My
List of Best
Films
2019
How to Train Your Dragon - Hidden World: end to great animated trilogy; hidden world segment is visual masterpiece
Alita: Great SiFI graphics + romance
Lego Movie 2
2018
Roma:
Best film of 2018 - contemplative black and white portrait of a Mexican
working class maid, who deals with all the shit life offers
BlackkKlansman: Spike Lee's comic/real revenge to Griffith's Birth of a Nation, the KKK, and Trumpism
Green Book: Not to be missed Vigo Mortenson & Mahershala Ali trip to deep South
Black Panther: Marvel Comics of black superhero depicting a free, equal, and proud black nation and people; wonderful visuals
The Favourite: freshest, quircky costume drama of English Queen Anne and her lovers
A Star is Born: Best remake of touching romance
Mission: Impossible - Fallout: awesome action thriller
Spider-man - Into the Spider-Verse: the best of the series
Blindspotting: Brilliant, gut wrenching film about being black in America
Won't You Be My Neighbor?: a touching documentary about Fred Rogers
First Man: a slow moving, riveting portrait of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon
Can You Ever Forgive Me?: an intriguing portrait of a literary forger
Free Solo
Cold War
The Rider
Widows
Shoplifters
Eight Grade
Burning
First Reformed
Leave No Trace
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
2017
Get Out: a antiracist comic horror film;
not to be missed
Coco: a wonderful Pixar rendering of the Day of the Dead celebration
and the need to remember those who have passed on
Dunkirk: a must see on the big screen about the evacuation of 400K
British soldiers in WWII: you are there filming visual wonder
Wonderwoman: a wonderful, and funny, film version of the superheroine;
a celebration of our youthful memories of comics
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women: the often strange story of the
creator of Wonderwoman
Logan: among the best of the Wolverine
films
Big Sick: a terrificly sarcastic, and funny, film about interethnic
relationships; there is 1 line worth 10 movies
War of the Planet of the Apes: 3rd in the series; well done
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Two new heros in a well done sequel
Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Among the best of comic scifi
It: Steven King classic; very well done
The Florida Project: the wonderfully told story of the outcomes of
poverty
LadyBird: Greta Gerwig's
terrific directoral debut about a daughter and her mother
The Shape of Water: Guillermo del Toro's most
recent Cold War horror masterpiece
Mudbound: A tragic telling of the cost of racism in the tale of two
farm families
Alien Covenant: the latest in the franchise for Alien lovers
Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, MS: why Frances McDormand is one of our great actresses
Kong: Skull Island: for all King Kong addicts, a well made film with
Samuel L. Jackson as villain
Detroit: an African American horror
story about the infamous Algiers Motel incident during Detroit's
1967 12th St.Riot
Wind River: a terrific murder mystery which is at core about violence
against women
I, Tonya: darkly comedic
tale of American figure skater, Tonya Harding; you will end
up on her side
Wonder: a heart warming
story of a child with facial altering Treacher Collins syndrome
A Quiet Passion: If you love Emily
Dickenson's poetry, you will love this film
I am not your Negro:
a not to be missed documentary of James Baldwin
Columbus: A
Japanese architect visits Columbus, OH; a gem
Colossal: a story of the power of one's imagination
Blade Runner 2049: almost as good as the fabulous cult original; a
visual masterpiece from Ridley Scott
Ghost in the Shell: Scarlet Johanson makes a great remake of the anime
classic
John Wick Chapter 2: If you like a hero who shots the most people in 2
hours, this is your film; but see the first film first
Handmaid's Tale: a perfect rendition of Margaret Atwood's
dystopian tale
2016
Knight of Cups: If you love Terrance
Malick (i.e. Boyhood), here is an existential quest for self discovery
Manchester by the Sea: An amazing and difficult to watch portrait of
the effects of guilt and despair
Patterson: a poetic, comedic, visual look at a poet bus driver and his
wife
Moonlight: 1 of the all time great films; a heart touching coming of
age tale about a gay African American boy
Arrival: one of the great sci-fi films; an intellectually oriented look
at first contact with an alien species
Elle:
Hell or High Water: a satisfying story of 2 bank robbing brothers and
their quest for justice
Lobster: a genuinely original and absolutely weird film
O.J. Made in America: a brilliant 7 hour look at what's rotten in
America via the lens of O.J.'s trial and life
Zootopia: wonderful animated detective story
Sing Street: a nice musical with a high school band
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: a touching look at how the plans for the
Death Star were bravely obtained
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: wonderful look at another part
of Rowling's universe
The Handmaiden: a Japanese romance
Edge of Seventeen: a sweet, funny coming of age film
Deadpool: a very funny superhero film
Kubo and the two strings: another great Japanese anime film
Moana: a wonderful Disney
Frozen: my granddaughter Noelle has memorized every song; she's a great
film critic!
Dr. Strange: a visually stunning Marvel superhero film
Tony Erdmann
Ghostbusters 2: a very funny, female version of the original
Silence: Scorsesi's look at 2 Jesuits in early Japan and the nature of
religious zealotry and it's consequences
The Jungle Book: a beautiful remake with combination of animation and
real characters
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Hacksaw Ridge: A conscientious objector in WWII who won the Medal of
Honer
Fences: August Wilson's classic play put on screen with Denzel
Washington; major performances
The Witch: a terrifying portrait of early America's belief in witches
and its consequence to an early farm family
Love and Friendship: Jane Austin's unpublished novel comes to screen;
what it takes to survive as a woman
Birth of a Nation: The Black answer to Griffiths racist film of same
name
Loving: a loving film version of the couple who ended mysogeny laws in
American
Sully: Clint Eastwood directs Tom Hanks in this good film of Sully
Sullenberger, the hero pilot of the Hudson
La La Land: this is no Singing in the Rain musical, but many liked it
13th: documentary about the amendment that outlawed slavery
Best of 2015
Going Clear: Scientology and the prison of belief
Ex Machina: a not to be missed science fictional Turing Test
Inside Out: all those feelings
Birdman
Mad Max: Fury Road: One of the best Mad Max films; have to see the
action to believe it
Selma: Civil rights history made graphic
45 Days
Anomalisa
The Assasin - memorable imagery
The Martian: wonderful Mars survival
thriller
Sicario - great thriller pitting ethics vs zeal
Spotlight: Great film - what we will lose as newspaper investigative
reporting
disappears
Brooklyn: sweet film about an Irish immigrant
Timbuktu
Look of Silence: a documentary mourning the lost in Indonesia; sequel
to Act of Killing
Bridge of Spies: Tom Hanks in an espionage film
Phoenix: amazing thriller of a woman who returns from a concentration
camp
It Follows: best horror film of the year
Mad Men: one of the all time great TV series
Game of Thrones: best fantasy series of all time
American Crime: Heart rendering look at crime in America; one of the
most serious looks at many difficult topics
Wolf Hall: Thomas Cromwell as you have never imagined him
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - for all us diehard fans
Walking Dead: What it takes to survive an post apocalytic zombie world
Race: A wonderful portrait of Jesse Owens and his Olympic victories
Tangerine: Follow two transgender women prostitutes via iphone video
Room
Shawn the Sheep: brilliant animation
Paddington: update of beloved children's book
GETT: The Trial of Viviane_Amsalem
Trumbo: a must see for the politically aware
About Elly: an Iranian masterpiece about a family's reaction to a woman
gone missing
The Big Short: fabulous film about the financial meltdown of 2007; on
betting on the crash
Mr Holmes: a sweet look at Sherlock as an
elder man
The Wire: comic, tense film of high wiring across the Twin Towers
The Revenant: DiCaprio finally gets his Oscar for his realistic bear
encounter and revenge
Creed: If you liked Rocky, you will like this "remake"
Best of 2014
Love is Strange (An incredibly touching film about all types of
relationships)
Boyhood (an amazing 12 year look at a boy growing up)
Life Itself (Documentary about Roger Ebert)
Guardians of the Universe
Grand Budapest Hotel
Edge of Tomorrow (terrific SciFi Ground Hog Day)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Lunchbox
Lego Movie
Mr. Turner: A visually wonderous look at the English painter
Ida
Calvary
Le Chef
Imitation Game
Theory of Everything
How to Train Your Dragon 2
A Most Violent Year
Citizenfour
Wild
Locke
Pride
The Hobbit: Battle of the 5 Armies
Still Alice
The Strain: a Del Torro TV series of his fabulous book
Best of 2013
12 Years a Slave
Gravity
Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Before Midnight
20 Feet from Stardom
Nebraska
Fruitvale Station
56 Up (Latest episode of fabulous documentary following children from
age 6)
Blue is Warmest Color
Blue Jasmine
Saving Mr. Banks
The Place Beyong the Pines
The Conjuring
Frozen
Inside Llewyn Davis
Dallas Buyer's Club
Ender's Game
The Great Beauty
Star Trek Into Darkness
The Sapphires
World War Z
All is Lost
The Butler
Muscle Shoals: terrific documentary about one of the great music studio
The Square
Best of 2012
War Horse (A touching
anti-war film which follows a horse and it's human relations)
Another Planet (a profound look at the possible alternatives in our
lives, set with a 2nd Earth on the horizon)
Footnote (A perfect film about father-son rivalry, and the costs of
one's work on family life)
Extremely loud & incredibly close (A touching study of a child's
grief over 9/11)
Moonrise Kingdom (A whimsical, poetic love story of 2 twelve year olds)
Lincoln (Definitive Day Lewis portrait of Lincoln; wonderful film about
13th amendment)
The Hobbit (prequel to the Trilogy)
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Looper
Argo (Escape from Iran)
Searching for Sugar Man
Amour (Touching French film about older couple)
Silver Linings Playbook (Great portrayal of a bipolar man)
Zero Dark Thirty
Django Unchained
The Waiting Room
The Details
Farewell my Queen
The Master
A Late Quartet
The Deep Blue Sea
Prometheus (Latest Aliens sequel)
Cabin in the Woods
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (great doc of Sushi chef)
Best of 2011
Jane Eyre
True Grit
Barney's Version
The Fighter
Inside Job (documentary on financial meltdown of 2007 and who did not
go to jail)
Monsters (off beat SciFi set in Mexico)
Source Code (SciFi Ground Hog day; very good)
13 Assassins (best Samurai film after Seven Samurai)
Super 8 (Terrrific SciFi Stand by Me)
The Adjustment Bureau ( Two meant to be together from Philip Dick scifi
story)
The Tree of Life (Finally Terence Malick's best film; visually
stunning meditation on origins of life on earth and of a son of a
flawed family)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 (the final and one of the
best)
Captain America (Marvel Comics Hero set in 1940s)
Bridesflight (3 Women from 1940s Netherlands end up in New Zealand with
man of their dreams)
Point Blank (great French thriller about a male nursing student on the
wrong night swift)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (great prequel if you loved the original)
Sarah's Key (French journalist digs into the cost for one girl of her
French Holocaust involvement)
Sholem Aleichem (documentary on the great Yiddish author and satirist
Sholem Rabinowitz)
Love Crime (French thriller with Kristin Scott Thomas)
Hugo (visually stunning film based on the wonderful pictorial novel
Invention of Hugo Chabret by Brian Selznick; a homage to film history
by Scorcese)
Meek's Cutoff (A true portrayal of the bleak stark way thru the West)
Midnight in Paris (for those who love Paris, Woody Allen, and art
history)
Margin Call (A terrific film on the last 2 days at Lehman Brothers and
the psychopathy of our financial system; worthy followup to the film
Wall Street)
A
Separation (Best film of 2011: Iranian film of good people and the
suspenseful complications that human frailty can precipitate; wonderful
film)
Best of 2010
Kids are All Right
King's Speech
Winter's Bone
Unstoppable
Animal Kingdom
Best of 2009
Crazy Heart
Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
Knowing
Avatar (Best visuals in a scifi movie of all time)
White Ribbon
Drama
A Trip to the Moon 1902 (Melies's comic fantasy about traveling
to the moon)
The Birth of a Nation 1915 (D. W. Griffiths: Among the most racist
films ever made; but original
film
about Civil War)
Intolerance 1916 (Griffiths 4 hour history of intolerance; his apology
for his last film)
Greed 1924 (McTeague by Frank Norris; ultimate portrait of obsession)
Battleship Potemkin 1925 (Russia; Eisenstein's brilliant visual revolutionary
propaganda film; note the Odessa stairway sequence)
Napoleon 1927 (French) (Abel Gance's silent film; 1 of 10 greatest films of all time; 3
screens; 5 1/2
hours; a masterpiece with unbelieveably advanced film techniques)
The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928 (France; T. Dreyer's greatest silent
film; one of greatest films; best performance by an actress)
Blue Angel 1930 (Dietrich; lust and obsession)
Triumph of the Will 1935 ( Leni
Riefsenstahl; greatest propaganda film; a must see; despite Hitler,
Jesse Owens wins)
Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 (One of the first great swashbucklers)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939 (politics at its idealistic best)
Gone with the Wind 1939 (Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh; romance and
drama)
Wuthering Heights 1939
Rules of the Game 1939 (France; one of the 50 best)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips 1939
The Grapes of
Wrath 1940
Our Town 1940 (Thorton Wilder)
The Maltese
Falcon 1941
Citizen Kane 1941
(Best film of all time)
Magnificent Andersons 1942
Double Indemnity
1944
Ivan the Terrible I and II 1944 (Russia; visually
stunning)
Laura 1944
Children of
Paradise 1945 (France; greates French film of all time; one of the
great films)
Open City 1945 (Italy: Rosselini's landmark neorealistic film)
Notorious 1946 (Hitchcock)
Great Expectations 1946 (David Lean)
The Big Sleep 1946
The Best Years of
Our Lives 1946 (3 vets return to life after war; 7 Oscars)
Gaslight 1948
Oliver Twist 1948
I Remember Mama 1948
The Treasure of
the Sierra Madre 1948 (greatest film about greed, after Greed)
Bicycle Thieves
1948 (Italy) (immensely touching)
The Red Shoes 1948 (one of the great ballet films)
The Third Man 1949 (O. Welles; best cinematography)
Rashomon 1950 (Japan; Kirasawa; landmark
film on the nature of truth)
Forbidden Games 1952 (French; exquisite childhood film)
All about Eve 1950 (Acting envy at its best)
The Quiet Man 1952
Ikuru 1952 (Japan; "to live" while dying)
Tokyo Story 1953 (Japan)
Ugetsu 1953 (Japan; one of great ghost stories)
La Strada 1954 (Italy)
On the Waterfront 1954 (Brando: Best male performance of all time
in one of the great films)
Wages of Fear 1954 (France)
Seven Samurai 1954 (Japan; Kurasawa; greatest samurai
film)
Pather Panchali
1955 (The Apu Trilogy: Aparajito, World of Apu): Among the greatest
trilogies of all time
East of Eden 1955
The Red Ballon 1956
Bus Stop 1956
Throne of Blood 1957 (Japan; Macbeth by Kurasawa)
The Seventh Seal
1957 (Sweden; Bergman)
12 Angry Men
1957
Streets of
Cabiria 1957 (Italy)
Ben-Hur
1959
400 Blows 1959 (French)
La Dolce Vita 1960 (Fellini on meaning of life)
Spartacus 1960
Breathless 1960 (Godard: 1st of French new wave)
Virgin Spring
1960 (Sweden; Bergman)
Inherit the Wind 1960 (Scopes trial)
L' Avventura 1960 (Italy; Antonioni)
Yojimbo 1961 (Japan)
The Hustler 1961 (Paul Newman)
Judgment at Nurenburg 1961
Lawrence of
Arabia 1962
Jules and Jim 1962 (French; one of the great love stories)
To Kill a
Mockingbird 1962
Chushingura 1962 (Japan;
Samurai)
Kagemusha
1962 (Japan)
Lillies of the
Field 1963
The Leopard
(Italy) 1963
8 1/2 (Italy; Fellini) 1963
Zorba the Greek 1964
Woman in the Dunes 1964 (Japan)
Kwaidon 1964 (Japan)
The Pawnbroker 1965 (R. Steiger)
Dr. Zhivago 1965
The Battle of
Algiers 1966 (Algeria/France; eternal consequences of political
suppression)
Andrei Rublev 1966 (Russia; 15th C icon painter)
Man for all Seasons 1966 (Thomas Moore & sticking to your
beliefs)
The King of Hearts 1967
Belle de Jour 1967 (France; Bunuel)
Two of Us 1967 (French; touching story of anti-Semitic old man
and young Jewish boy)
In Cold Blood 1967 (T. Capote's brilliant
portrait of notorious murder)
Cool Hand Luke 1967 (P. Newman: "What we
have here is a failure to cummunicate")
Bonnie and Clyde
1967
Le Samourai 1967 (French gangster samourai)
In the Heat of
the Night 1967 (Portier v R. Steiger)
Z 1969 (Greek)
Easy Rider 1969 (The 1960s)
Midnight Cowboy 1969
The Conformist 1970 (Bertolucci's best)
Five Easy Pieces 1970 (Made Nicholson a star)
The Last Picture Show 1971
Walkabout 1971
The Go-Between 1971
A Clockwork Orange 1971
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie 1972 (France; Bunuel at his
finest)
The Godfather
1972 (The best mafia and in top 10 films)
Last Tango In Paris 1972
Cries and Whispers 1973 (Sweden; Bergman)
The Godfather
Part II 1974 (Better than the 1st)
Chinatown 1974
The Conversation
1974 (greatest portrait of paranoia; Hackman's best film)
One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest 1975
Barry Lyndon 1975
(Thackerey novel; Kubrick; slow but beautiful)
Dog Day Afternoon 1975 (One of Pacino's best)
Dersu Uzala 1975 (Japan; Russia; Kurasawa)
In the Realm of
the Senses 1976 (Japan)
1900 1976 (Italy; Bertolucci)
Rocky 1976
Taxi Driver 1976
All the President's Men 1976 (one of the great political films)
The Last Wave 1977 (aborginal dream
time)
Days of Heaven 1978 (flawed, but beautiful)
The Deer Hunter 1978
Kramer vs. Kramer 1979
Breaking Away 1979 (wonderful racing film)
Being There 1979 (are we automatons or existentialists?)
Atlantic City 1980 (Louie Malle; Burt Lancaster's best)
Berlin Alexanderplatz 1980 (16 hours!; man & Germany descend
into chaos)
Raging Bull 1980 (Scorsese's best?)
Mephisto 1981 (Germany)
My Dinner with Andre 1981 (classic 90 minute conversation)
Body Heat 1981 (Film Noir lives on; K. Turner's best role)
Gandhi 1982
Sophie's Choice 1982
The Verdict 1982 (Lumet's courtroom drama with Paul Newman)
Fanny and Alexander 1982 (Bergman's friendliest film)
Come back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean 1982
(Altman)
Diner 1982
Fitzcarraldo 1982 (Herzog)
Fanny and Alexander 1983 (Sweden; Bergman)
Local Hero 1983
Big Chill 1983
Scarface 1983 (De Palma's best film)
Tender Mercies
1983 (touching film of redemption)
Dangerous Liaisons 1984
Once Upon a Time in America 1984
Amadeus 1984 (greatest Mozart film)
Terms of Endearment 1984
Birdy 1984
Paris, Texas 1984
The Color Purple 1985
The Breakfast Club 1985
Ran 1985 (Kuraswa - Japan)
Jean de Florette
1986 (France)
Stand by Me 1986 (ultimate coming of age
film)
Manon of the Spring 1987 (France)
The Dead 1987 (wonderful James Joyce story)
House of Games 1987 (Mamet)
Last Emperor 1987 (China)
Red Sorghum 1987 (China; unbelievable cinematography)
Pelle the Conqueror 1987
Bird 1988 (Charlie Parker bio)
Rainman 1988 (Dustin Hoffman's autistic portrayal)
The Decalogue 1988 (Polish; 10 hours)
The Last Temptation of Christ 1988 (Scorsese)
Cinema Paradiso 1988 (Italy)
Stand and Deliver 1988
Driving Miss Daisey 1989
Do the Right Thing 1989 (Spike Lee; one of the great films about
race)
Ju Dou 1989 (China; sumptious)
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge 1990 (based on Evan Connell novels)
Goodfellas 1990 (Scorsese at his best)
La Belle Noiseuse 1991 (France; art and its inspiration)
Raise the Red
Lantern 1991 (China; visually lush)
JFK 1991 (Oliver Stone)
Thelma and Louise 1991
Crying Game 1992
Malcolm X 1992
Reservoir Dogs 1992 (Tarantino's best)
Schindler's List 1993
The Piano 1993 (Joan Champion; brilliant Holly Hunter)
Farewell My Concubine 1993 (China)
Pulp
Fiction 1994 (Tarantino_
To Live 1994 (China)
Forrest Gump 1994
The Shawshank
Redemption 1994
Angels and Insects 1995 (A.S. Byiatt's Victoiran
masterpiece)
Before Sunrise 1995
Leaving Las Vegas 1995 (best suicide film)
Mi Familia 1995
Dead Man Walking 1995
King of Masks 1996 (China; touching film of
old man and child)
Fargo
1996 (Best pregnant cop in history; McDormand's best performance)
Sling Blade 1996 (Billy Bob Thornton's best film)
Breaking the Waves 1996 (Emily Watson)
Good Will Hunting 1997
The Sweet Hereafter 1997 (Atom Egoyan's haunting school bus
tragedy)
American History X 1998 (Edward Norton)
Red Violin 1998 (wonderful film on the
history of 1 violin)
Central Station 1998
Dangerous Beauty 1998 (feminism in 1600s)
Cidar Houses Rules 1999
All About My Mother 1999 (Spain; Almodover's tribute to women)
American Beauty
1999
Magnolia 1999
Boondock Saints 1999 (cult classic)
Amores Perros 2000
Bend it Like
Beckham 2002
Y Tu Mama Tambien 2002
Road to Perdition 2002 (cold and brooding)
The Hours 2002
Talk to Her 2002
The Pianist 2002
Best of Youth 2003 (Italy; 6 hours;
terrific)
Lost in Translation 2003
Saints and Soldiers 2003 (fine anti-war film)
Crash 2004
Million Dollar
Baby 2004
Before Sunset 2004
A History of Violence 2005
Munich 2005 (real politics)
Syriana 2005 (real politics)
Cache 2005 (France; thriller)
Pan's
Labyrinth 2006 (Spain; brilliant and touching)
The Departed 2006 (again Scorsese at his best)
Lives of Others 2006 (Germany; brilliant)
After the Wedding 2006 (Denmark; brilliant)
Babel 2006
No Country for
Old Men 2007 (life is tough; best psychopath)
I've Loved You
For So Long 2008 (Kristen Scott Thomas' best)
Ghost Writer 2010
The Kids Are All Right 2010
The Social Network 2010
Winter's Bone 2010
King's Speech 2010
Girl with Dragon Tattoo 2009 (Fabulous trilogy of
woman antihero)
Girl who played with Fire 2010
Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest 2010
Science
Fiction/Fantasy
Metropolis 1927 (greatest scifi film of silent era; see full
version)
Things to Come
1936
The Day the Earth
Stood Still 1951
The Thing 1951
War of the Worlds
1953
Them! 1954
This Island Earth
1955
Forbidden Planet
1956
Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956
The Time Machine
1960
2001: A Space
Odyssey 1968
Planet of the Apes 1968
Colossus: The
Forbin Project 1970
The Andromeda
Strain 1971 (one of the early greats)
Solaris 1972 (Can we really know an alien species?)
Soylent Green 1973
Zardoz 1975
A Boy and his Dog
1975
Star Wars 1977
Close Encounters
of the Third Kind 1977
The Boys from
Brazil 1978 (L. Olivier vs. Peck)
Alien 1979 (We ran to the car after first seeing
it)
Mad Max 1979
Outland 1981
The Road Warrior 1981
Dragonslayer 1981 (great fantasy and
love story)
E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial 1982
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982
The Thing 1982
Poltergeist 1982
Blade Runner 1982 (Philip Dick's brilliant robot film
noir)
Dark Crystal 1982 (Jim Henson's great mythical fantasy)
The Dead Zone 1983
WarGames 1983
Dune 1984
Starman 1984 (love story)
Terminator 1984
Cocoon 1985
Brazil 1985 (Terry Gilliam)
Aliens 1986
Flight of the
Navigator 1986
Short Circuit 1986
Star Trek IV 1986
The Hidden 1987
Predator 1987
The Abyss 1989
Terminator 2:
Judgment Day 1991
Jurassic Park 1993
Stargate 1994
Waterworld 1995
Independence Day
1996
Star Trek: First
Contact 1997
Fifth Element 1997
Mimic 1997
Contact 1997 (Sagan's 1st contact film)
Armageddon 1998
Dark City 1998
Godzilla 1998
The X Files 1998
The Matrix 1999
Mission to Mars
2000
Pitch Black 2000
Space Cowboys 2000
Final Fantasy: Spirits Within 2001 (amazing computer
generated film)
Donnie Darko 2001
The Core 2003
Underworld 2003 (Vampire/Werewolf war)
Day after Tomorrow 2004 (global warming)
Serenity 2005
Children of Men 2006 (PD James's dystophia)
Transformers 2007
Golden Compass 2007
The Dark Knight
2008 (brilliant crime drama with a superhero)
Avatar 2009 (Greates SciFi yet)
2012 2009
Star Trek 2009
District 9 2009
Moon 2009
Kick-Ass 2010
Inception 2010
Promethius 2012 (for all Alien Series fans)
Fantasy
Lost Horizon 1935
The Wizard of Oz
1939
It's a Wonderful
Life 1946
Miracle on 34th
Street 1947
The Red Balloon 1956 (France; magical afternoon)
Mary Poppins 1964
Time Bandits 1981 (Terry Gilliam)
Excalibur 1981 (Le Morte d'Arthur)
LadyHawke 1985 (Historical fantasy love
story)
Legend 1986
Field of Dreams
1989
It 1990 (Stephen King)
Secret of Roan Inish 1993 (Sayles: beautiful tale of a Silkie)
Forrest Gump 1994
The Stand 1994 (Stephen King)
Babe
1995
Jumanji
1995
Michael 1996 (Heavenly magic)
The
Green Mile 1999 (Stephen King)
Frequency
2000
Lord of the Rings
Trilogy 2001 (Best fantasy series ever)
Brotherhood of
the Wolf 2001
The Village 2004
Illusionist 2006 (Lush period piece)
Unbreakable 2006
Perfume 2006 (Murder/horror/wonderful)
The Prestige 2006 (2 magicians; thriller)
V For Vendetta 2006
The Book of Eli 2010 (Hughes Brothers)
Unstoppable 2010
Horror
Cabinet
of Dr. Caligari 1919 (first great horror film)
Nosferatu 1929
Frankenstein 1931
Dracula 1931
The Mummy 1932
King Kong 1933
Bride of Frankenstein 1935 (better and funnier than original)
Wolfman 1941 (Lon Chaney)
Repulsion 1955 (French; K. Deneuve)
Psycho 1960 (greatest shower scene in film history)
Black Sunday (1960) (gothic horror masterpiece)
The Innocents 1961 (Henry James's Turn of the Screw; creepy
thriller)
Night of the Living Dead 1968 (Romero's classic horror film)
Rosemary's Baby 1968
The Exorcist 1973
Picnic at Hanging Rock 1975 (Australia)
Jaws 1975
The Omen 1976
Carrie 1976
Halloween 1978
The Shining 1980
The Hunger 1983 (Classiest vampire film; K. Deneuve)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984
Dead Calm 1989 (Terror on sail boat with just humans)
The Silence of
the Lambs 1991 (can one love the greatest psychopath on the screen?)
Mary Reilly 1996 (Julia Roberts & Malkovich; Dr
Jekyl & Mr Hyde).
Ringu 1997 (Japan)
Fallen 1998
Sixth Sense 1999 (one of the great O'Henry endings)
The Mummy 1999
From Hell 2001 (Johnny Depp chases Jack
Ripper)
Red Dragon 2002 (prequel to Silence of Lamb;
great)
The Orphanage 2007 (Spanish; psychological horror)
Let the Right One
In 2008 (Haunting child vampire film)
The Crazies 2010
Western
Stagecoach 1939
My Darling Clementine 1946 (OK Corral)
Red River 1948
High Noon 1952
Shane 1953 (Many consider the best western film)
The
Searchers 1956
The Good, the Bad
and the Ugly 1966 (The greatest Italian spagetti western)
Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance Kid 1969
The Wild Bunch
1969 (Sam Pechinpah's brilliant epic)
True Grit 1969
Little Big Man 1970
McCabe and Mrs. Miller 1971 (Altman)
Jeremiah Johnson 1972
Rooster Cogburn 1975 (John Wayne
& Katherine Hepburn at their best)
The Shootist 1976 (reflective western; John Wayne's 2nd
best)
The Outlaw Josey Wells 1976 (Clint Eastwood's favorite)
Quigley Down Under 1990
Unforgiven 1992
(My favorite western; Clint Eastwood's best)
3:10 to Yuma 2007
Adventure
The Hidden Fortress 1958 (Japan;
basis of Star Wars)
The Manchurian Candidate 1962
Goldfinger 1964
The Great Escape 1968
French Connection 1971
The Taking of Pelham One, Two,
Three 1974
Assault on Precinct 13
1976
Raiders of the
Lost Ark 1981
Road Warrior 1981
First Blood 1981
The Year of Living Dangerously 1982
Highlander 1986
Top Gun 1986
Lethal Weapon 1987
Die Hard 1988
Indiana Jones and
the Last Crusade 1989
Hunt for Red
October 1990
La Femme Nikita 1990 (France)
The Professional
1994
Speed 1994
Mission Impossible 1996
The Killer 1999 (Woo's bullet ballet)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 (China; Special Effects!!)
Gladiator 2000
Bourne Identity 2002
Kill Bill 2003
Master and
Commander 2006
Casino Royale 2006
Eastern Promises 2007
Iron Man 2008
Romance
Broken Blossems, 1919 (tragic love)
It Happened One
Night 1934
L'Atalante 1934 (French)
Camille 1936 (French; Garbo)
Mr. Deed Goes to Town 1936 (Frank Capra)
Brief Encounter 1945
Beauty and the Beast 1946 (French; Godard)
The African Queen 1951 (Bogart and Hepburn!)
The Quiet American 1952 (best Irish love story)
Marty 1955
An Affair to Remember 1957 (Grant and Kerr)
The Cranes are Flying 1957 (Russia)
Hiroshima Mon Amor 1959
Ballad of Soldier 1959 (Russia)
The Apartment 1960
Umbrellas of Cherbourg 1964 (France)
A Man and a Woman 1966 (France)
A Little Romance 1969
Love Story 1970
The Way we Were 1973
An Officer and a Gentleman 1982
Nine 1/2 Weeks 1986
Wings of Desire 1987 (Germany)
The Horseman on the Roof 1995 (France)
Moonstruck 1987
The Princess Bride 1987 (The most romantic fairy tale ever)
Dirty Dancing 1987
Working Girl 1988
Say Anything 1989
When Harry Met Sally 1989
Pretty Woman 1990
Ghost 1990
Lovers on the Bridge 1991 (French)
Far and Away 1992
Sleepless in Seattle 1993
Dances with Wolves 1993
Much Ado About Nothing 1993 (Kenneth Branagh's directorial debut)
Il Postino 1994 (Italy; Pablo Neruda and his postman)
The Bridges of Madison County 1995
Titanic 1997
As Good As It Gets 1997 (Nicholson at his best;
best OCD portrait)
Practical Magic 1998
Ever After 1998
Run Lola Run 1998 (German)
Shakespeare in Love 1998
Horse Whisperer 1998
The Thomas Crown Affair 1999 (and Nina Simone too)
In the Mood for Love 2000 (China)
Amelie 2001 (France)
Moulin Rouge 2001
Possession 2002
Cold Mountain 2003
Girl with the Pearl Earring 2003
Love Actually 2003 (charming, charming, charming!)
Something's Gotta Give 2003 (Love at any age)
A Very Long Engagement 2004
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
Memoirs of a Geisha 2005
Brokeback Mountain 2006
The Jane Austen Book Club 2007
Atonement 2007
The Reader 2008
Adventureland 2009
Bright Star 2009 (John Keats love affair)
The Secret in their Eyes 2009 (Spain; murder & love
story)
Cherie 2009 (based on Colette novel)
The Last Station
2009 (Tolstoy) (Helen Mirren at her best)
Musicals/Dance/Music
Top Hat 1935 (Astaire & Rogers!)
Fantasia 1940
Meet Me in St. Louis 1944
An American in Paris 1951
Showboat 1951
Singin' in the Rain 1952
White Christmas 1954
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 1954 (sensational choreography)
King and I 1956
South Pacific 1958
Black Orpheus 1959 (Brazil)
West Side Story 1961
My Fair Lady 1964
The Sound of Music 1965
Woodstock 1970
Fiddler on the Roof 1971
Cabaret 1972
Nashville 1975 (Altman's Nashville)
Rocky Horror Picture Show 1977 (cult classic)
Turning Point 1977 (great ballet film)
All that Jazz 1977 (Bob Fosse bio)
Saturday Night Fever 1977
Grease 1978
Fame 1980
Flashdance 1983
Chorus Line 1985
White Nights 1985 (Baryshnikov & Greg Hines)
Little Shop of Horrors 1986
The Commitments 1991
Newsies 1992 (1889 newsboy strike vs Pultizer)
Strictly Ballroom 1992 (Australian Flamenco & love story)
Mr. Holland's Opus 1995
Flamenco 1995 (Carlos Saura)
The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of Desert 1994(best gay musical)
Shall We Dance 1996 (Japan)
Full Monty 1997 (one of the funniest musicals)
Tango 1998 (Carlos Saura)
Center Stage 1999 (ballet)
Topsy-Turvy 1999 (wonderful Gilbert & Sullivan bio & Mikado)
Billy Elliot 2000 (great ballet film)
Songcatcher 2000 (music professor in Appalacia)
O Brother Where Art Thou 2000
Lagaan 2001 (India; wonderful music; best cricket match in
history)
Save the Last Dance 2001 (ballet and hip hop!)
Chicago 2002
Drumline 2002 (great black college drumming competition)
Ray 2004 (Ray Charles bio)
De-Lovely 2004 (Cole Porter bio)
The Chorus 2004 (French; touching film of school chorus)
Mad Hot Ballroom 2005 (Docum.: New York school dance competitions)
Rent 2005
Walk the Line 2005 (Johnny Cash bio)
Dreamgirls 2006
Across the Universe 2007 (If you love the Beattles...)
Hairspray 2007
Stomp the Yard 2007
Mama Mia 2008
Slumdog Millionaire 2008
Mao's Last Dancer 2010 (wonderful ballet story)
Comedies
Gold Rush 1925 (Chaplin masterpiece)
The General 1926 (Buster Keaton's silent comedy-action film)
City Lights 1931 (Chaplin's greatest?)
You Can't Take It With You 1938
Bringing up Baby 1938 (Grant and Hepburn)
His Girl Friday 1940 (Rosalind Russell at her best)
Harvey 1950 (J. Stewart & 6 foot rabbit)
Mr. Roberts 1955
Some Like it Hot 1959
Never on Sunday 1960 (Greece; Melina Mercouri)
Tom Jones 1963 (best sex and food scene in film hx)
The Pink Panther 1963 (Inspector
Clouseau at his best)
Dr. Strangelove 1964
The Producers 1968 (Mel Brooke
MASH 1970
Harold and Maude 1971
What's Up, Doc? 1972
The Tall Blonde Man with One Black Shoe 1972 (French; greatest spoof of
spy thrillers)
American Graffiti 1973
Blazing Saddles 1974
Amarcord 1974 (Italy; Fellini's childhood)
Annie Hall 1977 (Woody's best)
Pritzi's Honor 1985 (great black comedy of mob)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off 1986
A Fish called Wanda 1986
Big 1988
Groundhog Day 1993
Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994
The Big Liebowski 1998
Kinky Boots 2005
Animation
Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs 1937
Fantasia 1940
Bambi 1942
Lady and the Tramp 1955
What's Opera Doc? 1957 (greatest cartoon)
Allegro Non Troppo 1977
Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988
Toy Story 1995
Princess Mononke 1997 (wonderous beautiful)
The Iron Giant 1999
Chicken Run 2000 (A very funny prison break)
Beauty and the Beast 2001
Spirited Away 2001
Wallace & Gromit 2005-2008
Wall-e 2008 (Romance)
Up 2009
Toy Story - 3 2010
Mysteries
M 1931 (Germany; Peter Lorre; one of the greatest)
Shadow of a Doubt 1943 (Hitchcock's favorite)
The Big Sleep 1946 (Bogart and Becall)
Notorious 1946 (Hitchcock)
Out of the Past 1947 (The perfect film noir; Robert Mitchum)
Strangers on a Train 1952 (Hitchcock suspense classic)
Diabolique 1954 (France)
Rear Window 1954
Anatomy of a Murder 1959
Blow up 1966
Point Blank 1967
Wicker Man 1968
Klute 1971
Murder on the Orient Express 1974
Three Days of the Condor 1975
Eye of the Needle 1981
Return of Martin Guerre 1982 (France)
Blood Simple 1984
Witness 1985
Name of the Rose 1986
Angel Heart 1987
Sea of Love 1989
Presumed Innocent 1990
Sneakers 1992
Last Seduction 1994 (best woman psychopath in film)
Seven 1995 (one of best partner detective films)
Usual Suspects 1995 (Who is Keyser Soza?)
Lone Star 1996
Primal Fear 1996
LA Confidential 1997
Smilla's Sense of Snow 1997
Ninth Gate 1999
Shiri 1999 (Korea)
Traffic 2000
Memento 2000 (best amnesia film)
Mulholland Drive 2001
Mystic River 2003
Le Petit Lieutenant 2006 (France)
Tell No One 2006 (French; best murder mystery)
The Zodiac 2007
The Ghost Writer 2010
War
Arsenal 1928 (Russia)
All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 (German; one of great anti-war
films)
Grand Illusion 1937 (France; one of 100 best)
Alexander Nevsky 1938 (Russian; greatest soundtrack (Prokofiev) in film
history)
Sergeant York 1940
The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957
Paths of Glory 1957: An antiwar war film
War and Peace 1957 (Russia) (One of the great Russian visual imagery
films with complex Tolstoy plot)
Stalag 17 1958
The Longest Day 1962 (D Day)
The Hill 1965 (only black & white version; S. Connery)
Closely Watched Trains 1966 (Czech)
The Thin Red Line (War as poetry)
Patton 1970
Tora, Tora, Tora (WWII from Japanese perspective; great naval film) 1970
Soldier of Orange 1977
The Deer Hunter 1978
Apocalypse Now 1979
The Big Red One 1980
Gallipoli 1981
Platoon 1986
Full Metal Jacket 1987
The Lighthorseman 1987 (greatest cavalry charge)
Glory 1989
Gettysburg 1993 (Based on Killer Angels)
Das Boot 1997 (Greatest submarine film)
Saving Private Ryan 1998
The Patriot 2000
Joyeux Noel 2005
Flags of our Fathers 2006
Letters from Iwo Jima 2007
The Hurt Locker 2009 (The addiction of war)
War Horse 2012
Food
Tom Jones 1963
(great comedy and greatest sex scene with food)
Babette's Feast 1987 (Greatest food movie)
Like Water For
Chocolate 1992 (Mexico; 2nd greatest food movie)
Eat, Drink, Man, Woman 1994 (Japan)
The Big Night 1996
Chocolat 2000
Tortilla Soup 2001 (remake of Eat, Drink)
Mostly Martha
2001 (Germany; 2
chefs at war and love)
What's Cooking
2003 (best cross cultural food movie)
Sideways 2004
(made Merlot the wine to drink and a touching love story)
Ratatouille 2007 (best animated food film)
Julie and Julia 2009 (we went for a French restaurant
after this one)
Period
Pieces
Pride and Prejudice (1940 and 1995)
America, America 1963 (Elia Kazan's greatest on
emigration)
Room with a View 1986
Dangerous Liasons 1988
Black Robe 1991 (17th century Canadian missionary)
Howard's End 1992 (great Merchant & Ivory film)
Remains of the Day 1993 (another one)
Age of Innocence 1993
Sense and Sensibility 1995
The Governess 1998
Snow Falling on Cedars 1999 (powerful!)
Sunshine 1999 (Hungary; fate of Jewish family over 3 generations)
Gosford
Park 2001 (murder and wonderful British cast)
Last Samurai 2003
Good Night, Good Luck 2005 (Murrow vs. McCarthy)
Kingdom of Heaven 2005 (12th C Crusade)
Great Debaters 2007
Moliere 2007 (France)
Historical
Night to Remember 1958 (Titanic)
Spartacus 1960
El Cid 1961
Miracle Worker 1962 (Helen Keller)
Lion in Winter 1968 (King Edward and Eleanor of Aquitaine)
The Wild Child 1972
Aguirre: The Wrath of God 1972 (German; Herzog; Pizarro in new world)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975 (funniest rendition of the
Arthurian period)
Wind and the Lion 1975 (Berber revolt; Sean Connery)
Harlan County, USA 1976 (Miner's strike)
Reds 1981 (First realistic film about the appeal of communism; life of
John Reed)
Chariots of Fire 1981 (great 1924 Olympics film and soundtrack)
The Right Stuff 1983 (based on Tom Wolfe's novel; great space program
film)
Shaka Zulu 1986 (history of Zulu nation)
The Navigator 1988 (Black Plague journey)
The Advocate 1993 (Medieval court drama)
Braveheart 1995 (Scottish fight for
independence with William Wallace)
October Sky 1999 (great film about rocket launching)
A Knight's Tale 2001 (fun in middle ages)
Apacalypto 2006 (Mayan blood letting)
Beowolf 2007 (the Icelandic epic)
Mongol 2007 (beautiful film of Genghis Khan)
Sports
The Black
Stallion 1979 (Best horse film)
The Natural 1984 (Baseball as myth and life)
Hoosiers 1986 (Wonderful film of basketball and life)
Bull Durham 1988 (best baseball film)
Field of Dreams 1989 (best mythical baseball film)
Tin Cup 1996 (best golf movie; and love story)
Prefontaine 1997 (greatest running film)
Remember the Titans 2000
Seabiscuit 2003 (wonderful film of triple
redemption and best horse racing film)
Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29 2008 (greatest football game)
The Wrestler 2009
Miscellaneous
Seven Days in May 1964 (An American military coup story)
The Duelists 1977 (Scott Ridley's debut)
Fly Away Home 1996 (Sweet film of girl and
her geese and their journey)
Titus 1999 (visually stunning)
Documentaries
Seven Up! 1964 (best developmental psychology)
Gimme Shelter 1970 (Rolling Stones)
The Last Waltz 1978 (greatest concert film; The Band)
28 Up 1985 (followup to 7 Up; child is father to the man)
The Thin Blue Line 1988
The Civil War 1990 (David Burns)
Buena Vista Social Club 1999 (Cuba)
Fog of War 2003 (McNamarra doc.)
Into Great Silence 2005 (Chartreuse
Monastery; wonderful film on silence)
Ballerina 2006 (Ballets Russes)
Most Dangerous Man in America 2009 (Ellsburg & Pentagon Papers)
Babies 2010 (Birth to age 1; fabulous)
Television Series
I, Claudius 1976 (Graves novel of epic Roman rulers)
Roots 1977 (History of slavery)
Singing Detective 1986 (brilliant musical murder series)
Inspector Morse 1987 (John Thorp; best
intellectual detective)
Sherlock Holmes 1988
Homicide 1991
The Sopranos 1999 (6 seasons; best mafia series, after Godfather)
The West Wing 1999 ( Aaron Sorkin's brilliant political series; 6
seasons)
Band of Brothers 2001 (great WWII series)
Firefly 2002 (scifi/western series)
The Wire 2003 (David Simon's brilliant 5 seasons of good vs. bad;
best series ever on TV)
Foyle's War 2003 (5 seasons; brilliant British detective series)
Deadwood 2004 (Foul mouthed Shakespearean Western; brilliant)
Lost 2004 (6 season; great modern mystery)
Rome 2005 (only 2 seasons; great rendition of the Roman period)
Dexter 2006 (best loveable serial killer)
Mad Men 2007-2012 (best current series)
Doc Martin 2004 (5 seasons; British comedy series of a doctor who has a
blood phobia; great)
The Pacific 2010 (companion to Band of Brothers)
Luther 2010 (BBC crime drama)
Hatfields and McCoys 2012 (the best feud)
House of Cards
Any documentary by Ken Burns (Civil War, Roosevelts, etc.)
Game of Thrones (best ever fantasy series)