The most important geeky movies

[chuckro]

My dad and I were discussing the 100 books you'd need to read to be "educated," or 1,000 books you'd need to read to be "well read". Mostly, we were focusing on the graphic novel portion of that, and that post will have have its day.

For the moment, however, I've been distract by a discussion with nanonicole about a grad student she knows who apparently made it into her twenties without ever hearing of Darth Vader. That got me thinking: In order to be an educated geeky-type, want the minimum of movies you'd need to see?

What I came up with, in no particular order:
1. Star Wars episodes 4, 5, 6
2. Back to the Future (parts 2 and 3 are optional, but recommended)
3. Princess Bride
4. Indiana Jones: either Raiders or Last Crusade
5. At least one Sean Connery Bond film
6. Men In Black
7. The Matrix (only the first one)
8. The original Planet of the Apes
9. Star Trek 2, 3, 4, Generations and First Contact.
10. Terminator 2
11. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
12. Army of Darkness
13. Labyrinth
14. One other fantasy movie of: Legend, the Last Unicorn, The Dark Crystal, Willow or The Neverending Story
15. Any one movie as redubbed in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
16. At least one Romero zombie film
17. 2001: A Space Oddessy
18. Ghostbusters
19. Robocop OR Terminator (the first one) OR Highlander (again, the first one)
20. The Day the Earth Stood Still (original) OR Forbidden Planet OR Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original).
21. Aliens

And from the superhero list:
1. The two Richard Donner Superman films
2. The first Tim Burton Batman film
3. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight
4. Spider-Man 1 and 2
5. X-Men 1 and 2
6. Iron Man
7. Blade

I know there's more. Suggestions? Additions or deletions?

Comments

[nanonicole.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised by Men in Black. I certainly enjoyed it... but really?

On a related note, I was at a party on Saturday night that was thrown by 3 MIT grad students. Most of the attendees were nerds (but fun, sociable nerds). I think about half the people I spoke to knew that Apollo 13 was on television earlier in the day.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Men In Black: 1) Hits a lot of cultural memes and references in a fairly modern package. 2) Is a stealth comic-book movie (very few people actually read the comic...). 3) Gives you some Will Smith on the list, which is key. Everyone should know the Fresh Prince. 4) It's a damn fine movie.

[nanonicole.livejournal.com]

I had no idea it was a comic book movie. All good points; I approve.

[lithoglyphic.livejournal.com]

Apollo 13 is win. Although you're especially geeky (or grew up in Huntsville) if you read Lost Moon first.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I'd say you'd have to add Tron to that list, if only because computer animation has become so essential to the story-telling process of all major films these days, especially sci-fi ones.

What about classic sci-fi horror? I'd say you'd be poorly off as a geek missing Invasion of the Body Snatchers references. You also forgot Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's at least as necessary as The Princess Bride in terms of geek penetration and adoration.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

The superhero movies seem to be waited towards the very recent. You definitely need to add the 1978 Superman onto there. And for general geeky movies? Army of Darkness. I'd also add at least one Ray Harryhausen film, probably Jason and the Argonauts.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Ooo, Army of Darkness. That's a biggie. And the 1978 Superman is the first Richard Donner-directed one. The first two Christopher Reeve Superman films were directed by Richard Donner.

[lithoglyphic.livejournal.com]

My cousin made me watch Army of Darkness when I was about 13. My reaction was complete and total WTF.

[elissali.livejournal.com]

I'd say a good well-rounded geek should have seen one of: Legend, the Last Unicorn, The Dark Crystal, or Labyrinth. (and maybe a few others?) I know this is a genre I really like (fantasy) so of course I've seen them all, but it just seems to me that it would be representative to have seen one of them.

How about having seen at least one Mystery Science Theater 3000 or listened to one RiffTrax? That's not exactly a movie, though.

How about TV shows?

I would almost say that one might put one of the new star wars movies on there; most geeks really hate them, but they do get referred to a lot. Was the list supposed to be only really good movies that are generally agreed upon as being good?

Also, how about Mystery Men? I love that movie... maybe it's not a geek requirement, but it should be. "why am I balancing this hammer on my head?" "Because once you can balance a tack hammer on your head, then you can head off your enemy with a balanced attack." "why am I wearing the watermelons on my feet?" "I don't recall having asked you to do that."

I'm sure I can come up with more. :)

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

I second Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

Thirded.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

The issue with Mystery Men (which I love, incidentally), is that it requires a known of the tropes of superheroes, like I noted about Galaxy Quest below. If you don't know what it's referencing, you won't get the jokes.

I think "Any episode of MST3K" is worthy for the list. The problem with TV shows, is that the list starts spiraling out of control. You either end up with 40 espides of 20 shows that need hunting down, or just whole seasons that you need to devote entire weekends to watching.

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, there's one MST3K theatrical film...which unfortunately wasn't as good as the show.

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

I would change "At least one Indiana Jones film" to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Ghostbusters, Galaxy Quest, Wargames, The Last Starfighter, Akira and/or Ghost in the Shell, Night of the Living Dead, The Day the Earth Stood Still (original, duh), Forbidden Planet, The Lord of the Rings, Robocop, Buckaroo Banzai, Soylent Green...

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything on here, but I would also add the original Dawn of the Dead.

It is in many ways superior to Night with some wonderful underlying social commentary.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Maybe, "At least one Romero zombie film"?

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

Almost forgot: 2001 A Space Odyssey, and maybe the original King Kong?

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

And holy crap, Blade Runner!

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

The thing about 2001, it has a place in social commentary and sci-fi movies, but it's boring and makes no sense. Like LotR, I think a good geek is better off having read it.

On the other hand, there's "I don't think you like me, Dave..."

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Knowing about HAL is essential, though I don't actually think much of the movie personally.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I think there are arguments for Raiders versus Last Crusade, hence my phrasing, but I could be wrong.

Ghostbusters I totally agree. I think you could limit many of the others down to one film that was representational of the genre: Robocop OR Terminator (the first one) OR Highlander (again, the first one) as representation of 80s sci-fi action films. Likewise, The Day the Earth Stood Still OR Forbidden Planet OR Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original).

Galaxy Quest is a send-up of the tropes in Star Trek. Without that basis, the movie isn't terribly funny and doesn't make much sense.

Lord of the Rings is problematic, because it's so goddamn long. And honestly, I don't think you need to have seen it to be a good geek. I think you need to have read it.

I'm trying not to totally overwhelm the list. I think you can skip Soylent Green if you have at least one other Heston on there, and I personally prefer Planet of the Apes.

And it just occured to me that Aliens probably has a place on this list.

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

I'm just worried someone will watch Temple of Doom by accident... :)

I agree that the alternatives are better than cramming too many movies on a list, but if someone doesn't get "Soylent Green is made of people", which is referenced everywhere, then they need to see that movie.

[tigermelp.livejournal.com]

I second WarGames, if only for the history factor. If someone were to ask me about the evolution of the gamer geek, that is pretty much where I'd start. First movie with a home computer? First hacking? First geekly-ultimate-power fantasy? It's perfect!

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Shockingly enough, I haven't seen it. (Though also, when I hear "gamer geek", I'm more likely to think tabletop roleplaying than computer games. Not sure why.)

[tigermelp.livejournal.com]

That's actually something I've always wondered: video game player = gamer; rpg player = gamer; video game player /=/ rpg player! (no unequal sign on this thing, sorry!)

Anyone know why, and/or care to explain?

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

There have been long an involved discussions (most recently, for me, at this past I-Con) of what exactly it means to be a "gamer". And the best I've got is that "game" is a very broad word that requires modification, but in casual conversation we like to shorten things. So rather than say "video gamer" or "tabletop gamer" or "board gamer" (or even "baseball gamer"), you just say "gamer".

My personal bias is probably related to the fact that video games are, at least nowadays, typically something I do by myself or occasionally with one other person. Tabletop gaming is my weekly social activity, therefore what I'm more likely to define myself by in social situations. "Gaming Night" features rpgs, not video games.

Does that make any headway on your question?

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

Monty Python, Army of Darkness, Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth have already been mentioned.

I would also add

in sci-fi:

First two Alien movies
Close Encounters (though I don't like, it was certainly seminal)
The Road Warrior
Dune


in fantasy:

The Neverending Story (come on, dude...)
Willow


in superhero/comic book:

Blade (like it or not, it kicked off the modern era of this genre)


For bonus points:

6-string Samurai
The Warriors

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

You really think you need Dark Crystal and Labyrinth and The Neverending Story and Willow? I think you can make do with one of the four, preferably Labyrinth.

I'm not a huge Blade fan, but you have a point.

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

I can accept using Labyrinth in the place of Dark Crystal, because not only does it have Jim Henson's work, but it has David Bowie.

I will grant that Willow is probably safe to leave out, but I argue that it deserves inclusion because it is a LucasArts film that is neither Star Wars or Indiana Jones, and is evidence that George Lucas could do something besides rip off his own franchises after he became famous, which is an extremely geeky factoid. Also, Warwick Davis.

Neverending Story is possibly the most seminal film of our childhood. It cannot be ignored.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Star Trek 3? Really, dude?

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

For the transition from Wrath of Kahn to Voyage Home. It's a weaker movie, but you really need the connection between the other two, since they're a continuous story.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

For the record, I've never seen 3. 2 and 4 work fine without.

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

Having seen 3, I have to agree. 2 and 4 work fine without, Wikipedia is all you need for 3 if you really want it.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

All you really need for 3 is "Spock gets undeaded."

[mithras03.livejournal.com]

You know they've re-made "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly? I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth when I watched the preview. Some movies should be left alone because they are genius. And a note on "Blade Runner" - I was watching "Top Design" on Bravo (don't ask), which is for interior designers, and the challenge was to design window displays for clothing designers from project runway. One of them said he wanted a "Blade Runner" feel for the window and asked if either interior designer on his team had seen the film. Total blank looks from both of them - neither of them had even heard of it. I was rather shocked, as I thought it was one of the most famous movies of the 20th century, but what do I know....

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

You know they've re-made "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly?

I had heard. It's on the list of knowledge to be deleted from my brain and replaced with details of the Pon Farr.

[shnayder.livejournal.com]

Wow. It appears that I am seriously uneducated... I did see most of your original list, but have seen almost none of the things folks have suggested.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Obviously you need to fill some of your free time with movie-watching excitement.

[shnayder.livejournal.com]

What is this "free time" of which you speak?

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Time in which you might otherwise be sleeping, reading or lost in the woods.

[lithoglyphic.livejournal.com]

I got to 18 without watching Star Wars. But at least I'd HEARD of Darth Vader. (Then again, my elementary school did designate their printers as the Millennium Falcon and Chewbacca.)

The PUB made up for many of my deficiencies... However I still lack about a quarter of those you listed.

[lithoglyphic.livejournal.com]

Oh, and my vote for inclusion (I will make only one):

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow