52 weeks, 52 classic movies.

That's the plan, at least. I've invested in this fancy AV set-up and now I'm looking to make the most of it by watching some of the best cinema out there, ideally in high quality 4K masters taken directly from the original negatives.

Basically, a weekly movie night each Sunday. A nice relaxing way to finish the weekend before work the next day.

I'm mostly a cinema philistine, so I'm coming into this with almost no classic movies under my belt. So I'm trying to put together a list of all time greatest movies (but avoiding anything too old like Charlie Chaplin).

I've also included some other movies in here which might not be considered all time classics, but which are said to be great 4K discs which show off that format to its best.

So far my list consists of the following (in no particular order):

1. Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut (4K)

2. Blade Runner: The Final Cut (4K)

3. Blade Runner 2049 (4K)

4. Alien (4K)

5. Citizen Kane (HD)

6. Casablanca (HD)

7. Taxi Driver (HD)

8. Jaws (4K)

9. Psycho (4K)

10. The Shining (4K)

11. Gone With the Wind (HD)

12. The Godfather (HD)

13. The Godfather II (HD)

14. There Will Be Blood (HD)

15. 2001: A Space Odyssey (4K)

16. Pulp Fiction (HD)

17. Inglorious Basterds (HD)

18. Django Unchained (HD)

19. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (4K)

20. Goodfellas (4K)

21. Home Alone (4K)

22. American Psycho (4K)

23. Murder on the Orient Express (4K)

24. Die Hard (4K)

25. The Matrix (4K)

26. Gladiator (4K)

27. Saving Private Ryan (4K)

...and that's where I've got to. So, DLP, help me out here. I've still got 25 to go. What would you add to the list?

 

Seven Samurai, 12 angry men, lawrence of arabia, all quiet on western front

FIght club
MIayazki films, Your Name,
LOTR extended version
Gravity, inception, interstellar
Life of Pi
Crouching tiger hidden dragon, house of flying daggers, hero
Schindler's list

 

I'd imagine that The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford would look incredible on 4K/HD, and it's a damn good film anyway.

 

Here's a list with a few ideas:
American History X,
Apocalypse now,
All quiet on the western front,
Basic instinct,
Chinatown,
12 angry men,
Good Will Hunting,
Gran Torino,
In Bruges,
The Life of Brian,
Monty Python and the holy Grail,
Lord of War,
Any of the Mad Max movies,
Office Space,
No country for old men,
one Flew over the cuckoo's nest,
Rocky,
Paths of Glory,
Reservoir dogs,
Se7en,
Starship Troopers,
Terminator 1 & 2,
The Boondock Saints,
The devil's advocate,
The mummy(1999),
The Shawshank redemption,
The Princess bride,
The usual suspects,
Who framed Rodger rabbit,
Fight club.

Well that should help you along a fair bit.

 

The Great Dictator is just two years older than Casablanca and it's a classic. Modern Times six years and it's another Chaplin's classic.

Anyway, some of my propositions of older films in a release order that weren't mentioned. I only write these I'm familiar with, I have some big films that I have yet to check, and liked:

Modern Times (1936)

The Great Dictator (1940)

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Third Man (1949)

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

High Noon (1952)

Ikiru (1952)

Rear Window (1954)

North by Northwest (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The Lion in Winter (1968)

Harold and Maude (1971)

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

 

I second many of the films already named above. Here‘s another couple of classics that haven‘t been mentioned so far:

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
The Searchers (1956)
Grand Prix (1966)
Django (1966)
Le Mans (1970)
Chaplin (1992)

I don‘t think someone ever made a Blu-ray or HD version of Bad Day at Black Rock, so that one might look a bit terrible, but the film itself is very good. The others should at least be available in HD.

 

What a good idea! My friend watched all of Tarantino and Wes Anderson this year, which I think was doable and really fun.

Some German films come to mind. I know you said you don’t want Chaplin-era films. First three are silent films but highly influential on different genres and film itself:
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Amazing set design, dreamlike horror film
- Nosferatu (1922) First vampire film adapted from Dracula. A bit cheesy but interesting use of effects
- Metropolis (1927) An important precursor to science fiction films. This and the following are by Fritz Lang. Really great!
- M (1931) Lang’s first sound film, depicts a serial killer (M stands for Murderer)
- Das Boot (1981) Captures both the feeling of tension during the Cold War and the cramped feeling of being in a submarine in wartime
- Run Lola Run (1998) This film depicts Berlin after the fall of the wall. Incorporates techno music and a recurring cartoon for a fun effect but is really interesting visually and thematically
- Goodbye, Lenin! (2003) A comical take after German reunification. A young man tries to find now defunct East German products, tv shows, etc. for a family member who isn’t aware of the current political situation

I also didn’t see any Hitchcock or Wes Anderson films in the original list. Hitchcock is truly a classic (esp. Vertigo, Psycho). Anderson’s films are really well done, quirky, and uplifting. I also would recommend Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000), which is a Hong King film and really excellent. A sensual film for its romance and use of color.

edit: fixed typo

 

I already agree with many of those choices, here are a few others:

Star Wars original trilogy (with the appropriate "edit" versions to 4K that exist)
Into the Spider-verse
Arrival

 

A comical take suggests it's a comedy, but in a reality it's a dramedy. It's an amazing film though with even more amazing soundtrack.

And if I was to suggest another dramedy with an unusual premise that turned out into a really good film it would be Lars and the Real Girl. That film may be not a classic classic that Taure is asking for, but it's definitely a feel good classic.

 

Tombstone (1993) - You know how everyone has 'that movie' - the one that if they're skipping through channels and it's on, they have to stop and watch the rest? This is mine. Amazing sound, great scenery, killer cast.

Heat (1995) - Is your soundsystem ready for what a gunfight in a big city would really sound like? Startlingly, teeth-rattlingly loud, but awesome all the same

Platoon (1986) - So realistic my father, a 3.5 year Vietnam veteran, wouldn't speak for a week after watching it in theaters.

Alien (1979) / Aliens (1986)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Logan (2017)

The Last Samurai (2003)

 

I take your point, Celestin, as GL! can be quite serious/sober at times. Lars and the Real Girl is also quite good.

For a long time this kind of indie film with upbeat moments and a serious and emotional tone was my favorite. E.g. Driving Lessons (with Rupert Grint, also a great soundtrack), Little Miss Sunshine (with Steve Carell), & Juno (Ellen Page and Michael Cera). Not sure if these are up Taure’s alley, and maybe not great enough to be a top 52 “classic,” but all are quite good.

 

Come and See (1985) - "The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya (Aleksey Kravchenko) into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha (Olga Mironova), who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Florya finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope."

Old Soviet war movie. Possibly the most horrifying war movie ever made. Shits on every American movie trying to do anything similar. The director had the cast (most fairly young teenagers. IIRC the star was like...14?) more or less starve themselves for several months to give them all that proper WW2 Nazi invasion of Eastern Europe look of emaciation + used live ammunition in many of the shots (some firing barely above the cast's heads). You'll likely find yourself not wanting to watch it a second time though, cuz it's the only movie that's given me nightmares since I was a child.

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Kelly's Heroes (1970) - "In the midst of World War II, an array of colorful American soldiers gets inside information from a drunk German officer about millions of dollars worth of gold hidden on enemy soil. Kelly (Clint Eastwood), a private with the platoon, devises a plan to sneak past the German officers to steal the loot for his crew. They recruit more men and set their plan into action. Despite several casualties, the men are determined to press forward, even if it means striking a deal with the opposing army."

The 50 through mid-70s were the best era in American cinema for war movies, since so many them (Young Lions, A Bridge Too Far, Bridge of Remagen, Kelly's Heroes, and The Longest Day (which had actual generals playing themselves)) were often made by the people who fought in them and have surprisingly great acting, realism, anti-militarism (and angst) in them. Kelly's Heroes just one of my personal favorites because it's a bit more light-hearted and fun.

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Se7en (1995) - "When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins. Somerset also befriends Mills' wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pregnant and afraid to raise her child in the crime-riddled city."

One of the best crime/detective movies ever filmed imo. Super tense. Superbly well acted. Visceral. Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey had absurd amounts of chemistry and were all in top-form

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The Princess Bride (1987) - "A fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her. They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be reunited with each other."

Anyone who doesn't like this movie is wrong. Full stop.

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Le Cercle Rouge (1970) - "When French criminal Corey (Alain Delon) gets released from prison, he resolves to never return. He is quickly pulled back into the underworld, however, after a chance encounter with escaped murderer Vogel (Gian Maria Volonte). Along with former policeman and current alcoholic Jansen (Yves Montand), they plot an intricate jewel heist."

Classic film noir. This one had me on the edge of my seat. Melville's brand of foggy noir oozes with style and the Melville-Delon combo that began with Le Samourai is perfected with Le Cercle Rouge. Entrancing cinematography and a lovely soundtrack

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Days of Heaven (1978) - "In 1910, a Chicago steel worker accidentally kills his supervisor and flees to the Texas panhandle with his girlfriend and little sister to work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer"

Absolutely mesmerizing. Such a gorgeous film, and such an improvement on the groundwork laid by Badlands (one of Terence Malick's previous movies). Love the improvised narration - was shocked to read that was all off the cuff. The acting and writing is well done but not one of the film's strengths in my opinion. Still thoroughly enjoyed.

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Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - "The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure"

It's a British-American epic war film, and it's fucking sick. Obi Wan really loves that fucking bridge man. Can't believe this is 1957.
Watch it.

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Dial M for Murder (1954) - "Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) wants to have his wealthy wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), murdered so he can get his hands on her inheritance. When he discovers her affair with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), he comes up with the perfect plan to kill her."

Hitchcock was an absolute madman. The intricacies and attention to detail, the foreshadowing, the twists and turns - it's all so perfectly calculated. It always blows my mind when a dialogue-driven film can take place in a single room and keep me captivated the entire time. Definitely go in blind though.

Also this stuff

 

It depends how diverse list Taure wants of these classics. Other classic of similar tone is already mentioned by me Harold and Maude (1971).

 

One of the problems with classics is that at points they rely on a real knowledge of references. So, I'd put the Man who Shot Liberty Valance on that list, but it relies to some degree on knowing the classic points of Westerns- how the story should go, in order to appreciate where the film diverges. The Searchers would be an alternate Western that I think represents the apogee of what the classic Western 'could be' as opposed to the more self referential 'Liberty Valance.' The more recent movie, 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,' is in my opinion the best Western made in the last fifty years, and yet can seem almost incomprehensible without being familiar with its cinematic precursors.

 

Duck Soup (1933) for top notch Marx humor.

Seconding Blazing Saddles and Arrival so hard, brilliant films to make you laugh and cry.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has timeless themes of faith, family and punching Nazis in the face.

Drunken Master (1974) is an older one so the definition might not hold up to 4k but defined the martial arts genre in Asia.

Ip Man (2008) is a modern martial arts classic, with tighter choreography and cinematography than its predecessors. Worth watching for the fight scenes alone, but no slouch in the story department.

Kung Fu Hustle (2004) is a masterpiece of action comedy. The beautiful thing about Stephen Chow's comedy is that there are so many layers to it that if you don't get all the references or even understand the language, it's still funny.

Hot Fuzz is also peak comedy where familiarity with all that it parodies isn't strictly necessary but improves your enjoyment of the film.

The Room (2003) is a classic of terrible movies but there's certainly entertainment value, like if you distilled the essence of My Immortal and put it in a screenplay.

 

Some less serious suggestions, in case you haven't already seen them:

Three Classics from the Coen Bros: Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - featuring wonderful dumbasses and hilarious dialogue

Spinal Tap (1984) - best mockumentary of all time, starring Christopher Guest (it goes to 11)

Best In Show (2000) - second-best mockumentary of all time, also starring Christopher Guest

Almost Famous (2000) - pure 70's rock band fun with groupies, but I assume almost everyone has seen it

Amelie (2001) - imagine seeing the world through the eyes of a French Luna Lovegood. It's delightful.

Being John Malkovich (1999) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - two Charlie Kaufman classics that are hilarious, brilliant, and dark

 

My final list:

Sunday 3 January 2021

Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut (4K)

Sunday 10 January 2021

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (4K)

Sunday 17 January 2021

Blade Runner 2049 (4K)

Sunday 24 January 2021

Casablanca (HD)

Sunday 31 January 2021

2001: A Space Odyssey (4K)

Sunday 7 February 2021

Reservoir Dogs (HD)

Sunday 14 February 2021

Alien (4K)

Sunday 21 February 2021

Aliens (HD)

Sunday 28 February 2021

Taxi Driver (HD)

Sunday 7 March 2021

Psycho (4K)

Sunday 14 March 2021

The Godfather (HD)

Sunday 21 March 2021

Pulp Fiction (HD)

Sunday 28 March 2021

Jaws (4K)

Sunday 4 April 2021

The Shining (4K)

Sunday 11 April 2021

Lawrence of Arabia (HD)

Sunday 18 April 2021

Arrival (4K)

Sunday 25 April 2021

The Godfather II (HD)

Sunday 2 May 2021

Rocky (4K)

Sunday 9 May 2021

Gone With the Wind (HD)

Sunday 16 May 2021

Gladiator (4K)

Sunday 23 May 2021

The Princess Bride (HD)

Sunday 30 May 2021

There Will Be Blood (HD)

Sunday 6 June 2021

Saving Private Ryan (4K)

Sunday 13 June 2021

Goodfellas (4K)

Sunday 20 June 2021

Hot Fuzz (HD)

Sunday 27 June 2021

3:10 to Yuma (2007) (4K)

Sunday 4 July 2021

House of Flying Daggers (HD)

Sunday 11 July 2021

American Psycho (4K)

Sunday 18 July 2021

Mean Girls (HD)

Sunday 25 July 2021

No Country for Old Men (HD)

Sunday 1 August 2021

Citizen Kane (HD)

Sunday 8 August 2021

In Bruges (HD)

Sunday 15 August 2021

Zootopia/Zootropolis (HD)

Sunday 22 August 2021

Mad Max Fury Road (4K)

Sunday 29 August 2021

The Usual Suspects (HD)

Sunday 5 September 2021

The Matrix (4K)

Sunday 12 September 2021

Inside Out (HD)

Sunday 19 September 2021

Inglorious Basterds (HD)

Sunday 26 September 2021

1917 (4K)

Sunday 3 October 2021

BlacKkKlansman (4K)

Sunday 10 October 2021

Fight Club (HD)

Sunday 17 October 2021

Django Unchained (HD)

Sunday 24 October 2021

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (HD)

Sunday 31 October 2021

Halloween (1978) (HD)

Sunday 7 November 2021

Se7en (HD)

Sunday 14 November 2021

Hereditary (HD)

Sunday 21 November 2021

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (4K)

Sunday 28 November 2021

The Fellowship of the Ring (4K)

Sunday 5 December 2021

The Two Towers (4K)

Sunday 12 December 2021

The Return of the King (4K)

Sunday 19 December 2021

Die Hard (4K)

Sunday 26 December 2021

Paddington (HD) & Paddington 2 (4K)

 

Are those all movies you haven't seen before @Taure?

 

From the list, movies I've seen before are:

Blade Runner (don't know which cut I saw)
2001: A Space Odyssey (when I was 15 so I don't remember it well)
Alien
Pulp Fiction
Gladiator
Saving Private Ryan
Hot Fuzz
Mean Girls
In Bruges
The Matrix
Inglorious Basterds
1917
Fight Club
Django Unchained
The Lord of the Rings (x3)
Die Hard

So 18/53 I have seen before. But for a lot of these, I have only seen a low quality DVD rip/Netflix stream on a 14 inch 1080p laptop screen. So I feel like I haven't seen them "properly" before, in the sense of getting the cinematic experience. Stuff like 1917 I suspect will be completely transformed by watching on a big screen with high quality sound. And some of those which I did see in the cinema, like LotR, have new 4K releases which also bring something new to the table.

So I think it's only really Pulp Fiction, Hot Fuzz, Mean Girls, In Bruges, Fight Club, and Django Unchained which are true "rewatches" in the sense that there is likely nothing new for me there.

 

Even if that's your final list, you should eventually watch these:

Seven Samurai
The Terminator
Top Gun
The Big Lebowski
Fargo
Snatch
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
A Fistful of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
Once Upon a Time in the West
Full Metal Jacket
Downfall
Gangs of New York
The Indiana Jones movies

Also, binge watching James Bond films would be good. Or just settling on a few of the best according to average reviews or something.