10 Movies I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen

i hadn't seen inglorious basterds and got a strange series of shocked looks from friends who expected i-- as a sometimes amateur filmmaker-- must automatically love everything tarantino. i downloaded it recently and made it through about half the movie before turning it off to go to sleep despite the promises of "it's going to get crazy soon."

i'll watch it later.

this always happens. it used to be the matrix, then it was avatar. these movies that are relatively new are meant to be seen within the immediate year of their release unless you're a social outcast.

yet my roommate, who was shocked i hadn't seen inglorious basterds, has still never seen a single terminator movie. to me, that's quite a bit stranger than having missed a current hit.

so i've compiled a short list of films i can't believe you haven't seen.

this is not a list of movies for film students. you will not find fellini's 8 1/2, or the great train robbery on this list because it is not meant for those studying film. and this isn't a list of recent box office hits that have not yet stood the test of time. this is a list of movies for humans. it's possible you won't have seen every one of the ten movies i'm about to list, but hopefully you've seen the majority.

if you've missed the most of the list, i recommend you step away from this blog, away from your computer-- or heck, stay at your computer and download the films-- but do whatever you must do to see them immediately.

and please don't talk to me until you have because it really offends me to hear robocop described as "a governor who went crazy and became a bad guy." ahem.

for those of you who can read the following list and honestly say you haven't seen any of the films, it may just be too late for you. whether you know it or not, you are somewhat socially damaged and it's likely too late for a recovery. but just get it out of the way and please do see the films so at least you've tried to fix the situation.

so, here we go.

the following ten movies fall into a sort of action/adventure/sci-fi/fantasy genre because it's one we can all agree on. i could make a great list of comedies but it would be too easy for someone to say, "i didn't see dumb and dumber because i don't like that style of comedy" and the same goes for romance-- and drama's been done to the ground.

these ten are in no particular order.

1. Jurassic Park
2. Terminator
3. Robocop
4. Back to the Future
5. Indiana Jones
6. Tremors
7. Batman
8. A Clockwork Orange
9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
10. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

and i know most of you have this ever-growing list of films other people have told you are must-sees, but i'm betting amongst the list there are several experimental flicks, or movies like slumdog millionaire which just do not require as immediate of attention as anything i've just listed. i'm sure there are great films on your list, but continuously missing honey, i shrunk the kids, is almost as bad as lying to your best friend and constantly delaying the day you plan to admit it.

there just isn't an excuse. my family grew up held from watching movies. my dad's friend, "dave from new york" would take us out for one movie a year and that was all till sometime in my late high school career. the movies i've listed do not require you to be a film-fanatic or anything special at all. in fact, if you haven't seen some of those flicks, i would have to ask if you went out of your way to avoid seeing them.

look, i'll make it simple: in the case of trilogies, you can realistically shave off the last one without issues-- especially in the case of back to the future, robocop, and indiana jones. or in the case of terminator, just two of the four is fine. and as for tremors, one is fine.

but go see these movies immediately. when i'm having a conversation with a friend or a stranger, i expect that they've seen these movies and i will more than likely reference at least one in 90% of my conversation. without seeing those movies i realistically do not feel like i can communicate with you.