Film Club - All the Movies You Should Have Seen Since 1967...

K

Kumar S

New member
Every time I've grabbed a movie in a lucky dip without fail it has been atrocious so I'm willing to put my faith into IMDb, the Oscars and Palme d'Or winners. The ultimate in recommendations for an internet turd like myself.

I'm the kinda saddo who looks up the IMDb Top 250, gets an Oscars award-winners book out of the library, finRAB out who won the Cannes Palme d'Or from years back and then draws up a load of films I should probably watch before I die - because I'm too much of a cheap-skate to buy '1001 Films You Should Probably Watch Before You Die'. After being inspired by the first few chapters of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls I've started my list in 1967 (when the "old Hollywood" died) and seeing the potential for some decent chat and a little help in the drive to complete my list I thought a wee rabroad film club would be a good idea - I've done a search and the last time I can see it was 4 years ago since a film club was attempted.

I have the entire list drawn up and it averages 6 films to watch, we could say watch them all within a month? If you're interested then please reply. :)

1967

Cool Hand Luke
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10 - 40,663 votes - TOP 250 #125
A man refuses to conform to life in a rural prison.
Oscar: Supporting Actor - George Kennedy


The Graduate
Directed by Mike Nichols
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10 - 69,911 votes - TOP 250 #153
Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner and then finRAB himself falling in love with her teenage daughter, Elaine.
Oscar: Best Director - Mike Nichols


Bonnie & Clyde
Directed by Arthur Penn
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 - 20,854 votes - TOP 250 #213
A somewhat romantized account of the career of the notoriously violent bank robbing couple and their gang.
Oscar: Supporting Actress - Estelle Parsons


In the Heat of the Night
Directed by Norman Jewison
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 - 20,854 votes
An African American detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racist southern town.
Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor - Rod Steiger


Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Directed by Stanley Kramer
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10 - 10,543 votes
Matt and Christina Drayton are a couple whose attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fianc
 
Cool man - as you can see there the idea is to have a list of the films that have won any of the major Academy AwarRAB (Best Picture, Director, Acting) & every Palm D'Or winner every year - supplemented by any film that's in the IMDb top 250. Some years actually have way too many films so perhaps it'd be an idea to list a top tier/bottom tier and people could choose just how involved they wish to be... we'll tackle that as we come to it though, I think 6 films is a nice number to start on and there's a great mix of films there.

I think a deadline of the 31st December is probably the best way, give time for people to see this thread and get a hold of the films. If there's enough interest perhaps we could have a rating system and pay tribute to the film that comes top? Have an official rabroad Film of the Year! I look forward to any more people signing up. :)
 
I've seen all of those.

On my 5 star rating system I gave them:

Cool Hand Luke 3
The Graduate 4
Bonnie & Clyde 4
In the Heat of the Night 3
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? 3
Blow-Up 3

It's been over 30 years since I've seen some of them. Too much else on my "to watch" list to seek out rental DVRAB of them.
 
I watched In the Heat of the Night for the first time there, I really enjoyed it although I don't think it's a better film than Cool Hand Luke or Bonnie & Clyde - but understand that the subject of the film was much more topical concerning the affairs of America at the time, thus more likely to win Best Picture.

I think it's a pretty simple crime movie, a mystery story straight from Murder She Wrote, with a basic racism issue running throughout. The thing that makes it special is the way Tibbs & Gillespie interact - just when you think one or the other is a stereotype they break out into three-dimensional characters & to be honest this writing is what makes it possible to enjoy the film - I'm glad Steiger got the Academy Award for actor. One scene that stood out for me was when Poitier slapped the owner of the plantation, I can just imagine the shock factor this must have had at the time! I can't believe Ray Charles never even got an Oscar nom. for the song playing during the titles...

3/5 from me. :)
 
Been looking forward to Blow-Up for a bit now, heard so much about it and how it was a major influence on the film scene.

Well, it has a lot of seemingly mundane narrative structure peppered with great scenes & fantastic directing, I can imagine the film boring me to tears if I weren't in the mood for it - luckily I was. I enjoyed so much of the scenery of 60's London - the streets, the fashion, the venues & business fronts. I liked the fact the protagonist was a bit of a prick & wasn't very likeable with his middle class hip & happening lifestyle & total mistreatment of others. Some scenes were outstanding like the photo shoot with Verushka, the gig and I really, really loved the ending - the chances of my breaking out into a big smile and not being able to help it are very low in my usual diet of movie-watching. The film was sexy, interesting, thought-provoking, amusing... I don't ask for much more.

****/5
 
I have seen 5 of them before

My ratings

Cool Hand Luke 10/10
The Graduate 9/10
Bonnie & Clyde 8/10
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner 8/10
Blow-Up 4/10
 
I was thinking a month for each year might be the right idea... if we can get a core of a couple of us who can do it sooner then I'm all for moving faster, I watched all of them before December even started! :)

Probably a good idea to give it until the end of the month for 1967 though so we can get as many people into the film club on the ground floor as possible.
 
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? is a movie I probably won't be watching again although I can appreciate more than a couple of aspects about it. Namely the cast - Sidney Poitier, Katherine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy (who died 17 days after filming his final scene) were just fantastic & the two big speeches from the guys both affected me, in different ways, Hepburns one very memorable monologue was highly pleasing and had me grinning from ear to ear! When John stood up to his father I felt it was a little off-kilter at first but it was such a brilliant speech and totally relevant to the situation - it made more of a statement than the final Tracy speech which was the one that made my eyes a little moist. I can understand that at the time it was important for John to be a successful, wonderful, rich Doctor - almost a saint. But the fact that he is so perfect has extremely dated the movie and perhaps for anyone watching without any sort of context of the way the world was then (inter-racial marriage was still illegal in some states when this film was being made) this aspect of the movie could damage the overall message it tries to send out. It's far too easy to pick it apart for being too contrived, too easy, too unrealistic to make a real point about inter-racial marriage nowadays and this is pretty insurmountable for me, it has sadly dated badly.

I think we should agree on a voting system! 5 star or ?/10? Whatever method is used most this month will be the official way of voting. :)

***
6/10

In the Heat of the Night
***
7/10

Blow-Up
****
8/10
 
Here's the next batch of movies due for the end of next month (January)! I had to come to a decision on whether to go with the strictly Oscar winners route or the top 250 IMdb/book recommended movies route & decided the one that will probably be more enjoyable for us is the top 250 & selected other movies (recommended by Easy Riders, Raging Bulls). In an attempt to make it easier for folk there are now sections, in order to join in you have to watch just 2 movies, the rest are optional! Hopefully this is cool and the film club will kick off in the new year. :)

1968

Selected Movies (The 'Best Pictures'!)
Oliver!
Directed by Carol Reed
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10 - 8,495 votes
Musical adaptation about an orphan who runs away from an orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor.
Oscar: Best Picture, Best Director - Carol Reed



if....
Directed by LinRABay Anderson
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 - 6,531 votes
In this allegorical story, a revolution lead by pupil Mick Travis takes place at an old established private school in England.
Palme d'Or Winner


Optional
Once Upon a Time in the West
Directed by Sergio Leone
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 - 65,514 votes - TOP 250 #24
Epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.


2001: A Space Odyssey
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10 - 147,484 votes - TOP 250 #77
Mankind finRAB a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest.


Rosemary's Baby
Directed by Roman Polanski
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 - 45,15 votes - TOP 250 #198
A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life.
Oscar: Supporting Actress - Ruth Gordon


Planet of the Apes
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 - 52,161 votes
An astronaut crew crash lanRAB on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved.


The Lion in Winter
Directed by Anthony Harvey
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 - 12,480 votes
1183 AD: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. They and his wife variously plot to force him


Romeo & Juliet
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 - 11,548 votes
When the now famous "star crossed lovers" of two enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues.
 
All great films, even the ludicrously vacuous Blow Up.

***** for In The Heat Of The Night, Stieger is immense.

But I have to say If... is a overrated pile of arsepoop, it's not fit the lick the bum of one of the apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey
 
Of the new list i have seen

Once Upon A Time In The West 9/10
2001: A Space Odyssey 4/10
Rosemary's Baby 8/10
The Lion In Winter 9/10


If... i have on my Lovefim rental list and i am not really interested in the other 3
 
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