The Absolute Best Movies I've Seen (Non-Animated)
I'm fairly easy to please when it comes to movies, but I'd like to think my tastes are unique enough to add at least some modicum of insight to the world of cinema critique.
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- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.There will never be another movie like this simply because Memento was the first to do what it set out to do, and executed it flawlessly. The emotional connections one is encouraged to make with the main character are unique only to this film; a combination of revenge, grief, loneliness, forgetfulness, paranoia, mystery, and noble courage. This is still Nolan's best work.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.I'm not sure what to say about this film other than that it represents everything good and pure about the movies. This becomes more and more apparent with every new year's worth of films that has followed. Reiner took Goldman's incredible novel and turned it into an endearing classic for all ages. I don't know of many books that can boast having such an accurate but simultaneously unique film-adaptation, which takes many liberties without losing any of the original work's true essence. It is as hilarious as it is exciting, and will forever be one of the most charming stories ever told.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsKarolina GruszkaKrzysztof MajchrzakGrace ZabriskieAs an actress begins to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world becomes nightmarish and surreal.This is David Lynch's opus: a spiritual pondering on shared experience, guilt, success, failure, courage, fear, and forgiveness all through the lens of Hollywood actors and two battered women - one Polish and one American - set in dreams, in the past, in the future, and in the end all set inside the human mind. This might be the exact opposite of what you'd call a 'feel good' movie, except surprisingly even if you don't put the pieces together and solve the 'mystery within the film' you will still feel deeply the catharsis of the characters in the end. Indeed, on my first viewing I did not fully 'get it' but the ending still made me cry intensely. Lynch conveys emotions on a deeper level than perhaps any filmmaker ever has before him.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenJames GarnerRichard AttenboroughAllied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.It's hard to argue with this direction, this cast, and this script. Together here they define the what it is for a film to be engrossing. From the very beginning to the very end this film does not let you lose interest for even one moment. The fact it's based on a true story and is filmed so true-to-life lends it an authenticity and excitement unmatched in its genre.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsNaomi WattsLaura HarringJustin TherouxAfter a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.Recent revelations about Hollywood will hopefully put this film in new light for people searching for hidden truth in cinema. This movie is a puzzle box that can be solved by anyone simply making it to the end, and thinking about what they just saw. This is the genius of David Lynch: at every layer of understanding and metaphor there is something to take away for everyone. In this case that something is usually a hidden dread mixed with a hidden beautiful mystery, emotions that feel more real and spiritually gripping than one would imagine films could actually translate.
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsCary GrantAudrey HepburnWalter MatthauRomance and suspense ensue in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Whom can she trust?The most Hitchcockian movie not made by the man himself, Charade remains one of the most endearing and exciting thrillers ever conceived. Henri Mancini's titular song and its myriad of self-mirrored versions throughout the film contribute to its legendary style and romance, the likes of which are sadly long gone from Hollywood.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantEva Marie SaintJames MasonA New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.This is Hitchcock at his absolute best. The winding story and suspenseful subtext keep the viewer enthralled while the phenomenal performances and pacing make the ride effortless. With an instantly recognizable score and multiple legendary sets and scenes, it remains one of the most recognizably iconic films by one of the most indisputably iconic directors of all time.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsRalph FiennesF. Murray AbrahamMathieu AmalricA writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.This is my favorite film by Wes Anderson simply because it takes you for so many disparate but seamlessly connected rides along the way. It's funny, classy, surprising, and endearing. This is Ralph Fiennes greatest performance and the film is as gorgeous and rich as The Grand Budapest itself.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAl PacinoJohn RandolphJack KehoeAn honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.Serpico represents everything noble about 70's metropolitan cinema-noire. It's not even remotely as dark as other films that take on much less serious subject matter. While Serpico relentlessly shows us the disparity between the street and the desk, Pacino keeps a solid thick line of direct life-experience and empathy at the forefront of this movie. We're not watching him discover the horrible corruption of the police, we're discovering it WITH him, and are equally unsatisfied with it. This is Pacino's best role, if only because it plays to his strengths without asking him to play a character unworthy of admiration. Indeed, Serpico is probably the most admirable hero in all of 1970's cinema.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsDustin HoffmanRobert RedfordJack Warden"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.Redford and Hoffman deliver subtly powerful performances here as real life journalists Woodward and Bernstein. We follow them as they unravel the thread that ended a presidency. It feels like every other political thriller of the 1970's was aspiring to this. It's poetic that they as fiction could not compete with reality, from which the weirdest and most horrifying stories come.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantDoris NolanA young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother.This is my favorite Cary Grant movie and my favorite Catherine Hepburn movie. It's so heartfelt that I can't help but cry multiple times each viewing. It's the story of true love over comfort, joy over prestige, and courage over acquiescence.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsGlenn FordBette DavisHope LangeA New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying royalty.This heartwarming fable come to life is an bafflingly underrated classic. The performances, cinematography, music, and script are all phenomenal. Peter Falk steals the show for me, but everyone in the cast brings their absolute best. It's so great to see Betty Davis flex her skills this late in her storied career as well. This film is truly one-of-a-kind.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.While some may find the plot contrived, I found it endlessly enthralling even after multiple viewings in the theater. This is what all blockbusters should aspire to be: smart, emotional, gripping, and trippy as hell.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris HemsworthMark RuffaloThe Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.No other film has ever accomplished what Infinity War set out to do, let alone successfully. The sheer magnitude of everything happening here can only be appreciated after watching 20 other films before it. I'm not sure if that makes it less worthy of praise or even more worthy, but I'm sure if there's anyone on the planet who watched this movie without seeing any of the others in the MCU first, they still enjoyed the hell out of it.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsSheryl LeeRay WiseMädchen AmickLaura Palmer's harrowing final days are chronicled one year after the murder of Teresa Banks, a resident of Twin Peaks' neighboring town.Cheryl Lee's performance in this movie is nothing short of Oscar-worthy. It's a shame that Lynch's art-house flavor was still a bit too strong for most people in the early 1990's, in retrospect it's easy to see why this was not met with immediate praise. Still, I can't think of any other movie that elicits the same gripping emotional unrest as this movie does. Nor can I think of one that is this surreal while not losing any of its emotional potency. The scene at the traffic intersection alone puts this movie above any I've seen in terms of subconscious conveyance of pure unsettling fear. Lynch is an artist, and the screen is his canvas. If only more filmmakers were willing to take these kinds of risks.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA 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.I'm going to just include the first installment because it is still my favorite of the three, but this trilogy cannot be taken on a film-by-film basis. The trilogy itself remains one of the biggest accomplishments in cinematic history. What is astounding is that they are very good films, despite being exactly what everyone wanted to see at the time.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGregory PeckAudrey HepburnEddie AlbertA bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.It's extremely difficult not to fall in love with Audrey Hepburn, who is somehow in her very first role here. She exhibits the poise and grace she would be known for from the very start. Gregory Peck's performance lends authenticity and charm to the entire endeavor - a joyous day in a vibrant city with an unexpected new friend.
- DirectorPeter FarrellyBobby FarrellyStarsJim CarreyJeff DanielsLauren HollyAfter a woman leaves a briefcase at the airport terminal, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend set out on a hilarious cross-country road trip to Aspen to return it.Comedy is always underrated upon release, but legendary comedies are often left out of discussions about the 'best films ever made.' Anyone who saw this film in the theater and also has a sense of humor knows that this is and was one of the most entertaining movies of the 20th century. You can't write this type of humor - you have to write this type of humor, then wait years and years for it to be picked up, then wait years for someone like Jim Carrey to rise to fame, then you also have to find someone like Jeff Daniels to compliment that genius, then you actually have to film the damn thing. Honestly, this movie should go down in history as one of the biggest and best flukes to get greenlit.
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsMatthew BroderickAlan RuckMia SaraA popular high school student, admired by his peers, decides to take a day off from school and goes to extreme lengths to pull it off, to the chagrin of his Dean, who'll do anything to stop him.It's hard to ignore that this movie would not be possible without the extreme prevalence of 1980's white upper-middle-class America. That said, it's still one of the most fun and care-free movies to have ever been made, and its lessons are not limited to suburban white kids of privilege. Indeed, most of what is shown as normal life for these kids only adds to their motivation to dismantle it. The soundtrack is legendary and the cast is perfect. It is Hughes' best work.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJonathan PryceKim GreistRobert De NiroA bureaucrat in a dystopic society becomes an enemy of the state as he pursues the woman of his dreams.Gilliam's dystopian fever dream is more poignant than ever and stands the test of time as one of the most creative and ambitious films ever made. The cheesiness it has gained over time due to the dated visual effects has just made it even more charming, endearing, and unique as it's aged.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonJodie FosterJames GarnerBret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.Easily William Goldman's most underrated effort, Maverick remains one of the most re-watchable movies from the 1990's for me. It's fun, light-hearted, hilarious, and even romantic. This is by far my favorite performance from both Gibson and Foster, whose chemistry on screen was both ignored when in theaters and all but forgotten since. Do yourself a favor and revisit this feelgood romp. Jodie Foster would have done better with more roles like this: quixotic, witty, sexy, and immovably charming.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMichael KeatonJack NicholsonKim BasingerThe Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.One of the most unique films ever made, Batman would be considered a classic if it was not a Batman film, though that is hard to imagine. The set and cast so seamlessly melt into themselves that Gotham City feels more real here than it does in less fantastical live-action versions. The music and direction lend a quirky darkness to the tone that I don't think is quite captured in any other film.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantGrace KellyJessie Royce LandisA retired jewel thief sets out to prove his innocence after being suspected of returning to his former occupation.While this movie might not be Grant's or Hitchcock's best work, it is undoubtedly one of their most memorable, and re-watchable. The scenic vistas and ocean views are breathtaking, as are the lead actors. It's a shame so much of this film is overdubbed, but the natural landscapes and suspenseful unraveling of the plot more than make up for it.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsBilly CrudupPatrick FugitKate HudsonA high-school boy in the early 1970s is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.Since it is indisputable that Zeppelin is the greatest band of all time, it can hardly be disputed that this movie will forever be one of the best fanboy-love-letters to rock and roll and the culture of groupies, rock-journalists, and rock-stars themselves that love music sometimes more than each other and themselves.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyMatthew MacfadyenBrenda BlethynSparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?Ang Lee's adaptation of Jane Austen's seminal novel is an absolute treasure. The dialogue and settings are both so beautiful as to make one wish there were hundreds more films like this.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJeff BridgesJohn GoodmanJulianne MooreJeff "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.