I have a good friend who will not admit he's never seen a film. Actually, I don't doubt him because he really does seem to have seen everything! But what awes me is: Where does he find the time? I mean, it's not like reading a book where different readers read at different speeds and one reader can consume multiple books in the time it takes another to read just one. Everybody watches a film at the same running time -- oh sure, you can fastforward a video or skip parts, but most people don't do that the first time they see a film, and certainly you do not "dip in and out" in a theatre. This has always perplexed me. In my mind, professional reviewers of films don't count...I'm talking about ordinary moviewatchers, like you and me.

There's probably a generational dynamic involved -- for instance, I don't expect too many younger-than-baby-boomers to have seen all the Frankie & Annette beach flicks (silly example, but I can't think of a better one at the moment), and some of us moviewatchers who weren't teenagers in the 1980s have never seen "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" or "The Breakfast Club."

Newer films -- say, those released after about 2000 -- haven't really had time enough to trickle through to those of us who don't rush out to the theatres, so I would like to stick to films that came out in 1999 or before.

This ought to be very interesting -- to read about what you haven't seen but think you should've! :-)

I've never really seen all of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Jaws".

I'll have to think about this some more!

Dyno, I liked Memento and found it quite a challenge in its direction.

Cjoseph, The Red Shoes, from your post above, is expensive, but remember that it is far longer than most films and has exquisite footage of an entire ballet. As a collector's item, I think it's worth it. Anton Walbrook is incredible, as the Impresario.....

Mary, I've never seen "The Shawshank Redemption" or "Blade Runner" either. I have seen bits of "O Brother Where Art Thou" or rather I seem to catch the same bit over and over -- something about a cabin in woods being engulfed by a flood, which makes absolutely no sense out of context. My husband and sons have watched "O Brother..." what seems to me like dozens of times and they swear that I'd probably like it, but I don't know...I just can't seem to sit long enough to follow it through.

Okay, I'll admit that I have seen only a part of one of the Star Wars films (the first one, I think) -- which is beyond my sons' ken. They can't believe that I've never seen an Indiana Jones flick either.

I've never seen "The Godfather II." I'm not even sure if I saw all of "The Godfather," though I've seen the horse-head scene more times than I ever wanted.

The only Arnold Schwarzenegger film I've seen is "Stay Hungry" -- and that was decades ago!

Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Godfather franchise, and Arnold-action really aren't my kind of films so I'm not too worried about those. However, I'm baffled that I've never seen "Sunset Blvd."

As for your question - there's a whole lot of movies that 'normal' people watch and which I avoid, such as most romantic comedies, blockbuster action movies etc.

The movies I've not seen but want to include the entire Kurosawa oeuvre and all of Fellini's films. Also 'Das Boot' (although probably the tv version rather than the film; not sure). I don't think I've seen 'Sunset Boulevard' either.

I've never seen any of the Godfather films, but I don't have any particular desire to watch them, not Jaws, nor The Exorcist, nor It's A Wonderful Life, nor Mr. Whatsit goes to Washington, nor ....

Still on my TBW list are Sling Blade and now I've added The Red Shoes. Really, most everything I want to see is in my queue.

I saw Peeping Tom on tv long time ago, very very disturbing.

Re: "Peeping Tom" - it is scheduled to show on Turner Classics this week - Sat. to be exact - July 10 at 3:30pm EST.

Phillip, thanks for the heads up on "Peeping Tom." Maybe those who want to can catch it on television 'cause it really is too expensive to buy on DVD right now.

clairabelle, is that the Wim Wenders-directed "Wings of Desire"? I haven't seen that one, though I've been told by several people that it has my name all over it.

The Red Shoes is another I'd be interested in discussing.

Purely selfishly, a discussion means I'm make an effort to see it soon and it won't fall off the edge of "someday."

Chris and anyanka, August is good for me. I'll do my best to watch "Sunset Blvd.", but someone may have to remind me of a discussion as I am notoriously forgetful. I will gladly watch "The Red Shoes" again and discuss it, too.

There's another film I'd like to discuss. Has anyone seen Night of the Shooting Stars (La Notte di San Lorenzo)? I have a question about a betrayal in it by a priest. Would anyone care to enlighten me? It's a very beautiful, but incredibly sad film, set in the latter days of WW II in Tuscany.

Frieda, yes, I loved Wings of Desire and think you would, as well. Also, try Run, Lola, Run.

The African Queen

East of Eden (seen only bits)

just about every John Wayne film, including big ones like Sands of Iwo Jima, The Quiet Man and True Grit - although I have seen only bits of The Searchers

neither version of Cape Fear

The Longest Day (even tho DH has the video and loves it)

Ditto The Spanish Prisoner - for some reason I never get around to watching it, even tho he has it

and I still have never seen David Lynch's Mullholland Drive, even tho I wanted to when it came out, I never made it, and it's one of those films I keep meaning to rent but never do

and ditto for Lynch's The Straight Story

still have not seen a few of last year's big hits...Munich, Good Night and Good Luck - it's appalling, I know!

I'll have to think about this more....

Count me in on The Red Shoes discussion!

Moongirl, if you think it's appalling that you have not seen last year's big hits, think about me -- I have probably seen only about 12 to 20 films released after 2000. There are just too many to keep up with -- it's hard enough for me to sit still five minutes, much less the hour and half to two hours that most films run.

A definite 'hole' in my resume!

anyanka, Plattdüütsch was one of the dialects brought to the Upper Mississippi region of the US (Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, etc.) by 19th century immigrants. One set of my grandparents spoke their "Platt" until well into the second half of the 20th century. Like you, I heard it and understand it but don't speak it. My other grandmother -- the one who was a war bride -- spoke a Bavarian dialect that the Platt-speaking group couldn't make heads nor tails of. She read us stories in her Bavarian dialect that I must have understood some of, because I remember the stories quite well, but I could always understand the Platt much better.

Looks like we have a couple of discussions on the horizon. Sunset Blvd and The Red Shoes. I'll post something before the end of July and give us a month to find and view them. Unless someone else wants to?

I'm in for both Red Shoes and Sunset Blvd, by the way. No 1 daughter has opted for film studies as one of her A-level subjects, starting in September; I'll drag her in too!

While I understand why the article makes you want to see The Searchers, it baffles me that anyone would nominate it as a top ten film, or western, or even John Ford movie. Even among John Wayne movies it wouldn't make it into my personal top three (and I'm no John Wayne fan). It has interesting ideas, but it is very muddled and flawed, as the article says, and looks painfully dated now.

I will definitely see the musical of Sunset Boulevard and yes Glen Close can sing-I have the Andrew Lloyd Weber 50th birthday VHS and she sings a couple of songs from the musical -I was really impressed.

Pat