I've never seen Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, the Godfathers, or Fargo.

I have never seen Citizen Kane or Casablanca. I feel as though I have though with all the spoofs and whatnot. I feel The Simpsons may have spoiled them for me.

Casablanca is the name of a local chain of Mexican restaurants where I live. I've never seen the film, so that's what I think of, and it makes these conversations unintentionally amusing.

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Does anybody else do the thing where when a character in a movie orders a drink, they pause the movie, go to the kitchen, and make the same drink (or an approximation thereof, with whatever ingredients are on hand)? It makes James Bond movies fun.

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Oh, right, actual topic.

Never seen Lawrence of Arabia, but kinda intend to some time.

I understand why Pinocchio is a classic from a technology standpoint, but I never understood why the story is considered classic. I get irritated every time I watch it at the preachiness. "Don't skip school, or YOU'LL BE SOLD INTO SLAVERY AND TRANSFORMED INTO A DONKEY YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE SHIT."

I'm starting to feel bad because I've been listed as the newest registered user since time began and I haven't posted anything yet. Just figured I'd let it be known that I'm really enjoying The Intermission, it's a nice companion to the show. So keep up the good work. Or... start being terrible, if that's what you want to do. You don't owe me anything...

"You're killing me, Smalls."

Whenever someone says something that I find frustrating/ridiculous, I quote that line from The Sandlot.... I've said it a lot over the years.

I recently revisited Time Bandits for a weekly movie review podcast I do, and I just don't understand why some people love it so much. I find it clunky, meandering and not that funny. Also, it's one of those movies that just ends, leaving the main character alone, homeless and not really having grown or learned anything from the "adventure" of the movie. Yes, there's the heavy-handed message of materialism being bad ("Don't touch it! It's evil!"), but nobody actually learns that or benefits from it in the end. It's just something the movie keeps telling us.

As for a classic that I undeerstand why it's considered great, I just don't think it necessarily should be, is Goodfellas. I think half of that movie is interesting. The rest of it, not so much. There's no good reason it needed to be as long as it is. A Scorsese picture that I think I'm the sole fan of (mostly because the world has forgotten about it and they're too busy praising his other stuff), is After Hours. That movie is often (and sometimes simultaneously) funny, intense, sad and surprising all within a brisk, beautifully shot running time. I'm normally not into movies where the protagonist just keeps getting shit on the whole time, but this and Barton Fink are exceptions.

Which is the joke

And it's not something the movie probably believes, either I will agree it's not for everyone, and may have been better at the time in context then it is now. I'll have to pull out the DVD. It's probably fair to ask what you think of the Monty Python movies, as this is a logical next step in that style.

I haven't seen Time Bandits in a long time. I liked it then because, well, it was a wacky and yet somewhat mature kids movie, which I'm still a sucker for. It's one I need to revisit, especially since I was barely aware of who Terry Gilliam was at the time.

@Invid - This just confirms (to me) that the movie isn't good and didn't tell its story very well. Since you asked, I'm a Monty Python fan. I think The Meaning Of Life is probably my favorite. I especially love the segment at the end, with Death skipping off to work.

A movie I'm very fond of that most folks have forgotten about or have not bothered to see at all: The Way Of The Gun. The pre-credits opening (featuring Sarah Silverman) is hysterical and the film overall is smart and surprising. It's written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote The Usual Suspects and Valkyrie. Check it out.

On the show it was suggested that perhaps Godfather owes its reputation more to context than to what it is. But it's about the only film in my experience that is referenced across every generational and cultural subset I can think of. Even more than Star Wars. My grandfather, who never watched or talked about movies, would drop GF quotes. At-risk kids I tutored quoted GF. I quote GF. It's not just because it sold a bunch of tickets and did something new. Like Star Wars, I think it's because it touches on very universal ideas about family, loyalty, vengeance, and power.

First, on a technical level, it's really hard to think of a movie that gets as many facets of filmmaking so nearly perfect all at once. It doesn't matter what your bag is here. From acting, lighting, set-dec, music, editing, sound... each department had a lot to say about each scene. This is because they had a layered story to start with.

...you know what? This was about to become a tldr essay. Just go watch it again. I didn't like it the first time either. I think because of its reputation. "Oh. Really? This is the greatest film of all time?" It became one of my favorite movies after the second go.

• Wizard of Oz

• Godfather

• Star Wars

• Casablanca

• Citizen Kane

Watch those five movies, and you'll have a solid foundation in American cinema and Western culture. Plus, you'll get nearly every movie reference on The Simpsons. Citizen Kane is the only one of those I don't adore.

The Graduate is my favorite film of all time and to me, is a must in the "classic movies you should see".

I've never seen Lawrence of Arabia either, or Bridge on the River Kwai

A film I saw last year for the first time, that's considered a classic is Rashomon, and for damn good reason; such a great film, lived up to all the hype/accolades.

Anyone else think the Godfather is over-rated? From a plot perspective, it's just endless tit-for-tat violence. You killed one of our clan/family, now we kill one of yours. Other side: now you insulted my honour, you must pay. And so on, for hours.

The acting is great, the production values are superb, but the actual plot is just 'Fuck you. No fuck you. No fuck you. No fuck you'.

Yes, I realize it can be a metaphor for Israel / Palestine, or any lawless conflict between drug gangs or militia, etc. Just seems infantile after a while.  Yes, a classic, but for not for the plot IMHO.