Film recommendations for me laddo

IdiotsRUs said:

yeah he doesn't mind B&W and he might actually go for Steel Magnolias.

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If he'll watch B&W, try at least one version of:
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Three Musketeers
The Prisoner of Zenda
If he likes discussing movies, try one of the older versions and a more modern one.

callalily61 said:

Also, I should add some of the delightful Roger Corman/Vincent Price costume pieces:

The Pit and the Pendulum
The Masque of the Red Death
The Haunted Palace

And Nick Adams being outacted by Boris Karloff's little finger in Die, Monster, Die!

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How can you ignore 'The Raven' (1963) Roger Corman film with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and a really young Jack Nicholson?

triceretops said:

Valley of Guangee (sp?) (That's 'Gwangi'. I loved that film, like a really early 'Jurassic Park'. With the cutest little Eohippi)

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IdiotsRUs said:

He's watched Dracula I think (I distinctly remember the comment of OMG Dracula is Saruman! )

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'Kind Hearts and Coronets' with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness, not that kid) as practically everybody. For that matter, how about: 'Bridge On The River Kwai'?

And, if we're doing 'classics', I'm assuming that he's seen 'Old Yeller'?

frimble3 said:

...

And, if we're doing 'classics', I'm assuming that he's seen 'Old Yeller'?

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Argh - evil, nasty-ending movie!

For classic Disney, I preferred The Incredible Journey (the original, without the talking-animal junk.)

Actually, if the kid likes the classics, consider getting hold of the original run of The Twilight Zone. Half-hour episodes, but almost every one an instantly-memorable classic.

Also, if he's a Star Wars fan and hasn't seen Mel Brooks' parody Spaceballs, he should get a kick out of it. (Speaking of Star Wars, if the kid liked that and the Dark Crystal, he'd probably enjoy Delgo. A more recent computer-animated movie, but very imaginative visuals, reminiscent of Henson and Lucas at their best. Story's not quite up to snuff, but it's worth watching for the animation.)

And on a random note, the Steve Martin/John Candy road trip comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - it looks stupid at first glance, but it's actually got a real heart to it.

There's also the Steve Martin/Lily Tomlin comedy All Of Me, with the dead, spoiled heiress whose spirit gets stuck inabiting one-half of a lawyer's body.

Tootsie!

callalily61 said:

Unrecomended:
Evil Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Horror Hotel

Hugely unrecommended:
Clerks
The Exorcist
The Skin I live In
A Clockwork Orange
Videodrome

Iffy:
Shivers
Scanners
The Crazies

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Being serious for a second, I'm with you on a few of these as not being suitable for a 14 year old kid. Horror Hotel, though? Been a while since I've seen it, but from what I remember, it would probably seem pretty tame to a kid now. Clerks is a classic, but extremely sweary so I'd probably say wait a couple of years. The Crazies...hmm. It's cynical as hell not to mention quite dated, but it does have a particularly disturbing moment. And as odd as it might sound, I'd say Evil Dead is OK for a 14 year old depending on their maturity. The effects are laughable and it's completely OTT. I know the tree scene isn't nice, but that's probably the worst part.

ETA: Just to clarify, this is the same Horror Hotel you're referring to, right? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_of_the_Dead_(film)

In a strange crossover with the depressing endings thread and the scene that made people cry thread, I gotta point out that the ending of Valley Of The Gwangi was harsh when I first saw it - when the fire breaks out at the end, even though I know what is coming, it is always as if the film is punishing me for investing a degree of sympathy for the big lizard. I also occasionally tear up at the ending of the original King Kong as well, so...

Kelly's Heroes
Ruthless People
The Longest Day
Ice Cold in Alex
Where Eagles Dare

Hmmm...SF and fantasy?

I loved Excalibur as a kid. SF...how about Alien/Aliens...both are cult classics. I also enjoy Miyazaki's animated films, such as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

Hope that helps.

Multi-response here:

I un-recommended Horror Hotel because of the nekkid gal altar sacrifice. Other than that, I love-love-love this movie. Christopher Lee was brilliant in every movie he made, I swear.

IRU's kiddo is 13, not 14, which I why I made my un-recommendations in the first place--of course with the caveat that IRU's kiddo might be plenty mature enough for some of the movies on that list.

Clerks hit a 10 on my "Disgusted" meter in the first 10 minutes. I turned it off. The C-word will do that every time.

To frimble: I made my recs at work, but how on earth could I have forgotten Colman in The Prisoner of Zenda? Augh! I fail as a Colman devotee. That movie has everything--Fairbanks Jr., Massey, Mary Astor from The Maltese Falcon, and Madeleine Carroll from The 39 Steps in a delightfully snarky role.

Also: The Maltese Falcon and The 39 Steps are must-sees.

I prefer the Anthony Andrews/Jane Seymour Scarlet Pimpernel, but the Howard.Oberon one is certainly acceptable.

Also, yes, The Raven is quite watchable and should be included on the Corman List. Corman is one of my go-to directors for the worst horror ever made that is fun to watch... but The Raven is the opposite--it's a very good movie.

I will adjust my "iffy" rec of The Crazies because of "that" scene, and yes, the tree scene in Evil Dead is... well.. ahem.

Another one - The Man Who Laughs.

Almost forgot about the SF flick Serenity.

White Heat

The Lion in Winter

The Grapes of Wrath

Casablanca

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (silent masterpice of German expressionism)

The Bride of Frankenstein

North by Northwest

Gunga Din

Five (SF oddity by Arch Obler)

The Magnificent Seven

The Searchers

So you've already started a spreadsheet, right, IRU?

callalily61 said:

Speaking of, I cannot recommend all four Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple movies highly enough.

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She's a lot of fun in Blithe Spirit, too.

Some of my favs:

Arsenic and Old Lace
Harvey
Seven Samurai
Most any Chaplin, Keaton or Lloyd silent feature.
The Man Who Came to Dinner
You Can't Take it With You
All the Val Lewton RKO horrors
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein

That's a good start.

I second Lion in Winter. The snappy dialogue is amazing and makes me feel giddy every time I watch it.

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IdiotsRUs said:

Old Yeller? I've never seen Old Yeller (I get the feeling it's more popular in the states. Never seen it pop up on any channels over here). Now, Where the Red Fern Grows, if I want to see him try not to cry....

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'Old Yeller'/'Where the Red Fern Grows' = potato/potahto.
Animal weepers. Basically most animal stories are sad.

Although he should, at some point, see 'National Velvet', just from a 'historic actors' POV. And, ít's not sad.

Will he watch funny musicals? 'Some Like It Hot' is bright and shiny and fun (once you get past the mobsters) and old enough that it probably seems like a fantasy. 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' was on TV today, but I doubt that it has much appeal for a teenage boy. Well, aside from the obvious.

Has anyone mentioned 'The African Queen' or 'The Maltese Falcon'? Again, movie history.

frimble3 said:

Will he watch funny musicals? 'Some Like It Hot' is bright and shiny and fun (once you get past the mobsters) and old enough that it probably seems like a fantasy. 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' was on TV today, but I doubt that it has much appeal for a teenage boy. Well, aside from the obvious.

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Why, whatever do you mean.

I'm not generally a big fan of musicals, but I can't recommend Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris enough.

maxmordon said:

Can he stand silent movies? If so, then Lang's Metropolis and Woman On The Moon for sci-fi and The Nibelungs duology for Fantasy.

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I'm ambivalent on Frau im Mond. It's a little odd, even for Lang. The first half is an overwrought spy thing reminiscent of Houdini's films, and the second makes Melies' Voyage dans la Lune look like Destination Moon in terms of scientific accuracy. Spione might be a better choice. And of course, M, if he can tolerate subtitles. And he should learn to; all films should be seen in their original language. Dubbing screws up the whole rhythm of the thing.

Great films I don't think anyone's mentioned:

The Uninvited (1944)
War of the Worlds - the George Pal extravaganza, NOT the Tom Cruise trainwreck
This Island Earth
When Worlds Collide
Black Sabbath
Black Sunday
Targets (Karloff's last great film)
This Gun for Hire
Weismuller's first two or three Tarzan pics
Murder My Sweet
The Big Sleep
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Captain Blood

callalily61 said:

how on earth could I have forgotten Colman in The Prisoner of Zenda? Augh! I fail as a Colman devotee. That movie has everything--Fairbanks Jr., Massey, Mary Astor from The Maltese Falcon, and Madeleine Carroll from The 39 Steps in a delightfully snarky role.

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The Stewart Granger Zenda isn't bad, except in comparison to the Colman version. Granger's best film has to be Scaramouche, with the longest swordfight on film.

Has anyone mentioned Laura?

Ghostbusters

OK, be afraid, be very afraid. I just pulled out my Great Big List of Essential Films. Here we go, in no order whatsoever, great films I've seen and recommend that have not as yet (AFAIK) been mentioned:

Bluebeard (1944)
Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter
Curse of the Demon
Island of Lost Souls
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms
20 Million Miles to Earth
The Devil Rides Out
The Changling (1980)
Carnival of Souls
Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes Without a Face)
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (I prefer Fredric March's Oscar winner of 1932, but Spencer Tracy's 1941 turn has been getting more respect lately than it has in the past)
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
The House That Dripped Blood
House of Wax (Vincent Price, NOT Paris Hilton)
Night of the Eagle
The Old Dark House (1932)
Either the Lon Chaney or Claude Rains Phantom of the Opera
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Vampyr
Tales From the Crypt/Vault of Horror
White Zombie
Theatre of Blood
King Kong
Son of Kong
The Night Stalker
Gojira (or Godzilla, King of the Monsters, if you insist on seeing Perry Mason in Japan)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Forbidden Planet
The Incredible Shrinking Man
I Married a Monster From Outer Space
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Time after Time
Village of the Damned
Doctor Mabuse, Der Spieler
Abel Gance's Napoleon
Der Letzte Mann
The Lodger (1927)
The Man Who Would Be King
The Crimson Pirate
Beau Geste (1939)
Captain Horatio Hornblower
The Most Dangerous Game
The Naked Prey (no, it's not what you think, you perverts)
Zulu
The Mark of Zorro, either Fairbanks' silent or Tyrone Power's sound version
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Ghost Breakers
The Cat & the Canary, either silent or Bob Hope
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
The Mouse That Roared
Support Your Local Sheriff
Topper
Whistling in the Dark
Who Done It? (Abbott & Costello)
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Asphalt Jungle
Judgment at Nuremburg
Olivier's Richard III
Bad Day at Black Rock
The Devil and Daniel Webster
The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
The Thief of Bagdad (either silent or sound)
Kwaidan
Rashomon
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
El Angel Exterminador
And Then There Were None (1945)
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
The Hound of the Baskerville (Rathbone! Accept no substitutes!)
Gaslight (I prefer the American one, but the British one has its points)
Hopscotch
The Lady Vanishes
The Spiral Staircase (1945)

Excellent list! And 'Hopscotch'! I haven't seen that in ages.

IdiotsRUs said:

Old Yeller? I've never seen Old Yeller (I get the feeling it's more popular in the states. Never seen it pop up on any channels over here). Now, Where the Red Fern Grows, if I want to see him try not to cry....

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If you want to see him try not to cry - try Life is Beautiful. Italian film set in the second world war. It's a little odd as it's almost two films. The first half is almost romantic comedy and the second half is...well...I'll let you watch it.

IdiotsRUs said:

The only musical he will abide is the Little Shop of Horrors.

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Not even The Blues Brothers? :O