What's Your Movie Canon?

Hello Hivemind!

Tody's challenge - list the top twenty(-ish) movies you think contain the most standard "assumed viewing" and cultural knowledge for somebody living in Australia today. The ones that people assume you saw, living up in a Western/English speaking country, and make jokes about and the ones which TV shows obliquely refer to without being clear what they're referring to.

Why? For viewing suggestions of movies I can watch with my lovely flatmate, known to some of you. She has pretty much no knowledge of the English-speaking movie "canon" and I keep realising more and more how limiting that is for somebody living here! Also, movies are fun and watching things with friends is fun and we can get them free from the local library because they're old, so they suit our budget. Also, my flatmate and I are not massively keen on horror or stuff with a bunch of sex or gore, so we're steering a bit towards "family-ish" movies. Which isn't to say we won't add adult rated stuff to the viewing list, just that it'd have to be even more culturally relevant to make the grade :).


Obviously, this is an INCREDIBLY subjective type of list and will vary wildly depending on almost everything, including what country you live in, your tastes, and when you were born... but the more folks share their ideas, the more I can see what comes up in everybody's lists.

We have already watched these:
- The Wizard of Oz
- The Princess Bride

Ones that I've thought of already, in absolutely no particular order, include:
- Back to the Future
- Gone With The Wind?
- ET
- Ghostbusters
- Home Alone?
- Neverending Story
- Labyrinth?

- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Star Wars 4, 5, 6
- Star Trek - which one(s)?

- Muppet Movie

- Fight Club
- The Matrix (probably just the first one?)

What sayeth you?