1970s Best Movies

It’s a common cliché that they don’t make them like they used to but when it comes to 1970s cinema, it’s really quite true. Seen as the golden era for Hollywood, when mainstream movies would be imbued with an intelligence and riskiness that has since been somewhat watered down, in just 10 years, we’ve been given a whole library’s worth of re-watchable classics.

Slap Shot (1977)

This week on “Shat the Movies,” we’re hitting the rink with Slap Shot (1977), the ultimate hockey comedy! Join us as we dive into this rowdy, irreverent film about a struggling minor league hockey team and their eccentric players, led by the unforgettable Paul Newman. We’ll break down the film’s...

Carrie (1976)

Carrie (1976), directed by Brian De Palma, is a classic horror film based on Stephen King’s debut novel, starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy, bullied teenager with a fanatically religious mother (Piper Laurie). When her classmates humiliate her at the prom in a cruel prank, Carrie unleashes her latent telekinetic powers, wreaking havoc in a nightmarish display of revenge. The film’s shocking climax and unforgettable performances have cemented it as one of the most iconic horror movies of all time.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

When ordinary man Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) witnesses mysterious lights in the sky, his life is turned upside down as he becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind these strange phenomena. Drawn to an isolated mountain along with other people experiencing the same visions, Roy joins a scientist (François Truffaut) and a mother (Melinda Dillon) in a breathtaking journey that leads them face-to-face with extraterrestrial visitors. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is an awe-inspiring tale of discovery and human connection with the unknown, where the extraordinary meets the everyday.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

A comedic send-up of the grim circumstances of the Middle Ages as told through the story of King Arthur and framed by a modern-day murder investigation. When the mythical king of the Britons leads his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail, they face a wide array of horrors, including a persistent Black Knight, a three-headed giant, a cadre of shrubbery-challenged knights, the perilous Castle Anthrax, a killer rabbit, a house of virgins, and a handful of rude Frenchmen.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

In this satirical take on Westerns, crafty railroad worker Bart (Cleavon Little) becomes the first black sheriff of Rock Ridge, a frontier town about to be destroyed in order to make way for a new railroad. Initially, the people of Rock Ridge harbor a racial bias toward their new leader. However, they warm to him after realizing that Bart and his perpetually drunk gunfighter friend (Gene Wilder) are the only defense against a wave of thugs sent to rid the town of its population.

The Godfather (1972)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). When the don’s youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business.

The Warriors (1979)

A turf battle between New York City street gangs that rages from Coney Island to the Bronx. The Warriors are mistakenly fingered for the killing of a gang leader. Soon they have every gang in the city out to get revenge and they must make their way across the city to their own turf.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

In Vietnam in 1970, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-promising officer who has reportedly gone completely mad. In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer (Robert Duvall), and a crazed freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), Willard travels further and further into the heart of darkness.