Speaking of movies...

[Feralpeg]

DD and I just watched the AFI 100 Greatest Movies. There were so many on the list that DD has never seen. She has seen more than a lot of kids because I have purchased a lot of the Hitchcock classics, etc.

This past year, in the Sophomore English class I taught, I would mention certain classic movies as examples of things we were studying. I was totally amazed. Most of the kids had never seen "The Wizard of Oz", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Gone with the Wind", etc. They told me that movies made more than five years ago aren't worth watching. So sad! So, I brought in movie versions of a few of the books we'd read. I had them watch "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "Moby Dick" "Huck Finn" and "A Lion in Winter". They enjoyed them. Does that mean they will watch any old movies on TV? Not likely.

While I can't do anything about other people's kids, I do have the power to influence my own. DD and I decided we are going to start at number 100 on the AFI list and we are going to watch every film on the list we can find. I haven't seen all of them myself. I've seen the vast majority, but really look forward to watching them again.

If you have teenagers, I strongly encourage you to bring home some of the classic movies for a night with your family. I showed "Bringing Up Baby" to my yearbook class as a treat for finishing the yearbook. They loved it! Will this stop them from seeing movies like "Hostel"? Nope, but it does show them that there are other good movies available.

 

[briar_rose_59]

If it makes you feel a bit better, there was a guy in my gr 12 English class that had no idea who "John, Paul, George and Ringo" were... He thought John and Paul were "John Paul".

 

[Feralpeg]

If it makes you feel a bit better, there was a guy in my gr 12 English class that had no idea who "John, Paul, George and Ringo" were... He thought John and Paul were "John Paul".

Sometimes, I feel so old!

 

[cardaway]

I've actually been trying to add all 100 to my collection. I believe the last time I checked is when this came out last time and I found I had 75 or so of them. Many fo the older movies I'm seeing for the first time on DVD.

I enjoyed Bringing Up Baby, but thought The Philadelphia Story was better. One of the best comedies ever IMO, and I was shcoked how racy it was for the time.

 

[Narnian_Princess]

I never did understand my friends saying that old movies are boring. Old movies are the best! My favorite channel is TCM. I watched The Uninvited for the third time a couple days ago and it still gave me the shivers. I love The Wizard of Oz. And I'm nearly 19! So there are some kids/teens that see the light!

 

[Tiziminchac]

Ten years later and Citizen Kane is still the #1 movie on the list. And I still haven't seen it. Most of the movies I haven't seen on the list were older ones. I'm a little mad that Howard The Duck didn't make at least the top 20.

 

[DISUNC]

I REALLY think these movies are ASimportant to watch as is reading the Classics.

Its unfortunate schools do not really teach this, so it is left up to the families!

All the kids in my family KNOW the AMC & TMC channel!

It is also a great way to get kids reading. Many times if a kid really likes a classic movie, many times (if there is a book) they will read the book!


I have a confession to make.....I can never get through Citizen Kane!

 

[ConcKahuna]

I'm a fan of classic horror myself. Rosemary's Baby, House of Wax (with Vincent Price, not Paris), Thirteen Ghosts (again the origional), The Sentinel, and many others. They make up most of my DVD/VHS collection

 

[Feralpeg]

I've actually been trying to add all 100 to my collection. I believe the last time I checked is when this came out last time and I found I had 75 or so of them. Many fo the older movies I'm seeing for the first time on DVD.

I enjoyed Bringing Up Baby, but thought The Philadelphia Story was better. One of the best comedies ever IMO, and I was shcoked how racy it was for the time.

I agree that The Philadelphia Story is a great movie!

 

[Feralpeg]

If you are ever looking for something funny to watch, try watching "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". Very good movie.

 

[NMAmy]

If you are ever looking for something funny to watch, try watching "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". Very good movie.

I love that movie! And the Philadelphia Story. And Bringing Up Baby.

My mother let us watch old movies on a Detroit station every Sunday when I was a kid. We'd start out with Shirley Temple movies, then see an old Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movie, and then more mainstream movies all afternoon. It's one of my favorite childhood memories because mom would tell us about how she'd seen them in the movie theatres when she was a kid.

My 16 yo dd has had a lot of exposure to old movies so she's seen most of the ones mentioned. When she was about 5, her favorite movie EVER was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

I was appalled that DH had never seen Inherit the Wind or Twelve Angry Men because they were in black and white. I made him watch them and he loved them. Now he's more willing to take my word if I tell him that this is a movie he HAS to see.

 

[ziggystardust]

I'll admit that I haven't seen 1/2 those movies on the list but I would LOVE to. I'm thinking about watching everything on that list. I wonder how hard it would be to get some of those

 

[Narnian_Princess]

If you are ever looking for something funny to watch, try watching "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". Very good movie.

For years our tradition was to watch this movie on Christmas Day! After It's A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve, of course.

 

[Just2554]

I just have to say, good for you for getting your daughter interested in all these old movies. I'm 20 years old and I grew up watching them with my father and grandmothers and love them all to death now. Actually, when I was 6 years old, my idol was Katherine Hepburn. I refused to wear dresses for over a year because the great Kate could wear pants, why not me?!

Anyway, I am always happy to see these AFI lists getting more people interested in the classics. As usual this year, I was happy about some of the films' placements and unhappy about others. I figured "Citizen Kane" would remain #1 though. It may not be my personal favorite, but it is still a monumental piece of filmmaking. Also glad to see "Casablanca," "The Godfather," "Singin' in the Rain," "Gone With the Wind," "Vertigo," and "The Wizard of Oz" in the top ten. That handful of films right there is a fantastic starting point to delve into the classics.

Mostly, I was just glad to see more musicals, silents, and Hitchcock films gain some clout. I could have done without the inclusion of some of the newer films, but that's just me. Mostly, I was just shocked to see "Raging Bull" up so high, landing right behind "Casablanca!" I mean, I love Marty Scorcese, but it was a little shocking to watch that film displace Wizard, GWTW, and Singin' in the Rain.

 

[LUVMYTINK]

When I was in high school every year we had to read certain books during summer break and after we would discuss the books in english class the next year the teacher would show the movies (to the ones that had one). That's how Rebecca, My Fair Lady and To Kill a Mockingbird became my all-time favorite movies. I have them all on DVD now but still drive my husband nuts watching them when they come on TCM or AMC . Of course it's not Christmas with out It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 42nd St.
I can't wait till my DD is alittle older to watch The Wizard of Oz with me.

 

[Narnian_Princess]

I have not seen Casablanca yet, do you all recommend it? I have seen Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Big Sleep (if I remember the title correctly) and loved them both, is Casablanca as good as those two?

Oh, and I loved Vertigo!

 

[NMAmy]

I have not seen Casablanca yet, do you all recommend it? I have seen Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Big Sleep (if I remember the title correctly) and loved them both, is Casablanca as good as those two?

Oh, and I loved Vertigo!

I think Casablanca is wonderful. You should see it and decide for yourself!

 

[Maleficent13]

Shout out to Cait and SBFSB! "My stew can stand on its own two feet!" (Huh - new sig line maybe)

Anyway, I ran into a Fred and Ginger marathon one New Year's Eve on AMC back when it was new. Back when Nick Clooney hosted it (pause: *sigh*). I was hooked. I prefer my movies not of this century.

Although I have to admit, I do not care for Citizen Kane.

 

[Just2554]

I have not seen Casablanca yet, do you all recommend it? I have seen Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Big Sleep (if I remember the title correctly) and loved them both, is Casablanca as good as those two?

Oh, and I loved Vertigo!

I recommend Casablanca highly. It is, IMO, the most perfect movie ever made and even if it weren't so highly regarded by the film community, I would still love and recommend it! It's got a little bit of everything: romance, war, betrayal. It's got Bogart and Bergman and Wilson singing "As Time Goes By" and probably some of the most quotable lines in existence and also alot of really funny quips thrown in if you can pick up on them. It's really just highly enjoyable and I am sure you would love it.

 

[Virgo10]

If you are ever looking for something funny to watch, try watching "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". Very good movie.

OMG! Every time I see that's on TV, I watch it. Myrna Loy was such a great actress (Best Years of Our Lives, Cheaper by the Dozen) and Cary Grant...

I really wish that schools would have classic movies offered as a course. When I was in high school, we use to have field trips into Boston to see newly released movies. Not a lot of them but I can remember seeing West Side Story on a trip and I know there were several others.

I know Citizen Kane always comes out as #1 and I'm always . I've seen it and it's OK but I don't think it's the best movie ever made. I don't think I could give that title to just one movie but The Best Years of Our Lives, Network and The Godfather 1 and/or 2 would be at the top of my list.