10 Good Movies to Download

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 10:50 am

When putting together this list of 10 good movies to download, I tried to concentrate on those titles available for free download. Many of these are in the public domain (Night of the Living Dead, etc.), meaning you’ll be able to find them on a multitude of websites for no cost. A few of the other films on this site will need to be paid for, but they’re well worth the small price tag.

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Before we get to the titles, I want to point out a few movie download sites that are safe and legal. Each of these is listed on the MPAA’s website as adhering to all necessary copyright laws. If you’re worried about Internet piracy issues, you can frequent these sites with a clean conscience.

Now on to the good movies to download

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) – With a disabled brother (Leonardo DiCaprio) and morbidly obese mother, Gilbert Grape (Johnny Grape) has a lot of worries for a young man. At least he has a married woman (Mary Steenburgen) and a stranded traveler (Juliette Lewis) to help relieve the tension. Also starring John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover.

In Cold Blood (1967) – Based on the book by Truman Capote, In Cold Blood tells the real-life story of Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), two young men whose botched burglary of the Clutter family home results in four tragic murders. Quincy Jones provides the film’s score.

Black Sabbath (1963) – An Italian horror classic directed by Mario Bava, the film stars Boris Karloff and weaves three separate tales of terror. The U.S. and Italian versions are quite different, but both were considered highly influential. This is where the band Black Sabbath got their name, and both Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary cited it as the inspiration for Pulp Fiction.

Peeping Tom (1960) – Controversial for its time, this Michael Powell film ended his career in the United Kingdom but later went on to be considered one of the greatest examples of British horror. In the film, a lonely young man stalks women and murders them. A camera allows him to capture their deaths on film, while a special device allows the victims to watch themselves die.

Cliffhanger (1993) – Sylvester Stallone stars in this massive hit about a skilled mountain climber who gets caught up in the heist of a plane filled with money. It was a hit with critics, but rock climbers were less than impressed by its technical inaccuracies. Filled with violence and death-defying stunts (including the costliest aerial stunt ever), Cliffhanger co-stars John Lithgow as the villain. Other stars include Michael Rooker, Janine Turner and Ralph Waite.

Battleship Potemkin (1925) – Considered one of the most influential films ever made, this silent classic details the 1905 mutiny of Russian sailors against their Tsarist officers. Brilliantly manipulating the emotions and thoughts of its audience, Battleship Potemkin was admired by Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s minister of propaganda. Includes the famous “Odessa Staircase” sequence (a scene paid tribute to during the climatic shootout in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables).

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) – In this silent masterpiece of German Expressionism, a man and his fiancée look into the activities of the strange Dr. Caligari and his sleepwalking henchman, Cesare. We soon learn that Caligari is using the somnambulist to murder people, and our heroic couple are placed in great danger. Includes a great twist ending that was years ahead of its time. Just watch any Tim Burton film to see the modern influence of this classic.

Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) – Based on events from his own childhood, director Louis Malle weaves a tale of a young boy returning to boarding school in the winter of 1943. There, he befriends a Jewish student and later learns that the school’s headmaster is hiding Jews to prevent the Nazis from either killing them outright or shipping them to concentration camps. But just like any other movie where the Nazis are mentioned, you know they’re bound to show up sooner or later.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – This granddaddy of the zombie genre was directed by George A. Romero, and still remains terrifying today. As a group of weary survivors huddle in a farmhouse, an army of the undead attack in wave after wave. But just as dangerous are the tensions that build up inside the safety of their shelter.

Clean, Shaven (1994) – Director Lodge Kerrigan put together this fascinating look at the world through the eyes of a schizophrenic named Peter Winter (Peter Greene). Just released from an institution, he must try to make sense of the world and re-connect with his daughter. But is he responsible for the death of a young girl? A veteran police detective sure seems to think so.

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I’m hoping that this list of 10 good movies to download inspired you to go back and watch some classic films (not that Cliffhanger is a classic, but you know what I mean). In between Gilbert Grape and Black Sabbath, why not also make time for the following articles:

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:50 am and is filed under Good Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “10 Good Movies to Download”

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March 10, 2010

Phoebe

Great list and inspiration to watch classics. For finding movies to stream / download, you might also have a look at Jinni http://www.jinni.com “Pandora for movies.”

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