to also look at film box sets. I especially like those that Warner Bros. puts out. For example, the "Bogie & Bacall" set contains The Big Sleep and Key Largo which are excellent films as well as two others which are both good fun. If you have any desire to get into film noir or 1930s gangster films, the WB has a series of sets dedicated to both, and the first volume in each are great introductions to the genres.

If you keep an eye out on Amazon and Ebay, you can sometimes get box sets cheaply. Hell, sometimes Big Lots will have sets for $5. I got sets featuring John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, and even Goddard there. I like such sets because they often give you a comprehensive look into a certain director, actor/actress, or genre. Another example would the MGM's "Ingmar Bergman Collection." You get a good introduction to Bergman and his brand of arthouse cinema while bypassing the often costly Criterion (almost) monopoly on his films.

jzurawski

Thanks so much for the list Wezzo!

I will definitely put those on my "to try out" list...

and I had heard of Open Range but have never seen it... thanks for the suggestion mdnitoil!

and great idea mrcellophane... I have always seen those box sets but have been scared to buy them... if i like a lot of the movies in one that people have been suggesting to me on here then I will maybe give one a try!

tecHouse

OP, are you sure you don't want any horror title suggestions?

jzurawski

Yeah man... I know it is crazy... I am just not a fan of the genre...

The closest I get to horror is Shawn of the Dead and Zombieland... pretty sad huh? Now thrillers I can do, I have many of those in my collection, so maybe horror films that are not about blood and guts and more psychological would work for me... I just for sure can't stand the gross out stuff...

So, what "horror" movies would you recommend for a guy that does not like horror movies?

clckworang

^ The first one that springs to mind would be the original version of The Haunting. Also, you might want to check out some of the early Polanski films.

mdnitoil

Personally, when it comes to horror, my cutoff is anything post-Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When horror was about atmosphere and suspense I was a fan. When it became about finding new and different ways to gross-out the audience, I got turned off. Given that, the Hammer films are great fun as are the old Universal films.

jzurawski

Ok, so The Haunting and early Polanski... and mdnitoil... I take it the Hammer films are not of the M.C variety?

I think my favorite genres are heist films (like the score, inside man or the italian job) and action comedies like the die hard films... my favorite movie of all time is Ghostbusters...

anything anybody would recommend along those lines??

BobO'Link

What a great pair of lists, Ash Ketchum! There are quite a few there I totally missed when doing a quickie look at my collection to make recommendations. That Western list is, IMHO, fairly definitive for the Genre. It makes me want to jump forward to the next Historical Challenge to have a good excuse to watch 'em all!

tecHouse

That's cool.. there are a ton of those horror/thriller/non-splatter,exploitation type out there that are worth checking out.

Bruiser
Deliverance
The Fan
Frozen
Hard Candy
One Hour Photo
Misery (think was mentioned)
Identity
The Ninth Gate
Taking Lives
Psycho (original)
Anaconda
Blindness
The Mist
Gothika
Insidious
The Reef
Session 9
Vanishing on 7th Street
Wind Chill


Those are some fairly recent releases i can think of.

BobO'Link

Remember... you *did* ask...

I'm a big fan of the older films and don't care much for anything "horror" made after about 1970 (a *few* exceptions, but very few) as most seem to be all about how much gore they can put on the screen. Keep that in mind when looking at this list.

I *love* the old Universal Horror films. Here's a list of those and what they were released on, but keep in mind that some of these collections have been superseded by newer sets/collections with the same prints. If there is no release info there's been no DVD release or I don't know about one. I left out the silent films. I like *all* these films.

Universal Horror:

1930's (The Golden Age):
The Cat Creeps (1930) [All copies assumed lost - only audio remains]
* Dracula (1931) [Dracula Legacy Collection]
Dracula (Spanish version) (1931) [Dracula Legacy Collection]
* Frankenstein (1931) [Frankenstein Legacy Collection]
* The Mummy (1932) [Mummy Legacy Collection]
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) [Bela Lugosi Collection]
The Old Dark House (1932) [Kino single]
* The Invisible Man (1933) [Invisible Man Legacy Collection]
The Black Cat (1934) [Bela Lugosi Collection]
The Raven (1935) [Bela Lugosi Collection]
Werewolf of London (1935) [Wolf Man Legacy Collection]
* Bride of Frankenstein (1935) [Frankenstein Legacy Collection]
Dracula's Daughter (1936) [Dracula Legacy Collection]
The Invisible Ray (1936) [Bela Lugosi Collection]
Son of Frankenstein (1939) [Frankenstein Legacy Collection]
* Tower of London (1939) [Boris Karloff Collection]

1940s (The Monster Mash):
Black Friday (1940) [Bela Lugosi Collection]
The Invisible Man Returns (1940) [Invisible Man Legacy Collection]
The Invisible Woman (1940) [Invisible Man Legacy Collection]
The Mummy's Hand (1940) [Mummy Legacy Collection]
Man Made Monster (1941) [Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive]
* The Wolf Man (1941) [Wolf Man Legacy Collection]
* The Black Cat (1941) [Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive]
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) [Frankenstein Legacy Collection]
Invisible Agent (1942) [Invisible Man Legacy Collection]
The Mummy's Tomb (1942) [Mummy Legacy Collection]
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) [Wolf Man Legacy Collection]
Phantom of the Opera (1943) [Classic Monsters Collection - single]
Son of Dracula (1943) [Dracula Legacy Collection]
The Mad Ghoul (1943) [tcm.com Universal Vault Collection]
Calling Dr. Death (1943) [Inner Sanctum Collection]
Weird Woman (1944) [Inner Sanctum Collection]
Dead Man's Eyes (1944) [Inner Sanctum Collection]
The Climax (1944) [Boris Karloff Collection]
House of Frankenstein (1944) [Frankenstein Legacy Collection]
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944) [Invisible Man Legacy Collection]
The Mummy's Ghost (1944) [Mummy Legacy Collection]
The Mummy's Curse (1944) [Mummy Legacy Collection]
House of Dracula (1945) [Dracula Legacy Collection]
The Frozen Ghost (1945) [Inner Sanctum Collection]
Strange Confession (1945) [aka The Missing Head - Inner Sanctum Collection]
Pillow of Death (1945) [Inner Sanctum Collection]
House of Horrors (1946) [tcm.com Universal Vault Collection]
The Brute Man (1946) [Single release]
She-Wolf of London (1946) [Wolf Man Legacy Collection]
* Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) [Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 3]

1950s (Monster Revival):
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) [Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 3]
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) [Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 4]
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) [Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 4]
* Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) [Creature from the Black Lagoon Legacy Collection]
Revenge of the Creature (1955) [Creature from the Black Lagoon Legacy Collection]
Cult of the Cobra (1955) [Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 2]
* This Island Earth (1955) [Single DVD release]
Tarantula (1955) [Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1]
The Creature Walks Among Us (1956) [Creature from the Black Lagoon Legacy Collection]
The Mole People (1956) [Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1]
The Deadly Mantis (1957) [Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 2]
The Monolith Monsters (1957) [Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1]
Monster on the Campus (1958) [Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1]

Misc Thrillers/horror/sci-fi:
Night Key (1937) [Boris Karloff Collection]
Horror Island (1941) [Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive]
Man Made Monster (1941) [Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive]
Night Monster (1942) [Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive]
Captive Wild Woman (1943) [Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive]
Strange Door (1951) [Boris Karloff Collection]
Black Castle (1952) [Boris Karloff Collection]

On to the Hammer films. Another great set of films from a premier horror studio. The earlier films tend to be the better ones and many are somewhat an aquired taste. Some of these have a bit of gore but *nothing* like what you started to see in films of the late 70s onward. Again, I like them all. Many of these are OOP and quite expensive, but some are still available for fairly reasonable prices.

Hammer Frankenstein
* The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, Terence Fisher)
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958, Terence Fisher)
The Evil of Frankenstein (1964, Freddie Francis)
* Frankenstein Created Woman (1965, Terence Fisher)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969, Terence Fisher)
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970, Jimmy Sangster)
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974, Terence Fisher)

Hammer Dracula
* The Horror of Dracula (1958, Terence Fisher)
The Brides of Dracula (1960, Terence Fisher)
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966, Terence Fisher)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968, Freddie Francis)
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970, Peter Sasdy)

(non-sequel Dracula films)
The Scars of Dracula (1970, Roy Ward Baker) (OOP and very pricey)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972, Alan Gibson)
Satanic Rites of Dracula (aka Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride) (1973)
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)

Hammer Mummy
* The Mummy (1959, Terence Fisher)
* The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1965, Michael Carreras)
The Mummy's Shroud (1967, John Gilling)
Blood From the Mummy's Tomb (1971, Michael Carreras, Seth Holt)

Cave Girls - ('cave girl' series directed by Michael Carreras):
* One Million Years B.C. (1966), [with Raquel Welch and Ray Harryhausen effects!]
Slave Girls (aka Prehistoric Woman) (1968)
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
Creatures the World Forgot (1971) - (not yet on DVD)

Other Hammer films:
The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas (1957)
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960), a version of Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Oliver Reed's first starring role
* The Phantom of the Opera (1962), starring Herbert Lom
She (1965), based on the novel of the same name by Rider Haggard (MOD only)
Vengeance of She (1968)
The Viking Queen (1967)
* The Gorgon (1964)
The Witches (1966)
* Five Million Years To Earth (AKA Quatermass and the Pit) (1967)
* Quatermass 2 (1957)
* The Lost Continent (1968)
The Reptile (1966)
Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966)
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
* Four Sided Triangle (1953)
* X the Unknown (Loosly based on Quartermass) (1956)

The Karnstein Trilogy
In the Karnstein Trilogy, based loosely on J. Sheridan Le Fanu's early vampire novella Carmilla, Hammer showed some of the most explicit scenes of lesbianism yet seen in mainstream English language films. Despite otherwise traditional Hammer design and direction, there was also a corresponding increase in scenes of nudity in the films during this era. The Karnstein Trilogy comprises:

The Vampire Lovers (1970), featuring Polish actress Ingrid Pitt (MGM MM Movies double feature DVD with Countess Dracula)
Lust for a Vampire (1971) (OOP)
Twins of Evil (1972) (R2 only)

Then there's Val Lewton. These are all in a box set: "The Val Lewton Collection" or available in "double feature" DVDs.

* Cat People (1942)
* I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
The Ghost Ship (1943)
The Leopard Man (1943)
The Seventh Victim (1943)
The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
Bedlam (1945)
* Isle of the Dead (aka Chamber of Horrors) (1945)
The Body Snatcher (1945)

And now, the films of Vincent Price. I mentioned several films in which he's one of the stars in my previous list and titles listed above. Some of his most noteable work was with Roger Corman for AIP in what's called "The Poe Cycle" of films. These are available as MGM MM Movies double feature DVDs with some available singly - also on the MGM MM Movie label.

The Poe Cycle:
* Fall of the House of Usher (1960)
* The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
Tales of Terror (1962)
Premature Burial (1962) is a adaptation of a Poe story and considered part of the cycle, but doesn't star Vincent Price.
The Raven (1963)
* The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
* The Tomb of Ligeia (1965)

A few other Vincent Price films to watch:
* The Haunted Palace (often considered to be part of The Poe Cycle it actually derives its plot from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. Only the title comes from a Poe story.)
* Witchfinder General (aka The Conqueror Worm) (1968)
* House on Haunted Hill (1959) (much better than the remake. This one is from William Castle - another Horror "legend" [Single release - The one from Image has both a colorized version and B/W print but the earlier WB release is the best print and anamorphic WS]
* House of Wax (1953)
* The Tingler (1959) also from William Castle (B/W until a certain scene - done for the imagery/shock value) [William Castle Film Collection or single]

Since I mentioned a couple of films from William Castle, king of the "B" film gimmick, here are a few others from him:

Macabre (1958) (MOD)
13 Ghosts (1960) [William Castle Film Collection or single]
* Mr. Sardonicus (1961) [William Castle Film Collection or single]
Homicidal (1961) [William Castle Film Collection - single OOP]
* The Old Dark House (1963) [A remake of the 1932 film and only available in the William Castle Film Collection]

OK... now on to Amicus Productions. Another group of fun "classic" horror films often mistaken for Hammer productions:

* The City of the Dead (aka Horror Hotel) (1960)
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1964)
* The Skull (1965)
The Deadly Bees (1966)
Torture Garden (1967)
The House That Dripped Blood (1970)
Asylum (1972)
Tales from the Crypt (1972)
Vault of Horror (1973) (aka Further Tales from the Crypt)
From Beyond the Grave (1973)
And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)
The Beast Must Die (1974)

The greats, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee star in many of the Hammer and Amicus films mentioned. One fairly good horror film common to both stars but not listed above is The Creeping Flesh (1973).

I've marked my absolute favorites and prime recommendations for starting your journey with *.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I've left out many, many other horror classics, but that list'll keep you busy for a long while.

Pick up a few and join us for the annual Horror Challenge...

coyoteblue

Thought I'd fill in some cracks (I don't think anyone has listed these):

Comedy Caper Flicks:
Topkapi(1964)
Gambit (1966)
How to Steal A Million (1966)
The Italian Job (1969)

Romantic comedy/thrillers
Arabesque (1966)
Charade (1963)

Comedies
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Duck Soup (1933)
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
Philadelphia Story (1940)
Road to Morocco (1942)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

I suppose only the comedies, proper, might be considered indispensable, but the others are all worth a look.

If you're feeling more adventurous:

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990)
A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991)
Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Peking Opera Blues (1986)
The Heroic Trio (1993)
Swordsman (1990)
Mr. Vampire (1985)
King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death) (1972)
Project A (1983)
Dragon Inn (1992)

jzurawski

That looks like a good list tecHouse... I have seen a few of those and you are right on the money that they are more up my alley...


and Holy Cow BobO'Link and coyoteblue!! You guys were just itching to type out those lists weren't you! ha ha... I can tell you passion for these movies with how you talk about them which really makes me want to give them a try...


So it looks like I am pretty set here with fantastic lists on some anime, older black and whites, older classics and now some horror... so I guess all I need now is maybe some newer underrated flicks or other titles from the 80's until now that you think I am missing from my collection. I would say I am most interested in (and sorry for the bad examples, I was typing quickly from my head):

-Action Comedy (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon)
- Action (The Professional, Shooter, Bourne, but also mindless stuff like Con Air or Point Break)
- Heist (The Score, Inside Man, The Italian Job)
- Adventure (Indiana Jones, Back to the Future)
-Sci Fi (The Fifth Element, Stargate, Inception, Source Code)
- Fantasy (Lord of the Rings, Super Hero Films)
- Comedy (Ghostbusters, non-gross out or teen)
- Drama (Shawshank Redemption, A Beautiful Mind)
- Thriller (Taken, Memento, Mr. Brooks)
- More recent War movies (Enemy at the Gate, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers)
But I would also do Romantic Comedies and Family Films

Anybody an expert on these types of movies?? I know, I know... I am young and like the newer stuff... so sue me! I can't change to a black and white movie lover over night! ha ha...

mdnitoil

War movies?

Patton
The Longest Day
Tora Tora Tora
Midway
The Dirty Dozen
The Guns of Navarone
Where Eagles Dare
30 Seconds Over Tokyo
Apocalypse Now
Platoon
The Dam Busters
Sink the Bismarck
Memphis Belle

That's just off the top of my head.

Fist of Doom

Frankly, I think you'd be bored going through all the westerns, anime and black-and-white stuff that have been suggested. I'd recommend these:

Donnie Brasco
Bloodsport
Smokin' Aces
Dark City
Crank
Narc
American Psycho
Miami Blues
Mad Max
The Road Warrior
The Warriors
Repo Man
The Outsiders
Cyborg

coyoteblue

So more along the lines of:
Drive (1997)
Split Second (1992)
I Come in Peace (Dark Angel) (1990)
Better Off Dead (1985)
The Stuff (1985)
Q (1982)
Fire and Ice (1983)
Rock & Rule (1983)
The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
Running Scared (1986)
The 'burbs (1989)
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)