An Introduction for Cineast Beginners
by iam_moriya | created - 15 Nov 2011 | updated - 09 Sep 2012 | PublicInterested in movies but don't know where to begin? Don't worry. Here's a small list for you with some essential viewings for any cineast out there. Great movies, great actors and great directors. I've tried to make sure all the big names are included on this list, and I think I've done a pretty good job.
Now, get off the internet, turn on your movieviewing plattform of choice and start to watch these masterpieces.
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1. Nosferatu (1922)
Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror
Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Votes: 105,471
German Expressionism. A classic horror story, in fact it's a thinly vailed ripoff of Dracula. Same story (until the climax at least), different names. But what makes this movie great is its use of shadows and twisted imagery. Because when you can tell a good story without the use of sound or dialouge you are a true visual artist. Respect the silent films folks. They started it all.
2. The General (1926)
Passed | 78 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.
Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley
Votes: 98,170 | Gross: $1.03M
During the silent era, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were bitter rivals, and even today people argue wich one of the two were the better comedian and filmmaker. I won't force you to choose but instead recommend you to see both this and the Chaplin movie further down the list and decide for yourself.
3. Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Votes: 185,583 | Gross: $1.24M
More German Expressionism. This time by Fritz Lang, a true master of cinema, both the silent and later on with sound. Like all good science fiction, this film is both visually stunning and has an intruging story set against the fantastical backdrop. And, like all films on this list, must see.
4. Frankenstein (1931)
Passed | 70 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Dr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.
Director: James Whale | Stars: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles
Votes: 79,736
In the 1930's and part of the 40's, Universal studios was known for their monster horror films. Dracula, The Mummy, Wolfman and of course: Frankenstein. While the general audience prefer the sequel Bride of Frankenstein, I say the original is more suited to represent the Universal Monster movies on this list.
5. Duck Soup (1933)
Not Rated | 69 min | Comedy, Musical
Rufus T. Firefly is named the dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of his wealthy backer Mrs. Teasdale, contending with two inept spies who can't seem to keep straight which side they're on.
Director: Leo McCarey | Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
Votes: 62,748
You can't have a list like this and not include the Marx Brothers. Wether you prefer this or "A Night at the Opera" is up to you, but both come highly recommended.
6. King Kong (1933)
Passed | 100 min | Adventure, Horror
A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher
Votes: 90,992 | Gross: $10.00M
Not the Peter Jackson version. The original is were it counts. A "beauty and the beast" story in a way, it's also a monsterflick, an adventure movie and a bit of a metafilm, too. Since the main characters, besides Kong himself, are a filmcrew on their way to Skull Island where they'll meet Kong. The Eight Wonder of the World.
7. Modern Times (1936)
G | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford
Votes: 259,550 | Gross: $0.16M
Silent Comedy from the master himself. You'll have to see at least ONE Chaplin film, and this is my pic since I think it's his best.
8. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Approved | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
Exiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.
Directors: William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen | Stars: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne, Roy Atwell
Votes: 215,515 | Gross: $184.93M
The First Animated Feature film made by the Walt Disney studio started a small revolution. Without this film you wouldn't have Pixar or Dreamworks today. The studio has had its ups and downs but there is no doubt about it: Disney started it all.
9. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
PG | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
When Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence in 1190s England, a Saxon lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a resistance movement.
Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley | Stars: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains
Votes: 54,512 | Gross: $3.98M
Classic Swashbuckler with Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone.
10. Stagecoach (1939)
Passed | 96 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.
Director: John Ford | Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine
Votes: 53,788
Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Steven Spielberg, Sergio Leone: They've all been inspired by John Ford. See this movie as the Blue-print on which all modern action-movies are made after.
11. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Passed | 238 min | Drama, Romance, War
A sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 334,389 | Gross: $198.68M
The Epic movie against wich all Epic Movies are measured. I'm not a big fan myself but it's worth seeing for the shere scop of it.
12. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
Directors: Victor Fleming, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
Votes: 428,765 | Gross: $2.08M
A classic in three different genres: Family, Fantasy and Musical. And all in glorious Technicolor.
13. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Passed | 129 min | Drama
An Oklahoma family, driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl, joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.
Director: John Ford | Stars: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin
Votes: 99,984 | Gross: $0.06M
Ford and Steinbeck join forces in this great movie about the depression age america. It was, for a while, consider the greatest american film until 1958 saw the re-relase of the next movie on this list.
14. Citizen Kane (1941)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 466,088 | Gross: $1.59M
"The Greatest Movie of All Time" Well, that's what the critics "in the know" calls it. You might as well check it out to see what all the fuss is about. Plus, I needed to represent Orson Welles.
15. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
San Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre
Votes: 166,611 | Gross: $2.11M
The first Film-Noir and the springboard that made Humphrey Bogart a star.
16. Casablanca (1942)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Romance, War
A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
Votes: 606,177 | Gross: $1.02M
The CLASSIC Hollywood movie.
17. Double Indemnity (1944)
Passed | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Byron Barr
Votes: 167,508 | Gross: $5.72M
Another film-noir. This time by the master Billy Wilder.
18. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
PG | 130 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
Director: Frank Capra | Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell
Votes: 499,274
A Classic feelgood and holiday classic. Plus it would be wrong not to have Frank Capra on this list. So here you go.
19. 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: 181,874 | Gross: $0.45M
When BFI (Brittish Film Institute) made a list of the Top 100 british films this one topped the list. Great thriller with terrific acting, lightning and music. And a brilliant script full of quotable dialouge and smart twists.
20. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
PG | 122 min | Drama
Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
Votes: 114,379 | Gross: $8.00M
The Movie that brought Method Acting to Hollywood. Great acting and a must see when classical trained actress Vivien Leigh clashes with method actor Marlon Brando.
21. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,744 | Gross: $8.82M
The Musical often considered to be the Best.
22. Rear Window (1954)
PG | 112 min | Mystery, Thriller
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 522,242 | Gross: $36.76M
A list like this wouldn't be complete without a movie by Alfred Hitchcock. So here he is, represented by his greatest movie: Rear Window.
23. Seven Samurai (1954)
Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama
Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
Votes: 366,948 | Gross: $0.27M
Akira Kurosawa is one of Cinemas greatest directors. In this he shows why.
24. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
Director: Charles Laughton | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason
Votes: 97,391 | Gross: $0.65M
A wonderful mix between a fairytale and a thriller. This is one beautiful picture with one of the greatest movie villains of all time.
25. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama
A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.
Director: Nicholas Ray | Stars: James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus
Votes: 97,983
James Dean is an icon and here he proves that it's not just because he died young. A great film.
26. The Seventh Seal (1957)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy
A knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe
Votes: 198,529
Ingmar Bergman was a master. This is the one we choose to represent him and the overall swedish melancholy.
27. 12 Angry Men (1957)
Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama
The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler
Votes: 865,522 | Gross: $4.36M
Henry Fonda does his greatest role in this amazing drama. You may think a story about twelve men locked into a room and just talking through the whole picture might be boring, but it's not. You'll be at the edge of your seat on this one.
28. 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: 68,089 | Gross: $12.54M
Howard Hawks masterpiece and one of the all-time greatest westerns.
29. Some Like It Hot (1959)
Passed | 121 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
After two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft
Votes: 283,610 | Gross: $25.00M
Marilyn Monroe is an icon, and this is her best movie. Directed by Billy Wilder and co-staring the great Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis this is a comedy close to perfect.
30. La Dolce Vita (1960)
Not Rated | 174 min | Comedy, Drama
A series of stories following a week in the life of a philandering tabloid journalist living in Rome.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Furneaux
Votes: 78,224 | Gross: $19.52M
A look at the shallow life of the cultural "elite". Most famous for it's iconic scene where Anita Ekberg takes a bath in the fountain this is also proof that great cinema can crush the language barriers.
31. Breathless (1960)
Not Rated | 90 min | Crime, Drama
A small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Van Doude, Jean-Luc Godard
Votes: 87,955 | Gross: $0.34M
Speaking of great foreign films. Jean-Luc Godard was one of the pioneers of the French New Wave. A style of cinema that put the cameras in the hands of the passionated amateurs. His first film is easily one of the coolest. Check it out since the french new wave indirectly kick-started the New Hollywood era in the later sixties and still continues to inspire filmmakers around the world.
32. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 718,527 | Gross: $32.00M
Because just one Hitchcock weren't enough. Here's another one. A movie that shows how to do a plot-twist and also that lowbudget doesn't mean bad movie. Just as long as the folks involved are talented.
33. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Approved | 218 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
Director: David Lean | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins
Votes: 314,478 | Gross: $44.82M
An epic in the truest sense of the word. Soon 50 years old this movie continues to inspire around the world. It's Spielbergs favorite film and he watches it before starting any new project.
34. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Approved | 129 min | Crime, Drama
Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a Black man against an undeserved rape charge, and tries to educate his young children against prejudice.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy
Votes: 332,971
35. The Great Escape (1963)
Approved | 172 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson
Votes: 258,992 | Gross: $12.10M
Steve McQueen is, along with Clint Eastwood and Michael Caine, one of the actors that when they're on screen the temprature drops. Here he is in his best movie, playing a not to big role as the cooler king. The large cast are all brilliant in this adventure/prison movie. I think Empire said it best: "As long as there are movies, The Great Escape should always be seen".
36. 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: 518,424 | Gross: $0.28M
Stanley Kubrick. Need I say more?
37. 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: 811,523 | Gross: $6.10M
THE Western movie. Leone shows why he's one of cinemas greatest directors.
38. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 719,795 | Gross: $56.95M
Another Kubrick. Yeah, he is kind of overpresented on this list. But can you blame me? He is one of the greatest directors of all time and in so many different genres he has to be represented more than once.
39. 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: 2,013,400 | Gross: $134.97M
Do I really have to explain why the Godfather is on this list? Didn't think so.
40. Chinatown (1974)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Votes: 349,965
Representing Roman Polanski. This Neo-Noir thriller set in Los Angeles in 1937 was written by Robert Towne and won Best Original Screenplay. It did this for a reason and is often considered one of the best screenplays ever written. Take a look at this film and see why.
41. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,072,700 | Gross: $112.00M
One of three movies to win the grand slam at the Oscars: Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Male Lead Role, Best Female Lead Role and Best Movie (The other two are "It Happened One Night" and "Silence of the Lambs"). It's a great tale about the individual versus the system, in this chase a man against an insane asylum and it's filled with great acting. Milos Forman also directed the costume drama Amadeus, a movie that's also worth a watch.
42. 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: 659,687 | Gross: $260.00M
The first summer blockbuster movie and the one that launched Steven Spielberg to stardom.
43. Taxi Driver (1976)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama
A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks
Votes: 921,120 | Gross: $28.26M
Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese has done alot of great movies together. Three of wich are considered to be among the best of the best: "Raging Bull", "Goodfellas" and this one, Taxi Driver. You should see all three but start with this one, since this is the most iconic one of the three. At least, it has the most iconic line: "Are you Talking to Me?"
44. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,450,113 | Gross: $322.74M
Like I need to explain why? While Jaws was the first "true" summer blockbuster, Star Wars was the one to seal the deal. An epic sci-fi/fantasy space-opera with characters taken straight out of classic mythology. Star Wars, Tolkien and Superheroes are our modern day answers to the myths of old.
45. Annie Hall (1977)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
Votes: 278,490 | Gross: $39.20M
While it may not be Woody's funniest it's truly one of his bests. If not THE best. A good place to start if you want to check out Woody Allen and an interesting look at romance and relationships.
46. Superman (1978)
PG | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Votes: 187,582 | Gross: $134.22M
Despite films like Spider-Man 2, Ironman and The Dark Knight, the first Superman movie is still the one we use when we compare superhero-movies. The Original Superhero in the first succesful Superhero-movie. It's got a great cast and made Christopher Reeve an icon as the Last Son of Krypton.
47. Halloween (1978)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes
Votes: 306,883 | Gross: $47.00M
The Granddaddy of the Sub-Horror genre known as Slasher. We wouldn't have Jason or Freddy if it weren't for Mike Myers. And it's also a first class example of a great indenpendent and low-budget film. Once again: Lack of money is easy to make up for with enough talent and passion.
48. 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: 421,907 | Gross: $20.05M
Always silly, always quotable and always funny. Life of Brian is the Monty Python gangs greatest film. While The Holy Grail may be funnier and more crazy, this one is a better made movie as well as a smarter one.
49. Apocalypse Now (1979)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, War
A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 710,521 | Gross: $83.47M
Showing the insanity of war in a great cinematic fashion, this is THE war movie.
50. 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: 951,300 | Gross: $78.90M
I almost didn't include this since I already had Ridley represented with Blade Runner. But the two first Alien movies are so important to filmhistory I had to include at least one. I chose the first one since it set the stage for the Alien series, but also because it's one of the best takes on the Agatha Christie concept of "And than there were None".
51. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,107,168 | Gross: $44.02M
Speaking of great horror, here's one to keep you at the edge of your seat. One of two films that gave me the lovely goosebumps Shining represents both Stephen King horror-movies and gives Kubrick another shot at this list. Too me, this is THE Horror movie.
52. The Elephant Man (1980)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud
Votes: 258,533
Sure, it might be a bit of a cop-out to select The Elephant Man to represent David Lynch. But this is his most accesable one for beginners and after that you can dive into his more "weird" creations like Mullholland Drive or Eraserhead.
53. 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: 823,357 | Gross: $32.87M
A Sci-Fi Noir tale set in a futuristic city. Think "The Maltese Falcon" set in "Metropolis". A great philosophical tale and one of Ridleys best.
54. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
PG | 158 min | Adventure, Drama
The story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy, Miguel Ángel Fuentes
Votes: 38,607
Here we go: Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog are both kind of insane. But when they work together they create magic. Fitzcarraldo is problably the greatest example of the directors mania as he decided that the best way to portray a ship being transported over a mountain was to actually transport the ship over a mountain.
55. The Terminator (1984)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Votes: 924,520 | Gross: $38.40M
I was a bit unsure if I should choose this one or Aliens to represent James Cameron on this list. But ultimately, I went with The Terminator. Because it's the more original of the two stories. While Aliens is one of the greates sequels of all time as well as being a totally different film than the first one, Terminator is more of James Camerons own creation so to speak. Plus, it shows that while Cameron and cinema can make great visual feast with computers the best stuff still comes from a good story.
56. 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: 211,270 | Gross: $9.93M
Terry Gilliam has made a lot of unique movies in the realm of both fantasy and science fiction. He certainly has his own, very animated style, when it comes to movies and chosing the one to represent him it was either this one or "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". While both are essential watching I recommend you start with this one.
57. Back to the Future (1985)
PG | 116 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
Votes: 1,307,397 | Gross: $210.61M
Great sci-fi/family film with a big dose of humour and heart.
58. Evil Dead II (1987)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Horror
Ash Williams, the lone survivor of an earlier onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits, holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva
Votes: 181,980 | Gross: $5.92M
Don't let the number scare you away. You can watch this without seeing the first one first. And you should see this film. It geniusly blends horror and comedy in a very entertaining way. I think Ash, the lead character, puts it best: "Groovy".
59. Withnail & I (1987)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.
Director: Bruce Robinson | Stars: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown
Votes: 47,911 | Gross: $1.54M
A Cult Comedy and a must see.
60. 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: 945,878 | Gross: $83.01M
Now here's how you do an action movie. Often voted the best action movie of all time for a reason. It's that good.
61. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,548,790 | Gross: $130.74M
One of three movies to win the grand slam at the Oscars: Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Male Lead Role, Best Female Lead Role and Best Movie (The other two are "It Happened One Night" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"). This thriller starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins is a great thriller from beginning to end. And one of the scariest films I've seen. Plus, the performances are great.
62. JFK (1991)
R | 189 min | Drama, History, Thriller
New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau
Votes: 169,968 | Gross: $70.41M
When it came to Oliver Stone it was either The Plutoon or this one that was going to represent him. I chose JFK simply because I think it's the better movie. Wether or not you actually belive the JFK assassination was a conspiracy or not this film is a first class thriller and courtroom drama with great acting all the way.
63. Unforgiven (1992)
R | 130 min | Drama, Western
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Votes: 436,303 | Gross: $101.16M
Clint Eastwood started his career as an actor but later went on to both direct and produce his own movies. This one being one of his best. More or less playing against his type as a wild west badass this story is a loveletter and a requiem to the western movies. Great acting from not only Eastwood, but also Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman as well.
64. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,451,344 | Gross: $96.90M
The Holocaust is perhaps the darkest part in human history and shows the most terrible side of what we as human beings are capable of. But the beauty about Schindler's List is that it also shows or capability to do good. While a dark story about a horrible subject that most never be forgotten least it will be repeated it also shows the hope mankind has and no matter how dark it gets we're always capable of doing the right thing. Even at great costs.
65. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,889,968 | Gross: $28.34M
Number 1 on the top 250. This movie didn't do to well at the box office when it first hit, but after it recieved a couple of Oscar-nominations (that it lost to Forrest Gump) people started to gain some interest in it and it got a new life thanks to the VHS. Often rented and recommended from person to person, it has gained cult status and has now climbed up to the top of the 250.
66. Clerks (1994)
R | 92 min | Comedy
A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer
Votes: 232,409 | Gross: $3.15M
The "slacker" movie of the 90's. Both a lovesong and a disection of the Generation X era of youngsters. Great film, insanely quotable and cult for a reason.
67. 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: 2,221,213 | Gross: $107.93M
Tarantino shock the filmmaking buisness in the 90's and spawned a lot of immitators and wannabes. Often accused of just stealing from other movies, what makes QT great is that he doesn't steal as much as he samples. Like a good sampler he takes the best from different genres and movies and mixes them together to create something original. And we love him for it.
68. Ed Wood (1994)
R | 127 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 184,006 | Gross: $5.89M
Tim Burtons best and a must for anyone with an interest in movies and moviemaking.
69. The Lion King (1994)
G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 1,142,818 | Gross: $422.78M
Disney at the top of their game during the renaissance. Inspired by Bambi and Hamlet this is a must see family film.
70. Toy Story (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.
Director: John Lasseter | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
Votes: 1,068,946 | Gross: $191.80M
Pixars first feature lenght movie is a storytelling masterpiece and also the film that made computer animation big. If Snow White is the Citizen Kane of animated movies, than this is the Star Wars.
71. Heat (1995)
R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
Votes: 719,683 | Gross: $67.44M
Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. Two giants meet and share the screen together. That's what sells this movie but the reason you keep watching is that it is, in fact, a great one.
72. The Usual Suspects (1995)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin
Votes: 1,145,772 | Gross: $23.34M
Bryan Singer handles a great cast of talented actors in this smart thriller.
73. Fargo (1996)
R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Votes: 726,925 | Gross: $24.61M
The Coen Brothers. We can't have a list like this without the Coen Brothers. Anyway. The Coens have two type of movies: The Goofy one with characters that are close to caricatures (Raising Arizona, Big Lebowski) and their serious, more realistic ones (Miller's Crossing, No Country for Old Men). Fargo is somewhere in between. While the characters are unique and the special Coen-type of "odd", there still very belivable and realistic and this film is just great.
74. 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: 725,864 | Gross: $16.50M
There is a bit of debate on whether or not this film is pro-drugs or anti-drugs. I say both and neither. It's a story about heroinjunkies. And friendship, and life in the 90's. And a whole lot more. Plus it's excellently told with a lot of humour and style.
75. L.A. Confidential (1997)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
Votes: 618,019 | Gross: $64.62M
We've covered the classic Film-Noir, we covered Tech-Noir now here's a Neo-Noir. We're talking about a great all star cast and a brilliant movie.
76. Princess Mononoke (1997)
PG-13 | 134 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Billy Crudup
Votes: 433,921 | Gross: $2.38M
Representing Hiyao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. If you're only going to see one anime in your entire life, see this one.
77. 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: 860,619 | Gross: $17.50M
Another Coen brothers. This one is more lighthearted and comedic than Fargo, and therefore gets to represent the Coen brothers more "silly" side, if you will.
78. 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: 2,325,096 | Gross: $37.03M
David Fincher made one of the smartest thrillers of all time in this classic. Talking about it usually spoils the story, but this is one of the few movies with a twist that gets better each time you see it, finding all the "clues" and how the meaning of the scenes change when you now the truth is just brilliant.
79. 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: 2,054,103 | Gross: $171.48M
Hong-Kong action and pseudo-philosophy gets together in this action romp. When this movie hit everyone and their grandma tried to copy it's style. Zac Snyder wouldn't be hitting the slow-mo button all the time if it weren't for bullet time. But here you can see how cool slow-mo can be when done right.
80. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean
Votes: 2,007,861 | Gross: $315.54M
Of course, this include the entire Lord of the Rings triology. Peter Jackssons three movies are epics in the true sense of the word. They're a must see.
81. Lost in Translation (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Votes: 489,282 | Gross: $44.59M
Sometimes you don't need to be epic like Lawrence of Lord of the Rings. Sometimes you don't need a supersmart and original concept like Fight Club or Eternal Sunshine. Sometimes all you need are two great actors and a good story. Coppolas masterpiece about isolation among millions and friendship found in odd places is one of those movies.
82. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
R | 108 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Gerry Robert Byrne
Votes: 1,078,367 | Gross: $34.40M
Proving that comedians CAN do serious drama. Like I said on Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine is a film with a smart and original concept and a bittersweet lovestory.
83. Sin City (2005)
R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller
An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba
Votes: 793,921 | Gross: $74.10M
Style over substance can be okay if you go all-out. That's what Robert Rodriguez did when he adapted Frank Millers graphic novels to the silver screen. Showing of what computers can do if done right and also feeling like a living, breathing comic book. This movie potrays the most horrible city in the world and manages to be both one of the ugliest and one of the most gorgeous movies at the same time.
84. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
Votes: 703,191 | Gross: $37.63M
Guillmero DelToros dark fairytale for adults is simply stunning.
85. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,871,900 | Gross: $534.86M
Representing Christopher Nolan and another Superhero movie. What makes TDK so great is that it pushes the envelope of what a superheromovie can do. Deep, smart and actionpacked. This is a very rare thing: A blockbuster actionmovie with a brain.
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