49. The Third Man (Reed, 1949)
Lime.
48. Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980)
Bronx. 1940’s. Boxing. Anger management issues. Spousal abuse. An over-weight Robert De Niro. Stunning black-and-white cinematography.
47. Le Samourai (Melville, 1967)
Alain Delon is the apotheosis of cool.
46. Lost in Translation (Coppola, 2003)
Loneliness in Tokyo. Melancholy. Scarlet Johansson’s booty. Ennui. Karaoke. Night-life. Ambient soundtrack. Whispered words. Jesus and Mary Chain. Bill Murray was robbed of an Oscar.
45. Miller’s Crossing (Coen, 1990)
The Coen Brothers dabble in neo-noir. Ethics. Fedoras. The high hat. Booze. Dames. Double-crossing. Making smart plays. Albert Finney with a tommy-gun. O’ Danny Boy!
44. Adaptation (Jonze, 2002)
Meta-narrative. Writer’s block. Twin brothers. Ghost orchids. Chris Cooper is missing his front teeth. Getting high from pollen. Crocodiles. Nicholas Cage’s best performance. Only Charlie Kaufman could come up with such a brilliant and original screenplay.
43. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981)
It’s all about the hat.
42. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)
Rosebud.
41. My Dinner with Andre (Malle, 1981)
These two guys sure do talk a lot, don’t they?
40. A Clockwork Orange (Kubrick, 1971)
Nadsat. Free will. Morality. Brain-washing. Ultra-violence. O, my brothers, what’s it going to be then, eh?
39. Persona (Bergman, 1965)
Identity crisis. Deconstruction. Sub-conscious. Psychic affinities. Oneness. Aesthetics of film and art. Experimental. Mind-fuck.
38. Toy Story: Trilogy (Lasseter, 1995-2010)
Childhood nostalgia. Revolutionized animated films forever. Toy Story 3 brings me to tears.
37. Fargo (Coen, 1996)
A Film-noir set in rural snowy Minnesota. A dark and off-beat comedy. Kidnapping gone awry. Frances McDormand as the plucky, resourceful chief of police. An old desperate boyfriend. Steve Buscemi gets shot in the face. “He’s fleeing the interview!” Wood chipper. Postage stamps.
36. It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra, 1946)
The quintessential Christmas movie. Jimmy Stewart’s iconic role as George Bailey. “What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary.” Despite countless viewings, it always makes me tear up. A timeless classic.
35. La Haine (Kassovitiz, 1995)
Parisian ghetto life. Riots. Teenage violence. Black-and-white. Steadi-cam. Improv. Close-up shots. Zoom ins. Meticulous editing and lighting. Brutal, funny and powerful in its representation of injustice and a crumbling society, which has a direct influence on its youth.
34. The Royal Tenenbaums (Anderson, 2001)
Story-book narrative. A stand-out cast. Gifted children. Fly Mordecai! Depression. Matching track suits. Hiding out in a museum. Luke Wilson’s beard. Bathtubs. Fantastic soundtrack. Needle in the Hay. Dalmation mice. Pastel color palettes.
33. Annie Hall (Allen, 1977)
With this film, Woody Allen establishes himself as a talented director and writer who will change the romantic comedy genre forever. Endlessly quotable with so many iconic scenes. “Well, I guess that’s pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y’know, they’re totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and… but, uh, I guess we keep goin’ through it because, uh, most of us… need the eggs.”
32. A Bout de Souffle (Godard, 1960)
French New-Wave. Jump cuts. Hand-held cameras. A girl. A gun. Jean-Paul Belmondo as a wannabe gangster and Bogart impersonator. Jean Seberg is cuteness overload. Cigarettes. Pillow talk.
31. Singin’ in the Rain (Donen, 1952)
This musical never fails to put a smile on my face. The ‘Make em Laugh” routine is pure genius.
30. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner, 1980)
“Luke, I am your Father.” Oh, snap.
29. The Big Lebowski (Coen, 1999)
The Dude abides. The Coen brothers deliver another masterpiece. Neo-noir meets stoner comedy. Bowling. The rug really ties the room together. Underpants. Nihilists. Vietnam. Shut the fuck up Donny! The Jesus. Jackie Treehorn. White Russians. John Goodman is hilarious. Hands down, the funniest film I have ever seen.
28. Raise the Red Lantern (Yimou, 1994)
Concubines. Imperial China. Clash of politics and social customs. Red imagery and lighting. I’m a sucker for beautiful cinematography. Gongi Li gives a heart-breaking performance.
27. Amelie (Jeunet, 2001)
Hopeless romantic. Loneliness. Quirky female heroine. Greens and reds. Creme Brulee. Traveling gnome. Secret box. Photo-booth. Audrey Tautou is absolutely adorable.
26. Sonatine (Kitano, 1993)
Kitano is the freakin’ man. He counterbalances his Yakuza films with brutal violence, humor and sensibility so smoothly. The long scene on the beach with the dancing is epic.
25. Pierrot Le Fou (Godard, 1965)
Jean-Luc Godard at his most fun, whimsical, inventive and at the height of his creative powers. The use of ironic pastiche is a pure delight. Freedom. Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo play a Bonnie and Clyde couple on the run from the law. Contains Godard’s usual brand of philosophical digressions and political ideas but not heavy-handed as usually found in his works. Look out for a cameo by Samuel Fuller. Blue face-paint and dynamite make for an explosive ending (ahem, pardon the pun).
24. Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994)
California Dreaming. Blonde Wigs. Pineapples. Toy airplanes. Cigarettes. Large stuffed animals. Unrequited love. Faye Wong is Jean Seberg incarnate. Film techniques inspired by the French New Wave. Long-time collaborator Christopher Doyle’s cinematography captures the frantic Hong-Kong city life and romantic longing of the characters.
23. Goodfellas (Scorsese, 1990)
Often praised as the greatest gangster film of all time…and for good reason. Masterfully directed by Scorsese, the film is a visual triumph in expert film-making. For instance, just notice the way he meticulously uses lighting to enhance the scene or the extensive tracking shots to follow the action. Not to mention, the film teaches one culinary tips such as how to properly slice garlic extra thin.
22. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Allen, 1988)
Woody Allen combines a comedy and tragedy with two interconnected stories that compliment each other. Morality and religion seem to be the main focus point. One of Allen’s most complex and powerful films.
21. Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone, 1968)
Harmonica. Claudia Cardinale. Henry Fonda as a villain. Close-ups. Sweaty brows. Long takes. Stunning cinematography. Spaghetti Westerns don’t get much better than this.
20. Barry Lyndon (Kubrick, 1975)
The most beautiful film every made? I think so. Set in 18th century Irish commoner who marries into a wealthy family in order to advance his social mobility. Every aspect about this film is epic: the costumes, set designs, mise-en-scene, natural lighting and story. It is beyond me as to how Kubrick managed to complete this film with relentless ambition on such a large scale.
19. Whisper of the Heart (Kondo, 1995)
I’m not the biggest fan of Japanese anime films (other than Miyazaki) but this one left quite the impression. Creative, heart-breaking and sublime.
18. Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942)
“Here’s looking at you kid.”
17. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972)
The Corleone family saga begins.
16. Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)
Nihilistic pessimism at its best. A young Jodie Foster as a prostitute. Harvey Keitel as a pimp. And of course, Robert De Niro in his iconic role as Travis Bickle, one of the most notorious anti-heroes in American cinema.
15. The Lord of the Rings: Trilogy (Jackson, 2001-2003)
Fantasy nerds, rejoice!
14. Magnolia (Anderson, 1999)
Frogs.
13. Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
San Francisco Bay. Mysterious blondes. Depression. Suicide. The always charming Jimmy Stewart. Bernard Hermann’s haunting score.
12. Hannah and Her Sisters (Allen, 1986)
God, she’s beautiful. Woody Allen’s most optimistic film. Hilarious, heart-warming and one of Allen’s best. Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.
11. Naked (Leigh, 1993)
Mike Leigh at his most dark and cynical. David Thewlis gives one of the best performances of the 1990’s.