The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension - The quintessential 80s movie. Everything you need to know about the 80s is contained in this film.
Also Mr. Krabs is in it.
One I've not seen mentioned yet: Wag the Dog (1997)
Such a prophetic movie
I think that stuff (those in power manipulating public opinion for their own ends by whatever means necessary) has always happened, but the access to and use of technology has definitely upped the game significantly, so yeah, I agree.
Edit to add: I watched it for the first time in my teens, and I think it had a deep impact on how I view politics and the media, and the relationship between them.
Trying to come up with a few that aren't on the list:
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) - Just a beautifully touching film, with a unique style and a great cameo of Peter Falk as himself. Much better than the English Language remake (City of Angels)
Come and See (Idi i smotri) - Hard to watch, but an incredible portrayal of the horrors of war. Not a feel-good film at all. But an amazing feat of filmmaking.
My Dinner With Andre - It's ironic that the movie that Roger Ebert referred to as "entirely devoid of clichés" has become a cliché. I'm not sure how well it's aged for modern audiences, but I first saw it in the 80's, have seen it at least a dozen times since, and it still really gets to me. I empathize heavily with both characters in the way that they search for meaning in life, and I could listen to Andre Gregory tell stories all day.
Stop Making Sense - A stellar concert documentary. The first time I saw it was a midnight screening where the audience got up and danced through the whole movie. David Byrne is hypnotic.
The Decline of Western Civilization - Amazing look at the Los Angeles punk rock scene of the early 80's
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - A classic stage-to-screen adaptation. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton chew the scenery for a few hours while their guests Sandy Dennis and George Segal try to make sense of it all. Amazing acting, great cinematography that really leverages the closeup. A must-see.
The Lion in Winter - Sort of a medieval version of the above with Peter O' Toole and Katherine Hepburn. Also see a young Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton put on stellar performances. Like Virginia Woolf above, this is acting with a capital A.
The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville) - A unique animation style and a unique story. A really fun watch.
- Pride (2014)
- if we're doing TV, which I don't think we are, then The Prisoner
I first saw The Prisoner when I was about 10 years old, and I thought it was great.
I watched it again when I was in my 20s, and was amazed by how well it held up.
If it seems dated now, it's because people have been ripping it off since it was first made.
BTW, the creator once pointed out that we never hear that No. 6 was a spy. He could have been a scientist or engineer or analyst.
- The Blues Brothers (1980)
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) <- The best film version of "A Christmas Carol". I will die on this hill.
- Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
My brother-in-law is a Dickens scholar and he agrees with you.
Okay so I didn't watch it I just read a synopsis, but why is cat on a tin roof on here? Seems like a bit of a curveball to me
"Cat..." is worth watching for the acting alone.
- The Fountain
- Schindler's List
- Idiocracy
- This is SpinalTap
- Saving Private Ryan
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Probably missing some, but these are the ones I can remember right now. I think Schindler's List should be required viewing by everyone before they graduate high school. I remember when they used to air it on regular TV, unedited and uncensored, commercial free. I feel we were nicer and more willing to avoid wars back then.
I ain't ashamed to say it, I cry every damn time I watch it.
The Fountain absolutely destroyed me. I was a mess.
I would like to add 2 absolute masterpieces of German cinematic creations.
First: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo(W children from station zoo)
Devinetively not ab easy or joyfully film. So far I only watched the original version which isn't great in terms of story telling but it displays the reality of drug abuse(in this case heroin) in a very good way. This film is devinetively capable of ruining your day.
Werner - Beinhart( Werner and the wizard of booze)
A quite old(1990) animated film. It is funny as hell but you can clearly see, that it was made in a different time/society. However, its still funny as hell(at least in my opinion).
Werner
I don't think this kind of humor can be translated or localized very easily. But damn is it fun.
So many great movies listed here, but only one kiwi movie; Once Were Warriors. Unless you count Lord of the Rings, which was indeed made here, but not really exactly a kiwi movie. Here's a few I reckon are worth checking out, a mix of comedy, fantasy, sci-fi and biopic, with at least one film from each other last 5 decades;
- Goodbye Pork Pie (the 1981 original, I haven't seen the 2017 remake Pork Pie directed by his son)
- Came A Hot Friday (1985, so underrated compared to the one above)
- The Quiet Earth (1985, based on the 1981 novel of the same name)
- The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988, epically weird, in a Fisher Kind kind of way)
- Heavenly Creatures (1994, Peter Jackson's first "serious" film, after his splatter comedies Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles and Braindead. Trivia: I'm in this for about 3 seconds ...)
- Whale Rider (2002)
- The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
- Eagle vs. Shark (2007)
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
- The Dead Lands (2014, notable for being entirely in Te Reo Māori, and featuring some mean Māori martials arts)
- The Dark Horse (2014)
- Muru (2022, loosely based on the events of the 2008 Operation 8 raids)
- Ka Whawhai Tonu (2024, also has a lot of Te Reo spoken)
Gah. Quiet Earth! I still love this movie and it has some unforgettable scenes. Also the most memorable ending shot of a sci-fi movie. It was my background on PC for years.
My recommendation is either The Grand Budapest Hotel or Moonrise Kingdom. Both by Wes Anderson, and probably his two best films. Excellent director with a very distinct visual style.
Dredd (2012)
That movie is damn near perfect.
In a way I’m glad we didn’t get a sequel, because the execs would have diluted it down to a PG rating in order to maximise the merch sales.
Ivan's Childhood; although all of Tarkovsky's oeuvre is worth it.
Schindlers List: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/
Shit made me cry
As much as I enjoyed Banshees, it didn’t have the snappiness and immediacy of In Bruges.
The Shawshank Redemption
These are not feel good movies at all but I think really send important messages. Not for kids, but at 16+ would be good. There's very important takeaway messages in both.
Grave of the Fireflies
Requiem for a Dream
Requiem for A dream is a very good film. Its quite similar to the much older German film "Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo" (We children from the station zoo). The original version has a quite weird style in terms of how it tells the story but its still a very good film. Can only recommend it to everybody. Heroin one hell of A drug that can quite easily ruin everything.
I saw Grave of the Fireflies once.
Once.
Could never bring myself to go through it again, despite how utterly beautiful it is.
But my favourite thing about it is that it was originally a double bill with My Neighbour Totoro. Imagine seeing those two back to back. You’d get some serious emotional whiplash.
Oh please tell me Totoro was second! That it ended on a high note!
Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent and the movies talking about Edward Snowden
Lucky Number Slevin
Man On Fire
Syriana
Equilibrium
And for some solid Australian cinema: Mystery Road
solid. add fight club and boondocks saints.
Get Crazy (1983). Just a fun piece of silliness with a cameo from Lou Reed.
And Electric Larry
Spirited Away. In my opinion the most Miyazaki movie. It's also just amazing. I've probably seen it a dozen times now.
They Live. I stumbled across it on TV while exhausted at 2 am one night and it had me locked in the whole time.
I used this movie as the basis for at least three school assignments in high school. Brilliant.
Full Metal Jacket.
Children of Men.
One of my all time favorites. I usually recommend it along with I Origins. They hit differently, but scratch the same itch for me.
Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are dead
I get that most people are just listing their favourite movies, and that’s fair, but I feel like a lot of them are already well watched.
My suggestion is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Everything about it is a stunning piece of cinema that got massively overlooked at the time, and I don’t really know why. It stars Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, has a score by Nick Cave (who has a cameo) and Warren Ellis, and has cinematography by the mighty Roger Deakins.
On the cinematography; you could pause it at almost any point, take a screengrab, and print it out for display. It’s a stunningly well shot movie.
Nothing about the movie is fast. Everything takes place as it needs to, in its own time, all creeping glacially towards what you know is going to happen.
I adore this movie. I showed it to my kid a couple of years ago, fearful that he would hate it. Turned out he loved it as much as I do. It’s the best western I’ve ever seen, but to call it a western does it a disservice.
Cloud Atlas
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Tora Tora Tora!
Oh Brother Where Art Thou
Gone with the Wind
I’m bona fide!
I find it inconceivable that no one has mentioned 'The Princess Bride' yet.
Mawwiage is what bwings us togevah today.
Bonus points for the actor Wallace Shawn being based
It's immaterial, it is automatically disqualified from the list because we've all already seen it multiple times.
That word... I think it means exactly what you think it means.
For the few people who didn't already watch it, and the best movie of all time :
Mad Max: Fury road (2015 ) by Miller .
This is what film story telling is about: having an entire weird universe told through visual medium. The 1st half hour has mad max gagged and incapable of talking, and it is amazing. Preferably on big screen.
A gem from the past:
Taboo(1999), by Nagisa Ôshima,
a samurai movie with hint of homosexuality. and an ending that can only be understood by paying close attention to the sound off screen.
A classic:
Seven samurai(1954), Kurosawa.
Just enjoy the black and white shot , and immerse in old Japanese culture
Firstly, Fury Road is a masterpiece. I just wanted to agree with you.
Secondly; have you ever played Ghost of Tsushima? It has a Kurosawa mode that’s really beautiful. You can play the whole game in a rich, moody black and white. It’s a gimmick, sure, but a nice one.
Many good ones were already mentioned
But from memory:
- The snatch
- The big Lebowsky
- Clerks
- American Psycho
- 2001 a space odissey
- Blade Runner (possibly the directors cut)
- Apocalypse now (possibly the redux version)
- Full metal jacket
- The godfather (first 2 movies, the rest is not as good)
- Fight club
- Alien
- The Truman show
- In the mouth of madness
- They live
- The terminator (first 2)
- Animal house
- the dollar trilogy from Sergio Leone
- Once upon a time in America
- pulp fiction
- reservoir dogs
The Matrix
Idiocracy
Idiocracy is a funny movie that I enjoy. However I'm disturbed by the number of people who say it's a documentary, or a warning. That's because the central premise of the movie (that humans breed wrong and if nothing is done, we'll devolve and society will collapse) also happens to be the central premise of Eugenics.
My spouses family is dysfunctional with many many kids and more on the way.
She's the only functional one and its unlikely we will have kods of our own.
The premise tracks.
Welcome to Costco, I love you
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The Fifth Element.
Leeloo Dallas multipass
Super green.
“Listen lady, I speak two languages: English and BAD English!”
Office Space
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.
"12 Angry Men" (1957) is a personal favorite that I recommend to pretty much everyone. Great messages about questioning assumptions, challenging biases, understanding the limitations of evidence, acknowledging imperfections in the justice system, and the consequences thereof.
The movie is also cinematically interesting to me because it feels "small". The entire movie just about takes place in one room, and the events of the film transpire over the course of one afternoon.
In the beginning of 12 Angry Men everything is shot from above eye-level with wide-angle lenses, giving everything the feel of more space, but as the film progresses it transitions to tighter shots with telephoto lenses from lower angles. The film gives the viewer more and more of a subconscious sense of tension and claustrophobia as the story progresses.
At least one stage adaptation of the story gave a similar effect over the course of the show by slowly tightening the lighting and having the walls of the set physically move inward, too slow for the audience to take notice but enough to subtly affect the entire atmosphere and really drive that feeling home.
That's so neat; I'd never noticed that before. And the walls closing in on the stage adaptation is really clever
I've seen this movie 3 times, each viewing several years apart. Each viewing solidified this movie as my personal favorite, I would go in thinking I've already seen this, it can't have the same wow factor. Nope, I would end up loving it even more. Can't recommend this enough!
Gladiator extended edition. No other movie matters now. Tis a masterpiece
Some you need to see to get the references:
- Soylent green
- 1984 (or read the book of course)
- Inception
- Everything by Stanley Kubrick and Tarantino
Food for thought:
- Free Rainer
For something (more) crazy:
- The Holy Mountain
I always say everyone should see requiem for a dream, but no one should watch it. That film does more for stopping drug abuse than any government program ever did.
One of my favorite movies that I’ll probably never watch again. The Kronos Quartet did an awesome job with the soundtrack.
"Ass to ass!"
I'm going to be on television!
5th Element.
The super weapon that sleeps half the movie.
...didnt realise this till I head it on The Film ReRoll podcast.
The main characters are never aware of each other.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The baby scene was a little weird but otherwise great movie
I loved this movie and if I was to read a summary I would think it's boring as hell. But it's not. It's on my Made Me Cry list, has an amazing female main character and a solid romance that is not cliche, and I typically cringe at movies with too much romance. This one is good. I +1 your recommendation.
Natural Born Killers
I don't think everyone should watch this. That movie fucked me up as a kid.
It's not for kids
Spaceballs, so you will know what the future holds.
"There's no shortage of air!"
You gotta watch Spaceballs or there isn't any context for the greatest movie of all time, Spaceballs II: The Search For More Money!
(for now you can watch it for free on YouTube)
Grave of the Fireflies
Whoa! Calm down there, Satan.
Main-lining high grade depression. It's my go-to threat when someone tells me they think anime is 'too silly' to watch.
Great film - I think the world would benefit from more people watching it. But it is so depressing, I don't think it is a film everyone should watch.
Everyone should watch it once. Once is enough.
American History X
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
The Dark Knight
There Will Be Blood
The Prestige
Memento
The Shining
Gangs of New York
Aliens
The Machinist
Full Metal Jacket
Top Secret, by the same guys who did Naked Gun. I think it's somehow actually funnier on average than Naked Gun, even though that one's great, too.
Basically, I don't know if a human could watch it and not find it fucking amazingly funny. So dense with jokes, so creative with the execution, so many funny practical effects, you're constantly astounded that they created props and sets for such absurd humor, and it really works.
"I know a little German... He's sitting over there."
waves enthusiastically
The Pinto
The joke with the boots is magnificent. Need to watch that again, been a while.
That one is pretty good! The entire scene with the shootout where everyone keeps breaking windows is my favorite. There are so many good gags in that scene, it's ridiculous.
Blazing saddles is up there with those movies too with just a bit more colourful language
If you like all of those, check out “The Wrong Guy”. Also if you like the amazing wonderful pure Dave Foley.
V for Vendetta
Lemmy will never understand how amazing this movie is.
Movie is very much meh.
The Blues Brothers (1980).
I'm not the type that can watch the same movie or show over and over. This movie is one of the rare exceptions. I watch it at least 2-3 times a year.
It masterfully blends music, jokes, and action without a dull moment. It's amazing how they can make you laugh your ass off with dry humor while Aretha Franklin is belting out a Respect. Not to mention having Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, James Brown, and Cab Callaway all perform. And of course the car chases. Oh man, nothing can top those car chases.
The way they casually throw in a bazooka wielding character with zero introduction is just hilarious.
This one right here.
Arrival
Brazil. Should be mandatory after 9/11.
I came to say Brazil but what does it have to do with 9/11?
Brazil predicted the post 9/11 environment 16 years before 9/11.
Oh one more. Contagion. Made years and years before covid - pretty spot on tho.
Since my movie taste is a bit of everything here is my colourful list:
- Pans Labyrinth
- Princess Mononoke
- 12 Monkeys
- Her
- Parasite
- Persepolis
- The man from earth
The concept of Her is feeling more and more possible.
That's why I rewatched it. This movie has a really good sense for the future. Actually AppStores are flooted with "your AI girlfriend" bs.
12 Monkeys was unexpectedly good! Not many films can tell a story in that manner and pull it off.
+1 for the man from Earth! Best long winded movie ever!
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Not really the most profound or insightful, but it's just a good fun film.
I freaking love that movie but actually think it has a lot of depth. It shows a cgi cartoon character dealing with inevitability of death, fragility of life and mortality and value of what’s truly important. Side storylines about families, adoption, forgiveness etc but man does that wolf kill it.
That movie had no business being as good as it was.
Did you see Paddington 1+2? I had the same feeling about those two. Absolutely fantastic movies with a lot of soul.
I'll have to check out Puss in Boots if it's similar.
Children of Men is a madtapiece.
Everybody’s Everything. I knew nothing about Lil Peep and I absolutely loved the whole documentary.
2001: A Space Odyssey
I've tried so hard to watch the film three times and always fell asleep. It's my bad for not starting it from where I left off but the intro is so good even if it's a bit slow-paced for me.
If you like dark humor, In Bruges is absolutely outstanding.
Ok, I’ll take back the bit about your cunt kids.
YOU’RE AN INANIMATE FUCKING OBJECT!
Amazingly underrated movie.
Scott pilgrim vs the world
"Seven ex boyfriends."
"I said seven exes."
"..."
Hell yeah that’s my favorite movie ever
Rubber. The movie about the tire who woke up and chose violence.
That movie is really terrible.
Tires are the enemy
If you want to add non English movies to the list, then I have two to suggest:
- Children of Heaven
- Cinema Paradiso
Cinema Paradiso is such a beautiful thing. First time I watched it I wanted to start it all over again.
Did you know there is an extended version of it that exists too. First time I read about it, they talked about how the abridged, director's cut was much better. After watching it a few times, i gave in and watched the extended version and liked it as much too.
I'll throw RRR onto the international pile since it's the kinda film that feels like the greatest movie ever while you're watching it.
Movies made outside of the US. United-statesians underestimate too much on other countries' productions. There's many great movies made outside of Hollywood that you can find if you search.
A suggestion that I can give is Netflix's Brazilian film Just Another Christmas, where a guy who hates Christmas gets on a time curse and he keeps waking up on each year's next Christmas eve, his life keeps changing before his eyes and at the end he learns a valuable lesson. I've seen it being compared to Click, not sure though.
In the Mood for Love is phenomenal.
Eat Drink Man Woman is one I've re watched a number of times.
I wouldn't say either are movies everybody needs to watch, but they are great movies.
- pulp fiction
- before I disappear (my personal favorite film of all time)
- Donnie Darko
- Momento
Good picks! I never heard of before I disappear, but based on everything else on the list, I should probably check it out! Thanks!
Definitely give it a watch. It's actually on YouTube for free last I checked, well free with ads but just use an ad blocker
The Pianist
"It's a wonderful Life". I'm not religious but the message of the movie is very straight forward, and very important. Be a good person, always try to help others, have integrity, and try to make meaningful connections with people. You also don't have to have a long list of accomplishments to have a meaningful life, as long you positively affect others, you've done good.
It's a wonderful life used to be my favorite movie to watch around Christmas time, to remind myself of whats important in life, but now I've added:
The movie "About Time". Slow down. Savor, and enjoy life. Most days I forget about the message of that movie, but I try to remind myself every now and then. It hits especially hard now as my father passed away at 80 last year.
Donnie Darko is an upside down version of "it's a wonderful life"
We're gonna get a lot of the more standard "Perfect movies" so I'm going to stick with some of the ones that may not be "perfect movies" but I found personally always enjoy
-
Ex Machina - Fucks with your mind through the entire movie, and leaves you bewildered at the end
-
Ocean's 11, the Clooney version personally, I watch this regularly and is my favorite heist movie
-
Seeking a friend for the end of the world - Tears, but it's a movie that's worth a watch - but I can never rewatch it.
-
The Whale - just last year, another amazing movie that has to be watched, but you will probably never be able to rewatch it.
-
The Theory of Everything - Personally this movie is what started me out from "Movies are cool action things I go with friends to see" to "Maybe movies can evoke emotions that I didn't know I could fully appreciate", and for those here who have seen me comment on movies before, this is where Felicity Jones became my favorite actress. You forget your watching a movie, and she became Jane Hawking in it, and it's the first movie I legit cried to. It hurt me deep. Eddie Redmayne did a wonderful job, fully embodying Steven as well, to the point that again you forget you are watching a movie.
And one more because what the hell
- Imitation Game - Bendlydoodle Cuddlefish and Kiera Knightley tell the story of Alan Turing. I say it should be mandatory watching for any computer/IT/programmer nerd out there, and I won't say why it's 100% worth a watch, but it's there.
None of these would I nominate as best movie of all time, I just went through my list of most watched movies and these stuck out
That's Alan Turing the traitor as played by Sherlock Holmes?
It is a film with a great list of cheap tropes to avoid.
I saw Oppenheimer in theaters and spent the entire time going: "this is just imitation game but everyone sucks and instead of saving millions of lives and being punished by your government for it... The man kills millions of people and then gets awarded for it..."
I definitely need to rewatch it.
-
Evil Dead 2
Grandma's Boy.
Please sit on my face
I can hear my antlers growing
Shikanoko nokonoko koshitantan
My answer to this question changes a lot, but for now I'm gonna say Heathers
To Kill A Mockingbird
And read the book.
Some great ones were already mentioned. I'll add Life Is Beautiful (1997).
The first half of Life is Beautiful is perfectly named.
The second half…
This is generally what I recommend. I’d also suggest going into it as blind as possible simply knowing that it’s a half comedy, half historical drama. It gets pretty heavy at times, more than most comedies. One of my favorite movies ever.
I saw it not even knowing that much and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Great film.
Vampire's Kiss. It perfectly encapsulates Nick Cage's superposition
Oh hell yes
Children of Men (2006)
The Great Beauty (2013)
Amelie (2001)
Oldboy (2003)
Ah thanks I was waiting for someone to put ‘le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain’.
Predestination [2014]
Threads. Especially should be mandatory for politicians. To date one of the most accurate portrayals of nuclear war. It is not an uplifting movie.
I was born in 1980, so was far too young for that when it originally aired, then never got around to it until a few weeks ago.
And fuck me, there is nothing cheerful about that film in the slightest. Nothing. It’s a great piece though.
No one's said Network (1976) yet. It's so prescient it's kind of scary.
Dead Alive
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Old or new? Either way, skip the movie and read the book.
Army of Darkness
Alien
Aliens
Because fuck you: Watcher in the Woods
Enemy Mine (1985)
Blade Runner
Mary and Max.
That's a great movie! I can't exactly remember the ending, though.
The Burbs.
Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun were so amazing in that film.
Zardoz
The gun is good! The penis is evil!
The Man Who Knew Too Little
Flight of the Phoenix, the original B&W one from the 50s
Fantastically atmospheric, you can feel the tension all the way through the film
Requiem for a Dream. But probably only watch it once.
Simultaneously made me want to try, and to never ever try, drugs
The Hunger Games
Pincess Mononoke and/or Metropolis 2001
Pump Up the Volume
Is it bigger than a baby's arm?
Last time a similar question was asked, I responded with Perfect Blue, The End of Evangelion, and Love & Pop.
So this time, I'm going to suggest Sans Soleil.
Eraserhead
I've seen a lot of fucked up movies. Sometimes on serious drugs. Eraserhead fucks with me on a visceral level. David Lynch is a genius. My nephew just turned 21 and I'm not sure he's old enough for it
Lawrence of Arabia
If you like horror and you haven't seen Repo! The Genetic Opera, nows the time.
- Not just a great war movie, but also a cinematic masterpiece.
Pitch Perfect Production of a 1970’s story that’s just shockingly good. Go in blind like I did, you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
Tap for spoiler
In 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.
Red Line
Red Line or Redline?
Redline, my bad
Turkish star wars lol.
The Edukators!
The End of Evangelion is a masterpiece, but you must watch NGE before, which also is a masterpiece.
Once were warriors
A Serbian Film 😈
Apocalypto
Forrest Gump
Ben Hur
Ikiru ("To Live")
There are many but if I have to name just one it would be the godfather.
Been watching a movie per day for quite a long time now. There are many great ones. Just watch all the genres from all over the world and from different decades, you'll find them.
The Couch Trip with Dan Aykroyd
