My Selection
Disclaimer: the ratings showing up are those of IMDb, not mine (even if I usually agree for the most part), though it's ranked starting from the most liked and the order loses importance as it goes down.
This is a list of some of my favorite movies and TV shows as well as those that made a strong impression on me, that I still consider worth watching despite not necessarily being top-notch, or those whose topics and theories I am or used to be interested in, in order to give a quick glimpse of my tastes in cinema and of my interests in general to my students, for whom this list was originally made. There's a mix of movies and TV shows mostly in English and French.
This is a list of some of my favorite movies and TV shows as well as those that made a strong impression on me, that I still consider worth watching despite not necessarily being top-notch, or those whose topics and theories I am or used to be interested in, in order to give a quick glimpse of my tastes in cinema and of my interests in general to my students, for whom this list was originally made. There's a mix of movies and TV shows mostly in English and French.
List activity
440 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
81 titles
- 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.Loved the movie so much back in my teenagehood that I also read the book it was adapted from, from Chuck Palahniuk ー great author by the way!
- CreatorAlexandre AstierStarsAlexandre AstierLionnel AstierFranck PitiotIn this off beat account of King Arthur's quest for the Grail, virtually every journey, battle or adventure, is stopped dead in its tracks by the knights of the round table's most worldly traits--cowardice, greed, idiocy or misplaced chivalry. As a consequence, instead of epic adventures, we are treated with the characters' pragmatic and anachronistic take on each and every event in the Grail legend, true to the purest sitcom tradition.Probablement ma série préférée, toutes langues confondues.
- CreatorDan HarmonJustin RoilandStarsChris ParnellSpencer GrammerSarah ChalkeThe fractured domestic lives of a nihilistic mad scientist and his anxious grandson are further complicated by their inter-dimensional misadventures.Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. We're all going to die. [Go] watch [Rick and Morty].
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossWhen 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.My favorite trilogy by a long shot, even to this day.
- CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.Quick note about the ending ー Some series leave a door as big as a drawbridge for a sequel (Dexter), others dig a hole in the wall afterwards and pretend there was a door all along (Prison Break). Breaking Bad reached a compromise, hats off to them. Loved all 3 series though!
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty 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.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.Incredible OST from Hans Zimmer.
- DirectorAlex GarlandStarsAlicia VikanderDomhnall GleesonOscar IsaacA young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.« One day the AIs are going to look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa... an upright ape living in dust with crude language and tools, all set for extinction. »
Amazing sountrack, atmosphere. They clearly make reference to Google on several occasions too. - DirectorDavid FincherStarsJesse EisenbergAndrew GarfieldJustin TimberlakeAs Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.Brilliant, what's not to love in a movie from David Fincher?
- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsAbraham AttahEmmanuel AffadziRicky AdelayitorA drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.Brilliant in depicting the horror(s) of war. Amazing actors and awesome soundtrack as well.
- CreatorGreg DanielsRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsSteve CarellJenna FischerJohn KrasinskiA mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, tedium and romance.If you haven't watched the series yet, you have no idea how high it can fly.
- CreatorJames L. BrooksMatt GroeningSam SimonStarsDan CastellanetaNancy CartwrightHarry ShearerThe satiric half-hour adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
- CreatorTrey ParkerMatt StoneBrian GradenStarsTrey ParkerMatt StoneIsaac HayesFollows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.
- DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'AngeloLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.A classic!
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsBrad PittDiane KrugerEli RothIn Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.I wasn't sure if I liked it that much after watching it a first time, so I watched it a second time. I still don't know, so naturally I added it to this selection.
But in all seriousness... Unfamiliar with the DC Universe and Batman in particular, I was solely interested in the depiction of the psychological development of the character. In that regard, I think it's brilliant, and Joaquin Phoenix nailed it. - DirectorGreg KohsStarsIoannis AntonoglouLucas BakerNick BostromGoogle's DeepMind has developed a program for playing the 3000 year old game Go using AI. They test AlphaGo on the European champion, then March 9-15, 2016, on the top player, Lee Sedol, in a best of 5 tournament in Seoul.Watched the games live on YouTube in the middle of the night back then!
- CreatorLaeta KalogridisStarsChris ConnerRenée Elise GoldsberryDichen LachmanSet in a future where consciousness is digitized and stored, a prisoner returns to life in a new body and must solve a mind-bending murder to win his freedom.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
- CreatorJames Manos Jr.StarsMichael C. HallJennifer CarpenterDavid ZayasHe's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.I have nothing against lumberjacks.
- DirectorOlivier NakacheÉric ToledanoStarsFrançois CluzetOmar SyAnne Le NyAfter he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.
- 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.
- StarsOrelsanGringeJonathan CohenBloqués is a French YouTube Series. Gringe and Orelsan are two adults that like to lie on their couch and think about life. Bloqué is about their fear of work and their fear of comitement.À voir sur YT ー Si jamais un ami te demande quelle série mater ensemble, ne réponds JAMAIS "comme tu veux". Réponds-lui simplement "Bloqués". Surtout si c'est Gringe...
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsBrad PittRobin WrightJonah HillOakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBen AffleckRosamund PikeNeil Patrick HarrisWith his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
- CreatorMatt DufferRoss DufferStarsMillie Bobby BrownFinn WolfhardWinona RyderWhen a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansMark RuffaloAfter the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.Never been much of a Marvel fan until Endgame came out and everyone talked about it. I binge watched the entire 21 movies of the MCU within a couple months before finally catching up with Endgame, which I really liked!
- CreatorPaul T. ScheuringStarsDominic PurcellWentworth MillerAmaury NolascoA structural engineer installs himself in a prison he helped design, in order to save his falsely accused brother from a death sentence by breaking themselves out from the inside.
- DirectorChad StahelskiStarsKeanu ReevesMichael NyqvistAlfie AllenAn ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.It's okay to have a crush on Keanu Reeves.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonAfter visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydMary SteenburgenStranded in 1955, Marty McFly learns about the death of Doc Brown in 1885 and must travel back in time to save him. With no fuel readily available for the DeLorean, the two must figure how to escape the Old West before Emmett is murdered.
- DirectorChad StahelskiStarsKeanu ReevesRiccardo ScamarcioIan McShaneAfter returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life.
- 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.
- DirectorChristophe OffensteinOrelsanStarsOrelsanGringeSeydou DoucouréAfter ten years of doing nothing, Orel and Gringe are in their mid 30s and they struggle to finish their first rap album. Their texts are mostly sex jokes and booze stories and reflect the everyday life they have in a small town from France. The problem is that they never really finished a song and when their producers want to meet, they have to face a new challenge : finish their first song in the next 24h. Their old issues, the fear of failure, their alcoholic friends and annoying girlfriends won't help them to do so, or will they ?
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossThe human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossFreedom fighters Neo, Trinity and Morpheus continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation.
- StarsAntoine de MaximySirarpi MovsisyanAgnès JamonneauAntoine de Maximy goes on his own to different countries around the world and tries to get invited to spend the night at local people's homes to learn more about their way of life and the customs of the place.C'était SON burger.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsForest WhitakerHenry SilvaJohn TormeyAn African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.Largely underrated and brilliant movie with such a great soundtrack. I also read the Hagakure which you can see the main protagonist read in the movie.
- DirectorSean PennStarsEmile HirschVince VaughnCatherine KeenerAfter graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
- CreatorCharlie BrookerStarsWunmi MosakuMonica DolanDaniel LapaineFeaturing stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason StathamBrad PittStephen GrahamUnscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
- CreatorLinwood BoomerMichael GloubermanGary MurphyStarsFrankie MunizBryan CranstonJustin BerfieldA gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.
- StarsOmar SyFred TestotGéraldine NakacheThe after-sales service of emissions is a call reception center like no other. The starting principle of this comedy show is to comment on the news of the last few days in a short two-minute format presenting in succession the different characters, recurring or not, of the comedy duo.
- StarsJonathan CohenJérémie GalanIzïa HigelinÀ voir sur YT
- DirectorDanny BoyleLoveleen TandanStarsDev PatelFreida PintoSaurabh ShuklaA teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJonah HillMargot RobbieBased on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMatt DamonJessica ChastainKristen WiigAn astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
- DirectorFrancis VeberStarsThierry LhermitteJacques VilleretFrancis HusterA few friends have a weekly fools' dinner, where each brings a fool along. Pierre finds a champion fool for next dinner. Surprise.
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsVincent CasselHubert KoundéSaïd Taghmaoui24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
- CreatorChuck LorreBill PradyStarsJohnny GaleckiJim ParsonsKaley CuocoA woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.Buzzinga!
- DirectorSamuel BenchetritStarsAnna MouglalisEdouard BaerJean RochefortTold in four vignettes, this existential comedy relates the exploits of four aspiring criminals who hope to improve their lot, but find that they might not have what it takes for a life of crime.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingKristin Scott ThomasVithaya PansringarmJulian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.
- CreatorJulien JosselinStarsAdrien MénielleLucien MaineÉléonore CostesAkim Omiri est génial
- StarsGaël MectoobLudovikMister VMonsieur Poulpe (cf en particulier "Rencontre de 3 types", "La Maquette", "À un poil de conclure", "La Traque")
- CreatorYvan Le Bolloc'hBruno SoloAlain KappaufStarsBruno SoloYvan Le Bolloc'hArmelleDaily life of French employees at work while taking a break near the coffee machine.
- DirectorWally PfisterStarsJohnny DeppRebecca HallMorgan FreemanA scientist's drive for artificial intelligence takes on dangerous implications when his own consciousness is uploaded into one such program.
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsScarlett JohanssonMorgan FreemanChoi Min-sikA woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.The theory behind the movie is wrong to begin with, but I really enjoyed that Luc Besson went deep (quitte à rendre la fin risible aux yeux de beaucoup, à juste titre ou non) in showing us the consequences that being extremely (and inhumanly in fact) intelligent would lead to. Dans le même genre, voir "Limitless".
- StarsGrégoire LudigDavid MarsaisCamille NoguesÀ voir sur YT
- DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithThandiwe NewtonJaden SmithA struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsPaulina GaitanMarco Antonio AguirreLeonardo AlonsoA young Honduran girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the U.S. border.
- DirectorRupert WyattStarsJames FrancoAndy SerkisFreida PintoA substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.
- CreatorBill DubuqueMark WilliamsStarsJason BatemanLaura LinneySofia HublitzA financial advisor drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder money to appease a drug boss.
- DirectorAfonso PoyartStarsAnthony HopkinsJeffrey Dean MorganAbbie CornishPsychic John Clancy (Sir Anthony Hopkins) works with the F.B.I. in order to hunt down a serial killer.
- CreatorKader AounEric JudorXavier MatthieuStarsJamel DebbouzeEric JudorRamzy BediaA group of people in a dysfunctional hospital have new challenges every day, while trying to work out love, friendship, and work.
- CreatorGreg BerlantiSera GambleStarsPenn BadgleyVictoria PedrettiTati GabrielleA dangerously charming, intensely obsessive young man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of those he is transfixed by.
- DirectorKim ChapironStarsAdam ButcherShane KippelMatthew MoralesThree juvenile delinquents are sentenced to a correctional facility where they encounter gang violence, death, and harassment from staff and other inmates.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodBee VangChristopher CarleyAfter a Hmong teenager tries to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, a disgruntled, prejudiced Korean War veteran seeks to redeem both the boy and himself.
- DirectorGalder Gaztelu-UrrutiaStarsIvan MassaguéZorion EguileorAntonia San JuanA vertical prison with one cell per level. Two people per cell. Only one food platform and two minutes per day to feed. An endless nightmare trapped in The Hole.
- CreatorCraig MazinStarsJessie BuckleyJared HarrisStellan SkarsgårdIn April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the following days, weeks and months.
- CreatorDavid X. CohenMatt GroeningStarsBilly WestJohn DiMaggioKatey SagalPhilip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy, is accidentally frozen in 1999 and thawed out on New Year's Eve 2999.
- CreatorJ.J. AbramsJeffrey LieberDamon LindelofStarsJorge GarciaJosh HollowayYunjin KimThe survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
- CreatorFrank DarabontStarsAndrew LincolnNorman ReedusMelissa McBrideSheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.
- CreatorVince GilliganPeter GouldStarsBob OdenkirkRhea SeehornJonathan BanksThe trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years leading up to his fateful run-in with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsRobin WilliamsKirsten DunstBonnie HuntWhen two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades - and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJim CarreyEd HarrisLaura LinneyAn insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.