Gerbil's Old Movie/Show Recommendations
In my efforts to make the world a better place I say to you all watch something old! 9 times out of 10 older films are written better, acted better and have higher standards of morality (even when some of the people in them don't). Many old films never get watched as only the most known old films get aired enough for people to know them. For example "It's a Wonderful Life" with Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart who did many other movies just as good as it if not better! To which end I have started this thread to support older movies and ween people a little off of the junk made nowadays which is usually at best mindless fluff. No movie/show is perfect and neither are these but they are, by and large, so much better than today's stuff and do not deserve to be forgotten. Do try to be fair to these films. They don't have the latest CGI but I will consider you shallow if you cannot watch a film simply because it's in black and white >.< (though not every film/show I recommend will be).
I'll try to post links to Hulu and Netflix. I also tried to select movies you can watch instantly and will note if otherwise. My movie sections will be divided by red titles look for them for easy finding. Please use another color on yours so people can find mine easy TY.
First (and with Tek in Mind)...
Akira Kurosawa Films
These films both feel old and new at the same time with the distinctly Japanese overacting flavor (like Anime has). These movies probably have the most objectionable content I will ever post in this thread and it's not much at all. A couple words in the subtitles and a spartan couple gore moments with 1950's grade effects (there is no nudity in the ones I've watched). These movies are very good inspiring other great works and being inspired by other great works. I can see why Kurosawa is considered one of the best Directors ever.
The Seven Samurai
I'd start with The Seven Samurai the film which inspired the American western remake The Magnificent Seven. Quite frankly The Seven Samurai is better.
Note: There is even an Anime Samurai 7 loosely based on The Seven Samurai but trust me when I say all the best parts are taken directly from the original movie. It's not an objectionable Anime but it's not really good either. I'd skip it and watch more of the old stuff. I actually watched it on Hulu not Netflix though there are only four episodes available there now.
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
After The Seven Samurai try these two movies which inspired the classic western drifter Clint Eastwood played in the awesome Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. In fact A Fistful of Dollars is a remake of Yojimbo although the films differ enough to make each enjoyable in it's own right.
Hidden Fortress
This one was an inspiration to George Lucas narrating the Star Wars trilogy through the eyes of the bit players C3PO and R2D2. If I recall this is the one that had a little language in the subtitles but nothing else.
I've also watched Ran and Throne of Blood which are Japanese interpretations of Shakespeare's plays. Neither is an instant play on Netflix unfortunately. While Ran is good I felt the acting was overtly emotional and drug out at points compared to other Kurosawa films.
Tek mentioned watching Kurosawa's Dreams but I expect it's much tripper than other Kurosawa films. Kurosawa said in an interview something to the effect of "when you're old you don't care what people think anymore so you just do what you want" and so he made Dreams
. IDK if it's bad or good having not seen it but it's bound to be a completely different animal than his earlier films. I would not gauge them by each other.
Here Comes the Groom
Here Comes the Groom
Next up a Bing Crosby movie! It does not have Bing Crosby's very best songs but the man could make a laundry list sound good and still does so here. I mean the film was only nominated for a best writing Oscar and won for best song
(this is back when the Oscars were not a sham). Directed by Frank Capra, costumes by Edith Head, famous cameos, witty dialogue this is one of the many, many wonderful movies of that age...
That's all for the moment there are still droves upon droves of wonderful old movies most people never see but I am going to take my time recommending ones and avoid the few flops there are (mostly later stuff). Humprey Bogart, Edward G Robertson, Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, Danny K, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Jimmy Cagney, etc. the list of great actors and movies stretches a mile.
In my efforts to make the world a better place I say to you all watch something old! 9 times out of 10 older films are written better, acted better and have higher standards of morality (even when some of the people in them don't). Many old films never get watched as only the most known old films get aired enough for people to know them. For example "It's a Wonderful Life" with Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart who did many other movies just as good as it if not better! To which end I have started this thread to support older movies and ween people a little off of the junk made nowadays which is usually at best mindless fluff. No movie/show is perfect and neither are these but they are, by and large, so much better than today's stuff and do not deserve to be forgotten. Do try to be fair to these films. They don't have the latest CGI but I will consider you shallow if you cannot watch a film simply because it's in black and white >.< (though not every film/show I recommend will be).
I'll try to post links to Hulu and Netflix. I also tried to select movies you can watch instantly and will note if otherwise. My movie sections will be divided by red titles look for them for easy finding. Please use another color on yours so people can find mine easy TY.
First (and with Tek in Mind)...
Akira Kurosawa Films
These films both feel old and new at the same time with the distinctly Japanese overacting flavor (like Anime has). These movies probably have the most objectionable content I will ever post in this thread and it's not much at all. A couple words in the subtitles and a spartan couple gore moments with 1950's grade effects (there is no nudity in the ones I've watched). These movies are very good inspiring other great works and being inspired by other great works. I can see why Kurosawa is considered one of the best Directors ever.
The Seven Samurai
I'd start with The Seven Samurai the film which inspired the American western remake The Magnificent Seven. Quite frankly The Seven Samurai is better.
Note: There is even an Anime Samurai 7 loosely based on The Seven Samurai but trust me when I say all the best parts are taken directly from the original movie. It's not an objectionable Anime but it's not really good either. I'd skip it and watch more of the old stuff. I actually watched it on Hulu not Netflix though there are only four episodes available there now.
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
After The Seven Samurai try these two movies which inspired the classic western drifter Clint Eastwood played in the awesome Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. In fact A Fistful of Dollars is a remake of Yojimbo although the films differ enough to make each enjoyable in it's own right.
Hidden Fortress
This one was an inspiration to George Lucas narrating the Star Wars trilogy through the eyes of the bit players C3PO and R2D2. If I recall this is the one that had a little language in the subtitles but nothing else.
I've also watched Ran and Throne of Blood which are Japanese interpretations of Shakespeare's plays. Neither is an instant play on Netflix unfortunately. While Ran is good I felt the acting was overtly emotional and drug out at points compared to other Kurosawa films.
Tek mentioned watching Kurosawa's Dreams but I expect it's much tripper than other Kurosawa films. Kurosawa said in an interview something to the effect of "when you're old you don't care what people think anymore so you just do what you want" and so he made Dreams
. IDK if it's bad or good having not seen it but it's bound to be a completely different animal than his earlier films. I would not gauge them by each other.Here Comes the Groom
Here Comes the Groom
Next up a Bing Crosby movie! It does not have Bing Crosby's very best songs but the man could make a laundry list sound good and still does so here. I mean the film was only nominated for a best writing Oscar and won for best song
(this is back when the Oscars were not a sham). Directed by Frank Capra, costumes by Edith Head, famous cameos, witty dialogue this is one of the many, many wonderful movies of that age...That's all for the moment there are still droves upon droves of wonderful old movies most people never see but I am going to take my time recommending ones and avoid the few flops there are (mostly later stuff). Humprey Bogart, Edward G Robertson, Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, Danny K, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Jimmy Cagney, etc. the list of great actors and movies stretches a mile.
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. My father actually had a real life experience on Jury Duty once not totally unlike this.