If you're looking for a good, classic movie to get invested in this coming weekend, here are some older movies that are sure to please movie-buffs and casual Netflix-browsers alike.
1. Casablanca
Here's a hint: it's the one everybody references without knowing where they've heard the quote before. Set in Casablanca, Morocco, it tells the story of two former lovers who meet after some time apart, while the impending threat of World War II closes around them. It has enough action, romance, and comedy to keep anyone interested and is sure to impress.
2. Vertigo
If you're looking for a more obscure Hitchcock movie, this is the one for you. It's a psychological thriller with just enough confusion to keep you bewildered and hooked. It's one of the most dramatic and suspenseful movies out there, and in 1958 it was the height of filmmaking, as it used a technique called a "dolly zoom" that had never been tried before. It may leave you terribly confused, but you'll be much more cultured for having seen it.
3. Apocalypse Now
I love the smell of napalm in the morning. If you escaped the fate of having to read "The Heart of Darkness" in your high school literature class, this movie is worth a glance. Based on the 1899 novel, this movie stars a young Martin Sheen and surprisingly older Marlon Brando. It begins with Captain Willard setting out on a mission in Vietnam, but the twists and turns the story takes will leave you questioning just about everything. This movie is incredibly violent, and it's not for the faint of heart. But if you're the sort of person who loves gore and/or wants to have seen all of "the classics," this is for you.
4. Citizen Kane
If you're looking for the 1940s equivalent of Lin Manuel Miranda, you've found it in Orson Welles. He directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in his own movie. The movie has a bit of mystery dashed across an auto-biographical feeling movie. It faded out of popularity after its initial release, but soon it returned as a classic, also with memorable moments that people still use in regular conversation today.
5. The Wizard of Oz
Yes, we know you've seen it. But if you're looking for classic, there's nothing else like it. There's nothing like reliving your childhood as you watch Dorothy meet the best friends anybody ever had to take on the wickedest witch in Oz. If you're feeling nostalgic and want to try something new... well. I don't have to sell it to you.
6. Nosferatu
Yes. That is the creature from Spongebob. But don't knock the movie just yet. This is the oldest movie on the list, dating back to 1922. It's a German horror film that takes the tale of Dracula and turns it into something terrifying and otherworldly. The fact that it's a silent film only enhances the experience, guaranteed to thrill horror and classic movie lovers alike.
7. Singin' in the Rain
Another feel-good classic you've probably already seen. It's a beautifully musical tale that turns the transition from silent film to modern film into a comedy. With romance, hilarious songs, and absolutely incredible dancing, you're guaranteed to be amazed. No matter how disinterested you are, I dare you to give it a shot. It won't disappoint.
8. A Streetcar Named Desire
If you didn't watch the movie in your high school AP Lit class, now's your chance. This one stars a much younger Marlon Brando and a beautiful Vivien Leigh in the film adaptation of the classic Tennessee Williams play. You'll love to hate the perfectly relatable characters fighting to be themselves in one humid New Orleans summer. You can't call yourself a movie-buff without having seen the classic "STELLA!" scene. You just can't.
Although hundreds of other movies could be added to the list, these eight films are sure to set you on your way to becoming a regular film aficionado in no-time. You won't want to miss out on these classic films. Trust me.
