Jayne, I added my titles.

As Brian said, Chris's are "The Graduate" and "Casablanca".

Though I haven't seen it, I think Shaun's is "Lawrence of Arabia".

Brian's are "Psycho" and "North by Northwest".

Orwn has me stumped.

These are great!

Jayne I loved Shawshank also. Your limerick does it justice. Although shouldn't you say something about what kind of hole he escaped through? Well, maybe not...

A boy and girl's love is beset
by a hatred their folks can't forget.
The fighting gets gory--
Could it be "West Side Story"?
Or "Romeo and Juliet?"

I haven't seen The Shawshank Redemption, Jayne. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Shadow of a doubt

There’s something a little bit rotten
About Charlie (portrayed by J. Cotten);
Rich widows keep dying,
Detectives are trying
To catch him ... the rest, I’ve forgotten.

The Third Man

In post-war Vienna, where crime
Is endemic, the crook Harry Lime,
On the run from pursuers,
Is trapped in the sewers -
His death is for real this time.

Chris emailed me with a great name for these:

FILMERICKS!


The Wizard of Oz

In a setting of bleak monochrome,
a girl with a penchant to roam
takes a journey unplanned
through a colorful land
and learns that there's no place like home.

FILMERICKS is excellent!

An alternative might be "LIMERFLICKS", although I'm not sure if the word "flicks" is used by Americans for films. Actually, I'm not sure if it's still used much by the English these days, but when I was a kid, I always looked forward to "going to the flicks".

Marion, had you thought of suggesting this as a competition to the NS or Spectator?

Oh, this thread is SUPERB, Marion! Thank you so much for kicking it off; it's such a splendid idea I'm surprised the NS or Speccie haven't come up with it.

Like Brian, I always used to (and occasionally still do) say I'm going 'to the flicks' - so I think "Filmericks" and "Limerflicks" are both great names for this fun exercise. You've really started something!!!!! :D

Brian,
The Shawshank Redemption is based on a Stephen King short story called "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and in various polls comes up time and time again as being in people's Top Three or Top Ten Films; I've watched it no end of times and never tire of it. DO get a copy from ebay or Amazon!

Jayne

Yes, The Shawshank Redemption is fantastic. It's been at the very top of IMDb's top 250 for many years (sometimes alternating the top spot with The Godfather), and I've seen it at least four times. It's powerful, occasionally brutal, and definitely redemptive.

By the way, I think "Limerflicks" is a perfect title for these. Great idea, Marion! And mine was indeed based on Lawrence of Arabia, specifically about how there are literally no women credited in the entire film (but it remains one of my all time favorites despite that fact).

A patrician eats oyster and snail
(Metaphoric for two types of tail),
And puts down a slave
Uprising -- a brave
Rebellion, but fated to fail.

The Help (I read the book then saw the film recently; both excellent.)

Black ladies are skivvies for whites,
which leads to bad feelings and fights.
The film is well done;
it's sad but great fun,
and focuses on Civil Rights.