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The Best Movie Reviews We’ve Ever Written — IndieWire Critics Survey

David ehrlich.

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Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

While this survey typically asks smart critics to direct readers toward good movies, we hope that the reverse is also true, and that these posts help movies (good or bad) direct readers towards smart critics. 

In that spirit, we asked our panel of critics to reflect on their favorite piece of film criticism that they’ve ever written (and we encouraged them to put aside any sort of modesty when doing so).

Their responses provide rich and far-reaching insight into contemporary film criticism, and what those who practice it are hoping to achieve with their work.

Siddhant Adlakha (@SidizenKane), Freelance for The Village Voice and /Film

Let’s cut right to the chase. Christopher Nolan is probably my favourite working director, and going five thousand words deep on his career after “Dunkirk” was an itch I’d been waiting to scratch for nearly a decade. “The Dark Knight” was my dorm-room poster movie — I’m part of the generation that explored films through the IMDb Top 250 growing up — though as my cinematic horizons expanded and my understanding of storytelling grew, I didn’t leave Nolan’s work behind as I did the likes of “Scarface” and “The Boondock Saints.” What’s more, each new film by Nolan hits me like a tonne of bricks. I’m waiting, almost eagerly, for him to disappoint me. It hasn’t happened yet, and I needed to finally sit down and figure out why.

In “Convergence At ‘Dunkirk,’” by far the longest piece I’ve ever written, I’d like to think I unpacked a decade worth of my awe and admiration, for a filmmaker who uses the studio canvas to explore human beings through our relationship to time. Tarkovsky referred to cinema as “sculpting in time.” Time disorients. Time connects us. Time travels, at different speeds, depending on one’s relationship to it, whether in dreams or in war or in outer space, and time can be captured, explored and dissected on screen.

What’s more, Nolan’s films manipulate truth as much as time, as another force relative to human perception, determining our trajectories and interpersonal dynamics in fundamental ways. All this is something I think I knew, instinctively, as a teenage viewer, but putting words to these explorations, each from a different time yet connected intrinsically, is the written criticism that I most stand by. It felt like something that I was meant to write, as I interrogated my own evolving emotional responses to art as time went on.

Carlos Aguilar (@Carlos_Film), Freelance for Remezcla

At the 2017 Sundance premiere of Miguel Arteta’s “Beatriz at Dinner,” starring Salma Hayek, I found myself in shock at the reactions I heard from the mostly-white audience at the Eccles Theatre. I was watching a different movie, one that spoke to me as an immigrant, a Latino, and someone who’s felt out of place in spaces dominated by people who’ve never been asked, “Where are you really from?” That night I went back to the condo and wrote a mountain of thoughts and personal anecdotes that mirrored what I saw on screen.

This was a much different piece from what I had usually written up to that point: coverage on the Best Foreign Language Oscar race, pieces on animation, interviews with internationally acclaimed directors, and reviews out of festivals. Those are my intellectual passions, this; however, was an examination on the identity that I had to built as an outsider to navigate a society were people like me rarely get the jobs I want.

My editor at Remezcla, Vanessa Erazo, was aware of the piece from the onset and was immediately supportive, but it would take months for me to mull it over and rework it through multiple drafts until it was ready for publication in time for the film’s theatrical release. In the text, I compared my own encounters with casual racism and ignorance with those Hayek’s character faces throughout the fateful gathering at the center of the film. The reception surpassed all my expectations. The article was shared thousands of times, it was praised, it was criticized, and it truly confronted me with the power that my writing could have.

A few months later in September, when Trump rescinded DACA, I wrote a social media post on my experience as an undocumented person working in the film industry, and how difficult it is to share that struggle in a world were most people don’t understand what it means to live a life in the shadows. The post was picked up by The Wrap and republished in the form of an op-ed, which I hope put a new face on the issue for those who didn’t directly knew anyone affected by it before. Once again that piece on “Beatriz at Dinner” regained meaning as I found myself filled with uncertainty.

Ken Bakely (@kbake_99), Freelance for Film Pulse

Like many writers, I tend to subconsciously disown anything I’ve written more than a few months ago, so I read this question, in practice, as what’s my favorite thing I’ve written recently. On that front, I’d say that the review of “Phantom Thread” that I wrote over at my blog comes the closest to what I most desire to do as a critic. I try to think about a movie from every front: how the experience is the result of each aspect, in unique quantities and qualities, working together. It’s not just that the acting is compelling or the score is enveloping, it’s that each aspect is so tightly wound that it’s almost indistinguishable from within itself. A movie is not an algebra problem. You can’t just plug in a single value and have everything fall into place.

“Phantom Thread” is Paul Thomas Anderson’s dreamy cinematography. It is Jonny Greenwood’s impeccably seductive, baroque music. It is Vicky Krieps’s ability to perfectly shatter our preconceptions at every single turn as we realize that Alma is the movie’s actual main character. We often talk about how good films would be worse-off if some part of it were in any way different. In the case of “Phantom Thread,” you flat-out can’t imagine how it would even exist if these things were changed. When so many hot take thinkpieces try to explain away every ending or take a hammer to delicate illusions, it was a pleasure to try and understand how a movie like this one operates on all fronts to maintain an ongoing sense of mystique.

Christian Blauvelt (@Ctblauvelt), BBC Culture

I don’t know if it’s my best work, but a landmark in my life as a critic was surely a review of Chaplin’s “The Circus,” in time for the release of its restoration in 2010. I cherish this piece , written for Slant Magazine, for a number of reasons. For one, I felt deeply honored to shed more light on probably the least known and least respected of Chaplin’s major features, because it’s a film that demonstrates such technical virtuosity it dispels once and for all any notion that his work is uncinematic. (Yes, but what about the rest of his filmography you ask? My response is that any quibbles about the immobility of Chaplin’s camera suggest an ardent belief that the best directing equals the most directing.) For another, I was happy this review appeared in Slant Magazine, a publication that helped me cut my critical teeth and has done the same for a number of other critics who’ve gone on to write or edit elsewhere. That Slant is now struggling to endure in this financially ferocious landscape for criticism is a shame – the reviews I wrote for them around 2009-10 helped me refine my voice even that much more than my concurrent experience at Entertainment Weekly, where I had my day job. And finally, this particular review will always mean a lot to me because it’s the first one I wrote that I saw posted in its entirety on the bulletin board at Film Forum. For me, there was no surer sign that “I’d made it”.

Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker

No way would I dare to recommend any pieces of my own, but I don’t mind mentioning a part of my work that I do with special enthusiasm. Criticism, I think, is more than the three A’s (advocacy, analysis, assessment); it’s prophetic, seeing the future of the art from the movies that are on hand. Yet many of the most forward-looking, possibility-expanding new films are in danger of passing unnoticed (or even being largely dismissed) due to their departure from familiar modes or norms, and it’s one of my gravest (though also most joyful) responsibilities to pay attention to movies that may be generally overlooked despite (or because of) their exceptional qualities. (For that matter, I live in fear of missing a movie that needs such attention.)

But another aspect of that same enthusiasm is the discovery of the unrealized future of the past—of great movies made and seen (or hardly seen) in recent decades that weren’t properly discussed and justly acclaimed in their time.”. Since one of the critical weapons used against the best of the new is an ossified and nostalgic classicism, the reëvaluation of what’s canonical, the acknowledgment of unheralded masterworks—and of filmmakers whose careers have been cavalierly truncated by industry indifference—is indispensable to and inseparable from the thrilling recognition of the authentically new.

Deany Hendrick Cheng (@DeandrickLamar), Freelance for Barber’s Chair Digital

It’s a piece on two of my favorite films of 2017, “Lady Bird” and “Call Me By Your Name”, and about how their very different modes of storytelling speak to the different sorts of stories we tell ourselves. Objectively, I don’t know if this is my best work in terms of pure style and craft, but I do think it’s the most emblematic in terms of what I value in cinema. I think every film is, in some way, a treatise on how certain memories are remembered, and I think cinema matters partly because the best examples of it are prisms through which the human experience is refracted.

Above everything else, every movie has to begin with a good story, and the greatest stories are the ones that mirror not just life, but the ways in which life is distorted and restructured through the process of remembering. Every aspect of a film, from its screenplay on down, must add something to the film’s portrayal of remembering, and “Lady Bird” and “Call Me By Your Name” accomplish this organic unity of theme with such charm yet in such distinct ways, that they were the perfect counterpoints to each other, as well as the perfect stand-ins for cinema as a whole, for me.

Liam Conlon (@Flowtaro), Ms En Scene

My favorite piece of my own work is definitely  “The Shape of Water’s” Strickland as the “Ur-American.”  I’m proud of it because it required me to really take stock of all the things that Americans are taught from birth to take as given. That meant looking at our history of colonialism, imperialism, racism, anticommunism and really diving into how all Americans, whether they’re liberal or conservative, can internalize these things unless they take the time to self-examine. Just as “Pan’s Labyrinth’s” despotic Captain Vidal was a masterful representation of Francisco Franco’s fascism, Richard Strickland represents a distinctly American kind of fascism. Writers Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor took great care in Strickland’s creation, and my piece was my own way of self-examining to make sure I never become or abide by a person like Strickland ever again.

Robert Daniels (@812filmreviews), Freelance

This is tricky, but “Annihilation” is definitely my favorite piece of film criticism that I’ve written. My writing style is a combination of criticism and gifs, and sometimes the words are better than the gifs, and the gifs are better than the words. With “Annihilation,” I thought the balance was perfect . My favorite portion: “Lena is just an idea, part of an equation that’s been erased from a chalkboard and rewritten with a different solution. The shimmer is part of her, even down to the DNA” is up there as one of my best. It was also a struggle to write because that film had more wild theories than the Aliens in Roswell. Also, the amount of research I had to do, combining Plato’s Ideal Forms, Darwin, the Bible, and Nietzsche, was absurd. However, it did make it easier to find matching gifs. The result made for my most studious, yet lighthearted read.

Alonso Duralde (@ADuralde), The Wrap

I’m the worst judge of my own material; there’s almost nothing I’ve ever written that I don’t want to pick at and re-edit, no matter how much time has passed. But since, for me, the hardest part of film criticism is adequately praising a movie you truly love, then by default my best review would probably be of one of my favorite films of all time, Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York.”

David Ehrlich (@davidehrlich), IndieWire

I can’t summon the strength to re-read it, but I remember thinking that my piece on grief and “Personal Shopper” was emblematic of how I hope to thread individual perspective into arts criticism.

Shelley Farmer (@ShelleyBFarmer), Freelance for RogerEbert.com and Publicist at Film Forum

My favorite piece is a very recent one: For this year’s Women Writers Week on Roger Ebert, I wrote about “Phantom Thread”, “Jane Eyre,” and twisted power dynamics in hetero romance . I loved that it allowed me to dig deep into my personal fixations (19th century literature, gender, romance as power struggle), but – more importantly – it was exciting to be part of a series that highlighted the breadth of criticism by women writers.

Chris Feil (@chrisvfeil), Freelance for The Film Experience, This Had Oscar Buzz Podcast

My answer to this would be kind of a cheat, as my favorite work that I do is my weekly column about movie music called Soundtracking that I write over at The Film Experience. Soundtracks and needle drops have been a personal fascination, so the opportunity to explore the deeper meaning and context of a film’s song choices have been a real labor of love. Because of the demands and time constraints of what we do, it can be easy to spend our all of our energy on assignments and chasing freelance opportunities rather than devoting time to a pet project – but I’ve found indulging my own uncommon fascination to be invaluable in developing my point of view. And serve as a constant check-in with my passion. Pushed for a single entry that I would choose as the best, I would choose the piece I wrote on “Young Adult”‘s use of “The Concept” by Teenage Fanclub for how it posits a single song as the key to unlocking both character and narrative.

Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker), Freelance for Shondaland, Harper’s Bazaar

“ Mother ” written for Vice. It’s one of my favorites because it conveys how visceral my experience was watching the movie. It’s truly stifling, uncomfortable, and frantic–and that’s what my review explains in detail. I wanted to have a conversation with the reader about specific aspects of the film that support the thesis, so I did.

Luiz Gustavo (@luizgvt), Cronico de Cinema

Well, I recently wrote a piece for Gazeta do Povo, a major outlet at Paraná state in Brazil, about Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (it is not on their site, but they were kind enough to let me replicate on my own website ). I don’t know the extent of the powers of Google Translator from Portugese to english, so you have to rely on my own account: is a text in which I was able to articulate de cinematographic references in the work of Mr. Del Toro, as well his thematic obsessions, the genre bending and social critique. All of this topics were analyzed in a fluid prose. On top of that, it was really fun to write!

This article continues on the next page.

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What Makes a Movie the Greatest of All Time?

By Eric Grode ,  Weiyi Cai ,  Rumsey Taylor and Josh Williams Dec. 2, 2022

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The much-respected Sight and Sound poll of the best films ever shows that what is valued onscreen has changed over time, sometimes radically.

By Eric Grode . Produced by Weiyi Cai , Rumsey Taylor and Josh Williams . Dec. 2, 2022

What are the greatest films of all time? Everyone from IMDb to the American Film Institute to your favorite podcast has tried to answer this. But for many cineastes, a poll conducted once a decade by the British film magazine Sight and Sound has served as the gold standard since 1952.

Roger Ebert once described the survey as “by far the most respected of the countless polls of great movies — the only one most serious movie people take seriously.”

And for a very long time, the same “serious movies” got taken seriously decade after decade. The new list , however, marks several radical shifts from the accepted wisdom — and maybe, just maybe, from the idea of a “canon” altogether.

1. “Bicycle Thieves”

1. Vittorio De Sica ("De" is capped per iMDB and Wiki)

At the start, when Sight and Sound asked 85 critics to submit their all-time Top 10 lists, just 63 responded. Top honors went to Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist drama “ Bicycle Thieves ,” which had been released a mere four years earlier.

Following it was a curious blend of the popular (two Charlie Chaplin films, “ City Lights ” and “Gold Rush,” tied for No. 2) …

the lavish (“ Intolerance ”) …

and the austere ( “The Passion of Joan of Arc” ).

The list even made room for “ Le Million ,” a French musical comedy about a missing lottery ticket.

In 1962 , Sight and Sound returned with a bigger set of respondents — and a drastically different set of winners.

“ Bicycle Thieves ” still made the cut, as did Sergei Eisenstein’s “ Battleship Potemkin .”

But no more lottery tickets or Little Tramps. And the top spot went to a newcomer that would get pretty comfortable as No. 1 …

“ Citizen Kane ,” Orson Welles’s paper-thinly veiled William Randolph Hearst biopic.

It would sit atop Sight and Sound’s rankings for the next half century. And during that time, a fairly sturdy canon of Great Films settled into place …

with such titans as Jean Renoir (“The Rules of the Game”)…

Yasujir o Ozu (“Tokyo Story”)…

and Federico Fellini (“8½”) taking up seemingly permanent residence on the survey.

If you took a Film 101 class in college in the late 20th century, there’s a decent chance your syllabus looked a lot like the 1972 Top 10 list .

The preponderance of certain directors added to the sometimes clubbish vibe: In 1972, Welles and Ingmar Bergman alone were responsible for more than a third of what the respondents considered the greatest films of all time.

In 1982 Alfred Hitchcock finally made his first appearance. Horror and suspense were (and still are) largely outsiders in Great Film discussions, but here we see “ Vertigo ” enter at No. 7 …

and creep north until, by 2012, it had supplanted “Citizen Kane” in the top spot, generating headlines around the world like Slate’s “Three Theories for How ‘Vertigo’ Dethroned ‘Kane.’”

Still, every film but one in the 2012 Top 10 had appeared on at least one previous list.

But when this year’s Sight and Sound list was unveiled on Dec. 1, the list featured surprises galore.

Nearly half of the elite Top 10 were newcomers , including No. 1 — a title that very few people saw coming …

Chantal Akerman’s “ Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles .”

It’s a pioneering work of slow cinema — in one unbroken shot, the title character makes a meatloaf for more than three minutes — and represents the first appearance of any female director in any Sight and Sound Top 10.

And she’s not alone. Claire Denis’s “ Beau Travail ” is joining her.

As it happened, those films made their first appearances in 2012, when Sight and Sound’s rankings went well beyond the Top 10.

That transparency was also evident this year, allowing the idiosyncrasies of individual lists to poke through. The two Top 100 lists make room for quirkier titles like “ Blade Runner ” …

and for influential short films like “ La Jetée .”

But the 2022 reshuffle also meant five films from the previous Top 10 list needed to go, among them the only title to have charted every single decade since 1952. Sorry, Renoir, that’s just “ The Rules of the Game .”

Early in the poll’s history, respondents were often willing to honor recently released titles. (You could only go back so far into film history in 1952!)

But not since 1992, when “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) made the Top 10, had any film less than 25 years old been charted.

That changed in a big way this year, with no fewer than three films from the last quarter-century in the Top 10: “ In the Mood for Love ” (2000), “ Beau Travail ” (1999) and “ Mulholland Drive ” (2001).

Those 63 Sight and Sound voters in 1952 have given way to more than 1,600 in 2022, and the more extensive vote tabulations allow for a deeper look into trends in the Top 100.

Akerman and Denis , the first women to ever appear on the list, made it into the Top 100 in 2012 …

and were joined this year by seven other women : Céline Sciamma, Julie Dash, Maya Deren, Agnès Varda, Vera Chytilova, Barbara Loden and Jane Campion. ( Akerman and Varda were recognized twice.)

Not a single Black American filmmaker made the Top 100 in 2012. This year there are five, led by Spike Lee and “ Do the Right Thing ” at No. 24.

And is directing the 60th-greatest film of all time not sufficient to land Julie Dash , the only Black woman on the list, funding for her subsequent projects?

The French new wave is well represented and Japanese films continue to make a strong showing.

But in addition to being more inclusive, this decade's list is more global, with new entries from New Zealand (“ The Piano ”), Czechoslovakia (“ Daisies ”), South Korea (“ Parasite ”) and Thailand (“ Tropical Malady ”).

The Thai film “ Tropical Malady ,” Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s enigmatic romantic drama, also reflects an increased recognition of L.G.B.T.Q.-themed films.

Two of those Japanese titles, both from Studio Ghibli, remain the only animated films to make the list. Maybe next decade, Disney and Pixar.

And horror is surprisingly well represented in 2022. (Don’t forget that dumpster scene in “ Mulholland Drive ”!)

For all the arguments over the greatest year in film history — 1939, 1999, etc. — it looks like strong cases could be made for 1960 and 1966 , based on this year’s list.

And if it’s any consolation to Hitchcock after losing the top spot, he is one of the two most honored filmmakers on the list, with “Rear Window” and “North by Northwest” joining “Vertigo” and “ Psycho ” in the Top 100.

He’s tied with Jean-Luc Godard , the “ Breathless ” director, who died in September. Godard once called Hitchcock the “greatest creator of forms of the 20th century.”

By contrast, Godard’s old nemesis Bergman saw three of his four Top 100 titles vanish this year. Only “ Persona ” remains.

Also gone from the Top 100 altogether: Welles’s famously mangled “ The Magnificent Ambersons ,” which was nestled in Top 10 lists as recently as 1982.

And whether it’s Frank Capra or Steven Spielberg, Werner Herzog or Ernst Lubitsch, Quentin Tarantino or Howard Hawks, we can probably all agree that somebody is missing.

(On a personal note, a world where “Dr. Strangelove” is neither a Top 100 film nor even one of Stanley Kubrick’s three best works is not one I care to inhabit.)

There’s always 2032. What will the next list bring? Well, 18 of the directors on this year’s list are still alive , which is encouraging. If this list is any indication, a handful of future entries haven’t been made yet.

And look down at No. 41, near “Rear Window” and “Rashomon.” “ Bicycle Thieves ” is sitting there patiently, perhaps waiting for its time back in the spotlight of serious movie people everywhere.

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of films on the 2012 Top 10 that had previously appeared on a list. Nine titles had ranked in earlier decades, not all 10.

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Ebert's Best Film Lists1967 - present

If I must make a list of the Ten Greatest Films of All Time, my first vow is to make the list for myself, not for anybody else. I am sure than Eisenstein's " The Battleship Potemkin " is a great film, but it's not going on my list simply so I can impress people. Nor will I avoid " Casablanca " simply because it's so popular: I love it all the same.

If I have a criterion for choosing the greatest films, it's an emotional one. These are films that moved me deeply in one way or another. The cinema is the greatest art form ever conceived for generating emotions in its audience. That's what it does best. (If you argue instead for dance or music, drama or painting, I will reply that the cinema incorporates all of these arts).

Cinema is not very good, on the other hand, at intellectual, philosophical or political argument. That's where the Marxists were wrong. If a movie changes your vote or your mind, it does so by appealing to your emotions, not your reason. And so my greatest films must be films that had me sitting transfixed before the screen, involved, committed, and feeling.

Therefore, alphabetically:

" Casablanca "

After seeing this film many times, I think I finally understand why I love it so much. It's not because of the romance, or the humor, or the intrigue, although those elements are masterful. It's because it makes me proud of the characters. These are not heroes -- not except for Paul Heinreid's resistance fighter, who in some ways is the most predictable character in the film. These are realists, pragmatists, survivors: Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine, who sticks his neck out for nobody, and Claude Rains ' police inspector, who follows rules and tries to stay out of trouble. At the end of the film, when they rise to heroism, it is so moving because heroism is not in their makeup. Their better nature simply informs them what they must do.

The sheer beauty of the film is also compelling. The black-and-white closeups of Ingrid Bergman , the most bravely vulnerable woman in movie history. Bogart with his cigarette and his bottle. Greenstreet and Lorre. Dooley Wilson at the piano, looking up with pain when he sees Bergman enter the room. The shadows. "As Time Goes By." If there is ever a time when they decide that some movies should be spelled with an upper-case M, " Casablanca " should be voted first on the list of Movies.

" Citizen Kane "

I have just seen it again, a shot at a time, analyzing it frame-by-frame out at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We took 10 hours and really looked at this film, which is routinely named the best film of all time, almost by default, in list after list. Maybe it is. It's some movie. It tells of all the seasons of a man's life, shows his weaknesses and hurts, surrounds him with witnesses who remember him but do not know how to explain him. It ends its search for "Rosebud," his dying word, with a final image that explains everything and nothing, and although some critics say the image is superficial, I say it is very deep indeed, because it illustrates the way that human happiness and pain is not found in big ideas but in the little victories or defeats of childhood.

Few films are more complex, or show more breathtaking skill at moving from one level to another. Orson Welles , with his radio background, was able to segue from one scene to another using sound as his connecting link. In one sustained stretch, he covers 20 years between "Merry Christmas" and "A very happy New Year." The piano playing of Kane's young friend Susan leads into their relationship, his applause leads into his campaign, where applause is the bridge again to a political rally that leads to his downfall, when his relationship with Susan is unmasked. We get a three-part miniseries in five minutes.

" Floating Weeds "

I do not expect many readers to have heard of this film, or of Yasujiro Ozu , who directed it, but this Japanese master, who lived from 1903 to 1963 and whose prolific career bridged the silent and sound eras, saw things through his films in a way that no one else saw. Audiences never stop to think, when they go to the movies, how they understand what a close-up is, or a reaction shot. They learned that language in childhood, and it was codified and popularized by D. W. Griffith, whose films were studied everywhere in the world -- except in Japan, where for a time a distinctively different visual style seemed to be developing. Ozu fashioned his style by himself, and never changed it, and to see his films is to be inside a completely alternative cinematic language.

" Floating Weeds ," like many of his films, is deceptively simple. It tells of a troupe of traveling actors who return to an isolated village where their leader left a woman behind many years ago -- and, we discover, he also left a son. Ozu weaves an atmosphere of peaceful tranquility, of music and processions and leisurely conversations, and then explodes his emotional secrets, which cause people to discover their true natures. It is all done with hypnotic visual beauty. After years of being available only in a shabby, beaten-up version usually known as "Drifting Weeds," this film has now been re-released in superb videotape and laserdisc editions.

" Gates of Heaven "

This film, not to be confused in any way with " Heaven's Gate " (or with "Gates of Hell," for that matter) is a bottomless mystery to me, infinitely fascinating. Made in the late 1970s by Errol Morris , it would appear to be a documentary about some people involved in a couple of pet cemeteries in Northern California. Oh, it's factual enough: The people in this film really exist, and so does the pet cemetery. But Morris is not concerned with his apparent subject. He has made a film about life and death, pride and shame, deception and betrayal, and the stubborn quirkiness of human nature.

He points his camera at his subjects and lets them talk. But he points it for hours on end, patiently until finally they use the language in ways that reveal their most hidden parts. I am moved by the son who speaks of success but cannot grasp it, the old man whose childhood pet was killed, the cocky guy who runs the tallow plant, the woman who speaks of her dead pet and says, "There's your dog, and your dog's dead. But there has to be something that made it move. Isn't there?" In those words is the central question of every religion. And then, in the extraordinary centerpiece of the film, there is the old woman Florence Rasmussen, sitting in the doorway of her home, delivering a spontaneous monolog that Faulkner would have killed to have written.

" La Dolce Vita "

Fellini's 1960 film has grown passe in some circles, I'm afraid, but I love it more than ever. Forget about its message, about the "sweet life" along Rome's Via Veneto, or about the contrasts between the sacred and the profane. Simply look at Fellini's ballet of movement and sound, the graceful way he choreographs the camera, the way the actors move. He never made a more "Felliniesque" film, or a better one.

Then sneak up on the subject from inside. Forget what made this film trendy and scandalous more than 30 years ago. Ask what it really says. It is about a man ( Marcello Mastroianni in his definitive performance) driven to distraction by his hunger for love, and driven to despair by his complete inability to be able to love. He seeks love from the neurosis of his fiancee, through the fleshy carnality of a movie goddess, from prostitutes and princesses. He seeks it in miracles and drunkenness, at night and at dawn. He thinks he can glimpse it in the life of his friend Steiner, who has a wife and children and a home where music is played and poetry read. But Steiner is as despairing as he is. And finally Marcello gives up and sells out and at dawn sees a pale young girl who wants to remind him of the novel he meant to write someday, but he is hung over and cannot hear her shouting across the waves, and so the message is lost.

" Notorious "

I do not have the secret of Alfred Hitchcock and neither, I am convinced, does anyone else. He made movies that do not date, that fascinate and amuse, that everybody enjoys and that shout out in every frame that they are by Hitchcock. In the world of film he was known simply as The Master. But what was he the Master of? What was his philosophy, his belief, his message? It appears that he had none. His purpose was simply to pluck the strings of human emotion -- to play the audience, he said, like a piano. Hitchcock was always hidden behind the genre of the suspense film, but as you see his movies again and again, the greatness stays after the suspense becomes familiar. He made pure movies.

" Notorious " is my favorite Hitchcock, a pairing of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, with Claude Rains the tragic third corner of the triangle. Because she loves Grant, she agrees to seduce Rains, a Nazi spy. Grant takes her act of pure love as a tawdry thing, proving she is a notorious woman. And when Bergman is being poisoned, he misreads her confusion as drunkenness. While the hero plays a rat, however, the villain (Rains) becomes an object of sympathy. He does love this woman. He would throw over all of Nazi Germany for her, probably -- if he were not under the spell of his domineering mother, who pulls his strings until they choke him.

" Raging Bull "

Ten years ago, Martin Scorsese's " Taxi Driver " was on my list of the ten best films. I think " Raging Bull " addresses some of the same obsessions, and is a deeper and more confident film. Scorsese used the same actor, Robert De Niro , and the same screenwriter, Paul Schrader , for both films, and they have the same buried themes: A man's jealousy about a woman, made painful by his own impotence, and expressed through violence.

Some day if you want to see movie acting as good as any ever put on the screen, look at a scene two-thirds of the way through " Raging Bull ." It takes place in the living room of Jake LaMotta, the boxing champion played by De Niro. He is fiddling with a TV set. His wife comes in, says hello, kisses his brother, and goes upstairs. This begins to bother LaMotta. He begins to quiz his brother ( Joe Pesci ). The brother says he don't know nothin'. De Niro says maybe he doesn't know what he knows. The way the dialog expresses the inner twisting logic of his jealousy is insidious. De Niro keeps talking, and Pesci tries to run but can't hide. And step by step, word by word, we witness a man helpless to stop himself from destroying everyone who loves him.

" The Third Man "

This movie is on the altar of my love for the cinema. I saw it for the first time in a little fleabox of a theater on the Left Bank in Paris, in 1962, during my first $5 a day trip to Europe. It was so sad, so beautiful, so romantic, that it became at once a part of my own memories -- as if it had happened to me. There is infinite poignancy in the love that the failed writer Holly Martins ( Joseph Cotten ) feels for the woman ( Alida Valli ) who loves the "dead" Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Harry treats her horribly, but she loves her idea of him, he neither he nor Holly can ever change that. Apart from the story, look at the visuals! The tense conversation on the giant ferris wheel. The giant, looming shadows at night. The carnivorous faces of people seen in the bombed-out streets of postwar Vienna, where the movie was shot on location. The chase through the sewers. And of course the moment when the cat rubs against a shoe in a doorway, and Orson Welles makes the most dramatic entrance in the history of the cinema. All done to the music of a single zither.

I have very particular reasons for including this film, which is the least familiar title on my list but one which I defy anyone to watch without fascination. No other film I have ever seen does a better job of illustrating the mysterious and haunting way in which the cinema bridges time. The movies themselves play with time, condensing days or years into minutes or hours. Then going to old movies defies time, because we see and hear people who are now dead, sounding and looking exactly the same. Then the movies toy with our personal time, when we revisit them, by recreating for us precisely the same experience we had before. Then look what Michael Apted does with time in this documentary, which he began more than 30 years ago. He made a movie called "7-Up" for British television. It was about a group of British 7-year-olds, their dreams, fears, ambitions, families, prospects. Fair enough. Then, seven years later, he made "14 Up," revisiting them. Then came "21 Up" and, in 1985. " 28 Up ," and next year, just in time for the Sight & Sound list, will come " 35 Up ." And so the film will continue to grow... 42... 49... 56... 63... until Apted or his subjects are dead.

The miracle of the film is that it shows us that the seeds of the man are indeed in the child. In a sense, the destinies of all of these people can be guessed in their eyes, the first time we see them. Some do better than we expect, some worse, one seems completely bewildered. But the secret and mystery of human personality is there from the first. This ongoing film is an experiment unlike anything else in film history.

" 2001: A Space Odyssey "

Film can take us where we cannot go. It can also take our minds outside their shells, and this film by Stanley Kubrick is one of the great visionary experiences in the cinema. Yes, it was a landmark of special effects, so convincing that years later the astronauts, faced with the reality of outer space, compared it to "2001." But it was also a landmark of non-narrative, poetic filmmaking, in which the connections were made by images, not dialog or plot. An ape uses to learn a bone as a weapon, and this tool, flung into the air, transforms itself into a space ship--the tool that will free us from the bondage of this planet. And then the spaceship takes man on a voyage into the interior of what may be the mind of another species.

The debates about the "meaning" of this film still go on. Surely the whole point of the film is that it is beyond meaning, that it takes its character to a place he is so incapable of understanding that a special room--sort of a hotel room--has to be prepared for him there, so that he will not go mad. The movie lyrically and brutally challenges us to break out of the illusion that everyday mundane concerns are what must preoccupy us. It argues that surely man did not learn to think and dream, only to deaden himself with provincialism and selfishness. "2001" is a spiritual experience. But then all good movies are.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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The 50 best movies of all time, according to critics

• Insider ranked the best films of all time, based on Metacritic scores.
• They include recent Oscar winners " Moonlight " and " Parasite " and classics like " The Godfather " and " Citizen Kane ."

To find out which films have been the most critically acclaimed over time, Insider turned to the reviews aggregator Metacritic for this ranking, which scores films by their composite critical reception. 

The resulting list includes modern masterpieces like recent Oscar winners " Moonlight " and " Parasite " in contention with classics like " The Godfather " and " Citizen Kane ."

There's also, not surprisingly, a lot of Hitchcock.

This post has been updated. John Lynch contributed to a previous version of this post.

The 50 best movies of all time, according to critics:

50. "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940)

Critic score: 96/100

User score: 9.0/10

What critics said : "Gregg Toland captures the open spaces and big skies of rural America, while the normally conservative Ford puts forward a sympathetic but radical plea for workers' rights and freedom for the people." — Empire

49. "Ratatouille" (2007)

User score:  8.6/10

What critics said : "The subtle colors and textures of the food alone make Ratatouille a three-star Michelin evening." — Time

48. "Nashville" (1975)

User score: 8.8/10

What critics said : "One of the greatest American films of the '70s, Nashville remains Altman's crowning achievement." — Entertainment Weekly

47. "Killer of Sheep" (2007)

Critic score: 94/100

User score: 6.9

What critics said : "You have to be prepared to see a film like this, or able to relax and allow it to unfold. It doesn't come, as most films do, with built-in instructions about how to view it." — RogerEbert.com

46. "Manchester by the Sea" (2016)

Critic score:  96/100

User score:  8.2/10

What critics said : "Despite his draw to tragic subjects, Lonergan holds onto a sharp, dark, Irish sense of humor, and a feel for the absurd that comes out at the most unexpected times." — New York Daily News

45. "12 Years a Slave" (2013)

User score:  8.0/10

What critics said : "A work that, finally, asks a mainstream audience to confront the worst of what humanity can do to itself." — Boston Globe

44. "Rosemary's Baby" (1968)

User score: 8.2/10

What critics said : "The brilliance of the film comes more from Polanski's direction, and from a series of genuinely inspired performances, than from the original story." — Chicago Sun-Times

43. "12 Angry Men" (1957)

User score: 9.3/10

What critics said : "What really transforms the piece from a rather talky demonstration that a man is innocent until proven guilty, is the consistently taut, sweltering atmosphere, created largely by Boris Kaufman's excellent camerawork." — Time Out London

42. "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940)

User score: 8.6/10

What critics said : "The charm of the gimmick in Lubitsch's take (directing a script by Samuel Raphaelson, who had collaborated with the German-born filmmaker on comedies and melodramas alike) is passed over quickly in favor of studying both its effects on those involved, as well as the dynamics of the workplace at large." — Slant Magazine

41. "Summer of Soul" (2021)

User score: 7.0/10

What critics said : "The result is something akin to cinematic hypertext, and thanks to Thompson's steady hand, the brief but deep dives are richly rewarding." — Washington Post

40. "Ran" (1985)

User score: 8.5/10

What critics said : "The drama itself packs a powerful — and timeless — gut punch." Washington Post

39. "Parasite" (2019)

User score: 8.7/10

What critics said : " Parasite begins in exhilaration and ends in devastation, but the triumph of the movie is that it fully lives and breathes at every moment, even when you might find yourself struggling to exhale." — Los Angeles Times

38. "Roma" (2018)

User score: 7.8/10

What critics said : "Alfonso Cuarón has made yet another movie that will transport you to another time and place. You will feel like you're living it." — Uproxx

37. "Dumbo" (1941)

What critics said : "It's not only one of the best classic-era Disney features, but also one of the best animated films from any studio at any time." — AV Club

36. "American Graffiti" (1973)

Critic score:  97/100

What critics said : "This superb and singular film catches not only the charm and tribal energy of the teen-age 1950s but also the listlessness and the resignation that underscored it all like an incessant bass line in one of the rock-'n'-roll songs of the period." — Time

35. "The Maltese Falcon" (1941)

User score: 7.9/10

What critics said : "This is one of the best examples of actionful and suspenseful melodramatic story telling in cinematic form." — Variety

34. "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951)

Critic score: 97/100

What critics said : " Streetcar is always a wonderful screen drama and now, also, a study in film archaeology." — Austin Chronicle

33. "Battleship Potemkin" (1926)

What critics said : "If you are at all interested in the history of cinema, or the influence of 20th century politics on the medium, then this film is a must-see, although over an hour of Soviet propaganda is likely to test the patience of modern viewers." — BBC

32. "Psycho" (1960)

User score: 9.1/10

What critic said : "This is a first-rate mystery thriller, full of visual shocks and surprises which are heightened by the melodramatic realism of the production." — Hollywood Reporter

31. "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" (2008)

What critics said : "This slice of celluloid dynamite comes from Romania, and what you see will floor you." — Rolling Stone

30. "Gone With The Wind" (1940)

User score:  8.5/10

What critics said : "The older it gets, and we with it, the more we're able to see in it. As few American films have, Gone With the Wind succeeds both as historical epic and as intimate drama." — Los Angeles Times

29. "Quo Vadis, Aida?" (2021)

User score: 8.3/10

What critics said : " Quo Vadis, Aida? re-creates history in the present tense, with a gut-clutching immediacy that Žbanić makes bearable through sheer formal restraint." — Los Angeles Times

28. "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964)

User score: 8.4/10

What critics said : "Baleful and brilliant, Dr. Strangelove; Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb , will outrage a predictable percentage of the population and enthrall an even greater percentage." — Hollywood Reporter

27. "The Third Man" (1949)

Critic score: 95/100

What critics said : "The thing about Carol Reed's 1949 The Third Man was that no matter how many times I saw it over the years its magic never failed. Its sophisticated, world-weary glamour never lost its allure." — Newsweek

26. "My Left Foot" (1990)

What critics said : "That it features a brilliant performance by Daniel Day-Lewis and a fine supporting cast lifts it from mildly sentimental to excellent." — Variety

25. "The Wild Bunch" (1969)

User score: 8.1/10

What critics said : "The hard action, bracing wit and mournful grace of Peckinpah's cowboy classic shames every new movie around. It's a towering achievement that grows more riveting and resonant with the years." — Rolling Stone

24. "Jules and Jim" (1962)

User score: 7.1/10

What critics said : "The mood of the movie reflects the exuberance of youth and the wisdom of experience. New Wave gold." — Empire

23. "All About Eve" (1950)

Critic score:  98/100

What critics said : "ALL ABOUT EVE is the consummate backstage story, a film that holds a magnifying glass up to theatrical environs and exposes all the egos, tempers, conspiracies and backstage back-biting that make up the world of make-believe on Broadway." — TV Guide

22. "Rashomon" (1951)

Critic score: 98/100

What critics said : "Every element in the film, from the dense thicket of forest branches to master cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa's deceptive framing and lighting design, is precisely calibrated to make the facts more difficult to discern." — AV Club

21. "Hoop Dreams" (1994)

What critics said : "A film like ' Hoop Dreams ' is what the movies are for. It takes us, shakes us, and make us think in new ways about the world around us. It gives us the impression of having touched life itself." — Chicago Sun-Times

20. "North by Northwest" (1959)

What critics said : "A sublime classic." — Guardian

19. "Some Like It Hot" (1959)

What critics said : "If Some Like It Hot isn't the funniest movie ever made, you can't blame it for not trying. The first time you see Billy Wilder's 1959 farce, you might not believe that anything can make you laugh so hard for so long." — Salon

18. "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006)

What critics said : "Literally and figuratively marvelous, a rich, daring mix of fantasy and politics." — Village Voice

17. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948)

What critics said : "Mr. Huston has shaped a searching drama of the collision of civilization's vicious greeds with the instinct for self-preservation in an environment where all the barriers are down. And, by charting the moods of his prospectors after they have hit a vein of gold, he has done a superb illumination of basic characteristics in men." — New York Times

16. "The Lady Vanishes" (1938)

What critics said : "It's typical Hitchcock: taut, morbid, stylish, and determined to confound expectations all the way up to the final shot." — AV Club

15. "Au hasard Balthazar" (1966)

What critics said : "To see Au Hasard Balthazar is to understand the limits of religious literalism in movies — the limits, even, of movies themselves. Bresson pares everything away until all that's left are the things we do and the hole left by the things we could have done but didn't." — Boston Globe

14. "Touch of Evil" (1958)

Critic score: 99/100

What critics said : "A masterclass in tension, visual panache and B-movie excess." — Time Out

13. "Pinocchio" (1940)

What critics said : "Every element in Pinocchio shimmers with the energy of young artists reveling in their newly discovered powers of creation." — Los Angeles Times

12. "Intolerance" (1916)

What critics said : "The plunging and roving camera provides visceral thrills; ecstatic special effects capture the sacred (the Crucifixion) and the profane (combat in the Great War); a metaphysical framing device (starring Lillian Gish) raises human conflict to universal import; and Griffith's trademark closeups lend a quivering lip or a trembling hand the tragic grandeur of historical cataclysm." — New Yorker

11. "Moonlight" (2016)

What critics said : "Like Brokeback Mountain a decade ago, Moonlight is a piece of art that will transform lives long after it leaves theaters." — The Playlist

10. "City Lights" (1931)

What critics said : "There's dignity and folly to The Tramp in City Lights , and everything in between." — The Dissolve

9. "Singin' In The Rain" (1952)

Critic score:  99/100

What critics said : "Escapism raised to the level of art, Singin' In The Rain inventively satirizes the illusions of the filmmaking process while celebrating their life-affirming joy." — AV Club

8. "Notorious" (1946)

Critic score: 100/100

User score: 8.0/10

What critics said : "Love is a dark, corroded obsession in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious, a black-velvet biocide brimming with notes of tabloid titillation, spy-versus-spy nonsense, and romance as rotten as a half-eaten Granny Smith left out in the summer sun." — Slant

7. "Vertigo" (1958)

What critics said : "The greatest sexual suspense drama ever made has come to be regarded by many Hitchcock admirers as his most accomplished film. It is certainly his most forlorn, and easily his most mesmerizing." — San Francisco Chronicle

6. "Three Colors: Red" (1994)

Critic score:  100/100

What critics said : "It is a film of much humanity and very far from smart European pap. But the external brilliance of its making does at times subvert its inner workings, as if its manufacture and its meaning were not quite in perfect harmony." — Guardian

5. "Boyhood" (2014)

User score: 7.6/10

What critics said : "On rare occasions a movie seems to channel the flow of real life. Boyhood is one of those occasions. In its ambition, which is matched by its execution, Richard Linklater's endearing epic is not only rare but unique." — Wall Street Journal

4. "Casablanca" (1943)

User score: 8.9/10

What critics said : "The dialogue is so spare and cynical it has not grown old-fashioned. Much of the emotional effect of Casablanca is achieved by indirection; as we leave the theater, we are absolutely convinced that the only thing keeping the world from going crazy is that the problems of three little people do after all amount to more than a hill of beans." — Chicago Sun-Times

3. "Rear Window" (1954)

What critics said : "There is never an instant, in fact, when Director Hitchcock is not in minute and masterly control of his material: script, camera, cutting, props, the handsome set constructed from his ideas, the stars he has Hitched to his vehicle." — Time

2. "Citizen Kane" (1941)

What critics said : "What's magical about Kane — the sheer transformative thrill of invention — is there in every shot, every performance, every narrative surge." — Entertainment Weekly

1. "The Godfather" (1972)

User score:  9.2/10

What critics said : " The Godfather traces the arc of this doomed idealism with a beauty that is still fresh." — LA Weekly

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The 100 best movies of all time

Silent classics, noirs, space operas and everything in between: Somehow we managed to rank the best movies of all time

In media, a list is a powder keg waiting to explode the moment it’s published, especially if it’s called something like ‘the 100 greatest movies ever made’. If you’re passionate about something, you’re going to feel compelled to fiercely defend your favourites and shout down whatever you think is undeserving. If we’re being honest, inflaming public discussion is one of the reasons anyone decides to do a project like this. Debate gets you thinking, and, when reasoned and civil enough, perhaps even  re thinking.  

But don’t think of this as an attempt to shove our opinions down your throat. We consider this list more of a reference manual: a jumping off point for anyone looking to fill in the gaps of their movie knowledge – or, for more advanced cinephiles, a way to challenge their own preconceived notions. After all, we cover a lot of ground here: over 100 years, multiple countries, and just about every genre imaginable, from massive blockbusters to cult films, comedies to horror, thrillers to action flicks. 

Written by Abbey Bender, Dave Calhoun, Phil de Semlyen, Bilge Ebiri, Ian Freer, Stephen Garrett, Tomris Laffly, Joshua Rothkopf, Anna Smith and Matthew Singer

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Best movies of all time

1.  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

• Science fiction

The greatest film ever made began with the meeting of two brilliant minds: Stanley Kubrick and sci-fi seer Arthur C Clarke. ‘I understand he’s a nut who lives in a tree in India somewhere,’ noted Kubrick when Clarke’s name came up – along with those of Isaac Asimov, Robert A Heinlein and Ray Bradbury – as a possible writer for his planned sci-fi epic. Clarke was actually living in Ceylon (not in India, or a tree), but the pair met, hit it off, and forged a story of technological progress and disaster (hello, HAL) that’s steeped in humanity, in all its brilliance, weakness, courage and mad ambition. An audience of stoners, wowed by its eye-candy Star Gate sequence and pioneering visuals, adopted it as a pet movie. Were it not for them, 2001 might have faded into obscurity, but it’s hard to imagine it would have stayed there. Kubrick’s frighteningly clinical vision of the future – AI and all – still feels prophetic, more than 50 years on.— Phil de Semlyen

2.  The Godfather (1972)

From the wise guys of Goodfellas to The Sopranos , all crime dynasties that came after The Godfather are descendants of the Corleones: Francis Ford Coppola’s magnum opus is the ultimate patriarch of the Mafia genre. A monumental opening line (“I believe in America”) sets the operatic Mario Puzo adaptation in motion, before Coppola’s epic morphs into a chilling dismantling of the American dream. The corruption-soaked story follows a powerful immigrant family grappling with the paradoxical values of reign and religion; those moral contradictions are crystallized in a legendary baptism sequence, superbly edited in parallel to the murdering of four rivaling dons. With countless iconic details—a horse’s severed head, Marlon Brando’s wheezy voice, Nino Rota’s catchy waltz— The Godfather ’s authority lives on.— Tomris Laffly

3.  Citizen Kane (1941)

Back in the headlines thanks to David Fincher’s brilliantly acerbic making-of drama Mank , Citizen Kane always finds a way to renew itself for a new generation of film lovers. For newbies, the journey of its bulldozer of a protagonist – played with inexhaustible force by actor-director-wunderkind Orson Welles – from unloved child to thrusting entrepreneur to press baron to populist feels entirely au courant (in unconnected news, Donald Trump came out as a superfan). You can bathe in the film’s groundbreaking techniques, like Gregg Toland’s deep-focus photography, or the limitless self-confidence of its staging and its investigation of American capitalism. But it’s also just a damn good story that you definitely don’t need to be a hardened cineaste to enjoy.— Phil de Semlyen

4.  Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

Long considered a feminist masterpiece, Chantal Akerman’s quietly ruinous portrait of a widow’s daily routine—her chores slowly yielding to a sense of pent-up frustration—should take its rightful place on any all-time list. This is not merely a niche film, but a window onto a universal condition, depicted in a concentrated structuralist style. More hypnotic than you may realize, Akerman’s uninterrupted takes turn the simple acts of dredging veal or cleaning the bathtub into subtle critiques of moviemaking itself. (Pointedly, we never see the sex work Jeanne schedules in her bedroom to make ends meet.) Lulling us into her routine, Akerman and actor Delphine Seyrig create an extraordinary sense of sympathy rarely matched by other movies. Jeanne Dielman represents a total commitment to a woman’s life, hour by hour, minute by minute. And it even has a twist ending.— Joshua Rothkopf

5.  Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

• Action and adventure

Starting with a dissolve from the Paramount logo and ending in a warehouse inspired by Citizen Kane , Raiders of the Lost Ark celebrates what movies can do more joyously than any other film. Intricately designed as a tribute to the craft, Steven Spielberg’s funnest blockbuster has it all: rolling boulders, a barroom brawl, a sparky heroine (Karen Allen) who can hold her liquor and lose her temper, a treacherous monkey, a champagne-drinking villain (Paul Freeman), snakes (“Why did it have to be snakes?”), cinema’s greatest truck chase and a barnstorming supernatural finale where heads explode. And it’s all topped off by Harrison Ford’s pitch-perfect Indiana Jones, a model of reluctant but resourceful heroism (look at his face when he shoots that swordsman). In short, it’s cinematic perfection.— Ian Freer

6.  La Dolce Vita (1960)

Made in the middle of Italy’s boom years, Federico Fellini’s runaway box-office hit came to define heated glamour and celebrity culture for the entire planet. It also made Marcello Mastroianni a star; here, he plays a gossip journalist caught up in the frenzied, freewheeling world of Roman nightlife. Ironically, the movie’s portrayal of this milieu as vapid and soul-corrodingly hedonistic appears to have passed many viewers by. Perhaps that’s because Fellini films everything with so much cinematic verve and wit that it’s often hard not to get caught up in the delirious happenings onscreen. So much of how we view fame still dates back to this film; it even gave us the word paparazzi .— Bilge Ebiri

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7.  Seven Samurai (1954)

It’s the easiest 207 minutes of cinema you’ll ever sit through. On the simplest of frameworks—a poor farming community pools its resources to hire samurai to protect them from the brutal bandits who steal its harvest—Akira Kurosawa mounts a finely drawn epic, by turns absorbing, funny and exciting. Of course the action sequences stir the blood—the final showdown in the rain is unforgettable—but this is really a study in human strengths and foibles. Toshiro Mifune is superb as the half-crazed self-styled samurai, but it’s Takashi Shimura’s Yoda-like leader who gives the film its emotional center. Since replayed in the Wild West ( The Magnificent Seven ), in space ( Battle Beyond the Stars ) and even with animated insects ( A Bug’s Life ), the original still reigns supreme.— Ian Freer

8.  In the Mood for Love (2000)

Can a film really be an instant classic? Anyone who watched In The Mood for Love when it was released in 2000 may have said yes. The second this love story opens, you sense you are in the hands of a master. Wong Kar-wai guides us through the narrow streets and stairs of ’60s Hong Kong and into the lives of two neighbors (Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung) who discover their spouses are having an affair. As they imagine—and partly reenact—how their partners might be behaving, they fall for each other while remaining determined to respect their wedding vows. Loaded with longing, the film benefits from no less than three cinematographers, who together create an intense sense of intimacy, while the faultless performances shiver with sexual tension. This is cinema.— Anna Smith

9.  There Will Be Blood (2007)

On the road to becoming the most significant filmmaker of the last 20 years, Paul Thomas Anderson transformed from a Scorsesian chronicler of debauched L.A. life into a hard-nosed investigator of the American confidence man. The pivotal point was There Will Be Blood , an epic about a certain kind of hustler—the oil baron and prospector. Daniel Plainview is, in the final analysis, an ultra-scary Daniel Day-Lewis who will drink your milkshake. Scored by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood (himself emerging as a major composer), Anderson’s mournful epic is the true heir to Chinatown ’s bone-deep cynicism. As Phantom Thread makes clear, Anderson hasn’t lost his sense of humor, not by a long shot. But there once was a moment when he needed to get serious, and this is it.— Joshua Rothkopf

10.  Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Forget The Artist—sorry Uggie—and relish instead the sheer, serotonin-enhancing verve of MGM’s glorious epitaph to cinema’s silent era. Its trio of dancers—rubber-faced (and heeled) Donald O’Connor, sparkling newcomer Debbie Reynolds and co-director and headline act Gene Kelly—are a triple threat, nailing the stellar songs, intricate and physically demanding dance routines and selling all the comic beats with consummate skill. But kudos also belongs to Betty Comden and Adolph Green, whose effervescent screenplay provides the beat for the spectacle to move to, and Jessica Hagen, whose often-overlooked turn as croaky silent star Lina Lamont is the movie’s funny-sad counterpoint. Not forgetting co-director Stanley Donen, who was always happy to let his stars take the credit but deserves an equal share for a musical that never puts a foot wrong.– Phil de Semlyen

11.  Goodfellas (1990)

‘As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.’ Ray Liotta’s opening line is the crime movie equivalent of ‘Once upon a time…’, and what follows is Martin Scorsese’s version of a fairy tale – the story of a starry-eyed Brooklyn kid who realises his boyhood dream and still comes out a schnook in the end. Based on the true life of mobster Henry Hill, Goodfellas was born in the shadow of The Godfather , but as the years go on, the question of which is more influential becomes mostly a matter of generation. Certainly, the former is more easily rewatchable, owing to its breakneck pacing – its two and a half hours (and three decades) just whiz by. And for a movie about violent career criminals, it’s also strangely relatable. Where Coppola went inside the walls of organised crime’s one percent, Scorsese’s gangsters are more blue collar. And as it turns out, working for the mafia isn’t much different than any other job - you spend 30 years busting your hump to climb the ladder, only to end up face down on a bloody carpet in some tacky house in the burbs. — Matthew Singer  

12.  North by Northwest (1959)

Every film fan intrinsically knows what it means for a movie to be deemed ‘Hitchcockian’, but the truth is that Alfred Hitchcock himself made many different kinds of movies in his career, encompassing many different moods and narratives. Declaring his most ‘definitive’ film is largely a matter of personal preference, but North By Northwest is perhaps the best at encapsulating his particular ability to appeal to mass audiences, critics and dedicated cineastes, all in the same moment. It’s also his most compulsively watchable, a caper that is at once suave, sexy, genuinely suspenseful and frequently, joyfully ridiculous. Cary Grant cranks the Cary Grantness to 11 as Roger Thornhill, a New York ad man mistaken for a spy and pursued across America by a shady cabal, sending him scurrying through cornfields, scaling Mount Rushmore and flirting royally with femme fatale Eva Marie Saint. It ends with a juvenile visual pun, involving a train entering a tunnel, which in the context of the time period plays like Hitch sticking a thumb in the eye of the prudish studio system. In other words, it really might be his defining film – certainly, it’s his most fun. — Matthew Singer    

13.  Mulholland Drive (2001)

Not many movies are known equally for a genuinely erotic lesbian sex scene and a heart-stopping jump scare involving some kind of terrifying trash witch. Then again, this is David Lynch we’re talking about: the man’s entire career is dedicated to doing things most other filmmakers wouldn’t even consider. But Mulholland Drive is where the phrase ‘Lynchian’ earned its definition. What appears, at first, to be a relatively straightforward noir about a gorgeous amnesiac (Laura Harring) trying to piece together the mystery of her own identity plunges, in its third act, into a hallucinatory dream world, effectively undoing everything that came before. The hairpin turn frustrated some critics, who apparently anticipated a movie that would explain itself in the end. Fans knew better – and for those willing to accept the movie as an experience, rather than a riddle to be solved, it’s a gift that reveals new pleasures (and nightmares) with each viewing. — Matthew Singer

14.  Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Vittorio de Sica’s Neorealist masterpiece is set in a world where owning a bicycle is the key to working, but it could just as easily be set in one where the absence of car, or affordable childcare, or a home, or a social security number are insurmountable barriers in the constant slog to put food on the table. That’s what makes simultaneously it a film for postwar Italy and modern-day anywhere-at-all. That’s what makes it such a powerful, enduring landmark in humanist cinema. You can feel it in virtually every social drama you care to mention, from Ken Loach to Kelly Reichardt. — Phil de Semlyen

15.  The Dark Knight (2008)

There’s a new Batman in Gotham, in the shadowy form of Matt Reeves’s The Batman – and this is the bar it has to clear. The middle entry in Christopher Nolan’s Bat-trilogy is an almost flawless case study of how to do a sophisticated superhero epic for modern audiences – and the ‘almost’ is only because the final act refreshingly tries to cram in almost too many ideas, much moral arithmetic. Heath Ledger’s Joker, meanwhile, redefines big-screen villainy: It’s not enough to be sinister, you need a party trick now too.— Phil de Semlyen  

16.  City Lights (1931)

Charlie Chaplin’s total vision remains awe-inspiring: He wrote, directed, produced, edited and starred in his own movies, which he also scored with an orchestra. And when those cameras were rolling, they captured a self-made icon with a global audience. Still, City Lights was something else. Chaplin, reluctant to give up the visual techniques he’d mastered, insisted on making his new comedy a silent film even as viewers were growing thirsty for sound. As ever, the star had the last laugh: Not only was the film a huge commercial success, it also ended on the most heartbreaking close-up in cinema history—the peak of the reaction shot (since cribbed by movies from La Strada to The Purple Rose of Cairo ), no dialogue required.— Joshua Rothkopf

17.  Grand Illusion (1937)

There’s never a bad time to revisit one of Jean Renoir’s great masterpieces (along with The Rules of the Game ), but this current era of populists, nationalists and shouty rabble-rousers feels like a particularly good one. Set in a German POW camp during WWI, the film lays bare the fault lines of class and nationality among a group of French prisoners and their German captors and comes to the conclusion that all that really matters is man’s nobility toward his fellow man.— Phil de Semlyen

18.  His Girl Friday (1940)

Calling this one the peak of screwball comedy may be too limiting: Among the many topflight movies directed by journeyman filmmaker Howard Hawks, His Girl Friday is his most romantic and most verbose (the constant banter feels like foreplay). Though the laconic Hawks would downplay his own proto-feminism throughout his life, the film is also his most liberated; strong women who had jobs and ran with newshounds were simply what he wanted to see. Most wonderfully, this comedy best celebrates the rule of wit: He—or, more often, she —with the sharpest tongue wins. If you love words, you’ll love this movie.— Joshua Rothkopf

19.  The Red Shoes (1948)

You could stick nearly every Powell and Pressburger film on this list; such was the dynamic duo’s stellar output. But for our money—and that of superfan Martin Scorsese—this dazzling ballet-set romance is first among equals. It's a perfect expression of artists’ drive to create, set in a lush Technicolor world shot by the great Jack Cardiff. Scorsese describes it as “the movie that plays in my heart.” We’ll take two seats at the back.— Phil de Semlyen

20.  Vertigo (1958)

A sexy Freudian mind-bender that’s often considered Alfred Hitchcock’s finest triumph, Vertigo is pitched in a world of existential obsession and cunning doubles. Shape-shifting her way through Edith Head’s transformational costumes, Kim Novak haunts in two roles: Madeleine Elster and Judy Barton, both objects of desire for James Stewart’s curious ex-cop. Completing this vivid psychodrama is Bernard Herrmann’s alarmingly duplicitous score, which twists its way to a towering finale.— Tomris Laffly

21.  Beau Travail (1999)

Increasingly a giant of world cinema, France’s Claire Denis continues to confound expectations, making movies in sync with her own offbeat rhythms and thematic preoccupations (colonialism, power, repressed attraction). This one, her celebrated breakout, is something of a spin on Herman Melville’s Billy Budd —but that’s like calling Jaws something of a spin on Moby-Dick . The genius is in Denis’s technique, manifesting itself in images of shattering emotional precision: sinewy silhouettes of soldiers, abstract tests of will in the desert and, most ravishingly, the euphoria of breaking into dance, courtesy of a loose-limbed Denis Lavant and Corona’s ‘Rhythm of the Night’.— Joshua Rothkopf

22.  The Searchers (1956)

Showing some personal growth as well as filmmaking craft, John Ford makes some amends for his appearance in DW Griffith’s virulently racist The Birth of a Nation with this landmark western. It’s a story of hatred slowing giving way to compassion that strips away the toxic myths of the old frontier via the swaggering but broken-down figure of Ethan Edwards (John Wayne). Edwards is no white-hatted Shane type, but an embittered war veteran who hunts his own niece (Natalie Wood) with the intention of killing her for the crime of have been assimilated with the Comanche. The shot of Edwards framed in that doorway is one of the most famous – and most mimicked – in cinema .— Phil de Semlyen

23.  Persona (1966)

Back when David Lynch was still saving up money to buy his first camera, Ingmar Bergman was figuring out how to transmit the vagaries of the subconscious mind to the screen. Persona is a nightmare in the dreamiest and most confounding sense. In terms of plot, it involves two women, one an actress suffering from an unknown affliction (Liv Ullmann), the other her live-in nurse (Bibi Andersson), who retreat to an isolated seaside cabin in order to treat the latter’s disorder and who possibly, maybe start fusing into the same person. But whatever linear narrative exists is consistently upended by seemingly random images – a dead lamb, a crucifixion, a flash of a sudden erect penis – and meta-cinematic references, including a shot of cinematographer Sven Nykvist filming the movie itself. Critics have been dissecting its meaning ever since. But Persona doesn’t exist simply as a challenge to film scholars. If you give up any hope of literal understanding and give yourself over to it, you’ll experience a sense of unease few movies before, and hardly since, have managed to achieve.  — Matthew Singer

24.  Do the Right Thing (1989)

Spike Lee’s bitterly funny, ultimately tragic fresco of a Brooklyn neighborhood during one sweltering summer day was hugely controversial at the time: Critics dinged Lee for his depiction of an uprising in the wake of a police killing. The movie has lost none of its relevance or power; if anything, it’s gained some. But the filmmaking is what makes this a classic, particularly the energy, wit and style with which Lee presents this microcosm and the social forces at play inside it.— Bilge Ebiri

25.  Rashomon (1950)

It’s no exaggeration to say that Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon redefined cinematic storytelling. With its shifting, unreliable narrative structure—in which four people give differing accounts of a murder—the film is remarkably daring and serves as a reminder of how form itself can beguile us. Flashbacks have never been so thrillingly deployed; nearly 70 years after its release, filmmakers are still trying to catch up to its achievements.— Abbey Bender

26.  The Rules of the Game (1939)

Jean Renoir cemented his virtuosity with this pitch-perfect study of social-strata eruptions among the ditzy, idle rich, about to be blown sideways by WWII. Affairs among aristocrats and servants alike bloom during a weeklong hunting trip at a country manor, where the only crime is to trade frivolity with sincerity. Renoir captures his sparklingly astute ensemble cast with fluid, deep-focus camera movements, innovations that inspired directors from Orson Welles to Robert Altman.— Stephen Garre tt

27.  Jaws (1975)

Steven Spielberg’s immortal blockbuster doesn’t need political prescience to stay relevant: it’s a movie about a big-ass shark eating people. Thanks in large part to the film itself, that’s one irrational fear the public is never letting go of. Over the last two years, though, whenever some elected official has argued against mask mandates and said it’s time to reopen schools, it’s been hard not to think about Mayor Vaughn in his goofy anchor-print suit telling the citizens of Amity Island that it’s safe to go back in the water. And that element – along with the masterful pacing, the get-you-every-time jump scares and that banger of a third act – is what really makes Jaws forever frightening: sharks are scary, but greed and incompetence are far more likely to get you. —  Matthew Singer  

28.  Double Indemnity (1944)

The deliciously dark, stylish genre of film noir simply wouldn’t exist without Double Indemnity . This one truly has it all: flashbacks, murder, shadows and cigarettes galore, and, of course, a devious femme fatale (Barbara Stanwyck). As one of the great directors of Hollywood’s golden age, Billy Wilder excelled across a variety of cinematic types, but this hard-boiled gem is his most influential work.— Abbey Bender

29.  The 400 Blows (1959)

The first in a five-film autobiographical series, Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is the story of Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud)—stuck in an unhappy home life but finding solace in goofing off, smoking and hanging with his friends—and it’s cinema’s greatest evocation of a troubled childhood. Plus, it’s the perfect primer to get kids into subtitled movies.— Ian Freer

30.  Star Wars (1977)

Popcorn pictures hit hyperdrive after George Lucas unveiled his intergalactic Western, an intoxicating gee-whiz space opera with dollops of Joseph Campbell–style mythologizing that obliterated the moral complexities of 1970s Hollywood. This postmodern movie-brat pastiche references a virtual syllabus of genre classics, from Metropolis and Triumph of the Will to Kurosawa’s samurai actioners, Flash Gordon serials and WWII thrillers like The Dam Busters . Luke Skywalker’s quest to rescue a princess instantly elevated B-movie bliss to billion-dollar-franchise sagas.— Stephen Garrett

31.  The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Carl Theodor Dreyer’s classic tale of the trial of Joan of Arc is somehow both austere and maximalist. The director shows restraint with setting and scope; the film focuses largely on the back-and-forth between Joan and her inquisitors. But the intense close-ups give free reign to Maria Falconetti’s marvelously expressive turn as the doomed Maid of Orleans. Made at the close of the silent era, it set new standards in screen acting.— Bilge Ebiri

32.  Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

The ultimate cult film, Leone’s spaghetti Western is set in a civilizing America—though mostly shot in Rome and Spain—but the real location is an abstract frontier of old versus new, of larger-than-life heroes fading into memory. It’s a triumph of buried political commentary and purest epic cinema. Henry Fonda’s icy stare, composer Ennio Morricone’s twangy guitars of doom and the monumental Charles Bronson as the last gunfighter (“an ancient race…”) are just three reasons of a million to saddle up .— Joshua Rothkopf

33.  Alien (1979)

If all it did was to launch a franchise centered on Sigourney Weaver’s fierce survivor (still among the toughest action heroines of cinema), Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic, deliberately paced sci-fi-horror classic would still be cemented in the film canon. But Alien claims masterpiece status with its subversive gender politics (this is a movie that impregnates men), its shocking chestburster centerpiece and industrial designer H.R. Giger’s strangely elegant double-jawed creature, a nightmarish vision of hostility—and one of cinema’s most unforgettable pieces of pure craft.— Tomris Laffly

34.  Tokyo Story (1951)

Simply spun, Yasujiro Ozu’s domestic drama is small but perfectly formed. Chishu Ryu and Chieko Higashiyama are dignified and moving as parents who visit their children and grandchildren, only to be neglected. Delicately played, beautifully shot (often with the camera hovering just off the ground), Ozu’s masterpiece is the family movie given grandeur and intimacy. If you loved last year’s Shoplifters , you’ll love this.— Ian Freer

35.  Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino’s second feature still feels like a culmination of cinema’s first century and an explosion of everything we thought we knew about film. A gangster flick where the gangsters chat about cheeseburgers? Where the narrative is like a smashed jigsaw puzzle put back together out of order? With the guy from Look Who’s Talking  as a slick-talking hitman? That can make money, win Oscars and spin off so many imitators it’s practically a genre unto itself? It just took an over-caffeinated ex-video store clerk with the right amount of chutzpah to make it happen. When the aliens pick over our decimated planet and discover a VHS copy among the rubble, they’ll agree that John Travolta was the perfect casting choice, Samuel L Jackson is the baddest motherfucker on the planet, and the true contents of the briefcase really don’t matter. —Matthew Singer

36.  The Truman Show (1998)

The late ’90s spawned two prescient satires of reality TV, back when it was still in its pre-epidemic phase: the underrated EDtv and, this, Peter Weir’s profound statement on the way the media has its claws in us. In some ways a kinder, gentler version of Network , The Truman Show is a TV parable in which a meek hero (Jim Carrey) wins back his life. It can also be considered an angrier film, slamming both the controlling TV networks (represented by Ed Harris’s messiahlike Christof) and us, the viewing public, for making a game show of other people’s lives.— Phil de Semlyen

37.  Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Notions of masculinity, conflicted sexuality and tribal identity (or lack of it) boil beneath the surface of David Lean’s historical epic like magma. They seeps through the cracks of its depiction of iconoclastic Edwardian nomad and Arab leader T E Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), locating its huge set pieces within the megalomaniac compass of its hero and lending depth to its intimate moments when the cost of all is laid bare. Amid its sweeping Arabian landscapes, famously captured by cinematographer Freddie Young’s cameras, it’s the interior landscape of Lawrence himself that this great biopic maps out so memorably.— Phil de Semlyen

38.  Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock had made a few scary movies earlier in his career, but Psycho was something completely different – not just for his personal oeuvre, or the horror genre, but movies in general. It invented the modern slasher flick. It anticipated the moral ambiguity that would become de rigueur in the New Hollywood of the ‘70s. It upturned the established rules of narrative, killing off the supposed heroine midway through, in unprecedentedly shocking fashion. Sure, there are other filmmakers who can claim to have covered some of that ground first; Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom , in fact, arrived a few months earlier and hit on many of the same themes. The difference with Hitch is he knew how to transmit new ideas to the widest possible audience. He didn’t just break the rules – he rewrote the manual. And horror directors are still reading from it today. — Matthew Singer

39.  Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

Japanese cinema has produced no shortage of heavy hitters, but director Kenji Mizoguchi may deserve prime of place. He was able to turn out impeccable ghost stories ( Ugetsu ) and backstage dramas ( The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums ), but his greatest trait was a deep, unshakable empathy for women, beaten down by the patriarchy but heartbreaking in their suffering. These women are central to Sansho the Bailiff , a feudal tale of familial dissolution that will wreck you. Make no apologies for your tears; everyone else will be crying, too.— Joshua Rothkopf

40.  Andrei Rublev (1966)

Mournful, challenging and mesmerizing, Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky’s epic portrait of the life and times of one of Russia’s most famous medieval icon painters foregrounds qualities such as landscape and mood over story and character. Ultimately, it’s the tale of a man’s attempt to overcome his crisis of faith in a world that seems to have an endless supply of violence and strife—and it’s a remarkable testament to the persistence of artists working under oppressive regimes.— Bilge Ebiri

41.  The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

The melancholy of Michel Legrand’s glorious score washes over viewers’ hearts from the first moment of Jacques Demy’s nontraditional, sung-through musical. One of the most romantic films ever made about the pains and purity of first love, the immaculately styled The Umbrellas of Cherbourg challenged the lighter Hollywood musicals of the era (like The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady ) and launched the sensational Catherine Deneuve into international stardom. Later, it would be a major influence on La La Land. — Tomris Laffly

42.  Chinatown (1974)

Director Roman Polanski and screenwriter Robert Towne took a modestly sleazy noir setup and turned it into a meditation on the horrors of American history and rapacious capitalism. The film also sports a perfect cast, with a top-of-his-game Jack Nicholson as a cynical private eye, an impossibly alluring Faye Dunaway as the femme fatale with a past so dark her final revelation still shocks, and the legendary John Huston as the monstrous millionaire at the heart of it all.— Bilge Ebiri

43.  The Seventh Seal (1957)

Not just any film gets homaged by Bill and Ted. But Ingmar Bergman’s great treatise on mortality isn’t just any film. Despite becoming somehow synonymous with “difficult art-house statement,” it’s not all weighty themes, plague-strewn landscapes and chess games with the Grim Reaper. As Max von Sydow’s medieval knight travels the land witnessing the apocalypse, loads of life-affirming moments lighten the load. Of course, it’s a work of profound philosophical thought, too, so you’ll feel brainier for having seen it.— Phil de Semlyen

44.  Lost in Translation (2003)

Sofia Coppola’s sublimely restrained second feature pulls off a great trick: it manages to feel like one of cinema’s great romances, despite nothing traditionally romantic happening in it. In fact, not much happens at all. Bill Murray is a washed-up American actor reduced to shooting ads for Japanese whisky in Tokyo while his marriage grows cold back home. One jetlagged night in the hotel bar, he meets a young newlywed (Scarlett Johansson) already growing disillusioned with her own marriage. They bond over their shared alienation, have some drinks and spend one eventful evening out on the town, singing karaoke. Then they part, presumably forever, never consummating their tryst beyond a few trace brushes of the skin. And yet, the film is utterly beguiling, and communicates more about the power of fleeting human connection than just about any other whirlwind dalliance you’ve seen in a capital-R movie romance. That’s in large part due to Murray and Johansson’s subtle, sad-but-hopeful performances, but also Coppola’s framing of Tokyo as a gauzy, neon-lit dreamscape. If you’ve ever felt lonely even once in your life, it’s impossible to resist. — Matthew Singer

45.  Taxi Driver (1976)

A time capsule of a vanished New York and a portrait of twisted masculinity that still stings, Taxi Driver stands at the peak of the vital, gritty auteur-driven filmmaking that defined 1970s New Hollywood. Martin Scorsese’s vision of vigilantism is filled with an uncomfortable ambience, and Paul Schrader’s screenplay probes philosophical depths that are brought to vicious life by Robert De Niro’s unforgettable performance.— Abbey Bender

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46.  Spirited Away (2001)

The jewel in Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli’s crown, Spirited Away is a glorious bedtime story filled with soot sprites, monsters and phantasms—it’s a movie with the power to coax out the inner child in the most grown-up and jaded among us. A spin on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (with the same invitation to follow your imagination), Spirited Away has been ushering audiences into its dream world for almost two decades and seems only to grow in stature each year, a tribute to its hand-drawn artistry. Trivia time: It remains Japan’s highest-grossing film ever, just ahead of Titanic .— Anna Smith

47.  Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The first no-budget horror movie to become a bona-fide calling card for its director, George A. Romero’s seminal frightfest begins with a single zombie in a graveyard and builds to an undead army attacking a secluded house. Most modern horror clichés start here. But nothing betters it for style, mordant wit, racial and political undertow, and scaring the bejesus out of you, all some 50 years before Us .— Ian Freer

48.  Battleship Potemkin (1925)

This rousing Russian silent film was conceived in the heat of Soviet propaganda and commissioned by the still-young Communist government to salute an event from 20 years earlier. It tells of a sailors’ revolt that morphs into a full-blown workers’ uprising in the city of Odessa; the movie is most famous for one breathtaking sequence—much copied and parodied since—of a baby carriage tumbling down a huge flight of steps. But Battleship Potemkin is full of powerful images and heady ideas, and director Sergei Eisenstein is rightly considered one of the pioneers of early film language, with his influence felt through the decades.— Dave Calhoun

49.  Modern Times (1936)

The only Charlie Chaplin movie to see the Little Tramp go on a massive cocaine binge, this relentlessly inventive silent classic hardly needs the added kick. The gags come almost as fast as you can process them, with the typically pinpoint Chaplin slapstick conjured here from scenarios that seem purpose-built to end in disaster. The sight of Chaplin literally feeding himself into a massive machine offers a still-germane satire on technological advancement.— Phil de Semlyen

50.  Breathless (1960)

Film critic Jean-Luc Godard’s seismic directing debut is a bravado deconstruction of the gangster picture that also reinvented moviemaking itself. It features Cubistic jump cuts, restless handheld camerawork, location shoots, eccentric pacing (the 24-minute centerpiece is two lovers talking in a bedroom), and self-conscious asides about painting, poetry, pop culture, literature and film. A sexy fling between petty thief Jean-Paul Belmondo and Sorbonne-bound gamine Jean Seberg morphs into an oddly touching, existential meditation. It’s pulp fiction, but alchemically profound.— Stephen Garrett

51.  Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

So much of Stanley Kubrick’s genius was conceptual, and this one asks his most audacious question: What if the world came to an end—and it was hilarious? Nuclear annihilation was a subject in which Kubrick immersed himself, reading virtually every unclassified text. His conclusion was grim: There would be no winning. Via darkest comedy (the only way into the subject) and an unhinged Peter Sellers playing three separate parts, Kubrick made his point.— Joshua Rothkopf

52.  M (1931)

One of those epochal films—there’s only a handful—that sits on the divide between silent cinema and the sound era but taps into the virtues of both, Fritz Lang’s serial-killer thriller burns with deep-etched visual darkness while perking ears with its whistled “In the Hall of the Mountain King” (performed by a purse-lipped Lang himself; his star, Peter Lorre, couldn’t whistle). The movie’s theme is vigilance: We must protect our children, but who will protect society from itself? M is like a sonar listening to a pre-Nazi Germany on the cusp of shedding its humanity.— Joshua Rothkopf

53.  Blade Runner (1982)

Set in (eek!) 2019, Ridley Scott’s vision of a dystopian future is one of the most stylish sci-fi films of all time. With a noir-inspired aesthetic and a haunting synth score by Vangelis (a massive influence on Prince), Blade Runner is iconic not just for its era-defining look, but also for its deeper philosophical examination of what it means to be human. Many have tried to imitate the film’s uncanny vibe, but these rain-slicked streets and seedy vistas possess a singular menace.— Abbey Bender

54.  The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)

The creative fecundity of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, dead from an overdose at age 37 after completing more than 40 features, deserves enshrinement by a new generation. This film is arguably his sharpest and most psychologically complex; inarguably, it’s his bitchiest. There is so much to love in Fassbinder’s shag-carpeted showdown, which goes beyond the spectacle of two dueling fashionistas into a profound exploration of aging and obsolescence.— Joshua Rothkopf

55.  Rome, Open City (1945)

Few film movements can boast the hit rate of Italian neorealism , a post-World War II wave dedicated to working-class struggle that seems to comprise only masterpieces. Robert Rossellini was responsible for a few of them, including Germany Year Zero and this earlier drama of repression and resistance, which boasts not one but two of the most memorable death scenes in all of cinema.— Phil de Semlyen

56.  Nosferatu (1922)

Brace for the land of phantoms and the call of the Bird of Death: One of the earliest (though unauthorized) adaptations of Dracula is still the most terrifying. Max Schreck’s insectlike performance as the bloodthirsty Count Orlok is just as transfixing and repulsive as it was almost a century ago. German Expressionist director F.W. Murnau’s haunting images of a crepuscular world set the chilling standard for generations of cinematic nightmares.— Stephen Garrett

57.  Airplane! (1980)

Should a movie whose primary function is to make fun of other movies be allowed inclusion on a list of the greatest movies of all time? When it’s as deliriously anarchic, sublimely silly and just plain hilarious as Airplane! , well, surely it should. In their first true feature, directors David and Jerry Zucker, along with partner Jim Abrahams, take aim at the disaster movies that were all the rage at the multiplex in the 1970s, and machine-gun jokes at the screen at such a pace that it requires multiple screenings just to catch them all. The context of the spoof is somewhat lost to time, and its progeny isn’t exactly illustrious – although the first Naked Gun  is a classic in its own right – but that’s only helped the movie stand on its own as a truly transcendent laugh riot. — Matthew Singer  

58.  Under the Skin (2013)

Hypnotic, bewitching, thought-provoking, disturbing, horrifying: However you react to it, you won't forget Jonathan Glazer's startling adaptation of Michel Faber's woman-who-fell-to-earth novel. Using her celebrity in a radical way, Scarlett Johansson is perfectly cast as an alien in human form who roams Glasgow trying to pick up men in her van. It was shot guerrilla-style on the streets of the Scottish city, so look out for the footage of genuinely baffled passersby.— Anna Smith

59.  Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Both a sequel and a reboot, the fourth entry in director George Miller’s series of post-apocalyptic gearhead epics fuses death-defying stunts with modern special effects to give us one of the all-time-great action movies. This one is a nonstop barrage of chases, each more spectacularly elaborate and nightmarish than the last—but it’s all combined with Miller’s surreal, poetic sensibility, which sends it into the realm of art.— Bilge Ebiri

60.  Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola’s evergreen Vietnam War classic proves war is swell, as assassin Martin Sheen heads upriver to kill renegade colonel Marlon Brando. En route, there’s surfing, a thrilling helicopter raid, napalm smelling, tigers and Playboy bunnies, until Sheen steps off the boat and into a different zone of madness—or is it genius? Who knows at this point?— Ian Freer

61.  Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Forget what the Oscars crowned as the Best Picture of 2005: Ang Lee’s tragic gay romance is the nominee that stands the test of time. Anchored by Rodrigo Prieto’s swoonworthy cinematography and a wistful Heath Ledger (whose performance toppled societal perceptions of masculinity), Brokeback Mountain is a milestone in LGBTQ art-house cinema. It reimagined the Western genre and became a part of the zeitgeist.— Tomris Laffly

62.  Duck Soup (1933)

Biting political satires don't have to be long and complicated: This 68-minute masterpiece is perfectly pithy, exposing the absurdities of international politics with swift wit and spot-on slapstick. Often regarded as the funniest of the Marx Brothers’ oeuvre, the film is also—sadly—timeless, as its portrayal of a war-mongering dictatorship remains relevant to this day.— Anna Smith

63.  The Blair Witch Project (1999)

In 1997, a group of no-name actors went into the Maryland backwoods with some handheld cameras, a loose script and a budget that wouldn’t cover the catering on most of the other films on this list, and emerged with a blockbuster. Perhaps no movie in history has ever achieved more with less than Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’s atmospheric horror classic. For years, though, The Blair Witch Project was discussed as a triumph of marketing more than anything else. It was pushed by an ad campaign that played coy with the veracity of the allegedly ‘found footage’: did an amateur documentary crew really disappear in the woods while investigating a local myth? Sheer curiosity drove audiences to theatres en masse – and it wasn’t uncommon to leave a screening and overhear confused grumbling in the lobby. Twenty-plus years and an oversaturation of lesser imitators later, it’s easier to appreciate Blair Witch as a master class of low-budget cinema. Honestly, if there’s a scarier scene in the last two decades than when those children’s hands imprint on the crew’s tent in the middle of night, it surely cost a hell of a lot more to make. — Matthew Singer

64.  All the President’s Men (1976)

Many movies have been made depicting journalism as it happens. Vanishingly few get the process right, and even fewer manage to convey the obsessiveness, the anxious frustration and the exhilaration of chasing a big story. Alan J Pakula’s movie about two reporters chasing the biggest story in American political history nails every beat. The achievement is especially remarkable considering that, at the time, the story could barely even be considered history: Nixon had resigned from office not even two years prior. But that nearness lends the film a living energy that would’ve dulled with additional hindsight. Even with its unspoilable ending, Pakula and screenwriter William Goldman still managed to build an uncommonly nervy thriller that never digresses from the central narrative. No, you won’t get much of an idea of who Woodward and Bernstein (played with typical ’70s naturalism by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford) are apart from their work. Instead, you just see the work – and in this case, that’s more than enough.  —Matthew Singer

65.  The Apu trilogy (1955, 1956, 1959)

We’re cheating by including all three films ( Pather Panchali , Aparajito and The World of Apu ), but really, how do you separate the installments of Satyajit Ray’s magnificent coming-of-age trilogy? The Bengali great follows young Apu (Apurba Kumar Roy) from boyhood to adult life via schooling and a move from his remote village to the big city, as well as loves and losses. Some of the most intimate Indian cinema ever captured, it’s also completely relatable, whether you hail from Kolkata, Kansas or Camden Town.— Phil de Semlyen

66.  The General (1926)

Boy meets train. Boy loses train. Boy chases Union forces who stole train, wins back train and fires off in the opposite direction. It may not sound like your average love story, but that’s exactly what Buster Keaton’s deadpan and death-defying silent comedy is: a majestic demonstration of trick photography, balletic courage and comic timing, all underpinned by genuine heart. Trust us, it’s loco-motional.— Phil de Semlyen

67.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

There are countless movies about romantic relationships, yet few explore the subject more creatively than Michel Gondry’s breakthrough, scripted by Charlie Kaufman (who was then becoming a household name with Being John Malkovich and Adaptation ). The sci-fi–inflected tale of two halves of a broken-up couple going through a memory-erasing procedure takes many surprising, poignant turns; the film’s impeccably executed combination of authentically quirky imagery and philosophical inquiry has become a signpost of modern independent cinema.— Abbey Bender

68.  The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

The title is still a killer piece of marketing, suggesting something much gorier than what you get. That’s not to say Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece doesn’t deliver. A grungy vision of horror captured during a palpably sweaty and stenchy Texas summer, the film has taken its rightful place as a definitive parable of Nixonian class warfare, eat-or-be-eaten social envy and the essentially unknowable nature of some unlucky parts of the world.— Joshua Rothkopf

69.  Come and See (1985)

As unsparing as cinema gets, the influence of Elem Klimov’s sui generis war movie transcends the genre in a way that not even Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan can match. At its heart it’s a coming-of-age story that follows a young Belarusian boy (Aleksei Kravchenko) through unspeakable horror as Nazi death squads visit an apocalypse on his region. Alongside its historical truths, the film’s grammar and visual language—there are passages that play like an ultra-violent acid trip—are what truly elevates it. Like an Hieronymus Bosch masterpiece, the images here can never be unseen.— Phil de Semlyen

70.  Heat (1995)

Writer-director Michael Mann’s heist masterpiece put two of our greatest actors, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, together onscreen for the first time—one as a stoic master criminal, the other as the obsessive cop determined to bring him down. In weaving their stories together, Mann presents dueling but equally weighted perspectives, with our allegiance as viewers constantly shifting. The last word on cops-and-robbers movies, it’s suffused with a magic that crime thrillers try to recapture to this day.— Bilge Ebiri

71.  The Shining (1980)

Our list doesn’t lack for Stanley Kubrick movies (nor should it). Still, it’s shocking to remember that The Shining —so redolent of the director’s pet themes of mazelike obsession and the banality of evil—was once considered a minor work. It’s since come to represent the most concentrated blast of Kubrick’s total command; he’s the god of the film, Steadicam-ing around corners and making the audience notice that he was born to redefine horror. Even if we can’t roll with the crackpot fan theories about how Kubrick allegedly faked the Apollo moon landing, we’ll readily admit that this film contains cosmic multitudes.— Joshua Rothkopf

72.  Toy Story (1995)

The one that got Pixar’s (Luxo) ball rolling and still an absolute high-water mark for CG animation, Toy Story reinvented what a family movie could be. On the surface, it’s a simple story about a couple of miniature rivals sizing each other up (Woody was originally going to be a whole mess meaner), before falling into peril at the hands of next-door pyrotechnics genius Sid. But it’s also about jealousy, power dynamics and our relationships with our own childhoods. With it, Pixar took storytelling to infinity and far, far beyond.— Phil de Semlyen

73.  Killer of Sheep (1977)

Shot on 16-millimeter film in sketchy light, Charles Burnett’s UCLA graduate thesis film stitches together seemingly mundane vignettes to form a compelling mosaic of late-’70s African-American life. A landmark of independent black cinema, it’s set to a great soundtrack ranging from blues and classical to Paul Robeson. Poetic, compassionate, angry, ironic: All human life is present here.— Ian Freer

74.  A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

There’s a tendency in these greatest-of-all-time exercises to prioritize the director, the camerawork or the screenplay. But respect must be paid to the performer, too: In a decade of brilliant acting, no turn was quite as galvanizing as the one given by Gena Rowlands in this stunning peek into a fraying mind. A fluky Los Angeles housewife and mother who’s constantly being told to calm down, Rowlands’s Mabel is the apotheosis of John Cassavetes’s improvisatory cinema; our concern for her never flags as she teeters through excruciating scenes of breakdown and regrouping.— Joshua Rothkopf

75.  Annie Hall (1977)

Quotable, endearing and bursting with creative moments, Annie Hall is one of the most revolutionary of romantic comedies. This quintessential New York movie turned countless viewers on to the joys of verbose dialogue (and experimentation in menswear for women), and has long been lauded for both its accessibility and its poignancy, a balance that few movies have since achieved so memorably.— Abbey Bender

76.  Some Like It Hot (1959)

Clocking it at number 15 on our list of the 100 Greatest Comedies Ever Made , Billy Wilder’s classic gangster farce plays like Scarface on helium. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon make one of cinema’s most delightful double acts as a couple of musicians on the run from the Mob, but Marilyn Monroe steals the picture as the coquettish, breathy and entirely loveable Sugar. Nobody’s perfect but this movie gets pretty darn close. — Phil de Semlyen

77.  Metropolis (1927)

Hugely expensive for its time, Metropolis is Blade Runner , The Terminator and Star Wars all rolled into one (not to mention 50 years prior). Fritz Lang’s silent vision of a totalitarian society still astounds through its stunning cityscapes, groundbreaking special effects and a bewitchingly evil robot (Brigitte Helm). It’s science fiction at its most ambitious and breathtaking—the not-so-modest beginnings of onscreen genre seriousness.— Ian Freer

78.  The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The accepted wisdom is that the noir era really kicked off during the hard-bitten post-WWII years, which makes John Huston’s adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's detective novel a real trailblazer. It’s a template for the swathe of noir flicks that would follow, offering up a jaded-but-noble gumshoe in Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade, a femme fatale (Mary Astor), a couple of shifty villains (Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre) and a labyrinthine plot that drags you around by the nose. If the movie were any more hard-boiled, you’d crack your teeth on it.— Phil de Semlyen

79.  This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Exploding drummers, amps that go to 11, tiny Stonehenges, “Dobly”: This spoof rock documentary—rockumentary, if you must—is monumentally influential on cinema, cringe comedy and, possibly, the music industry itself. (There’s not a band out there without at least one Spinal Tap moment to its name.) Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are comic royalty, and we can only genuflect in their presence; shortly after this film, Guest kicked off his own directorial brand of humor, directly inspired by Rob Reiner’s heavy-metal satire.— Phil de Semlyen

80.  It Happened One Night (1934)

If only Hollywood made ’em like they used to: crackling romantic comedies that conquered the Oscars. Frank Capra’s hilarious hate-at-first-sight love story is still one of the fastest movies ever made. Claudette Colbert’s spoiled heiress and Clark Gable’s opportunistic reporter hit the road and bicker their way toward a happily-ever-after ending, class barriers be damned. Not only did this smart and suggestively sexy pre-Code screwball shape every rom-com that followed, it still has a leg up on most of them.— Tomris Laffly

81.  Die Hard (1988)

Let’s get this out of the way: Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Deal with it. Another, less controversial statement about John McTiernan’s blockbuster: it’s the platonic ideal of an action movie, and Bruce Willis as wiseass New York cop John McClane is the coolest action hero of all-time. The sequels would stretch the limits of his charisma by getting bigger and stupider, but the original hits the perfect amount of big and brash, as McClane attempts to thwart the plans of a European terrorist group that’s seized an LA high-rise and taken his wife hostage. But the truest reason Die Hard succeeds to the degree it does – aside from the cracking dialogue, spectacular stunts and small details, i.e. McClane being forced to fight a bunch of terrorists in his bare foot – is that McClane has the ideal foil in Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber, who might also be the best action movie villain of all-time, an erudite pseudo-revolutionary who makes it clear that he reads Forbes and doesn’t much care for garrulous American cowboys.

82.  The Conformist (1970)

Is it sacrilege to declare that the best-looking film set in Paris was shot by a couple of Italians? Bernardo Bertolucci and his cinematographer Vittorio Storaro bathe the French capital – as well as the neoclassical edifices of Mussolini’s Rome – in cool blues and shards of light as sharp as the knives wielded against the left-wing professor that Jean-Louis Trintignant’s fascist assassin, Clerici, is ordered to kill. Given a murkier, darker ending than Alberto Moravia’s source novel, it’s an electrifying thriller full of shadowy figures, sex and betrayal. But it’s as a highly charged political screed where its real power lies. A weak, cynical man with repressed desires, Clerici is powerless to resist the violent orthodoxy of fascism. The poisonous allure of authoritarianism has never been so chilling – or stylishly – rendered as this.— Phil de Semlyen

83.  The Thing (1982)

Neither audiences nor critics were ready for John Carpenter’s remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World , and who could blame them? Its special effects were next level, but even if you appreciated Rob Bottin’s innovative gore, there was a lingering sense that they overshadowed the rest of the film. Decades on, it’s easier to see all the other things that make The Thing not just Carpenter’s masterpiece but one of the greatest achievements in horror: the snowbound claustrophobia; the overwhelming paranoia; Ennio Morricone’s pulsating synth score; the terrific ensemble cast. And yes, the effects remain eye-popping and stomach-turning – in the end, though, it’s the final, quiet image, of two men locking eyes, unsure if the other is actually a human being at all, that lodges deepest in your memory.— Matthew Singer

84.  Daughters of the Dust (1991)

Writer-director Julie Dash should have become an Ava DuVernay-level success after her poetic feature debut, an achievement of otherworldly beauty. The first film made by an African-American woman to receive theatrical distribution, Daughters of the Dust is permeated with pride, history and matriarchal wisdom. Set in 1902, it follows the Gullah, descendents of slaves living off the coast of South Carolina, who painfully reckon with their fading traditions. Singularly ahead of its time, Daughters mourns the enduring tragedy of enslavement. Its tranquil strength later found an echo in Beyoncé’s Lemonade .— Tomris Laffly

85.  Barry Lyndon (1975)

Back in 1975, Stanley Kubrick’s somber adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel about a young Irishman’s journey from lovestruck exile to cynical grifter in 18th-century Europe seemed out of step with the gritty, intense output of contemporary cinema. Years later, it’s considered by many to be Kubrick’s masterpiece, and its deliberate, highly aestheticized approach has influenced everybody from Ridley Scott to Yorgos Lanthimos.— Bilge Ebiri

86.  Raging Bull (1980)

Martin Scorsese’s hallucinogenic biography of the tenacious boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) is a bold mash-up of neorealist grit and hyperstylized, gossamer beauty. Put on the gloves and LaMotta is in his element; take them off and he’s an insecure sociopath consumed by sexual jealousy. De Niro’s monstrous portrayal is miraculously empathetic, but what’s truly revolutionary is Scorsese’s technique: Like a modern-day Verdi, the Italian-American auteur elevates the profane to the operatic.— Stephen Garrett

87.  Seven (1995)

David Fincher is the most signature director of his era: a crafter of iconic music videos and decade-defining dramas like Zodiac and The Social Network . But his transition to Hollywood was rocky; it was a town that barely understood him. The turning point was Seven , the first time that Fincher’s fearsome vision arrived uncut. Stylistically, the dark movie (shot by an inspired Darius Khondji, working with a silver-nitrate-retention process) has proven more durable than even The Silence of the Lambs , but it’s that meme-able sucker punch of an ending that still rattles audiences.— Joshua Rothkopf

88.  Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)

Ever-overshadowed by the Herculean feat that was Fitzcarraldo , Werner Herzog’s other exploration of male vainglory in the remotest parts of South America applies another coolly obversational lens to the malignant madness of out-of-control obsession. It’s colder, greedier here: Klaus Kinski’s conquistador craves gold, not culture. Featuring a river journey, a haunting, synthy Popul Voh score and a bunch of taunting monkeys, it’s Herzog’s Apocalypse Now .— Phil de Semlyen

89.  The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Political thrillers still owe a debt to Gillo Pontecorvo’s ever-timely tour de force. Recounting the Algerian uprising against French colonial occupiers in the 1950s, The Battle of Algiers boldly examines terrorism, racism and even torture as a means of intelligence-gathering. Screened at the Pentagon for its topical significance during the early phases of the Iraq War, Algiers has its rebellious legacy vested in numerous politically charged epics, from Z to Steven Spielberg’s Munich .— Tomris Laffly

90.  No Country for Old Men (2007)

Cormac McCarthy and the Coen brothers are a match made in the most dry, desiccated and violent corner of heaven. The filmmaking duo’s fixation with choice, chance and fate reaches its apex with their adaptation of the late author’s 2005 novel – which began life as a screenplay – an existentialist neo-Western that still functions as a gripping piece of entertainment. Its premise is the stuff of bygone pulp thrillers: a hunter in a West Texas border town circa 1980 stumbles upon the aftermath of a botched drug deal in the desert, decides to take off with a satchel full of money, pursued by both a relentless hitman (Javier Bardem) and an exhausted sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones). But an almost otherworldly sense of mystery hangs over the entire film, while Roger Deakins’ cinematography makes its dusty trailer towns feel like the edge of the Earth. It’s the Coens’ most frightening movie, owing to Bardem’s bravura turn as Anton Chigurh, a psychopath on the level of Jason Voorhees, with a pageboy haircut in place of a hockey mask and a cattle gun as his weapon of choice. It’s one of the great villain performances of all time. — Matthew Singer

91.  Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Pedro Almodóvar broke into the mainstream with this gloriously colorful ensemble comedy, an entry point for many into a style of smart, sexually liberated European cinema. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown offers juicy roles for a range of Spain’s finest female actors (plus a charmingly baby-faced Antonio Banderas) and consistently delights with its creative choices in costuming and interior design. The combination of screwball dynamics and the garishness of the 1980s is perfectly calibrated and fun.— Abbey Bender

92.  The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

Movies have always been a gateway into radical art; Hollywood may have made them sleek and accessible, but experimentation was there from the start. Luis Buñuel counts among the top rank of dreamers to ever grace the field of filmmaking. Without him, there’s no David Lynch, no Wong Kar-wai—even Alfred Hitchcock was a fan. Of Buñuel’s many seismic features (don’t skip his slicin’-up-eyeballs short, “Un Chien Andalou”), begin with this radical satire of class warfare, which sums up everything he did well. It even won him an unlikely Oscar.— Joshua Rothkopf

93.  Paths of Glory (1957)

An antiwar movie, a courtroom thriller, an upstairs-downstairs study of social status, a religious critique, an absurdist satire and, finally, a heartbreakingly futile plea for compassion in the face of destruction, Stanley Kubrick’s humanist masterpiece dissects all the delusional facets of the male psyche. Battlegrounds abound—psychological, emotional, physical—making the bleakly entrenched soldiers of 1916, and the officers who confuse folly for fame, still feel painfully relevant.— Stephen Garrett

94.  Secrets & Lies (1996)

Actors are the lifeblood of director Mike Leigh’s famous process, a much-discussed method of workshopping, character exploration, group improvisation and collaborative writing. It can often be months before the camera rolls. The results have been consistently exquisite over the years, funneled into period musical-comedies ( Topsy-Turvy ) and brutal contemporary dramas ( Naked ) alike. We recommend Leigh’s critical breakthrough, featuring nervy turns by Brenda Blethyn and Timothy Spall, as the perfect place to begin your deep dive.— Joshua Rothkopf

95.  Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

This smoky, jazzy noir from director Alexander Mackendrick ( The Ladykillers ) is one of the great movies about power, influence and print journalism at its midcentury height. It’s a seedy, intoxicating tale that unfolds in Manhattan’s backroom bar booths, and it features brain-searing performances from Tony Curtis as Sidney Falco, a bottom-feeding gossip monger, and Burt Lancaster as J.J. Hunsecker, a towering, corrupt newspaper columnist. The dialogue is snappy and delicious; the morals are as empty as Times Square at dawn— Dave Calhoun

96.  The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

This German Expressionist masterpiece came out in 1920, a long time before the invention of the spoiler warning. We only hope that audience members instinctively knew not to give away cinema’s first ever twist ending and ruin the sting of this fractured horror-fable for their pals. Director Robert Wiene conjured up something truly dark and lingering from its shadows: You can feel Dr. Caligari ’s influence in everything from Tim Burton’s movies to Shutter Island .— Phil de Semlyen

97.  Nashville (1975)

This multilayered epic of country music, politics and relationships is Robert Altman’s signature achievement. With its overlapping dialogue and roving camera, Nashville created an earthy, idiosyncratic panorama of American life, featuring many of the most memorable actors of the decade. The 1970s were U.S. cinema’s most exciting period, and Nashville —broadened by its admirable scope and freewheeling energy—is emblematic of that creativity.— Abbey Bender

98.  Don’t Look Now (1973)

Nicolas Roeg influenced and inspired a generation of filmmakers, from Danny Boyle to Steven Soderbergh – and here’s why. Roeg shrouds Daphne du Maurier’s short story in an icy chill, seeding the idea of supernatural forces at play in a wintry Venice through sheer filmmaking craft and the power of his editing. He finds a deep humanity in the horror, too, with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland’s grieving parents reconnecting and drifting apart like flotsam on some invisible tide. His masterpiece, Don’t Look Now remains a primal cry of grief that shakes you to the core.— Phil de Semlyen

99.  Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Arthur Penn’s game-changing action film was made in the same spirit of the revisionist Westerns of the ’60s and ’70s—irreverent, fun, morally all over the place, and unafraid of blood and bullets. The movie takes us back to the 1930s during the legendary crime spree of lovers Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), careening around Depression-era America and robbing it blind. Why did this film resonate so well at the end of its decade? With the Vietnam War, inner-city rioting and Nixon on the rise, all bets were off. Add the swoony pair of Beatty and Dunaway, and you’ve got a classic on your hands: a revolution in period dress.— Dave Calhoun

100.  Get Out (2017)

Watch this space: Jordan Peele’s newly minted horror classic is sure to rise in the rankings. Taking cues from grand master George A. Romero and his counterculture-defining Night of the Living Dead , Peele infused white liberal guilt with a scary racial subtext; the “sunken place” is precisely the kind of metaphor that only horror movies can exploit to the fullest. During its theatrical run—which stretched into a summer that also saw the white-supremacist Charlottesville rally— Get Out felt like the only movie speaking to a deepening divide.— Joshua Rothkopf

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50 BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME REVIEWED

(Off topic): For nature/animal buffs like me, here's my latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning: it's a bit shocking): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI/ and you can find my 80 BEST NATURE PHOTOS here: https://www.lacerta-bilineata.com/western-green-lizard-lacerta-bilineata-wildlife-of-ticino-in-switzerland/ (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH. With that shameless bit of self-promotion out of the way, let's get to more cinematic matters ;-) A little information about the list below: It is my understanding that the word "movie" originally referred to "moving picture" in the broadest sense, and so I've taken the liberty to also include TV-shows and documentaries. On an artistic level, long-form storytelling in modern television has become equal to feature films in every regard, so I feel this inclusion is justified. The same has always been true for documentaries. The criteria I've used for compiling this list are not really objective but rather personal: There are films (and TV-shows and documentaries) I consider masterpieces - and yet I wouldn’t want to watch them more than once. And then there are those I consider masterpieces and I watch them again and again, sometimes in the same year (or even month), because their entertainment value matches their artistic value (at least as far as I’m concerned). And it's only those masterpieces, the ones that I also find to be the most entertaining, that made the cut. So if you're wondering why certain classics that show up on every "Best-Of-All-Time" list are missing here, there's your explanation. Also, although I've set myself the goal to write proper reviews for all of the 50 titles on this list, there's quite a few where I haven't been able - as yet - to write more than a comment. But hey, it's a work in progress. Furthermore, this list is in no particular order, and I will keep updating it (because believe it or not, my taste in movies keeps evolving ;-)

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. Goodfellas (1990)

R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta , Joe Pesci , Lorraine Bracco

Votes: 1,257,151 | Gross: $46.84M

Needs to be seen to be believed; in one word: perfection. Every frame, every voice-over, every song - it all comes together at the exact right moment to create the perfect film experience. This film gets you to really understand and feel what makes the American mafia so compelling; in the eyes of a kid, who was unfortunate enough to grow up in a tough neighborhood, those gangsters are rock stars. Live fast, die young - but when you die, it's not going to be of a glamorous suicide or drug overdose - the ending will be brutal, ugly and sad. And it may very well be one of your best friends who will blow your brains out. I'll never get tired of watching Goodfellas; the entertainment value of this film is just amazing. It doesn't happen very often that every person involved in the process of making a film is at the peak of his/her game. And rarely do art and entertainment come together the way they did here. Storytelling with impeccable pacing, this is what it's like when a master composer conducts his masterpiece. All hail the king; the most versatile and talented filmmaker of his generation: Martin Scorsese.

2. Man Bites Dog (1992)

NC-17 | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.

Directors: Rémy Belvaux , André Bonzel , Benoît Poelvoorde | Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde , Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert , Nelly Pappaert , Hector Pappaert

Votes: 43,724 | Gross: $0.21M

I remember renting 'Man Bites Dog' (or 'C'est Arrivé Près De Chez Vous' which is its original title) on a hunch in the mid-nineties, because I found the title and the cover on the VHS cassette intriguing. I had no idea for what kind of ride I was in. At first I was taken aback a bit, as I didn't expect the film to be in black and white. And then it simply blew me away. This mix of realism, pitch-black comedy and shocking (though not very graphic) violence had me on the edge of my seat throughout, and I simply hadn't seen anything like it before. The direction and the realistic performances in 'Man Bites Dog' are simply outstanding; when I later watched it with a friend of mine he was visibly shaken at first, because he had thought he had watched a real documentary (which is obviously the film's intention). What must be mentioned above all else though, is the standout tour-de-force performance by the charismatic and frequently hilarious lead: Belgian actor Benoît Poelvoorde who also co-wrote and co-directed the film. He IS the film, and I have a hard time imagining the story working so well without his inspired, genius turn. 'Man Bites Dog' is perhaps one of the best and most original satires on sensationalist media since Sidney Lumet's seminal movie 'Network'; it's certainly the meanest (and not for the easily offended, mind you). In my opinion, it's a flat-out masterpiece. Highly recommended.

3. To Be or Not to Be (1942)

Passed | 99 min | Comedy, Romance, War

During the German occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.

Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Carole Lombard , Jack Benny , Robert Stack , Felix Bressart

Votes: 43,008

Comedies rarely stand the test of time - this one does: one of the funniest films I have ever seen. When I was 16 (20 years ago, sigh...), this was re-released for a short time in a local arthouse cinema, and my father insisted I go watching it with a friend. Well, teenagers don't normally line up to see 50 year old black and white comedies, but - man, was I glad I did! This is a pitch black comedy that feels as fresh today as it must have then; in fact, this must have been kind of a shock in 1942. There are no cheesy clean characters or cringe-worthy lines: this is a firework of fast, witty dialogue with an edge and the sexiest, cleverest (and most morally ambiguous) female protagonist I have ever seen in a film before the "New Hollywod" era. Even the structure and the way the story evolves are very modern; there are flashbacks and twists and turns that might be very common in contemporary films but must have seemed almost "avant-garde" at the time. The biggest fun, of course, is how Lubitsch takes the pîss out of Hitler's blind, fanatic followers. I don't believe the Nazis have ever been mocked better than in this comedy masterpiece (and I only hope old Adolf has seen it, too). Mel Brooks' remake is not bad, but the original is simply killer. See it, and then see it again (and again).

4. Control (2003)

R | 111 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

A tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, the fellow inspectors on his team, all without exception likable characters, a rival ticket inspection team and racing along the tracks - and a tale about love.

Director: Nimród Antal | Stars: Sándor Csányi , Eszter Balla , Zoltán Mucsi , Csaba Pindroch

Votes: 27,070 | Gross: $0.24M

This was an unexpected pleasure. It doesn't happen very often to me that I go watch a movie completely in the dark; when I do, it's usually because somebody dragged me to it - as was the case here - and more often than not, I regret it afterwards. This was a very welcome exception. What a find! This movie has simply everything: great characters, superb cinematography, a kick-ass soundtrack; it's a comedy, a mystery thriller, a drama and a romance - and the performances and the direction are flawless. The main storyline follows Bulcsù, who is a ticket inspector for the Budapest subway. He lives in the dark, depressing tunnels below the city and never leaves them, having chosen his own personal hell after a life above which he seems to desperately want to forget. Bulcsù is a very ambiguous character and it's precisely the ambiguity and the symbolism of his story which make this film stand out for me. You have to fill in a lot of the blanks yourself and the further the story progresses, the more you're left wondering and guessing. I will not spoil anything here, but what makes me call this film great instead of just very good, is that there is a wide range of different interpretations possible for this marvelous movie, from the mainstream one to the dark and disturbing or even the religious - and they all work beautifully. Great, smart entertainment and outstanding Cinema.

5. Die Hard (1988)

R | 132 min | Action, Thriller

A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis , Alan Rickman , Bonnie Bedelia , Reginald VelJohnson

Votes: 945,479 | Gross: $83.01M

Seeing 'Die Hard' for the first time as a teenager was a one-of-a-kind experience. This level of raw, edge-of-your-seat action was unknown to me prior to this film; it made my head spin and the intensity of it was nearly unbearable. When it was over, I could only think of one word: Wow! For a long time - at least in Western Cinema - the only "true" action movies (by that I mean films that were all about the action and you went to see them because of the action) were the James Bond movies. They had the most unreal stunts and crazy, over the top action sequences that you could imagine at the time, and they were (and still are) great fun. However, they usually lacked three vital ingredients: 1. A sense of realism (meaning: the hero is only human and can get hurt) 2. Grit (messy, unpolished action, dirty people and LOTS of swearing) 3. R-rated violence (showing the audience what real weapons do to the human body) Well, it took John McTiernan to bring those three key elements together in 'Die Hard' - and thus the modern action film was born (it had a good run through the late eighties until the end of the nineties – then the studios figured out they could maximize the box-office by taming down the swearing, violence and sex and thus, alas, the contemporary, toothless PG-13 action film was born). Sure, there have been a couple of others before McTiernan's masterpiece ('First Blood', 'Terminator', 'Predator' - which was also by McTiernan - or 'Lethal Weapon' and probably some more), but those films could have fallen into any number of other categories as well (like adventure, survival, war, sci-fi, horror or buddy movie) – and I can't think of another film that was just such a relentless, pure action-from-the-beginning-to-the-end film as was 'Die Hard'. To me, it's the ultimate thrill ride. The formula has since been repeated so many times, but the original still sets the standard by which I judge an action film. Should be seen every Christmas.

6. Spirited Away (2001)

PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase , Suzanne Pleshette , Miyu Irino , Rumi Hiiragi

Votes: 849,188 | Gross: $10.06M

Personally, I've never seen anything as original in an animated film as in this deeply mythical fairy tale. What a surreal idea for a movie! It's hard to find an adequate description (because I also don't want to spoil this in the slightest way) but this film has a sense of "otherness" to it - for lack of a better word - like none I've ever seen. And the strange, mythical nature of this film - apart from the amazing artwork - is probably one of the main reasons for its appeal to me. Maybe the themes of the story don't feel quite as strange to an Eastern audience because they fit to a certain degree with some Eastern/Asian mythologies - to me, this beautiful piece of wonder was something new. And a profoundly moving experience. Outstanding animation; funny, weird, scary and touching at the same time, this unique work of art is one I can't recommend enough.

7. Magnolia (1999)

R | 188 min | Drama

An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jason Robards , Julianne Moore , Philip Seymour Hoffman

Votes: 328,442 | Gross: $22.46M

The music; the way the camera moves; the performances: this amazing ensemble piece took everything to the next level. Although the influence of Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese can be felt throughout the whole film, P.T. Anderson didn't copy them but merely used some of their trademark techniques to create his very own, unique brand of film. There are so many creative ideas and standout scenes in this film: I'm sure that, similarly to how filmmakers of Anderson's generation are citing films like 'Nashville' or 'Goodfellas' as their inspiration, the next generation of aspiring directors will be citing 'Magnolia'. The film is not "just" a masterpiece, but also hugely influential and an instant classic.

8. No Man's Land (I) (2001)

R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, War

Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1993 at the time of the heaviest fighting between the two warring sides. Two soldiers from opposing sides in the conflict, Nino and Ciki, become trapped in no man's land, whilst a third soldier becomes a living booby trap.

Director: Danis Tanovic | Stars: Branko Djuric , Rene Bitorajac , Filip Sovagovic , Georges Siatidis

Votes: 48,824 | Gross: $1.06M

In the case of this movie, the Oscar was well deserved. The film was nominated in the wrong category, though (Best Foreign Language Film). It should have been up for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director - and it should have won all of those. As far as I'm concerned, this may very well be the finest film on the subject of war - or conflict in general - that was ever made. I've never seen anything similar; this film manages to show so many aspects of war, of human nature; it somehow manages to capture the essence of something that is inexplicable. Truly one of a kind and a must-see. And don't think for one second that this is some pretentious drivel or slow arthouse fare - this is very much the opposite.

9. Funny Games (1997)

Not Rated | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

Two violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.

Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Susanne Lothar , Ulrich Mühe , Arno Frisch , Frank Giering

Votes: 84,067

This is one of those I nearly didn't watch (I thought it would be pseudo-intellectual drivel about the evil nature of video games) - I'm very glad I got over myself and finally did watch it one day. What an amazingly done film! I've never seen such great acting in a German language movie (the film is Austrian - just to be precise); the script is full of surprises and the whole film has a tightness that is very rare; every little detail is in the right place. Michael Haneke always likes to challenge his audience, but even among his more controversial films 'Funny Games' stands out. The story follows the logic of a nightmare; uneasy tension gives way to unreal horror as you stare in disbelief at what's happening on screen. This is one of the most gripping films about the dark side of human nature I have ever seen; pure cinematic entertainment and yet it goes beyond that (and stays with you long after you've finished watching). A masterpiece.

10. The Matrix (1999)

R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi

When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.

Directors: Lana Wachowski , Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving

Votes: 2,052,794 | Gross: $171.48M

There aren't many movies I watched in the theatre twice - let alone on the same day - but immediately after the credits had rolled (and still pumped up by 'Rage against the Machine'), I queued up for the next screening of 'The Matrix'. I was so blown away by that film, I feared - and probably rightly so - that I hadn't caught every detail of what I'd just seen. I later found out that many of my friends had had a similar reaction to the film, and I know virtually no one who liked the film and didn't watch it at least twice. It's simply one of those rare films that are so rich you just have to watch them several times. In structure, style and concept, 'The Matrix' was groundbreaking; it marked the first time the visual style of Manga comic books and Anime such as 'Akira' or 'Ghost in the Shell' had been successfully translated to a live-action film. Apart from 'Blade Runner', which has a totally different mood and pace (but is also a cyberpunk masterpiece and visionary filmmaking), there simply hadn't been anything even remotely like it. The jaw-dropping action sequences have such a raw, gripping energy they feel like an adrenalin overdose, but unlike most action films, they never overshadow the story; on the contrary - they enhance it and make complete sense within that universe. As for the story itself, I think this is one of the most original, fascinating sci-fi tales you'll likely ever see on screen. Clearly inspired by Japanese Anime and Manga yet also by authors like Isaac Asimov or Philip K. Dick, the story about humanity's war against its own creation, machines of an artificial intelligence that have evolved to the point where they have become the dominant 'species' and vastly superior to their creators, could take place in the same world as 'Blade Runner' or 'The Terminator' - albeit several hundred years later. But there is also a mythical, even religious undercurrent to the story; the themes of a prophecy, a "liberator" or even a "messiah" make 'The Matrix' transcend the science-fiction genre and become even more unique. 'The Matrix' was a watershed moment in filmmaking - in every respect - and even though two inferior sequels have left a bit of a stain on the film, they can't distract from what an uncompromising and hugely influential masterpiece this is. Sci-fi movies that were released after 'The Matrix' have tried very hard to achieve a similar look and tone, but the original still owns them all.

11. Leolo (1992)

Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

The story of a young Canadian boy who tries to escape mentally from his disturbed family thanks to his fantasy and imagination.

Director: Jean-Claude Lauzon | Stars: Maxime Collin , Ginette Reno , Gilbert Sicotte , Julien Guiomar

Votes: 7,335 | Gross: $0.61M

To me, 'Léolo' is like a rare gemstone. A unique, surreal fairy tale at which you can look from many different angles and yet it remains hard to describe. Although there clearly is a structured narrative, I believe this film is more to be felt than understood. While it's often tragic and disturbing, it's also very funny and darkly comic. Somehow fitting for a story inspired by childhood memories, reality and fantasy are seamlessly interwoven to create an often dreamlike, sometimes nightmarish atmosphere. This was only director Jean-Claude Lauzon's second film, and sadly he never got to make more than two; he died in a plane crash while he was preparing his third film. A beautiful, unforgettable work of art, albeit not one for the easily offended.

12. Jaws (1975)

PG | 124 min | Adventure, Mystery, Thriller

When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary

Votes: 659,348 | Gross: $260.00M

I will never forget the first time I saw Jaws. I was glued to the seat from start to finish. This was one of the experiences that made me fall in love with movies: I was there, in that boat, in that gloomy cabin, with those people - everything seemed so real (and alas, the sea never looked the same again). And when I watch it these days I still marvel: the atmosphere and the performances in this film are simply magical. Spielberg without the schmalz. He has never been better.

13. Starship Troopers (1997)

R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Humans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.

Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Casper Van Dien , Denise Richards , Dina Meyer , Jake Busey

Votes: 321,092 | Gross: $54.81M

This film is about the ignorance of conquerors and the fact that war makes fascists of us all. Now that doesn't sound like a lot of fun, does it. But guess what: it is fun (by the truckload - at least if you have a pitch-black sense of humour and you do realise what this film is and what it wants to achieve). Paul Verhoeven was a master at making sci-fi films which worked both as perfect mainstream "popcorn" Cinema and as very intelligent social commentary on the direction - he felt - society was headed. And despite the fact that the over-the-top satirical elements and highly political undercurrents in his two previous sci-fi extravaganzas Robocop and Total Recall were only appreciated by a few critics at the time, those two films became huge hits at the box office: because they also offered great action, amazing special effects and overall great entertainment. My guess is that Verhoeven felt encouraged by that success, and so with Starship Troopers, he didn't just sneak in some subversive parts: he went full-blown satire. Sadly, that didn't go down too well with audiences and critics alike; apparently most viewers didn't get the film at all (the - seemingly - good guys wear Nazi uniforms? What the heck?). Verhoeven even got accused of being a fascist, and it took the director's commentary on the DVD to finally make it once and for all clear what Starship Troopers is about and what the writer's and the director's intentions were. I wonder whether the studio execs realised what Verhoeven was up to with that film; maybe the director just took their 100 million dollars and ran with it. The result, in any case, is a unique oddity that I personally feel is on par with films like District 9 or even Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. It's a masterpiece. And much like another glitch in the Hollywood machine, David Fincher's Fight Club, films like that rarely get made (and not with such budgets), because more often than not, they end up as flops. Apart from the underlying themes, on the surface Starship Troopers also has a lot going for it: amazing effects that still hold up very well and insanely intense battle scenes with more blood and guts than even the meanest gorehound could wish for. So no matter how it came about that a studio ever green-lit this and gave Verhoeven a 100 million dollars - I for one will forever be grateful for this unique subversive masterpiece.

14. Lost Highway (1997)

R | 134 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Anonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.

Director: David Lynch | Stars: Bill Pullman , Patricia Arquette , John Roselius , Louis Eppolito

Votes: 153,172 | Gross: $3.80M

Buckle your seat belts: this film is quite the ride. As so often with David Lynch's movies, 'Lost Highway' doesn't bother with a traditional narrative and follows its own, dreamlike (or nightmarish) logic. It is a wild, expressionist work of art, and while it starts on a slow, brooding note, the film soon explodes into a crazy, violent trip that hooks you completely and doesn't let up. My advice to people unfamiliar with Lynch's work is this: just enjoy the experience and let yourself be immersed. While it is fun to analyze Lynch's movies, especially his most surreal ones, they're not mysteries that require resolution in order to be enjoyed. As for the filmmaking itself, the pacing is fantastic throughout, the cinematography outstanding and the cast of character actors like Bill Pullman, Robert Loggia and Patricia Arquette simply a joy to watch (especially Loggia gets to shine in a wonderfully over-the-top part). Another aspect that should not go unmentioned is the music. The orginal score by Angeolo Badalamenti (who is to Lynch what John Williams is to Spielberg) is hauntgingly beautiful, but equally important is the amazing soundtrack - featuring greats like David Bowie, Lou Reed, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Trent Reznor and more - which fits and enhances the images on screen perfectly. As far as I'm concerned, this is Lynch at his best. 'Lost Highway' is a dark, violent, surreal, beautiful, hallucinatory masterpiece.

15. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003)

Unrated | 74 min | Documentary

In April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made.

Directors: Kim Bartley , Donnacha O'Briain | Stars: Hugo Chávez , Pedro Carmona , Jesse Helms , Colin Powell

Votes: 2,625

Never before and never after has there been a documentary like this. What you get here is the most fascinating and unique look at historical events ever captured on film: you get to be inside a coup d'état in Venezuela while it is actually happening. What happens before your eyes is stunning, shocking - and if it weren't for the very real events of similar nature in the past in other Latin American countries, unbelievable. The footage shown is brutal, but as to what we are actually seeing and what we are led to believe by clever construction - as Chavez' opponents are claiming - has to be decided by the viewer. The heated debate this documentary has started is nearly as interesting as the coup itself, and I certainly won't give my personal opinion about what I believe to be the truth. But whether it's the best propaganda film ever or the most compelling capture of true events on celluloid since the footage of the JFK assassination - this is essential viewing. See it, read about it - and then make up your own mind.

16. Groundhog Day (1993)

PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.

Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Bill Murray , Andie MacDowell , Chris Elliott , Stephen Tobolowsky

Votes: 684,991 | Gross: $70.91M

Let's face it: everyone's a sucker for romantic comedies, but this one is something special. This movie has as much charm as it has bite, thanks to a fantastic script and Murray's excellent performance. Never dull or cheesy, this wonderful fantasy tale just hits all the right notes, and if anyone knows a better rom-com, please name it. I mean: what other romantic comedies are there where the protagonist commits suicide and you just have to laugh? I've watched 'Groundhog Day' countless times and, without a doubt, I will watch it again and again (or for as long as I keep waking up to that nerve-wrecking song by Sonny & Cher). Priceless.

17. Fight Club (1999)

R | 139 min | Drama

An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.

Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt , Edward Norton , Meat Loaf , Zach Grenier

Votes: 2,323,449 | Gross: $37.03M

Let's ignore the advice and talk about 'Fight Club'. This film was a milestone; although it bombed at the box office, Fincher's cinematic language left a mark that can still be felt now, 19 years later, on many current releases. Despite the risky, "cutting edge" nature of the film, Fincher got a huge budget for this, and it shows: the camera effects and the whole production design are amazing. This movie has a raw energy that grips me every time I watch it. What a crazy, fun ride! Whether it is a very clever satire or pure testosterone going on a rampage - both are fine by me. A film so visually stunning and sexy, with career best performances by all involved: Welcome to movie heaven.

18. La haine (1995)

Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama

24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel , Hubert Koundé , Saïd Taghmaoui , Abdel Ahmed Ghili

Votes: 196,397 | Gross: $0.31M

'Mean Streets' in French - and so much more. While there are so many references to Scorsese that you could almost call it an homage, this French milestone deals with the disillusioned youth who live in the outskirts of Paris in such an elegant - and honest - way, that I would go so far as to call it the most relevant French film of the last 20 years. But it's also a cinematic masterpiece and great, often hilarious entertainment. Everything fits: the musical choices, the outstanding performances by the 3 main characters, the beautiful cinematography and flawless direction. And, perhaps most of all, THE perfect script. As much a realistic portrayal of a torn society as it is an artistic achievement, 'La Haine' is essential viewing.

19. Brazil (1985)

R | 132 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A bureaucrat in a dystopic society becomes an enemy of the state as he pursues the woman of his dreams.

Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Jonathan Pryce , Kim Greist , Robert De Niro , Katherine Helmond

Votes: 211,205 | Gross: $9.93M

A virtual celebration of writer/director Terry Gilliam's singular creative vision and seemingly limitless imagination, Brazil is a unique movie experience. And it is kind of hard to put the label of any one particular genre on the film; it's generally referred to as "dystopian science fiction" (which certainly isn't wrong), but it's also a satire, a drama, a black comedy and perhaps even a fantasy film. Like many other dystopian sci-fi films (e.g. Fahrenheit 451, Equilibrium, The Hunger Games), Brazil depicts a totalitarian society, but that's about as far as the similarities with other films go. The whole design of Brazil's crazy world is unlike anything I've ever seen in other movies (with the exception perhaps of those made by the same filmmaker). Where films with similar themes typically go for a futuristic look that is defined by all the technological advancements the writers and filmmakers can dream of, Terry Gilliam chooses the complete opposite direction. In his film, technology seems to have made no progress since somewhere around the forties or fifties, and what technology there is doesn't exactly look very reliable. And unlike other dystopian films, it's not primarily the bleak aspects of a totalitarian society Gilliam wants to explore; in his film, he wants to show how hilariously insane, inept and ridiculous many of the mechanisms and instruments of oppression truly are. In that sense, Brazil is mainly a satire (at least that's how I perceive it), and it is often either darkly funny or downright hilarious. There is simply not a dull moment in the film: it's a wild ride that never lets up and almost every image on the screen practically bursts with clever (often hilarious) details; from the way food is served in restaurants to how the benefits of plastic surgery are presented, Gilliam's imagination can only be marveled at. His vision of a bureaucracy gone mad is probably the most entertaining nightmare ever put on film (I'm talking about the director's cut, of course). A masterpiece that gets even better after repeat viewings.

20. Blade Runner (1982)

R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford , Rutger Hauer , Sean Young , Edward James Olmos

Votes: 822,988 | Gross: $32.87M

A feast for the eyes. Dark and uncompromising. With a haunting musical score by Vangelis that adds a hypnotic quality to those breathtaking mega-city landscapes of future Los Angeles. Ridley Scott's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's post-apocalyptic bounty hunter story 'Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep' is a visionary work of art; it's a dystopian masterpiece and I'd personally call it as much a milestone of science fiction as Kubrick's '2001' (and be advised to watch the version known as the "final cut" if you want to catch 'Blade Runner' as it was intended by its director). It's hard to overstate how influential the film was; it invented the sci-fi sub-genre now known as "cyberpunk", and it was also the first film noir in a sci-fi setting. And although it looks so distractingly gorgeous that even today there are people who still dismiss it as superficial "style-over-substance", it is a philosophically deep film that ponders existential questions about the nature of being human. (*huge spoilers to follow*) On a personal note, 'Blade Runner' has been a "cinematic awakening" for me, and saying it's one of my all-time favorite movies would be an understatement. I first came across it when I was a young teen, and it was the first time I realized a film could be more than what immediately meets the eye. That ending - especially how Roy Batty dies - completely took me by surprise. It confused me. And because it confused me, it made me think. There are several such "strange" moments already much earlier in the film, and one of those is replicant Zhora's death. That scene marks a crucial shift in the film's tone, and it's actually a pivotal moment in the film, but you only really realize it when you watch it for the second time. The whole build-up to that scene is quite your standard "righteous cop vs murderous baddie" fight/chase stuff (and generally the replicants up to that point are simply depicted as a lethal threat; a bunch of creepy, violent antagonists that need to be taken care of by our hero). But when Deckard shoots Zhora as she's running away from him, you see her pain and her desperation in a way that is very unusual for the death of a villain in a Hollywood movie. And to emphasize that moment even more, she dies in slow-motion to the tune of Vangelis' sad, beautiful music. When you watch the movie for the first time, you don't really understand why Scott framed her death in such a strange way - that broad is plain evil, no? - until you get to the end of the film. Because the final scenes - Roy Batty's haunting last moments, his act of compassion and his "tears in the rain" speech - retro-actively change the whole film, and when you watch Blade Runner a second time, and you get to Zhora's death, it breaks your heart. For it's only now that you realize what you see is literally the execution of an escaped slave; the murder of a breathing, feeling being that is simply desperate to live but not allowed to, because society has decided she doesn't have any rights and doesn't count as "human". And the reason Zhora tries to kill Deckard before she flees is that she immediately knows what he is; he hasn't come to interrogate her or arrest her: he is her executioner who's come to take her life. When you watch Blade Runner's director's cut, the film hits even harder, because now it becomes clear that Deckard's arc is the ultimate tragedy: it's the story of a slave who unwittingly kills his fellow slaves, his own kind, because his masters dupe him into believing he's one of them: one of the "superior" beings (and now it also makes sense why his "superiors" always seem to know where he is and why he doesn't really seem to have a choice when they summon him to do a Blade Runner job - the kind of risky work humans wouldn't do that turns out to be Deckard's sole reason of existence). Once you realize what Deckard is, and you watch him ask Rachel his cruel, degrading questions to demonstrate his skills to the amusement of Eldon Tyrell (who obviously "engineered" both him and Rachel), or see him shooting a fleeing woman in the back, the film just hits another level; it becomes not just a fascinating exploration of the dynamics between creator/creation and what makes us human, but also a hard-hitting metaphor for our society and how the powerful and mighty always grant some poor bastards a few privileges in order to get them to turn against their own kind and act against their own interests to "do the masters' bidding". And it's for those reasons that I never understood how some film fans and critics dismiss Blade Runner as mere "eye candy" - to me, it's a masterpiece on more than just a visual level and a deeply touching film. It's just something special to me, and I guess that can never be replicated (pun intended ;-). Its slow, brooding quality will perhaps leave some modern audiences who are used to a different pace and more action underwhelmed, but make no mistake: this is a groundbreaking masterwork of its genre and a timeless classic.

21. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman , David Carradine , Daryl Hannah , Michael Madsen

Votes: 1,193,698 | Gross: $70.10M

Having seen Tarantino's 3 previous films, going into the cinema, my expectations for 'Kill Bill' were already over the roof. However, regardless of my high hopes for quality entertainment, I was not prepared for this film. I was dumbfounded. I was blown away. I had quite simply never seen anything even remotely like it. In 'Kill Bill', the revenge plot serves only as a larger story arc, thus allowing Tarantino to play with as many different genres as he likes, and boy - what a mix he dishes out! With complete disregard for the conventions of filmmaking, he paints an expressionistic masterpiece in his own unique style, the likes of which the world has never seen before. Cinema rarely gets this exciting. With 'Kill Bill', Tarantino proved once and for all that all the hype around his persona is justified: he IS the most daring, original - and entertaining! - filmmaker of his generation. Simply amazing.

22. Life of Brian (1979)

R | 94 min | Comedy

Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ , Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.

Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Michael Palin , Terry Gilliam

Votes: 421,825 | Gross: $20.05M

Personally, I believe this to be one of the most intelligent comedies ever made. It might not appear that way at first because the film does have its share of simple slapstick and "naughty" moments, but generally, the topics the Pythons tackle here are very serious - albeit dealt with in a way that makes this a true contender for the funniest film of all time. A firework of hilarious sketches, timeless quotes and clever comments on the human condition, this film was deemed too dangerous for the masses and therefore, until recently, banned in several countries (normally, this only used to happen to the so called "Video Nasties"). This film never once makes fun of Jesus (Christ) - but it DOES take the mickey out of blind, fanatic followers of any political movement or religion. An outstanding achievement and endlessly rewatchable.

23. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Five college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.

Director: Drew Goddard | Stars: Kristen Connolly , Chris Hemsworth , Anna Hutchison , Fran Kranz

Votes: 450,643 | Gross: $42.07M

I just can't get enough of this film. This year alone I have already watched it 4 times (and the year isn't even done yet). It works on so many levels and is so much fun; the way the conventions of the horror genre are turned upside down, while at the same time the story transcends the mere spoof and satire and becomes something new, entirely original – just: Wow! It's clear this film was a labour of love; every tiny little detail was cared for and the writing is just phenomenal. The dialogues between the "office clerks" alone are beyond priceless and offer such great, apparently effortless performances by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford (two absolutely fantastic character actors, by the way) – this movie has simply everything. And the last 20 minutes offer the biggest payoff I have ever seen in a film. A rare treat and a true pleasure for film geeks like me. Thank you Joss and Drew!

24. Cool Hand Luke (1967)

GP | 127 min | Crime, Drama

A laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.

Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Paul Newman , George Kennedy , Strother Martin , J.D. Cannon

Votes: 188,510 | Gross: $16.22M

This film got me from the first frame to the last. It's not even because of the story (which I love, of course) - it's just so very well made. And so modern. The kind of angles and perspectives the camera uses, the way it zooms in and out or even allows itself (literally) to get dirty - the way this whole picture was shot is just something I haven't seen in an American film released prior to this one. And yet, although it is considered a classic, when people talk about the "New Hollywood" somehow 'Cool Hand Luke' is hardly ever mentioned - despite the fact that it came out only a couple of months after 'Bonnie and Clyde' in 1967 and before 'The Graduate'. I look at this film mainly as a character study but the story arc also works very well and it hasn't aged a bit. This is one of those rare films that was way ahead of its time and which has simply everything: great acting, iconic characters and scenes, wonderful music - and the cinematography is just unbelievable. Funny, tragic and moving, 'Cool Hand Luke' is one hell of a film. What we've got here is NOT failure to communicate - but a 10-star masterpiece.

25. Pulp Fiction (1994)

R | 154 min | Crime, Drama

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta , Uma Thurman , Samuel L. Jackson , Bruce Willis

Votes: 2,219,793 | Gross: $107.93M

I can only speak for myself, but I had never seen anything as stylish, cleverly constructed, well written and electrifying as this milestone when I first saw it in 1994. What really pulled me in right from the start is what we've now come to know as a Tarantino trademark: the dialog. When gangsters Jules and Vincent talk to each other (or all the other characters, for that matter) there is a natural flow, a sense of realism and yet something slightly over the top and very theatrical about their lines – it's a mixture that immediately grabs your attention. Then there's the music: the songs Tarantino chose for his masterpiece fit their respective scenes so perfectly that most of those pieces of music are now immediately associated with 'Pulp Fiction'. And the narrative: the different story lines that come together, the elegantly used flashbacks, the use of "chapters" – there is so much playful creative energy at display here, it's just a pure joy to watch. If you're a bit of a film geek, you realize how much knowledge about film and love for the work of other greats – and inspiration from them - went into this (Leone, DePalma, Scorsese and, of course, dozens of hyper-stylized Asian gangster flicks), but to those accusing Tarantino of copying or even "stealing" from other filmmakers I can only say: There has never been an artist who adored his kind of art that was NOT inspired or influenced by his favorite artists. And if you watch Tarantino's masterpiece today, it's impossible not to recognize just what a breath of fresh air it was (still is, actually). Somehow, movies - especially gangster films - never looked quite the same after 'Pulp Fiction'. Probably the most influential film of the last 20 years, it's got simply everything: amazing performances (especially Sam Jackson); it features some of the most sizzling, iconic dialog ever written; it has arguably one of the best non original soundtracks ever - it's such a crazy, cool, inspirational ride that you feel dizzy after watching it for the first time. It's – well: it's 'Pulp Fiction'.

26. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

PG | 98 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

Directors: Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders | Stars: Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Craig Ferguson

Votes: 800,526 | Gross: $217.58M

Warning: this beautifully animated tale is highly addictive! As soon as it's over you'll immediately want to watch it again. I'm a grown man, but somehow this movie managed to ignore all the layers of cynicism and fake toughness we grown-ups tend to build around ourselves to cope with life; it cut right through to the wide-eyed, adventure-loving boy in me, right through to the heart. It's impossible not to fall in love with this movie, with these characters - especially if you love wild animals. This beautiful story of a very unlikely - and very difficult - friendship between a boy who's a bit of an outcast and a dragon is just so well done; it's never cheesy, yet full of passion, and there's simply not a dull moment in it. And although it's very funny, this really isn't just an accumulation of gags and one-liners loosely held together by a paper-thin story: this is a great adventure and touching coming-of-age tale where the protagonist has an actual arc; it tells an intelligent and compelling story about people who are not just one-note characters, and they're wonderfully realized through the great voice-work of such actors as Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson. The animation is fantastic, and there so much playful creative energy at display in the design of the characters - especially in the design of all the different dragon species - that it's simply a joy to watch.

27. The Third Man (1949)

Approved | 93 min | Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller

Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.

Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Orson Welles , Joseph Cotten , Alida Valli , Trevor Howard

Votes: 181,812 | Gross: $0.45M

I don't know why this movie always hooks me the way it does; it's obviously a masterpiece and a revered piece of British/American Cinema - but that alone is not the reason (there are other such masterpieces which fail to have that effect on me). Maybe it's the setting: the beautiful city of Vienna right after World War II, the scars of the most devastating conflict in human history still visible at every corner. Or it's the contrast between the eerily happy music tune - which plays throughout the entire film - and the dark, tragic story of murder and betrayal which I find so strangely captivating. Whatever it is, I just love this movie. 'The Third Man' now has more than 60 years on its back, but its age hardly shows. Despite the story's dark themes, the general mood of the narrative is rather light, sometimes darkly funny, and the slightly cynical tone and morally ambiguous characters give the movie a very modern feel. What also stands out and makes the film memorable - in addition to the fantastic soundtrack - is the outstanding, Accademy Award winning cinematography. Black and white has rarely looked better. The way DOP Robert Krasker plays with unusual angles and virtually "paints" this city of Vienna with light and shadow, he adds an almost expressionistic quality to the film. I always felt that the city plays an essential part in the story, - a key character if you will - with its damaged buildings reflecting the damaged human characters. The recent war is a looming presence throughout the film, and to me this is as much a story about the desensitizing effect of war on people as it is a murder mystery. And there is yet another quality to the film which needs to be mentioned: it's very entertaining. 'The Third Man' has fantastic pacing and there is simply not a dull moment in it. To sum up my overall impressions, this is one of those rare occasions where everything just falls right into place and helps create a unique film experience: Carol Reed's masterful direction and the wonderful performances by the fantastic actors (Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard, Alida Valli and Orson Welles); the beautiful soundtrack by Anton Karas; the gorgeous cinematography by Robert Krasker, and, perhaps most importantly, the story and screenplay by Graham Greene with its unexpected twists and turns (although the unusual, iconic ending wasn't Greene's idea). A true work of art and highly enjoyable entertainment.

28. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

PG | 95 min | Comedy, War

An unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Peter Sellers , George C. Scott , Sterling Hayden , Keenan Wynn

Votes: 518,204 | Gross: $0.28M

I never really bought into the Kubrick hype. I mean: don't get me wrong; I like all of his films very much - but to me, they all feel somewhat "over-constructed" and lack a natural flow. And then I finally got to see 'Dr. Strangelove'. Wow. What a terrific, pitch black satire. This film is so wild and mean and funny - and Peter Sellers gives THE performance of his career. Unlike in any of Kubrick's later works, there's a sense of playfulness here that gives the whole movie a crazy kind of energy; I'm guessing that Seller's love for improvisation forced Kubrick to ditch his usual perfectionism to a certain degree (and the film is all the better for it). Sharp, outrageously entertaining comedy/satire by one of the most revered directors of the past century.

29. The Jungle Book (1967)

G | 78 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Bagheera the Panther and Baloo the Bear have a difficult time trying to convince a boy to leave the jungle for human civilization.

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman | Stars: Phil Harris , Sebastian Cabot , Louis Prima , Bruce Reitherman

Votes: 198,635 | Gross: $141.84M

There aren't many animated Disney films I don't like, basically every single one of them until the end of the seventies was amazing. But for me, this is the one which stands out. Sadly, Disney himself never got to see the finished film (he died during the production), but this is one he would have been proud of. Crafted beautifully and with attention to every little detail, from the way the different animal species move to the colorful jungle backgrounds. Wolfgang Reitherman has directed some of the studio's best - but here he has created his masterpiece. Outstanding animation, fantastic characters - and what a killer soundtrack. A joy for every generation to discover anew (my 9-year old nephew currently has a bit of a Shere Khan fixation), I guess I will never outgrow this timeless classic.

30. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

PG-13 | 166 min | Western

A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.

Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Henry Fonda , Charles Bronson , Claudia Cardinale , Jason Robards

Votes: 349,059 | Gross: $5.32M

This one only gets better with each viewing. Leone's masterful storytelling and Morricone's crazy, beautiful, epic soundtrack; desperate, haunted faces that look like the barren landscapes the story is set in and a plot that unfolds with impeccable pacing to culminate in THE ultimate western finale. As in Leone's previous films, music isn't just used to add to the atmosphere but is essential to the plot, or perhaps even more: Morricone's main musical theme plays the actual role of a (or rather: the) protagonist in the film. Anyone who thought that the so called spaghetti westerns were nothing but cheap, violent B-movies had to reconsider after seeing this film. It doesn't get any better than this: this is movie history; iconic, classic, unforgettable, epic. For this film, I just run out of superlatives.

31. The Big Lebowski (1998)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Directors: Joel Coen , Ethan Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges , John Goodman , Julianne Moore , Steve Buscemi

Votes: 860,239 | Gross: $17.50M

It's actually kind of hard to describe this movie (and what's so great about it) to people who don't already know it and love it; as with many cult films, The Big Lebowski will either speak to you (in which case you will become a fervent follower of His Dudeness and abide by his code for the rest of your life) or, if it doesn't, the film will either leave you completely indifferent or you'll even downright hate it. I believe it's a very funny film and I'm sure it can be rightfully called a comedy, but don't expect punchlines, gags, jokes or slapstick - it's not that kind of comedy. If you want to enjoy this film, you have to meet Jeffery "The Dude" Lebowski on his terms, hang out with him and his bowling buddies and follow them at a their (perhaps somewhat leisurely) pace through this weird and unbelievable tale about nihilism, theft (of a car and, more importantly: a Creedence Clearwater Revival tape), kidnapping, abstract art, porn and - of course - bowling. The story is actually kind of simple. You see, some no-good German nihilists urinated on The Dude's rug - and this kind of aggression just won't stand against The Dude. With the help of his bowling buddies, he will do everything in his power to get someone to pay for his rug - or possibly get a new one (because that rug really tied the room together). So he embarks on this worthy quest during which he will encounter many wondrous things and fascinating people (even Jesus - who is NOT the messiah but a very naughty man). With Jeff Bridges in the leading role, the Coen brothers have found the perfect actor to incorporate one of the most iconic characters that has ever been created. But it's not just The Dude that makes this a winner; the whole film is such an inspired folly and simply inventive filmmaking at its finest (the hilarious dream sequence alone is worth the price of admission). The supporting cast is outstanding (J.Turturro, J.Goodman and S.Buscemi among many others), the song choices are perfect and the dialog is the funniest, most quotable in any comedy I've ever seen. This - for me - is without a doubt the film with the highest rewatchability factor of all time.

32. The Godfather (1972)

R | 175 min | Crime, Drama

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando , Al Pacino , James Caan , Diane Keaton

Votes: 2,012,071 | Gross: $134.97M

This film has already been reviewed to death, so I'll keep this very brief. 'The Godfather' isn't just a beautifully crafted gangster film. Or an outstanding family portrait, for that matter. An amazing period piece. A character study. A lesson in filmmaking and an inspiration to generations of actors, directors, screenwriters and producers. For me, this is more: this is the definite film.

33. Ben-Hur (1959)

G | 212 min | Adventure, Drama

After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

Director: William Wyler | Stars: Charlton Heston , Jack Hawkins , Stephen Boyd , Haya Harareet

Votes: 253,632 | Gross: $74.70M

When I first saw 'Ben Hur' I was 8 years old and hadn't seen many films, since we were hardly ever allowed to watch television. Imagine what an impact this film had on me (my movie diet had so far consisted of Chaplin and Disney films - which, of course, is not at all a bad thing). The experience was simply mesmerizing. Awe and wonder filled me as I watched this story of shocking betrayal, revenge and forgiveness unfold on screen - and by the time the heart-stopping chariot race was over, my fate as a future movie addict was sealed. Despite its 212 minutes running time, this is storytelling at its finest that knows how to entertain; as we follow Judah Ben-Hur's dramatic journey from Jerusalem to Rome and back again, the film just never lets up and immerses you completely. It's hard to imagine anything more cinematic, especially at the time: if ever there was an epic that was meant to be seen on the big screen in all its bombastic glory, it's Ben Hur. And even now, after I've seen the film many, many times, I feel like this story has a certain sense of greatness to it that is touching (and I don't mean that in a religious sense). My verdict: this film was and is nothing like the many "sandal and sword" or bible films of that era; it is (at least to me) the ultimate film epic. With its touching story and fantastic action sequences - which I think hold up amazingly well - Ben Hur is among the milestones of its era and part of film history. Pure Cinema and a must see.

34. Trainspotting (1996)

R | 93 min | Drama

Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends.

Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Ewan McGregor , Ewen Bremner , Jonny Lee Miller , Kevin McKidd

Votes: 725,588 | Gross: $16.50M

I remember what a raw shock of creative energy this film was when it came out, and I still marvel at what an imaginative way the director found to tell this crazy, immoral tale. The superb cinematography; the amazing cast of young actors (who have all gone on to become hugely successful in film and TV since); the iconic soundtrack: it all just fits together perfectly. 'Trainspotting' is as hilarious as it is deeply disturbing, but most importantly (and unlike many other films concerned with addiction) it's one hell of an entertaining flick and doesn't drag for a second. We all know drugs are bad. The problem is, they can also be fun - at least at the beginning, which is one of the reasons people are drawn to them. 'Trainspotting' is the first movie I remember watching that actually conveyed that seductive quality of drugs and managed to honestly portray the reckless, hedonistic lifestyle a part of my generation - the so called "Generation X" - fell victim to. It's an amazing achievement, in every regard; not only does it manage to be true to its serious subject matter without resorting to moralizing, it's also masterclass filmmaking and a milestone of British Cinema.

35. Catch-22 (1970)

R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, War

A man is trying desperately to be certified insane during World War II, so he can stop flying missions.

Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Alan Arkin , Martin Balsam , Richard Benjamin , Art Garfunkel

Votes: 26,500 | Gross: $24.91M

Note: I'm not commenting on whether this is a successful adaptation of the seminal novel by Joseph Heller or not, but solely on the film's qualities in terms of filmmaking. When I first saw Mike Nichols' film 'Catch-22' I couldn't believe it was made in 1970. The structure of the film is so modern it could have been made yesterday. Frame for frame a masterpiece of storytelling unfolds before your eyes; a satire, a comedy, a tragedy: superb and unforgettable. The surreal humor captures the craziness of war in a way - I think - no other movie does, and the performances by the incredibly impressive ensemble of actors are fantastic thoroughout. The film was released at around the same time as the somewhat similarly themed 'M*A*S*H', and while Altman's movie was a hit, 'Catch-22' bombed at the box office. In retrospect I would say that both films have aged very well, but 'Catch-22' offers a much more cinematic experience due to its outstanding cinematography and also because it has a non-linear narrative that feels as modern as anything that's being released today. One of my favorite movies of all time.

36. Rio Bravo (1959)

Passed | 141 min | Western

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: John Wayne , Dean Martin , Ricky Nelson , Angie Dickinson

Votes: 68,052 | Gross: $12.54M

There are quite a few seminal classic American westerns (such as 'High Noon', 'The Searchers', 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' or 'Shane' - to name but a few), but 'Rio Bravo' ended up being my favorite among those. It's the quintessential film of the genre, yet although it delivers pretty much all of the classic western tropes in spades, I think the main reason I love it so much is because it's also such a great buddy movie. Pairing John Wayne's stoic hero sheriff against the self-deprecating wit of Dean Martin's alcoholic deputy was a stroke of genius, as was the casting of a very charming Angie Dickinson in the female lead role and veteran Walter Brennan as grumpy old Stumpy. The constant bickering between all the main characters makes 'Rio Bravo' so much fun, but the humor in the great script and the wonderful performances by the game cast are only half of what makes this movie so great. The other quality 'Rio Bravo' has which makes it stand out among other greats of the genre is its mood. There's an almost apocalyptic sense of doom permeating the movie throughout, and that constant dread combined with the film's humor - which is often of the gallows' kind - gives it a special kind of atmosphere that other classic American westerns of that era lack. What also adds to that unique tone of the movie is the central piece of music, the hauntingly beautiful Mexican ballad 'El Deguello' which plays an important role in the film. 'Rio Bravo' was the last truly great movie by one of the towering figures from Hollywood's "Golden Age", Howard Hawks (who had previously made such classics as 'Scarface', 'Red River' 'The Big Sleep', 'His Girl Friday', 'To Have And Have Not' and many more). The veteran director seemed to have realized he had made something special too, as he went on to remake 'Rio Bravo' not once but twice during his remaining years. In fact, his two last films were those two remakes ('El Dorado' in '67 and 'Rio Lobo' in '70). Both films featured John Wayne in the lead role, and while they're both solid westerns, they couldn't quite capture the unique charm of the original. As it is, 'Rio Bravo' remains a highly influential classic (Quentin Tarantino cites it as one his favorite movies) and a masterpiece of the western genre.

37. Lord of War (2005)

R | 122 min | Crime, Drama

An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an INTERPOL Agent.

Director: Andrew Niccol | Stars: Nicolas Cage , Ethan Hawke , Jared Leto , Bridget Moynahan

Votes: 336,882 | Gross: $24.15M

Apart from the very serious topic, this is just an incredibly well made film. There are many scenes in this movie which stay with you long after the credits have rolled, the darkly funny ones as well as the truly horrific ones, and to me this is something only the best movies ever achieve. Intelligent and stylish: this is one of very few so called "films with a message" that I can watch again and again, because it's so cleverly constructed and so beautifully shot.

38. Donnie Darko (2001)

R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal , Jena Malone , Mary McDonnell , Holmes Osborne

Votes: 849,970 | Gross: $1.48M

I've seen the theatrical cut of DONNIE DARKO many times since it came out, and it remains among my all-time favorite movies. It's such a beautifully weird tale - and so unlike anything else. Above all, the film has a dreamlike "flow" (for lack of a better word) that just proves irresistible to me; from the very first moment in the film when Donnie wakes up at the break of dawn in the middle of a road and we take that bike ride into town with him as the song 'The Demon Moon' starts, I just have to give in to the film's strange pull and let myself be immersed in that world. Every time. Writer/director Richard Kelly mixes so many genres and styles and balances so many themes in his debut feature that the film really shouldn't work - and yet somehow he manages to pull it off. DONNIE DARKO is part teenage-angst drama and part surreal nightmare with almost Lynchian storytelling and strong psychedelic vibes - peppered with elements that are straight sci-fi. And on top of that it's an angry - if often darkly funny - comment on some of U.S. society's worst eccentricities ranging from its bigotry, its weird obsession with fame, its cruel treatment of anyone not conforming to the mainstream (unless they've managed to become famous) to its unhealthy infatuation with fake "New Age" prophets. But it's another quality of the film that it manages to never quite drift into caricature in its depiction of the more outrageous figures; although it comes close to being a satire at times, the characters remain firmly grounded in reality. And it's not a cynical movie. There's a surprisingly warm humanism that permeates Donnie's tragic story throughout which gives the film a strong beating heart, and I particularly love how the dynamics between the Darko family members are portrayed (the scenes at the dinner table are among my favorites, probably because they reminded my so much of my own family). To sum it all up, DONNIE DARKO is one of those rare cinematic achievements where I feel every element of the film comes together right: the song choices, the cinematography, the editing and pacing; the performances (especially Gyllenhaal's star-making turn is impressive) as well as obviously - and most importantly - the script and the direction (avoid the director's cut like a plague though - it seems the director didn't realize how much the theatrical cut's ambiguity works in the film's favor). It's a fun, endlessly rewatchable movie for genre-fans, but it's also a heart-felt commentary on American society, albeit one that is woven into an ambiguous, surreal sci-fi tale with a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.

39. Alien (1979)

R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright

Votes: 950,447 | Gross: $78.90M

'Alien' is one of those special films that age very, very well. Even now, after nearly 40 years, everything about it just feels fresh. The restrained, natural performances by the fantastic cast; the outstanding production design; the beautiful, ominous score by Jerry Goldsmith; the realistic, "lived-in" look of space-freighter Nostromo's interior: it actually feels less dated than many science fiction films that were made much later, which is quite an astonishing feat. Even the (what now must be considered) "retro" technology inside the ship doesn't necessarily have to be viewed as anachronistic in the face of our obvious recent advancements, because it's the most simple technological equipment that is usually robust enough to survive the longest under harsh conditions (like the extreme temperatures in space). I feel it's especially hard for science fiction films to stand the test of time - which is kind of inherent to the genre I suppose - and 'Alien' simply remains an outstanding achievement in that regard. It's a testament to the talent of everyone involved, but especially to the vision of director Ridley Scott. The film was crafted with so much love for every little detail, and the designs by Moebius, Chris Foss - and in particular the Lovecraftian horrors unleashed by Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger - are among the best and most iconic in any science fiction film. This isn't just an outstanding, timeless piece of entertainment: it's a work of art.

40. Generation Kill (2008)

TV-MA | 10 min | Drama, War

A Rolling Stone reporter, embedded with The 1st Recon Marines chronicles his experiences during the first wave of the American-led assault on Baghdad in 2003.

Stars: Alexander Skarsgård , James Ransone , Lee Tergesen , Jon Huertas

Votes: 59,200

What you get to see here is a one-of-a-kind mini-series: this is as close to a documentary as it gets. The realities of modern warfare are shown honestly with no political agenda and you are left to draw your own conclusions. When I watched this series I remembered a quote from another film, 'The Siege' from 1998, where Bruce Willis' character, a high ranking army official, says something along the lines of: "The army is a broad sword - not a scalpel. So trust me, you do not want to call the army, unless you have absolutely no other option". From an artistic point of view what stands out the most is the ensemble of actors. Not once during the entire seven episodes did I not believe I was watching the actual characters - the performances and the direction in this production are flawless. I've never seen a series that felt as real as this. This goes beyond mere entertainment - this is simply the best contemporary television has to offer.

41. The Wire (2002–2008)

TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

The Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.

Stars: Dominic West , Lance Reddick , Sonja Sohn , Wendell Pierce

Votes: 377,382

Just had to include this, since this list is about 10-star masterpieces. Along with TV-shows like 'Oz', 'Deadwood', 'The Sopranos' and 'Six Feet Under', David Simon's 'The Wire' was part of a revolution - quality wise - in television. Although it is very entertaining, this isn't just entertainment; this is art, pure and simple - and the concept of this show was groundbreaking. On the surface, one might think this is a show about crime, but really, 'The Wire' is about the life and soul of an entire city. There are so many different layers of the city of Baltimore that get their share of screen time, and the way this is done - the writing, the direction, the amazing performances by the terrific cast; the music, the camera work, the realism... I could go on and on - is just outstanding. On par with 'Generation Kill' (no wonder, since the same creative team was behind both), this is as good as television can get.

42. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.

Stars: Bryan Cranston , Aaron Paul , Anna Gunn , Betsy Brandt

Votes: 2,135,701

If you are among the few who haven't seen it yet: believe the hype, it really is THAT good. Breaking Bad may not depict reality the way 'Generation Kill' or 'The Wire' did - but then it's not about that, either. From an artistic point of view - performances, writing, direction, camera, music - this show is every bit as good as the other two mentioned above, but unlike those, 'Breaking Bad' just wants to entertain and therefore enjoys a lot more creative freedom. The show plays like the daydream fantasy of any underachieving, struggling middle class family man who's had to bury all his dreams (I mean: who wouldn't want to be a meth-kingpin for a little while?), before it turns into a nightmare. One could almost say that 'Heisenberg' is Walter White's 'Tyler Durden'(for those who don't get the reference: watch 'Fight Club' - you won't regret it). For pure entertainment value, this is simply the best show I've ever seen. Every single one of the main characters has already reached the status of a screen icon - when does that ever happen?! Most fun I've ever had watching a TV-show and an instant classic.

43. True Detective (2014– )

TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law.

Stars: Vince Vaughn , Colin Farrell , Rachel McAdams , Taylor Kitsch

Votes: 656,324

(Note: the inclusion on this list and this review are based on the first season of the show only) Right when the opening credits start and you hear that morbidly beautiful song 'Far From Any Road' by 'The Handsome Family', you know that this isn't going to be your usual cop show. Now, if you're more into action films, avoid this at all costs - but if you like amazing performances and dark, brooding Cinema peppered with some black humour and a slight psychedelic touch, you're going to love this. The atmosphere and the southern ambiance of this show are so rich and the cinematography is so beautiful, I can hardly think of anything in recent TV-history that compares to this. To make a musical analogy: if the crazy, creative energy of 'Breaking Bad' felt like 'Led Zeppelin', this feels more like 'The Doors'. The slow, bluesy, hypnotic pulse of this show draws you in and hooks you - and then it doesn't let go. By the way, the original music is also excellent (T-Bone Burnett) and fits the mood perfectly. As far as the actors are concerned, there's nothing but great performances. Even the smaller parts are perfectly cast and the two leads: wow, just - wow! Harrelson (freshly returned from 'The Hunger Games'), plays the "normal", more down to earth character, while McConaughey (still marked by his own personal hunger games) nails the part of his slightly mad, highly intelligent but nihilistic and severely depressed partner. Watching them play off each other (again, after 'Edtv' and 'Surfer, Dude') while their conflicted - and conflicting - characters try to solve a ritual murder is so captivating (and so much fun) you honestly don't care that much if they are ever going to solve that crime. The writing in general is top notch, and Cary Fukunaga ('Sin Nombre','Jane Eyre', 'Beasts of No Nation'), proves once more that he's a very accomplished director and a talent to look out for in the future. My verdict: if you like a well told, character driven story (that might lead you to some very dark places) and if you're not put off by a rather considerate pace, I can't recommend the first season of this show enough - this is outstanding television.

44. Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary

The story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky 's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.

Director: Frank Pavich | Stars: Alejandro Jodorowsky , Michel Seydoux , H.R. Giger , Chris Foss

Votes: 27,560 | Gross: $0.65M

If you love sci-fi films, you have to see this. Or no: If you love films you have to see this. Even better: If you love art in general, you absolutely have to see this. This documentary had me grinning at first and drop my jaw soon later; the grinning was induced by the witty, charming narration by Alejandro Jodorwsky himself (a natural born storyteller, if there ever was one) – the jaw dropping came by way of hearing the most incredible anecdotes about how one person got some of the most famous and daring pioneers of their respective arts to participate in one single project: Jodorowsky's 'Dune'. In 1975, Alejandro Jodorowsky got a group of "warriors" together to make the film version of Frank Herbert's 'Dune', and the way he did this (or the way he tells he did this) is so outright unbelievable and entertaining that it simply must be true (actually, there's an amazing story for another film right there). Can you imagine Salvador Dali, Orson Welles and Mick Jagger all starring in a science-fiction film scored by Pink Floyd? Watch this Documentary if you want to know how this - nearly - came about. Or did you know that Dan O'Bannon, Moebius, H.R. Giger and Chris Foss all made fantastic designs for a science-fiction film that was NOT 'Alien'? Watch this documentary If you like to know more. Telling the story of arguably the most influential sci-fi film never made, this documentary is a pleasure to behold and essential viewing for sci-fi geeks, film fans and lovers of art alike.

45. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Approved | 178 min | Adventure, Western

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood , Eli Wallach , Lee Van Cleef , Aldo Giuffrè

Votes: 811,100 | Gross: $6.10M

I'll keep this brief: This is simply one of the most entertaining and best looking westerns ever. Director Sergio Leone's unique use of the camera - long, uninterrupted shots in wide angle alternating with extreme close-ups - and Ennio Morricone's unique, wildly inventive soundtrack are blended to perfection. The career-making performances by Eli Wallach (hilarious), Lee Van Cleef (chilling) and Clint Eastwood (cool) are nothing short of iconic, and the film's finale is so good it will send shivers of cinematic joy down your spine. It's a movie of epic proportions; it's funny and violent, but underneath it all there is a strong anti-war message. It's a cinematic masterpiece and one of the most influential movies of all time. Oh, and it's also tons of fun, and you should see it on the biggest screen possible.

46. Children of Men (2006)

R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Julianne Moore , Clive Owen , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Michael Caine

Votes: 529,349 | Gross: $35.55M

I first saw 'Children of Men' when it came out, 10 years ago, and while I liked it a lot, I kind of forgot about it soon. At the time, it failed to resonate with me on a deeper level - which in hindsight I find astounding. Last month, a decade later almost to the day, I suddenly felt the urge to revisit the film (because it was mentioned in an article about "long takes"), and upon rewatching it, it just blew my mind. This film is so, so, good! It not only manages in many aspects to be the most prophetic - and most shockingly realistic - sci-fi film I have ever seen: it achieves that feat with a level of style and through such an abundance of fantastic creative choices and innovative camera techniques that I was simply left in awe. I was forced to conclude that this film was a visionary piece of art (and how that fact had eluded me the first time around I couldn't - and still can't - explain). It's a cinéphile's dream come true; it's a masterpiece in the true sense of the word. 'Children of Men' is a gut-wrenching look at an all too possible future, but it also works as a heart-stopping, adrenaline-rush-inducing piece of entertainment featuring some of the most breathtaking camera work you'll ever see. The performances are flawless. The artwork, the production design, the music; I could go on and on: this is one of those few real masterworks where everything just comes together right. And I believe the final 30 minutes of the film rank among the finest achievements in the history of Cinema. Period.

47. O.J.: Made in America (2016)

TV-MA | 467 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson , whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.

Director: Ezra Edelman | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Mike Albanese , Muhammad Ali , Marcus Allen

Votes: 21,822

Watching a 7.5-hour long documentary about a case we all think we know may seem a daunting task at first, but trust me: you'll have a very hard time to resist the urge to binge-watch the whole mini series once you've started. This documentary (which to me felt like a seven-and-a-half-hour feature film) is - in my humble opinion - one of the greatest achievements in American filmmaking and utterly captivating from the beginning to the end. Where the equally brilliant but fictional series 'The Wire' took the topic of crime as a means to cast a look at all aspects and social layers of a whole city (Baltimore), 'O.J.: Made in America' examines the life and crimes of a single man (albeit one leading a very public life) to cast a very close look at American society as a whole, and the result is the most comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the divided nation's collective psyche I have ever seen. The portrait that emerges is so fascinating and so revealing and educational (and I hate to admit: thrillingly entertaining) that I believe this should be recommended viewing in schools and colleges across the country. And if you think: "Meh, I know that story, it's been all over the news - not interested", think again. Trust me, you do not know this story (or better: these stories). And there's a big chance you'll understand a great deal more about America once you've finished watching this masterpiece. I know I'm dishing out superlatives here, but it's like director Ezra Edelman made the ultimate documentary - perhaps even the ultimate film. 'O.J.: Made in America' functions on so many levels; it's like watching a whole collection of films where the same protagonist inexplicably lives through a wide array of very different stories (which somehow STILL manage to end up as ONE cohesive tale). Just to give you an impression how rich this documentary is, I tried to count the stories and most dominant themes and found at least 10 (although you could probably find more): 1. There's the fascinating story of a poor kid from the ghetto rising through sheer will and enormous talent to become an American icon and superstar. 2. There's a great - and uplifting - sport story (especially for Football fans) that is usually the material of Hollywood films. 3. There's the very human drama of a genuine love story turning into an abusive relationship plagued by domestic violence. 4. There's the mesmerizing and shocking murder mystery; 5. the thrilling courtroom drama; 6. a razor-sharp satire about our and our media's unhealthy fixation on celebrities; 7. an unbelievable, surreal story of a nationwide man-hunt that gives Spielberg's 'Sugarland Express' a run for its money; 8. a close examination of the U.S. judicial system; 9. the story of the rise and the very, very steep fall of a man who had it all and lost everything; 10. an eye-opening story about race relations in America over the past 50 years And as incredible as it may seem, those stories are all real. The way Edelman managed to put them all together to forge this groundbreaking documentary can't be praised enough. A unique experience.

48. The Vietnam War (2017)

TV-MA | 99 min | Documentary, History, War

A comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.

Stars: Peter Coyote , Huy Duc , James Willbanks , Duong Van Mai Elliott

Votes: 27,972

This isn't an easy watch, but it's one that I would highly recommend nonetheless. I watch many documentaries, but I have only rarely seen such an insightful and comprehensive portrait of a chapter in history. Over the course of 16.5 hours this docu series takes the viewer from the earliest roots of the conflict in Vietnam and the country's sad colonial history to its modern-day reality after the war. Along the way, it tells a mesmerizing, shocking, appalling, tragic - but most of all: incredibly immersive and informative - story from the perspective of the people who were affected by this man-made tragedy. Unlike most other documentaries on the subject, we also get to hear first hand accounts from North- and South Vietnamese officers, ARVN and Vietcong fighters, civilians from both the South and the North, in addition to learning more about the American experience and about the profound effect the conflict had on US society. What Ken Burns and Lynn Novick have accomplished here can hardly be overstated; this is more than "just" an in-depth look at the Vietnam War: this is nothing less than the portrait of an era. A masterful work.

49. The Pacific (2010)

TV-MA | 53 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

The Pacific Theatre of World War II, as seen through the eyes of several young Marines.

Stars: James Badge Dale , Joseph Mazzello , Jon Seda , Ashton Holmes

Votes: 129,980

I'm guessing most of us watched 'The Pacific' for at least one of the following 3 reasons: 1. We have an interest in history, particularly in WW2. 2. We are fans of movies and television shows (well, the good ones anyway) 3. We had seen - and loved - the previous Hanks/Spielberg co-production 'Band Of Brothers' and expected a mini-series on the same level. Now from reading some of the reviews on IMDb I gather it was the third reason which was the most important one for many viewers - and it's also why 'The Pacific' apparently left quite a few people disappointed. As for me, I wasn't disappointed - I was devastated. I'm a lucky man; I've never had to suffer through a war. But I had relatives who did, and though they're all long gone now, I'll never forget their stories. War is the most extreme and outrageous experience humans can possibly endure, but there are many different aspects and layers to it, because a war is not a single experience: it's all the experiences of all the individuals who have to suffer through it, and no single film or TV show can cover all of them. 'Band Of Brothers' focused on certain aspects of a war, and it chose a narrative that helped emphasize what the core theme of the series was: the brotherhood of war. It was about people who retain their humanity and form the closest of bonds under the worst, most horrific circumstances. That inherently human element in 'BoB' was also why we could identify so well with the protagonists, and why we were - and still are - so deeply touched by what they had to go through. It's an outstandingly well made series, and I can't imagine how those experiences by those soldiers could have been portrayed better. Which is why 'The Pacific' doesn't even try. Instead, it goes almost in the opposite direction by choosing to focus on the sheer insanity of war: the relentless horror and despair of people losing their humanity and their struggle to regain it. Of course, just like 'BoB' it's also about the heroic sacrifices of those brave soldiers, but if there is a core theme in 'The Pacific' it's that of trauma: the trauma of having your humanity stripped from you and your personality shattered; the trauma of witnessing the complete disintegration of everything you thought you were and knowing you'll never be whole again. What we see in 'The Pacific' is Hell, plain and simple. It's scores and scores of anonymous, young Japanese soldiers running senselessly into machine gun fire, wave after wave, until the piles of their bodies are so high they block the sight for the machine gun; it's American soldiers barely older than kids in despair or completely numb from the sheer amount of random death around them; it's vibrant young men turning into barely alive husks whose only remaining focus is to survive - which means they have to kill other barely alive young men who will stop at nothing to kill them in turn; it's kids killing other kids like rats by any means at their disposal: guns, knives, flame-throwers or with their bare hands; it's people living among the rotting corpses of their dead comrades and enemies and completely losing any regard for human life. And the few moments where we witness how those kids get a brief taste of how precious and beautiful life could be make their fate all the more heartbreaking. Over large stretches, 'The Pacific' is devastating and depressing to watch, and though I found it never less than compelling, it's actually easy to see why many viewers who had hoped for a similarly engaging experience as in 'BoB' were left disappointed. But this is a different story about different people who fought in a different theater of the war and who went through different experiences, and once you stop comparing it to the story of the men in Easy Company from 'BoB', you'll find that, while different, in terms of sheer quality 'The Pacific' is every bit as good and as much of an outstanding achievement as its more popular predecessor. The realism, the performances, the music and the production values in the series are superb (this was a 200 million production after all), and the attention to historic detail is simply staggering. As for me, witnessing what these men went through had a huge impact on me emotionally; yet I am grateful I've watched 'The Pacifc': because in its relentless depiction of the horrors of war it honors the sacrifice these brave young soldiers made in the hope future generations wouldn't have to do the same. I originally rated this series 9 stars out of 10, but upon a recent rewatch and with more knowledge of the war in the Pacific theater, it's clear that this is a 10/10. Outstanding.

50. Lilo & Stitch (2002)

PG | 85 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A young and parentless girl adopts a 'dog' from the local pound, completely unaware that it's supposedly a dangerous scientific experiment that's taken refuge on Earth and is now hiding from its creator and those who see it as a menace.

Directors: Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders | Stars: Daveigh Chase , Chris Sanders , Tia Carrere , David Ogden Stiers

Votes: 211,612 | Gross: $145.79M

This is a personal favorite of mine, and I'm actually convinced it's Disney's most underrated animated movie. I guess the main reason I like this film so much is that it features the most sincere depiction of a relationship between siblings in any Disney film. For once, we get real, flawed (and therefore all the more lovable) people - not the usual perfect Disney princesses. But it's also incredibly funny and spectacularly entertaining throughout (not to mention that it has one of the most hilarious intros in any sci-fi film ever). I simply adore this movie, and I'm not ashamed to admit it makes me cry every time I watch it. This and Sanders' and DeBlois' other masterpiece, the first HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, are the cinematic medicine that get me through my darkest days. The look of the film is very distinct and refreshingly different from Disney's previous animated features. And the visuals are gorgeous; the backgrounds are painted in beautifully faded watercolors, and the 2-D animation is an example of artists at the peak of their craft. Every scene is jock-full of original ideas and a virtual demonstration of Chris Sanders' and Dean DeBlois' seemingly limitless imagination (the film also features a ton of clever references to sci-fi and monster films). Simply one of the best animated films - and one of the funniest sci-fi comedies - of the last 20 years.

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The 30 best zombie movies of all time, ranked

From horror classics to modern comedies, the undead have cropped up in a variety of films over the years.

Jonathan Wenk/Summit Entertainment/ Everett; A24/ Everett; Everett

Zombie movies are one of cinema’s most malleable genres. Though they’re often confined to horror scenarios, the undead have flexed their acting muscles elsewhere. There are of course myriad zombie comedies, zombie action movies, and even zombie heist movies, but what about the zombie musicals ( Anna and the Apocalypse ), zombie family dramas ( Maggie ), or zombie political thrillers ( Doomsday )? 

The genre, pioneered in 1932 with White Zombie and popularized in 1968 by George Romero ’s Night of the Living Dead , has seen just about every twist and turn imaginable. While we love old-fashioned gut-munchers (and have a special appreciation for the mid-century Euro-zombie craze), some of our favorite installments are the films that give us ideas to chew on — in addition to innards.

Here is Entertainment Weekly’s ranking of the best zombie movies of all time.

30. Maggie (2015)

Tracy Bennett/Roadside Attractions/Everett 

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin play father and daughter in this soulful drama about a young girl slowly turning undead from the effects of a pandemic. More chamber piece than horror picture, Henry Hobson’s understated and somber film deals with a zombie outbreak in realistically grueling terms. Maggie features admirable work from its two leads and Joely Richardson but has struggled for recognition in a genre preoccupied with headshots and sequences of death-defying thrills. It’s not exactly an uplifting experience, but Maggie is one of the more underrated recent additions to the form.

Where to watch Maggie : PlutoTV

29. Resident Evil (2002)

Columbia/ Everett

Milla Jovovich made her name with this hell-for-leather action franchise. Playing commandos who must break into an underground bunker — “The Hive,” operated by the shadowy Umbrella Corporation — to stanch a zombie apocalypse, Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez give uncommonly compassionate performances for the genre.

Though the series descends further into its video game roots as it goes on, this first installment (directed by Paul W.S. Anderson ) punctuates its gratuitous action with a solid story and a few sequences of genuine suspense. It’s a pleasantly postmodern riff on the zombie mythos that came about at a time when the sub-genre was lacking, to say the least. Anderson satisfies the strictures of a video game adaptation while flirting with some of the bigger ideas he previously played with in Event Horizon (1995).

Where to watch Resident Evil : Netflix

28. Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

Orion Pictures/Everett 

As an ill-timed zombie outbreak threatens to ruin Christmas in the sleepy Scottish town of Little Haven, Anna Shepherd (Ella Hunt) bands together her friends to stomp, slash, and sing their way to victory over hordes of the undead. This lovely, whip-smart musical-horror-comedy evokes the spirit of both classic zombie movies and the Hollywood sing-songs it clearly idolizes. It also functions, more often than you’d expect, as a gruesome horror adventure. Highly memorable tunes and some dashing choreography contribute significantly to the film’s unique brand of ethereal fun.

Where to watch Anna and the Apocalypse : AMC+

27. Life After Beth (2014)

Gregory Smith/A24/ Everett

Dane DeHaan plays a heartbroken young man whose girlfriend ( Aubrey Plaza ) miraculously returns from the dead. What begins as a happy twist of fate quickly turns gruesome, as Beth begins to deteriorate and morph into a flesh-craving monster. A subversive and well-honed dark comedy directed by Jeff Baena (Plaza’s now-husband), Life After Beth harks back to the youth-centric horror comedies of the ’80s and ’90s while injecting the proceedings with a welcome dose of pathos. 

Where to watch Life After Beth : Max

26. Night of the Creeps (1986)

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In this cult classic horror flick, alien parasites take over the bodies of coeds who turn into grotesque zombie slugs and proceed to terrorize a college campus. Monster Squad director Fred Dekker helmed this gloriously unhinged zombie riff, a movie so quintessentially ’80s that it’s practically wearing shoulder pads. It’s a throwback to nuclear-era creature features like The Blob while also being so rewatchable and jovial that you almost want to dub it “feel-good.”

Where to watch Night of the Creeps : PlutoTV

25. Little Monsters (2019)

Hulu/Neon/Everett

This is a lithe, bizarre little horror-comedy starring Lupita Nyong’o as a kindergarten teacher who joins forces with a washed-up musician (Alexander England) and a children’s TV star (Josh Gad) to save a group of kids from a zombie apocalypse. Nyong’o’s performance is both inexplicable and admirable, but she’s just one member of a wholly committed cast that makes this risky parody sing. Little Monsters owes a debt to every zombie movie that came before it, specifically Shaun of the Dead (2004), and yet there’s a real sense that anything could happen in this ribald, extremely gory thrill ride. 

Where to watch Little Monsters : Hulu

24. It Comes at Night (2017)

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Trey Edward Shults’ grim genre riff stars Joel Edgerton and Carmen Ejogo as a couple hiding out with their son in a post-apocalyptic civilization where an unspecified disease has turned most of mankind into slobbering flesh-cravers. If that wasn’t enough, another couple’s arrival ( Christopher Abbott and Riley Keough ) throws their carefully cultivated world into a tailspin.

Shults plays with the idea of who (or what) is the ultimate evil in this head-twister, which is ably abetted by a cast who rings every bit of truth from the scenario. Ejogo is quietly commanding (we’re begging for her own action franchise), but it’s Keough who does the most heavy lifting, being alternately heartbreaking and bewildering here.

Where to watch It Comes at Night : Max

23. Night of the Comet (1984)

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Another cult classic from a bygone era, Night of the Comet sees teenage Valley Girls (Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney) attempt to evade the undead after a comet strike unleashes a zombie apocalypse. Meanwhile, a group of scientists wants to use their nubile bodies to develop an antidote. Thom Eberhardt’s film is an incomparable mash-up of sci-fi and zombie conventions thrown into the blender of ’80s excess and whipped to delight. It comes close to achieving a John Waters level of zaniness, but Eberhardt also finds room for some heady ideas within his genre mélange.

Where to watch Night of the Comet : Tubi

22. Warm Bodies (2013)

Jonathan Wenk/Summit Entertainment/ Everett

Jonathan Levine ’s Warm Bodies is a sweet and salty romance between a zombified youth ( Nicholas Hoult ) and a human woman ( Teresa Palmer ) whose father ( John Malkovich ) happens to be leading the force to eradicate the undead. Perhaps the greatest compliment to this subversive and emotionally resonant dramedy is that, for much of its running time, you’re unsure how it will end. Levine has always been adept at throwing you off the scent of genre convention, and here he keeps audiences on their toes. It’s probably his best film to date (though 50/50 is also a contender), and certainly the one that best showcases how he wrings fresh magic from vintage threads.

Where to watch Warm Bodies : Hulu

21. White Zombie (1932)

The original zombie movie stars Bela Lugosi as Murder Legendre, Haiti’s zombie master. He’s sought out by Charles Beaumont (Robert Frazer), who wants to kill his scheming wife (Madge Bellamy) and bring her back as a member of the undead contingent.

Not a zombie movie as we’d come to know it, this film nevertheless set the tone and many of the hallmarks for the flesh-eater genre. It’s beautifully designed and shot, owing much of its lush aesthetic and photography to expressionist silent classics like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Cat and the Canary .

Where to watch White Zombie : Tubi

20. Pontypool (2009)

Miroslaw Baszak/IFC Films/Everett

A terrifically smart twist on the zombie genre, this aural chiller stars Stephen McHattie as disc jockey Grant Mazzy, who happens to be on air while the undead rise to power (off-screen) and threaten mankind’s existence. The twist here is that the virus is passed through sound and language, making the protagonist’s profession a particularly unfortunate one.

Expertly unfolding through phone calls from Mazzy’s listeners and snatches of news reports, this always-entertaining thriller presents a distinct, unflinching view of a zombie epidemic. You might worry, as the movie coasts to its conclusion, that it won’t be able to maintain its subtly creepy effect as horror encroaches on the radio station; but rest assured, director Bruce McDonald maintains a sure hand for the entirety of the sleek 95-minute running time.

Where to watch Pontypool : AMC+

19. Slither (2006)

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Before he became mired in various superhero universes, James Gunn directed this jolly throwback to ’50s creature features and ’80s body horror flicks. Elizabeth Banks stars as town stunner Starla Grant — inexplicably married to Grant Grant ( Michael Rooker ) — who must save her small community from an alien invasion with the help of local sheriff Bill Pardy ( Nathan Fillion ).

Slither more or less defines the term “gleefully gory” with its jocular approach to evisceration. It’s one of the rare horror comedies that precisely gauges both tones and their intersection. Some of the frights are genuinely harrowing, not to mention nauseating, and the humor arises naturally from the characters and their reactions rather than extraneous plotting. 

Where to watch Slither : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

18. Doomsday (2008)

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Neil Marshall ’s genre-hopping film begins as a zombie rampage picture before morphing into a medieval riff on George Miller . Rhona Mitra stars as a military commando leading a unit to recover an antidote to the deadly virus, but her team soon learns that the feral survivors are far more dangerous than any zombies.

Well-paced and uniquely structured, Doomsday is a gleefully overloaded, eminently rewatchable genre pastiche. A bevy of rubbery gore effects and some truly eye-popping practical crack-ups give the movie a satisfying heft, while Mitra holds her own against Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell . In the days where mid-budget action-thrillers are disappearing rapidly (or are bludgeoned to death with ropey digital visuals), it’s a thrill to see one accomplished on such a vast scale.

Where to watch Doomsday : Max

17. Dead Snow (2009)

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Violent Night director Tommy Wirkola honed his signature blend of gore and humor with this stupendous Nazi-zombie epic. Part Evil Dead , part Zombie Lake , and wholly insane, this rollicking yarn follows a group of hard-partying medical students to a mountain retreat where they’re summarily set upon by the corpses of Nazi soldiers once exiled to the woods around them.

This brisk and nasty effort is almost unfairly effective given its small budget and relatively slight ambitions. The list of exploitation movies that feature Nazis is vast, but Dead Snow does so in a terrifically witty manner, making the central villains far more than just window dressing. There are also some nice satirical touches here, which Wirkola smartly drops in without over-egging them.

Where to watch Dead Snow : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

16. Anthropophagus (1981)

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Joe D’Amato, prince of Euro-sleaze, directed this grimy and hypnotic slasher/zombie entry about a group of pleasure seekers (led by Tisa Farrow, Mia’s sister) who end up on a secluded island with a cannibalistic murderer (George Eastman). 

In part a rather serene Greek travelogue and, on the other hand, a tale of gut-munching exploitation, D’Amato’s genre riff slots in comfortably with similar Italian undead pictures of the time while taking enough detours to feel a bit transgressive. The ultimate explanation for the antagonist’s battiness is a highlight of the zombie sub-genre and worth a watch alone. 

Its pseudo-sequel, Absurd (1981), is just as good (maybe even a bit better), but you can hardly call it a zombie movie. Eastman returns, ostensibly as the same character, to lay siege to a hospital staff and then a babysitter while pursued by a priest (Edmund Purdom) specializing in the supernatural.

Where to watch Anthropophagus : AMC+

15. World War Z (2013)

Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Marc Forster ’s unfairly maligned adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel stars Brad Pitt as a U.N. worker who must lead the resistance against a deadly virus. After an immensely troubled production, World War Z grossed over $500 million worldwide and spawned sequel talks for years before those plans were ultimately scuttled.

It’s a shame none of that came to be, because this classically structured blockbuster lends itself to franchise treatment. World War Z has more than its fair share of white-knuckle set pieces, including one on an airplane that unfolds in masterful fashion (too bad all the trailers spoiled it). The final scene, a pared-down (reshot) stalking sequence in a Welsh laboratory, adds an almost certainly unintentional weight and emotion to the entire vehicle.

Where to watch World War Z : Paramount+

14. Nightmare City (1980)

Dialchi Film/ Lotus Films International

Umberto Lenzi (of the notoriously delirious giallo Eyeball ) directed this off-its-rocker tale of airline passengers who, after turning into rabid zombies upon exposure to an airborne toxin, land in Manhattan and lay bloody siege to the city. Hugo Stiglitz stars as the news reporter tasked with ending the bloodshed.

Lenzi’s unhinged feature doesn’t quite convince you that its European soundstage is New York City, but that hardly matters when the package is so delightfully entertaining. This is a trash classic, but to call it only that does the movie a slight disservice; it’s propulsive and often risk-taking within the parameters of the genre. The sequence in which zombies invade a television studio and cause live-on-air mayhem is worth the price of admission, and then some.

Where to watch Nightmare City : YouTube (to rent)

13. Zombi 2 (1979)

Jerry Gross Organization/ Everett 

Perhaps the greatest of the Dawn of the Dead imitators is Lucio Fulci’s genre classic. Anne Bowles (Tisa Farrow, once again) jets to a mysterious island in order to find out what happened to her researcher father, accompanied by a local reporter and a sexy couple with a convenient boat. The island, they discover, is populated by hungry zombies. That’s the simple setup for a succession of nasty set pieces (zombie vs. shark!) that often bump up against Fulci’s preoccupation with ocular trauma.

Superb gore effects and an efficient pace set this Romero rip-off apart from the proliferation of zombie products pouring out of Italy at the time. Fulci is one of the most perverse maestros of repulsion that cinema has ever seen, and here he delivers a few of the best sequences of his esteemed career.

Where to watch Zombi 2 : AMC+

12. Braindead (1992)

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Before he entered Middle Earth, Peter Jackson was the splatter king of Oceania. Braindead (known as Dead Alive stateside) was Jackson’s third feature, telling the twisted tale of Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme), who’s snooping mother (Elizabeth Moody) is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey during a zoo outing. The nip turns her into a bloodthirsty zombie, wreaking gory vengeance that leaves her son caring for their infected neighbors and, eventually, a demented infant.

Jackson’s effervescent homage to Sam Raimi , Looney Tunes , and European gore epics is one of the director’s most exciting and consistently unhinged movies. There’s no pretense to any of the chaos, no gesturing at a higher meaning or moral reason other than pure, giddy thrills. Watching Braindead evokes the feeling you had as a young child catching a glimpse of something you’re not supposed to see on TV late at night. It’s transgressive and dangerous, but it’s also warm and affectionate amidst the many fluids hurled at the screen. (The scene in which a karate-fighting priest fends off a man with his own severed arm before proclaiming, “I kick ass for the Lord!” is worth a watch alone.)

Where to watch Brain Dead : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

11. Rec (2007)

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One of the best uses of the found footage format, this Spanish chiller follows news reporter Ángela (Manuela Velasco) who accompanies a fire crew to a call in hopes of capturing a slice-of-life segment for her late-night show. What she finds is far more terrifying, as residents of the building fall victim to a virus and the government quarantines the site.

Genuinely unnerving and anxiety-provoking, Rec is a suspenseful film within the confines of POV shaky cams, never using those parameters to cheap out on quality storytelling. There are too many sublime horror sequences to name here, none of which we’d dream of spoiling.

Where to watch Rec : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

10. Zombieland (2009)

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Ruben Fleischer ’s exuberant splatter parody featured then-rising stars Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg alongside Woody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin . As four survivors of a zombie armageddon, the gang wiles away their boredom by racking up zombie kills and invading swanky homes, one of them occupied by Bill Murray in an excellent shock cameo.

A fantastically irreverent horror-comedy that’s both wickedly acerbic and generous of spirit, Zombieland set the genre on its ear while reinventing it for a hip, post- Scream generation.

Where to watch Zombieland : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

9. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

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Two small-town stooges (James Karen and Thom Mathews) accidentally unleash a hazardous gas that turns their fellow townsfolk into bloodthirsty zombies. As the boss of the dopes who beget the outbreak, genre stalwart Clu Gulager gives a comic performance that is nothing short of revelatory. 

Alien scribe Dan O’Bannon directed this wickedly smart update of the zombie mythos, which arrived just after George Romero had seemingly said all there was to say on the matter. Yet O’Bannon comes out swinging with even more ideas that contribute indelible tropes to the genre at large; this is both the first film in which zombies eat only brains and the first in which a well-placed headshot is powerless to stop them. 

Where to watch The Return of the Living Dead : Tubi

8. Re-Animator (1985)

Stuart Gordon’s seminal body horror picture set a new template in its tale of demented Dr. Herbert West ( Jeffrey Combs ) who uses his reanimation antidote to resurrect corpses, cats, and eventually his mentor, Dr. Hill (David Gale).

Gordon established himself as a grue-auteur with this completely off-the-wall take on the well-trod zombie formula. There’s a sense of almost childlike glee in Gordon’s direction as he throws every conceivable gore gag at the screen, with a miraculous number of them sticking. An incredibly game Barbara Crampton aids Combs in his wide-eyed pursuit of looniness.

Where to watch Re-Animator : Tubi

7. Planet Terror (2007)

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Devised as one half of the somewhat ill-fated Quentin Tarantino / Robert Rodriguez Grindhouse double feature, Planet Terror stars Rose McGowan as exotic dancer Cherry Darling, who along with her on-and-off beau Wray ( Freddy Rodriguez ) must protect their small town from a zombie invasion. Sound familiar?

Rodriguez’s bloody romp is awash in creative gore effects and well-staged action beats, with a cast that perfectly understands the assignment they’ve been handed. In a just world, we’d have about 24 performances of this sort from McGowan. She has both the presence and the cadence of a classic film star, and she grounds this movie with a sly, world-weary charisma. Josh Brolin , just ahead of his No Country for Old Men career resurrection later that same year, also excels at playing a real creep with a devastating skin condition.

Planet Terror is best viewed in the proper Grindhouse format, followed by the fake trailers and Tarantino’s (preferable) 90-minute cut of Death Proof .

Where to watch Planet Terror : Starz

6. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Edgar Wright ’s flawless examination of daily drudgery amidst a zombie apocalypse stars Simon Pegg as the titular Shaun and Nick Frost as his slacker friend, Ed. Together with Shaun’s less-than-impressed girlfriend (Kate Ashfield), as well as his mother ( Penelope Wilton ) and step-dad ( Bill Nighy ), the hapless pals seek safe ground to wait out the impending end of days.

The first and best of Wright’s so-called Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Shaun of the Dead is a glowing example of zombie-comedy. EW’s own Clark Collis wrote a terrific book about the making of the movie entitled You’ve Got Red on You , which features interviews with key creatives as well as the masterminds behind The Walking Dead , who nicked more than you might expect from Wright’s zombie opus to craft their own.

Where to watch Shaun of the Dead : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

5. One Cut of the Dead (2017)

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This ingenious Japanese horror-comedy tells the tale of an ill-fated film crew who, while shooting a low-budget zombie movie in a decrepit WWII-era setting, are set upon by hordes that are actually undead. 

One Cut of the Dead is a multi-faceted love letter to the genre, with a great script and some lovely, understated performances hiding amongst the grue. Even more than a zombie picture, the movie is all about the love of cinema, which for some endures even as revived corpses munch their innards. Shin'ichirō Ueda’s film is surprisingly, cathartically emotional and (if you’ll pardon the pun) brilliantly brainy.

Where to watch One Cut of the Dead : AMC+

4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Romero’s independently produced phenomenon stars Duane Jones and Judith O’Dea as survivors hiding out from aggressive zombies in a secluded farmhouse. Along with White Zombie , Night of the Living Dead set the parameters for the genre. Romero unknowingly invented an entire cinematic form (not to mention his own career) with this stylish and brutal work.

The director excelled at a documentary-style approach to horror, which sometimes served him less successfully (1973’s The Crazies ) than it does here. This, his best film, is utterly transgressive and grimy in the most realistic fashion. There’s no glamor and little glory in its nihilistic but satisfying horror. The finale, well-known for its stark commentary, has only grown more powerful with each passing decade.

Where to watch Night of the Living Dead : Max

3. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

George Romero’s classic consumer satire about a group of survivors hiding out from a zombie apocalypse in a shopping mall has only grown more potent, more sharp, and more ferocious with age. This, the middle of Romero’s original zombie trilogy, is the most vibrant of his undead works and also the most humorous. It has a peculiar but successful sense of pace, just a beat behind where you think it should be, which keeps the audience off-center and puts them in the position of the human leads, who are biding time waiting for the outbreak to subside.

Zack Snyder remade the film in 2004 under the same name. It doesn’t come close to matching Romero’s original, neither in terror nor satire, but is an above-average addition to the mid-aughts remake boom.

Where to watch Dawn of the Dead : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

2. Train to Busan (2016)

“A helluva action movie,” as your grandma might say. A ne'er-do-well father (Gong Yoo) and his estranged daughter (Kim Su-an) get trapped on a bullet train with scores of the (very fast) undead intent on gobbling their brains.

At the tail end of the zombie craze, during a time when audiences were a bit fatigued by the subgenre, along came Yeon Sang-ho’s terrifically paced thriller to provide a welcome jolt of adrenaline. He crafted an incomparably exciting blockbuster — filled with outrageous gore and feverishly choreographed action — as well as a rounded, satisfying character study. It’s one of the very few times a horror movie will have you wishing they’d hurry along the set pieces so you can get back to the human drama.

Where to watch Train to Busan : Netflix

1. 28 Days Later (2003)

Twenty-eight days after the country is ravaged by a “rage virus,” Jim ( Cillian Murphy ) awakens in an abandoned hospital and stumbles into a post-apocalyptic London. He soon joins up with fellow survivors Selena ( Naomie Harris , electric in her film debut) as well as Frank ( Brendan Gleeson ) and his daughter Hannah (Megan Burns), with whom he prepares to navigate their dangerous new world.

One of the most influential horror movies of the 21st century, 28 Days Later pre-figured the zombie craze kicked off by Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004) remake and The Walking Dead . Danny Boyle ’s film is both a nightmarish vision of terror and a humanist drama, evoking the later It Comes at Night in its depiction of a post-zombie landscape in which people are the most dangerous predators. There’s a sweaty, credible tensity to the picture that follows you for hours, perhaps even days, after you’ve watched it. 

Where to watch 28 Days Later : Sling

Related content:

• George Romero movies, ranked
• The 10 best zombie movies on Netflix right now
• Our 11 favorite zombie shows, ranked

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The best movies of 2024 so far, according to critics

‘perfect days,’ ‘sasquatch sunset,’ ‘love lies bleeding’ and ‘civil war’ all make our evolving list of 2024’s best films.

When it comes to movies, why wait for the end-of-year best-of lists? A number of movies have already garnered three stars or more from The Washington Post’s critics and contributors (Ann Hornaday, Ty Burr, Amy Nicholson, Jen Yamato, Jessica Kiang, Michael O’Sullivan, Mark Jenkins and Michael Brodeur — identified by their initials below).

Throughout the year, we’ll update this list — bookmark it! — with the films that we loved and where to watch them. (Note that all movies reviewed by The Post in 2024 are eligible for inclusion.)

Writer-director Alex Garland doesn’t investigate how this war started or how long it’s been going on or whether it’s worth fighting. His lean, cruel film is about the ethics of photographing violence, and those blinders make it charge forward with gusto. The film feels poetically, deeply true, even when it’s suggesting that humans are more apt to tear one another apart for petty grievances than over a sincere defense of some kind of principles. Starring Kristen Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny. (R, 109 minutes) — Amy Nicholson

Where to watch: In theaters

Challengers

A slick, sexy, hugely entertaining, tennis-themed romantic triangle that offers three young performers at the top of their games under the guidance of Luca Guadagnino, a director who gives them room to swing in all senses of the word. The movie’s a paean to hard work and hedonism, and if its pleasures are mostly surface — grass, clay, emotional — it’s still been too long since we’ve had an intelligent frolic like this. Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor play rising tennis stars; Zendaya is their coach, holding down the center with her furiously knitted brow. (R, 131 minutes) — Ty Burr

Wicked Little Letters

An art-house audience pleaser , based on an actual historical incident, that slaps a veneer of tea-cozy classiness over cartoonish characters and changing social values. In a dingy English seaside town in 1920, someone has been sending anonymous poison-pen letters to church lady Edith (Olivia Colman) — written in language so obscene that it’s practically an art form — and suspicion quickly falls on the foul-mouthed Rose (Jessie Buckley), a single mother freshly arrived from Ireland. The movie is good fun and surprisingly obvious — a slapstick comedy of manners that only hints at darker human urges. (R, 100 minutes) — T.B.

Sasquatch Sunset

Either the silliest movie you’ll see in 2024 or one of the most unexpectedly affecting, but, like the meme says, why not both ? A year in the life of a family of Bigfoots — Bigfeet? — it functions simultaneously as slow-motion slapstick, a very hairy nature documentary and a melancholy portrait of creatures not unlike us as they confront their own disappearance from the Earth. With no narration and no dialogue beside grunts, hoots and warbles, the movie effectively puts an audience on the same (big) footing as the characters. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough and Nathan Zellner. (R, 89 minutes) — T.B.

Two-time Oscar winner Ennio Morricone , who died in 202o at the age of 91, was a composer and arranger of music that helped define what it sounds like to go to the movies. Now, director Giuseppe Tornatore — who worked with Morricone for nearly all his films, including 1988’s “Cinema Paradiso” — turns an overdue spotlight on the composer behind the legendary scores of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “The Thing” and more than 500 others. At nearly three hours, “Ennio” is a long haul, exhaustive without ever becoming exhausting. Though it could definitely survive edits, its length feels like the product of genuine ardor and care. (Unrated, 156 minutes) — Michael Brodeur

Where to watch: In theaters and on demand

The People’s Joker

Hollywood’s superhero blockbuster business has grown creatively stale, but Vera Drew’s irreverent renegade opus is just the antidote the genre desperately needs. Both a tough-love letter to the commodified IP it satirizes and a scathing takedown of mainstream comedy institutions, this defiantly personal low-budget marvel is also a genuinely affecting queer coming-of-age tale in which Drew stars as Joker, a closeted trans woman and aspiring comedian who leaves her Smallville hometown for a dystopian Gotham City. Her film is the cinematic coup of the year, finally delivering the boundary-obliterating antiheroine Hollywood deserves. (Unrated, 92 minutes) — Jen Yamato

The Iranian French actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi has the eyes of a silent film heroine and the face of a Modigliani. In repose, she can convey a sense of sorrow that feels both elegant and timeless, but in “ Shayda ,” that stillness is fraught with specific threat: the anguish of a woman fleeing an abusive husband. Made with a striking sensitivity to mood and moment, the film marks a strong debut for Iranian Australian writer-director Noora Niasari, who mines her own experience and that of her mother for a gripping yet tender suspense drama. (PG-13, 117 minutes) — T.B.

Antiquity and the modern day sit side by side in the films of Italy’s Alice Rohrwacher, permeating each other with the timelessness of a folk tale passed around a campfire. The writer-director’s latest concerns a raffish band of working-class tombaroli — grave robbers — who dig up ancient Etruscan artifacts and sell them on the black market, but the movie’s also a meditation on the tension between romanticizing the past and profiting from it. Wise, funny and mysterious, it’s a one-of-a-kind charmer. (Unrated, 132 minutes) — T.B.

Where to watch: Not yet streaming

Love Lies Bleeding

Rose Glass’s gorgeously pulpy film is a grisly delirium of female rage and romance in which queerness is neither a liability nor a simple fact of life that deserves respect: It’s a goddamn superpower. Kristen Stewart, in a skeevy mullet and a sleeveless tee, plays a gym manager who falls in crazy, scuzzy love with a bodybuilding drifter (Katy O’Brian). There are pyrotechnics and sucked toes and a jaw beaten clean off a skull. In terms of graphic gore, the head-stomping scene in “American History X” and the corpse-splitting moment in “Bone Tomahawk” need to scooch over on the podium. (R, 104 minutes) — Jessica Kiang

Where to watch: In theaters, available for streaming later this year on Max

They Shot the Piano Player

Spanish filmmaker Fernando Trueba (“Belle Époque”) and artist/co-director Javier Mariscal celebrate the spirit of Brazilian bossa nova and the ghosts of artists who live on only in recordings and archival interviews. But this animated documentary ’s central ghost remains touchingly and frustratingly unknowable: Francisco Tenório Júnior, a gifted pianist, considered by his peers as one of the best of their generation, who disappeared in 1976 while on tour in Argentina. “They Shot the Piano Player” doesn’t unravel a mystery so much as confirm a tragedy. (PG-13, 103 minutes) — T.B.

Four Daughters

Film as family therapy and family therapy as film. This gripping and format-stretching documentary by writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania brings actors into the household of a Tunisian mother named Olfa and her two youngest daughters, both teenagers. The three women play themselves alongside two professional actors filling in for the girls’ two missing siblings — what happened to them will unfurl, one twist at a time. (Unrated, 110 minutes) — A.N.

Where to watch: Netflix

Perfect Days

The premise is perfectly simple: Hirayama (Kôji Yakusho) lives in Tokyo, where he cleans bathrooms, approaching his job with the same care and detail he gives to the tree seedlings he’s nurturing in his modest, sparsely furnished apartment. The fact that writer-director Wim Wenders has called a movie about cleaning toilets “Perfect Days” might strike some viewers as the height of absurdity, even perverse humor (the film bears more than a whiff of Jim Jarmusch at his most wryly absurdist). But once they get a glimpse of Hirayama in action, the dreams behind the drudgery reveal themselves. (PG, 123 minutes) — Ann Hornaday

Where to watch: On demand

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (“Twenty Feet from Stardom”), this documentary take on comic Steve Martin is broken into two feature-length installments, titled “Then” (94 minutes) and “Now” (97 minutes). The first and lesser half is pretty standard stuff, covering in enjoyable but repetitive detail the period of Martin’s gradual stand-up ascendancy to selling out stadiums. The much more engaging “Now” dips in and out of Martin’s movie career, includes interviews (Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels) and delivers candid moments with Martin’s bestie, Martin Short. (TV-MA, 191 minutes in two parts) — J.K.

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus

The Zone of Interest

Jonathan Glazer’s quietly shattering, Oscar-winning portrait of a family living next door to Auschwitz is really two movies in one: the film that audiences see on-screen — a bucolic domestic drama, filled with children, gardens and daily rituals — and the movie we conjure in our minds, with images of emaciated bodies, shaved heads and screams barely audible above the clinking teacups and cooing babies. Adapted from Martin Amis’s novel, the film is about denial and Hannah Arendt’s banality of evil. But the mental contortions Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) go through to justify their own monstrosity go beyond obliviousness into something far more insidious and timeless. (PG-13, 106 minutes) — A.H.

Where to watch: Max

Ava DuVernay’s audacious, ambitious adaptation of the equally audacious and ambitious book “Caste,” operates on so many levels at once that the effect is often dizzyingly disorienting. But hang in there: Viewers who allow themselves to be taken on this wide-ranging, occasionally digressive journey will emerge not just edified but emotionally wrung out and, somehow, cleansed. (PG-13, 135 minutes) — A.H.

The Taste of Things

A radiant Juliette Binoche plays Eugénie, a gifted cook who for the past 20 years has been running the kitchen of a 19th-century epicurean named Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel). No one breaks a sweat in “ The Taste of Things ” — they glow. No one swears or yells “Corner!” or “Yes, chef!” — they whisper, or simply deliver an approving glance of gustatory satisfaction. This is the anti-“Bear,” a sensuous fantasia of gastronomical pleasure less redolent of the Beef than “Babette’s Feast.” (PG-13, 134 minutes) — A.H.

Born two months before the Nazis surrendered, celebrated German artist Anselm Kiefer grew up amid his homeland’s rubble. Destruction still compels and even delights him, as Wim Wenders demonstrates in his epic 3D documentary. The colossal spaces Kiefer inhabits and transforms are ideal for Wenders’s approach, which conveys the physicality of the artist’s work and places the viewer virtually within the maelstrom of creation. It’s a fascinating, if somewhat unnerving, place to be. (Unrated, 93 minutes) — Mark Jenkins

How to Have Sex

The title of this promising writing-directing debut from Molly Manning Walker is something of a misdirect. Her startlingly intimate portrait of teenage girls in search of the endless party while on summer holiday in Greece is more accurately described as a tutorial in how not to have sex, i.e., when you’re young, inebriated, feeling pressured or vulnerable to manipulation. In its frankness and often frightening candor, it’s of a piece with coming-of-age dramas like “Thirteen” and “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” with a dash of “Spring Breakers.” (Unrated, 90 minutes) — A.H.

Io Capitano

Matteo Garrone’s Oscar-nominated, migrant-themed drama fashions a hero’s journey that feels utterly of the moment: inspired by the true stories of African immigrants , but told in a way that features episodes of both harrowing verisimilitude and hallucinatory magic realism. It’s a film that is gorgeous at times yet also tough to watch. (Unrated, 121 minutes) — Michael O’Sullivan

The Teachers’ Lounge

Despite the title of Germany’s Oscar submission , the primary setting is a sixth-grade classroom, where things have gone missing lately. As school officials attempt to get to the bottom of the thefts, that classroom becomes a mirror of the outside world, with all its diversity, divisions and discontents. The film is far more than a conventional whodunit, though it does build a nice head of suspense as it grapples with themes of justice, doubt and bias. Its larger message is also one worth hearing, if not exactly news: In an age of cancel culture, the classroom is a battlefield. (PG-13, 98 minutes) — M.O.

Sometimes I Think About Dying

As subdued in tone and emotion as the neutral beige and brown ensembles favored by its mousy, office-worker protagonist (Daisy Ridley), this film offers an unconventional love story : one less about the thrill of romance than about the terror — and ultimate release — of connection. Director Rachel Lambert delivers its story with a reserve that is made up for by a genuinely affecting tenderness for its flawed yet searching characters. It’s kind of a downer, yes, but also stimulating as hell. (PG-13, 91 minutes) — M.O.

The Monk and the Gun

This sweet, off-kilter comedy offers a sly satire of today’s polarized world. Written and directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji, and focusing on Bhutan’s preparations for the democratic elections first held in 2008, it shares the same wry spirit and gentle tension between tradition and modernity that characterized the Bhutanese-born, American-trained filmmaker’s heartwarming Oscar-nominated 2019 film, “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” but with some added bite. (PG-13, 112 minutes) — M.O.

This rebooted hybrid of the hit 2004 movie “ Mean Girls ” and the Broadway stage musical it spawned wisely doesn’t try to simply adapt for the screen something that worked onstage and wouldn’t translate to film. Yes, it’s got songs (by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin), but they feel abridged and ever so slightly diminished, delivered more in the context of the original narrative of viral shaming, which has been tweaked for our TikTok times. The remake is sharp, well-acted and funny, and there are a few surprises for “Mean Girls” cultists. (PG-13, 105 minutes) — M.O.

Where to watch: Paramount Plus

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'Civil War' Is Now A24’s Second-Biggest Hit of All Time at the Domestic Box Office

Alex Garland's divisive film has overtaken the likes of 'Uncut Gems', 'Hereditary', and 'Moonlight'.

The Big Picture

• Civil War is A24's second-highest grossing film at $51 million, surpassing favorites like Lady Bird and Hereditary .
• The dystopian action movie is generating buzz for its divisive subject matter and strong performances from the cast.
• A24 is breaking into big-budget cinema with Civil War and eyeing future projects like adapting Death Stranding into a film.

In just over two full weeks of release, writer-director Alex Garland ’s Civil War has already become the second-biggest film in indie outfit A24’s history. Having been granted the studio’s biggest-ever budget of $50 million, the dystopian action movie passed the $50 million mark on its third Friday in domestic theaters, overtaking Uncut Gems ’ lifetime haul to claim the number two spot on the list of A24’s highest-grossing films. The studio’s top-grossing film of all time remains Everything Everywhere All at Once , which concluded its domestic run with $77 million a couple of years ago, and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Civil War added $1.9 million this Friday, taking its running domestic total to $51 million in just 15 days . The chances of the film eventually overtaking Everything Everywhere All at Once look bright, especially since it's doing so well on Premium-Large Format and IMAX screens. The controversies that Civil War has generated because of its divisive subject-matter are also helping draw attention, no doubt. Set in a near future America that has been divided by a civil war , the film follows a group of war journalists on a cross-country journey to Washington D.C. , where they intend to cover the capture of the dictatorial president.

Civil War ’s $51 million gross puts it ahead of memorable A24 movies such as Lady Bird and Talk to Me (both with $48 million), Hereditary ($44 million), The Iron Claw ($35 million), Moonlight and Midsommar (both with $27 million), and Garland’s own Ex Machina , which concluded its domestic run with $25 million. The acclaimed filmmaker now has two movies on A24’s all-time top 10 list . Global numbers for Civil War are a little sketchy, with A24 having sold overseas distribution rights to local companies. But a Variety report from last week put the film’s global haul at around $70 million, which means that it is, at the very least, among the top 5 highest-grossing A24 films on the global chart .

'Civil War' Ushers A24 Into a New Era of Big-Budget Cinema

The indie studio is looking to level up after a decade producing some of the most acclaimed small-budget genre movies of recent times . In these 10 years, A24 has also earned a tremendous amount of brand recognition , which certainly played a major role in facilitating Civil War ’s record opening of $25 million — nearly twice as high as the previous record-holder Hereditary ’s $13 million debut. This is a notable pivot, considering A24 won Oscars in all six major categories just two years ago, when Everything Everywhere All at Once won Best Picture plus five acting Oscars, and The Whale picked up Best Actor for Brendan Fraser . The studio will soon be turning Hideo Kojima ’s “Death Stranding” video game into a live-action film.

Reviews for Civil War have been mostly solid . The movie earned a B- CinemaScore, and currently sits at a “fresh” 81% approval rating on the aggregator platform Rotten Tomatoes . In his review, Collider’s Matthew Donato called it Garland’s “best film,” and praised Kirsten Duns t’s lead performance as the desensitized photographer Lee Smith. Civil War also stars Wagner Moura , Cailee Spaeny , Stephen McKinley Henderson , and Jesse Plemons in a scene-stealing cameo. You can watch the film in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

The film follows events in the U.S. during a civil war. Government forces attack civilians. Journalists are shot in the Capitol.

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Screen Rant

The feeling that the time for doing something has passed review: loneliness is hilarious in poignant comedy.

Through long pauses and awkward romantic encounters, Joanna Arnow creates a tragically hilarious comedy about the passage of time & loneliness.

• Arnow's film emphasizes the importance of uplifting smaller artists for unique perspectives in indie cinema.
• The protagonist, Ann, navigates loneliness, intimate relationships, and normalization of sexuality, anchoring the film's comedy.
• Through prolonged silences and a unique visual style, the film's direction isolates Ann and captivates viewers with its unobtrusive approach.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed was written, directed, and stars Joanna Arnow, and it's clear from the beginning that though this is her world, her character is merely passing through it. Arnow plays Ann, a 30-something millennial living in New York City. However, this version lacks the glitz and glamour of shows like Sex and the City , delivering an honesty akin to Girls while standing completely on its own. The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Past is rooted in an unforgiving reality that reminds the audience to laugh at moments of tragedy.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed is a comedy film written, directed, starring, and edited by Joanna Arnow. The film centers on a middle-age woman who juggles her life between her low-level corporate job, Jewish family, and her long-term BDSM relationship.

• The film's dialogue-free style is very intimate
• Joanna Arnow easily navigates the awkwardness of sex
• The film has its own flair and sense of comedy
• It's not for everyone, but it doesn't have to be

Indie cinema has been corrupted in recent years, as has the concept of a truly low-budget movie. However, Arnow's film reminds us that the industry desperately needs to uplift the voices of smaller artists early in their careers. It's these artists that offer the most unique perspectives and expose us to new worlds. Throughout the film, Arnow takes us on a quiet odyssey that captures the search for real intimacy, as Ann struggles to act on her desires in all parts of her life.

Joanna Arnow Understands What It's Like To Be Alone

But she doesn't know what to do about it.

Billed as a comedy, The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed is undoubtedly hilarious, but the root of that comedy is the inescapable feeling of being alone. Ann has little dialogue for the first half of the film. She silently takes in the insults and compliments from those around her. Allen (Scott Cohen) and Chris (Babak Tafti) are the male leads in her life, and while they couldn't be more different, they each leave something to be desired. On paper, Chris is the person that life says she should end up with, but it's rarely that simple.

Ann might be uncomfortable in many parts of her life, but she's willing to try anything to find what she's looking for, and doesn't pass judgment on her efforts, or anyone else's. Though the windows we get into Ann's life are few and far between, they're still enough to glean the trajectory of her life, and experience time passing as she does. The film is broken up into sections, all titled with the names of the men she's seeing. This point is driven home by how long it takes before we hear a character speak her name.

Arnow flawlessly normalizes the awkwardness and discomfort that can accompany sex while poking fun at the fact that no matter what an individual is into, it's always going to be foreign to someone else.

This film is not for everyone, and the prolonged nudity and depictions of BDSM might not immediately convince every audience member that the story is for them. However, this window into someone's life is not different from any other depiction and exploration of sexuality onscreen. Arnow flawlessly normalizes the awkwardness and discomfort that can accompany sex while poking fun at the fact that no matter what an individual is into, it's always going to be foreign to someone else. It's not exactly about the acts themselves, but the sense of intimacy they create.

While the men Ann briefly lets into her life play a prominent role in the film, her parents and sister (Alysia Reiner) shouldn't be overlooked as tremendous characters that indicate the life Ann is living when the cameras are off. Ann's parents are played by Arnow's real mother and father, which lends itself to the documentary influences on the film. Arnow has worked in autofiction and documentary in the past, which comes through and creates a strong blend of genre styles. Ann’s time with her parents almost feels more intimate than when she takes her clothes off.

The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed (2023)

More is said in the movie's silences than its dialogue, it makes each line in the feeling that the time for doing something has passed all the more poignant.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed loosely uses vignettes and the visual style highlights its prolonged silences. Viewers should stick around through the end of the credits, as it holds on the longest take of the movie with two characters sitting in complete silence. Overall, the takes are long, the camera remains largely stationary, and the frames are wide enough to feel the disconnect between Ann and her surroundings. It's a quiet and unobtrusive style of direction, but it's intentional in its isolation of Ann , as well as the audience.

Though the setting and story of The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed are reminiscent of movies and shows that we have seen before, it's difficult to draw comparisons to anything preexisting. Arnow isn't debilitated with garden variety self-consciousness. This objectivity allows the film to be self-aware in a way that doesn't feel tired and overwrought with too many tongue-in-cheek references and exhausting winks at the camera. There are moments when it's hard to watch Ann’s lonely world, as it can get all too familiar, but once she’s invited us in, it’s hard to look away.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed will be in select theaters on April 26.

Country Living

The 35 Best Movie Soundtracks of All Time

Posted: April 27, 2024 | Last updated: April 27, 2024

A good soundtrack can make or break a film. Even a strong plot needs some music to set the mood. We compiled a list of the best movie soundtracks of all time. Where did your favorite land?

Can't Hardly Wait

The soundtrack for this 1998 teen comedy has a little bit of everything. Want some rap? There are tracks by Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes. Rock more your speed? It also has Blink-182 and Guns N' Roses.

More: These Are the Movies From 2018 You Must Watch

That Thing You Do!

Tom Hanks wrote, directed, and co-stars in this 1996 film about a fictional band in the '60s called The Wonders. Listening to the soundtrack, you'd have no idea that the songs by The Wonders and other fake musicians weren't actual hits from that era.

Batman Forever

It's the album that turned Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" into a hit. That's all you really need to know.

City Of Angels

Here's a prime example of when the soundtrack is actually better than the movie. The Nicolas Cage/Meg Ryan romantic drama is forgettable, but hits like "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls and "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette are forever in our hearts.

Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack

Romeo + Juliet offers tracks by '90s staples Garbage, Everclear, The Cardigans, and more. Des'ree's "Kissing You" is the romantic theme song that made everyone root for Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio's doomed lovers.

Josie and the Pussycats

Letters to Cleo frontwoman Kay Hanley provided the singing voice for Josie McCoy, played by Rachael Leigh Cook. The result is an album of catchy pop-punk jams guaranteed to get stuck in your head. The songs by fictional boy band DuJour are also not to be skipped.

The Jazz Singer

A must for any Neil Diamond fan, the soundtrack to this 1980 remake spawned three top-10 hits, including "America," "Love on the Rocks," and "Hello Again."

Reality Bites

A little Lisa Loeb goes a long way. Her hit "Stay (I Missed You)" with Nine Stories was everywhere after this movie came out and the rest of the soundtrack features songs from U2 and Lenny Kravitz, among others.

Berlin's theme "Take My Breath Away" is just one of several quintessential tracks on this album. If you've never worked out while listening to "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, you're not doing it right.

Garden State - Music From The Motion Picture

The soundtrack to Zach Braff's 2004 indie hit was as popular as the movie thanks to Natalie Portman's character declaring The Shins' "New Slang" to be life-changing. The album also includes songs by Iron & Wine, Coldplay, and Frou Frou.

8 Mile (Explicit Version)

Eminem's semi-autobiographical movie from 2002 gave us "Lose Yourself" along with tracks from Macy Gray, Jay-Z, and more. If you're into this one, be sure to check out Patti Cake$ as well.

Aimee Mann dominates the soundtrack to this 1999 film and she perfectly captures the mood of Paul Thomas Anderson's work. The album was certified gold (selling over 500,000 albums) and the track "Save Me" scored an Oscar nomination.

A '90s teen comedy without a killer soundtrack? As if!

Dangerous Minds

Come for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," and stay for the 11 other rap tracks that made this movie such a phenomenon in 1995.

Easy Rider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

This one is a necessity for all classic rock lovers. The songs make you want to get out and ride on the open road, which is pretty much exactly what the movie is about. Mission accomplished!

Empire Records

A movie about working in a music store (remember those?) obviously requires a worthy soundtrack. Rex Manning is nowhere to be found.

Waiting to Exhale

So many divas on one album. Whitney, Aretha, Mary, Toni... just to name a few. Every track was written and produced by Babyface. There's not a dud in the bunch.

Curtis Mayfield's 1972 soundtrack to the blaxploitation film is a soul/funk classic. The album was so popular, it made more money than the film.

Dazed and Confused

This 1993 comedy offers a collection of '70s rock that's so jam-packed, they split it into two volumes . No disco balls here.

Dirty Dancing

If you've seen the movie, you probably tried "the lift" while listening to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life."

Bonus: Patrick Swayze isn't just one of the stars of the movie — he also contributed "She's Like the Wind" to the soundtrack.

Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack (2 CDs)

So many hits from the ‘60s packed into one movie. Joan Baez, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elvis … they were introduced to a new generation through this Best Picture winner.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

T Bone Burnett put together a mix of bluegrass, country, gospel, blues, and folk for the soundtrack to his 2000 film from the Coen Brothers. It was clearly the recipe for success, considering the album went platinum eight times over.

American Graffiti

This early-'60s nostalgia film released in 1973 features songs by popular doo-wop and rock artists including Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. It's everything a baby boomer could ever want.

Yes, the soundtrack for a movie starring Looney Tunes characters is that good. Why didn't the Quad City DJs ever do more?

Black Panther

Kendrick Lamar curated the songs that helped propel this film from just another entry in the Marvel cinematic universe to one of the best. Wakanda forever (and ever!).

The title track by Kenny Loggins is a toe-tapper for sure, but Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For a Hero" and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams take this album to the next level.

The Big Chill

Motown made a comeback after the release of this 1983 film about a group of friends who reunite to mourn the death of one of their own. They reminisce about their lives set to the music of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and more.

Music From Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby

Beyoncé and Fergie may not have been around during the Jazz Age, but this concept album works somehow. Bey's cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" and Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" is all the convincing you'll need.

Purple Rain

It's Prince. No explanation needed.

Saturday Night Fever

Disco might be dead now, but there's no denying the magic of the Bee Gees.

A Star Is Born

It may not be the first time this story has been done, but Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper make sweet music together.

The Graduate

Here’s to Mrs. Robinson and to the rest of this Simon & Garfunkel album. This one sets the bar for full soundtracks performed by a single artist.

The Bodyguard

There’s a reason this is the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time. That reason is the unparalleled voice of Whitney Houston. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, listening to “I Will Always Love You” or “I Have Nothing” will reduce you to tears.

Pulp Fiction: Music From The Motion Picture (CD)

Quentin Tarantino takes his soundtracks as seriously as he does his filmmaking. This album is just as much of a ‘90s staple as the film with tracks including Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” and Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell.”

These were popular songs long before the film ever came out, and yet it’s impossible not to think of it whenever they’re played.

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Best Movies 2021

The Best Movies category awards the best-reviewed film regardless of their release, whether they went straight to streaming or swung onto the silver screen. Spider-Man: No Way Home became the mega-cultural event that would entice moviegoers back into theaters, and it lived up to the hype for critics, as well. It was a music-filled year with In the Heights , West Side Story , and Summer of Soul . On the heavy side, some big tomatoes for Pig and a career-best Nicolas Cage, Jane Campion’s first-in-11-years The Power of the Dog , and A Quiet Place Part II , everyone’s collective exhalation through horror. Meanwhile, Raya and the Last Dragon , The Mitchells vs the Machines , and Coda brought representative, progressive ingredients to family storytelling.

The order reflects Tomatometer scores (as of December 31, 2021) after adjustment from our ranking formula, which compensates for variation in the number of reviews when comparing movies or TV shows.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) 93%

In the Heights (2021) 94%

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021) 99%

Pig (2021) 97%

The Power of the Dog (2021) 94%

CODA (2021) 94%

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) 93%

West Side Story (2021) 92%

A Quiet Place Part II (2021) 91%

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) 97%

The Suicide Squad (2021) 90%

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) 91%

Shiva Baby (2020) 97%

The Velvet Underground (2021) 98%

The Truffle Hunters (2020) 97%

Quo vadis, aida (2020) 100%.

Luca (2021) 91%

Slalom (2020) 100%

Drive My Car (2021) 97%

Coded Bias (2020) 100%

The Sparks Brothers (2021) 95%

Parallel Mothers (2021) 96%

The Lost Daughter (2021) 94%

Mayor (2020) 100%

Two of Us (2019) 98%

Mass (2021) 95%

Luzzu (2021) 98%

Changing the Game (2019) 100%

Acasa, My Home (2020) 100%

Sabaya (2021) 100%

More golden tomato awards 2021.

Best Wide Release Movies 2021

Best Limited Release Movies 2021

Best Streaming Movies 2021

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‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Review: Henry Cavill Leads a Pack of Inglorious Rogues in Guy Ritchie’s Spirited WWII Coup

The 'Sherlock Holmes' director takes a page from history, bringing his trademark attitude to a bombastic black ops mission that turned the tide against the Nazis.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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In “ The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare ,” British Prime Minister Winston Churchill authorizes an illicit mission to undermine Hitler’s fleet of German U-boats during World War II. The plan calls for renegades with little respect for the rules, led by a cocky ex-criminal named Gus March-Phillipps ( Henry Cavill ), who’s released from prison and called into a top-secret briefing. Oblivious to etiquette, Gus helps himself to a tall glass of Scotch whisky, steals an entire box of cigars and struts over to the desk where a priggish-looking officer sits. Gus swipes his lighter, making a fool of the uptight chap, who identifies himself as “Fleming, Ian Fleming .”

Popular on Variety

All the way back to “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” Ritchie has been jazzing up genre movies (gangster stories, mostly) with crackling dialogue and trick camera moves. While hardly shy on attitude, “Ministry” finds the stylistically aggressive director in a tamer, slightly more traditional mode, featuring relatively conservative repartee (including loads of clunky exposition) and fairly straightforward set-pieces. As a whole, the movie hews to the standard men-on-a-mission formula, joining classics such as “The Guns of Navarone” and “The Dirty Dozen” in assembling a pack of highly skilled — if slightly disreputable — pros to attempt the impossible.

M makes no false claims for what looks like a sacrifice operation. If the men are killed, the British government will deny it. And if they succeed, these heroes shouldn’t expect to be recognized as such. In Ritchie’s telling, the carnage is reward enough. (The details were not declassified until 2016, but now that the facts are known, the script — credited to Ritchie and three others — freely embellishes them.) On the Goodreads site, a four-year-old review correctly predicted, “I think it would make a better movie than a book. Especially the center piece chapters, where the squad manages to steal German ships in a harbor off the coast of Africa.”

That’s a bingo, as this daring scheme drives most of the plot, which involves the five guys sailing down to Fernando Po, a neutral island off the coast of Cameroon, where an Italian cargo ship called the Duchessa d’Aosta is being loaded with Nazi supplies. While Gus’ team travels by sea, two undercover allies — Jewish Mata Hari type Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González) and well-connected black marketeer Heron (Babs Olusanmokun) — take the train. The plan is to meet up on the island, blow up the Duchessa and screw up the Nazis’ ability to reload their U-boats, which controlled the Atlantic and prevented Americans from joining the war.

Ritchie’s approach owes more than a little to Quentin Tarantino, whose “Inglourious Basterds” sets the tone for much of the operation. There are smooth-talking Nazi officers whose charm masks their menace and a bombshell vixen expected to outsmart — and potentially seduce — the worst of them, the sadistic yet cunning Heinrich Luhr (Teuton action star Til Schweiger). The movie relies on a terrific ensemble in nearly all its lead roles, apart from Churchill. Sporting a swollen chest and tightly curled handlebar mustache, Cavill brings a charm all but absent from the stiff secret agent he played in “Argylle,” while Ritchson — between his homoerotic flirting and homicidal flair — seems destined to be the fan favorite.

If anything, this dimension of the plot seems the least developed, seeing as how audiences have grown desensitized to rogue agents disregarding the formalities (and laws) of war. It doesn’t entirely track that such a mission would be frowned upon back home, though it does make things slightly more exciting for Gus and his cohorts, since the British Navy can’t come to their aid — and in fact, is standing by to arrest and court-martial them, should the plan go pear-shaped. While cartoonish at times, the behavior on offer here is a long way from the PG-13 exploits of Ian Fleming’s gentleman spy, with his fitted tuxedo and fussy cocktail preferences. Leave it to Ritchie to stir things up.

Reviewed at Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria, Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 120 MIN.

• Production: A Lionsgate release of a Black Bear, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Toff Guy production. Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Guy Ritchie, Chad Oman, Ivan Atkinson, John Friedberg. Executive producers: Mohammed Al Turki, Dave Caplan, Jason Cloth, Olga Filipuk, Michael Heimler, Eric Johnson, K. Blaine Johnston, Scott LaStaiti, Damien Lewis, Llewellyn Radley, Anders Sandberg, Teddy Schwarzman, Jill Silfen, Paul Tamasy, Christopher Woodrow. Co-producers: Max Keene, Niall Perrett, Alex Sutherland.
• Crew: Director: Guy Ritchie. Screenplay: Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, Arash Amel & Guy Ritchie, based on the book “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops” by Damien Lewis. Camera: Ed Wild. Editor: James Herbert. Music: Christopher Benstead.
• With: Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, BabsOlusamokun, Henrique Zaga, Til Schweiger, with Henry Golding, Cary Elwes. (English, German dialogue)

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