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A Bridge Too Far and Big Trouble in Little China. Those were my favorites as a kid.

 Gitzbitah wrote:
Wow.... I guess we probably ought to be prefacing these with a timeframe. I've got an 8 and a 5 year old.... so many of these films would cause nightmares for a week, or assure they'd cry most of the night.

I mean Watership Down? That's a terrifying, grotesque movie! Great, sure, but really hard to watch.

And Grave of the Fireflies? Yikes.

Well yeah its a general smattering of films and suggestions without any age ranges cause everyone is a little different. Whilst Watership Down and Plague dogs might be too much for yours they might instead utterly love My Neighbour Totoro or Spirited Away or Arriety (all three Studio Ghibil films).

Also see if you can find Animals of Farthing Wood - that TV series is a must (also whilst you're at it He-Man - The Raccoons - Defenders of the Earth - Brave Star* - Dungeons and Dragons - Pirates of Blackwater - and mostly anything animated in that era of TV)


*If they get hooked on that Wild West Exodus has some great inspired stuff by it including their own version of Thirty Thirty in both forms

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Vulcan wrote:
A Clockwork Orange. Both have strong messages that should not be ignored

Yeah, but for children?!?

Maybe follow that up with something "light" like Last Exit to Brooklyn or LvT's Nymphomaniac? or Mother?

I'm 47. My mother still considers me her child. The definition of 'your children' and 'grow up' is surprisingly flexible, depending on your point of view. The OP mentioned his daughter was 18; plenty old enough for A Clockwork Orange.

The Sting.
Seriously.
Went to college with a guy that got hit with the exact scam in the beginning of the film, the one that sets up the rest of the movie.
Made him watch it to be sure.

There are others: Suburbia, Absolute Beginners, Into the Night, Some of the Hammer films from the 60/70s Especially the first few Dracula Movies, Harvey, The Trouble with Harry (Original), All Quiet on the Western Front, Shaft, some of John Waters films, …. I could list way too many more.

Just to be evil, Plan Nine From Outer Space, and Manos.

 Gitzbitah wrote:
Wow.... I guess we probably ought to be prefacing these with a timeframe. I've got an 8 and a 5 year old.... so many of these films would cause nightmares for a week, or assure they'd cry most of the night.

I mean Watership Down? That's a terrifying, grotesque movie! Great, sure, but really hard to watch.

And Grave of the Fireflies? Yikes.

I watched Pink Flamingos at age five and look how great I turned out, showing toddlers graphic depictions of blood and gore makes them want to become doctors, showing violent mobster movies will make them want to become lawyers, showing hard "R" content to children at a young age

does nothing but benefit the world.

If you can find it, the Rankin-Bass animated adaptation of The Hobbit is worth tracking down. It has all the important lessons of the book (being small and clever is as good as, if not better than, big and powerful, for example), but without the CGI battle scenes and bunny chariots. Also, it's well under six hours long, unlike other versions I could name.

From the ones that I haven't seen listed so far, Shawshank Redemption would be my recommendation.

Still one of my personal favourites as well.

The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind is a great film to go back to, although admittedly not that old.

The Dark Crystal is definitely wroth a pop for children, I'd like to pick Small Soldiers but I think that might just be a personal preference!

Small Soldiers is a great film and one of those lost gems I think. It's one of those films thats great and yet also I find easily forgettable - although I think that is partly because its legacy was very short and it hasn't entered the popular culture in the same way that things like Lion King have.

The Iron Giant
ET
Muppet Christmas Carol
Stardust


And if you dont like them, The Tigger movie (a heart breaking exploration of identity and friendship)

 JoshInJapan wrote:
If you can find it, the Rankin-Bass animated adaptation of The Hobbit is worth tracking down. It has all the important lessons of the book (being small and clever is as good as, if not better than, big and powerful, for example), but without the CGI battle scenes and bunny chariots. Also, it's well under six hours long, unlike other versions I could name.

I absolutely love that movie! It was my first exposure to the world of Middle-earth as a kid (I think I was like 10 when I first saw it).

As for what I'd want my kids to see, the list is really too long, but it would include:
The Last Starfighter
Mad Max Fury Road
Hellfighters
Big Trouble in Little China
All three of the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies
Avatar
Star Wars (at least the classic trilogy)
The Great Escape
The Ten Commandments
The Wizard of Oz
Kelly's Heroes
The Dirty Dozen
Dragonheart
The Princess Bride
and many, many, many more.

Some not necessarily made for kids but accessible to them..

Babe
Jurassic Park
An American Tale
Grease
Stand By Me
The Truman Show


and the only film that has ever been made without any flaws, unrepeatable, unimpeachable, perfect .....

Groundhog Day

They Live

Cracking movie that.

There is no way KK's daughter is 18 because that would mean that I am *starts doing math using fingers and toes* no nooo NOOOOOOOOOOOOO /faints


Secret of Nihm
Emperor's New Groove
Goonies
Neverending Story

Ooooooooooooooh Secret of Nihm is one of those movies I've been DYINIG to get my daughter to watch. it's also on the list of movies my wife thinks is terrible and doesn't actively WANT my daughter watching it.

 Just Tony wrote:
Ooooooooooooooh Secret of Nihm is one of those movies I've been DYINIG to get my daughter to watch. it's also on the list of movies my wife thinks is terrible and doesn't actively WANT my daughter watching it.

Solution - replace wife with brand new Skaven army.
Expose daughter to the wonder that is the Secret of Nihm!


Alternative solution - promise that its Nihm instead of Watership Down




ALSO I remembered a few others worth mentioning!
The Rescuers and the Rescuers Down Under - both great earlier Disney films that have sort of become forgotten alongside some of the bigger hits. Great films each on their own right!

Fern Gully - The Last Rainforest (don't try the sequel its terrible in plot and also artistic direction) great film and one that really should have had more lasting impact than it sadly has.

I've never seen the Secret of NIMH. It used to be advertised at the back of the aperbacks I read as a kid (probably the Chronicles of Narnia), alongside Alan Garner's novels and that sort of thing. Never did get round to reading them, though.

That movie is good as an adult as well. It's just a fantastic movie.

One film/series of films I would suggest, and suggest for a specific reason are the Monty Python films. . . Now, I personally only have Life of Brian and Holy Grail, but they have actually served me quite well in university.

See, while most of us would agree that the Pythons are iconic, and we may not agree on how "funny" they are, they are quite important to watch, and more important to quote.

During my time in uni, I've cracked a few "frozen" profs with liberal python quotes in class. . . In a few courses, I've made good friends with the prof (granted, I was no 19 year old kid. . . I'd done 10 years in the military before hitting the uni) because of their fandom, and because most of the kids looked at me, the profs and anyone else laughing because they had no f-ing clue what we were on about.

Python is a bit like alcohol - its an acquired taste for many.

I'd expose kids to things like Allo Allo, Dad's Army, Only Fools and Horses, Open all Hours, Vicar of Dibly etc.... Ergo good classic comedies. Build them up on those then expose them in bits to Python.

Although I'd say most kids would love the short mini-film at the start of the Meaning of Life!

I need to watch The Meaning Of Life again, if only for the execution scene.


One of the younger soldiers I serve with had never seen Holy Grail, and I quickly rectified that problem.

The Goodies is another solid show. Kind of like the Pythons, but with structure.

For instance?

[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PbwDeUdRGcM[/video]

That reminds me - THE GOONIES!

One thing I'd like to expose any hypothetical offspring to is the UK dub of Insektors - but since it only got a VBHS release decades ago, that's unlikely.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
One thing I'd like to expose any hypothetical offspring to is the UK dub of Insektors - but since it only got a VBHS release decades ago, that's unlikely.

I used to love that!

Though I think if we stray into TV shows then its going to be a LONG list from the 80-90s!

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
The Goodies is another solid show. Kind of like the Pythons, but with structure.

For instance?

Fixed for you

Another fantasy classic - LEGEND!
Also the other big fantasy classic (with real dwarves) - Willow!

Legend is one that I'm chomping at the bit to get my wife's blessing on my daughter watching it. Right now, she says Charlotte will have nightmares from it.

Good call on Willow. Since young Val Kilmer is in it, I won't get any blowback from the wife.