It’s dawned on me that there are an awful lot of films out there that I have yet to see. This dawned on me as the number of film blogs I’ve started reading and keeping up with me has just grown exponentially since the beginning of the year.
I keep making mental notes of these films I should have but I’m thinking I need to make more of a semi-permanent note of them. Where better than to keep a list of them on my blog? Least I’ll be able to sort of keep track of them. Not to mention get any more recommendations of what I need to watch.
- 12 Angry Men
- La Haine
- Schindler’s List
- The French Connection
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Cape Fear
- City of God
- Citizen Kane
- Network
- Taxi Driver
- The Godfather
- The Godfather: Part II
- The Godfather: Part III
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- Rebel Without a Cause
- Cool Hand Luke
I have a feeling this list will get long. Quickly. But I’m all for it. Got any more recommendations?
May 20, 2012 at 12:59 pm
La Haine, City of God and Schindler’s List are all in my top 10 films ever! You are SO in for a treat! I’ll just reel off a few I think you may well have seen but if not you absolutely must!!!
Trainspotting, Die Hard, 28 Days Later, Memento, Requiem for a Dream, Point Break, United 93, Pulp fiction, Speed, the list could go on and on but I bet maybe you’ve seen most of these. All modern classics! Lots are a bit depressing though.
May 20, 2012 at 6:40 pm
I’m all for a good, depressing film. Though, I’ll probably have to alternate with some light hearted/happy stuff to save myself from getting too depressed by them
I’m going to add a few of these to my list – cheers for the recs!
May 20, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Lots of recommendations for you. Can’t remember them all but will start with these:
Momento
The Others
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Falling Down
The Shawshank Redemption
Phone Booth
Solaris
Jacob’s Ladder
Amelie
The Life of David Gale
Match Point
He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not
Black Book
Tape
Unknown
Bitter Moon
Stay
Trauma
Before Sunrise
Spider (with Ralph Fiennes)
The Painted Veil
Conversations with Other Women
Photographing Fairies
Life is Beautiful
The Devil’s Advocate
Under Suspicion
Cinema Paradiso
The Piano
Abre los ojos (The original of Open Your Eyes, but much better)
That should keep you busy for now. Do you like Spanish and Chinese films? I have lots of recommendations there if you do.
May 20, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Ooo lots!
I love Spanish films. I’ve not seen many Chinese ones so always open to seeing more of those that I haven’t heard of
Bring it on 
May 21, 2012 at 11:26 pm
How about The House of Flying Dagger? It looks absolutely beautiful that you as a designer would appreciate
Well, Schindler’s List, The French Connection and To Kill a Mockingbird are some of my recommendations that are on your list already, but have you seen Roman Holiday? That’s a must-see in my book
May 22, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Not seen Roman Holiday, will go on the list
Or House of Flying Daggers. Wait… I’m pretty sure I’ve not seen it. I’m getting old and forgetting what I’ve seen and not! It’s stupid!
May 20, 2012 at 1:43 pm
This reminds me of that time in 2008 I made you all come up with films I need to watch and put the list on my LJ… I just went back to check and the Godfather movies, To Kill A Mockingbird and City of God are the only ones on your list that were on mine (and I still haven’t watched then).
There were nearly 100 and I think I’ve watched about 10.
May 20, 2012 at 8:04 pm
That’s 10%!
May 20, 2012 at 8:12 pm
It is! It’s also approx 2.5% per year since the list was written!
May 20, 2012 at 3:59 pm
http://www.princecharlescinema.com/events/events.php?seasonanchor=pyjama
May 20, 2012 at 8:06 pm
You’re not going to let that go, are you?
May 22, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Never!
May 20, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Here’s my top ten movies, some of which you may have seen, but none of which you will regret seeing!
In no particular order:
A Matter of Life and Death
Blade Runner
Singing in the Rain
Sense and Sensibility
Avatar (I bet you’ve seen this one!)
Gladiator
Die Hard (the first one)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (really!)
To Kill a Mockingbird (already on your list)
Dances with Wolves
May 21, 2012 at 8:37 am
There’s a good handful in there I haven’t yet seen
Will update the list soon!
May 21, 2012 at 11:29 pm
You haven’t seen Gladiator AND Sense and Sensibility??! My goodness Jaina, those two are in my top five of ALL TIME. Get on ‘em girl!
May 22, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Oh no no no! Gladiator’s one of my all time favourite films! If not THE!
Though I will admit to not having seen Sense & Sensibility. There’s something about costume dramas that never draw me in.
May 20, 2012 at 9:01 pm
That’s a great list already, I suggest you check out all the movies I have given a 10 (at the top bar of my blog), all movies I recommend watching. Some you should definitely watch (if you haven’t already) are Black Swan and Mr.Nobody.
May 22, 2012 at 8:36 pm
I will check those ones out you’ve posted about, thanks Nostra!
May 20, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Your list is off to a great start (I especially like Network and Cool Hand Luke), but a word of warning from someone who’s been there: These lists, they never get shorter.
I started mine the year the AFI first put out their 100 years, 100 movies list. It was about 50 at the time (some of the AFI’s list didn’t sound appealing, so I didn’t add them… at least, not until other sources reaffirmed them). Today it’s at 744. And as often as I take something off, it seems like something else gets put on.
If you haven’t seen them, my additions to your list are:
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, undoubtedly the greatest of all dark comedies.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a very fun, very well done western with some comedic elements to it.
May 21, 2012 at 8:38 am
Will add them both – have seen neither.
Oh I know the trouble with lists. I was given a book of 1000 movies to see before you die for my birthday one year. I was going to try and make my way through that, but my god it was hard!
May 21, 2012 at 12:49 am
GIRRRL, I got a list for you, but maybe you already seen some of these. LOL
Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz (both are good)
Old Boy (Korean Movie…gory and life changing, which I think we’ve already talked about this)
Office Space (It’s fitting for anyone who has ever worked in a office)
Dazed and Confused (A good high school stoner movie)
Audition (Another twisted Japanese Movie)
The Host (Not the Twilight one, but the Korean Action movie)
Eat Drink Man Woman (A light hearted Chinese movie)
Strictly Ballroom (More entertaining than Dancing with the Stars)
Shutter (the original Thailand movie, NOT the bad American remake)
The Endless Summer (Fitting since I’m Hawai’i AND it’s summer)
Here are some….LOL I won’t be offended if you don’t watch any of my picks.
May 21, 2012 at 8:41 am
I’m definitely adding a load of those to my list. will be updating this soon
May 21, 2012 at 10:04 am
I do not think I can add anything here that hasn’t been said before… I HATE BEING LATE TO THE PARTY!!
May 22, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Aww, I’ll send you an invite before anyone else gets theirs next time!
May 21, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Lots of great recommendations. These may be repeats but how about some Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment), Hitchcock (Rear Window, Vertigo), or Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange, 2001 A Space Odyssey).
May 22, 2012 at 8:37 pm
I’m not all that versed in Kubrick, so those are some good ones to add, thanks Dan!
May 23, 2012 at 9:49 am
…a lot of people don’t like Eyes Wide Shut, his final film, but that’s another worth seeing in my mind.
May 25, 2012 at 8:22 am
Now that one I have seen, and I thought it was good. Twisted. But good.
May 22, 2012 at 2:50 pm
I’d recommend Amelie and Before Sunrise/Sunset, those are really lovely movies and I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes them.
May 22, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Those are among my favourite films – love Amelie so much! Before Sunrise/Sunset are just brilliant. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are fantastic!
May 23, 2012 at 1:50 am
hi Jaina,
i sent you an email a while back and wasn’t sure if it went into the “spam” folder.
i so want you to review. lol
let me know if i should re-send.
Drake
May 23, 2012 at 11:51 am
Fished it out when I saw this comment… thanks gmail! Maybe next time it’ll work?
May 23, 2012 at 1:50 am
Kung-Fu Hustle!!!
Being John Malkovich
May 23, 2012 at 11:50 am
Both great adds!
May 23, 2012 at 3:44 am
Wow, you picked some great ones already! 12 Angry Men, Schindler’s List, City of God, Taxi Driver, The Godfather 1 & 2, Cool Hand Luke… all of them are fantastic.
I know you have already received a bunch of recommendations, but I would like to suggest anything from the top 25 in my movie project last year:
http://twscritic.com/2012/01/05/ranking-the-50-movies-project-25-1/
Pretty much all of them on there are 9s or 10s in my book. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about any of these classics!
May 23, 2012 at 10:49 am
Will add those that I haven’t seen
Cheers Eric! Looking forward to watching some classics I need to be catching up on.
May 23, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Shaolin Soccer (hilarious!).
May 24, 2012 at 2:11 pm
I remember wanting to see that! Done
May 23, 2012 at 8:49 pm
I’m not gonna add any. You have plenty.
Hopefully you picked up some of those over at FMR anyways. LOL
I WOULD say, get on The Godfather, would you? One of the greatest movies ever, and my personal favorite.
May 24, 2012 at 2:14 pm
I did indeed
My first stop to find films to add to my growing list 
I will see what I can do about The Godfather. I’m now up to speed with “new” episodes of The Sopranos and not having a “new” Soprano to watch every day will likely kill me! I need mafia in my life.
May 24, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Well, then, The Godfather will MORE than fill that need.
Probably good you watched The Sopranos first.
Now you can see the King of Mafia entertainment.
May 25, 2012 at 8:23 am
They talk about it enough in The Sopranos. It’s only right I see it now
May 23, 2012 at 8:57 pm
Out of the list that you posted, you have to see Cape Fear (the original) and City of God.
I’d also include:
Malcolm X
JFK
The Usual Suspects
12 Monkeys
Oldboy
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the original)
Those are a few that I can remember right now.
May 24, 2012 at 3:15 pm
I think I remember seeing the remake of invasion of the body snatchers. Wow, it just wasn’t worth it.
May 24, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Out of the one’s you’ve listed I’ve seen:
12 Angry Men
Schindler’s List
To Kill a Mockingbird
City of God [Good movie, but felt like the longest two hours of my life]
Citizen Kane
Network
Taxi Driver
The Godfather
The Godfather: Part II
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
I’ve seen those films and I love them, I love wholeheartedly.
Some of my personal favorites:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Lost in Translation
Double Life of Veronique
Anatomy of a Murder
The Third Man
Cinema Paradiso
All About Eve
Double Indemnity
Apocalypse Now
Singin’ in the Rain
May 25, 2012 at 8:26 am
Thanks Max. I’ve heard so many good things about City of God. I’ve had it on my Sky Box recorded for such a long time, but not felt in the right “mood” to watch it.
June 1, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Wow, you’ve got some great films on your watch-list there.
If you are into prison movies like Cool Hand Luke, then you’ve gotta see Shawshank Redemption(if you haven’t already)
Papillon (1973) is another unforgettable classic(also a prison drama)
June 4, 2012 at 8:28 pm
Shawshank’s one of my all time favourites – excellent film.
Not seen Papillon though, will add that one!
June 5, 2012 at 6:58 am
I love this call for recommendations. I am sort of doing the same thing at my house. Every Thursday is now a meeting place for a film club I started where I and about 4-6 other people sit and watch/discuss a movie that most/some of us have never seen.
It’s fun because we watch it together, pause and speculate/theorize, and enjoy the surprises of expectations vs. reality. Trying to narrow that gap between movies I have and haven’t seen. Look forward to some of these reviews from you.
June 6, 2012 at 9:04 am
I’d love to have a mini film club down my end of things – sounds like fun! Nothing beats watching some awesome films with fellow film geeks.
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