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How to find great films to watch
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Has Achieved Nirvana
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Need to know

Most people like movies. After all, 50 years before television became a dominant fixture in many homes, the cinema had established itself as the great popular medium of the 20th century. Some – myself included – go further, and refer to cinema as the previous century’s greatest and most popular artform. Others, especially if their experience of movies has been limited to what’s available at the local multiplex or what’s on offer from Netflix or Disney, might raise an eyebrow at such a claim. Artform? Aren’t movies just about entertainment, a distraction from the daily grind?

Well, no, not entirely. If your film-watching life has been shaped exclusively by the programming of the major cinema chains and global online platforms, you could be forgiven for thinking that most films are American (or at least in English), that with few exceptions they were made in the past few decades, and that they are the perfect accompaniment to a tub of popcorn. But that’s a huge distortion – in fact, movie-making is an international phenomenon that began long before Marvel kicked off. Long before the original Star Wars, even. Film has been with us for more than 125 years. The contemporary mainstream is just the tip of a massive cinematic iceberg.

There is, and has always been, far more to the movies than action spectaculars, thrillers and feelgood romances. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with such films – there are excellent, terrible and middling examples of every kind of movie – and we should never underestimate the appeal of escapism. Fantasy has been an important element of the cinematic offer ever since Georges Méliès delighted audiences with his trick films back in the late 1890s and early 1900s – and his influence lives on today. Méliès was referenced in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001) and in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011); his best-known film, the delightfully imaginative Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902), can be found on YouTube.

But there’s more to life than escapism, and film has reflected that. There have always been filmmakers concerned with pondering the realities of everyday life; with looking at and portraying the world with curiosity and compassion. (I am not merely alluding to documentaries, but to all kinds of films.) In the right hands, a movie can touch us – emotionally and intellectually, culturally and philosophically – in ways mostly neglected by the mainstream ‘product’ churned out as if on a conveyor belt, its raison d’être not artistic worth but profit.

If you’ve felt that frustrating sense of déjà vu as you work your way through yet another romcom or superhero movie, you may be curious to explore what else is out there. At the same time, perhaps you’re not sure where to start – if so, this Guide is for you.


https://psyche.co/guides/how-t...ve-fun-along-the-way


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37794 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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A thoughtful piece, but outside of a few art house cinemas, there are not many opportunities to view many of the films on the big screen. I've seen a number of the films mentioned over the years, particularly during my student days when there was a film arts society on campus that had regular screenings of significant films.

My most recent encounters with silent movies have been through the Pittsburgh Area Theater Organ Society which maintains a Wurlitzer theater organ they installed in a high school auditorium and which has public concerts, some of which that have featured silent movies with the organ providing the accompaniment.

Are there favorite movies that anyone would like to suggest? I'll offer a short list of mine to start the discussion.

Dr. Strangelove
Paths of Glory
Blazing Saddles
The Godfather
About Last Night
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Groundhog Day
Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Open City
Bridge on the River Kwai
Leon: The Professional
Das Boot
The Apartment
The Great Escape

Big Al


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Money seems to buy the most happiness when you give it away.

Why does everything have to be so complicated, all in the name of convenience. -ShiroKuro

A lifetime of experience will change a person. If it doesn't, then you're already dead inside. -MarkJ

 
Posts: 7381 | Location: Western PA | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Has Achieved Nirvana
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Have seen many but not all on your list. Will have to check out the ones I’ve missed. I think we have similar tastes.

A few of my faves:

Casablanca
The Philadelphia Story
Schindler’s List
Judgement at Nuremberg
Pretty much anything directed by Hitchcock
Desk Set
Roman Holiday

I’m a cinema lightweight for the most part. Wink


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37794 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Minor Deity
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I’m on Facebook, with a lot of artistic friends, and they often suggest films they think are great…most often classics like Bergman and Kurosawa…but also titles I never heard before. And forget finding them on Netflix or Prime. I would need some other subscription.


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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray

 
Posts: 13779 | Location: The outer burrows | Registered: 27 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Has Achieved Nirvana
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Maybe your library subscribes to Kanopy. They have some interesting stuff. Check your library website, or do a search for “Kanopy”.

For a paid service, maybe The Criterion Channel?


https://www.criterionchannel.c...n&utm_content=header


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37794 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Add these (in case someone didn’t mention them already):

Princess Bride
Casablanca
My Favorite Year
Brigadoon
My Fair Lady
Always
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
The Magnificent Seven
Rio Bravo
 
Posts: 45725 | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I want watch Metropolis.

I don't know where to find it.
 
Posts: 24654 | Registered: 31 March 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Roku is a nice place to start because they have a great search that looks at a whole lot of streaming services. It shows you where a movie or TV program can be streamed. Also whether it's free or if you have to pay.

https://www.roku.com/whats-on

Here are the results for "Metropolis"

https://www.roku.com/whats-on/search?q=metropolis

I'm not sure why it shows multiple listings of the same film, but just click on each occurrence of Metropolis and it will show you were it can be watched.

I clicked on the second occurrence of Metropolis, and it shows that it's available on Kanopy, which is the streaming service that libraries subscribe to that you might have access to. No ads, but you're limited to a certain number of things you can watch each month. For my library, it's ten per month. It's also available via a ton of other sites.

I like Roku, Tubi, and PlutoTV, but there are tons of others. You don't always have to set up an account to watch something, but you lose out on the ability to keep lists of things you might want to watch, or to have it keep track of where you left off if you didn't finish watching something in one session.

A lot of the free services have their own apps for phones and tablets., or you can get to the sites via your browser as we're doing here.

Anyway, if I haven't totally confused you, maybe you can try playing around with the Roku search and see what comes up and check out some of the free services. Give a holler if you have questions.


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



 
Posts: 37794 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks.
 
Posts: 24654 | Registered: 31 March 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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My biggest problem is remembering them. Anyway, here are some I remember:

Casablanca
A Shot in the Dark (IMO funniest movie EVAH)
The Outlaw Josie Wales
Homeward Bound:The Incredible Journey*
Cold Mountain
My Fair Lady
West Side Story
White Nights
African Queen
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid

*The widescreen version of this film is not on DVD. It can only be found on iTunes or rare LaserDiscs, Hulu, Netflix, and Disney+.


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"Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace." -- Mike Ditka

 
Posts: 753 | Registered: 27 December 2016Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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