After about a year hiatus, I have rejoined popular DVD rental site Netflix and spent (wasted?) the last hour or so rebuilding my rental queue. But a lot of great movies have come out and been released on DVD in the interim, so tell me, dear reader, what should I add to my queue?
To give you a sense of my taste, my queue includes Foyle’s War (brilliant English mystery series set during WWII), High and Low (the superb Japanese director Akira Kurosawa takes on the Noir genre), Double Indemnity (one of the very best in the Noir genre, I’ve seen it before), Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (because Mystery Science Theater 3000 is no more, alas), Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet (on a Hamlet tear, actually, and this is the definitive film version of one of the greatest plays), Munich (this one just passed me by when it was in the theater), Anastasia (always been interested in the Romanov’s and the Russian revolution, so this should be a cute film), and Kommissar X (because, well, sometimes stupid movies can be fun).
So what should I add to this diverse lineup?
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- I rejoined Netflix. Now, what should I watch?
I wonder why you would choose Net Flix over Blockbuster. I switched long ago for the simple fact that I can exchange my rental for a new movie in about 20 minutes.
You should check out the AFI top 100. I have been trying to work through that list for a couple of years now, and I must say – it has been well worth it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI's_100_Years…_100_Movies
You’re right, I never really thought about Blockbuster, but I’m going to check it out and… perhaps… switch. Meanwhile, yes, the AFI 100 is a great list and I’ve seen at least 70% of them at this point. I think I’ve written about it in the past… hmmm… yep, pre-blog, 1998, I wrote this:
http://www.intuitive.com/pearls/index.cgi?4
🙂
Dave,
I don’t have a comprehensive or definitive list of films, but I did go through my own Netflix ratings and selected ones I like. As I went through my list, I could immediately think of many others that I like that aren’t on this list. Someday, I may try for a broader list. In the meantime, perhaps there are one or two in here that you haven’t seen.
Incidentally, I have considered choosing Blockbuster over Netflix, and it many ways, it’s probably the better deal since you can exchange movies at the brick and mortar stores. So why do I hang onto Netflix? Call me a sentimental fool, but Netflix started this approach, and sometimes I like to vote for the innovator rather than the copycat. Not always, mind you, but in this case, Netflix got my vote.
Anyway, here are a few films to consider:
Fun and Romance
50 First Dates
The American President
Chocolat
Elizabethtown
Forrest Gump
Dave
Ever After
The Man with One Red Shoe
The Notebook
Under the Tuscan Sun
Pride and Prejudice
In Love and War
The Thomas Crown Affair
Patch Adams
Drama and Action
Cold Mountain
Schindler’s List
The Shawshank Redemption
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Fugitive
The Italian Job
Gladiator
The Green Mile
Casino Royale
Closer
Entrapment
Mona Lisa Smile
The Patriot
Ocean’s Eleven
Ocean’s Twelve
Rob Roy
Double Jeopardy
The Mission
Moll Flanders
In America
Classics
Jeremiah Johnson
All the President’s Men
Roman Holiday
North by Northwest
An Officer and a Gentleman
The Eiger Sanction
When Harry Met Sally
Casablanca
Lesser knowns
City of Joy
Gandhi
Never Cry Wolf
Winged Migration
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Kids
Fly Away Home
Felicity: An American Girl Adventure
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
A Charlie Brown Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music
The Secret Garden
Happy Feet
Nature and Documentaries
Planet Earth: The Complete Collection
The Creation of the Universe
Super Size Me
Happy watching!
Eric
Hey Dave,
Here’s a few not on this list:
The Robe
Sling Blade
Bulworth
For an innovative take on noir, check out “Brick.” It’s a modern-day murder mystery set in high school but layered with 40s-style noir dialogue and enough twists & turns to make you dizzy. Not a blockbuster-type movie by any means, this is more of one of those sleeper gems that hides out on the bottom shelf.
Also be sure to add the BBC miniseries “Jekyll” to your Netflix queue. It’s a very captivating refresh of the Jekyll & Hyde story with some excellent acting.
I recommend the brilliant “Father Ted” series. (I have it on DVD. I’m also a fan of Foyle’s War.)
Surely you’ve seen Groundhog Day, one of my favorites. I found Manufactured Landscapes riveting as well as The Corporation, yet I’m somewhat of a documentary junkie.
Just finished listening to your conversation with Mark Widawer on blogging from – I think it was – January 2007. Thanks for the tips!