25 "must see" movies
by verduz | created - 28 Nov 2010 | updated - 06 Jan 2011 | PublicThis list is for wannabe cinephiles.
I tried to include films that match the criteria of "good film" (cinematography, direction, story, acting, costumes, special effects, music, etc.).
After that, I shortened the list trying not to include too many films of a single genre or from a single director.
Finally, I shortened the list choosing films that, for various reason, have to be seen in order to better understand other films and/or references (a lot of jokes, or episodes, from Family Guy (1999), American Dad! (2005) and The Simpsons (1989), for example, are films-based).
I know that there are many more "must see" movies but I wanted to make this list as short as possible.
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1. 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: 2,888,139 | Gross: $28.34M
It's impossible to find reasons you shouldn't watch this movie. The story, the cinematography, the acting, the "tears moments", ..., are simply perfect.
2. Paths of Glory (1957)
Approved | 88 min | Drama, War
After a failed attack on a German position, a general orders three soldiers, chosen at random, court-martialed for cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready
Votes: 212,223
WWI war is a difficult theme: It's usually stereotyped, with poor direction and poor acting. Paths of Glory (1957) is a masterpiece. In this film, a young Stanley Kubrick shows it's genius. I think this is not only one of the best war movies, it's one of the best movies ever made.
3. 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: 1,450,383 | Gross: $96.90M
Schindler's List (1993) is a masterpiece. Everything (direction, black and white cinematography, acting, story, music) is perfect, making this film a piece of art that makes you speechless.
4. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 881,188 | Gross: $6.21M
If you don't understand why Stanley Kubrick is considered one of the best director ever, you haven't watched this film.
5. 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: 518,182 | Gross: $0.28M
This is a funny film about Cold War. Stanley Kubrick's talent and great actors make you laugh at something that could have happened.
6. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
R | 116 min | Drama, War
A 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.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin
Votes: 790,269 | Gross: $46.36M
A great and clever film about Vietnam War, from training to battlefields.
7. Roman Holiday (1953)
Passed | 118 min | Comedy, Romance
A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Hartley Power
Votes: 147,609
A magic tale, made even more enjoyable by Audrey Hepburn's talent.
8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
PG-13 | 166 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond
Votes: 695,595 | Gross: $127.51M
A great story, with wonderful makeup, visual effects and cinematography. It's one of the few films that made me cry, not only with it's touching ending but also with many emotional moments that are presented.
9. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 299,306 | Gross: $57.39M
This musical uses so perfectly chosen songs that it seems that those song were written for it. The "elephant love medley" is one of the best example of this. Amazing singing, great photography, excellent acting and beautiful costumes complete the list of "reasons you should watch it".
10. Before Sunrise (1995)
R | 101 min | Drama, Romance
A 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.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl
Votes: 339,216 | Gross: $5.54M
A wonderful film about falling in love. The plot is simple but the talent of the actors (Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke), brilliant dialogues and good cinematography bring into the film a magic chemistry.
11. 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: 710,044 | Gross: $83.47M
A deep and philosophical movie made perfect by a great cinematography.
12. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
R | 159 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field, Sydney Pollack
Votes: 375,033 | Gross: $55.69M
This film is pure art.
13. 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: 1,449,365 | Gross: $322.74M
A milestone in Sci-Fi genre. To fully understand this film you should watch the entire trilogy (Episode V and Episode VI).
14. My Fair Lady (1964)
G | 170 min | Drama, Family, Musical
In 1910s London, snobbish phonetics professor Henry Higgins agrees to a wager that he can make crude flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, presentable in high society.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Votes: 101,797 | Gross: $72.00M
A loverly musical.
15. Out of Africa (1985)
PG | 161 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen
Votes: 86,339 | Gross: $87.10M
Whit a breathtaking cinematography, a beautiful soundtrack, a great screenplay and talented actors, Out of Africa (1985) is one of the best films ever made.
16. 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: 1,106,429 | Gross: $44.02M
A masterpiece in the horror genre.
17. 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: 260,608 | Gross: $8.82M
Can a musical talks about the difficult transition from the silent era to sound?
18. The Blues Brothers (1980)
R | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Jake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.
Director: John Landis | Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway, John Candy
Votes: 214,445 | Gross: $57.23M
Great Actors (John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Carrie Fisher, ...), great singers (James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, ...), cameos (Steven Spielberg, ...), memorable scenes and lines, make this film a cult musical comedy.
19. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,088,010 | Gross: $2.83M
Reservoir Dogs (1992) redefines the crime genre. It's hard to find anything else about this film. The flashback-based plot, the acting, the direction, the absence of the usuals crime clichés and practically everything else make this film one of the best film ever made.
20. 1941 (1979)
PG | 118 min | Action, Comedy, War
Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Treat Williams, Nancy Allen
Votes: 36,258 | Gross: $31.76M
Steven Spielberg + John Williams + Dan Aykroyd + John Belushi = great film
21. 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: 2,219,662 | Gross: $107.93M
With a complex plot, memorable scenes and lines, Quentin Tarantino redefines the gangster genre.
22. Forrest Gump (1994)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance
The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Votes: 2,256,457 | Gross: $330.25M
A memorable and touching film.
23. 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: 428,562 | Gross: $2.08M
One of the most referenced movies. This films proves that a milestone doesn't need CGI and/or special effects.
24. The Sting (1973)
PG | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
Votes: 279,841 | Gross: $159.60M
An enjoyable movie, with a great soundtrack, a clever plot and great actors.
25. 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: 793,722 | Gross: $74.10M
Thanks to it's comic-like cinematography, this is not a film, it's a graphic-novel.
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