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Camille sez: Aside from Francis Ford Coppola's "Godfather" series, with its deft flashbacks and gritty social realism, is there a single film produced over the past 35 years that is arguably of equal philosophical weight or virtuosity of execution to Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" or "Persona"?
Camille: Could it be you're stuck in an artsy-snobby time warp in which only films from the past by foreign directors with subtitles and oppressively heavy philosophical implications can be considered classics?
I'll give you two films from the 1990s that rightfully belong in the "classic" category:
A League of Their Own (1992). This film, about the pioneering women's professional baseball league that flourished during World War II, is full of history and social relevance, not to mention a great story and a superb performance by Tom Hanks (as a drunken ex-major leaguer). Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna round out the roster and there's a great cameo performance by Jon Lovitz as a cynical, wisecracking baseball scout. Who said socially relevant films can't be fun? Penny Marshall was the director.
Groundhog Day (1993). You want heavy philosophical implications? How about a film about a world-weary TV weatherman who must live the same day of his life over and over, and over....until he gets it, not just "right," but perfect? Bill Murray is perfect as the smartass weatherman, Phil Connors. Andie MacDowell pairs up with Murray in one of the most touching love stories ever on film. Harold Ramis directed.
I would add a third film in the "classic" category, but I don't know if you're ready to appreciate the subtle nuances of Rodney Dangerfield's "Caddyshack."
