My Favorite Movies

My favorite film of all time. Superb translation of the Burgess novel. McDowell is genius. Kubrick is at his best. Still shocking and it should be.

Mitchum, Dougles Greer in a noir directed by Jacques Tourneur (Cat People)..Too much talent for it not to be a complete masterpiece.

While making his nonsensical sword epic "Ashes of Time" Wong Kar Wai made two little films, Chungking Express and this, a testament to the last days of Hong Kong under British rule..Chaotic, disjointed and the most visually stunning film ever made. Even moments of over-sentimentality do not mar this film.

Charles Laughton's only directorial effort is derranged and unforgettable. As brilliant as Mitchum is in Out of the Past he creates a character that far surpasses anything he ever did in his career. Unique cinematography make this a classic.

Superb adaptation of Morovia book. Directed by Bertolucci and shot by the great Victorio Storaro atthe height of their powers. A masterpiece.

My favorite of all the Melville noirs (Le Circle Rouge and Bob Le Flambeur are lovely as well). Amazingly short, visually stunning and superbly acted by Mr. and Mrs. Delon.

Rivette has worked the concept of actors performing a work and the effect it has on their lives in many of his films (Va Savior, Gang of Four) but here it is done to perfection. The performances by Bulle Ogier and Jean Pierre Kalfon are the finest of their careers. A masterpiece.

The best of the "quick talking comedies" of the 30s and 40s. Cary is pure evil as Walter Burns and Rosalind Russell has a great emottional range. Still funny.

I was amazed when Forsyth made a better film than his 1983 classic Local Hero but here it is. Alan Bird is wonderful as a DJ caught between rival ice cream families. So funny, sad and sweet.

I always say that Coppola actually did a film better than the Godfathers and Apocalypse Now. Hackman is perfect in the lead. Reminiscent of Antonioni's Blow Up but so much more. A gem.

Ambitious and brilliant telling of the Ten Commandments all taking place in a Polish housing project. The best of Kieslowski televsion films. Rival's The Singing Detective as the best use of the television medium.

Maybe the funniest film ever made. Crude bloody goodness!

The film the put the period at the end of the free love movement. Nasty and quite clever with a tremendous performances from Leaud, LaFont and Lebrun.

Thank god cRitereon saw fit to putthis out. Based on the poem by Kipling and the screenwriter's own experiences in a hellish British bording school. Was both despised and praised at it's original release.

Blier is the most underrated director of his generation...Like Rivette, he dwells on the same themes but the nuances here are so memorable. Star making performances from Dewaere and Depardieu and Miou Miou.

Sensational debut feature by Roeg, a deconstruction of the British Gangster film and an exploration into sexual roles and identity. Daringly shot with a great score.

A sensational out-there work from controversial director, Andrezej Zulawski. Romy Schneider is radiant and carries an incredible variance of emotions in each scene. This film has never enjoyed a US DVD release but dubbed English copies are available. Not ideal but necessary to see this masterpiece.

Received an X rating in the US when it was originally released in 1978 which kept some from seeing it..This is a shame. Dawn of the Dead remains as my favorite horror film. Copied thousands of times and never done better.

Billy Wilder has made some of the finest films in history but this noir ranks at the top for me. Barbara Stanwyck is a genius.

Peter Lorre was a unique talent and he brings so much to this, my favorite of Lang's films. Innovative in it's use of the camera and still scary to this day.

The best "sports" film ever made and the most politically incorrect American film of all time. Complex and just laugh out loud funny. This film is the only movie that made Gene Siskel change his original review. He originally thought it was worthless and now views it as a classic.

Back in the dark days before VRCs I would never miss this film. Every actors excels in their part no matter what size the role. Soundtrack and dialogue work perfectly together.

This was the film Carax made prior to his flop, Lovers On A Bridge. You can understand why this film made him a young superstar. Lavant's talent in unmatched in world cinema.

My favorite of Antonioni's works. Cinematography that captures every moment in perfect detail. Daring.

Persona is Bergman's most accomplished work but I have always had a spot in my heart for this movie. Melancholy, surreal and gorgeous film making.

The best "war" or "antiwar" film ever made. Nothing comes close to this in my book. Realistically acted and as all of Kubrick's films, perfectly shot. Heartbreaking.

There was a time when Mike Leigh could do no wrong (Life Is Sweet, Secrets and Lies, Topsy Turvy) but most of the credit for this Leigh film goes to Thewlis, who turns in a complex and scary performance.

Capra made so many unique and interesting films but this one, the story of a reporter who looks for a patsy to cover the fake story she wrote is his best work. Gary Cooper/Barbara Stanwick.

Not as funny as Anderson's first film "Bottle Rocket" but a better all around effort. Contains the finest performance of Bill Murray's career. So many ideas in this funny film.

Easily Hitchcock made more accomplished films (Vertigo, Rear Window, Psycho) but this film is at times, so romantic and cruel with surreal chemistry between Bergman and Grant that I could not keep it off my best of list. Claude Rains was priceless in the level of pathetic tension he brings to this film.

Bill Forsyth's dry humor has been copied in so many ways since Local Hero but no one does it better. Sure, it's charming but it's also funny and makes a great comment on the state of 80s greed. Amazing work.

Bresson was the world's greatest yet rarely discussed film maker. From Mouchette to The Diary of a Country Priest, Bresson was always compelling. This story of grief and expression is a gem.

Japan's greatest director was way to far out for American audiences. So many of his films to choose from, Imamura remained unique and interested to his last film (Warm Water Under a Red Bridge) but The Pornographers is his ultimate triumph.

A great comment on the state of image in world cinema. The finest work by Assayas who followed this up with the sublime "Late August Early September".

Easily the best work of both Frankenheimer and Hudson. A genuinely disturbing film that is still strong today.

After seeing "Stranger Than Paradise" when I was a college freshman I couldn't wait to see Jarmusch's next film and this did not disappoint. Just as in "Strangers"he uses all non-professional actors and Robbie Muller behind the camera to create this outrageously dry entertaining film.

Ridley Scott had so much potential after "Alien" reinvented the horror film in science fiction. He followed up years later bey reinventing film noir with his futuristic vision. Much better with the over-narration.

Egoyan's output in the late 80s and early 90s was daring (Calendar, Family Viewing, Speaking Parts) but it all came together in this film. Magnificent film dealing with loss that's unlike anything you have ever seen.

It kills me when people say that Welles's peaked at Citizen Kane. So stylish, even with the heavy studio constraints. Check out Welles' version of Kafka's The Trail or F is For Fake..He was making brilliant film to the end.

One of the best American comedies of the last half of the 20th century. Bridges and Goodman were never better.

I was very impressed with Haynes' earlier work, Superstar and Poison ut here is his masterpiece. Best performance of Moore's career and the last great film of Haynes', whose later works, Velvet Goldmine and Far FroM Heaven just dont shine the way SAFE does.

Altman's best film and that is saying something..Amazing revisionist western. Beautifully shot with possibly the best performances of Beatty and Christie. Sensational.

The best acting of Welles' career and the an almost textbook shot noir. Welles's villian is a magnificent creation. Amazing score.

Supposedly written by Walter Hill when he was 15. Glad that he did. Silly gorgeous fun. Dafoe is a great heavy and although Diane Lane and Michael Pare couldn't act there way out of the dialoque it is still a fun watch.

Fearless visually and less disjointed than WKW's Fallen Angels. This is one of the most melancholy films you will see due to the multifaceted performances by Tony Leung and the late Leslie Cheung.

Cinematographer Chris Doyle finest work since 1995s Fallen Angels..Daring script that is oddly funny, dark and beautiful. Could not get this film out of my head since.

Easily the best film I've seen this year so far. A more complete film than his previous "Uzek", reminiscent of 70s Antonioni.

Tsai Ming Liang's dedicated this film to the his father and to the lead actors' father who had just passed and inspired this magnificent film dealing with loss. Gorgeous and clever. Tsai is making some of the best new cinema out there.

Rivette's has always been my favorite of the French New Wave directors and this is why...Oddly this three hour film was a huge hit when it was originally screened. Quite bizarre, even for Rivette but so charming and fun.