Movies everyone should see...to get the jokes
Posted: June 5th, 2007, 11:44 am
The Julie Andrews thread got me thinking about "Sound of Music" which got me thinking about all the pop cultural references made about that movie in other movies and on TV shows and in books and even kids' cartoons. That got me thinking of other movies and how movie makers and writers not only parody old movies, but borrow from them as well. All you have to do is say, "Frankly my dear..." or "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse," or "I'm ready for my close-up," and people know instantly what is being referenced, even if they haven't seen GWTW, "The Godfather" or "Sunset Blvd."
I have seen references to lots of other old movies over the past few years, everything from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" to "Cool Hand Luke." And how many times does somebody drawl in a John Wayne voice and call another character "Pilgrim?" I even saw a reference to "The Lost Weekend" (albeit, not a funny one) in the movie "Pay it Forward"--the alcoholic mom had hidden a bottle of vodka in the light fixture. To me it's kind of a good sign--even if themoney men and actors of today's Hollywood don't know their history, at least the writers are doing thier homework.
So, to get to the point, are there movies that everyone should see, if for no other reason than getting the joke? (Though there are much better reasons to see these movies)
The obvious ones I've already listed, along with Star Wars and ET and Jaws.
Some (maybe) less obvious ones:
Dracula (1931)
Freaks
Psycho
The Birds
Miracle on 34th Street
It's a Wonderful World
Rear Window
Raymond Chandler films
Any Busby Berkely movie
King Kong (1933)
42nd Street
Dirty Harry movies
007 movies
I have seen references to lots of other old movies over the past few years, everything from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" to "Cool Hand Luke." And how many times does somebody drawl in a John Wayne voice and call another character "Pilgrim?" I even saw a reference to "The Lost Weekend" (albeit, not a funny one) in the movie "Pay it Forward"--the alcoholic mom had hidden a bottle of vodka in the light fixture. To me it's kind of a good sign--even if themoney men and actors of today's Hollywood don't know their history, at least the writers are doing thier homework.
So, to get to the point, are there movies that everyone should see, if for no other reason than getting the joke? (Though there are much better reasons to see these movies)
The obvious ones I've already listed, along with Star Wars and ET and Jaws.
Some (maybe) less obvious ones:
Dracula (1931)
Freaks
Psycho
The Birds
Miracle on 34th Street
It's a Wonderful World
Rear Window
Raymond Chandler films
Any Busby Berkely movie
King Kong (1933)
42nd Street
Dirty Harry movies
007 movies