Movies - Take Two. Action!

[Poisoned Youth]

To kick this off...


Even though I'm a video/film producer in real life and have always loved the process of creating content, my personal connection to film has always been more of a visceral one than an academic one. In fact, it was never a passion of mine to have to watch all these academic classics back in college. It's kind of ironic considering my sophisticated musical tastes.

One film that comes to mind that will be 25 years old next year is The Shawshank Redemption. This flick qualifies for me as great storytelling combined with compelling performances and is always one of the films that - if you ever come across it on TV - you land there and just watch it again. It never gets old.

What movie favorites do you all have that you never, ever tire of watching?

[NogbadTheBad]

Big Trouble In Little China, if it comes on I have to watch it, that and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

[progeezer]

Alastair Sim as Scrooge in the 1951 British version of Dickens "A Christmas Carol". I watch it at least twice every December and always alone for several years now, since I repeat every single line of dialogue as it's being spoken. I have watched it every year for 65 years.

Not "Shawshank", but for me, the best film version of many, of the ultimate redemption story.

[Klonk]

Oh without a doubt The Purge

Shawshank Redemption is a good choice. I always keep that one one when flippin' around the dial. A few off the top of my head I'll never tire of are Apocalypse Now, High Plains Drifter, Slap Shot, definitely Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Die Hard.

Tons of horrors that I can watch over and over, but too many to name.

[Staun]

Chinatown with Jack Nicholson.
Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid with James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson.

[JKL2000]

RE: that list of 100 best horror movies, I've never seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I'm guessing it shouldn't be at number 3. It's better than Psycho? Also, while I loved Alien for a long time, and some of it still works very well, as a horror movie, IMO, much of it doesn't hold up. The last half hour or so, is just repetitive and looks like of cheap, until the very last sequence.

Also, while I like The Thing a lot, I think Rosemary's Baby should be rated higher than The Thing, Alien, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

One problem with this list is that there are different types of horror movies. Some are truly scary, and some it's more an underlying horror, atmosphere, etc. Putting Alien up against Rosemary's Baby is kind of ridiculous, IMO.

[Klonk]

RE: that list of 100 best horror movies, I've never seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I'm guessing it shouldn't be at number 3. It's better than Psycho? Also, while I loved Alien for a long time, and some of it still works very well, as a horror movie, IMO, much of it doesn't hold up. The last half hour or so, is just repetitive and looks like of cheap, until the very last sequence.

Also, while I like The Thing a lot, I think Rosemary's Baby should be rated higher than The Thing, Alien, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

One problem with this list is that there are different types of horror movies. Some are truly scary, and some it's more an underlying horror, atmosphere, etc. Putting Alien up against Rosemary's Baby is kind of ridiculous, IMO.

I dunno man! Alien terrified me as a kid. Of course it doesn't hold up in terms of special effects today, but at the time it was kick ass. That was my first experience with claustrophobic fear...and I ate it up! The Thing had a similar vibe, but in snow . Rosemary's Baby was a great, slow burning horror, but it definitely didn't scare me like Aliens did.

My brother took me to see Alien and I think I was like 10 That bastard...he did this to me!!

[gojikranz]

RE: that list of 100 best horror movies, I've never seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I'm guessing it shouldn't be at number 3. It's better than Psycho? Also, while I loved Alien for a long time, and some of it still works very well, as a horror movie, IMO, much of it doesn't hold up. The last half hour or so, is just repetitive and looks like of cheap, until the very last sequence.

Also, while I like The Thing a lot, I think Rosemary's Baby should be rated higher than The Thing, Alien, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

One problem with this list is that there are different types of horror movies. Some are truly scary, and some it's more an underlying horror, atmosphere, etc. Putting Alien up against Rosemary's Baby is kind of ridiculous, IMO.

ya really hard to truly rank em. glanced at the list don't think aliens qualifies as horror, but overall seems a decent list though of course I haven't seen em all. main ones I can think off the top of my head that would easily make my top 100 would be Tenebrae, maybe zombie 2 though if you only get one fulci the beyond is a good pick. I also have a fondness for sleepaway camp as 80's slashers go.

[walt]

Paths Of Glory-the futility and pointlessness of war.The last scene of the scared young woman singing a sad song in front of grizzled soldiers who will soon be in combat, is priceless.

Black Robe
The Limey
Tinker,Tailor,Soldier Spy/Smiley's People.....so many more.....

[Klonk]

ya really hard to truly rank em. glanced at the list don't think aliens qualifies as horror, but overall seems a decent list though of course I haven't seen em all. main ones I can think off the top of my head that would easily make my top 100 would be Tenebrae, maybe zombie 2 though if you only get one fulci the beyond is a good pick. I also have a fondness for sleepaway camp as 80's slashers go.

Alien I'd definitely consider horror, but I'd agree Aliens is not. Tenebrae is awesome aint it? Some of those old giallo films are really good and I'm an Argento fan...or was. Suspiria is an all-time favorite. I watch Fulci's The Beyond every Halloween religiously

[Progbear]

Big Trouble In Little China, if it comes on I have to watch it, that and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

You need to see Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, the film that inspired it. I never get tired of it!

[Jerjo]

There's quite a few movies that I can watch again and again. All my nerd movies for one thing because I'm a big nerd so the better science fiction/fantasy movies I will watch any time. Outside of genre and the handful of seasonal favorites we drag our for Christmas and Halloween, these are off the top of my head essential. There's probably another hundred that qualify.

Amadeus
Godfather I, Godfather II
3/4 Musketeers (the Lester films)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Bridge over the River Kwai
The Untouchables
Casino Royale (Craig)
Blazing Saddles/Young Frankenstein
Major League

[Jerjo]

A friend of mine has this running argument with me about the first two Alien movies. He says the first is much, much better. I say they cannot be compared because one is a perfect horror movie, the second is the perfect action thriller (with far more memorable lines).

[mozo-pg]

Howard The Duck. Nuff said.

[Progatron]

Howard The Duck. Nuff said.

Good, but not in the same league as the Oscar-winning Leonard Part 6.

[beano]

All original Planet of the Apes Film's come to mind ...

[JKL2000]

I dunno man! Alien terrified me as a kid. Of course it doesn't hold up in terms of special effects today, but at the time it was kick ass. That was my first experience with claustrophobic fear...and I ate it up! The Thing had a similar vibe, but in snow . Rosemary's Baby was a great, slow burning horror, but it definitely didn't scare me like Aliens did.

My brother took me to see Alien and I think I was like 10 That bastard...he did this to me!!

Oh, as I said, I loved Alien - I saw it in a theater when it first came out. I still think the chest bursting scene, and the whole first half of the movie really, is great. But when last watching it (a few years ago) I found it got a bit monotonous toward the end. How much of Ripley walking through those corridors can you watch?

[nycsteve]

RE: that list of 100 best horror movies, I've never seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I'm guessing it shouldn't be at number 3. It's better than Psycho? Also, while I loved Alien for a long time, and some of it still works very well, as a horror movie, IMO, much of it doesn't hold up. The last half hour or so, is just repetitive and looks like of cheap, until the very last sequence.

Also, while I like The Thing a lot, I think Rosemary's Baby should be rated higher than The Thing, Alien, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

One problem with this list is that there are different types of horror movies. Some are truly scary, and some it's more an underlying horror, atmosphere, etc. Putting Alien up against Rosemary's Baby is kind of ridiculous, IMO.

I actually saw the original Texas Chainsaw Mass and it scared me. More than Psycho I think. But Psycho is a way better film. For movies in general , Key Largo is up there. The Great Escape. The Planet of The Apes (1st), The Big Lebowski, Its a Wonderful Life. The Searchers.
Recenly discovered classics , The Breaking Point with John Garfield. Same Hemmingway source material as Bogie's To Have And Have Not , but a different take and in many ways better. And of course The Purge.
On Edit; When Harry Met Sally, Dunkirk, The Anderson Tapes , Bride Of Frankenstien , Wizard Of Oz , Best Years Of Our Lives , The Apartment. The Nice Guys , and for some reason , Fools Gold.

[gojikranz]

Oh, as I said, I loved Alien - I saw it in a theater when it first came out. I still think the chest bursting scene, and the whole first half of the movie really, is great. But when last watching it (a few years ago) I found it got a bit monotonous toward the end. How much of Ripley walking through those corridors can you watch?

have you seen the alternate cut ridley scott put together a few years ago (was labeled a directors cut for advertising purposes although ridley stated the original is still his preferred). unlike many alternate cuts it actually ran a minute shorted but did feature some new footage so I think (though I don't remember exactly what was lost to make room) some of the monotonousness you mention may be trimmed.

one thing that impresses me about alien is that it has managed to stay in the public eye despite long stretches without films as a child of the 90s Alien was still a big thing I recall they put out a line of toys (yes childrens toys based on R rated movies but hey I turned out OK) that made it a pretty big thing amongst us even though we had not seen the movies. somehow we all knew about chest bursters and alien queens etc. and I recall seeing the first part on TV when I was fairly young and being too scared to continue(or maybe my mom shut it off can't say I recall seeing the inside of that egg and being pretty creeped out though) despite my familiarity with the toys.

[Lou]

[QUOTEOh without a doubt The Purge ][/QUOTE]

Damnit Klonk!!! How do I get beer out of my keyboard???

[markwoll]

The Wind and the Lion
Princess Bride
Local Hero

[SteveSly]

Lots of good ones listed. One of my favorites that I have on DVD and enjoy watching over and over is The Good The Bad And The Ugly.

[frinspar]

From the OP's question, there are so many, but here are a few:

Empire of the Sun
The Man Who Would Be King
Trading Places
BTTF
Home Alone
TG,TB & TU
Hamburger...The Motion Picture
Victory
To Live and Die in L.A.

I always watch these as double features, once a year:
Doctor Detroit & Night Shift
Judge Dredd & Demolition Man

[rcarlberg]

What movie favorites do you all have that you never, ever tire of watching?

A few at random:

• Fellini's 8-1/2
• Cinema Paradiso
• Arrival (a new favorite I've watched a half dozen times now, each time it gets better)
• Catch 22
• Five Easy Pieces
• Blade Runner
• A Little Romance
• The Bicycle Thief
• The 400 Blows (or anything by Truffaut)
• Spring Forward
• Zefferelli's Romeo & Juliet
• King of Marvin Gardens
• Malena
• 12 Monkeys
• Multiplicity
• Kitchen Stories
• Blow Up
• Enough Said
• Groundhog Day
• A Fish Called Wanda
• Whale Rider
• Performance
• Harold and Maude
• Cat Ballou
• The Last Wave
• Up In he Air
• Before Sunrise/Before Sunset/Before Midnight
• Birdman

[aith01]

Princess Bride

One of my favorites.

Arrival (a new favorite I've watched a half dozen times now, each time it gets better)

That is a great one, IMO. Went into it expecting an interesting sci-fi “first contact” movie, but it was so much more humane and emotional than that. Really beautiful. The ending really hit me hard.