rutamattatt Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) Last summer the kids and I spent time watching a variety of movies that I felt like "every American should watch". (Totally subjective, I know!) I'm looking for suggestions for this summer's movie list. Can be documentary, musical, drama, comedy… The main thing I want to avoid is overt "marital relations" scenes IYKWIM. Some we watched last summer were The Sound of Music, Ben Hur, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy, the Star Wars trilogy, West Side Story, several of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentaries, and the sleeper hit of the summer, Rio Bravo. So far I'm thinking about The Ten Commandments, some version of Romeo and Juliet (suggestions?), My Fair Lady, Mrs. Doubtfire. I wondered about Breakfast at Tiffanys (I've never seen it) and also Roots (although I also haven't seen and suspect it is too violent or heavy maybe?). Possibly the Harry Potter movies too. Would love to hear any ideas you all have! Edited May 11, 2016 by rutamattatt 1 Quote
againstthegrain Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) These may not have heavy "educational" value, but I consider these movies that are "Classic American" movies...Back to the Future trilogy, Ghostbusters 1 & 2,The Wizard of Oz, 2001: Space Odyssey, Mary Poppins, Singin' in the Rain, Annie, all the Indiana Jones movies... Edited to add Breakfast Club :) Edited May 11, 2016 by againstthegrain 1 Quote
theelfqueen Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 I warn you that if your children watch Romeo+Juliet there will be endless "Do you bite your thumb at me?" "Bite my thumb?" jokes... at least that was the result among my boys. LOL Quote
amsunshine Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 We watched the most recent Romeo and Juliet movie last month (I think it was made in 2013 or so). It was really well done -- just lovely. I do think the one from the 70s was nice, too, but was intrigued by the previews of this newer one. We all enjoyed it. Cried my eyes out. (Why? I knew what was going to happen....argh.) Quote
Guest Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 the sandlot! Et Princess bride (are there relations? I forget) Adventures in babysitting Quote
Garga Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 No relations in Princess Bride. Certainly a must movie to see. Quote
creekland Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) Fiddler on the Roof? It talks about relationships since the three daughters get married, but it doesn't talk about them in a bad way. Yentl The Scarlet and the Black Citizen Kane October Sky Chariots of Fire Temple Grandin Awakenings The Cokeville Miracle (Christian content) Gifted Hands Forrest Gump The Help Les Miserables (perhaps too much violence) McFarland USA The Pursuit of Happyness Rain Man The Stanford Prison Experiment (though mainly for older kids, so perhaps not) Wild China Wild Pacific Secondhand Lions Crocodile Dundee Groundhog Day Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Those are some that come to mind this morning. I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty and I've left off some with major violence like Schindler's List, Hotel Rwanda, and The Killing Fields. We shared a ton with our kids as they grew up... we still do. ;) Edited May 11, 2016 by creekland Quote
creekland Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 No relations in Princess Bride. Certainly a must movie to see. I agree with no relations in it, but our family found it pretty boring... (not due to the lack of relations, it just wasn't our style of movie I guess). Plenty of folks like it, so one might be able to use this tidbit of info to know whether to contemplate our list or not based upon what's liked elsewhere. We also didn't care for Avatar to name another commonly loved one, and I don't even care to watch Titanic as I know I won't care for it. Quote
Garga Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 I agree with no relations in it, but our family found it pretty boring... (not due to the lack of relations, it just wasn't our style of movie I guess). Plenty of folks like it, so one might be able to use this tidbit of info to know whether to contemplate our list or not based upon what's liked elsewhere. We also didn't care for Avatar to name another commonly loved one, and I don't even care to watch Titanic as I know I won't care for it. I hated Avatar. I loved Titanic but am a little embarrassed by how much I love it because it's totally sappy and I don't like to think of myself as a sappy person. It's a guilty pleasure for me. Well, maybe not pleasure because I cry my eyes out every time I watch it. The first time I watched The Princess Bride was in a theater when it came out and I thought it was stupid and hated it. And then I watched it again and fell in love with it and now it's one of my favorite movies ever. Go figure! Quote
Bluegoat Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 the sandlot! Et Princess bride (are there relations? I forget) Adventures in babysitting This reminds me of a something that happened the other day that made me feel old. My daughter came to me and asked a question, inspired by a movie she'd been watching, that started like this: Mom, remember in the old days when black people and white people were always separate...." The movie turned out to be Adventures in Babysitting. I remember when it came out. It was a bit of a weird moment to see that she perceived that as "the old days" and noticed such a social difference. 1 Quote
Cosmos Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 Casablanca. We just saw it in the theater a couple of weeks ago (our theater is doing a series of classic movies and we bought tickets for the whole series). I hadn't seen it in so long and was bowled over by it all over again. It really is SO GOOD. It might be boring for an 11 year old, though. I'll just put a plug in for one of our family favorites: High Society. Where else can you see Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Grace Kelly all together? Not to mention Louis Armstrong! It is such a fantastic movie and deserves more attention. 1 Quote
Bluegoat Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 Goonies E.T. 16 Candles some Buster Keaton movies Casablanca Space Odyssey Footloose (the original) Metropolis A Streetcar Named Desire (or maybe On the Waterfront, but something with Brando for sure) Bridge Over the River Kwai The OUtsiders The Kid Ferris Buller's Day Off Possibly Dirty Dancing but you might feel it is too adult, and might not appeal as much to boys Chinatown is one of my favorite classic American movies, but I am not sure how kids that age would like it, and I can't think of whether it is too sexy. Quote
rutheart Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) Not all of these are must watch, but here's some frequently forgotten titles. We've been watching lots of old Disney movies, and it has been educational to see the cultural differences over the decades (while still enjoying the movie watching experience). That Darn Cat Flight of the Navigator Pollyanna Newsies Bedknobs and Broomsticks No Deposit No Return The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes Snowball Express The Parent Trap The Cat From Outer Space Davy Crockett The Apple Dumpling Gang The Ugly Dachsund Lt. Robinson Crusoe Unidentified Flying Oddball Swiss Family Robinson Doctor Dolittle Start the Revolution Without Me (some nudity) Support Your Local Sheriff Annie Big King Ralph (some suggestive stuff) Three Amigos Short Circuit 2 Honey I Shrunk the Kids Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Glass Bottom Boat My Fair Lady Our to-watch list includes: The King and I Life is Beautiful Seven Brides For Seven Brothers The North Avenue Irregulars Summer Magic Now You See Him, Now You Don't Cool Runnings Ruth Edited May 12, 2016 by rutheart Quote
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 I like many that were previously mentioned. I'll add 1776 The Right Stuff Apollo 13 The Magnificent Seven True Grit (both versions) Roman Holiday Holiday Inn Singing in the Rain Quote
Earthmerlin Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 Hitchcock? Monty Python? (Not necessarily 'American' but most Americans know/enjoy these.) Quote
Hobbes Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 This is a fantastic thread... getting me in the mood for old favourite movies! Following... Quote
nannyaunt Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 The Thin Man movies. If you watch High Society, you might consider The Philadelphia Story starring Katharine Hepburn Cary Grant and James Stewart. High Society was the remake and it might be kind of fun to do a comparison of the two. 1 Quote
nannyaunt Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 The Thin Man movies. If you watch High Society, you might consider The Philadelphia Story starring Katharine Hepburn Cary Grant and James Stewart. High Society was the remake and it might be kind of fun to do a comparison of the two. Quote
basketcase Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 Yes! To The Philadelphia Story and the Thin Man movies. I think Bringing Up Baby is an even easier b&w comedy to get into, so add that to the list. The Absent-minded Professor got a lot of laughs here. We're working through some of the suggestions in The Best Old Movies for Families by Ty Burr. Quote
Cosmos Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 No, not the Philadelphia Story! I mean, okay it's a fine movie. I love Cary Grant and Hepburn. But there are a dozen movies just like it. (And Bringing up Baby is better!) But High Society is a one-of-a-kind jewel. Forget about the fact that it's a remake and watch it just for itself. It is literally a perfect movie. Every scene, every line, every shot is a work of art. Not that I'm biased or anything. :lol: Quote
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