List of the best movies for a gift . . . in 16 years

pfflam · February 14, 2004 10:19PM

I am going to make a DVD collection of what I think are the best movies ever made (not including some on purpose, such as Citizen Kane)

I want to put this collection together for my daughter who is now 14 months old.

I waant to give her this collection (in a nice wooden case) when she reaches an age where she can appreciate them . . .I figure 16 years old.

I also am including movies that I knnow are especially great for teenage girls (and are also still the best movies evar! . . such as Harold and Maude.

My list as of today:

Andrie Rublev - Tarkovsky

Ran (?) -Kurosawa

Harold And Maude

Wings Of Desire

My Dinner With Andre

Fanny And Alexander

Koyaanasqaatsi (trilogy?)

Annie Hall

Stardust Memories

I just started compiling my list.

What would your list be?

What would you add to mine?

shawnj · February 15, 2004 12:05AM

At least one film in the tradition of Italian Neo-Realism. The Bicycle Thief and Umberto D. are great picks to try to get a little social awareness in her (both by De Sica). Tragic stories, too.

daver · February 15, 2004 12:51AM

I'll use this opportunity to pimp The Third Man once again.

Unlike most of the other great movies I'd usually recommend, it's unpretentious, in English, and far less than three hours long.

pfflam · February 15, 2004 12:56AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Daver

I'll use this opportunity to pimp The Third Man once again.

Unlike most of the other great movies I'd usually recommend, it's unpretentious, in English, and far less than three hours long.

You undersell the benefits of good bout of pretension!!

The THird man? is that about the spu starring Orson Wells?

glyph · February 15, 2004 1:05AM

when i saw pleasentville, i bought a copy for a gift. peggy sue got married is a good movie too.

splinemodel · February 15, 2004 1:33AM

The Big Lebowski

Dirty Harry (and Magnum Force)

Ace Ventura, Pet Detective

Pretty much anything with Clint or Arnold in it.

The camera work and visuals from The Big Lebowski easily rival the best "Artistic" movies I've seen, and the plot in so twisted that it's beautiful. Plus, it's funny as hell.

the rest are just movies that I like to watch again and again. It's stupid to own a movie unless you're going to watch it a lot.

nwhysee · February 15, 2004 1:59AM

Star Wars, no question about this, and maybe Face off.

ganondorf · February 15, 2004 2:01AM

Surely you aren't referring to the prequels.

anders · February 15, 2004 4:33AM

Breaking the Waves

alex london · February 15, 2004 5:00AM

Why wait until she's sixteen? A good cultural education should start way before that. The Third Man is superb, my parents made me see it when I was about 9, I loved it for it's visual flair and mood. As it's a great work of art it reveals more on repeated viewing, helped by me getting older. Now I own it on DVD. A great American movie for this is Charles Laughton's Night Of The Hunter- a masterpiece of cinema. ShawnJ is right about the Italian stuff, may I add a punt in the direction of French films too, start with Les Quatre Cent Coups (The 400 Blows) and keep going. Two of the greatest thrillers ever made are French also, Rififi and Le Salaire De Le Peur ( Wages Of Fear) . I undersell them, i should have said two of the greatest films ever, that happen to be thrillers.

Ace Ventura, Pet Detective?????????

gspotter · February 15, 2004 6:01AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pfflam

I want to put this collection together for my daughter who is now 14 months old.

I waant to give her this collection (in a nice wooden case) when she reaches an age where she can appreciate them . . .I figure 16 years old.

You shouldn't forget to save her a DVD player, too. So she will be able to watch these 'vintage' movies.

As for the list, you might want to consider:

- The Fabulous World Of Amelie

- Leon - The professional

stoo · February 15, 2004 7:00AM

Quote:

Surely you aren't referring to the prequels.

What prequels ?

drewprops · February 15, 2004 8:36AM

Oh pfflam don't reveal cinematic ignorance in here!! The Third Man is a great movie, I think you might need to rent it and watch it again. BUT, the tone of the movies you've already listed might not be inclined to include this movie (and I gotta tell you, a 16 year old girl is going to be pretty pissed off when she learns that Dad blew her car money on some old DVDs that they don't even make players for anymore!!).

I'd definitely do some searches for the movies you've already listed using Amazon's search engine because "people who bought 'Harold and Maude' also bought.....". Frightening how accurate that database can be sometimes.

You're partially aimed toward arthouse movies, partially toward movies with Woody Allen's New York sensibilities (thus perhaps your dislike for 3rd Man?). Why not Richard Dreyfuss in "The Goodby Girl" for a romance and "Look Who's Coming To Dinner" for social discourse?

And if you claim that "Jaws" isn't one of the best movies of all time I'll have to come back and call you a name.

anders · February 15, 2004 8:48AM

Come back here and call me a name!

drewprops · February 15, 2004 8:55AM

Okay, you asked for it SweetiePie

billybobsky · February 15, 2004 8:58AM

now you just sound like a gay southerner (given that you are male).

paul · February 15, 2004 9:08AM

Quote:

Originally posted by GSpotter

You shouldn't forget to save her a DVD player, too. So she will be able to watch these 'vintage' movies.

As for the list, you might want to consider:

- The Fabulous World Of Amelie

- Leon - The professional

but ditto on the Amelie, great movie...

I'd also recommend requiem and ? but I'm not sure if they would still be relevant in 16 years... what a crazy concept...

you would do better to store good children's movies and the like rather then modern day dvds...

this way she can enjoy them now... then buy all the movies when she is like 12 or so...

edit: oh, and what is a gay southerner? are they related to big foot?

billybobsky · February 15, 2004 9:15AM

think effeminate male with southern accent.

drewprops · February 15, 2004 9:39AM

Sorry if it disappoints BillyB, I'm just a Southern male who's confident enough in his (hetero)sexuality that I can have some fun with Anders

My own Southern accent disappeared after working with Californians and New Yorkers for a decade...it only slips out at family functions and when talking to Teamsters.

Speaking of Southern, how about "Slingblade"?

cosmonut · February 15, 2004 10:10AM

BACK ON TOPIC...Ahem. My votes:

Run, Lola, Run

The Shawshank Redemption

The Fifth Element

What About Bob? (seriously, it's got a lot of good messages that people look past)

scott · February 15, 2004 10:32AM

I think people misread the first post. It's supposed to be "the best movies ever made".

I look at Eberts list of Great Movies when I get stuck for ideas.

List of the best movies for a gift . . . in 16 years

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