Just realised I am a film philistine - dire need of suggestions!

[salamithumbs]

It's only just dawned on me... some friends were talking about favourite films and I had seen barely any of the ones mentioned! Not sure how this happened.. we rented videos regularly when I was a child but the rental place closed down when I was around 10 and from then on I mainly just watched tv series. But now I've reached the ripe old age of 29 and realised I've seen hardly any films that are not musicals or children's films 😳
Any suggestions? They don't need to be the best films of all time, just anything you enjoyed. When I google 'best films to watch' the lists are very highbrow... it's not that I don't want to watch anything serious, it's just I want to watch it because it's enjoyable/moving rather than because it was groundbreaking at the time iyswim. Obvious suggestions welcome as there's a high chance I won't have seen it. Only recently saw Titanic for the first time 😬

I have watched and really enjoyed:
Billy Elliot, Stand by Me, Brassed Off, Knives Out, Brooklyn, East is East, Devil Wears Prada, Saving Mr Banks, Mean Girls, Shutter Island, Bridget Jones, Father of the Bride, Planes trains and automobiles, Schindler's List, The Pianist..
..and not a whole lot else!

Amazing suggestions here, but one film that is stylish and absolutely gripping (I thought!) is The Talented Mr Ripley.

Other stylish or aesthetically and culturally important films would be:

The Royal Tenenbaums (quirky and you'll recognise the aesthetic immediately)
Crazy Rich Asians (big box office hit - everybody is hot, it's practically a musical it's so BIG)
Call Me By Your Name (sexy, romantic, Italy, very gay)
Withnail and I (iconic Richard E Grant in the 80's)
Ocean's 11 (I enjoyed it anyway!)
Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola)
Drive (Ryan Gosling being moody)
North by Northwest (honestly black and white Hitchcock films are AMAZING)
Alien (spectacular and ahead of its time - Sigourney Weaver is incredible)
Dune (the recent one because it's brilliant or watch the hilarious 80's one just for the WTF??? factor)
Fight Club (Brad Pitt being crazy)

I would say they're all "important" films to have in your "I've seen that" list, and they all look incredible (visually, I mean) too.

My personal top ten (in. O particular order) is:

The Talented Mr Ripley
The Martian
Dead Poets Society
The Breakfast Club
Catch Me If You Can
Wolf of Wall Street
Speed
Gladiator
Moulin Rouge
Jo Jo Rabbit

Do you have Netflix?

It has like buttons and algorithms that show you films similar to the films you have already watched.

Im not sure if other suppliers do the same eg prime, sky etc.

That might help you with your choice.

My faves are The Others, Sixth Sense, Fargo, Groundhog Day, Pulp Fiction, Misery...

Not a film per say but I recently watched The Dropout and Dopesick on Disney and really enjoyed them and realised I would liketo watch more stuff based on true life )but not murders, I can't watch them, too bleak).

Dopesick is particular absolutely blew me away. The sheer greed of those involved and utter disregard for the lives they destroyed. I have much more compassion for addicts too as had never really comprehended how much harm it does to everyone involved.

Incredible acting from Michael Keaton (DH kept saying "Batman would never stand for this"!) and t actress that played Betsy.

I cried lots

Passerillage gosh yes, I love The Talented Mr Ripley!

Almost anything by Hitchcock.

Some golden age classics are great:

the Philadelphia Story and/or it’s musical version High Society
Gypsy
West Side Story
His Girl Friday
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
The Maltese Falcon
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
Harvey
Roman Holiday
A Matter of Life and Death (and of course the much later A Matter of Loaf and Death)

Later:
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Blues Brothers
Diva (weird, but wonderful)

Recently, I really enjoyed Living, which I think is now on Netflix, and Rye Lane.

When Harry Met Sally
Shawshank
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Citizen Kane
Spartacus
Casablanca
Pulp Fiction
Fish Called Wanda
Life if Brian
Holy Grail
Withnail
Gone with the Wind

@salamithumbs

Foreign language is a great shout, your post reminded me that I used to watch French and Italian films back when I was learning the languages and really enjoyed films like Les Choristes, Io non ho paura and La Vita e Bella so will google some foreign language lists.

A bit marmite but have a look out for "Juste La Fin Du Monde", worth a watch if only for the cast.

Thanks @Passerillage I've seen ads for The Talented Mr Ripley and always meant to watch it! Haven't seen the others except Ocean's 11 which I really enjoyed so will add them to the list! Definitely trying to expand my 'I've seen that' database

If you like Stephen King, you might like films directed by M. Night Shyamalan

6th sense
The village
Unbreakable
Split
Signs
Glass
Old

I LOVED Catch me if you can and Jojo Rabbit, how could I forget @EveryBlinkingDay ! Will try the others!

Thanks @Isheabastard , I do have netflix but I tend to watch series on it so it rarely suggests films... also doesn't help the algorithm that my dc watch on my account 😬 yesterday Pippi Longstocking came up in my recommended! Must create a separate profile for myself to save the algorithm!

Oh yes I've been meaning to watch Fargo @Funkyslippers ! Thought Frances Mc Dormand was brilliant in Three Billboards

Thanks @tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz , they sound right up my alley! Love a good documentary/drama series

Thanks for all the suggestions @ReignOfError , I absolutely love West Side Story, both the original and the newer one by Spielberg. Definitely need to watch Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's, I loved Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady!

thanks @PuppyMonkey , have been meaning to watch When Harry Met Sally for so long and never got round to it! Haven't seen any except Ferris Bueller and Gone with the Wind, will add to the list

Looks interesting, thanks @notimagain !

Thanks @wildwestpioneer , haven't seen any of them! Still in the halloween mood so wouldn't mind a good horror

Thanks @SkaneTos , I do love a film set in Northern England (despite being Irish and never having been there!) Also loved Kes

The whole of Withnail and I is on youtube and worth watching. It's one that gets quoted quite a bit. So do Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz which are fun easy watches.
If you're Irish you should watch some of the McDonagh brothers films: In Bruges, The Guard, Calvary.
I Went Down is worth the watch and so is The Stag.
The Field is a classic I suppose but the most miserable depressing film ever.

Truly Madly Deeply
Wings of Desire

If you enjoyed Billy Elliott and Brassed Off, you will love Pride. And The Full Monty. Absolute classic of that type of film. i could watch it 100 times. Purely Belter is under-rated - similar type of film, beautifully acted but sadder iirc.

You like northern films. It's not famous but I absolutely LOVED Northern Soul about the introduction of soul music to the northern dance clubs - brilliant film that took me straight back to my youth.

I've actually seen Hot Fuzz and loved it @popowershowerforanhour so will definitely try Shaun of the Dead! Must watch the Irish films as well...now that I think about it, I've seen embarrassingly few films set in Ireland bar The Snapper, Mickybo and Me, and Songs for a Raggy Boy 🙀