Here's a list of ten movies that I've wanted to see for quite some time and for one reason or another I have yet to manage sitting down and watching them. With movie channels, video stores, Netflix and the internet - there's really no good reason why I haven't been able to catch some of these flicks in the past decade or so.
Citizen Kane (1941) It's considered in most circles to be the greatest American movie of all time. Although I usually prefer movies with talking animals, I really would like to catch Orson Welles' masterpiece about newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane. I guess with no talking cats or musical numbers I've never really been propelled to make the time to watch it.
High Noon (1952) I loves me a good western and this Gary Cooper classic is supposed to be one of the best. I've rented the video before and I've even TiVo'ed it off Turner Classic Movies a couple of times and yet I can't seem to watch it before the video is due back or my TiVo bumps it off in favor of a Simple Life rerun.
Godzilla (1954) The sad thing is I've seen tons of Japanese giant monster movies but I've never seen the grandaddy of all. I've seen Mothra and Ghidorah the three- headed monster. Recently, I saw one with a giant radioactive turtle that was pretty good. Hey, I even saw Godzilla 2000 in the theatre! I once bought the VHS of Godzilla, never watched it, and then gave it to someone when I moved once. Netflix doesn't have a copy but I found one at a video store that I plan on renting soon...I think the kids will like it.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) I really do wanna see this one. I'm a big fan of director Blake Edwards, having seen all The Pink Panther films plus he directed one of my all-time favorite movies Blind Date. Tiffany's is the big classic that really put Edwards on the map. I guess I just forget about this one and haven't made an attempt to get a copy and watch it. But I do have it on my Netflix queue...somewhere in the upper 100's, but I'll get to it one day! It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) This comedy classic has about 50 big-time movie stars all making a mad dash to find a hidden stash of stolen money. It's been copied a bunch of times - Scavenger Hunt, Million Dollar Mystery, Rat Race - and I've loved them all. I'm sure the biggest reason I've never seen ...Mad, Mad World is the running time. There are few different cuts of the film floating around out there, but for the most part the movie clocks in at over three hours long. I haven't been able to stay awake for three hours at a time since I was 15 years old. I guess I could watch it over two or three nights but I don't roll like that!
The Birds (1963) What's wrong with me that I haven't seen one of Hitchcock's most popular movies!? I love Alfred Hitchcock and have truly seen most of his films. I even been fortunate enough to have seen most of them for the first time in a theatre. But The Birds has always escaped me. I'm not proud to say that I've even seen the horrible 1994 made-for-Showtime movie The Birds II: Land's End. Alfred is rolling over in his grave.
The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964) Never heard of it? It's a Disney movie about the kids from Mary Poppins and they get a cat. Why is it on my list? My grandmother gave me a bunch of Disney videos way back in 1992. I still have all the videos she gave me, but I've never watched this one. All I have to do is reach over to my shelf of Disney videos, grab it and pop it in yet I've never done it. Some day, Thomasina. Some day.
A Hard Day's Night (1964) One of my all-time favorite movies is Spice World, which is a fictional account of a week in the life of the Spice Girls before a big concert. This Beatles movie follows a fictional day in the life of the Fab Four before a big concert. I've read many times that Hard Day's Night was the inspiration for the Spice Girls film and it's been on my radar for quite sometime but like all the others here...I just haven't gotten around to seeing it.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Actually, I haven't ALWAYS wanted to see this movie. I didn't even know Indiana Jones was "a thing" until high school when the third movie came out and everybody went crazy about it. I took my son to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this summer and we had a good time. Seeing as how my little film buff protege is obsessed with all things Indiana Jones, I'm sure it won't be long until I finally see this 27-year old modern classic.
Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) T&A comedies are one of my favorite genres. I've seen a million of them. Not because I'm a perv, but because they're all dumb and silly and that's what I'm usually in the mood for when I watch a movie. I've seen countless rip-off's of Porky's yet I've only seen actual Porky's once and I've never made it to this sequel. If I ever see it, I can replace it on my list with 1985's Porky's Revenge.
Make a list of movie's you've always wanted to see. (It doesn't have to add up to 10) Leave it in our comment box, e-mail us, or post it on your own web. Good times!
I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteIn no particular order...
- Psycho (1960) Always heard great things, never saw it.
- The Maltese Falcon (1941) I had to read the book for a class and loved it.
- The Graduate (1967) Always seemed like a film I should see, but never saw.
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Totally my kind of film.
If any of this helps:
ReplyDeleteCITIZEN KANE actually does have a musical number -- and it's quite catchy. (You'll have to see it in context; it fits.) If you watch the SIMPSONS, then you'll have fun noting the many, many, many elements of the film that have been parodied, borrowed, riffed upon, or simply stolen.
Re: GODZILLA ... If you get the two-disc "Gojira/Godzilla" you'll find the Japanese original to be surprisingly haunting, almost lyrical. You'll also find the American butcherization to be really clumsy. But for watching with the kids, the 1960s films are way more upbeat and colorful. (And, well, in color.)
IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD is one of my ALL-TIME favorites ... and that three-plus hour running time includes a handy intermission built right into the middle. (This was also parodied on THE SIMPSONS, where they managed to somehow pare it down to the last two minutes of their PINK PANTHER-ish parody with guest Sam Neill.)
HARD DAYS NIGHT is fun in a historical kind of way, but I was always more partial to the pre-Monkees zaniness of HELP!
Amy - good list!
ReplyDeleteThe Graduate would have been a good one for my list. I've been meaning to watch it for years! I wouldn't mind seeing The Manchurian Candidate also.
Psycho is one of my favorite movies. It's a masterpiece!
One word:
ReplyDeleteRoadhouse.