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

  • mosspiglet@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    6 days ago

    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.

    • MrOtingocni@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      6 days ago

      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.

  • CerebralHawks@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    8·
    7 days ago

    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.

  • Bamboodpanda@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    5 days ago

    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.

  • dhork@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    7 days ago

    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.

  • selokichtli@lemmy.mlEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    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.

    • Obviouslywrong@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      It is in every way although it’s a hard sell for an audience now post smartphone to sit down and just watch 20 minutes of chanting on an open empty road before anything else happens.

  • Nusm@peachpie.theatl.socialEnglish
    4·
    7 days ago

    Went to the theater to see a Flashback Cinema presentation of Jaws. I know I’ve seen it before, but I didn’t remember much of any details, so it was like watching it for the first time. I’ve gotta say, I can see now why it’s the classic it is. It was still quite scary and gave me a couple of genuine jump-scares.

    I recently heard a podcast about the making of The Thing, and I think the story of isolation and those special effects hold up, so I’d throw that out there too.

  • Thrawn@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    Arsnic and Old Lace

    Black and White version with Cary Grant.

    Very funny early dark comedy. Set at Halloween.

    Tap for spoiler

    Main character goes back to the two aunts that raised him to tell them that he just got married and in the process stumbles across the fact that they are serial killers. They find lonely old men that have no family and poison them. It takes several additional twists from there.