Plan B Forum

Not the "best" but the ones I've watched many times and will watch again many times more, deus volente

10. A Day At The Races (1937)
09. Memento (2000)
08. Fargo (2014)
07. High Society (1956)
06. Lord of the Rings - counting all 3 as one movie (extended versions 2001-2003)
05. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
04. Clueless (1985)
03. Schindler's List (1993)
02. The Princess Bride (1987)
01a Sense and Sensibility (1995)
01b Unforgiven (1992)

How's about y'all? What's on the "never pass it up" list?

In the last week I watched Groundhog Day and Heat. Is there a movie with more A-list actors than Heat? Will watch those and Die Hard any time they are on.

On Meade's list, I watch Fargo, Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List and Unforgiven when they are on. Pretty Clueless about his other entries.

Long Run wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 16, 2025 7:27 pm

In the last week I watched Groundhog Day and Heat. Is there a movie with more A-list actors than Heat? Will watch those and Die Hard any time they are on.

On Meade's list, I watch Fargo, Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List and Unforgiven when they are on. Pretty Clueless about his other entries.

I've watched Groundhog Day a couple of times - a worthy entry. Think I saw Heat but have no lasting impression ; I should try it again.

Die Hard twice but that's enough. Not that it's bad but the acting (or is it the writing?) seemed a bit pedestrian. Now Clueless . . . there's some serious repartee involved :

Amber: Ms. Stoeger, my plastic surgeon doesn't want me doing any activity where balls fly at my nose.
Dionne: Well, there goes your social life.

In no particular order:

A Day at the Races/A Night at the Opera
Dr. Strangelove
The Day The Earth Stood Still
It Happened One Night
Adam's Rib
Mr. Roberts
A Fistful of Dollars/The Good, The Bad and the Ugly/Once Upon A Time In The West
Lawrence of Arabia
Zorba the Greek
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
The Producers/Blazing Saddles/Young Frankenstein
The Philadelphia Story/Bringing Up Baby/Charade

Thanks - nice ones. I really enjoyed the Philadelphia Story a few times and would watch that again happily . . . but I was hooked first on the jolliness of the musical remake High Society, mostly for Well Did You Ever . . . and Armstrong's Now You Has Jazz . . . Even so, Cary/Kate/Jimmy are worth much more than the price of admission any day.

Don't think I ever saw A Funny Thing Happened etc. Will seek it out. And yes, A Night at the Opera is another must-see for me. I just went with Races for the ice cream/form book scene.

And I forgot Hellzapoppin (with the full-length Whitey's Lindy Hoppers scene - a show-stopper that, 1941). First saw it at school (projected during end of year fun-fest) in 1965 or so and often since. Ahead of its time. Way before the Goons, Footlights, Python

Many of the ones already mentioned would make it into my top 10 - but I'd find room for Dr Zhivago and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Honourable Mention to Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Dark City (1998) (love the world building)
A Christmas Story (outside of that one Twilight Zone episode is my only seasonal desired viewing)
Hamlet (1996) (uncut play)
A Dark and Stormy Night and The Lost Skeleton of Cadavera (And whatever other.movies i can find by that group)
Bullet Train

Some of these aren't exactly what some would consider "good" movies and some weren't even critical or box office hits. Some were.

The Abyss
The Princess Bride
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan
Dr Strangelove Or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb
The Road Warrior
Highlander
Apocalypse Now
The Shawshank Redemption
Forrest Gump

I had to just go with what popped in my head. I had probably another 20 come to mind when I only had 2 slots left, but had to stop somewhere.

Too many to list - but maybe I'll try later.

Two that I own and have watched too many times to count - they are both films I use to soothe insomnia - are It's a Wonderful Life and Stand By Me.

This has been the most awful end to the most awful year. I feel I should knock wood because that's tempting the universe to visit even more ungodly horrors upon us before the end of the month.

MajGenl.Meade wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 17, 2025 3:36 am

Don't think I ever saw A Funny Thing Happened etc. Will seek it out.

Oh, I think you'll really like that one. A little bit dated but aren't we all.

MajGenl.Meade wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 17, 2025 3:36 am

And yes, A Night at the Opera is another must-see for me. I just went with Races for the ice cream/form book scene.

That scene has one of my all-time favorite jokes: Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.

It just occurred to me that nothing on my list is less than 50 years old. I guess I'm waiting to see if any "new" movies stand the test of time. Although I was sorely tempted to put Buckaroo Banzai on my list.

Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.



I have a bookmark somewhere in a book with that quote engraved.

BoSoxGal wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 17, 2025 1:55 pm

Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

A joke for book-and-dog lovers.

I haven't figured an order, and there may well be some great ones missing, but here goes:

2001: A Space Odyssey
Breaking the Waves
Blue Velvet
Annie Hall
Citizen Kane
Manhattan
The Shining
Old Boy
Apocalypse Now
Tree of Life

Big RR - congrats on getting a couple from this century in there

I noted Sue's remark "It just occurred to me that nothing on my list is less than 50 years old" and wonder if that's a sort of trend for us older folks?

Oldboy (Korean) 2003 or Oldboy (Spike Lee) 2013? I guess the latter but which should I look for?

Coupla good Diane Keatons in there -

The Shining? Each to their own. I thought it was the least convincing of the Stephen King book-to-movies but it was a fun watch once (for me). And well yeah Citizen Kane the favorite for #1 in "best movie" lists but on the whole I thought the Magnificent Ambersons was better. Or maybe I just enjoyed it more.

Thinking of BSG's choice of It's a Wonderful Life, I may have watched that more times than I have Butch Cassidy, though it's close. That's one of those films that has a specific place in the year as does "A Christmas Story". I might watch both in the next two weeks.

MajGenl.Meade wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 17, 2025 5:00 pm

Thinking of BSG's choice of It's a Wonderful Life, I may have watched that more times than I have Butch Cassidy, though it's close. That's one of those films that has a specific place in the year as does "A Christmas Story". I might watch both in the next two weeks.

I'm going to be taking in a performance of "Wonderful Life", being done on-stage as a radio play, later this week   Had I known about it sooner, I would have auditioned for a part myself.

-"BB"-