Western:
type: Spaghetti Western: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

They would, PM. Just not on the same level as we do. I'll mention, in case any of you hadn't heard about it before, that Connery almost turned down "Red October". The story goes that when he got the script to read the page that set the movie in 1984 wasn't there and he initially thought it was contemporary, which made no sense since the Cold War was over by then. Fortunately for us, his agent explained it to him.


Crime/Noir/Suspense:
"The Usual Suspects"
It's so well done it's fun to watch even when you know who Keyser Soze is.

Pure fun:
"Smokey and the Bandit"

Disappointing:
"Smokey and the Bandit 2"

Waste of time:
"Smokey and the Bandit 3"

When it comes to epic fantasy, the Lord of the Rings (extended edition) trilogy is probably impossible to beat. Having it made was a miracle in the first place, there are hardly any drop-outs in the cast, production values are high, the things that could be improved upon are so miniscule in comparison to everything that worked out that I'm rather confident that there won't be a better one in my lifetime.

The disaster of the Hobbit trilogy can't take this away.

As far as Das Boot is concerned, my vote is for the original TV mini series (but I'm probably biased since that is the first one that I saw). The original theatrical release was a collection of all the action scenes which changed the pacing substantially, and also altered the character of the whole story. The original story is all about the endless boredom that is war, interspersed with terror, and then a few absurd moments and hard partying either in anticipation of another tour, or in celebration of still being alive.
Obviously, for a cinema release you can't have all the boredom in it, I understand why those decisions were made. But still, the TV series towers above the cinema versions. The Director's cut is, of course, still better than the wretched US theatrical release version.

In the category "Cold War Illustrated": Dr. Strangelove.
It's an excellent comedy, it's an excellent illustration of nuclear weapon release safeguards, it's an excellent illustration of why they wouldn't help as soon as you throw in a dash of irrationality.
The acting is great, the Pentagon War Room set is absolutely brilliant, and the inside of the B-52 still looks pretty good today.
Dr. Strangelove himself is an uncanny amalgamation of Nazi scientist, Hermann Kahn, and John von Neumann, and how their thinking influenced the strategies of nuclear deterrence.

There is a TV version of Das Boot?

yes there was.. was the first time I saw it as a 6 part series here in the UK...

Here's a movie that I think it's perfect and I can watch it over and over and have watched it over and over:

FARGO

Dr Strangelove is an excellent black comedy, but it had zero relevance to real life US nuclear command and control or surety procedures even at the time it was made, and there was never a time when wing commanders or the like could authorize a nuclear strike on their own.

The TV version of "Das Boot" is heads and tails above the movies.

It has an entire episode dedicated to the terror of being hunted by a destroyer while running on silent alert.

I think some of the 50-60s classics will be hard to overcome - just the sheer scale of them and how things was done and the cast involved:

Ben Hur
Cleopatra
Lawrence of Arabia
Spartacus

The Big Lebowski.

Another highlight of the TV miniseries version of Das Boot is when one of the crew members is describing his sexual exploits when in port. I paraphrase, "Sie hat mir auf den Ruecken gepinkelt." "She urinated on my back."

I fully concur with your pick Haggart. I'm really not a big fan of the Western but The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is so good I make an exception for that one.

Absolutely. I believe the Director's Cut is about one full hour longer than the original US theatrical release.


And naturally since I was born and raised in the US, my very first viewing of Das Boot was the US theatrical version dubbed in English. I know, I was definitely deprived in my young age in that instance.

That doesn't surprise me since Germans are known for being rather kinky.

Absolutely. I would also add Quo Vadis to that list.

Additionally, a different genre, but Princess Bride.

And, while we are at it, it seems unlikely the original Star Wars trilogy is going to exceeded or improved upon.

Das Boot is a good movie.

Wow, now that was hardcore! The local video store where I rented "Das Boot" from wasn't nearly that anal about it but this was around 1989 so I think those deposit requirements were done away with so they could compete with Blockbuster. The overdue fees were a real killer though so I had to make sure to always return the movie in time!


**Old man mode on**


Kids these days have no idea how easy they have it with streaming services!


**Old man mode off**

Modern-era western: Open Range. Love that movie.

Don’t know if it fits into a single category, but Shawshank Redemption is my favourite story of friendship in adversity. What a movie that is. Never fail to get a lump in my throat when Red walks down the beach.