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Come with me on a journey through history!
LIST IS UP - Thanks for all the suggestions. The list has been compiled and you can check it out here.
Recently I watched the movie Julie & Julia and I have been inspired to embark on a journey very similar to the one described in that film. For those of you who have not seen that movie (and you should, it’s quite good), it is based on a true story about a post 9/11 blogger, Julie, who went through Julia Child’s famous French cookbook in one year and catalogued the journey through a daily blog. Julie then got a book deal and eventually the story was turned into the movie with Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia Child.
So, that brings us to ‘A Year of Classic Films’ by your very own Baltimore Movie Examiner, Tom Clocker. I have decided to steal borrow the idea and apply it to cinema.
The Challenge: Watch 150 ‘classic’ films spanning all of movie history in 365 days and catalogue the journey here with a mini review and thoughts about each film. Hey, I still have to see the modern releases and write full reviews of them each week while working my “day job” and giving you general movie news. So, 150 seems like a big enough challenge. Plus, I may have to upgrade my Netflix subscription so I can make sure to always get at least 3 per week to make the goal.
The Fun Part: Just like Julie from the Julie & Julia movie, I want this to be a journey that you, the readers, are a part of. Therefore, this article is going to be where we decide on the list of films to watch. I want this to cover as much of film history as possible, so the term ‘classic’ will have to be flexible (many people don’t consider a movie classic until it’s older and has a chance to “stand the test of time”). Also, we should probably make the list with around 175-200 in case I have a hard time tracking some of them down, but 150 will still be the goal.
I can also try to let you know what films I plan to watch the following week or so. That way, if you want to follow along, watch those movies, and leave comments about them as I post my pieces, you can. That is, if this is something enough of you would want to try to do.
Remember to click “Subscribe” at the top of this page near my picture and put in your email address so you get notifications when I post new articles and you can follow along on this journey.
LIST IS UP - Thanks for all the suggestions. The list has been compiled and you can check it out here.
********** LET’S DO THIS! *************
The Comments section of this article is where you will help compile the list. This should span as much of history as possible, from Nosferatu (or older if I can find them) to Avatar and everything in between.
The Rules: Everyone has his/her own opinions and is welcome to them. Stick to giving your picks and don’t comment on the picks of others (these will be removed if inappropriate). You are welcome to include as many films as you would like. Don't worry if you pick some already listed. You don't have to read all the comments before you leave yours...if you don't want to. Since I’m watching the movies, I, of course, will have final say as to which ones make the list. But, if there are enough movies listed here then the list could be 100% chosen by you guys. If not, I’ll have to fill in the gaps.
********** GET CRACKIN’ ****************
Leave your picks below.
In order to leave plenty of time for you to put in your selections, and make the 365 days easier to remember, this journey will begin on Labor Day, September 6, 2010 and end on Labor Day, September 5, 2011 (I think that’s 365).
Annnnnnnnnd, begin!
Comments
Aliens (the 2nd alien movie) Favorite of all time.
Ok..... The Godfather, Star Wars, Birds, Psycho, Gone with the Wind, The Exorcist, The Shining, The Matrix, Citizen Kane, Jaws, and Casablanca.
The Human Centipede...In the future, it will be a classic!
How about Schindler's List, Cool Hand Luke, Vertigo, E.T., One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Titanic, Lord of the Rings (1st one), and Dr. Strangelove
"The Hudsucker Proxy;" "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb;" and "Arsenic and Old Lace."
History of the World: Part I
Citizen Kane (I hated it, but in both my film history courses we had to watch it), The Maltese Falcon, anything Alfred Hitchcock, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, Star Wars (the originals of course), Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Grease, West Side Story, Dirty Dancing, Flash Dance...and im still thinking :)
Back to the Future, Indiana Jones (any of them except for the last one), 2001, Alien, King Kong (the original), Die Hard, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Wizard of Oz, and Caddyshack
Raging Bull, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930s version), The Deer Hunter, The Hustler, The Fly (1986 version), Pulp Fiction, A Clockwork Orange. I will think of more soon.
Chinatown, It's A Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night, North by Northwest, Saving Private Ryan, Forest Gump, Spartacus, Platoon, Blade Runner, Ben-Hur
A Star is Born
Ben Hur!
The Sound of Music
Sullivan's Travels!
Slapshot
The King and I, The Quiet Man, and Planet of the Apes
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Some Like it Hot, Happiness, Intermission
Family classics: The Goonies, The Iron Giant, The Princess Bride, Apollo 13, Ever After, Stand by Me, O Brother, Where Art Thou. Well, classics for OLDER families ;-)
Brilliant idea, Tom! Love it! My pick is my favorite movie of all time: "Mixed Nuts"
this is a great idea! i vote for: finding nemo, to kill a mockingbird, the parent trap (original version, though i liked the remake, too) and someone like you. not sure all of these are classics according to the critics, but in my mind they are!
Great idea, Tom! Off the top of my head: "The Lady Eve," "Ball of Fire," "City Lights," "The Man Who Would Be King," "Lawrence of Arabia," "North by Northwest," "The Court Jester," "The Bicycle Thief," "Secret Ballot"
My votes:
The Princess Bride, Die Hard, Gladiator, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Star Wars: The Empire Strike's Back, Spider-Man, Charade, Ocean's Eleven (Clooney's version), Beverly Hills Cop, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, The Magnificent Seven, Silverado, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Toy Story, Braveheart, The Thing, Casablanca, Dawn of the Dead (the original of course), Harvey, Saving Private Ryan, The Lost Boys, The Fugitive, The Blues Brothers, Air Force One
Okay... now I'm kinda running out... Hope that helps!
Lantana, Jindabyne, Look Both Ways, The Castle, The Last Wave, Dogs in Space, Beautiful Kate, Tomorrow When the War Began,
High Noon and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Speed, The Terminator, Predator, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Seventh Seal, Roman Holiday, City Lights, Birth of a Nation, The Third Man, A Touch of Evil, and The Maltese Falcon
Apocalypto, Gone with the Wind, Will Wonka, Wizard of Oz, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Time to Kill (watch those last two back to back so you can compare/contrast them).
There's a lack of foreign films among these suggestions. Might I suggest my five favorite Spanish films:
1) El Labertino del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth)
2) El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone)
3) Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)
4) Cris Cuervos (Raise Ravens)
5) Te Doy Mis Ojos (Take My Eyes)
And some random films off the top of my head:
1) Vertigo, Psycho, North by Northwest, or anything by Hitchcock
2) The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly... though I'm more partial to Pale Rider
3) Casablanca
4) Singing in the Rain
5) Superman
6) Tron... yeah I said it...
7) Gettysburg
8) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
9) The Killer (singular, meaning John Woo... not Ashton Kutcher)
10) Robocop (it's a more important film than people give it credit for)
Good luck with your mission tom...I vote you watch Innerspace, Grease and the original Parent Trap...those are some of my favorites!
Philadelphia Story (with Katherine Hepburn), Arsenic and Old Lace, 12 Angry Men, and for a dumb one Scanners.
The money pit
Thanks for all the awesome suggestions everyone!
The list is up! Click the link at the top or near the bottom of the article next to "LIST IS UP" and you can check out the final list.
Thanks again and don't forget to subscribe to my blog/column/place where I write so you can follow along. We get started in just over a week on Monday, Sept. 6.
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