My Favorite Movies


  LemmyCaution's Rating My Rating
1
The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups) 1959,  Unrated)
The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups)
My all-time favourite film.
2
Manhattan 1979,  R)
Manhattan
This is "American Expressionism" absolutely brilliant and Woody Allen's masterpiece!
3
Singin' in the Rain 1952,  G)
Singin' in the Rain
Nearly the best American film ever made.
4
Notorious 1946,  Unrated)
Notorious
Ingrid Bergman is pretty easy to watch. The script is outstanding...prequel to North by Northwest...and I think it is better.
5
Wings of Desire 1987,  PG-13)
Wings of Desire
Well, I think I have a new entry in my top 10...remarkable sensitivity...Wenders captures the range of the human condition...and with angels...I really expected something cheesy but this film got right to the essence of my own existence. Whew.
6
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou 2004,  R)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
On my top 10.
7
The Searchers 1956,  Unrated)
The Searchers
Structurally this is a fascinating film...it appears to be a fugue...circular...
8
Bande à part (Band of Outsiders) 1964,  Unrated)
9
Dancer in the Dark 2000,  R)
10
Maelstrom 2000,  R)
Maelstrom
I'm sure most people have not even heard of this small film from Quebec about a talking fish...quite funny and very innovative...made for less than a million bucks...if you like Dogme 95 films you'll love it.
11
Vertigo 1958,  PG)
Vertigo
My favourite Hitchcock.
12
Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player) 1960,  Unrated)
Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player)
Truffaut showing amazing confidence as a director at this point, coming off the high of 400 blows and Jules et Jim just around the corner...
13
Me and You and Everyone We Know 2004,  R)
14
Cookie's Fortune 1999,  PG-13)
Cookie's Fortune
Nobody saw this movie and they should...
15
Little Miss Sunshine 2006,  R)
16
Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 1964,  PG)
17
My Night at Maud's ,  PG)
18
Baisers Volés (Stolen Kisses) 1968,  R)
Baisers Volés (Stolen Kisses)
The best of the later Antoine Doinel films.
19
The Wrong Man 1956,  Unrated)
20
The Third Man 1949,  Unrated)
21
Barry Lyndon 1975,  PG)
Barry Lyndon
Try and see the restored version on the big screen. I never truly understood Kubrick until I saw this film again after 15 years.
22
Paths of Glory 1957,  Unrated)
23
Full Metal Jacket 1987,  R)
Full Metal Jacket
A standout Kubrick film...considering they are all excellent.
24
Lolita 1962,  Unrated)
Lolita
A screwball comedy! Really...beginning of Kubrick's sarcastic period, culminating in A Clockwork Orange.
25
Rear Window 1954,  PG)
Rear Window
An enthralling film...I can watch it over and over again just for the scene when Grace Kelley enters rousing James Stewart from his sleep...
26
North by Northwest 1959,  Unrated)
North by Northwest
Most people did not know that Ian Fleming was so inspired by this film, he created James Bond as a result...
27
Day for Night 1973,  PG)
Day for Night
So this is what movie making is all about...a paean to the art and craft of filmmaking from a master.
28
A.I. Artificial Intelligence 2001,  PG-13)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
This movie started out as a joint effort between Kubrick and Spielberg, but Kubrick died before the script was completed. I truly believe Spielberg respected Kubrick's style and theme, as this film has a markedly different structure than typical Spielberg fare. What Spielberg brings is a more child-like sense of wonder and warmth, which many people found inconsistent. Two directors coming from opposite directions, obviously, and Spielberg's subsequent efforts have benefited immensely as a result. This film is of immense historical value for students of Spielberg, as it represents his turning to darker, dystopic subject material and his best films (Minority Report, Catch Me if You can).
29
Minority Report 2002,  PG-13)
Minority Report
One of Spielberg's best films. I know that most critics and "film buffs" like to diss Spielberg's attempts at accessibilty (schmaltzy-action) but so was Hitchcock in the 1940s and 1950s...
30
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind 2004,  R)
31
Cold Mountain 2003,  R)
Cold Mountain
Minghella is another under-rated director. His talent is that he is a "literary" director, an evolution of nouvelle vague. He has the ability to squeeze every drop of emotion out of cinematic moments. Must see.
32
The 39 Steps 1935,  PG)
The 39 Steps
early-mid hitch has a fine script and develops his genre of intrigue...the Mcguffin...
33
The Birds 1963,  PG-13)
The Birds
One of Hitchcock's best...environmentalism in the 1960's
34
Psycho 1960,  R)
Psycho
Don't be bothered with Van Sant's remake. This is creepy beyond imagination...every aspiring director should watch this practically frame-by-frame...
35
The Philadelphia Story 1940,  Unrated)
The Philadelphia Story
Along with Bringing up Baby, the definitive screwball comedy.
36
Shadow of a Doubt 1943,  PG)
Shadow of a Doubt
Try and get the Merry Widow Waltz out of your head after watching this...and creepy like Psycho...
37
Frenzy 1972,  R)
Frenzy
I consider this Hitchcock's swansong even though it wasn't his last film. His triumphant return to his homeland shows his critics he hadn't lost it at all...
38
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962,  Unrated)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
This was Ford's swansong. A lament to bygone times and it is really about the decline of the Western as a movie genre.
39
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 1949,  Unrated)
40
The Quiet Man 1952,  Unrated)
41
Stagecoach 1939,  Unrated)
42
The Grapes of Wrath 1940,  Unrated)
43
My Darling Clementine 1946,  G)
44
How Green Was My Valley 1941,  Unrated)
45
The Godfather, Part II 1974,  R)
The Godfather, Part II
Best of the Godfather trilogy.
46
La Grande illusion (The Grand Illusion) 1937,  Unrated)
47
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension 1984,  PG)
48
Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) 2001,  R)
49
The Band Wagon 1953,  Unrated)
50
Cabaret 1972,  PG)
Cabaret
I can't believe this film did not win the Academy award for best film and Chicago did...oh yeah...we have CRACK COCAINE now, that explains it!
51
Five Easy Pieces 1970,  R)
52
Touch of Evil 1958,  PG-13)
Touch of Evil
Worth watching just for the astounding opening shot. Many think Welles had lost it by this time...but did he ever prove them wrong...casting wierdness, though...Charton Heston as a Mexican???
53
Twin Peaks - Fire Walk with Me 1992,  R)
Twin Peaks - Fire Walk with Me
This is one of Lynch's best.
54
Mulholland Drive 2001,  R)
Mulholland Drive
This is one of those movies that is never really the same, every time you watch it. For lovers of alternative structure..and phenomenal acting from Naomi Watts.
55
Lost Highway 1997,  R)
56
The Straight Story 1999,  G)
The Straight Story
Lynch proves he knows cinema...take THAT critics!
57
Blue Velvet 1986,  R)
58
Citizen Kane 1941,  PG)
Citizen Kane
I contend that there are better American films but this is still an astounding effort by a young director (Welles was 24)
59
The Lady from Shanghai 1948,  Unrated)
60
Being John Malkovich 1999,  R)
61
Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal) 1989,  R)
62
Le Déclin de l'Empire Américain (The Decline of the American Empire) 1986,  R)
63
The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions barbares) 2003,  R)
64
The Sweet Hereafter 1997,  R)
65
Ararat 2002,  R)
66
Where the Truth Lies 2005,  NC-17)
67
Ghost World 2001,  R)
Ghost World
One of my top 20 films. Who said films with existential overtones weren't made anymore? And for the younger crowd no less. And you gotta love that opening Bollywood number, "Jan Pehechaan Ho". Too bad Terry Zwigoff hasn't managed to match this one...
68
American Splendor 2003,  R)
69
The Fifth Element 1997,  PG-13)
70
Breaking the Waves 1996,  R)
71
The Kingdom (1994) ,  Unrated)
72
Welcome to Sarajevo 1997,  R)
73
Wonderland 1999,  R)
74
Billy Elliot 2001,  R)
Billy Elliot
Stephen Daldry is one of the most underrated directors of this era. Brilliant filmmaking surrounding a simple storyline. Lots of heart, and hey it has T-Rex songs!
75
Dr. T & The Women 2000,  R)
Dr. T & The Women
This is another under-rated film by the late American master. Watch it, and pay attention to the signs...
76
The Player 1992,  R)
77
Short Cuts 1993,  R)
78
Donnie Darko 2001,  R)
Donnie Darko
My kind of movie.
79
Napoleon Dynamite 2004,  PG)
80
Fargo 1996,  R)
81
Naisu no mori: The First Contact (Funky Forest: The First Contact) 2006,  Unrated)
Naisu no mori: The First Contact (Funky Forest: The First Contact)
Be prepared...this film is not for everyone. Surreal without the darkness of Lynch...if you let yourself go with the flow, it is very funny. What happens when insane animators are let loose to make a live action film...
82
The Big Lebowski 1998,  R)
The Big Lebowski
I saw this as a spoof of the detective movie genre with the "dude" as an unlikely hero...I'm not sure about the "western" bookends with the Stranger...Brilliant and snappy dialogue writing in the screwball vein, a buddy comedy and a western...where the Coen's trying to do it all?
83
Barton Fink 1991,  R)
Barton Fink
Every scriptwriter should see this film...
84
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000,  PG-13)
85
Million Dollar Baby 2004,  PG-13)
86
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 1997,  R)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
This is one of Eastwood's better films (and he is one of my favourite directors (successor to the tradition of Altman and Ford)
87
A Prairie Home Companion 2006,  PG-13)
A Prairie Home Companion
Directed by Robert Altman. His swansong. He was the true successor to John Ford.

This is a fine picture, from a master.
88
Fanny och Alexander (Fanny and Alexander) 1982,  R)
89
Persona 1966,  Unrated)
90
Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries) 1957,  Unrated)
91
Viskningar och Rop (Cries and Whispers) 1972,  R)
92
Casablanca 1942,  PG)
Casablanca
On my top 10 best screenplays ever.
93
A Bittersweet Life (Dalkomhan insaeng) 2005,  Unrated)
A Bittersweet Life (Dalkomhan insaeng)
Who says film noir is dead? Who'd of thought Korean directors would be showing us how thrillers are supposed to be done. My favourite film of 2005.
94
Diva 1981,  R)
Diva
Again, film noir in the 80s belonged to this film, Tarantino owes Beinix a tribute...
95
Beetlejuice 1988,  PG)
96
Big Fish 2004,  PG-13)
97
The Shining 1980,  R)
The Shining
By far the best horror movie ever
98
Jackie Brown 1997,  R)
Jackie Brown
Tarentino's most underrated film. A bit long, but it shows he understands pacing (much less frenetic that his other stuff). To his credit, he is obviously not copying his idol, Jean-Luc Godard for once.
99
Pulp Fiction 1994,  R)
100
The Party 1968,  PG)
101
Young Frankenstein 1974,  PG)
Young Frankenstein
One of my favourite comedies of all time. Great filmmaking...what happened..Mr. Brooks?
102
Gattaca 1997,  PG-13)
Gattaca
I am very partial to this film, more for its moral and ethical content than its filmmaking. I give it kudos for pulling off great sci-fi on a low budget, however. Must see for anyone at odds with the school system.
103
Annie Hall 1977,  PG)
Annie Hall
from the New York trilogy...another Allen masterpiece. The scene in line at the movie theatre alone is worth 5 stars.
104
Modern Times 1936,  G)
105
The Great Dictator 1940,  G)
106
My Man Godfrey 1936,  Unrated)
107
The Maltese Falcon 1941,  PG)
108
The Royal Tenenbaums 2002,  R)
109
Night Moves 1975,  R)

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