20 Classic Film Recommendations

The Apartment-- While critics often prefer Wilder's Some Like It Hot, I've always thought this film had more heart. The film is strange in all the right ways, and while the main characters operate in a very cartoon world, the risks they take are very real. The scene in the Chinese restaurant near the end of the film? I'm not sure Shirley McClaine has ever been better.

Breakfast at Tiffany's-- I could do without the whole Mickey Rooney/ Chinese guy routine, but this film still captures a riveting performance from the luminous Audrey Hepburn, a great song in Moon River, and a cat that will absolutely break your heart. Even George Peppard shows a bit of soul in this film about the risks involved in not risking anything for love.

Charade--Great score, great ensemble cast, and one of the tightest suspense thrillers of this era not made by Hitchcock. You'll never look at philately the same way again.


Rope-- One of my favorite "second tier" Hitchcock thrillers. It's emotionally detached as it delves into the calculations involved in murder, and while Stewart addresses what he believes to be theoretical moral questions, he holds some peculiar views. When circumstances become less theoretical, Stewart uncovers some squirmy facts about his worldview.


Rear Window--Wow, Grace Kelly has never looked better. I love the color saturation in this film. When I first saw this film as a child, I wanted to live in an apartment just like the one Stewart lived in. A great story about voyeurism, murder, and helplessness. My favorite Hitchcock.


Lawrence of Arabia-- David Lean's masterpiece. Yes, it's a long film, and meditative, and would be best seen on a movie screen, but it is an astounding performance by the blue-eyed Peter O'Toole and to watch his transformation into a true dessert warrior is to enjoy one of the filmdom's great roles.


Peeping Tom--Powell and Pressburger. People were not ready for this kind of film when it was first released. A strange, disturbing, and oddly beautiful film. One of Martin Scorcese's favorites.


Straight Time-- While Dustin Hoffman has had gritty roles before, Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy being a prime example, those roles always seem a bit mannered to me. His role in Straight Time is priceless because he is the low-life ex-con and you believe in the exactness of that character from the first shot on. I have met anyone who saw this film who wasn't blown away by the performance or the fact that so few people have seen it.


The Verdict-- Paul Newman was remarkably consistent in selecting great roles. This is the film he absolutely should have won an Oscar for (you could pick four or five others and not be wrong) but his portrayal as the washed up drunkard of a lawyer is so desperate and sadly believable that a viewer can't help but wish everything came together perfectly for him in the end. An amazing film that deserves to be mentioned with the best of its era.

Cool Hand Luke-- I love the scene after he's told his mother has passed and he goes to his bunk and sings this soft little song. Newman does more with his eyes than just about any actor who has been in the business. It's almost a cliche to include this film, and viewers like it more often than critics, but damn-- it's just so satisfying.

The Third Man-- It may be sacrilege, but I have to say, I like this film better than Casablanca. The set piece with the Ferris Wheel is pretty incredible, and Orson Welles is the perfect blend of charm and menace. The ruined landscapes, both psychological and literal, are captured by Carol Reed perfectly.

Mask-- I often wonder what would have happened to Cher's film career if she'd concentrated on acting instead of making light weight pop albums. Her roles in Moonstruck and Mask are so rich and tough, I can't think of many like them. This is one of Peter Bogdanovich's best films, and the unrecognizable Eric Stoltz gives a warm performance as a lioness' only cub. Great film in a minor key.

The Station Agent-- This is one of those films that sneaks up on you. It is wholly likable and you get the difficulties the characters have in relating to each other and dealing with the world in general. Bobby Carnivale almost steals the film as a talkative goofball who runs counter to the more meditative themes of the film. Thank God, or the film would be a tragedy.

Stalag 17-- Another great Billy Wilder film and a perfect role for William Holden. I've been told this was the model for Hogan's Heroes, and you can see elements of that here. I love the cat and mouse game between Holden's scapegoat and the real culprit. I can't help but watch this every time it's on.

Unforgiven-- I doubt that Eastwood could have made this film if he hadn't made the many other westerns this one reacts to. While there have been other films where the guy in the white hat wasn't necessarily the hero, this film crawls into the gray areas of morality and asks tough questions of people who think they are tough. A very austere and spare performance, and a hint at the direction Eastwood with take with future roles.

Broken Arrow-- Jimmy Stewart made many fine westerns with Anthony Mann but this film by Delmer Daves that is every bit the equal of those great Mann films. Gone are the crazed tomahawk-wielding Indians of the John Ford films. This film deals with human nature, the instincts toward revenge that follows any profound grief. A remarkable western.

12 Angry Men-- This film could have been stagy and static, but the atmosphere is electric and the cast of relative unknowns brings the script alive. I love this film because it is a champion of engagement over apathy, reason over emotion. The fact the film stars Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, EG Marshall, Jack Warden and many other great character actors only adds to its value.


Jaws-- We're gonna need a bigger boat. I don't know why some critics hate this film. Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfus in one picture? So what if it became an amusement ride at Universal, the film has some seriously great dialogue, great performances, and a robotic shark that worked just often enough to scare the shingles off a roof. Maybe if it were in French with subtitles those critics would have loved it. A popcorn movie? Absolutely. That isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The Thing.--To me, this is John Carpenter's finest film hands down. The special effects are still phenomenal. And the special effects were only a small part of what scared the hell out of viewers. The sense of vulnerability and clausterphobia are felt intensely. Sure it's a dark film, but we don't need Mary Poppins cropping up in every film we see, do we?

Terms of Endearment-- Aside from Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows, this is the only other film to ever make me cry. Jeff Daniels is so real in this film, and the other characters as well. I'm sure much of that can be credited to the source material, Larry McMurtry's fine book, but the actors and direction of this film bring it to life. The performances are unforgetable and you won't soon shake this film after you've seen it. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy. You'll need them if you're human.