Movies I should have seen sooner...

**rtaylor61** · 04-13-2008, 12:29 AM

I'm not much on going to the theater to see a movie. The last movie I saw at a theater was "Open Range" in 2003. I've not been a "movie goer" since my high shool days. Tickets are too expensive and refreshments are worse! So I get my movies from the library (yeah, I don't even rent them!). But there are a few movies I wish I had watched a bit sooner.

The Godfather
The Godfather Part II

What movies did you miss out on?

Randy

**R-James** · 04-13-2008, 02:11 AM

Recently, Cloverfield. I had been wanting to see that for a long time and I had so much work on I never got a chance to get to the cinema and see it.

If I was older than I am, I would have loved to see something like the exorcist 1st time round, to experience that film as the rest of the world were seeing it for the first time and when the effects used were still current. I think that would have made it 10 times more frightening.

**urr-lord** · 04-13-2008, 04:42 AM

one movie that should be watched on the big screen--13th Warrior.the opening of the movie showing a viking longship during a storm,then the camera pulls back showing just how tiny the ship is.memorable.just does not have the same impact on a tv screen.

**Bluestaco** · 04-13-2008, 07:13 AM

The Matrix.
In grad school, my students were writing really compelling essays about it, but I hadn't seen it and didn't get it.

**Walravine** · 04-13-2008, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by rtaylor61

But there are a few movies I wish I had watched a bit sooner.

The Godfather
The Godfather Part II

Awesome films. Here's a suggestion for everyone who is into The Godfather: A bunch of us got together and spent an entire Saturday watching all three films. After the first and second one we made a big Italian dinner and then after dessert watched the third film. Now, this may sound excessive--and I suppose it is--but by watching the films back to back you discover that Coppola used many of the same extras in all three, and can see how the principals aged. Consecutive viewing also makes for better continuity and a clearer story. Plus, you'll be so hungry for Italian food that your dinner will be one of the most memorable you've ever made. All in all, it's a lot of fun. Don't forget the wine and a good seat cushion.

Re movies that I wished I had watched earlier: I purposely avoided watching Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind until I could see them in a theater, which was when I was in grad school. I guess I didn't want to watch them all chopped up by TV commercials. GWTW especially deserves big screen treatment.

**gunner6477** · 04-13-2008, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by rtaylor61

The last movie I saw at a theater was "Open Range" in 2003.

This is one of my favorite movies...good thing you saw it in the theatre or the effect of the scenery would have been lost.

**BMWRider** · 04-13-2008, 11:24 AM

All of the Kurosawa films, every one of them seems like a lost jewel when I discover it. I have the same soft spot for Billy Wilder and Hitchcock. When I first saw Ran in the theater I was amazed at the composition of his film.

BTW, if you really want the theater experience invest in a projector, there are good ones to be had in the sub $5000 bracket. It is the smartest money I have ever spent.

**El Yanqui** · 04-13-2008, 12:16 PM

I think "Saving Private Ryan" should best be seen on the big screen. The first 20 minutes were quite literally gut wrenching. The closest I would ever want to come to experiencing that kind of hell on earth.

**RexHavoc** · 04-13-2008, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by BMWRider

All of the Kurosawa films, every one of them seems like a lost jewel when I discover it. I have the same soft spot for Billy Wilder and Hitchcock. When I first saw Ran in the theater I was amazed at the composition of his film..

I have to agree with you, even his 1990 film "Dreams" ( which admittedly was a little preachy and self-indulgent) was better than 98% of what Hollywood puts out.

**ouch** · 04-13-2008, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by rtaylor61

The Godfather

What's it about?
-Mrs. Ouch

**slcsteve** · 04-13-2008, 01:52 PM

"Johnny Got His Gun"

I saw the movie in the early 70's, shortly after it's release and recently reread the book. The film and in particular the book is emotionally draining and not for all tastes but is well worth the experience - the film, not the experience of the protagonist.

**BMWRider** · 04-13-2008, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by RexHavoc

I have to agree with you, even his 1990 film "Dreams" ( which admittedly was a little preachy and self-indulgent) was better than 98% of what Hollywood puts out.

Agreed on all counts. Preachy AK is better than most, when he was in his groove there was no one better and he had few equals.

**BMWRider** · 04-13-2008, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by slcsteve

"Johnny Got His Gun"

I saw the movie in the early 70's, shortly after it's release and recently reread the book. The film and in particular the book is emotionally draining and not for all tastes but is well worth the experience - the film, not the experience of the protagonist.

I think films like Johnny and Schindler's List are amazing, and are movies I will only watch once in my lifetime. I do not need the emotional pounding more often than that.

**slcsteve** · 04-13-2008, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by BMWRider

I think films like Johnny and Schindler's List are amazing, and are movies I will only watch once in my lifetime. I do not need the emotional pounding more often than that.

Born on the 4th of July was a film that I wouldn't see when it was released in 1989 even though, at the time I had been retired for over 20 years. I finally went to see it several years later and the impact that it had on me simply can't be put in any words. One time was enough for me - it ain't entertainment my friend.

**Depilator** · 04-13-2008, 02:41 PM

Some films I watch for the sheer pleasure of the pagentry and epic scale along with a great story. An old Kirk Douglas,Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh work, "The Vikings" , is simply a two hours plus of total escape.

**Walravine** · 04-13-2008, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by BMWRider

When I first saw Ran in the theater I was amazed at the composition of his film.

You're so right. A friend took me to see Ran in a theater and it was just an incredible film. You always take a chance on subtitles and I think given Ran's length, watching it on television would have killed it for me.

Back in the 80's there was a theater in Portland that put on an annual James Bond festival. Two films a night for a week and then onto the next two. There's something so much fun and nostalgic about watching old Bond films in a theater. It's sadly quite uncommon to find Dr. No or Goldfinger playing in a theater these days.

**analog_kid** · 04-13-2008, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by BMWRider

All of the Kurosawa films, every one of them seems like a lost jewel when I discover it. I have the same soft spot for Billy Wilder and Hitchcock. When I first saw Ran in the theater I was amazed at the composition of his film.

BTW, if you really want the theater experience invest in a projector, there are good ones to be had in the sub $5000 bracket. It is the smartest money I have ever spent.

A big +1 on Kurosawa. I just happen to be skipping through the channels several years ago and Seven Samurai had just started on IFC. Thinking it would be some sloppy "kung-fu" movie, I watched for a few minutes just for a laugh. I watched the whole thing and then went to Best Buy and bought it on DVD. It turned me on to the the whole world of asian cinema, which has a lot of excellent movies.

I usually miss out on all the good "underground-ish" movies the first time around. The last one the pops into mind is Oldboy. If you haven't seen it, I can't recommend it enough. I won't spoil anything, but it has the most bizarre and unpredictable plot twist I have ever seen in a movie.

The last movie I was in the theater is Casino Royale, only because I've seen every Bond movie on it's release day since Licence To Kill. Apart from that custom of mine, I don't go to movie theaters, because they don't build the seats to be comfortable for anyone taller than about 5'10".

**the beav** · 04-13-2008, 08:15 PM

The BBC's 1996 version of Pride and Prejudice is outstanding. It follows the book much more closely and due to its six hour length has time to develop the characters much more fully. As it was written, Pride and Prejudice is actually a romantic comedy; this will not be apparent in the more recent American version but will be obvious in the BBC version.

**jcape** · 04-13-2008, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by El Yanqui

I think "Saving Private Ryan" should best be seen on the big screen. The first 20 minutes were quite literally gut wrenching. The closest I would ever want to come to experiencing that kind of hell on earth.

"Blackhawk Down" is another movie like that. I saw it in the theater when it came out, and it's like 2 hours of the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan"

**micah1_8** · 04-14-2008, 07:20 AM

I'm a big proponent of the "wait a few years" school of thinking when it comes to many mainstream movies. Typically, I find that modern movies don't live up to anywhere near the hype they recieve, and as I don't usually have the same taste in films as my circle of contemporaries, I don't rely too heavily on word of mouth. What I will do though, is wait a few years until all the hype has died down about the movie and no-one is talking about it anymore. I find that more often than not, these movies strike me as more solid narratives that way. Something about letting the film age seems to make it better, if that makes any sense whatsoever. Most recently I watched The Italian Job the new one--- and I've got to say I enjoyed it quite a bit--- on watching it though, I realized that had I seen it when it was new, I would have dismissed it as a mediocre film. Another one was Ultraviolet. I think I would have been dissapointed in that movie when it was new, but when I watched it recently, I found it to be a solid couple of hours of entertainment. Sideways was one of those movies too. Go figure.