The GASP List
Readers who’ve been with me for awhile remember the good ol’ Gasp List – the list of movies – compiled from various sources – that you seriously should have seen if you want to have anything to do with the movies whatsoever…if you haven’t seen these movies, first we GASP and then we give you a dirty look and then we roll you in peanut butter then brads and then we throw you into the Silver Lake Reservoir with a clawing, desperate writer roped to one leg and a snarling, exclusive agent roped to the other. The water will be whipped to a froth while you slowly sink under the waves ruing the day you didn’t deign to see BLUE VELVET and being struck, mildly, in your last moments, how Lynchian your fate probably is, but you’d know for sure if you HAD seen BLUE VELVET and dude, you’re totally going to write about this – before it goes completely black.
Many movies – thousands – are NOT on the Gasp List because say for example if you’re a serious sci-fi/action writer and you never saw 27 DRESSES, well, you know, cute romcom but not having seen it by far does not warrant a peanut butter/brad frenzied drowning in a lake. HOWEVER. You should have seen WHEN HARRY MET SALLY because it was in many ways seminal with its iconic moments and fresh approach to romcom. If you’re a romcom writer of any stripe, I’m sorry, if you haven’t seen ALIEN, you suck and will be bradded and roped. But if you haven’t seen PREDATOR – seriously, that ain’t no Gasp Lister so you’re cool.
So ideally, we should all strive to have seen every single title on the Gasp List. But then, the Gasp List always provokes a lot of heated conversation – What?? A BRIDGE TOO FAR isn’t on the Gasp List?! Nope. It’s not. Good movie, but not a Gasper according the to International Gasp Review Commission.
You see, there’s a sub-list, one rung below the GASP and that is the Oh really? You should see it sometime. I really like it.
So here for your viewing pleasure, is the latest iteration of the Gasp List. How many films have you seen on this list? Put what you haven’t seen on your Netflix queue and round out your film viewing track record and stay safe from the no doubt very uncomfortable but quite cinematic and ironic event at the reservoir. Our very own Chaia sweetly added a genre distinction to each listing so you can see how you’ve done by genre.
And of course – let the arguing commence. But nice arguing because this is JFEME and that’s how we roll:
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY – sci fi
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE – drama
ADAM’S RIB – screwball comedy
ALIEN – sci-fi
ALL ABOUT EVE – drama
AMADEUS – drama
AMERICAN BEAUTY – drama
ANIMAL HOUSE – comedy
ANNIE HALL – comedy
APOCALYPSE NOW – drama
ARTHUR – romantic comedy
BACK TO THE FUTURE – action/adventure
BIG – comedy
BLUE VELVET – drama
BORN YESTERDAY – screwball comedy
BRAZIL – cult/fantasy
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS – romantic comedy
THE BREAKFAST CLUB – drama
BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI
BRINGING UP BABY – screwball comedy
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
CASABLANCA – drama
CHARIOTS OF FIRE – sports drama
CHARLIE CHAPLIN (any or all) – slapstick comedy
CHINATOWN – drama
CITIZEN KANE – drama
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE – drama
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
DELIVERANCE – drama
DIE HARD – action
DOUBLE INDEMNITY – noir
ET – sci-fi
THE EXORCIST – horror
FARGO – black comedy
FATAL ATTRACTION – thriller
FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF
FINDING NEMO – family
FORREST GUMP – drama
THE FRENCH CONNECTION – crime thriller
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY – drama
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES – comedy
GLADIATOR – action/adventure
THE GODFATHER – drama
GONE WITH THE WIND – drama
GOODFELLAS – crime/drama
THE GRADUATE – comedy
HARVEY – comedy
HIGH NOON – western
HIS GIRL FRIDAY – comedy
INDIANA JONES – action/adventure
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE – drama
JAMES BOND (any)
JAWS – action/adventure
KARATE KID – sports
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA – adventure/drama
LETHAL WEAPON – action/adventure
MALTESE FALCON – noir
MARATHON MAN
THE MATRIX – action/adventure
MEMENTO – mystery/thriller
MILDRED PIERCE – drama/noir
MONTY PYTHON (Life of Brian or the Holy Grail)
MOONSTRUCK – romantic comedy
NETWORK – drama
ON THE WATERFRONT – drama
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST – drama
PATTON – drama
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN – action/adventure
THE PLAYER – comedy
PRETTY WOMAN – romantic comedy
THE PRINCESS BRIDE – action/adventure
PSYCHO – thriller
PULP FICTION – drama
RAGING BULL – sports
REAR WINDOW – noir
REBECCA – noir
RED RIVER – western
RISKY BUSINESS – comedy
ROCKY – sports
ROSEMARY’S BABY – horror
SABRINA – romantic comedy
SCARFACE – crime drama
SCHINDLER’S LIST – drama
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION – drama
THE SHINING – thriller
SHREK – family
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS – crime thriller
SILKWOOD – drama
SINGIN IN THE RAIN – musical
THE SIXTH SENSE – supernatural thriller
SOME LIKE IT HOT – comedy
STAR WARS – sci-fi
SUNSET BOULEVARD – drama
TAXI DRIVER – drama
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS –biblical drama
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT – drama
THELMA AND LOUISE – drama
TOOTSIE – romantic comedy
TOY STORY – family
TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE – western
THE USUAL SUSPECTS – crime drama
WALL STREET – drama
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY – romantic comedy
THE WIZARD OF OZ – family/musical
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This seems more like a list required for holding your own in pop culture, rather than being a part of the film industry. As far as SCOFFABILITY goes, I think there are a lot of genre choices that could easily be substituted. Haven’t seen Ten Commandments? Ben Hur will do. Same goes for Animal House (Meatballs, Porkies), Rebecca (Suspision, Indiscrete), Breakfast Club (Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink), The French Connection (Serpico, Marathon Man), or The Karate Kid (The Karate Kid??? Really?).
As for romantic comedies, why not the two best romantic comedy scripts ever written: The Apartment and Marty?
Hi Julie,
I have a long list, which is part of your list. Actually it’s a short list…APOCALYPSE NOW – drama.
I see it once a year. Thanks for the Gasp list Julie. Good one. I agree with your list.
And keep up the great blog.
All right, already, I’ll watch MILDRED PIERCE.
It’s on my shelf (in VHS).
And then I will be whole.
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
I would argue that listing Treasure of the Sierre Madre as a “western” isn’t the right category, but I wouldn’t know where to put it, except maybe adventure/drama…
Overall, you’re not big on Westerns period, how could you leave off something like, The Magnificent Seven or even True Grit?
Or war movies like, The Great Escape or Saving Private Ryan?
Or something like the classic crime movies, White Heat or The Killers?
No foreign films. Interesting. And no documentaries. Is this list from Alaska?
I feel relief because I’ve actually watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time ever last week…Better late than never, right…
And I’m French, I’ve got excuses…lol
I have to brush up – I have missed 12 on this list! Damm-it! But there is some that should be on it. Donnie Darko for one. Ferris B of course! What about the LORs!
OK — you made me gasp. Where are Top Hat, Bridge on the River Kwai, From Russia With Love, Cabaret, Philadelphia Story, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Bringing Up Baby, The Great Escape, Singin’ in the Rain, (the Judy Garland James mason) A Star is Born, Three Days of the Condor, The Way We Were, Dark Victory, Ninotchka, Mean Streets, The Sting, Hud, Cool Hand Luke, Swingtime, Holiday, Dirty Harry, The Road Warrior, The King and I, The Sound of Music, The Birds, North by Niorthwest, The Last Picture Show, The Jerk …. among so many others?
I have to say, I fell asleep during Annie Hall and It’s A Wonderful Life gives me scabies of the brain. But besides those two, I agree…
This list always evokes all sorts of feelings about what a MUST SEE movie list should look like. It is an interesting reflection of what your jumping off point is when it comes to the world of film. Mind you, this is not my personal list, necessarily, though I did contribute. Some of the suggestions above make me cringe – OH NO, that title should have been on the list! And others make me chuckle – oh, that’s ridiculous. And so it goes. It’s a fun exercise in exploring what we love about film the best.
I’d like to add one, I have some evidence for it’s qualification. At work we have a few rehearsal rooms, and when we are not using them we get outside hirers in. Yesterday, the MARY POPPINS people were in doing auditions for the stage show (is it a Disney show?). I made the whole office gasp when I said that I had never seen the movie. They sung a few of the songs to me as well, I drew a blank, except for that one about petals on roses and whiskers and kittens or whatever. There must have been some Poppins free black hole over my household growing up. I did see the Sherri Bobbins Simpsons episode though. That was great! Goes to show, you don’t always need to get the reference.
I’d be interested to see a list of directors that people should be up to scratch on. Not so much a gasp list, but a recommended list for the film snob. I’d probably judge someone if they’d never seen at least one Terry Gilliam or Mel Brooks or Peter Weir or Christopher Nolan film. What about a list of great directors that you should be familiar with…?
@ J. Oh no! Annie Hall is in my top five. Watch it again!
Okay, maybe Cat on a Hot Tin Roof isn’t monumental, I give in.
But the person had a point on foreign, maybe “Il Postino”?
Phew, I’m doing better than I had expected. Please, please don’t make me watch THE SHINING and THE EXORCIST. I’ll be sleeping with one eye open for a week.
THE WILD BUNCH
Sam Peckinpah is the reason we have Quentin Tarantino and Martin McDonagh.
I reckon FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF belongs on the list, and for real-life drama you can’t beat APOLLO 13. My foreign film vote would go to CINEMA PARADISO.
I’ve wanted to see Altman’s THE PLAYER for years and finally caught it on TV at 3:00 AM with my eyes propped open with matchsticks. Meh. SHORT CUTS was far superior.
Boy, foreign movies that I have loved – so many – definitely Il Postino, Entres Nous, Amelie, Toto the Hero, Walkabout, My Life as a Dog, Under the Sand, Jules et Jim, The Bicycle Thief – we should have a foreign subset of the Gasp List. But the primary thing about the Gasp List is that it really is a primer – not the end all list, but a big jumping off point.
Thank god, no Titanic. But why not Terminator 2? Cameron gets no love here.
Also, what about Dr. Strangelove? Did Kurbick already have too many entries?
Thanks Julie!
You’re always so informative and entertaining.
This list is genius.
I’ve added the ones I haven’t seen to my netflix queue.
I won’t say which ones (no need to gasp).