Klavan and Shapiro: Top 5 Movies and Books 

The Lord of the Rings adaptation was a staggering achievement. And something we will never experience ever again.

The Godfather is one of the all-time greats, but to say it's the last great film is silly. That's some get off my lawn stuff, right there.

The Klavan-Shapiro book and film club rocks.

Lord of the rings is such an authentic, mythical and immersive experience that stands head and shoulders above everything else, it really couldn’t be made in the current social and or technology climate. It happened that the correct interval with just the right amount of grounded cgi; on location shooting; miniatures; make-up; costumes; faithful casting; romanticism landscape cinematography; uniquely, culturally and mythical musical score worthy of its own epic poem; and dialogue to quote until the end of days.

This was great! I would gladly watch Ben and Andrew talk movies and books for hours. Or once a week, whatever. Come on, Daily Wire. Make it happen. 😁

Holy crap. Klavan picked as his favorite movie and book my favorite movie and book: “Casablanca” and “Crime and Punishment.” The man has great taste.

I have to shout out a huge thanks to Klavan. I “educated” myself by reading (audible) many of the books that he has recommended over the years. Has meant so much to me to get a glimpse of that world.

As far as westerns go, "Unforgiven" is the best I've seen. Honestly, it was a very real look at how death affects the mind and how emotionless we become when we've crossed that boundary. I'm ex-military, for reference.

Tombstone will always be my favorite western, it's not the deepest or the most groundbreaking but it's just so much fun.

Dear Editors, I love your work 99.99999% of the time but that clip at the end is from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and not a Jane Austen film 💔

I love the Lotr trilogy! The books are great too.

From the video: Andrew Klavan Movies 1. Casablanca 2. The Godfather 3. Stagecoach 4. Vertigo 5. High Noon Books (fiction only) 1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 2. King Lear (Hamlet and MacBeth are close) by William Shakespeare 3. The Ambassadors by Henry James 4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 5. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 6. He mentions others like Jane Austen (e.g. Emma), and he said he could go on forever, but he stops himself here. Ben Shapiro Movies 1. On the Waterfront 2. Singin' in the Rain 3. Lord of the Rings trilogy Ben doesn't give his list of top 5 favorite fiction

Ben Shapiro has mentioned two of his other favorite movies as ‘The Lives of Others’ and ‘Amadeus’ . And Christopher Nolans Dark Night Movie/ Interstellar

I love it when Klavan talks about movies, literature and art.

First, because every time Klavan suggests something... He's right.

Tolkien was the greatest writer of fiction

Just have to mention that the clip that plays after they mention Jane Austen is from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women….

One of my favorites is Andrew Klavan's book When Christmas Comes. I just read it right before Christmas and I already am reading it again.

Top 5 Movies 1.) No Country for Old Men 2.) Good Will Hunting 3.) Taxi Driver 4.) The Godfather 5.) Casablanca Books 1.) East of Eden ~ John Steinbeck 2.) Anthem ~ Ayn Rand 3.) A Farewell to Arms ~ Ernest Hemingway 4.) Julius Caesar- Shakespeare 5.) For Whom The Bell Tolls ~ Hemingway

Can we get Kavlan's top 5 video games? I'm genuinely curious considering I had no idea he's a gamer.

For me it's Ben-Hur (59) (movie, not book. Book's a little clumsy). I just love those resonant lines like, "The stone that fell from this roof so long ago is still falling."

My favorite movie of all time Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Cinematography, funny moments, great character portraits, Strother Martin, Katherine Ross (be still my heart), and of course Newman and Redford. I'm approaching 50 views and it's still fresh.

I find it extremely difficult to find a joy comparable to listening to another share your passion towards a subject. But I think these two sharing a conversation about books might be a close second... if it were for a longer period of time XD

There’s the great contradiction of Hollywood’s silent films era- short films that said a lot about people and life without audibly saying anything. Some of my favorite movies look to silent films for inspiration: Singin’ in the Rain, Wall-E, and Up.

You can't leave out Conrad's Heart of Darkness!! Absolutely incredible insight into humanity

For Wayne westerns, The Searchers is fantastic.

Thank you, Ben. I have a hard TE with Dickens. I love the story of A Tale of Two Cities, but he's so wordy, that it's a struggle sometimes. Absolutely love Jan Austen though. And even though it's overplayed, It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful commentary on the sanctity of life, and how the world could be so different if just one person had never been born. Plus there are some really good one liners on that movie.

TOP TWENTY (20) BOOKS "The Holy Bible: King James Version" copyright 1967 1) "The Insulted and Humiliated" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 2) "Verbal Behavior" by Dr. B. F. Skinner 3) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy 4) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 5) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev 6) Myth Adventures - series by Robert Asprin 7) The Chronicles of Narnia - series by C. S. Lewis 8) "Vilette" by Charlotte Brontë 9) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy 10) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 11) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev 12) "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener 13) "Poland" by James A. Michener 14) "Roots" by Alex Haley 15) The Silmarillion - The Hobbit, or there and back again - The Lord of the Rings - Middle Earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien 16) "Even If This Love Disappears Tonight" by Misaki Ichijo 17) "Childhood, Boyhood" by Leo Tolstoy 18) Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov 19) "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin 20) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky TOP 25 FAVORITE MOVIES 1) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) 2) It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 3) The Prince who was a Thief (1951) 4) Narnia: the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe (2005) 5) Let the Right One In (2008) - Swedish with English caption 6) A Silent Voice (2016) - Japanese with English caption 7) My Rainy Days (2009) - Japanese with English caption 8) A Brilliant Young Mind (originally known as "X+Y") (2014) 9) Silence (2016) 10) Spiderman: No Way Home (2021) 11) Beauty and the Beast (2017) 12) Goodbye, Christopher Robin (2017) 13) The Man who Invented Christmas (2017) 14) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) 15) Amen (2002) 16) Red (2010) 17) Fletch (1985) 18) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) 19) Men In Black (1997) 20) Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back (1980) 21) Star Wars: a New Hope (1977) 22) Back to the Future (1985) 23) X-Men (2000) 24) Mannequin (1987) 25) Life is Beautiful (1998)

I love the Silent Hill 2 cameo. Greatest horror game ever, and a story Klavan would really like.

my Top 5 favorite movies of all time 1 The Thing(1982) 2 Blade Runner 3 Jaws(1975) 4 Se7en 5 Heat(1995)

Great video guys! Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, The Godfather, High Noon. And yes Casablanca is the greatest movie ever. So much of my favorite stuff!

So glad he said David Copperfield. It’s usually regarded as one of his lesser novels, but DC has always been my favourite of those I’ve read. And the first part of the book is set where I live, which makes me love it even more!

"The Searchers," Drew!

I can say one of my favorite movies of the last 25 years is LA Confidential. And I don't usually see period detective pieces/noir films, etc. But the story and the acting is on point.

One thing I love and kind of hate is when a person asks another person give me your top five of some general category of something, like books, movies, or music. Break it down into genres, what is your favorite Western Films, Horror FIlms, and/or SciFi films, it creates a fine stroke with choices rather than such broad choices.

LOVE THE ENERGY BETWEEN THESE TWO.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE JANE AUSTEN! Had almost given up that you would mention her! Her books are proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Also- as Wonderful as the movies are the LOTR books are among my faves. I look forward to reading the other suggestions.

Totally agree about 'Casablanca' being first - but surely 'It's a Wonderful Life' should be there too. Otherwise great choices. Also that 'Crime and Punishment' remains the greatest novel in Western Culture - but glad that Jane Austen makes the list - she should. Shakespeare remains in a league of his own -

I enjoy this just for the fact that I know what books and movies are worth checking out. There is so much garbage peddled out there, but I find I trust these guys so much that I’ll take their word for it and check out their recommendations. I already did with some of their Christmas list. It wasn’t a mistake :)

He’s missing Shawshank Redemption.

I love how Andrew mentions Jane Austen but the editors showed a clip from Little Women! 😂

What is impressive is the wide range of this man.

More book reviews please. I feel that every other channel on RU-vid reviews movies but it’s rare to find book review channels.

Faulkner? Come on you guys. Faulkner! Light in August. Sanctuary. The Snopes trilogy. Sparkling literature.

Frankenstein is still my favorite book!

For musicals The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is excellent.

I’m on the younger side, so here are my top 5 books and movies: Movies: Alien (1979) The Iron Giant (1999) Die Hard (1988) Room (2015) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986). Books: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness The Road by Cormac McCarthy The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

It's funny how most people consider stuff to be the best depends alot on how old they were when they first saw it.

There have been so few movies in the last couple of years that I've been the least bit excited to view, but one stood out - Wind River, Jeremy Renner starred and directed by Taylor Sheridan ( he also wrote screenplay for Hell or High Water, Sicario, two other favourites of mine and created Yellowstone ). Check it out - it will not disappoint.

I find that foreign films are affecting me more as I get older. Andrei Rublev, Fanny and Alexander, and In The Mood For Love are sitting at the top of my list right now.

Great taste in movies and literature!

Lonesome Dove is the greatest western novel and movie.

My top 5 movies: Pulp Fiction Double Indemnity The Magnificent Seven (1960) Singin In The Rain Enchanted Bonus 6 to 10 (no real order here): Ocean's Eleven (the Clooney & Pitt version) Man Of Steel Rio Bravo Rear Window Jackie Brown or The Black Dahlia

Very hard to pick five but the book I’ve read the most is Pride and Prejudice and the movie I’ve watched the most is Groundhog Day.

I've always felt an affinity with Andrew and this exchange only confirms what I've suspected for a while. With regards to Hitchcock, my personal favourite is Rear Window. I'm very fond of Casablanca too but we seem to have a fair bit in common in the books department. Love the Russian authors and the mention of Dickens. I imagine that Dickens to be the single biggest influence on subsequent generations of English language writers. It's particularly fantastic to hear somebody talk about Jane Austen with a genuine understanding of what she's on about. Jane Austen, particularly Pride and Prejudice has been a great influence on my own writing and my love for the English language. When it's casually referred to as chicklit, I roll my eyes and think here's another who has never actually read the books. I love Austen for her satirical bent and biting humour. Thanks for the opportunity to geek out.

Nothing beats Casablanca of course❤️✨Klavan has an awesome taste😉

I have exactly zero interest in superhero movies, and klavan just expertly pointed out why. I had never thought about it that way but he's exactly right.

The Godfather is the last great movie? Yikes that is a hot take. There have definitely been several great movies in the past few decades.

Master and Commander, Saving Private Ryan, Serenity, Fellowship of the Ring, 13th Warrior(if you get past Antonio Banderas not being Arab, it's quite good). Honorable mention: Immortals. Just movies I can watch repeatedly and have had the most impact on my life. My list.

I love Dickens and Steinbeck.

Please have Andrew's full list on your site! Love you guys and your awesome recommendations!

My top 5 1. The legend of 1900 2. Andrei Rublev (that poor bell maker boy...) 3. Paradise lost (Hungarian) 4. It's a wonderful life (let's include one cheerful movie at least) 5. Come and see (best war movie, but wouldn't want to see it again) +1 Stargate ( yeah, I love sci-fi)

You had me at Casablanca

Rio bravo is my favorite John Wayne western movie and my favorite non-western movie of his is The quiet Man.

The Good,The Bad And The Ugly is by far the greatest western. There’s no hero,no moral lesson,no message. It’s just a story of three men heading in the same direction,towards destiny and one hell of a pile of gold.

6:03; thank you Ben

‘There Will Be Blood’? ‘Unforgiven’? Klaven, there are still great movies being made post-Godfather

For recent film classics; LOTR (not the Hobbit), The Dark Knight and The Usual Suspects. All dive into the dark and light in man.

I hope Andrew and or Ben see this. My favorite novel is I Am The Great Horse by Katherine Roberts. It tells of Alexander the Great's conquests through the eyes of his horse Bucephalus. I first read when I was I think a freshman in high school. I read it twice in 3 weeks, and it's over 300 pages. Such a good book! I cannot recommend it enough!!!

Hey Andrew, the new Macbeth movie with Denzel Washington was pretty good.

Two things, 100% I agree on Drew’s take on Casablanca. Thank you Drew for being one of the few guys who praise Jane Austin. The books are indeed a great read.

Guys! Talking about Jane Austen, but showed a clip of "Little Women?!" You have an intern doing the editing?

Klavan is someone I truly trust when it comes to his taste in books, not because of his political inclinations, but in general. I wish he’d make more videos about his favorite books. I read Henry James’ “The Portrait of a Lady” last year after hearing him mention it in this video. I loved it; it’s so beautifully written and is such a great story. Another book that I read based on his recommendation is “The Woman in White,” which was such an entertaining read with lots of gothic imagery. I want to read “The Ambassadors” soon. “Crime and Punishment,” “David Copperfield,” and “Anna Karenina” are already my top favorites. I am trying my best to delay reading ‘War and Peace’ because ‘Anna Karenina’ was so good that it made it difficult to choose my next read at the time. So, ‘delayed gratification’ is my goal with ‘War and Peace.

I think Joel Coen does a nice job with Macbeth. Denzel Washington and Francis McDormand are terrific.

So disappointed in the person that put a clip of Little Women in when talking about Jane Austen…

Agree completely with Andrew Klavan's choices of Casablanca (a film I've seen dozens of times and never tire of watching), Crime and Punishment, War and Peace (almost a cliche to name it as a favorite, but it encompasses more of life than any other novel I know), and The Ambassadors. For what it's worth, and just off the top of my head, and impossible for me to limit to five choices each, here are some of my personal favorites--all required viewing/reading: Films: Casablanca; It's a Wonderful Life; The Third Man; I Know Where I'm Going; North by Northwest; Doctor Zhivago; The Great Escape; Patton; The Man Who Would Be King; Local Hero; Groundhog Day; Master and Commander. Novels: Austen, Pride and Prejudice; G. Eliot, Middlemarch; Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov; Tolstoy, War and Peace; Conrad, The Secret Agent; Buchan, Greenmantle; Wodehouse, Uncle Fred in the Springtime; Chandler, The Big Sleep; Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time (12-novel series); O'Brian, the 20 Aubrey-Maturin novels. Fun fact: Both P. G. Wodehouse and Raymond Chandler-two of the greatest English-language prose writers of the 20th century, IMHO-attended Dulwich College, London, where each received an enviable education in the classics.

Casablanca is my favourite movie too! And Godfather (1 and 2) is literally my second

The Michael fassbender & Marion Cotillard version of Macbeth was actually excellent

Joel Coen just directed The Tragedy of Macbeth and it is the best adaptation of Macbeth. Definitely worth a watch.

Man, I love the Daily Wire

Top 5 Favorite Movies: 5. The Courtship of Eddie's Father. 4. Citizen Kane. (Yes, it's better than Casablanca. And more important.) 3. 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2. Life Itself- The Roger Ebert documentary. 1. The Prince of Egypt + Other Faith Based Favorites. My Possible Top 5 Books(I don't rank books, not much of a reader): 1. The Bible. 2. Me Myself and Bob. 3. Of Mice And Men. 4. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. 5. Holly's Heart series.

My top 5 movies are Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Please do an entire episode.

I know the holidays are over, but there needs to be a deep dive discussion here where Mr Shapiro convinces Mr Klavan that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. That’s the kind of content we need to see, either now or next Christmastime.

2:37 first time hearing Ben laughing like this xD

0:51 2:21 2:34 6:32

I always immediately think "Throne of Blood" for MacBeth. Glad that Ben slipped it in there.

Top 5 movies 1. Unforgiven 2. 13 Assassins 3. Life is Beautiful 4. King Kong (1933) 5. The Dark Knight Top 5 Books 1. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress 2. Animal Farm 3. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court 4. Farewell to Arms 5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Great video, really makes me want to watch and read these classics

The Tragedy of Macbeth by Joel Coen is amazing

Titus was a wonderful Shakespeare movie adaptation that doesn’t get enough live.

Please do this every week

Throne of Blood is phenomenal. Kurosawa was an amazing director.

The Third Man The Godfather In the Heat of the Night Blow Up (1960's version) Paris, Texas 12 Angry Men Contempt (with Brigitte Bardot) Walkabout (Australia) Wake in Fright (Australia) Vertigo North by Northwest Singing in the Rain Unforgiven (Clint) Touch of Evil The Night of the Hunter Ran (Kurosawa) The Forbidden Planet

One of my favorite books and movies is Gone With the Wind.

Fiddler on the Roof, Casablanca, Best Years of Our Lives. David Copperfield, The Good Earth, The Odyssey [Lattimore],

The fact that Ben doesn’t think Hitchcock has a single great film makes this hilarious to watch

5. Star Wars Original Trilogy 4. The Searchers 3. The Prestige 2. Se7en 1. The Lord of The Rings Film Trilogy 5. Brave New World 4. A Song of Ice & Fire Book Series (so far) 3. The Death of Ivan Illyich 2. The Iliad & The Odyssey 1. The Hobbit & The Lord of The Rings Book Trilogy

Vertigo!!!!!!! Yeah! If you’ve never watched it, so it now! 👍 Agree about the Shakespeare trilogy; MacBeth at my top. Yes, Austen is brilliant as is Jane Eyre. How about Count of Monte Cristo?

Guys this is awesome and SPOT ON! Based on this, I want to be your friend.