There's the "1001 Movies to See Before You Die", the "AFI 100"…
Neither of these are bad lists to start with. The "AFI 100" is going to be all American films (some Hitchcock films get a pass because they were filmed in the U.S.?).
"1001 Movies…" has a number of film critics contributing — and all the usual suspects are on the list. Fortunately it includes a good deal of foreign films, silent films, art-house films… So it covers a larger gamut of course.
The wife and I are now up to the 1980's and finishing up a Turkish film from 1982. I suppose we're 5 years into this, perhaps a couple years still before we've done the 1000.
Why go in order? Partly context — you can see how films have "evolved", see when new ideas show up. But also there is some pragmatism: if left to my own devices, skipping around, I might leave until last the silent films, the French New Wave (sorry, I've been only slowly coming to enjoy them), the several-hours-long films, Warhol's films, etc.
The nice thing about films is that they're generally pretty much self-contained. A lot of modern TV series are serialized and committing to a multi-season set of episodes is a big chunk of time.
Yeah I could never really get into any TV show at all for this very reason
So now having watched over 1k movies in the past 3 years, what are you favorites?
(I know you didn't ask me.)
To pick a decade, the 1930's surprised me with a number of good films that I had not seen. It's also the first "modern" decade in a sense — the films are starting to have the kind of narrative you expect from a film (and have sound).
"Love Me Tonight" (1932), "Stella Dallas" (1937) were new to me and enjoyable.
It was the era of the classic big-spectacle Hollywood dance numbers that I knew of but had not seen. These greats from 1933 alone: "42nd Street", "Footlight Parade", "Gold Diggers of 1933".
Fritz Lang's "M" (1931) if you have not seen it. The infamous "Freaks" (1932) that, by its reputation, I thought would disturb me more than it did. "Captain Blood" and the "The Adventures of Robin Hood" are Errol Flynn in his prime…
Bonus link: Ginger Rogers in the classic opening to "Gold Diggers" — and her impromptu Pig Latin verse: https://youtu.be/UJOjTNuuEVw
The 30's is where it really got kicked up a notch. amazing stage performers, state-of-the-art film tech, and a world full of life. "Captains Courageous" shows how incredible many fish were in the water. "You Can't Take it with You" is an homage to the artists soul. "Tonight or Never"'s perfectly balanced pre-code saucy love story. The effects in "Ssh, the octopus" and "the old dark house" still stand up
Honestly there are just too many good ones, I could give a list of at least 50 films I'd recommend without any hesitation at all. But I try to watch as little Hollywood as possible, mostly asian and european cinema.
Right now I'd say Tokyo Story (1953) is the best film I've ever seen.
> Tokyo Story
I watched it because it's on every list of best films, so expectations going in were high. It's not overrated. I don't cry from movies but I did when watching this one. Very subtle and relatable.
Edit: Since we're here, "The Fall" (2006) and "City of God" (2002) are some of my other favorites.
It’s all a blur. ;)
(not the OP)
