My List of Best Films


2019

How to Train Your Dragon - Hidden World: end to great animated trilogy; hidden world segment is visual masterpiece
Alita: Great SiFI graphics + romance
Lego Movie 2

2018

Roma: Best film of 2018 - contemplative black and white portrait of a Mexican working class maid, who deals with all the shit life offers
BlackkKlansman: Spike Lee's comic/real revenge to Griffith's Birth of a Nation, the KKK, and Trumpism
Green Book: Not to be missed Vigo Mortenson &
Mahershala Ali trip to deep South
Black Panther: Marvel Comics of black superhero depicting a free, equal, and proud black nation and people; wonderful visuals
The Favourite: freshest, quircky costume drama of English Queen Anne and her lovers
A Star is Born: Best remake of touching romance
Mission: Impossible - Fallout: awesome action thriller
Spider-man - Into the Spider-Verse: the best of the series
Blindspotting: Brilliant, gut wrenching film about being black in America
Won't You Be My Neighbor?: a touching documentary about Fred Rogers
First Man: a slow moving, riveting portrait of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon
Can You Ever Forgive Me?: an intriguing portrait of a literary forger
Free Solo
Cold War
The Rider
Widows
Shoplifters
Eight Grade
Burning
First Reformed
Leave No Trace
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs

2017

Get Out: a antiracist comic horror film; not to be missed
Coco: a wonderful Pixar rendering of the Day of the Dead celebration and the need to remember those who have passed on
Dunkirk: a must see on the big screen about the evacuation of 400K British soldiers in WWII: you are there filming visual wonder
Wonderwoman: a wonderful, and funny, film version of the superheroine; a celebration of our youthful memories of comics
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women: the often strange story of the creator of Wonderwoman

Logan: among the best of the Wolverine films
Big Sick: a terrificly sarcastic, and funny, film about interethnic relationships; there is 1 line worth 10 movies
War of the Planet of the Apes: 3rd in the series; well done
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Two new heros in a well done sequel
Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Among the best of  comic scifi
It: Steven King classic; very well done
The Florida Project: the wonderfully told story of the outcomes of poverty
LadyBird:
Greta Gerwig's terrific directoral debut about a daughter and her mother
The Shape of Water:
Guillermo del Toro's most recent Cold War horror masterpiece
Mudbound: A tragic telling of the cost of racism in the tale of two farm families
Alien Covenant: the latest in the franchise for Alien lovers
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MS: why Frances McDormand is one of our great actresses
Kong: Skull Island: for all King Kong addicts, a well made film with Samuel L. Jackson as villain
Detroit: an African American horror story about the infamous Algiers Motel incident during Detroit's 1967 12th St.Riot
Wind River: a terrific murder mystery which is at core about violence against women
I, Tonya:
darkly comedic tale of American figure skater, Tonya Harding; you will end up on her side
Wonder:
a heart warming story of a child with facial altering Treacher Collins syndrome
A Quiet Passion: If you love Emily Dickenson's poetry, you will love this film
I am not your Negro: a not to be missed documentary of James Baldwin
Columbus: A Japanese architect visits Columbus, OH; a gem
Colossal: a story of the power of one's imagination
Blade Runner 2049: almost as good as the fabulous cult original; a visual masterpiece from Ridley Scott
Ghost in the Shell: Scarlet Johanson makes a great remake of the anime classic
John Wick Chapter 2: If you like a hero who shots the most people in 2 hours, this is your film; but see the first film first
Handmaid's Tale:
a perfect rendition of Margaret Atwood's dystopian tale


2016

Knight of Cups: If you love Terrance Malick (i.e. Boyhood), here is an existential quest for self discovery
Manchester by the Sea: An amazing and difficult to watch portrait of the effects of guilt and despair
Patterson: a poetic, comedic, visual look at a poet bus driver and his wife
Moonlight: 1 of the all time great films; a heart touching coming of age tale about a gay African American boy
Arrival: one of the great sci-fi films; an intellectually oriented look at first contact with an alien species
Elle:
Hell or High Water: a satisfying story of 2 bank robbing brothers and their quest for justice
Lobster: a genuinely original and absolutely weird film
O.J. Made in America: a brilliant 7 hour look at what's rotten in America via the lens of O.J.'s trial and life
Zootopia: wonderful animated detective story
Sing Street: a nice musical with a high school band
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: a touching look at how the plans for the Death Star were bravely obtained
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: wonderful look at another part of Rowling's universe
The Handmaiden: a Japanese romance
Edge of Seventeen: a sweet, funny coming of age film
Deadpool: a very funny superhero film
Kubo and the two strings: another great Japanese anime film
Moana: a wonderful Disney
Frozen: my granddaughter Noelle has memorized every song; she's a great film critic!
Dr. Strange: a visually stunning Marvel superhero film
Tony Erdmann
Ghostbusters 2: a very funny, female version of the original
Silence: Scorsesi's look at 2 Jesuits in early Japan and the nature of religious zealotry and it's consequences
The Jungle Book: a beautiful remake with combination of animation and real characters
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Hacksaw Ridge: A conscientious objector in WWII who won the Medal of Honer
Fences: August Wilson's classic play put on screen with Denzel Washington; major performances
The Witch: a terrifying portrait of early America's belief in witches and its consequence to an early farm family
Love and Friendship: Jane Austin's unpublished novel comes to screen; what it takes to survive as a woman
Birth of a Nation: The Black answer to Griffiths racist film of same name
Loving: a loving film version of the couple who ended mysogeny laws in American
Sully: Clint Eastwood directs Tom Hanks in this good film of Sully Sullenberger, the hero pilot of the Hudson
La La Land: this is no Singing in the Rain musical, but many liked it
13th: documentary about the amendment that outlawed slavery


Best of 2015

Going Clear: Scientology and the prison of belief
Ex Machina: a not to be missed science fictional Turing Test
Inside Out: all those feelings
Birdman
Mad Max: Fury Road: One of the best Mad Max films; have to see the action to believe it
Selma: Civil rights history made graphic
45 Days
Anomalisa
The Assasin -  memorable imagery

The Martian: wonderful Mars survival thriller
Sicario - great thriller pitting ethics vs zeal
Spotlight: Great film - what we will lose as newspaper investigative reporting disappears
Brooklyn: sweet film about an Irish immigrant
Timbuktu
Look of Silence: a documentary mourning the lost in Indonesia; sequel to Act of Killing
Bridge of Spies: Tom Hanks in an espionage film
Phoenix: amazing thriller of a woman who returns from a concentration camp
It Follows: best horror film of the year
Mad Men: one of the all time great TV series
Game of Thrones: best fantasy series of all time
American Crime: Heart rendering look at crime in America; one of the most serious looks at many difficult topics
Wolf Hall: Thomas Cromwell as you have never imagined him
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - for all us diehard fans
Walking Dead: What it takes to survive an post apocalytic zombie world
Race: A wonderful portrait of Jesse Owens and his Olympic victories
Tangerine: Follow two transgender women prostitutes via iphone video
Room
Shawn the Sheep: brilliant animation
Paddington: update of beloved children's book
GETT: The Trial of Viviane_Amsalem
Trumbo: a must see for the politically aware
About Elly: an Iranian masterpiece about a family's reaction to a woman gone missing
The Big Short: fabulous film about the financial meltdown of 2007; on betting on the crash

Mr Holmes: a sweet look at Sherlock as an elder man
The Wire: comic, tense film of high wiring across the Twin Towers
The Revenant: DiCaprio finally gets his Oscar for his realistic bear encounter and revenge
Creed: If you liked Rocky, you will like this "remake"

Best of 2014

Love is Strange (An incredibly touching film about all types of relationships)
Boyhood (an amazing 12 year look at a boy growing up)
Life Itself (Documentary about Roger Ebert)
Guardians of the Universe
Grand Budapest Hotel
Edge of Tomorrow (terrific SciFi Ground Hog Day)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Lunchbox
Lego Movie
Mr. Turner: A visually wonderous look at the English painter
Ida
Calvary
Le Chef
Imitation Game
Theory of Everything
How to Train Your Dragon 2
A Most Violent Year
Citizenfour
Wild
Locke
Pride
The Hobbit: Battle of the 5 Armies
Still Alice
The Strain: a Del Torro TV series of his fabulous book


Best of 2013 

12 Years a Slave
Gravity
Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Before Midnight
20 Feet from Stardom
Nebraska
Fruitvale Station
56 Up (Latest episode of fabulous documentary following children from age 6)
Blue is Warmest Color
Blue Jasmine
Saving Mr. Banks
The Place Beyong the Pines
The Conjuring
Frozen
Inside Llewyn Davi
s
Dallas Buyer's Club
Ender's Game
The Great Beauty
Star Trek Into Darkness
The Sapphires
World War Z
All is Lost
The Butler
Muscle Shoals: terrific documentary about one of the great music studio
The Square


Best of 2012

War Horse (A touching anti-war film which follows a horse and it's human relations)
Another Planet (a profound look at the possible alternatives in our lives, set with a 2nd Earth on the horizon)
Footnote (A perfect film about father-son rivalry, and the costs of one's work on family life)
Extremely loud & incredibly close (A touching study of a child's grief over 9/11)
Moonrise Kingdom (A whimsical, poetic love story of 2 twelve year olds)
Lincoln (Definitive Day Lewis portrait of Lincoln; wonderful film about 13th amendment)
The Hobbit (prequel to the Trilogy)
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Looper
Argo (Escape from Iran)
Searching for Sugar Man
Amour (Touching French film about older couple)
Silver Linings Playbook (Great portrayal of a bipolar man)
Zero Dark Thirty
Django Unchained
The Waiting Room
The Details
Farewell my Queen
The Master
A Late Quartet
The Deep Blue Sea
Prometheus (Latest Aliens sequel)
Cabin in the Woods
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (great doc of  Sushi chef)

Best of 2011

Jane Eyre
True Grit
Barney's Version
The Fighter
Inside Job (documentary on financial meltdown of 2007 and who did not go to jail)
Monsters (off beat SciFi set in Mexico)
Source Code (SciFi Ground Hog day; very good)
13 Assassins (best Samurai film after Seven Samurai)
Super 8 (Terrrific SciFi Stand by Me)
The Adjustment Bureau ( Two meant to be together from Philip Dick scifi story)
The Tree of Life (Finally Terence Malick's best film; visually stunning meditation on origins of life on earth and of a son of a flawed family)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 (the final and one of the best)
Captain America (Marvel Comics Hero set in 1940s)
Bridesflight (3 Women from 1940s Netherlands end up in New Zealand with man of their dreams)
Point Blank (great French thriller about a male nursing student on the wrong night swift)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (great prequel if you loved the original)
Sarah's Key (French journalist digs into the cost for one girl of her French Holocaust involvement)
Sholem Aleichem (documentary on the great Yiddish author and satirist Sholem Rabinowitz)
Love Crime (French thriller with Kristin Scott Thomas)
Hugo (visually stunning film based on the wonderful pictorial novel Invention of Hugo Chabret by Brian Selznick; a homage to film history by Scorcese)
Meek's Cutoff (A true portrayal of the bleak stark way thru the West)
Midnight in Paris (for those who love Paris, Woody Allen, and art history)
Margin Call (A terrific film on the last 2 days at Lehman Brothers and the psychopathy of our financial system; worthy followup to the film Wall Street)
A Separation (Best film of 2011: Iranian film of good people and the suspenseful complications that human frailty can precipitate; wonderful film)

Best of 2010

Kids are All Right
King's Speech
Winter's Bone
Unstoppable
Animal Kingdom

Best of 2009

Crazy Heart
Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
Knowing
Avatar (Best visuals in a scifi movie of all time)
White Ribbon


Drama

A Trip to the Moon 1902 (Melies's comic fantasy about traveling to the moon)

The Birth of a Nation 1915 (D. W. Griffiths: Among the most racist films ever made; but original film about Civil War)

Intolerance 1916 (Griffiths 4 hour history of intolerance; his apology for his last film)

Greed 1924 (McTeague by Frank Norris; ultimate portrait of obsession)

Battleship Potemkin 1925 (Russia;
Eisenstein's brilliant visual revolutionary propaganda film; note the Odessa stairway sequence)

Napoleon 1927 (French) (Abel Gance's silent film;
1 of 10 greatest films of all time; 3 screens; 5 1/2 hours; a masterpiece with unbelieveably advanced film techniques)

The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928 (France; T. Dreyer's greatest silent film; one of greatest films; best performance by an actress)

Blue Angel 1930 (Dietrich; lust and obsession)

Triumph of the Will 1935 (
 Leni Riefsenstahl; greatest propaganda film; a must see; despite Hitler, Jesse Owens wins)

Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 (One of the first great swashbucklers)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939 (politics at its idealistic best)

Gone with the Wind 1939 (Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh; romance and drama)

Wuthering Heights 1939
 
Rules of the Game 1939 (France; one of the 50 best)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips 1939

The Grapes of Wrath 1940 

 Our Town 1940 (Thorton Wilder)

 The Maltese Falcon 1941   


 Citizen Kane 1941 (Best film of all time)


 Magnificent Andersons 1942


 Double Indemnity 1944

  Ivan the Terrible I and II 1944 (Russia; visually stunning)

  Laura 1944

 Children of Paradise 1945 (France; greates French film of all time; one of the great films)

 Open City 1945 (Italy: Rosselini's landmark neorealistic film)

 Notorious 1946 (Hitchcock)

 Great Expectations 1946 (David Lean)

 The Big Sleep 1946

 The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 (3 vets return to life after war; 7 Oscars)

 Gaslight 1948

  Oliver Twist 1948

  I Remember Mama 1948

 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948 (greatest film about greed, after Greed) 


 Bicycle Thieves 1948 (Italy) (immensely touching)

 The Red Shoes 1948 (one of the great ballet films)

 The Third Man 1949 (O. Welles; best cinematography)

 Rashomon 1950 (Japan; Kirasawa; landmark film on the nature of truth)

 Forbidden Games 1952 (French; exquisite childhood film)

 All about Eve 1950 (Acting envy at its best)

 The Quiet Man 1952

 Ikuru 1952 (Japan; "to live" while dying)

 Tokyo Story 1953 (Japan)

 Ugetsu 1953 (Japan; one of great ghost stories)

 La Strada 1954 (Italy)

 On the Waterfront 1954 (Brando: Best male performance of all time in one of the great films)

 Wages of Fear 1954 (France)

 Seven Samurai 1954 (Japan; Kurasawa; greatest samurai film)

 Pather Panchali 1955 (The Apu Trilogy: Aparajito, World of Apu): Among the greatest trilogies of all time

 East of Eden 1955

 The Red Ballon 1956

  Bus Stop 1956

 Throne of Blood 1957 (Japan; Macbeth by Kurasawa)

 The Seventh Seal 1957 (Sweden; Bergman)

 12 Angry Men 1957

 Streets of Cabiria 1957 (Italy)

 Ben-Hur 1959

 400 Blows 1959 (French)

 La Dolce Vita 1960 (Fellini on meaning of life)

 Spartacus 1960

 Breathless 1960 (Godard: 1st of French new wave)

 Virgin Spring 1960  (Sweden; Bergman)

  Inherit the Wind 1960 (Scopes trial)

  L' Avventura 1960 (Italy; Antonioni)

 Yojimbo 1961 (Japan)

  The Hustler 1961 (Paul Newman)

 Judgment at Nurenburg 1961

 Lawrence of Arabia 1962

 Jules and Jim 1962 (French; one of the great love stories)

 To Kill a Mockingbird 1962

 Chushingura 1962 (Japan; Samurai) 

 Kagemusha 1962 (Japan) 

 Lillies of the Field 1963

 The Leopard (Italy) 1963

 8 1/2 (Italy; Fellini) 1963

 Zorba the Greek 1964

 Woman in the Dunes 1964 (Japan)

 Kwaidon 1964 (Japan)

 The Pawnbroker 1965 (R. Steiger)

 Dr. Zhivago 1965

 The Battle of Algiers 1966 (Algeria/France; eternal consequences of political suppression)

 Andrei Rublev 1966 (Russia;  15th C icon painter)

 Man for all Seasons 1966 (Thomas Moore & sticking to your beliefs)

 The King of Hearts 1967

 Belle de Jour 1967 (France; Bunuel)

 Two of Us 1967 (French; touching story of anti-Semitic old man and young Jewish boy)

 In Cold Blood 1967 (T. Capote's brilliant portrait of notorious murder)

 Cool Hand Luke 1967
(P. Newman: "What we have here is a failure to cummunicate")

 Bonnie and Clyde 1967

 Le Samourai 1967 (French gangster samourai)



 In the Heat of the Night 1967 (Portier v R. Steiger)

 Z   1969 (Greek)

 Easy Rider 1969  (The 1960s)

 Midnight Cowboy 1969

 The Conformist 1970 (Bertolucci's best)

 Five Easy Pieces 1970 (Made Nicholson a star)

 The Last Picture Show 1971

 Walkabout 1971

  The Go-Between 1971

 A Clockwork Orange 1971

 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie 1972 (France; Bunuel at his finest)


 The Godfather 1972  (The best mafia and in top 10 films)

  Last Tango In Paris 1972

 Cries and Whispers 1973 (Sweden; Bergman)

 The Godfather Part II 1974 (Better than the 1st)

 Chinatown 1974

 The Conversation 1974 (greatest portrait of paranoia; Hackman's best film)

 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975

 Barry Lyndon 1975 (Thackerey novel; Kubrick; slow but beautiful)

 Dog Day Afternoon 1975 (One of Pacino's best)

 Dersu Uzala 1975 (Japan; Russia; Kurasawa)

 In the Realm of the Senses 1976 (Japan)

1900   1976 (Italy; Bertolucci)

 Rocky 1976

 Taxi Driver 1976

 All the President's Men 1976 (one of the great political films)

 The Last Wave 1977  (aborginal dream time)

 Days of Heaven 1978 (flawed, but beautiful)

 The Deer Hunter 1978

 Kramer vs. Kramer 1979

 Breaking Away 1979 (wonderful racing film)

 Being There 1979 (are we automatons or existentialists?)

 Atlantic City 1980 (Louie Malle; Burt Lancaster's best)

 Berlin Alexanderplatz 1980 (16 hours!; man & Germany descend into chaos)

 Raging Bull 1980 (Scorsese's best?)

 Mephisto 1981 (Germany)

 My Dinner with Andre 1981 (classic 90 minute conversation)

 Body Heat 1981 (Film Noir lives on; K. Turner's best role)

 Gandhi 1982

 Sophie's Choice 1982

 The Verdict 1982 (Lumet's courtroom drama with Paul Newman)

 Fanny and Alexander 1982 (Bergman's friendliest film)

 Come back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean 1982 (Altman)

 Diner 1982

 Fitzcarraldo 1982 (Herzog)

 Fanny and Alexander 1983 (Sweden; Bergman)

 Local Hero 1983

 Big Chill 1983

 Scarface 1983 (De Palma's best film)

 Tender Mercies  1983 (touching film of redemption)

 Dangerous Liaisons 1984

 Once Upon a Time in America 1984

 Amadeus 1984 (greatest Mozart film)

 Terms of Endearment 1984

 Birdy 1984

 Paris, Texas 1984

 The Color Purple 1985

 The Breakfast Club 1985

 Ran 1985 (Kuraswa - Japan)

 Jean de Florette 1986 (France)

 
Stand by Me 1986 (ultimate coming of age film)

 Manon of the Spring 1987 (France)

 The Dead 1987 (wonderful James Joyce story)

  House of Games 1987 (Mamet)

 Last Emperor 1987 (China)

 Red Sorghum 1987 (China; unbelievable cinematography)

 Pelle the Conqueror 1987

 Bird 1988 (Charlie Parker bio)

 Rainman 1988 (Dustin Hoffman's autistic portrayal)

 The Decalogue 1988 (Polish; 10 hours)

 The Last Temptation of Christ 1988 (Scorsese)

 Cinema Paradiso 1988 (Italy)

 Stand and Deliver 1988

 Driving Miss Daisey 1989

 Do the Right Thing 1989 (Spike Lee; one of the great films about race)

 Ju Dou 1989 (China; sumptious)

 Mr. and Mrs. Bridge 1990 (based on Evan Connell novels)

 Goodfellas 1990 (Scorsese at his best)

 La Belle Noiseuse 1991 (France; art and its inspiration)

 Raise the Red Lantern 1991 (China; visually lush)

 JFK 1991 (Oliver Stone)

 Thelma and Louise 1991

 Crying Game 1992

 Malcolm X 1992

 Reservoir Dogs 1992 (Tarantino's best)

 Schindler's List 1993

 The Piano 1993 (Joan Champion; brilliant Holly Hunter)

 Farewell My Concubine 1993 (China)

 Pulp Fiction 1994 (Tarantino_

 To Live 1994 (China)

 Forrest Gump 1994


 The Shawshank Redemption 1994 

 Angels and Insects 1995 (A.S. Byiatt's Victoiran masterpiece)

 Before Sunrise 1995

 Leaving Las Vegas 1995 (best suicide film)

  Mi Familia 1995

 Dead Man Walking 1995

 King of Masks 1996 (China; touching film of old man and child)

 Fargo 1996 (Best pregnant cop in history; McDormand's best performance)

 Sling Blade 1996 (Billy Bob Thornton's best film)

 Breaking the Waves 1996 (Emily Watson)


 Good Will Hunting 1997

 The Sweet Hereafter 1997 (Atom Egoyan's haunting school bus tragedy)

 American History X 1998 (Edward Norton)

 Red Violin 1998 (wonderful film on the history of 1 violin)

 Central Station 1998

 Dangerous Beauty 1998 (feminism in 1600s)

 Cidar Houses Rules 1999

 All About My Mother 1999 (Spain; Almodover's tribute to women)

 American Beauty 1999

 Magnolia 1999

 Boondock Saints 1999 (cult classic)

Amores Perros 2000


 Bend it Like Beckham 2002

 Y Tu Mama Tambien  2002

 Road to Perdition 2002 (cold and brooding)

 The Hours 2002 

 Talk to Her 2002

 The Pianist 2002
 
 Best of Youth 2003 (Italy; 6 hours; terrific)

 Lost in Translation 2003

Saints and Soldiers 2003 (fine anti-war film)

 Crash 2004

 Million Dollar Baby 2004


 Before Sunset 2004

 A History of Violence 2005

 Munich 2005 (real politics)

 Syriana 2005 (real politics)

 Cache 2005 (France; thriller)

 Pan's Labyrinth 2006 (Spain; brilliant and touching)

 The Departed 2006 (again Scorsese at his best)

 Lives of Others 2006 (Germany; brilliant)

 After the Wedding 2006 (Denmark; brilliant)

 Babel 2006

 No Country for Old Men 2007 (life is tough; best psychopath)

 I've Loved You For So Long 2008 (Kristen Scott Thomas' best)

 Ghost Writer 2010

 The Kids Are All Right 2010


 The Social Network 2010

 Winter's Bone 2010

 King's Speech 2010

Girl with Dragon Tattoo 2009 (Fabulous trilogy of woman antihero)

Girl who played with Fire 2010

Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest 2010



Science Fiction/Fantasy

 Metropolis 1927 (greatest scifi film of silent era; see full version)

 Things to Come 1936

 The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951

 The Thing 1951

 War of the Worlds 1953

 Them! 1954

 This Island Earth 1955

 Forbidden Planet 1956

 Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956


 The Time Machine 1960

 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 

 Planet of the Apes 1968

 Colossus: The Forbin Project 1970

 The Andromeda Strain 1971 (one of the early greats)

 Solaris 1972 (Can we really know an alien species?)

 Soylent Green 1973

 Zardoz 1975

 A Boy and his Dog 1975

  Star Wars 1977

 Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977

 The Boys from Brazil 1978 (L. Olivier vs. Peck)

 Alien 1979  (We ran to the car after first seeing it)

 Mad Max 1979

 Outland 1981

 The Road Warrior 1981

 
Dragonslayer 1981  (great fantasy and love story)

 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982
 
The Thing 1982

 Poltergeist 1982


 Blade Runner 1982 (Philip Dick's brilliant robot film noir)

 Dark Crystal 1982 (Jim Henson's great mythical fantasy)

 The Dead Zone 1983

 WarGames 1983

 Dune 1984

 Starman  1984 (love story)

 Terminator 1984

 Cocoon 1985

 Brazil 1985 (Terry Gilliam)

 Aliens 1986

 Flight of the Navigator 1986

 Short Circuit 1986

 Star Trek IV  1986

 The Hidden 1987

 Predator 1987

 The Abyss 1989

 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991

 Jurassic Park 1993

 Stargate 1994

 Waterworld 1995

 Independence Day 1996

 
Star Trek: First Contact 1997

 Fifth Element 1997

 Mimic 1997

 Contact 1997 (Sagan's 1st contact film)

 Armageddon 1998

 Dark City 1998

 Godzilla 1998

 The X Files 1998

 The Matrix 1999

 Mission to Mars 2000

 Pitch Black 2000

 Space Cowboys 2000

 Final Fantasy: Spirits Within 2001 (amazing computer generated film)

 Donnie Darko 2001

 The Core  2003

 Underworld 2003 (Vampire/Werewolf war)

 Day after Tomorrow 2004 (global warming)

 Serenity 2005

 Children of  Men 2006 (PD James's dystophia)

 Transformers 2007

 Golden Compass 2007

 The Dark Knight 2008 (brilliant crime drama with a superhero)

 Avatar 2009 (Greates SciFi yet)

 2012  2009

 Star Trek  2009


 District 9   2009

 Moon  2009

 Kick-Ass 2010

 Inception 2010

Promethius 2012 (for all Alien Series fans)


Fantasy

 Lost Horizon 1935

 The Wizard of Oz 1939

 It's a Wonderful Life 1946 

 Miracle on 34th Street 1947

The Red Balloon 1956 (France; magical afternoon)

 
Mary Poppins 1964

 Time Bandits 1981 (Terry Gilliam)

 Excalibur 1981 (Le Morte d'Arthur)

 LadyHawke 1985 (Historical fantasy love story)

 Legend 1986

 Field of Dreams  1989

 It  1990 (Stephen King)

 Secret of Roan Inish 1993 (Sayles: beautiful tale of a Silkie)

 Forrest Gump 1994

 The Stand 1994 (Stephen King)

 Babe 1995

 Jumanji 1995

 Michael 1996 (Heavenly magic)

 The Green Mile 1999 (Stephen King)

 Frequency 2000

 Lord of the Rings Trilogy 2001 (Best fantasy series ever)

 Brotherhood of the Wolf  2001  

 The Village  2004

 Illusionist 2006 (Lush period piece)

 Unbreakable 2006

 Perfume 2006 (Murder/horror/wonderful)

 The Prestige  2006 (2 magicians; thriller)

 V For Vendetta 2006

 The Book of Eli 2010 (Hughes Brothers)

 Unstoppable 2010

 Horror

 Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1919 (first great horror film)

 Nosferatu 1929

 Frankenstein 1931

 Dracula 1931

 The Mummy 1932

 King Kong 1933

 Bride of Frankenstein 1935 (better and funnier than original)

 Wolfman 1941 (Lon Chaney)

 Repulsion 1955 (French; K. Deneuve)

 
 Psycho 1960 (greatest shower scene in film history)

 Black Sunday  (1960) (gothic horror masterpiece)

 The Innocents 1961 (Henry James's Turn of the Screw; creepy thriller)

  Night of the Living Dead 1968 (Romero's classic horror film)

  Rosemary's Baby 1968

 The Exorcist 1973

 Picnic at Hanging Rock 1975 (Australia)


 Jaws 1975

 The Omen 1976

 Carrie 1976

 Halloween 1978

 The Shining 1980

 The Hunger 1983 (Classiest vampire film; K. Deneuve)
 
 A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984

 Dead Calm 1989 (Terror on sail boat with just humans)

 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 (can one love the greatest psychopath on the screen?)

 Mary Reilly 1996 (Julia Roberts & Malkovich; Dr Jekyl & Mr Hyde).

 Ringu 1997 (Japan)

 Fallen 1998

 Sixth Sense 1999 (one of the great O'Henry endings)

 The Mummy 1999

 From Hell 2001 (Johnny Depp chases Jack Ripper)

Red Dragon 2002 (prequel to Silence of Lamb; great)

The Orphanage 2007 (Spanish; psychological horror)

 Let the Right One In 2008 (Haunting child vampire film)   

 The Crazies 2010

 Western

 Stagecoach 1939

 My Darling Clementine 1946 (OK Corral) 

 Red River 1948

 High Noon 1952

 Shane 1953 (Many consider the best western film)

 The Searchers 1956 

 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966  (The greatest Italian spagetti western)

 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969 

 The Wild Bunch 1969 (Sam Pechinpah's brilliant epic)

 True Grit 1969

 Little Big Man 1970

 McCabe and Mrs. Miller 1971 (Altman)

 Jeremiah Johnson 1972


 Rooster Cogburn 1975 (John Wayne & Katherine Hepburn at their best)

 The Shootist 1976 (reflective western; John Wayne's 2nd best)

 The Outlaw Josey Wells 1976 (Clint Eastwood's favorite)

 Quigley Down Under 1990

 Unforgiven 1992  (My favorite western; Clint Eastwood's best)

 3:10 to Yuma 2007
 

 Adventure

 The Hidden Fortress 1958 (Japan; basis of Star Wars)

 The Manchurian Candidate 1962

 Goldfinger 1964

 The Great Escape 1968

 French Connection 1971

 The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three 1974

 Assault on Precinct 13  1976

 Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981

 Road Warrior 1981

 First Blood 1981

 The Year of Living Dangerously 1982

 Highlander 1986

 Top Gun 1986

 Lethal Weapon 1987

 Die Hard 1988 

 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989


 Hunt for Red October 1990

 La Femme Nikita 1990 (France)

 The Professional 1994

 Speed 1994


 Mission Impossible 1996

 The Killer 1999 (Woo's bullet ballet)

 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 (China; Special Effects!!)

 Gladiator 2000

 Bourne Identity 2002

 Kill Bill 2003

 Master and Commander 2006

 Casino Royale 2006


 Eastern Promises 2007

 Iron Man 2008

 Romance

 Broken Blossems, 1919 (tragic love)

 It Happened One Night 1934

 L'Atalante 1934 (French)

 Camille 1936 (French; Garbo)

 Mr. Deed Goes to Town 1936 (Frank Capra)

 Brief Encounter 1945

 Beauty and the Beast 1946 (French; Godard)

 The African Queen 1951 (Bogart and Hepburn!)

 The Quiet American 1952 (best Irish love story)

 Marty 1955

 An Affair to Remember 1957 (Grant and Kerr)

 The Cranes are Flying 1957 (Russia)

 Hiroshima Mon Amor 1959

 Ballad of Soldier 1959 (Russia)

 The Apartment 1960

 Umbrellas of Cherbourg 1964 (France)

 A Man and a Woman 1966 (France)

 A Little Romance 1969

 Love Story 1970

 The Way we Were 1973

 An Officer and a Gentleman 1982

 
 Nine 1/2 Weeks 1986

 Wings of Desire 1987 (Germany)

 The Horseman on the Roof 1995 (France)


 Moonstruck 1987

The Princess Bride 1987 (The most romantic fairy tale ever)

 Dirty Dancing 1987

 Working Girl 1988

 Say Anything 1989

 When Harry Met Sally 1989


 Pretty Woman 1990

 Ghost 1990

 Lovers on the Bridge 1991 (French)

 Far and Away 1992

 Sleepless in Seattle 1993  

 Dances with Wolves 1993

 Much Ado About Nothing 1993 (Kenneth Branagh's directorial debut)

 Il Postino 1994 (Italy;  Pablo Neruda and his postman)

 The Bridges of Madison County 1995

Titanic 1997

As Good As It Gets 1997 (Nicholson at his best; best OCD portrait)

 
Practical Magic 1998

Ever After  1998

Run Lola Run 1998 (German)

Shakespeare in Love 1998

Horse Whisperer 1998


The Thomas Crown Affair 1999 (and Nina Simone too)

In the Mood for Love 2000 (China)

Amelie 2001 (France)

Moulin Rouge 2001

Possession 2002

Cold Mountain 2003

Girl with the Pearl Earring  2003

Love Actually 2003 (charming, charming, charming!)

Something's Gotta Give 2003 (Love at any age)

 A Very Long Engagement  2004

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004

Memoirs of a Geisha 2005


Brokeback Mountain 2006

The Jane Austen Book Club 2007

Atonement 2007

The Reader 2008

Adventureland 2009

 Bright Star 2009 (John Keats love affair)

 The Secret in their Eyes 2009 (Spain; murder  & love story)

 Cherie 2009 (based on Colette novel)

 The Last Station 2009 (Tolstoy) (Helen Mirren at her best)


Musicals/Dance/Music

Top Hat 1935 (Astaire & Rogers!)

Fantasia 1940

Meet Me in St. Louis 1944

An American in Paris 1951

Showboat 1951

Singin' in the Rain 1952

White Christmas 1954

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 1954 (sensational choreography)

King and I  1956

South Pacific 1958

Black Orpheus 1959 (Brazil)

West Side Story 1961

My Fair Lady 1964

The Sound of Music 1965

 Woodstock 1970

Fiddler on the Roof 1971

Cabaret 1972

Nashville 1975 (Altman's Nashville)

Rocky Horror Picture Show 1977 (cult classic)

Turning Point 1977 (great ballet film)

All that Jazz 1977 (Bob Fosse bio)

Saturday Night Fever 1977

Grease 1978

Fame 1980

Flashdance 1983

Chorus Line 1985

White Nights 1985 (Baryshnikov & Greg Hines)


Little Shop of Horrors 1986

The Commitments 1991

Newsies 1992 (1889 newsboy strike vs Pultizer)

Strictly Ballroom 1992 (Australian Flamenco & love story)

Mr. Holland's Opus 1995

Flamenco 1995 (Carlos Saura)

The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of Desert 1994(best gay musical)


Shall We Dance 1996 (Japan)

Full Monty 1997 (one of the funniest musicals)

Tango 1998 (Carlos Saura)

Center Stage 1999 (ballet)

Topsy-Turvy 1999 (wonderful Gilbert & Sullivan bio & Mikado)  

 Billy Elliot 2000 (great ballet film)

Songcatcher 2000 (music professor in Appalacia)

O Brother Where Art Thou  2000

Lagaan 2001  (India; wonderful music; best cricket match in history)

Save the Last Dance 2001 (ballet and hip hop!)

Chicago 2002

 Drumline 2002 (great black college drumming competition)

Ray 2004 (Ray Charles bio)

De-Lovely 2004 (Cole Porter bio)

The Chorus 2004 (French; touching film of school chorus)

Mad Hot Ballroom 2005 (Docum.: New York school dance competitions)

Rent 2005

Walk the Line 2005 (Johnny Cash bio)

Dreamgirls 2006

Across the Universe 2007 (If you love the Beattles...)

Hairspray 2007

Stomp the Yard 2007

Mama Mia 2008

Slumdog Millionaire 2008

Mao's Last Dancer 2010 (wonderful ballet story)


Comedies

Gold Rush 1925 (Chaplin masterpiece)

The General 1926 (Buster Keaton's silent comedy-action film)


City Lights 1931 (Chaplin's greatest?)

You Can't Take It With You 1938

Bringing up Baby 1938 (Grant and Hepburn)

His Girl Friday 1940 (Rosalind Russell at her best)

Harvey 1950 (J. Stewart & 6 foot rabbit)

Mr. Roberts 1955

Some Like it Hot 1959

Never on Sunday 1960 (Greece; Melina Mercouri)

Tom Jones  1963 (best sex and food scene in film hx)

The Pink Panther 1963 (
Inspector Clouseau at his best)

Dr. Strangelove 1964

The Producers 1968 (Mel Brooke

MASH 1970

Harold and Maude 1971

What's Up, Doc? 1972

The Tall Blonde Man with One Black Shoe 1972 (French; greatest spoof of spy thrillers)

American Graffiti 1973

Blazing Saddles 1974

Amarcord 1974 (Italy; Fellini's childhood)

Annie Hall 1977 (Woody's best)

Pritzi's Honor 1985 (great black comedy of mob)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off 1986

A Fish called Wanda 1986

Big 1988

Groundhog Day 1993


Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994

The Big Liebowski 1998


Kinky Boots 2005




Animation

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937

Fantasia 1940

Bambi 1942

Lady and the Tramp  1955

What's Opera Doc? 1957 (greatest cartoon)

Allegro Non Troppo 1977

Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988

Toy Story 1995

Princess Mononke 1997 (wonderous beautiful)

The Iron Giant 1999

Chicken Run 2000 (A very funny prison break)

Beauty and the Beast 2001

Spirited Away 2001

Wallace & Gromit 2005-2008

Wall-e  2008 (Romance)

Up  2009

Toy Story - 3  2010


Mysteries

M   1931 (Germany; Peter Lorre; one of the greatest)

Shadow of a Doubt 1943 (Hitchcock's favorite)

The Big Sleep 1946 (Bogart and Becall)

Notorious 1946 (Hitchcock)

Out of the Past 1947 (The perfect film noir; Robert Mitchum)

Strangers on a Train 1952 (Hitchcock suspense classic)

Diabolique 1954 (France)

Rear Window 1954

Anatomy of a Murder 1959

Blow up 1966

Point Blank 1967

Wicker Man 1968

Klute 1971

Murder on the Orient Express 1974

Three Days of the Condor 1975

Eye of the Needle 1981

Return of Martin Guerre 1982 (France)

Blood Simple 1984

Witness 1985

Name of the Rose 1986

Angel Heart 1987

Sea of Love  1989

Presumed Innocent 1990

Sneakers 1992

Last Seduction 1994 (best woman psychopath in film)

Seven 1995 (one of best partner detective films)

Usual Suspects 1995 (Who is Keyser Soza?)

Lone Star  1996

Primal Fear 1996

LA Confidential 1997

Smilla's Sense of Snow 1997

Ninth Gate 1999

Shiri 1999 (Korea)

Traffic 2000

Memento 2000 (best amnesia film)

Mulholland Drive 2001

Mystic River 2003

Le Petit Lieutenant 2006 (France)

Tell No One 2006 (French; best murder mystery)

The Zodiac 2007

The Ghost Writer 2010


War

Arsenal 1928 (Russia)

All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 (German; one of great anti-war films)

Grand Illusion 1937 (France; one of 100 best)

Alexander Nevsky 1938 (Russian; greatest soundtrack (Prokofiev) in film history)

Sergeant York 1940 

The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957

Paths of Glory 1957: An antiwar war film

War and Peace 1957 (Russia) (One of the great Russian visual imagery films with complex Tolstoy plot)

Stalag 17  1958

The Longest Day 1962 (D Day)

The Hill 1965  (only black & white version; S. Connery)

Closely Watched Trains 1966 (Czech)

The Thin Red Line (War as poetry)

Patton 1970

Tora, Tora, Tora (WWII from Japanese perspective; great naval film) 1970

Soldier of Orange 1977

The Deer Hunter 1978

Apocalypse Now 1979

The Big Red One 1980

Gallipoli 1981

Platoon 1986

Full Metal Jacket 1987

The Lighthorseman 1987 (greatest cavalry charge)

Glory 1989

Gettysburg 1993 (Based on Killer Angels)

Das Boot 1997 (Greatest submarine film)

Saving Private Ryan 1998

The Patriot 2000

Joyeux Noel 2005

Flags of our Fathers 2006

Letters from Iwo Jima 2007

The Hurt Locker 2009 (The addiction of war)

War Horse 2012



Food

Tom Jones 1963 (great comedy and greatest sex scene with food)

Babette's Feast 1987 (Greatest food movie)

Like Water For Chocolate 1992 (Mexico; 2nd greatest food movie)

 Eat, Drink, Man, Woman 1994 (Japan)

 The Big Night 1996

 Chocolat 2000

 Tortilla Soup 2001 (remake of Eat, Drink)

 Mostly Martha 2001 (Germany; 2 chefs at war and love)

 What's Cooking 2003 (best cross cultural food movie)

 Sideways 2004 (made Merlot the wine to drink and a touching love story)
 
 Ratatouille 2007 (best animated food film)


 Julie and Julia 2009 (we went for a French restaurant after this one)


Period Pieces

Pride and Prejudice (1940 and 1995)

America, America 1963 (Elia Kazan's greatest on emigration)

Room with a View 1986

Dangerous Liasons  1988

Black Robe 1991 (17th century Canadian missionary)

Howard's End 1992 (great Merchant & Ivory film)

Remains of the Day 1993 (another one)

Age of Innocence 1993


Sense and Sensibility 1995

The Governess 1998

Snow Falling on Cedars 1999 (powerful!)

Sunshine 1999 (Hungary; fate of Jewish family over 3 generations)

Gosford Park 2001 (murder and wonderful British cast)

Last Samurai 2003

Good Night, Good Luck  2005 (Murrow vs. McCarthy)

Kingdom of Heaven 2005 (12th C Crusade)

Great Debaters 2007

Moliere 2007 (France)


Historical

Night to Remember 1958 (Titanic)

Spartacus 1960

El Cid 1961

Miracle Worker  1962 (Helen Keller)

Lion in Winter 1968 (King Edward and Eleanor of Aquitaine)

The Wild Child 1972

Aguirre: The Wrath of God 1972 (German; Herzog; Pizarro in new world)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975 (funniest rendition of the Arthurian period)

Wind and the Lion 1975 (Berber revolt; Sean Connery)

Harlan County, USA 1976 (Miner's strike)

Reds 1981 (First realistic film about the appeal of communism; life of John Reed)

Chariots of Fire 1981 (great 1924 Olympics film and soundtrack)

The Right Stuff 1983 (based on Tom Wolfe's novel; great space program film)

Shaka Zulu 1986 (history of Zulu nation)

The Navigator 1988 (Black Plague journey)

The Advocate 1993 (Medieval court drama)

Braveheart 1995  (Scottish fight for independence with William Wallace)

October Sky 1999 (great film about rocket launching)

A Knight's Tale 2001 (fun in middle ages)

Apacalypto 2006 (Mayan blood letting)

Beowolf 2007 (the Icelandic epic)

Mongol 2007 (beautiful film of Genghis Khan)


Sports

The Black Stallion 1979 (Best horse film)

 
The Natural 1984 (Baseball as myth and life)

Hoosiers 1986 (Wonderful film of basketball and life)

Bull Durham 1988 (best baseball film)

Field of Dreams  1989 (best mythical baseball film)

Tin Cup 1996 (best golf movie; and love story)

Prefontaine 1997 (greatest running film)

Remember the Titans 2000

Seabiscuit 2003 (wonderful film of triple redemption and best horse racing film)

Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29   2008 (greatest football game)

The Wrestler 2009


Miscellaneous

Seven Days in May 1964 (An American military coup story)

The Duelists 1977 (Scott Ridley's debut)

Fly Away Home 1996 (Sweet film of  girl and her geese and their journey)

Titus 1999 (visually stunning)

Documentaries

Seven Up! 1964 (best developmental psychology)

Gimme Shelter 1970 (Rolling Stones)

The Last Waltz 1978 (greatest concert film; The Band)

28 Up 1985 (followup to 7 Up; child is father to the man)

The Thin Blue Line  1988

The Civil War 1990 (David Burns)

Buena Vista Social Club 1999 (Cuba)

Fog of War 2003 (McNamarra doc.)

Into Great Silence 2005  (
Chartreuse Monastery; wonderful film on silence)

Ballerina 2006 (Ballets Russes)


Most Dangerous Man in America 2009 (Ellsburg & Pentagon Papers)

Babies 2010 (Birth to age 1; fabulous)





Television Series

I, Claudius 1976 (Graves novel of epic Roman rulers)

Roots 1977 (History of slavery)

Singing Detective 1986 (brilliant musical murder series)

Inspector Morse 1987 (John Thorp; best intellectual detective)

Sherlock Holmes 1988 

Homicide 1991

The Sopranos 1999 (6 seasons; best mafia series, after Godfather)

The West Wing 1999 ( Aaron Sorkin's brilliant political series; 6 seasons)

Band of Brothers 2001 (great WWII series)

Firefly 2002 (scifi/western series)

The Wire 2003 (David Simon's brilliant 5 seasons of  good vs. bad; best series ever on TV)

Foyle's War 2003 (5 seasons; brilliant British detective series)

Deadwood 2004 (Foul mouthed Shakespearean Western; brilliant)

Lost 2004 (6 season; great modern mystery)

Rome 2005 (only 2 seasons; great rendition of the Roman period)

Dexter 2006 (best loveable serial killer)

Mad Men 2007-2012 (best current series)

Doc Martin 2004 (5 seasons; British comedy series of a doctor who has a blood phobia; great)

The Pacific 2010 (companion to Band of Brothers)

Luther 2010 (BBC crime drama)

Hatfields and McCoys 2012 (the best feud)

House of Cards

Any documentary by Ken Burns (Civil War, Roosevelts, etc.)

Game of Thrones (best ever fantasy series)