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

[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?