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For me it's war movies and I don't mean stories about things happening while war is going on but movies showing actual war - combat/army. Couldn't care less, give me a movie from the 1920s any day though.

I’d say there aren’t many movies post pandemic that aren’t any good except for a very small few - very small .

To be fair, 8 1/2 is a very particular film with some high concepts and isn’t really a film with mainstream appeal. It’s also black and white AND in Italian, so you might have to work your way up to something like that.

For black and white films to start with, here are some which might be easier to watch because of their near-universal appeal:

Citizen Kane (1941)

Night of the Hunter (1955)

12 Angry Men (1957)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Psycho (1960)

Repulsion (1965)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

The Elephant Man (1980)

or my all-time favorite: Sunset Boulevard (1950)

As for me: no movie is too old. That includes stuff like the 1902 classic “A Trip to the Moon.” Old IS gold. I’m 38, btw.

Great list. I'll add a few

Dr Strangelove

High and Low

The Third Man

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Repulsion might be a bit much for someone just starting to casually getting into movies but the rest are great choices.

I’d also throw in Touch of Evil.

None.

I'm capable of looking past surface details if its a good story and well told.

See, most of those I thought about, but I feel those are slightly tougher for people new to black and white films because of their pacing. I kinda think Night of the Hunter straddles the line slightly, and was iffy about including it. These are all great.

High and Low is actually my second fave. Such an intense film. The way Kurosawa blocks the characters into frame is incredible.

High and Low is probably my favorite Kurosawa movie (Throne of Blood is a pretty close second) and I think it's also probably his most accessible movie for modern audiences. I think it was influential enough that it should feel familiar to anyone who likes Fincher or Bong Joon Ho. Plus OP mentioned trying to get into 8 1/2 so I felt like I should include a foreign language pic.

I usually don't like movies from the 60s. I love things from before and after but 60s movies somehow feel faker.

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Dambusters, Dunkirk and, of course, It's a Wonderful Life.

> I kinda think Night of the Hunter straddles the line slightly

Night of the Hunter in my experience provokes reactions split 50/50 between "wow that was incredible I loved everything" and "that was really weird but it was neat I guess"

> That includes stuff like the 1902 classic “A Trip to the Moon.”

Which ironically is available in color!

Lawrence of Arabia, 1962. Wizard of Oz was like…. 1933 or something? Miracle on 34th Street was … maybe 1950? Ooh plus the old animated films are fascinating. I love the classics. It reminds us how far filmmaking has come! EDIT: Wizard of Oz was 1939. Miracle on 34th Street was 1947.

True!

And it’s also a short watch.

Most movies before the 70's . They're just slow paced and boring . There are the exceptions though like:

Casablanca

The Wizard of Oz

A Mirscle on 34th Street

It's a Wonderful Life