1/2/10

Required Veiwing for American Citizenship

Ok, maybe not all of you were film majors in college and it's possible you don't process your thoughts through art like I tend to. But I was recently amazed at how many folks I run into these days aren't hip to some mighty amazing, socially conscious, thought provoking and genuinely entertaining films.

What follows is a little recommended viewing list from me. I'm not going to cloud your experience by telling you why they were important or meaningful to me. I'm sure I've left out quite a few biggies as well, but these are what popped into my mind almost immediately.

Elia Kazan’s “A Face in the Crowd

Orson Well’s “Citizen Kane

Patton,” screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola

Norman Jewison’s “Rollerball” (1975)

Carol Reed’s, “The Third Man

Sidney Lumet’s “Network

Arthur Penn’s “Little Big Man

John Carptenter's "They Live"

Documentaries:

Spike Lee’s "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts"

For the Bible Tells Me So

International Voices:

Fassbinder’s “Fear Eats the Soul” (Angst essen Seele auf)

Kurosawa’s, “The Bad Sleep Well” (悪い奴ほどよく眠る)

Kusturica’s “Time of the Gypsies” and “Underground

Maybe you could load up your Netflix and check 'em out at your leisure. I'd be curious to see what resonated in these stories for you.