Good Old Films

[King of Asgaard]

Before I start, I'd like to say that this is the first thread I've created, so excuse any poor quality.

Anyway.
I've recently acquired a three month (give or take) hiatus from school because of summer, and I find that, while the mornings are fine, the afternoons are too hot to do anything fun.
So, I thought of catching up on my list of old classic films that I should watch.
The only problem is that I can't think of any films TO watch, so I decided to ask my fellow Escapists for their suggestions.
P.S- Please don't bring up films like Troll 2, even though it is entertaining in its own way.
Thanks in advance to everyone who helps out, and I look forward to your ingenuity.
EDIT: Sorry for lack of clarity. Approximately 30 years at least. If you could write a brief summary of the film, it would be very much appreciated.

 

[Tallim]

Might need to have a bit more focus than that. Any particular genre or themes you are interested in? How old are we talking here?

Personally I would suggest Jacob's Ladder, Casablanca, Naked Lunch and possibly Phase IV (although some people think that that is an awful movie)

 

[Skipper zammo]

Since you said old I'm going to run with that and only mention films more then 30 years old.
Edit- I started out writing my own synopsis, but gave up after a few and just used the ones from IMDB(they're better anyway).

I also put it in spoilers just in case.

Spoiler

Casablanca- A cynical bar owner in neutral territory during WW2 must choose between his love for a woman and helping her and new boyfriend fight the Nazi.

Some like it hot- After witnessing a mob hit two struggling musicians must disguise them selves in drag in order to stay alive.

The godfather parts 1 & 2- the epic story of the rise to power of the Corleone crime family.

Dog day afternoon- Two men on a bank job where everything goes wrong.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid- The story of two old west outlaws.

Shane- A gunfighter comes to a farm and helps defend it from a ruthless cattle baron.

Searchers- A confederate Veteran returns home from the was and has to aid in tracking down his young nieces captured by Comanche Indians.

The Shootist- An Ageing gun slinger settles down in a small town to live out his last days.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly- A trio of outlaws hunt for a fortune in buried gold.

The Odd couple- Two divorced men decide to live together and find their personalities clash.

Cool Hand Luke- The story of a rebellious prisoner in a Florida prison camp.

Strangers on a train- Two mens conversation on a train Unexpectedly(for one of them)leads to murder.

Vertigo- a retired police detective suffering from acrophobia is hired as a private investigator to follow the wife of an acquaintance to uncover the mystery of her peculiar behaviour.

The Hustler- Story of a small time pool hustler and his attempt to prove he's the best player in the country.


Man, when somebody just asks you to start naming films you mind suddenly draws a blank.
I'll edit in more as I think of them.

Rope- Two men try to pull off the perfect murder

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance- A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.

Ben Hur- When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

A Street car named Desire- Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.

Citizen Kane- Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.

The Wild Bunch- An aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.

The Manchurian Candidate- A former Korean War POW is brainwashed by Communists into becoming a political assassin. But another former prisoner may know how to save him.

The Maltese Falcon- A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

The Graduate- 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 finds himself falling in love with her daughter, Elaine.

High Noon- A marshall, personally compelled to face a returning deadly enemy, finds that his own town refuses to help him.

Touch of Evil- Stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in Mexican border town.

The Third man- Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime.

Rashomon- A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view.

Night of The Hunter- A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.

The Deer Hunter- An in-depth examination of the way that the Vietnam war affects the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA.

Yojimbo- A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.

On the Waterfront- An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

The Sting- In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.

Once Upon a Time in America- A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.


Chinatown- A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

Lawrence of Arabia- Epic rumination on a flamboyant and controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during wartime service.

To Kill a Mockingbird- Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.

 

[lRookiel]

Right, now that we have an understanding of "Old films" I can crack on.

-The thing,
-Who framed Roger rabbit
-Blade runner
-The shining
-Raiders of the lost ark
-Ghost busters
-The terminator

Lots and lots more out there, you gotta look a little harder though.

 

[Rastien]

Old films?

Jacobs ladder
Psycho (Alfred hitchcock original.)
12 Angry Men
The shinening
Casablanca

 

[Kahunaburger]

As above, also three more:


The Apartment - downbeat romantic comedy. Ahead of its time (and, to be frank, our time) in many ways.

Seven Samurai - if you haven't seen this, see it. If you have seen it, you should see it again, followed by everything else by Kurosawa.

Old-school horror movies - Dracula, Nosferatu, Frankenstein, etc. Lots of fun.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

As above, also three more:


The Apartment - downbeat romantic comedy. Ahead of its time (and, to be frank, our time) in many ways.

Seven Samurai - if you haven't seen this, see it. If you have seen it, you should see it again, followed by everything else by Kurosawa.

Old-school horror movies - Dracula, Nosferatu, Frankenstein, etc. Lots of fun.

Adding to Seven Samurai, I'm gonna throw in
Yojimbo - A clever lone samurai pits two rival gangs against each other.

it's another one of Kurosawa's films I absolutely loved.

 

[Xelien]

Short summary you say? Let see if I can do each in 20 words!
12 Angry Men (1954)- Courtroom drama that features a jury arguing over their verdict of what seems to be an air tight guilty case.
Vertigo(1958)- Hitchcocks finest(imo), psychological thriller and look into a retired detective's growing obsession with a new case and woman involved.
Cool Hand Luke(1967)- Prison drama staring Paul Newman as a charismatic new inmate who opposes the guards and eats a lot of eggs.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest(1975)- Jack Nicholson stars as a sane criminal who ends up in a mental institution, starts a rebellion, ends up *SPOILER*

 

[Scarim Coral]

So you're looking for before 80's films? Well-
Back to the Future Triliogy
Batman
Cinema Paradisco (an Italy film which is sort of like a history of cinema in a way).
Ghost Buster
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
IT
Psycho
Project A (A Jackie Chan film)