What are some movies that are still amazing, even if you watch it now? Think movies that don’t have sexist or similarly awful jokes that have aged poorly, with special effects that are still wonderful, and characters you can still relate with. Movies old and new are equally awesome :D
Day of Wrath (1943) is a Danish masterpiece that feels remarkably relevant today.
Set during the witch trials, it explores religious authoritarianism, sexual repression, misogyny, and the terrifying consequences of a society that values ideological conformity over truth.
Its extraordinary cinematography produces images that have remained etched in my mind for years.
What makes it so compelling is how ordinary people become instruments of cruelty when fear and moral certainty replace empathy and reason. Over 80 years later, its themes are disturbingly familiar.
I highly recommend it.
Came late to the party. Most I’d mention are already there in the comments. However, Citizen Kane must be in this thread, and I believe no one mentioned it yet.
I can’t find Casablanca in the thread either.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
This is one of the few movies I can watch repeatedly and it’s great every time.
I’ve watched that one several times, it’s brilliant. But one time I watched it while on much acid. And that one scene, Sterling Hayden’s cigar gripping monologue on politicians and the international communist plot to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids, with that extreme upward camera angle, is seared into my memory.
Masters of the Universe, because it was also corny in the 80s
I can’t see Alien ever aging out.
It’s been rehashed at least 200 times.
Some of my favorites from my collection. All are pretty much guaranteed to be a good watch.
- Psycho
- Rear Window
- Spartacus
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Alien
- The Shining
- Amadeus
- Beverly Hills Cop
- Ran
- Full Metal Jacket
- Matewan
- Akira
- Do the Right Thing
- Awakenings
- The Silence of the Lambs
- Cape Fear
- The Truman Show
- Memento
- Training Day
- Gangs of New York
- The Prestige
- There Will Be Blood
- Man on Wire
- Dallas Buyers Club
- The Look of Silence
- Trumbo
- Green Room
- The Nice Guys
- Arrival
- Silence
- Parasite
I watched Matawan for the first time a few months ago. Absolutely incredible film, and based on real events.
Silence might be Scorsese’s best film and I feel like it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Highly recommend The King of Comedy as another massively underrated Scorsese film. Holds up very well.
Also, Parasite is great, but I think Memories of Murder is Bong Joon Ho’s best movie.
watched Matawan for the first time a few months ago. Absolutely incredible film, and based on real events.
Seriously awesome. I wish there were another like it about the Battle at Blair Mountain.
I haven’t watched enough Bong Ho. I’ll check it out.
Cul de Sac
Touch of Evil
Freaks
Airplane, time bandits, adventures of Barron Münchhausen, LA Story, the jerk, army of darkness, the shining, Chinatown, a christmas story, 12 monkeys, spaceballs, back to the future 1-3, alien(s), clerks, no country for old men, zombieland, LOTR and cartoon 1978, life of brian, labrynth, to name a few random ones off the top of my head.
thought I’d see no country for old men more in the comments, really
Army of Darkness out there with one of the best skeleton armies to this day. And you’ve got so many Terry Gilliam but no mention of Brazil?
I just watched the whole Evil Dead series of films. The new ones are surprisingly good.
Tv show is also entertaining.
Shit, I missed that. I’m going back in!
lucky! its soooo good
I could spend hours writing my favorite movies and Gilliam would be near the top.
They’re possibly my favorite director, such wild stuff. Brazil is often one of the first movies I’ll show new people as a way to check if they’ll vibe with my sense of weird
I just recently saw it for the first time. I loved it and would take more suggestions if you’ve got any!
I’m a big fan too.
- 12 monkeys
- adventures of Baron Münchhausen
- Fisher king
- fear and loathing in las Vegas
You are a person of taste. Nice list.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
For an older movie, I think everybody should see The Breakfast Club at least once. It does rely on some 1980s tropes, like weekend detention, and people not having cell phones, but otherwise, solid timeless movie.
For a newer one, 君の名は。 (your name.) is still the best film I’ve seen to date, and I’ve seen a lot of them. It’s kind of a shame it’s Japanese, and animated, because that means a lot of people will give it a pass. The film could have been made in any country with practical effects (fun fact: JJ Abrams bought the rights and a script was even penned, the city was going to be Chicago and the small town was going to be in New Mexico, in the US) but so far, it hasn’t been. If it ever happens, I think it will reach a wider audience, but, until then, I’m fine with just being right while also in a minority opinion.
Other than just 80s nostalgia, I’ve never understood the hype about Breakfast Club.
I’ve gotten laid afterwards just about every time I’ve watched that movie so it’ll always be a top one for me.
I could see that swaying the results
1956 - Forbidden Planet (great sci-fi concept and earliest appearance of Leslie Nielsen I’m aware of)
1979 - Alien (sci-fi-horror fusion, strong female lead)
1984 - Gremlins (timeless practical effects, poorly-aged Chinese character)
1985 - Back to the Future (does it need a blurb?)
1994 - Dumb and Dumber (classic Jim Carrey, very quotable)
2000 - O Brother Where Art Thou (Coen brothers, Americana, great soundtrack)
2006 - Idiocracy (goofy concept, now a documentary)
I’d like oppose Idiocracy, it hinges on painting the less-intelligent as sexual deviants which leads naturally to objectifying women with a heavy hand. Personally it left me mostly anxious and miffed.
It most certainly did not
The entire first 5 minutes literally is one large exposure explaining that the less intelligent procreated normally if not more because they had little else to do whereas the intelligent people were all focused on their careers and results to have time to have children so they didn’t have any, resulting in the general population becoming dumber over time
I really enjoyed “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” when I recently watched it for the first time. Beautifully shot and the soundtrack is instantly recognizable. Great Movie.
What I like about it that it is essentially a buddy movie. Even though the protagonists seem only motivated by greed (in the end it turns out otherwise, but only just).
The most fun but of trivia is that the first time they blew up the bridge, the cameras weren’t rolling. So the Spanish army guys, who were the extras in the battle scene, had to build the whole thing again, just son they could blow it up a second time.
A pair of enthusiasts located the place of the cemetery and restored it, so you can visit it.
High plains drifter and outlaw Josie wales are also excelent.
fist full of dollars / yojimbo
Rashamon
12 Angry Men, Amadeus, Gladiator, Jurassic Park, The Shining, to name a few. Practical effects always hold up better especially against early CGI.
There is a wealth of good movies out there if you’re willing to dig a little. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone or contextualize a film as being a product of its time. But there are great films in every decade back to the late 1920s. I mean, Wings is almost 100 years old but you can still watch it and see how it influenced films that came after.
I loved the practical effects in 12 Angry Men.
12 Angry Men was one that immediately came to mind for me too.
Didn’t want to watch it initially, got sucked in, stayed up late, felt like crap at work the next day, worth it.
Being that my wife is from the other side of the planet, I tried it on her for a non-American reaction. I would characterise her as “utterly engrossed”.
Since I have (older) kids, I can add another layer to the analysis of “timeless” movies, because for me, they would be movies that would still hold the attention of my kids.
A lot of good ones have already been mentioned, but I would like to submit “Independance Day”. Yes, it is cheezy at times, but not because of its age, it always was that way. It held my kids interest. They noticed that none of the people running from the alien ships had their phones out, because smart phones didn’t exist yet. And I found that they already knew the most impactful points, because of all the memes.
