Johnny Vong's Top 100 Movies
My completely subjective list of movies that inspired, moved, shocked, thrilled and entertained me.
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- DirectorEdward YangStarsNien-Jen WuElaine JinIssei OgataEach member of a middle-class Taipei family seeks to reconcile past and present relationships within their daily lives.With similar warmth and scope to Bergman's 'Fanny and Alexander', the multigenerational drama 'Yi Yi' is a profound, memorable experience -- the cinematic equivalent of Tolstoy. The sheer power of this gradual, unfolding film is that its patience never feels like an affectation of style, instead, it's appropriate and beneficial to the story of modern life colliding with chance, misfortunes, and serendipity.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter 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.'2001' is an experiential and poetic film in which conventional plot and character are not its concerns but rather ideas and philosophy. It's an epistemological study as much as a theological one. It poses deep inquiries about our existence in this unknowable universe and examines the power and perils of our greatest attribute: free will. '2001' is my favourite film of all time because it's endlessly fascinating and its depth is seemingly infinite.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMalcolm McDowellPatrick MageeMichael BatesIn the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.Both the novel and the film of 'A Clockwork Orange' have been a tremendous source of inspiration for me. While the story is complex and multi-faceted, what fascinated me especially was its innovative use of language, which both author and director employed to brilliant effect.
Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ novel 'A Clockwork Orange' has become renowned both for its incredibly detailed visual style and its innovative uses of language. Both versions of the story make heavy use of tone-setting language, creating a unique atmosphere that effectively portrays the dystopian world of futuristic Britain in which the story takes place. However, the differences between precisely how language is used in each version clearly demonstrate both Burgess’ stylistic preferences and Kubrick’s extreme attention to detail in his directorial approach.
In Burgess’ novel, language takes on a more abstract, philosophical tone. With the story being narrated by the protagonist Alex, the reader gets a firsthand perspective of the language used by the characters. Burgess constructs situations where complicated ideas and diverse abstract concepts are discussed in musical jargon, such as when Alex and his crew debate topics ranging from the nature of morality to a conversation about popular music. It’s this abstract language that makes the characters feel real and meaningful and allows them to stand apart from the oppressive environment.
Kubrick’s approach to the language in the film adaptation is more rooted in realism and subtlety. He began by recreating the novel’s dialogue almost verbatim but then proceeded to gradually alter and distort the language. This had the effect of making the characters sound more naturalistic. Kubrick also toned down the more abstract conversations of Burgess’ novel, as he wanted the audience to be more connected to the characters and their emotions.
These differences in the uses of language show how the source material was effectively adapted in the transition from page to screen. It can be argued that Kubrick’s adaptation was more effective in conveying the themes of the story and allowing for the characters to be relatable, however, both interpretations of the novel’s language achieve their goals in noting the effect of a totalitarian regime on the populous. - DirectorDavid LynchStarsJack NanceCharlotte StewartAllen JosephHenry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsChishû RyûChieko HigashiyamaSô YamamuraAn old couple visit their children and grandchildren in the city, but receive little attention.Tokyo Story, with its multi-generational tale about parents, grandparents and children, grows deeper and more affecting with time. To call it an "intimate epic" sounds almost too grandiose for an Ozu film. It's unique and exotically strange, due in part to having one of the most singular styles in all of cinema. A style that is reliant on restraint and rigor. Nonetheless, the film has endured because it's undeniably universal. 'Tokyo Story' is one of the special cinematic treasures that I hold dear to my heart.
- DirectorElem KlimovStarsAleksey KravchenkoOlga MironovaLiubomiras LauceviciusAfter finding an old rifle, a young boy joins the Soviet resistance movement against ruthless German forces and experiences the horrors of World War II.There are war films that play realistic, and ones that lean towards surrealism. 'Come and See' is an apex nightmare vision of the Holocaust and shows us, in a graphic and emotionally heightened fashion, what war can do to the human psyche. The film is structured in a series of unforgettable, haunting vignettes, seemingly fractured in parts yet cohesive as a whole. Like war, no one who experiences this masterpiece walks away unaffected.
- DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiBarbara DennekRita MaidenMonsieur Hulot curiously wanders around a high-tech Paris, paralleling a trip with a group of American tourists. Meanwhile, a nightclub/restaurant prepares its opening night, but it's still under construction.Ostensibly, 'Playtime' is beautiful. That fact is undeniable. Yet, there is an inner beauty beneath all its technical and choreographic virtuosity: its human element. The gentle way in which Tati invites us to laugh, not just at him, but at ourselves, as people... as flawed, bumbling, and clueless... but inherently good and well-meaning. It's an idyllic message in a less-than-idyllic world.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsTom CruiseJason RobardsJulianne MooreAn epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsBill MurrayScarlett JohanssonGiovanni RibisiA faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.'Lost in Translation' is one of those films that really clicks upon repeated -- not necessarily consecutive -- viewings. Its vagueness becomes a bit clearer, you begin to understand the loneliness, its subtlety, its ephemerality, and those wistful, painful feelings that can exist in those "could've-been/almost-but" relationships that everyone has experienced. By the end, I realized I didn't need a resolution, and none was provided. Just a whisper, a secret shared between two people who were brought together by chance and chance alone. A fitting conclusion; neither a happy nor sad one.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsBrigitte LinTakeshi KaneshiroTony Leung Chiu-waiTwo melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.Wong Kar-Wai was once described as the Hong Kong Godard. 'Chungking Express' demonstrates that comparison best with its freestyle narrative, cinematic playfulness, and its deconstruction of genre elements (i.e. the cop, the femme fatale). It's kinetic, charming, and wistful. Like all of Wong's films, there is a fascination with nostalgia and the passing of time. 'Chungking Express' is best enjoyed for its mood, but may frustrate with its lack of coherency. Regardless, it remains my favourite in the auteur's oeuvre.
- DirectorMichelangelo AntonioniStarsGabriele FerzettiMonica VittiLea MassariA woman disappears during a Mediterranean boating trip. During the search, her lover and her best friend become attracted to each other.Antonioni has always been a divisive artist. You either passionately love his work or abjectly despise them right down to the celluloid they were printed on. And many of his peers at the time did. He had admirers as well, in which I count myself as one. 'L'Avventura' is groundbreaking and generally regarded as the pinnacle of his oeuvre. This is Antonioni's most succinct statement on the themes of ennui and anomie that would become his signature.
The ironically titled 'L'Avventura' sets up a mystery: a woman goes missing during a boating trip. Then the ensuing search leads nowhere, and for the remainder of the film, her existence is never mentioned of again. Antonioni is a frequent employer of ellipses and other alienating devices. You never get the full picture of what's going on, often leaving us feeling lost and frustrated not unlike his wandering characters. Which is the point.
'L'Avventura' is a challenging experience, as well as a product of its time. A time when we were more inquisitive about questions of existence and what it means to be human in a meaningless world. But now we prefer connection instead of rejecting it and find irony to be rather regressive and boring. - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsAdam SandlerEmily WatsonPhilip Seymour HoffmanSocially frustrated Barry Egan calls a phone-sex line to curb his loneliness. Little does he know it will land him in deep trouble and will jeopardize his burgeoning romance with the mysterious Lena.This is Paul Thomas Anderson's brilliant mashup of Blake Edwards, Tati, Godard, Altman, and Scorsese. Strange and sweet, 'Punch Drunk Love' -- a title inspired by a Radiohead song -- is a one-of-kind, romantic slapstick comedy that plays more like Nouvelle Vague (i.e. Godard's 'A Woman Is a Woman') than classical Hollywood.
Like all of Anderson's films, its tonal shifts swing wildly, unabashedly, from anger and pain to melodrama and tenderness. As Anderson is an acolyte of Altman, 'Punch Drunk Love' borrows not only Shelley Duvall's musical number but all the oddness and quirky musicality from 'Popeye'.
This film (his fourth feature) marked a noticeable turning point for Anderson whose style evolved to become more distinct and idiosyncratic in the ensuing years. The silliness mixed with sophistication that emerged here later blossomed into an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's 'Inherent Vice'. - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.The great critic Pauline Kael once said, "[it is] as if [The Godfather] had always been there and we had discovered it." Indeed, Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece is a timeless classic of Shakespearean scale; a film that succeeds on every level of cinematic craft and storytelling. Every frame is artfully and thoughtfully constructed to create an atmosphere of crime-ridden elegance, contrasting shocking violence with more subtle tender moments. The Godfather is the perfect film.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe 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.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsMark WahlbergJulianne MooreBurt ReynoldsBack when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.'Apocalypse Now' is an iconic anti-war film. Through its surreal symbolism and emotional intensity, the film brings to the forefront themes of post-traumatic stress, moral dissonance, and overall the cruelty of war. Set during the Vietnam War, we follow the story of Willard, an army officer sent on a mission to locate and terminate a rogue American colonel Kurtz. Throughout the journey, Willard finds himself in unfamiliar, dangerous territory, where he must confront the psychological scars that war inflicts.
The film is unique in its approach to conveying the atrocities of combat in that it's conveyed not through the eyes of the protagonist but in a non-linear structure that continuously transitions between characterization and setting. Such a technique plays an intrinsic role in highlighting the irrational state of mind in the haze of war.
The film's narrative shifts again later as Willard reaches his destination and his mission becomes a bit clearer. We transition from heavy characterization to thematic exploration. Kurtz, the once heroic figure in the eyes of Willard, goes from grace to terror as Kurtz’s militia inflicts atrocities on the Vietnamese people. This psychological clash is shown in the scene where Willard is arrested and forced to question his beliefs about heroism and victory.
Through its ingenious technique of layering expressive sound design and imagery, Coppola forces us to question the purpose of war; to question our own morals and accountability; our heroes and our enemies.
'Apocalypse Now' is one of the most unique if not strangest "American" war films ever made. It probes deeper than most Vietnam films and finds the perfect balance between expressionism and realism. - DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsCandace EvanofskiDonald HoldenDamian Jewan LeeA group of children, in a depressed small town, band together to cover up a tragic mistake one summer.This is the best Terrence Malick film that Terrence Malick never directed. It is instead written and directed by David Gordon Green. His first and, in my opinion, his greatest. It's about the idle time of our youth during those endless summers, and how tragedies in a small town are kept quiet. There is darkness to be sure, but it never weighs heavy. Rather it's quite charming with its unassuming nature and subtle quirks. Its unusual and distinctive dialogue is worth noting, which I could only describe as mumble poetry written by Hemingway: coy, deliberately simple, yet brilliant. It's an obvious borrow from Malick, but Green's precociousness is so alive and contagious here.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsDaniel Day-LewisPaul DanoCiarán HindsA story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.It encompasses everything I love about cinema: uncompromising vision, powerful, believable characters, astute craftsmanship, and an endlessly fascinating story that unfolds deliberately like a great novel. Daniel Day-Lewis' wild, mannered performance -- mirroring the idiosyncratic mannerisms of John Huston -- has become one of the most well-studied and monumental.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.Not a single frame is wasted in this deftly crafted noir-western masterpiece. The Coen brothers have not made a film with this much richness, maturity, and precision since Fargo. What is most impressive... what elevates the film beyond the trappings of its own genre is how the directors are so adept at translating the wealth of themes and the sparse milieu from Cormac McCarthy's nihilistic novel into something wholly cinematic. If someone were to say that 'No Country' is as perfect as movies can get, I would not disagree.
- DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsJean-Pierre LéaudAlbert RémyClaire MaurierA young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.I first saw 'Robocop' as a child in 1988. It might have been my first rated R movie. And it disturbed me greatly. It was the most graphically violent and debauched film that a young Johnny was exposed to at the time. Its characters were cruel and profoundly immoral beyond anything I had seen. It was also the first time I became aware of a director's particular worldview, specifically his misanthropy, as explored through character, story, and technical elements. I lost my innocence to this movie is the weirdest compliment I could give it.
Paul Verhoeven’s treatment of themes like corporate greed, the use of technology to oppress citizens, and the morality of violence lies beneath the veneer of an 80s popcorn flick. Toy makers and marketers may have cashed in on the camp but Verhoeven's caustic comment on society is potent and enduring.
While Robocop is portrayed as a heroic character, his origins demonstrate that even a righteous hero has been artificially created as a product of corporate greed and public control. Robocop is the product of an inhumane act, which Verhoeven uses to demonstrate that humans have become so corrupted that our own extreme privileges and deplorable actions have spawned a robotic savior -- not a human one.
The movie's aesthetics and technical elements also support Verhoeven’s misanthropy. The police officer’s human identity and rights are heavily violated -- he is used as a public statement and has his true identity erased without his consent. His sleek metal body, artificially lit-up eyes, and ability to easily switch between emotions (at one point he mocks a criminal he has arrested) highlight the superiority of machines over humans and the coldness of human nature.
The irony that the most human character in 'Robocop' is partly a machine is not lost on Verhoeven. - DirectorWim WendersStarsHarry Dean StantonNastassja KinskiDean StockwellTravis Henderson, an aimless drifter who has been missing for four years, wanders out of the desert and must reconnect with society, himself, his life, and his family.
- DirectorIsao TakahataStarsTsutomu TatsumiAyano ShiraishiAkemi YamaguchiA young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsMia FarrowJohn CassavetesRuth GordonA young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.Roman Polanski is a master at creating paranoia. 'Rosemary's Baby' has a tone so odd and subtle, and so quietly sinister, you don't even know how it manages to burrow itself into your subconscious fears. But somehow it does. Horror is most effective when it's invisible; our greatest fears are often manifested by things unknown and things unknowable. We can't see in the dark or what lurks around the corner, but more terrifying is that we don't know what the hell is growing inside Rosemary.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJodie FosterCybill ShepherdA 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.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsYalitza AparicioMarina de TaviraDiego Cortina AutreyA year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.Roma is transcendent; a work of astounding richness both in scope and in its painterly details. The film is about many things, but central and fundamental is that it is about the fragility of life and the finality of death. Themes that have haunted much of Alfonso Cuarón’s longstanding body of work. Here in ‘Roma’, which resembles Fellini’s ‘Amarcord’, Cuarón paints in nostalgia the town and its lovable eccentrics straight from his childhood memories.
The compact, intimate story is saturated by amusing and quotidian moments of everyday life, however, Cuarón pins it against a dense, panoramic canvas smattered with allusions to Mexico’s historical and political past. As well, its look at social stratification as we follow Cleo, a domestic servant for an upper-middle-class family, is tactfully unromanticized. Cuarón has of course done this before, nearly twenty years ago with the beautiful and elegiac ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’, which now seems like a dress rehearsal for ‘Roma’. In fact, it's as if Cuarón’s entire career has been leading up to this. [...]
When the credits rolled quietly under a bed of ambiance, I was nearly brought to tears, not only by the powerful emotions it evoked but also by the accomplishment alone -- a truly virtuosic one. It is a rare feeling I have not had in a long time: sublime admiration. - DirectorLars von TrierStarsBjörkCatherine DeneuveDavid MorseAn Eastern European US immigrant with a love for musicals has to cope with the gradual loss of her vision.Audacious, intense, and cathartic, 'Dancer in the Dark' is a hard-hitting emotional wallop that stains the mind for days. But despite being filled with unrelenting sorrow, Lars Von Trier supplies enough moments of joy through its quirky but gorgeous musical numbers to allow for a bit of respite and emotional release. For me, this is Von Trier's most compassionate film (along with 'Melancholia'), which is saying a lot for an artist with a misanthropic disposition. 'Dancer in the Dark' is my favourite musical of all time (challenging the notion that the genre has to always be happy). There is nothing like it.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyVernon DobtcheffNine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.A film structured completely in real-time. Like 'My Dinner with Andre', it impresses us with its freewheeling musings on that grand idée fixe: "what does it all mean?" Its power is so gentle and breezy that it's barely detectable. And in the end, it makes you long just as badly as the characters about the possibility of connection.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiMaggie CheungSiu Ping-LamTwo neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.Thick, mood-drenched atmosphere; languid tempo and an aching soul. This sumptuous tone poem lingers long after it's over. Wong Kar-Wai's stylistic turning point started here, but his inclination towards a less rigid and more liquid narrative structure remains.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsMartin SheenSissy SpacekWarren OatesAn impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota Badlands.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpySeamus Davey-FitzpatrickWe meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsAmilcar CabralFlorence DelayArielle DombasleA woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoKayoko KishimotoRen ÔsugiNishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsYûya YagiraAyu KitauraHiei KimuraIn a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.Hirokazu Kore-eda is prolific, and the majority of his output is excellent. 'Nobody Knows' is one of his finest gems among many. Tender, lyrical, and tragic, but never mawkish; it's quite possibly one of the saddest films ever made. A humanist masterwork by one of Japan's greatest directors.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..Aronofsky does his best imitation of Brian De Palma here. Despite the flashy barrage of split-screens, rapid editing, and dilating eyeball close-ups, a beating heart remains firmly at its core. Aronofsky's style puts you into the state of mind of its characters, making you pensive, confused, and hyper-sensitive. While it can be unpleasant, it's potent filmmaking.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsCecilia RothMarisa ParedesCandela PeñaA comedy-drama about a bereaved mother, and overwrought actress, her jealous lover, and a pregnant nun.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsJoaquin PhoenixAmy AdamsScarlett JohanssonIn a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsAndie MacDowellJulianne MooreTim RobbinsThe day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents.
- DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsAlejandro JodorowskyBrontis JodorowskyJosé LegarretaA mysterious black-clad gunfighter wanders a mystical Western landscape encountering multiple bizarre characters.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.Bong Joon-ho builds and sustains the tension and frustration to almost palpable levels; with surprises at every turn.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsArata IuraErika OdaSusumu TerajimaAfter death, people have a week to choose only one memory to keep for eternity.
- DirectorTsai Ming-liangStarsKang-sheng LeeShiang-chyi ChenYi-ching LuA watch salesman meets a young woman soon leaving for Paris and becomes infatuated, so he begins to change all the clocks in Taipei to Paris time.Tsai Ming-liang's 'What Time Is It There?' is a mesmerizingly dreamlike work, exploring the nuances of loss, grief, and the remaining impressions of people who have departed. Tsai is one of cinema's most distinctly unique artists. However, this film is the best entry point for anyone unfamiliar with one of Taiwan's greatest filmmakers.
On an outward level, the film follows two seemingly antithetical characters: Hsiao Kang (Chen Bo-chung), a heartbroken young man from Taiwan, and Shiang-chyi (Chen Shiang-chyi), an enigmatic woman from the streets of Paris. Their meeting sparks a captivating relationship based on their parallel lives and the ever-shifting notion of time. Through this combination of seemingly disparate characters, Tsai weaves a masterful allegory of the painful realities of separation and the often-unspoken sense of longing that comes with it.
The film succeeds so eloquently through its visual beauty and ambient sound. From the misty streets of Taipei to the sun-drenched side alleyways of Paris, Tsai creates an enveloping atmosphere of melancholic nostalgia. In his depiction of these settings, Tsai uses contrasting images and impacts of time to reflect the inner emotions of his characters. For example, when Hsiao Kang visits Shiang-chyi’s apartment in Paris, the clocks are all set to the same time. The idea of a shared moment, unspoken and out of sync with each character’s own subjective sense of time, is a metaphorical reminder of the wish to stay connected despite the physical distance that keeps them apart.
'What Time Is It There?' is also bolstered by Tsai’s delicate use of humor, as seen in the moments where Hsiao Kang sellswatches as a street vendor. His constant refrain of "Nice watch, buy one" serves as a self-deprecating punchline and a subtle homage to the irony of his profession -- a real-life representation of his inability to control the ceaseless march of time.
At its core, the film is about perspectives and acceptance. By juxtaposing Hsiao Kang and Shiang-chyi’s stories and contrasting the parallel imagery of time, Tsai creates a poetic work that plays out in his signature slow and deliberate style. It's a timeless classic and testament to the power of emotion and the enduring connections between people, no matter the distance. - DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsWilliam H. MacyFrances McDormandSteve BuscemiMinnesota 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.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsTom CruiseNicole KidmanTodd FieldA Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA 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.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsIsabella RosselliniKyle MacLachlanDennis HopperThe discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDanny AielloOssie DavisRuby DeeOn the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyAndrea EckertA young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsPayman MaadiLeila HatamiSareh BayatA married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.Asghar Farhadi’s 'A Separation' is masterful storytelling that conveys timeless themes of family, moral struggle, and personal sacrifice. This Iranian drama tells the story of a struggling middle-class couple and the various trials they must face together and separately in order to keep their marriage afloat.
Farhadi’s humanistic narrative helps us to sympathize with each character, even when their actions and circumstances oppose each other. Having experienced both sides of the conflict, we question which party was in the wrong and whether justice is truly served in the end.
Roger Ebert sums up Farhadi's amazing feat by stating that "[the] film involves its audience in an unusually direct way, because although we can see the logic of everyone's position, our emotions often disagree." - DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsGreta GerwigMickey SumnerAdam DriverA New York woman apprentices for a dance company and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as the possibility of realizing them dwindles.For my money, 'Frances Ha' is the best post-Mumblecore movie and the best statement on millennial angst. This film resonated with me for its light-hearted depiction of that point in your life when you feel like you're essentially mediocre at everything. You're in the liminal space between child and adult; when you're late to the party and everyone has gone home; when you're not yet a complete human.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.Ang Lee's passionate homage to the Wuxia genre is exhilarating. Seeing Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat, Zhang Ziyi fly and leap on top of rooftops and then from branch to branch through a bamboo forest is nothing short of breathtaking. The dreamy imagination of Lee's vision and his sensitivity are fully in sync and in top form here.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.Thematically similar to 'Lord of the Flies', students are forced to form factions and alliances in order to survive each other's brutality. It's a dark, over-the-top parable about humanity's propensity for savagery. Equally entertaining and shocking.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAl PacinoJohn CazalePenelope AllenThree amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.'Dog Day Afternoon' is one of the best cinematic depictions of Stockholm syndrome -- the psychological response where hostages form a bond with their captors -- that I have ever seen. It tells the gripping tale of Sonny and his hostages while depicting the damaging effects of captor-captive relationship in a vivid and touching manner. This is also one of the few films I have seen which avoids the use of non-diegetic music. In fact, its absence is remarkably effective at generating realistic intensity. 'Dog Day Afternoon' is one the best from the New Hollywood movement, and my favourite film by Sidney Lumet.
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsPeter BillingsleyMelinda DillonDarren McGavinIn the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonMariel HemingwayThe life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
- DirectorBéla TarrÁgnes HranitzkyStarsLars RudolphPeter FitzHanna SchygullaA naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsMews SmallRon ThompsonJerry HollandThe story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music in the 20th century.Through its unique fusion of genres and its impressive production design, Ralph Bakshi's 'American Pop' is a milestone of adult animated features, a genre that has sadly become extinct in modern cinema due to Disney's monopoly.
This is Bakshi's love letter to American counter-culture, celebrating the achievements of those outside of mainstream society. It is also an exploration of how music changes from generation to generation, featuring performances from popular artists of the time, highlighting the importance of popular music in America and its influence on society and culture.
An innovative and important work in Bakshi’s filmography, 'American Pop' is undoubtedly his finest in terms of overall impact and legacy. - DirectorMichel GondryStarsJim CarreyKate WinsletTom WilkinsonWhen their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsHossain SabzianMohsen MakhmalbafAbolfazl AhankhahThe true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsFernando ReyCarole BouquetÁngela MolinaRecounted in flashback are the romantic perils of Mathieu, a middle-aged French sophisticate as he falls for his nineteen-year-old former chambermaid Conchita.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsLeslie CheungMaggie CheungAndy LauA man tries to find out who his real mother is after the woman who raised him tells him the truth.
- DirectorLukas MoodyssonStarsOksana AkinshinaArtyom BogucharskiyPavel PonomaryovSixteen-year-old Lilja and her only friend, the young boy Volodja, live in Russia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej, who is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.This Swedish realist drama about a young girl forced into the seedy world of prostitution is a familiar story. Director Lukas Moodysson, however, accomplishes an impressive feat by balancing unrelenting horror with humanism and a touch of magical realism. Make no mistake, Lilya 4-Ever is intensely gut-wrenching and will haunt for days. It's not for everyone, and some will recoil at the unflinching raw style, but those open to understanding the dimmer side of reality will appreciate its strengths.
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsAnne WiazemskyWalter GreenFrançois LafargeThe story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him. A study on saintliness and a sister piece to Bresson's Mouchette.In 1956, the French director Robert Bresson released 'Au Hasard Balthazar', a film centered on a donkey and his various owners. Throughout the movie, we gain a unique understanding of the protagonist, Balthazar, as the audience is put in his position, and follow his trials and tribulations throughout his life. In this way, Balthazar can be seen as an embodiment of Albert Camus’ own views, making him one of the primary characters of the movie in spite of his lack of dialogue and agency.
In his writing, Camus laid out a template for what he viewed as the ideal human being, namely an individual fully aware of their mortality, and striving to make sense of life in spite of all obstacles presented by the world. While human characters in the film often fail to live up to this ideal, Balthazar consistently displays the traits that Camus admired. Despite the thrust and pulls of the world and its people, Balthazar is able to keep his moral compass intact, as he is seen to faithfully carry out whatever tasks he is given, such as delivering goods, as well as helping his numerous owners in situations of hardship. If a person was to disregard the obvious species difference, Balthazar could have easily been a human character striving to live in the face of an absurd world.
Balthazar’s frequent mistreatment at the hands of people is also something that Bresson uses to critique the society of the time. Balthazar’s various owners -- from the downtrodden Marie to the malevolent David -- all slip into their roles as abusers and perpetrators of cruel acts upon the donkey in much the same way that many people were forced into roles of subjugation by the political climate of the period. The complete absence of justice and redemption in this situation allows for the film to further hammer home its themes of unbearable hopelessness and meaninglessness.
In this way, it is clear that Bresson and Camus magnified their shared philosophies of the world through the character of Balthazar. This is confirmed by the Bible quote that is used at the opening of the film: "And the ass said unto Balaam, Am I not thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever won't to do so unto thee?" This quote speaks to the hardship and unfairness that Balthazar endures throughout the course of the movie, further connecting him to Camus’ themes.
Ultimately, Balthazar serves as a necessary stand-in for humanity in the film, with his consistency and resilience in the face of adversity and suffering mirroring those same qualities in Camus' literature. Through Balthazar’s character, viewers are able to identify with the struggles of life. This has resulted in the donkey becoming one of the most iconic figures of French New Wave. - DirectorMike LeighStarsDavid ThewlisLesley SharpKatrin CartlidgeAn unemployed Mancunian vents his rage on unsuspecting strangers as he embarks on a nocturnal London odyssey.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoAya KokumaiTetsu WatanabeSeveral yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsHarriet AnderssonLiv UllmannKari SylwanWhen a woman dying of cancer in early twentieth-century Sweden is visited by her two sisters, long-repressed feelings between the siblings rise to the surface.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsÉtienne BeckerJean NégroniHélène ChatelainThe story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
- DirectorTsai Ming-liangStarsChen Chao-jungKang-sheng LeeKuei-Mei YangThree lonely young denizens of Taipei unknowingly share an apartment used for sexual trysts.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsTimothy SpallBrenda BlethynPhyllis LoganFollowing the death of her adoptive parents, a successful young black optometrist establishes contact with her biological mother -- a lonely white factory worker living in poverty in East London.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimA boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsJohn LurieEszter BalintRichard EdsonA New Yorker's life is thrown into a tailspin when his younger cousin surprise-visits him, starting a strange, unpredictable adventure.
- DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsJacqueline BissetJean-Pierre LéaudFrançois TruffautA committed film director struggles to complete his movie while coping with a myriad of crises, personal and professional, among the cast and crew.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsEdward AsnerPat BenatarJerry BrownA collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsElias McConnellAlex FrostEric DeulenSeveral ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.Van Sant's 'Elephant' appropriates the stylistic formalism of Tarr and Tarkovsky but transplants it within the context of Americana. Some have criticized its anti-drama as a "pointless exercise in nihilism," a sentiment which I disagree with. Its point is the senselessness; the inexplicable actions that ordinary people are capable of. This point is delivered with a cold, dispassionate style, providing no easy answers. On top of this, the film is full of irony and paradoxes that are as frustratingly enigmatic as high school life itself.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsPenélope CruzCarmen MauraLola DueñasAfter her death, a mother returns to her home town in order to fix the situations she couldn't resolve during her life.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsKevin KlineJoan AllenSigourney WeaverIn suburban New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, middle-class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse find their lives beyond their control.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsJuliette BinocheZbigniew ZamachowskiJulie DelpyA woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTakashi ShimuraNobuo KanekoShin'ichi HimoriA bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsMartin LandauWoody AllenBill BernsteinAn ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman.
- DirectorJean-Claude LauzonStarsMaxime CollinGinette RenoGilbert SicotteThe story of a young Canadian boy who tries to escape mentally from his disturbed family thanks to his fantasy and imagination.
- DirectorEdward YangStarsChang ChenLisa YangKuo-Chu ChangBased on a true story, primarily on a conflict between two youth gangs, a 14-year-old boy's girlfriend conflicts with the head of one gang for an unclear reason, until finally the conflict comes to a violent climax.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHeath LedgerAaron EckhartWhen 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.Christopher Nolan's earnest, revisionist take on the Batman mythology is, for my money, [one of] the best superhero comic book movies ever made. Eschewing the meretricious fantasy world for a realistic decaying urban milieu, Nolan has elevated the genre to new exciting heights. [...] The Dark Knight is a popcorn flick with all the thrills and "things blowing up real good", but with also enough cerebral meat to satisfy over-thinking film geeks like myself.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
- DirectorFernando MeirellesKátia LundStarsAlexandre RodriguesLeandro FirminoMatheus NachtergaeleIn the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
- DirectorBenny SafdieJosh SafdieStarsAdam SandlerJulia FoxIdina MenzelWith his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.
- DirectorLarry ClarkStarsLeo FitzpatrickJustin PierceChloë SevignyA day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsRufus SewellKiefer SutherlandJennifer ConnellyA man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsMaribel VerdúGael García BernalDaniel Giménez CachoIn Mexico, two teenage boys and an older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life and each other.It's a film about change, or perhaps the evanescent moments before change happens. I love the way Cuarón uses the camera [...] effortlessly capturing and framing moments of exquisite, melancholy beauty. For example: the scene with the pigs on the beach is nearly Felliniesque in its evocation.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsTim RobbinsElizabeth PeñaDanny AielloMourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.
- DirectorKatsuhiro ÔtomoStarsMitsuo IwataNozomu SasakiMami KoyamaA secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsLeon LaiMichelle ReisTakeshi KaneshiroThis Hong Kong-set crime drama follows the lives of a hitman, hoping to get out of the business, and his elusive female partner.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMatthew ModineR. Lee ErmeyVincent D'OnofrioA pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.One of my favourite themes in Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket' is that of duality, which is reinforced over the course of the film through a variety of visual and narrative techniques. The duality explored in the film is both a manifestation of the characters’ inner conflicts, as well as an allegory for the conflict between the two sides of the Vietnam War.
Watching closely, we can see in many shots of pairs of characters (such as soldiers before and after training), pairs of similar objects (like boots, helmets, and rifles) juxtaposed with one another, or a character symbolically framed between two objects or environments. There are even shots of a helmet that transitions seamlessly between two completely different environments (a training camp and a battlefield), meant to symbolize the duality of life experienced by the characters.
The narrative structure is also divided into two parts, which are effectively two stories within one movie. The first part outlines the story of basic training, where the soldiers must learn how to abide by strict military standards and receive their first taste of the realities of war. The second part centers on their experiences as combat soldiers, where we witness the impact of the actual war on the characters, which Kubrick suggests is unbearably boring and nonsensical, punctuated by unrelenting, seemingly random violence.
Moreover, there are a number of dualities manifest in the characters of the movie. Joker, is the most obvious example, symbolizing the duality inherent in the war and in basic training, as he strives to maintain a sense of morality and humanity in an environment where true feelings and emotions are discouraged. Other characters, such as Cowboy or Animal Mother, represent different aspects of the duality of war, as each of them struggles to contain their human emotions in the face of military discipline.
The film also employs other forms of duality as well, such as the juxtaposition of the idealistic and pragmatic approaches to life taken by its characters. The audience sees this tension in the conflict between the rational Army Officer and the more impulsive Joker, as the former believes in upholding the law while Joker’s sense of morality and justice guides his actions.
Ultimately, 'Full Metal Jacket' serves to capture the complexities and inherent paradoxes of life in a war-torn environment. - DirectorZhangke JiaStarsTao ZhaoTaishen ChengJue JingAn exploration on the impact of urbanization and globalization on a traditional culture.Jia Zhangke’s greatest film examines anomie and the demoralizing effects of a state-owned theme park, symbolizing the rapid reformation of China at the turn of the century. This film marks a creative turning point for Jia, whose previous efforts borrowed greatly from Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Here Jia loosens the stylistic rigor borrowed from his mentor by employing more playful techniques like animation and subtle fourth-wall breaks. As Jia's career progressed, his films became less political and more genre-influenced (to avoid state censorship perhaps), but his social consciousness remained intact.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsMickey RourkeMarisa TomeiEvan Rachel WoodA faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.
- DirectorJohn CarneyStarsGlen HansardMarkéta IrglováHugh WalshA modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsBrandon LeeMichael WincottRochelle DavisA man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.