In the summer of 2006, I read Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia.
This book is a list with reviews of over 18,000 movies!
As a Film-Maker, watching great films and even bad films can be a great way to learn.
So, I went through Leonard Maltin’s Encyclopedia and made some lists myself.
Best/Favourites
These can be great film, films I can just watch over and over or films I’ve only watched once
but have one brilliant thing in them. (One single brilliant performance
or one single brilliant scene or some hidden gem in there.)
Worst
Horrible or couldn’t finish watching or when I finished it, I thought, “Well, there’s
two hours of my life I won’t get back.
Interesting
Good/Decent/Respectable movies.
Defining Roles
Some of an actor’s best/most famous or breakout work.
Disintegration Films
Where a character gradually, gradually disintegrates/self-destructs over the course of
the film.
Need to see. Famous Movies
Classics that if I want to call myself a real film fan, I had better watch.
Carol’s Movie List
Favourites
These can be great film, films I can just watch over and over or films I’ve only watched once
but have one brilliant thing in them. (One single brilliant performance
or one single brilliant scene or some hidden gem in there.)
Legends of the fall. I have seen this 19 times. (18 normal plus once recently with the Audio commentary by Ed Zwick and Brad Pitt). I haven’t seen this so many times because of Mr. “allegedly quite hot” Pitt. Aidan Quinn’s so much hotter.
But let me be serious. The real reason is because I never get tired of watching it. This film has so many great themes; i.e., the love between a father and a son, the love between brothers, between a man and a woman and of course, personal demons.
I’d say watch it for yourself and make up your own mind.
Here are my other faves:
About a boy
The apartment
Before Sunset–Oh, that scene inside the SUV is money! Thank You Richard Linklater!
Carlito’s way
Chariots of Fire
It’s a wonderful life
A soldier’s story
Shall we dance (The Japanese Version) A movie that is not at all about dancing.
Dead Man Walking–Sean Penn!!—I’m so not worthy!
Forest Gump
Fight Club
Hero–So beautiful!! visually stunning!!
The Incredibles
In the name of the Father–When this came out, I was a young idealistic 20-year-old and it is the only time in my life I ever wrote a letter to an actor sending him my condolences over him not winning the academy award. Daniel Day Lewis!!! (About 20 years after doing that, as an adult, I went back to IMDB.COM and looked at the nominees that year. That was a tough year to choose. I have since forgiven the academy.)
Marvin’s room
The Matrix
Nothing but a man (A masterpiece!!!!) 1964. Thank God for the day I found that movie in the back of the library. This is a classic Black film from 1964
Remains of the day
Simon Birch
I am Sam
Ray
What’s love got to do with it?
Bob and carol and Ted and Alice. I have to put this here. I nearly gave up on this moviebecause of the subject matter but as a Director, I deeply admire the Director doing what he needed to do to get everyone to that final scene in the bed. The last few moments of this movie paid off very nicely and I respect the willingness to go there because it was worth it.
Citizen Kane
Interesting
Good/Decent/Respectable movies.
About Schmidt. Jack Nicholson is a Genius and Kathy Bates is a gem!
The accused
Amos & Andrew. It is a constant source of inner gloating for me that I knew about Samuel Jackson before Pulp Fiction.
A place in the sun.
All about Eve
Anne of Green Gables
Awakenings
Away from her
Batman begins
A Beautiful Mind
The Best man
Big Night
(This movie,” Big Night”, has my 2nd favourite movie line ever.”
After you eat the clams in Tomato sauce, you have to kill yourself. You can’t go
back to normal life.”
By the way, “My favourite movie line ever was Nick Nolte in the Prince of Tides,
“You know, when I’m not pulling straw out of my teeth, I’m a very intelligent man.”
In the book, “The prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy the line is even better. It’s not about straw but about Donkeys.
But I digress. Back to my list.
The Bourne Identity, Ultimatum, Supremacy.
(Ok, I just have to say something about the scene in Supremacy where Matt Damon jumps off the balcony through the window. I will occasionally get up out of my bed and sneak downstairs just to watch it over and over. That jump is a beautiful thing!”)
Boyz N the Hood
Brown Sugar
Bulworth
Cast Away
Changing lanes
The constant gardener
12 angry men
ON the waterfront
Coal Miner’s Daughter
Clueless
The commitments
Cool Runnings
Courage under fire
Cry Freedom
The days of Wine and Roses
Dead Poet’s society
Deceived
Dream Girls
Driving Ms. Daisy
Duane Hopwood
Fast times at Ridgemont High
Forces of Nature
Ghandi
Gone with the wind.
Good Will Hunting
Deliver us From Eva
Double Jeopardy
Front Room (Jamaican) (The only movie I can say I’ve memorized)
Glengarry Glen Ross
Gone with the wind
Guess Who? Bernie Mac Version
Groundhog’s Day
Heidi
Hilary and Jackie….Disturbing
How Green was my valley. Need to see it again
Immortal Beloved
In America
In the heat of the night.
The Joy Luck Club
Jerry McGuire
Intolerable Cruelty (The Court scene is priceless)
It’s a wonderful life
The kid
Kramer vs. Kramer
La Bamba
L.A Confidential. Need to see this again to jog my memory
The Last Samurai…I think the best part of this movie was discovering Kensuke Watanabe
Legally Blonde 1 and 2
Liar Liar
Life is beautiful
Like Mike…didn’t finish watching. Didn’t have time, I think.
The little mermaid
The long kiss goodnight
Love, actually
Malcolm 1992
The Miracle Worker 1962
Mommy Dearest
An affair to remember
Mystic River
Napoleon Dynamite
National Security
My cousin Vinny
My left foot
Nothing to lose. Vaguely remember enjoying this. Good song by Coolio.
One Flew over the cuckoo’s nest.1975
On the right track. Watched this as a kid
Ordinary People. 1980
Overboard
The Lion King
Rain man
Rebel without a cause
Pretty woman…I guess it was ayte
Primal Fear. Ed Norton is so good in this
(Incidentally, I once met the Black Female version of Ed Norton’s character in real life several years after watching the film.)
Primary Colors. Kathy Bates in that truck near the end, “Made me believe.” That’s all I can say. Made me believe every single thing her character was feeling in that truck.
Patch of Blue. Saw as a child. Need to see it again.
The Pelican Brief
The Pursuit of Happyness
Rounders….loved this!!
Runaway Bride
Rush Hour. Could watch this all day.
Sabrina. Hepburn or Ormond version. Both good.
Say Anything. Yup! The nostalgic vote. Saw it as a teenager.
Schindler’s List
Secrets and Lies
Serendipity
The Seven Samurai
Shadow lands
The Shawshank Redemption.
Shine. Interesting but I wouldn’t want to watch it again or anything.
Silkwood
Sister Act. 1 and 2
Sleeping with the Enemy
Sleepless in Seattle
The Sound of Music
Speed
Spiderman (All). Can watch this all day.
Splash
Splendor in the Grass. 1961
Stand by me.
A star is born. The 1954 version with Judy Garland.
A star is born. The 1976 version with Streisand. The last scene is the best thing
I’ve seen Streisand do.
Steel Magnolias
Sunset Blvd! Woah! Very dark, but so good! 1950 version.
Swingers. Remember that famous “You’re money” line but not much else.
Thelma and Louise
Talk to her. 2002.Spanish. Nice!
The Manchurian Candidate. (Frank Sinatra Version and the Denzel/Meryl version)
The Ten Commandments. Cecille B. Demille
The lake house
The three faces of Eve. 1957
Titanic!
To Kill a Mockingbird
To sir with love
A tree grows in Brooklyn…1945
The truth about Charlie. Haven’t seen the old version. Charade
Wall Street
Whatever happened to Baby Jane? (So creepy but very good)
When a man loves a woman 1994
When Harry met Sally…1989
With Honors
Witness for the Prosecution. 1957. Dietrich is too creepy in this!!
Working girl
You can’t take it with you.
Zoolander
Actors and their defining roles
Some of an actor’s best/most famous or breakout work.
Actors and their defining roles (That I need to see)
Audrey Hepburn: Love in the afternoon. Sabrina. Roman Holiday.
(Seen all except for love in the afternoon)
Grace Kelly: The country girl
Elizabeth Taylor: A place in the sun.
Jack Nicholson: Five easy pieces. Chinatown. One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest
Meryl Streep: The Deer hunter. Sophie’s choice
Robert DeNiro: The Deer Hunter
Denzel Washington: A second viewing of Glory
Judy Garland: A second viewing of A star is born and meet me in St. Loui
Disintegration
1 A place in the Sun — Montgomery Clift
UPDATE
This Page used to have a very long list of movies that I need to see.
This web site also used to have a section called Carol’s movie diary with reviews of films as I watched them.
However, on January 1st, 2010 I rather abruptly lost interest in watching movies and have not enjoyed a single movie since that date.
Something happened.
Perhaps it is the movies themselves.
Perhaps I have fallen into a movie watching funk.
There are no movies I need to see.
There are only movies I need to make.
