Films that become more interesting in retrospect?

I would suggest;

1) The Terminator-we have flying robot drones, lethal robot tanks, all the stuff of fantasy. But now more and more we have that technology for real. I wonder should we sit the scientists down and make them watch this (and The Forbin Project)

2) The Seige and Invasion USA-pre 9/11 they all seemed rather preposterous. Post 9/11 you think to yourself, hmmmmmmm?

3) The Manchurian Candidate/Suddenly- 2 films made by Frank Sinitra in the early 60s both dealing with the assassination of a leading politician by a long range rifleman. After JFK was killed by Oswald he refused to have them released.

4) Tomorrow Never Dies-a Royal Navy warship is sunk by torpedo to create war between the UK and China. Now a South Korean warship is sunk by torpedo creating possible war between them and North Korea.

5) Escape from New York-not only does Snake land his glider on top of the Twin Towers but the whole idea is that crime in the US rises by 400%. In contrast crime in the US dramatically falls, starting in New York

 

Very definitely "The Manchurian Candidate"...Sinatra withdrew it from circulation for years because of the connection to the assassination of JFK.

 

I was thinking about The Siege immediately on 9/11. It was literally one of the first things that came to my mind, after the initial shock.

 

Citizen Kane--Seven decades later, this intended evisceration of Hearst serves instead as a chronicle of the decline of Orson Welles.

 

Sticking with the post-9/11 theme, I now view Nighthawks a little differently than I did before.

Not so much the exact story of the film ('cause parts of it are definitely dated nowadays), but more along the themes of counter-terrorism and what kinds of action we're willing to take to stamp it out--like how much collateral damage you're willing to endure.

 

Seven will be studied decades from now.

 

In a good or bad way? (Sorry, probably my hatred of David Fincher bubbling to the surface)

Gigi is certainly a film that is interesting in retrospect, I think if you wrote 'Thank heaven for little girls' today they'd lock you up. Also Thunderbird 6 is a little un-PC now, Lady Penelope and co passing the time smoking, drinking and hunting lions

2001 and 2010 also remarkable, in the Soviet Union still being with us, in China becoming a space power, in the US having 'meatless days' in order to feed the rest of the world (instead we have an obesity epidemic!). Silent Running also interesting in these enviromentally sensitive days

 

"Gigi" most definitely. And the fact that they are training the little girl to be a prostitute--oh, excuse me, a courtesan. Weird.

 

In a good or bad way? (Sorry, probably my hatred of David Fincher bubbling to the surface)


Not so much the story, but the craft, and in a good way i guess - and im not a huge fan of Fincher myself. Honest nilhism or whatever. Urban decay on full display. Seven was the first piece of mainstream art that i expierenced that relayed the sentiment that America, western society, and the ninties were gilded and rotting just below the surface.

 

and the ninties were gilded and rotting just below the surface.

Mark Twain died 100 years ago this month, and coined the phrase "the Gilded Age" in his time. He would appreciate your use of that word. And yes, to some extent, the 90s were "gilded" too.

 

Getting off topic but same as it ever was? Lots of good things in the 90s, crime falls, prosperity, no more cold war etc every decade has it's good and bad points

 

every decade has it's good and bad points

True. That's why I qualified it with the preface "to some extent."