[hey_it's_that_dog]

But it's not an actual war, it's a movie about one. War movies aren't automatically more important than every other kind of movie.

I don't think I said that.

[GillianSeed79]

I personally love this film, as it's probably one of the only WWII films that didn't shy away from the sheer violence of that war. It seemed accurate. I feel really bad the Pearl Harbor guys got stuck with Michael Bay.

That said dude, you were born in 1980. I view “important films” as those that change people's world views during the generation they live in. Stuff like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I was born in 79, so something like Philadelphia I would consider an important film in my lifetime. I was born after Doctor Strangelove, but, as dumb as it sounds, War Games helped me make sense/utterly scared the shit out of me growing up during the 1980s with the Cold War and all.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I view those films as pop culturaly important, but not super important.

The closest thing of late that I would say is “important” is maybe The Hurt Locker. There's almost a Dr. Strangelove level of absurdity with that movie that is based in reality. I don't know. I'm kind dwelling on the fact I just saw an old co-worker again today that was completely changed by the war. The coming home party at the office was the most awkward thing I've ever felt and, I don't know, you could see the “You have no idea what I saw” look in her face. She works at the local military base now because I think she feels more comfortable there, but I miss the old her whenever I see her.

[RobotChant]

He didn't say big he said important. WW2 was more important than a giant ship sinking by acccident.

That giant ship sinking movie was watched by practically every one and made lots of money.

Define important. Serious or impact.

[Zhengi]

First post got it.

[ToxicAdam]

Band of Brothers should be required reading in high school. Hell, most of Ambrose's books should be. I've read them all.

[-Pyromaniac-]

SPR is magnificent but Band of Brothers is simply majestic.

[MidnightCowboy]

I'm not quite sure, but the most important movie for me is probably Disney related.

[SteveWinwood]

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

[Open Source]

Call of Duty was originally Saving Private Ryan in game form, so there's that...

[Charles Foster Kane]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was also very important in my life. It's probably the movie I watched the most as a kid. I recorded it on VHS and watched the heel out of it back in the 90s. The Matrix was also very important for me.

[x3n05]

Stand by me has a special spot in my memory. I was around the same age as the group of kids when I first saw this and for the first time I realised that I might actually have to grow up at some stage, 20+ years later, I still haven't :)

[FStop7]

It's a pretty amazing film.

FUCK UPHAM

[SalsaShark]

FUCK UPHAM

sigh

[Charles Foster Kane]

A Perfect World was the first movie I can remember bringing to tears. I was so affected by this movie. I didn't know its name until recently. I remembered it as the movie I used to cry to when I was little.

[krioto]

I cannot believe no one has mentioned 'Days of Thunder'.

When I saw Nicole Kidman cast as a psychologist, I just knew that anything could be, and is possible.

[Tekniqs]

Dat opening scene. I remember there was a frenzy in FPS games around that time and everyone wanted to replicate the Normandy beach landing. One game did it really good though, forgot it's name.

Medal of Honor: something something

[Foxy Fox 39]

It was one of the first movie's I saw (if not the very first) where the realization of war really hit me.

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

To stay in the same realm as the OP - The Fog of War is an infinitely more important work, in terms of what it has to say about the nature of war, and the waging of it. Less impact on the cultural consciousness in the short-term, but it will age far better and have far more lasting value.

[Laughing Banana]

That knife scene.

One of the most shocking "good guys die" scenes I can remember. And the opening scene is incredible.

The whole premise of the movie seems so stupid though.

[blainethemono]

Band Of Brothers made SPR irrelevant.

Band of Brothers makes pretty much everything irrelevant. SPR was great, but it was BoB that really blew me away and got me intensely interested in WWII history in general

[Angry Fork]

You were born in 1980 how does WW2 have any more significant impact towards you than some other event that you've actually lived through. And I don't understand how you can think Saving Private Ryan is relevant to kids growing up. You were 19 when it was released (if you saw it then) which is young but by kid people assume you mean 7-14 years old. Am I missing something?

[SiteSeer]

You just game me a huge flashback. Thank you very much :) I remember how much I loved this and the original. I used to watch them a lot.

same here, i recorded it on tv and i watched that vhs so much. watching the theater-rated version is strange to me. anyhow, i still find myself quoting from this movie, to the consternation of the people around me.

[bomma_man]

To stay in the same realm as the OP - The Fog of War is an infinitely more important work, in terms of what it has to say about the nature of war, and the waging of it. Less impact on the cultural consciousness in the short-term, but it will age far better and have far more lasting value.

Brilliant film.

The beach landing scene in SPR is great, the rest is eye-rollingly schmultzy. I mean, jesus. (spoilers)

The Thin Red Line was infinitely superior.

[richiek]

The Thin Red Line is the superior WWII film to come out in 1998.

[Jimothy]

Brilliant film. The beach landing scene in SPR is great, the rest is eye-rollingly schmultzy. I mean, jesus. (spoilers) The Thin Red Line was infinitely superior.

Spielberg makes audience manipulation an art form.

his adventure movies are cool tho

[Scullibundo]

TTRL is an amazing film. SPR is the better film. We're lucky we got two amazing War films from two amazing directors that year.

And yes, outside of the awful bookends that last around 2 mins a piece, SPR is fucking amazing. Just like WotW, people looking to discount SPR because of a couple of minutes of schmaltz total make me scratch my head.

[Charles Foster Kane]

TTRL is an amazing film. SPR is the better film. We're lucky we got two amazing War films from two amazing directors that year. And yes, outside of the awful bookends that last around 2 mins a piece, SPR is fucking amazing. Just like WotW, people looking to discount SPR because of a couple of minutes of schmaltz total make me scratch my head.

This. Also, if we are talking about the most important films or our generation (1990-present) I would agree with you about Schindler's List.

[computers putin']

Saving Private Ryan did nothing for me. Blankman on the other hand changed my life.....

[C4Lukins]

I was born in 1980 and I don't think there is more important film in terms of relevance to US kids growing up than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998). Here is the trailer for its release in 1999 and I can't think of a more signifant film in my lifetime. Can you? Saving Private Ryan

I was also born in 1980 and I would have to disagree. I love the film, but the overall message I just never got. There is more of a message in that opening awesome battle then the rest of the film combined. We all sacrificed so you could live, and earn that life and create a better world. Nice message and all, but the best parts of that film do not deal directly with that.

Schindler's List IMO is much more important. It is more informative first off regarding the entirety of the war and what it was about. Beyond that it is about a very selfish character who chooses to do the right thing on his own, unlike SPR where the characters are forced to do so and only in the throngs of death do they get it. I love both movies, but I would have to say SL is the most important film of our time not only because of the message, but because well it is just a better film. 90's Spielberg for the win either way.

[Buckethead]

False.

[Riposte]

People need to stop throwing around the word important so freely. It looks silly.

[Radec]

I'd rank SPR #3 of my favorite WWII films.

1. Schindler's List
2. The Pianist
3. Saving Private Ryan

Any more recommendations gaf?

[THE NO LIFE KING]

Armageddon is the most important film in my lifetime.

[brianmcdoogle]

I'd rank SPR #3 of my favorite WWII films. 1. Schindler's List 2. The Pianist 3. Saving Private Ryan Any more recommendations gaf?

From my post earlier asking the OP questions, I listed a couple of movies:

The Thin Red Line, The Big Red One, Flags of our Fathers / Letters from Iwo Jima, Shoah, Downfall, Come and See, and Das Boot?

[Charles Foster Kane]

I'd rank SPR #3 of my favorite WWII films. 1. Schindler's List 2. The Pianist 3. Saving Private Ryan Any more recommendations gaf?

Come and See and Ivan's Childhood come to mind. I love both. Highly recommended.

Beaten lol. Downfall, Letter from Iwo Jima, das boot and Shoah are great from brianmcdoogle mentions. I haven't watched the others.

[zoukka]

I dunno. Even though it made effort in showing the horror of war, I was mostly excited and blown away by the effects as a kid. It glorified war too much for my taste.

[C4Lukins]

People need to stop throwing around the word important so freely. It looks silly.

Well I mean it is the topic of the thread.

But yeah some movies are important. How many millions of people know about D-Day or the Holocaust because of a couple of well made movies? Not that these are educational films, but they are good movies that could get a ton of people into discovering history. Even something like Jurassic Park. How many people had the slightest understanding of the potential of cloning, dna and such before that film came around. No doubt these films have inspired people to explore things that they never would have. They are not important because their message is so deep and new, but because a younger generation is inspired by them and pursues some form of study that may one day help the rest of us out.

[Discotheque]

I like Thin Red Line more. SPR probably has the best war scene on film with the opening beach invasion though.

[Scullibundo]

I dunno. Even though it made effort in showing the horror of war, I was mostly excited and blown away by the effects as a kid. It glorified war too much for my taste.

Not this stupid shit again. You are bad at watching movies if you think SPR glorified war.

[zoukka]

Not this stupid shit again. You are bad at watching movies if you think SPR glorified war.

It's not the worst offender by far, but I remember getting all hyper as a kid after watching it and playing "guns" all day with my friends. My standards in this matter do not represent the majority I believe though.

[brianmcdoogle]

Not this stupid shit again. You are bad at watching movies if you think SPR glorified war.

I think the middle of SPR isn't that good, and don't get me started on Paul Haggis' stupid bookends, but if a movie is talked about as being pro-war, glorifying war, and anti-war, then it's doing something right. I know Ebert said SPR was kind of an anti-war film, and I've heard other people discuss it as such. As well, there are people like Kubrick who think that all war films in nature glorify war. Who knows?

edit: I can't find the Kubrick quote, but I believe it was in discussion on his thoughts pre-FMJ. He was struggling on a way to film the movie without it glorifying war, but then concluded that any war movie glorifies war to some degree.

Here's one of the Ebert quotes: "While most war films are "anti-war," they are always anti-war from the point of view of the winning side. They say, "War is hell, and we won." Shouldn't anti-war films be told from the point of view of the losers? War was hell, and they lost."

[zoukka]

I think the middle of SPR isn't that good, and don't get me started on Paul Haggis' stupid bookends, but if a movie is talked about as being pro-war, glorifying war, and anti-war, then it's doing something right. I know Ebert said SPR was kind of an anti-war film, and I've heard other people discuss it as such. As well, there are people like Kubrick who think that all war films in nature glorify war. Who knows?

Well I do know, that FMJ glorifies it less than SPR if we have to make the comparison :b

[lastplayed]

I'd rank SPR #3 of my favorite WWII films. 1. Schindler's List 2. The Pianist 3. Saving Private Ryan Any more recommendations gaf?

Kelly's Heroes

[bunbun777]

When I was a kid I watched Beverly Hills Cop like 9 times in one year.

But biggest impact recently in last 10 years?

Enron: the smartest guys in the room
Akira
and...
Joe Dirt

[Oxigen_Waste]

Because I cannot think of a more important film (in terms of historical relevance) that I have seen since being born in 1980

Historical relevance? Schindler, Pianist, Downfall and Das Boot are all way more relevant than SPR, in regard to that same event (ww2). SPR is quite irrelevant by comparison. Also, BoB. Yeah. You're the most culturally naive 32 year old on the planet, friend!

=D

[Instigator]

I was born in 1980 and I don't think there is more important film in terms of relevance to US kids growing up than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998). Here is the trailer for its release in 1999 and I can't think of a more signifant film in my lifetime. Can you? Saving Private Ryan

Important life lessons in Saving Private Ryan. If you run across a German, kill him right there on the spot. Because if you let slip him away, he's just going to screw you over and then you'll have to kill him anyway or he's going to kill you.

[bomma_man]

I'd rank SPR #3 of my favorite WWII films. 1. Schindler's List 2. The Pianist 3. Saving Private Ryan Any more recommendations gaf?

Grave of the Fireflies

[G_Berry]

JIMMY RYAN??????

JAMES FRAAAAAAAANCIS RYAN, IOWA.

Sons of anarchy cameo!!!

[strafer]

Thin Red Line is more important, for me.

[coldvein]

fight club is a good choice. the matrix was pretty big for me, too. saving private ryan? nah...