Here are some classic movie recommendations.
High Noon
Possibly the best Western ever made, because of an immaculately conceived storyline with no gaping holes or inconsistencies, despite an unexpectedly positive denouement. Short, slightly less than 1.5 hours, with one of Gary Cooper’s best performances.
Loves of a Blonde
One of Milos Forman’s first films, tells the story of a Czech concert pianist’s dalliances. A refreshingly honest look at a failed and a successful seduction, portraying life in mid-1960s USSR Czechoslovakia. Subtle and hilarious humor permeates the telling of the tale, which also shines a nonjudgmental light on human nature.
Children of Paradise
A gem made during Vichy occupied France in 1943 by a French Jew, no less, this 3-hour picture retells the lives of theater actors and brigands in 1820s France, centered around the sultry courtesan Garance, played by the inimitable Arletty, and her suitors, Baptiste Debureau, Frederick Lemaitre, Pierre-François Lacenaire, and Edouard de Monteray.
Lawrence of Arabia
Be sure to watch the Director's Cut digitally restored version, released a few years ago, running at almost 4 hours. Peter O'Toole gives a fine performance as T. E. Lawrence, but so do Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal, Omar Sharif as Sherif Karish, and especially Anthony Quinn as Auda abu Tayi. A romping epic which, if you're willing to ignore the blatant British propaganda, is worth sitting through as you'll be feasted with fantastic desert crossings and skirmishes.
Nosferatu
A Dracula like you've never seen before, this silent film shows us a shy and subdued Count, awkward in his movements, for whom you feel pity, as it is clear he is cursed but that there was (and still is?) some good in the man, despite his hungers.
Funny Games
I recommend the German version, released in 1998, not the American one, from 2008. In this movie the German director, Michael Haneke, is poking his finger at what he already felt, 20 years ago, were the potential perils of an excessively PC culture. In the movie he is playing non-stop games with you though, which can get a little unnerving towards the end.
Shot Caller
While this movie may not have gotten huge distribution or notoriety, it sports great acting and a very well-told story. It shows how a picture-perfect life can be derailed because of one single mistake and shows a man's descent into the at first impression lawless world of prison gang killings.
To Live and Die in L.A.
A great 80's crime caper-action crossover with a charismatic lead William L. Peterson LA cop who is addicted to taking risks, with the one and only Willem Dafoe as the counterfeit-moneymaking bad guy.
Naked
A crudely realistic look at a brilliant cynical young adult artfully played by David Thewlis, who goes around seducing girls and engaging in philosophical rants in early 1990s London.
Apocalypse Now
The Redux 3.5-hour digitally-remastered version is the one I saw. Visually stunning, emotionally jarring, about the futility of war, with a breathtaking performance from Marlon Brando as the morally bankrupt American General-cum-savage.
On the Waterfront
Brando carries this 1950s film where you can see his naturalistic/realistic style marking a transition from the overtly melodramatic performances which were until then the norm.
A Streetcar Named Desire
Another brilliant early Brando film worth watching.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Matthew Broderick's best role, this is a day in the life of an emotionally and psychologically healthy high school senior, who enjoys bringing good energy to those around him. A pleasure to watch his funny and oft daredevil-like antics.
Badlands
A young Martin Sheen macks on a late-teenage beaut in a small town in the Midwest, and after confronting her father they go off on an adventure. The wide shots of the US's vast unblemished nature 'scapes make this a sumptuous treat.
Days of Heaven
Terrence Malick's second film after Badlands, this is his best. Perfect acting from a young Richard Gere, as well as the narrator girl Linda Manz. The story of a nefarious love triangle, set in early 20th century rural America. Visually the movie immerses you to a great extent.
The Square
A Swedish comedy released in 2017 also looks at the perhaps excessive indulgence in PC in that Scandinavian country. This statement is made through the story of a Contemporary Art Museum Director and the theft of his cellphone which he suffers at the start.
On the Western front, I'd add Shane, The Searchers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, Unforgiven, The Wild Bunch, Once Upon a Time in the West, and The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. I also recently watched The Great Silence, very very good.
The Untouchables, about Al Capone, is also great.
If you want male role models, Bullitt with Steve McQueen, the archetypal stoic lead, is worth a watch.
There's also The French Connection (Gene Hackman) and the original Italian Job.
Hands of Stone is about a boxer.
Porky's
The inspiration for American Pie, this 1981 high school flick is set in 1954, and once again offers up a candid view of the realities of those hormone-filled years we all go through. The movie was a ton of fun to watch, with great acting, which is surprising considering the hard time it has been given by critics!
Pandorum
Not a blockbuster by any means, but this was an engrossing sci-fi tale with an unexpected The Usual Suspects-like twist at the end, and showcasing one of Dennis Quaid's better roles.
Citizen Kane
A very well told Barry Lindon-style rise and fall story, Kane takes us through a young man's quest to obtain great power, before his ego leads him to isolation and disappointment.
Rebel Without a Cause
A freshly honest look at how men were becoming domesticated, as James Dean's relationship with his father shows, already in the 1950s, the movie, even though it is a high school story, depicts an unexpectedly mature and responsible bunch!
Kafka
I was a huge admirer of Franz Kafka's literary oeuvre as a troubled teenager, and this is the best movie you will find attempting to weave some of the material from his stories with his own biography. A masterful title role played by Jeremy Irons, it also has the Soderbergh touch.
Witness
Stellar action takes Harrison Ford deep into an Amish community to protect a child witness to a ruthless murder. There is sexual tension between Ford and a sexy Amish girl.
Frantic
Top-notch John Grisham-style courtroom drama/thriller with Harrison Ford as the title role.
The Fugitive
The very finest action movie with Harrison Ford at the helm I have seen, and possibly one of the finest, alongside the Bourne Trilogy, of all time.
Giant
A sprawling epic story of a Texas cattle rancher, with James Dean playing a rival who strikes oil and becomes hugely rich but with unresolved internal issues which complicate matters.
Thief
One of the few crime capers I have seen in which morals do not enter, this early Michael Mann picture shines a light on the workings of the underworld of grifters.
Rebel in the Rye
A more recent movie but which was worth watching, taking us through J. D. Salinger's creative process. Having read The Catcher in the Rye in my younger days, it was interesting to learn more about the famously reclusive author. Probably the last picture we'll see with Kevin Spacey.
Drugstore Cowboy
One of Matt Dillon's earlier projects, tells the story of him and a gang of followers as they go around pilfering morphine and other drugs from pharmacies. Again, a non-judgmental perspective, with an ending you don't anticipate. I don't know that Matt Dillon has done anything as good since.
The Experiment
Watch the German version of the movie which came out in 2001. Gets under your skin - a very interesting look at how our surroundings and situation can influence our behavior.
Downfall
An intimate look at Hitler's last days.
The Lives of Others
German story about the East German Soviet-controlled police and its spy activity. It has now been revealed that it spent more resources and employed more operatives than were spent by the Nazis during the entire Third Reich.
The Wave
A school experiment for the students to see what fascism is like, this is another take on how tribal human beings instinctively are.
A couple of days ago I watched Sunday in New York with a young and attractive Jane Fonda. This is a great movie for game. Observe and emulate the behaviors of the male lead, who seduces her during the day, meeting her in a bus. With some dominance, he leads her to a restaurant to sit at a table with him and immediately sets the sexual frame. Later, when he's at her apartment, watch him work social proof (seeing other girls) and set chase frames (she is the one who keeps talking about sex, not him).
Spring Break is also a lot of fun. Funny how so much that was acceptable in 1983 would today be considered sexual assault...
Caddyshack was hilarious. Chevy Chase, a young Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield. You'll LOL a lot, unless you don't like American slapstick.
